If you head straight west from the royal capital, you'd reach Seth Coast at the edge of the continent.
Seth Coast was home to the blue sea as far as eye could see, attracting many tourists in the summer, but the area also contained the Seth Imperial Villa, which was owned by the royal family.
Queen Hyacinthe, mother of King Laurence and Commander Savis, lived in the Palace of Set with several holy maidens.
Therefore, three knight captains, Quentin, Clarissa, and Zachary, visited Seth Villa to welcome the Queen Mother to the royal capital.
To be more precise, the three knight Captains who had arrived at Seth Villa a short time ago were standing in front of the entrance, glaring at the door.
The three of them remained motionless as if frozen in place, but Clarissa spoke up in an attempt to break the freeze.
"Quentin, you're the youngest of us, so please open the door and say hello." (Clarissa)
However, when Quentin was selected, he seemed hesitant and took a step back.
"No, this isn't the time for a youngster like me yet. First impressions are important, so a senior captain should go. In other words, Zachary would be the right choice." (Quentin)
Hearing Quentin's words, one of the most senior captain, laughed without a trace of amusement.
"Hahaha, stop joking! There's no way a rough guy like me would have a role in the Seth Villa, which is a garden for women. If anyone has a role, it's Clarissa, who is a woman just like the Queen Mother." (Zachary)
As the three of them were making this beautiful compromise, a voice rang out from an unexpected place.
That was, from behind the three of them.
"That's quite unusual. Knight captains coming all the way from the royal capital to visit us."
The three of them froze in shock and turned around in a panic.
Then, when they recognized who it was, they dropped to one knee and bowed their head.
"It's been a while, Chief Saint." (Zachary)
Zachary began speaking smoothly, as if to say that they had been taking turns giving the greeting just a few moments ago.
"Yes, it's nice to see a familiar face after such a long time. Please raise your head."
Permission was granted and when the three looked up, they saw Queen Hyacinthe standing there holding red hyacinth flowers.
Her appearance was as beautiful as ever, no matter who saw it.
The Queen Mother was wearing a white dress, and her waist-length red hair was left hanging down, untied.
And as always, one of her eyes was hidden under her hair.
Curiously, hiding one eye seemed to accentuate her hair and draw the eye to its vibrant color.
Clarissa praised her in her heart, saying, "As expected of Queen Hyacinthe, she knows what hairstyle makes her look most attractive."
Next to Clarissa, Zachary began to explain the reason for their visit.
"I apologize for visiting so early in the morning. By order of His Majesty the King, I have come to welcome Chief Saint Hyacinth. It has been a long time since we last met, so I would like to introduce the members once again. From the left, we have Zachary, Clarissa, and Quentin."
Hearing Zachary's words, the Queen Mother nodded slightly and smiled affectionately.
"Laurence's life? He's grown up so well. I wonder if he's doing well? I hope he's a kid at heart and isn't up to mischief."
In the end, the three of them remained expressionless in front of the Queen Mother, who seemed to have a hint of playfulness.
The last report the three of them had heard was that Cerulean had taken to the town dressed as a jester with a new knight named Fia.
Therefore, although Zachary thought that this was exactly what the Queen Mother had feared, he decided that it was not something that needed to be reported, so he gave the safe answer, "Our beloved King."
The Queen Mother then looked at him with gentle eyes and tilted her head as if asking a question.
"Well, what about Savis? I'm worried because he's very responsible and tends to try too hard. I hope he's not damaging his health by working too hard."
There was a genuine tone of concern in her voice, so Zachary offered some reassuring explanation.
"Commander Savis is a strong and healthy man, and has no health problems whatsoever. He will always guide us in the right direction." (Zachary)
"Yes, that's good. I live far away, so please help him out."
"I will serve wholeheartedly!" (All 3 captains)
All three Captains replied and bowed their heads.
Then, as per the Captain's invitation, the knights entered the villa and stood in the corner of the hall, watching the Queen Mother conversing with the saints.
The Queen Dowager lived in the villa with five holy maidens, maids, knights from the Royal Guard, cooks, gardeners, and many other people, but it appeared that she had given some instructions before leaving the villa.
Incidentally, standing around the Queen Dowager were about half a dozen knights from the Queen Dowager's personal "Red Flower Guard."
They wear special knightly uniforms, a pale purple-gray color with dark red accents, and surround the Queen Mother to protect her.
The knights of the Crimson Flower Guard and the Black Dragon Guard rarely come into contact with each other, so the three Captains looked curiously at the knights of the Royal Guard.
After observing for a while, Zachary and Clarissa kept their gaze fixed on what was in front of them, moved only their mouths, and muttered a low voice so only the other could hear.
"They are all beautiful knights. Judging by their looks alone, our Black Dragon Knights are completely defeated."
"Not really. It's just that their personalities get in the way and they can't look at their faces objectively, but Cyril, Desmond, Curtis, and even Quentin here are all very handsome. Zachary, you have a strong, manly face too, so you're no match for them."
"Ah, it's true that my knights have such strong personalities that it's hard to pay attention to their faces. Also, unlike the knights of the Royal Guard here, there isn't a single one who looks like they'd stand there obediently, so I think they're a complete failure as ornamental pieces. In any case, all of the knights here are too thin. They can't even swing their swords properly."
As Zachary said, all of the knights of the Scarlet Flower Guard were tall but slender.
Commenting from the Captain's perspective, it's clear that they lacked muscle mass.
However, as they continued to observe, thinking that perhaps knights like these were well suited to guarding this woman's garden, the Queen Mother began to explain to everyone what was going to happen next.
It seemed that only one saint would be left behind in the villa, and the rest would head to the royal capital with the queen mother.
The holy maidens listened intently to the queen mother's words, and it seemed that the queen mother was loved by the holy maidens who lived with her.
The knights listened proudly to the Queen Mother's story and were clearly fascinated by her.
——Even if the Captains of the Black Dragon Knights felt uncomfortable around the Queen Mother, there was no doubt that she was loved and respected by those close to her.
Therefore, the three knights Captain praised it in their hearts, saying, "It is truly a healing flower of the Näv Kingdom."
That wasn't enough, and Zachary muttered his thoughts in a low voice.
"The current Chief Saint is incredibly popular among the people. We can't allow her to get even a scratch, so we need to escort her to the royal capital with all our might." (Zachary)
Quentin seriously warned Zachary about this.
"No matter who you are guarding, you should never harm them at any time." (Quentin)
Quentin was right, so Zachary nodded obediently.
"Exactly." (Zachary)
The villa had been notified in advance that the knight captains would be coming to welcome the Empress Dowager, so it seemed that her luggage had already been packed.
So, just an hour later, the queen mother, four saints, maids, and the knights of the Royal Guard set out for the Royal Capital.
And to protect them, two dozen knights from the Black Dragon Knights, including three Captains, accompanied them.