Captain Curtis staggered and looked like he would fall to his knees on the floor, but he somehow managed to regain his footing and glared at Captain Cyril.
"Cyril, what words are you using to seduce Lady Fi? You know exactly what Lady Fi likes and you're exploiting her weaknesses!" (Curtis)
Well, I wondered what Curtis would say. I didn't really understand the flow of the story.
"Curtis, this is not a sad story about how her weakness was exploited, but a touching story about the strength of our friendship, you know?" (Cyril)
He tried to explain it in a way that was easy to understand, but my former guardian knight seemed less capable of understanding than I thought, and he shook his head in denial.
Then he grabbed me by the shoulders and spoke in a persuasive voice.
"Lady Fi, please stop putting yourself in such a difficult position! You are already considered the reincarnation of the great saint in Sutherland, so you have no right to be involved in any further matters related to the saint." (Curtis)
Curtis looked so worried that I couldn't help but nod vigorously.
"Okay, I promise I'll be as quiet as possible after the First-ranked Saint selection meeting! So, can I just participate in this one? I really want to see the power of the current saints." (Fia)
In my previous life, I spent most of my time being a saint. The magic and techniques I had as a saint were taught to me by spirits and senior saints. Because I passed away before I could achieve my goal, I was unable to pass on everything I had learned to the next generation of saints, but I believed that some of it had still been passed down to the present day.
So, if the saints were exceptionally skilled, even in this country, then they must have inherited at least some, well, quite a bit of skill. I wanted to see them with my own eyes.
Captain Curtis, who was my guardian knight in my previous life, had always been by my side so I was sure he would understand how I feel. Looking up with such expectation, Captain Curtis gritted his molars tightly.
"Lady Fi, that's... completely exploiting my weakness." (Curtis)
"So, what is Curtis's_ weakness?" (Fia)
"...I want to grant your wishes as much as possible. This tendency is especially strong when it comes to matters related to the saints." (Curtis)
Well, I wonder if Captain Curtis has such a convenient weakness for me? Well, let's try it and see if it really works!
I clasped my hands together and looked up at Captain Curtis with a smile.
"Curtis, I want to see up close the abilities of the saints who will be appearing at the Selection Meeting!" (Fia)
"Argh!" (Curtis)
It was only half a joke, but Captain Curtis made a noise that sounded like a squashed frog, so I was surprised that it really seemed to be working.
As I stared with wide eyes, Captain Curtis hung his head in resignation.
"...I understand. I will accompany you to the selection meeting as your guardian. Please promise me that you will not do anything reckless." (Curtis)
Escort? Do you mean security at the selection venue?
There were some words that I didn't understand that Captain Curtis was saying, but I didn't want to provoke him and change his mood by asking him to repeat them, so I decided to let it go.
"Yes, I promise!" (Fia)
Despite having stated it clearly, Captain Curtis continued speaking with a worried look on his face.
"Also, this is not a request but a piece of advice… please stop expecting too much from the abilities of the saints." (Cyril)
"Huh? Yes, I know that the saints are weaker than they were 300 years ago." (Fia)
Even though I replied with a smile that there was nothing to worry about, Captain Curtis still had a worried look on his face.
"...That would be nice."
However, my former guardian knight knew when to quit, so he accepted what I said and took a step back.
Instead, Cerulean took a step forward and spoke.
"Thank you, Fia, for listening to my request. But the moment you said you would participate in the selection meeting, I felt as if I had been liberated from a weight. I feel so sorry for making such an outrageous request of you, Fia. Asking a knight to pretend to be a saint is just ridiculous." (Cerulean)
Cerulean looked at me with a worried look in his eyes and had a very pitiful expression on his face.
He had been angry at Queen Dowager for many years, so he was probably overwhelmed with the desire to defeat Queen Dowager just now. Therefore, although he rushed ahead out of pure anger, as soon as he heard me declare that I would "participate in the selection committee with Sacred Stone", he must have realized just how unreasonable his request was.
"Yes, that's right. It's certainly an absurd, ridiculous story. Asking a fine knight to participate in a selection committee to decide the number one saint makes me question his sanity. I'm sure I'm the only one in the world who would take on such a crazy story." (Fia)
I crossed my arms and nodded exaggeratedly in response, and c__ frowned.
"I see, huh..." (Cerulean)
"But don't worry! I am strong in friendship." (Fia)
When I said that in a playful tone, Cerulean blushed and hugged me.
"Thank you, Fia! I've never met anyone as generous and kind as you." (Cerulean)
Hehe, it seems I've finally conveyed how wonderful I am, right?
"Of course. So leave it to me!" (Fia)
Saying this, I patted Cerulean on the back, who took a step back, sniffling. Then he quietly thanked me again, and I smiled.
Once Captain Cyril, Captain Curtis and Cerulean had all shown signs of calming down, as if waiting for the right moment, Commander Savis spoke up.
"Fia, there's no need for you to push yourself. Cerulean has resentment towards Queen Dowager, and Cyril is worried about him. That's why he made this request. However, there are other ways to resolve this. If it goes against your wishes, there's no need for you to take action." (Curtis)
Since I could see that Commander had spoken from an unbiased perspective, I thought that Commander Savis seemed to be the calmest person in the situation. However, although those were kind words, it was not in the slightest bit against my wishes to take part in the selection committee. Thinking this, I put on a modest expression.
