Commander Savis was amazing as expected.
How strong did he have to be to cut a B-rank monster in half with a single blow! They said that a sword could cut if it was used properly, but it looked like there was no force put into it at all, so I wondered how he could cut it so cleanly.
Excited, I approached the two of them as Captain Cyril called me.
The captain, who was beckoning me, suddenly looked at my arm.
"Fia! Are you hurt?" (Cyril)
"Huh? Oh, that reminds me, I caught it on the horn of a Flower-horned Deer. It's just a scratch." (Fia)
"No, that wound is about 10 centimeters long and deep. It's not just a scratch. Come to the saints..." (Cyril)
The captain, who had rolled up the sleeves of my clothes to check for any injuries, looked at something and stopped speaking. Following the captain's gaze, I saw the saints yelling something to the knight.
…Yeah, I was glad I couldn’t hear what was going on.
Priorities would be changed depending on the situation. The moment a Flower-horned Deer appeared, defeating the monster became the top priority, so the saint's guards also joined in the monster subjugation. If they had failed to defeat the monster, the entire platoon would likely have been wiped out, so this was unavoidable. However, from the perspective of the saints, this must be an act of violence that they could not forgive. Even from afar, they looked extremely angry.
…Yeah, this was impossible. A lot of people were injured in the battle just now, but they wouldn't be able to be healed.
I gave up on getting treatment and turned to the captain.
"It's just a scratch. I have some healing potions that were distributed, so I'll take them later." (Fia)
"No, drink it now. It takes some time for the effects to kick in, so you should drink it quickly." (Cyril)
Hmm... But I heard that when you drank a healing potion, you would feel excruciating pain. It's okay. I could heal myself without taking it. Even though I might look like this, I was once a great saint, after all.
"Fia...? You're not going to refuse to take your medicine because you're afraid of temporary pain, are you? That would be like escaping a minor disaster only to encounter a major one. You're already 15 and an adult, so stop acting like a child!" (Cyril)
Then the captain grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and forced me to open my mouth.
"C-Captain, don't worry! The Ruud family has been strong for generations! Ah, actually, my father said that relying on medicine was weak. As the daughter of the Ruud family, I will properly follow my father's teachings... muagh-gah." (Fia)
Even though I was in the middle of talking, the captain shoved medicine into my mouth without asking any questions.
"Arghh— wha-, so bitter! Ugh, it's bitter!!" (Fia)
I instinctively covered my mouth with both hands, trying to somehow get rid of the bitterness, but the bitterness wouldn't leave my mouth. I looked around, searching for a solution, hoping to find something that could be done.
I met the commander's gaze, but he just waved his hand in amusement.
Oh, he's not going to help.
Unable to resist, I jumped on the spot.
Bitter, bitter, bitter! My tongue feels sore! Oh, if only I had gotten used to eating bitter foods. Then maybe I would have been able to bear this bitterness a little better.
I jumped repeatedly while thinking incoherent things. But sometimes good ideas came to you when you're moving your body.
Sweetness! That's right, just eat something sweet to counteract the taste!
I looked around, found the tree I was looking for, and ran off to it as fast as I could.
"Hey, Fia! Where are you going by yourself?" (Cyril)
The captain called out to me in a panic from behind, but that was not the time for me to think about it.
When I found the tree I was looking for, I picked up a thumb-sized red fruit that was hanging from it. Then I popped it into my mouth.
"Fia! Spit it out!" (Cyril)
The captain came running over in a panic, but I was already finished eating, munch munch.
...These fruits were as sweet as ever. Why couldn't the beasts of the forest eat them, even though they're so delicious?
"Fia!" (Cyril)
The captain caught up with me and stuck his finger in my mouth, but unfortunately, I had already eaten it.
