The place where we got off the carriage was in front of the entrance of a splendid building. From where the carriage was parked to the entrance of the building, there were several tall partitions placed to prevent people from outside from seeing inside. It seemed that Captain Cyril's promise that the Saints participating in the selection committee would not be seen by the general public had been fulfilled.
The problem was that I had already removed the veil—I thought, but there's nothing I could do about what's already been done, so I decided to give up. On the other hand, Captain Cyril and Captain Curtis seemed refusing to give up, and were speechless with their eyes wide open in disbelief.
So I put on a serious expression and approached the two of them.
"A terrible incident has occurred that has forced me to remove the veil." (Fia)
I whispered to them, but they didn't seem convinced, so they grabbed me by the arm and asked for more details.
"What do you mean?" (Cyril + Curtis)
Well, I haven't thought about that yet. That's what I thought, but I know that speed was important in situations like this, so I spoke up anyway.
"I can't say this out loud, but one of the civil servants was wearing a wig, and unfortunately it was blown away by the wind." (Fia)
"Hah." (Cyril)
As if wondering what he was going to say, Captain Cyril responded in a listless manner.
"Then, a shiny head appeared from under the wig, and since it was the middle of autumn now, I quickly removed the veil and covered the person's head, fearing that she might catch a cold." (Fia)
"...Hmm, that did help someone, didn't it?" (Cyril)
For some reason, Captain Cyril replied in the form of a question.
I put on a serious expression and nodded vigorously in agreement.
"That's right, it was a total act of helping someone! So, for some noble reason, I had no choice but to remove the veil!!" (Fia)
"…………" (Curtis)
Instead of Captain Cyril, who no longer seemed interested in responding, Captain Curtis furrowed his brow in anguish.
"I know Lady Fi is merciful, but she should not have reached out!" (Curtis)
"Huh? Ah, yes, that might be it." (Fia)
I mean, it's all made-up right? It pained me that Captain Curtis seemed to believe it so completely, but if it turned out to be a lie I would just get a lecture, so I would just go ahead and say it's a made-up story. If I were to actually encounter a scene like the one I just described, I would definitely place a veil over the civil servant's head, but I'd just think that this time I just happened not to encounter such a scene.
"That's a very reasonable opinion, but I've already removed the veil. All the Saints have seen my face, so I think it's fine to leave it like this." (Fia)
"…………" (Curtis)
Captain Curtis was silent for a moment, but then he suddenly seemed startled and spoke up.
"However, this time the venue is a hospital! A large number of people are hospitalized, and if things stay as they are, they will be able to see Lady Fi. To avoid that, I recommend that you put on the veil even now." (Curtis)
Oh, this building is a hospital, huh? The initial screening showed that it was for treating sick people, so I wonder if it was intended for hospitalized patients.
"I understand your concern, Curtis, but do people really remember people they only saw briefly? People will probably remember the Saints by their outfit, so I don't think they'd even notice me in a knight's uniform later on." (Fia)
A huge number of people lived in the royal capital, and I met and interacted with many people every day. Even if they happened to meet me briefly, I wondered if they would remember me for that long. Furthermore, if they were to meet me later, looking sharp and dressed in knight's uniform, would they think, "That's the saint filled with compassion from back then!"?
I was convincing myself that no one would think that, when Captain Curtis retorted with a serious look on his face.
"They saw Lady Fi and you don't remember her? That's impossible!!" (Curtis)
Here it is, my favorite of Captain Curtis.
To begin with, Captain Curtis was more of an anxious person than most people, so he was the type who couldn't feel at ease until all of his concerns had been resolved. However, if I had to deal with all of Captain Curtis's worries, I'd be so tied down that I wouldn't be able to do anything, so I wondered if I could compromise somewhere.
I mean, this was a hospital, so I had to think about the feelings of the hospitalized patients and not just my own.
"Curtis, if the first stage of the screening is to cure the patients of this hospital, wouldn't you all dislike a suspicious saint wearing a veil?" (Fia)
Captain Curtis jumped in surprise, but spoke without any hesitation.
"Even if that's the case, the most important thing is Lady Fi!!" (Curtis)
I continued to give words of reassurance to Captain Curtis, who refused to budge from his opinion at all.
"There's no need to worry. No one would think of being both a knight and a saint at the same time, so even if they see me in a knight's uniform later on, they won't think I'm the saint they met at the hospital." (Fia)
Captain Cyril, who had been listening to our conversation, interrupted from next to me.
"Certainly, no one would think of a Saint taking up another profession. But Fia's red hair is beautiful, so I think that red color will remain in everyone's memory, right?" (Cyril)
Captain Cyril said something unnecessary.
"It seems that there are three people in the world who look just like me. If someone asks me, 'Are you the Saint from that time?' I would answer, 'I'm a case of mistaken identity,' and everyone would understand." (Fia)
Hearing what I said, Captain Cyril frowned.
