Shortly afterwards, I set off for Starry Forest with Commander Savis, Captain Cyril, and Captain Curtis.
Apparently, they wouldn't be taking the saint with them, and if anyone got injured, they'd just use healing potions to treat them.
I thought that the number of knights accompanying them was too few, and that they were not taking saints with them, so that the actions of a high-ranking person should be treated with stricter risk management, but since the Commander probably went into the forest to sort out his thoughts about the Saint, he might not want saints to be by his side.
On the way, Captain Cyril told me that the Commander regularly went into the forest to hunt monsters.
"He's been busy lately and hasn't had time, so he probably thought that now that he has a chunk of free time, would be a good opportunity." (Cyril)
Indeed, it seemed that prioritizing the tea party with the Queen Dowager and not making any other plans had worked out well.
"Also, this is just my personal opinion, but it seems to me that when Commander Savis is troubled or confused, he swings his sword to organize his thoughts." (Cyril)
Ah, my guess that he might be trying to calm himself down by hunting monsters turned out to be somewhat correct, I thought as I looked at Commander Savis.
Based on our recent conversation, it seemed likely that Commander would like to sort out his thoughts about saints.
After dismounting from his horse, Commander Savis entered the forest without hesitation and walked forward without any sign of caution.
On a previous visit to this forest, Commander had defeated a B-rank monster, a Flower Horned Deer, in a single blow.
Normally, it would take 30 knights to defeat a B-rank monster, but he defeated it with just one.
So, while there's no doubt that Commander was strong, I still thought we should be a bit more careful...
Thirty minutes later, I looked back on my worries and feel astonished at what a pointless thing I had been thinking.
Because Commander was surprisingly strong.
The knights' escorts had no role to play, and Commander was alone as he cut down each and every monster he encountered.
Because he had not gone deep into the forest, all the monsters he had encountered were C-rank or below, but even so, his skill in annihilating them with the minimum of movement was nothing short of amazing.
I thought Captain Cyril was the strongest among the Knights, and I was sure there's no mistake in that—however, I was not sure about Captain Curtis' strength, so I hadn't been able to compare the strength of Captain Cyril to that of Captain Curtis—but Commander Savis seemed to be just as strong.
"If he had his right eye, he might be even stronger than Captain Cyril." (Fia)
Commander Savis's missing eye limits his field of vision, which would put him at a huge disadvantage in combat.
And perhaps he felt regretful about that.
After all, it is impossible for a knight who stood at the top of the Knights' Order not to be greedy for strength.
Commander must want to become stronger in order to defeat as many enemies as possible, or to save as many allies as possible.
As I was drifting off into thought, my eyes suddenly met with Commander's.
"What's wrong? Do you feel like swinging your sword too?" (Savis)
When he asked me that, I shook my head.
"No, Commander is too strong, so there's no role for me to play. Or rather, there's no need for anyone to assist Commander. I just... thought that if you had both eyes, you'd be even stronger." (Fia)
At that time, I was thinking that if Commander wanted, I would like to heal his right eye.
Restoring a lost eye was not difficult.
With a little help from Charlotte or Priscilla, I should be able to heal them without them finding out that I was a Saint.
I looked up thinking that, but Commander Savis refused in a flat voice.
"It's unnecessary. I don't need my right eye." (Savis)
"……I see" (Fia)
I nodded in agreement, gazing at Commander's expression, which remained unchanged.
Commander might be thinking that the current Saints' abilities had greatly declined, and that there was no Saint who could heal the missing eye.
Perhaps this was why Commander had no desire to achieve the impossible and was so confident in saying that his right eye was unnecessary.
That's what I thought, but...of course, being a realist, Commander Savis probably had no desire to ask for something impossible, and leaders never reveal their true feelings in situations like these, but still...it seemed to me that the Commander truly believed that the right eye was unnecessary.
...Come to think of it, 300 years ago there was a knight who never wanted to erase his scars.
He taught me that everyone had a history and a situation, and not everyone wanted to be injury-free or disease-free.
"It's about time we returned to the royal castle. Considering the time needed to secure Cerulean, we're nearing our deadline." (Savis)
As if to change the mood, Commander Savis suggested returning to the castle while checking the position of the sun.
I could tell Commander wanted to change the topic, so I went along with it.
"It's true that Cerulean doesn't seem keen to attend the tea party. But he also doesn't seem keen to push it onto Commander Savis alone, so I think he'll put up a little hidden resistance." (Fia)
"You know a lot about Cerulean." (Savis)
Even though Commander told me that, I couldn't bring myself to agree with him, so I spoke what sounded like an excuse.
"...That's just my feeling. Even so, Commander Savis and Cerulean seem to get along well." (Fia)
Earlier, I thought that royal family members had weak family ties, but these brothers seemed to get along well.
"I'm sure your parents were happy to see how close you two are." (Fia)
The only people present besides Commander Savis were Captain Cyril and Captain Curtis, so you should already know that Cerulean and Commander Savis were brothers.
Thinking that, I tried to bring up a topic that would brighten the mood, but Commander Savis just shrugged.
"I don't know. At the very least, I don't think they wanted me to be the perfect sibling for Cerulean." (Savis)
Hearing those words, I was taken aback.
For the royal family, the most important thing was to maintain the bloodline.
For that reason, people prepared spares just in case something were to happen to their successor, and if you thought about it honestly, Commander Savis might have been born out of concern for such an "unexpected event."
I had heard Captain Cyril said directly that he had wanted a younger brother, but was turned down as a Duke's family did not need a spare. So, the idea of "preparing a spare" should be quite common for royal families.
However, if Commander Savis had in fact been considered a "spare," he might feel uncomfortable with that position.
No one would be able to simply accept it if they were wanted not because they "need you" but as a "spare in case something happens."
To begin with, Commander Savis seemed genuinely content with his position as Commander of the Knight Order.
However, it was said that Cerulean received the "Blessing of the Spirit King" at the age of 19, which caused him to age more youthfully, so he might have already been preparing himself for the fact that he would one day have to retire from his position as Commander.
Cerulean planned to soon abdicate the throne to Commander Savis.
He was certainly fulfilling his role as a spare, but perhaps that was exactly why Commander felt a bit ironic about his position.
As if to confirm my speculation, Commander Savis muttered something.
"After seeing me born, the Queen Mother decided that she didn't need to have any more children." (Savis)
——I hoped that those words were based on love.
I hoped that the Queen Mother loved Commander Savis dearly, and that she found the newborn Commander so adorable and lovable that she decided that she had enough children.
I didn't want them to make the mistake of thinking, "Because a second boy has been born, the royal family doesn't need any more children," but...
Judging by the sarcastic look on Commander Savis's face, my hopes were dashed.
Author's Note
Thank you for always reading!
We are pleased to announce that volume 8 of the comics will be released on Wednesday, April 12th!
This is the climax of the Sutherland arc!
Just as the disease has been cured and the residents' feelings of gratitude and gratitude begin to build, Savis appears and a memorial service is held...it's a heart-wrenching story.
With each volume, Fia becomes even cuter and the handsome men become even more handsome, so please continue to enjoy them◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧*˚‧