"C-Captheen, did you want some too? Well, there are still loads of them in there. Why don't you just take some yourself instead of trying to scrape them off of my mouth?" (Fia)
"...Are you okay? Although it may look delicious at first glance, it's an extremely bitter fruit, incomparable to any healing potion..." (Cyril)
"Hah? It's really sweet." (Fia)
Even as I tilted my head in question, my hands busily moved, picking up a second and then a third fruit and popping them into my mouth.
"Munch munch munch, look, it's sweet." (Fia)
"...The fact that you describe the recovery potion as bitter, it doesn't seem like you have a bad sense of taste..." (Cyril)
The captain gingerly picked one of the fruits and took a small bite.
"! ... Argh, I was foolish to believe in you!" (Cyril)
As I looked at the captain, kneeling on the ground with a look of anguish on his face, I felt envious and thought, "A good-looking person is good-looking even with a distorted face."
"Oh, Captain, you're a heavy drinker, right? So, you don't like sweet things." (Fia)
"...What are you talking about? This fruit is extremely bitter." (Cyril)
"Oh, come on. There's nothing to be ashamed of if you don't like sweet things." (Fia)
Even as he said this, I picked up the fourth and fifth ones and ate them all up. As I was savoring the sweetness, thinking how delicious it was, I noticed that the captain was staring at me.
"Oh, you want to eat more? Here you go." (Fia)
I tore off a new one and handed it out in front of the captain. However, the captain just stared at it as if it were something to be avoided, and made no move.
Just as I was wondering what was going on, my eyes met with the commander, who was walking towards me leisurely.
"Commander, here. It's delicious." (Fia)
Commander stared at me in silence for a few seconds, then reached out and picked a fruit from my palm, popping it whole into his mouth.
"Commander!!" (Cyril)
The captain cried out in surprise, but the commander paid no attention and continued munching the fruit in his mouth.
"...sweet." (Savis)
Then he murmured in surprise.
"No way." (Cyril)
The captain let out a cry of surprise, plucked another fruit and took a bite, then let out another pitiful yell, "Bwah," and crouched on the ground.
...Yeah, if it doesn't suit your taste, you should just spit it out. Captain's refinement was shown in the fact that he tried to eat it properly.
As I continued to pick fruit, glancing at the captain from the side, the commander called out to me.
"Fia, give one to Cyril." (Savis)
"Understood. Captain, please." (Fia)
The captain hesitantly picked one up from the outstretched hand and put the whole thing in his mouth. Then, as if making up his mind, he took a bite...and opened his closed eyes wide.
"Sweet……" (Cyril)
...Hmm, I see. When I offered it to you, you only took a bite, but when Commander told you to, you ate the whole thing. ...Captain really loves Commander. I knew it.
But it's okay. His direct subordinates wouldn't be upset about something like that. They'd support the captain.
"Yes, it's sweet. But it's okay! On the contrary, I like men who don't like sweet things." (Fia)
"What on earth is this all about?" (Cyril)
The captain completely ignored my words of comfort and turned to the commander.
"...According to legend, a spirit once lived in this forest. And it would grant blessings to those it took a fancy to. ...It's the spirit's blessing. Fia, you must be one who is 'beloved by the spirit'. The spirit is helping you so much that it can turn bitter fruit into sweet fruit. Or, if the spirit itself has already left this forest, perhaps the forest is helping you. ...What a pity. If you had been a master of healing magic, you would have become an excellent saint." (Savis)
All girls born in the kingdom were tested at the ages of three and ten to see if they could use healing magic. If she wasn't adopted by the church, it meant that she was determined to have no healing magic at either time.
"...It's enough. Everything I need has been given to me." (Fia)
I looked at the commander, smiled and said that.
...I was given a second chance to be born into this country. It was the greatest blessing of the spirit.
There was a moment of silence, and then the captain spoke up, as if to break it.
"...Um, Fia. Now that you've calmed down, there's something I'd like to ask you..." (Cyril)
A question?
"Yes, what is it?" (Fia)
And when I tilted my head, an intense pain hit me all over!
"Arghhhhh?!" (Fia)
That's right, I drank a healing potion!