Afterwards, we all walked back to the entrance of the forest, none of us saying much.
Neither Captain Cyril nor Captain Curtis were particularly talkative, but even so, there was no private conversation at all.
Perhaps after listening to my conversation with the Commander earlier, he was feeling depressed by the complexities of Commander Savis' position as the "second son of the royal family."
As I walked along, feeling similarly dejected, Captain Curtis came up to me and whispered to me:
"Lady Fi, are you okay? If you don't wish to accompany me to the tea ceremony, I will let Cyril know." (Curtis)
I looked up to see Captain Curtis looking at me with a concerned look in his eyes.
Seeing that expression, I suddenly remembered that he had given me a similar look the other day.
At that time, in Lloyd's room in the royal castle, he had made a heartfelt request.
"Lady Fi, please don't forget what's most important to you! And even if it hurts your heart or you feel like you want to save them, you should prioritize what's important to you! In fact, you should let go of them before it hurts your heart!" (Curtis)
The "most important thing" that Captain Curtis said was "my life," and he advised me to take care of myself.
He continued by telling me not to get too involved with Cerulean and Dory.
Perhaps Captain Curtis' concern for Cerulean and Dory was about Colette, who continued to sleep.
He must have realized that in order to awaken her, he would need to use my Saintly powers, and was wary of the risks.
However, since I'd come up with a way to use the Great Saint's Rose, I wouldn't actually need to use magic directly, so there shouldn't be any situations that would worry Captain Curtis.
So, the issues with those two should have been resolved, but Captain Curtis also seemed to have some concerns about Commander Savis and Captain Cyril, and he warned me about them.
"If I may add, the same goes for Commander Savis and Cyril! They too are carrying heavy, dark burdens! I sincerely ask that you please not get involved any further." (Curtis)
But at the time, I didn't understand what Captain Curtis was worried about.
So I kept wondering what it might be hinting at, but if it was coming at me at this time and worrying me, then something had happened in the woods that concerned Captain Curtis.
In other words……
"I wonder if there was anything in my conversation with Commander Savis that has you concerned?" (Fia)
I asked in a low voice, and Captain Curtis looked back at me with a blank look.
He showed no facial expression, no sign of being upset, but his lack of response was in fact a response.
Captain Curtis was an incredibly honest man and would never lie to me, so if there was something he found difficult to answer he wouldn't answer.
The conversation between Commander and I was about two things: the treatment for his eye and his position as the spare heir.
Commander had refused to treat his other eye, so things weren't likely to progress any further.
So, it seemed the issue of being a spare heir was what Captain Curtis was concerned about, but if so, was there more to the story?
But even if I asked, Captain Curtis probably wouldn't tell me.
Knowing this, I shook my head in response to his question.
"No, I will fulfill my duties as a knight. I will accompany Commander to the tea party as planned." (Fia)
"……Understood" (Curtis)
Captain Curtis looked like he wanted to say something, but in the end he just kept his mouth shut and walked away.
I wondered what he was worried about, but I decided not to delve any further into it, thinking that sometimes things just get resolved on their own.
Captain Curtis was so worried about Cerulean and Dory, but now that the matter had been resolved using the Great Saint's Rose, nothing would happen.
Likewise, I suspect the concerns regarding Commander Savis and Captain Cyril will all pass without incident.
With this wishful thinking in mind, I glanced over at Commander Savis, and by chance our eyes met.
Commander then raised one eyebrow inquiringly.
"What's the matter, Fia? I don't think you're nervous about meeting Queen Dowager, are you?" (Savis)
"Huh? Ah!" (Fia)
Apparently, my conversation with Captain Curtis, which I thought I was speaking in a hushed voice, was overheard and misunderstood.
And as Commander Savis said, Queen Mother was the former queen and current Chief Saint.
Since this was not someone you met easily, perhaps it was only polite to be nervous.
Thinking this, I belatedly placed one hand over my heart.
"You're right. My heart is beating fast at the thought of meeting someone I rarely get to see." (Fia)
"…………"
"…………"
Even though I was the one who asked, Commander looked at me suspiciously when I confirmed that it was true.
Similarly, Captain Cyril, who gave me a suspicious look as if he couldn't trust me from the start, was also a bit strange.
However, I knew that it's important to see things through, so I continued speaking without slowing down until the very end.
"But rest assured! I will do my best to protect Commander Savis." (Fia)
"...I see. I look forward to it." (Savis)
That's strange.
Leaders were known for keeping their true feelings secret, but for some reason I could tell that he didn't believe a word I was saying.
But Commander himself had appointed me as his guard, and yet he didn't believe in me doing the job well, let alone making that clear.
As I was thinking this, Commander casually continued speaking.
"Fia, there's something I'd like to ask you. This is hypothetical, but..." (Savis)
"Yes?" (Fia)
It's unusual to hear a realist like Commander talk about hypotheticals.
"What if you were a saint destined to marry into the royal family, but there was a curse on the royal family that would never give birth to a girl? What if, no matter how excellent a saint you were, you couldn't pass anything on to the next generation?" (Savis)
It was a question based on a hypothetical situation I didn't really understand, but it was a very simple one so I answered right away.
"Save as many people as possible!" (Fia)
"What did you say?" (Savis)
The Commander asked suspiciously.
However, no matter how many times he was asked, the same answer came to mind, so I repeated the same words.
"If only I can do it, I will save as many people as possible!" (Fia)
Commander Savis stared at me blankly for a moment, then burst out laughing, unable to contain his laughter.
"Ha... ha ha, ha ha ha! I see! That's the best answer." (Savis)
Then the Commander laughed for a moment and muttered something as if to confirm.
"I see, so instead of expecting something from the next generation, you want to do everything yourself." (Savis)
Commander Savis nodded as if he understood something, then raised his head and looked at me.
"I wonder why. If you're a Saint, it seems like you would actually accomplish what you say." (Savis)
"Um, yeah, of course I'll do that." (Fia)
There seemed to be an emotion I didn't understand lurking deep in Commander's eyes, so I was distracted by it while I replied.
Commander's mouth quirked up a little.
"Fia, I haven't actually seen what you said you would show me, but just your words... I feel like I'm seeing the continuation of a dream." (Savis)
What Commander was alluding to was probably the "dream-like story" I'd told while drunk at dinner, in other words, a delusional tale.
I had no recollection of what we had talked about, so I was a little worried that I might have said something outrageous, but Commander looked satisfied, so I began to hope that maybe I had shared a rather fascinating fantasy story after all.
"Oh, I guess my imagination is good?" (Fia)
There was no voice in reply to my monologue, so I decided that if my words were not denied, they were affirmed.
So I felt good, like I had discovered yet another new ability I had never known about before.
Author's Note
(Today is April 1st! I wanted to surprise someone, but I couldn't think of a good April Fool's joke, so I was mulling over it all day.)
The results of the character popularity poll held last month have been announced!
The long-awaited results and screenshots of the character that came in first place are now published, so please take a look.
Publisher HP "Great Saint" special site
https://www.es-novel.jp/special/daiseijo/