"Being a Saint is a very important status, so no one would go out of their way to hide it. Therefore, if you deny being a Saint, there is a good chance that the other person will back off. However, aren't Fia's assumptions a bit too rough and crude?" (Cyril)
Rather than calling it violent, I'd say it's a flexible idea that could be adapted to a variety of patterns.
"Anyway, I won't be there until the end of the selection process, so no one will care about the Saints who disappeared halfway through. By the way, I am currently following Captain Cyril's orders and investigating whether Saint Rose is a dangerous Saint. If the result of my investigation indicates that it is necessary, I will let Saint Rose know that 'There is a powerful and threatening Saint in this world' and then I will quickly leave the selection committee." (Fia)
Having said that, I remembered one thing.
"Oh, by the way, Captain Cyril promised me that he would make sure that my magic would not be seen by anyone other than Saint Rose, but now that I've removed the veil, that's no longer necessary." (Fia)
Hearing what I said, Captain Cyril and Captain Curtis fixed their gazes on my exposed face with eyes that looked at a pitiful person. I was proud of these two.
"But please rest assured! Even if they are surprised by my magic, I will blame it all on the Sacred Stone. And I will be careful around anyone other than Saint Rose so that they don't get too surprised." (Fia)
The two of them looked like they wanted to say something back, but I knew there was no point in asking, so I quickly said, "It's about time we got going!" and ran into the building before they could stop me.
The three Saints who were riding in the same carriage had already moved on, so it was true that there was no room for any hesitation. When I entered the building, a staff member was waiting for me, so I followed the directions down the hallway.
When I was ushered into a room that resembled a conference room, all the other Saints except me were already seated. Feeling apologetic, I quickly sat down in an empty seat, and Anna, who was sitting next to me, started talking to me with interest.
"As expected of Fia, you're the King's recommendation so you're familiar with the knights! And actually, both of them are really good looking!" (Anna)
I looked at Anna with a sour expression.
"Anna, if you're just focusing on their appearances, you're missing out. What's important is what's inside." (Fia)
I wanted to tell them straight out that once you knew what those two were like, you couldn't just get carried away no matter how good-looking they were, but I used my reason and restrained myself.
This was because, since Captain Cyril was a duke, the contestant chosen as the high-ranking saint realized that she might end up marrying Captain Cyril. If that was the case, then for the sake of Captain Cyril's happiness, let us keep those insults to ourselves.
Oh my, now that I think about it, I really do care about Captain Cyril. But why can't Captain Cyril understand this wonderful sincerity I feel for my boss?
While I was wondering about this, an official came forward and began explaining about the review board. I straightened my posture and concentrated on the conversation.
"This is the largest hospital in the royal capital. The first examination will take place here over a period of five days, so all of you Saints will need to attend this hospital for five days starting from today."
According to the explanation given beforehand, the Saints would be staying in the royal castle for the entire two weeks during which the selection meeting would take place. In other words, from today onwards, I'd be commuting back and forth between the royal castle and the hospital for the next five days.
"The hospital keeps track of all the conditions of hospitalized patients and creates and stores their medical records. The Saint is free to view the medical records, so if you wish to view them, please let us know."
I see, so you will be working with doctors, even if not directly, to treat patients.
"Saints, if you are going to heal a patient, please let us know in advance. When the Saints heal, an administrative officer will be present, and afterwards, together with the doctor, we will check the patient's recovery. After that, we will compile a report on the patient's condition and degree of recovery. Finally, a report on the progress over the five days will be submitted to the judges, and the judges will decide the results based on the contents of that report."
That meant we'd be evaluated on the results of the recovery magic over a five-day period, not just a one-time period.
"The Saints do not need to come to the hospital every day, so if you think you need to rest, please stay in the royal castle. The second examination will be held four days after the first examination ends. Therefore, even if the Saints run out of magical power on the last day, it will not affect the second examination."
Come to think of it, Dorothee, the saint who worked at the royal castle, had said that "After using a large amount of magical power, one should refrain from using magic for three days." Since the second round of examinations would be held three days apart, not using magic for three days after magical power had been depleted may be a rule set by the church for all Saints.
"Finally, I would like to inform you that throughout the entire audition process, the audit committee may visit the applicants for on-site audits."
Hmm, I don't think the king (Doppelganger) will be coming, but maybe First-ranked Saint or Commander Savis will come to watch.
"Well then, I will now show you to your room."
With those words from the administrative officer, the door to the room that had been closed opened.
I stood up with the other saints and headed to the room where the patient was waiting.
Author's Note
Today, the 9th volume of the novel was released!
This fun dinner party is also included!
I've added a lot of new content, such as stories about Savis taking care of Fia, Charlotte's struggles, and stories about Desmond and _FIIA's father being confused.
I think it's a really fun game, so I'd be thrilled if you could pick it up.
★We are currently running a Cyril & Sirius QUO card giveaway on Twitter.
The event runs until Sunday, so if you're interested, please come along.
https://twitter.com/touya_stars
Thank you very much for your support.
Translator's Note
Due to some circumstances, including not much raw chapter left, by December 2024, the translation of this series will be paused and will continue in 2025, but the translation of chapter 67-112 will still continue as usual.