"I appreciate your concern, but everything else is insignificant compared to my friendship with Captain Cyril and Cerulean." (Fia)
Seriously, compared to having a special seat at the table and witnessing the powers of these nation's finest saints, everything else was inconsequential.
Commander Savis looked at my modest expression, narrowed his eyes as if searching for something, and continued speaking.
"The First-ranked Saint will one day become my queen. That's why Cyril is worried about me and is trying to do all she can to help me, but no matter what kind of saint she is, I won't have any problems or worries. It's all Cyril's needless worry." (Fia)
In other words, it meant that even after marriage, Commander Savis would continue to keep his distance from the princess as a stranger.
Hmm, maybe Captain Cyril wouldn't want Commander to live such a lonely life.
Hmm? If you think about it, the First-ranked Saint selection committee is not only for deciding the number one saint, but also for deciding the queen of Commander Savis. My my, my, my, if you're the queen of Commander Savis, the treasure of the Black Dragon Knights, the knights won't be satisfied with just any other saint.
I geve a sly grin.
"Understood! I will go find a wonderful saint who can blow away Captain Cyril's sorrows and make Commander Savis fall in love at first sight!!" (Fia)
Even though I had made that declaration from the bottom of my heart, for some reason Captain Cyril looked at me in shock.
"How can you come to such a conclusion, Fia? Perhaps you have misunderstood the true meaning of Commander Savis." (Curtis)
"Hohoho, my father once said that the role of judging other women is best suited for a woman." (Fia)
With a loud laugh, Captain Cyril answered fluently as if he had seen it himself.
"That's saying that Dolph can't judge women at all, which is a completely different matter. For example, that might be true for Clarissa, but not for you, Fia. Besides, this is a selection meeting to choose First-ranked Saint!" (Cyril)
Although what Captain Cyril said was reasonable, I had my own opinion and I couldn't give in on that point, I replied with anguish.
"Hmm, if I were a saint, I would only pay attention to the saint’s abilities, but I’m a knight. My mission is to find a saint who is kind to her fellow knights, who knights love!" (Fia)
Then, Commander Savis, who was supposed to be a party to the incident, burst out in amusement.
"Hahaha, the choice of saint has changed from one that I would fall in love with at first sight to one that is kind to knights, and is now someone convenient for you. I see, I thought Fia was meant to be my charm, but it seems you were a charm for the entire Knight Order." (Savis)
My goodness, even though the topic of conversation was the commander himself, it seemed like this was none of his business. Apparently I wasn't the only one who thought so, as Captain Cyril voiced his disapproval.
"Commander Savis, this is no time for amusement!" (Cyril)
However, Commander Savis just shrugged his shoulders in silence. ...Apparently, Commander Savis didn't seem to be taking the idea of marrying First-ranked Saint very seriously.
So, that being said, a new mission had been assigned to me, Fia Ruud, a knight of the ultra-elite First Knight Order. This was a special mission to acquire the abilities of a saint and knowledge of medicinal herbs in preparation for participating in the First-ranked Saint selection committee. However, my participation in the selection committee was a secret, so it was also a top-secret mission.
"A special mission is an important mission that only that person can be asked to carry out. Hahaha, I must be such an excellent knight to have been given two special missions!" (Fia)
I sat on my bed in my dorm room and told Zavilia about what had happened that day. My day from tomorrow would begin with a visit to the royal castle gardens to channel magical power into the Great Saint's Rose, and would end with learning about the saints and medicinal herbs. Just as I said it was going to be a busy day, Zavilia tilted his head quizzically.
"Fia is a knight, right? And yet, you day ends with appreciating the garden and working as a saint apprentice? Is this really a knight's job? For example, how many people could guess that FIIA is a knight by listening to this schedule?" (Zavilia)
"Oh, that's a bit of a sharp point, Zavilia. Well, I'd like to ask someone and check the answer, but this is a special mission. I can't let anyone know my schedule." (Fia)
I said firmly and Zavilia nodded.
"That's good. Things are looking up for Fia. Hehe, but I'd really like to see if Fia is valued as a knight, a gardener, or even as the owner of Sacred Stone, so that's a shame." (Zavilia)
"Uhh, I feel like that's a box that shouldn't be opened. But it's strange. I wonder where my excellence as a knight went, as seen when I drew with Commander Savis at the initiation ceremony." (Fia)
It felt like it had completely disappeared from me lately.
Zavilia looked at me sideways as I tilted my head in confusion.
"That's the power of the sword. I think the idea that Fia was a fine knight was an illusion from the start." (Zavilia)
I pretended not to hear as Zavilia expressed his unpleasant views.
"Hohoho, I've been given a special mission directly from the chief captain, so I'll do my best without worrying about the small details!" (Fia)
While I was overflowing with enthusiasm, Zavilia had a look on her face as if he wanted to argue.
"Your best? I think it's better not to do that." (Zavilia)
"I don't know," Zavilia replied, and I clenched my fist.
"Hohoho, Zavilia, being a knight is a difficult job, it's not something you can do by conserving your strength. Besides, I've been given a special mission, so as a good knight, I can't slack off!" (Fia)
As I made this loud declaration, Zavilia looked at me with a dumbfounded look in his eyes for some reason.
Author's Note
Volume 3 of Daiseijo ZERO was released today!
This is the third installment of a series that I've written entirely from scratch. I think it turned out really fun, so I hope you enjoy it!
Thank you very much for your cooperation.