"Guh, Fia, your skill in using all of that to extract the information you need is impressive," said Captain Cyril as he finally seemed to realize he had lost and began to speak in a frustrated tone.
"Hohoho, that's the fruit of Captain Cyril's_ upbringing." I was humbled by the fact that the Knight Captain of the order I belonged to had praised me, so I went back to my original question, "So, who was Maurice protecting?"
Seeing my indomitable, refusing to give up, Captain Cyril's shoulders slumped and he said, "...You won't give up until you hear the answer to your question, do you? I admire your tenacity. However, we don't know who might listen to us here, so let's talk in the carriage."
Captain Cyril closed his eyes tiredly and stated a perfectly reasonable opinion. It would certainly be a bad idea if someone were to hear it.
I nodded vigorously and boarded the carriage back to the royal castle with Captain Cyril and Captain Curtis.
In the carriage, Captain Cyril let out an exaggerated sigh and seemed to think for a moment. Then he looked at me with a confused look and said, "Regarding your question, I am not the high-ranked knight. Therefore, I cannot tell you everything."
I see, if it's not Captain Cyril then...
"The one Maurice protected was Commander Savis," he said.
Ah, I thought so. If you said the high-ranked knight, the scope was limited, so I thought it would be Commander Savis. However, using his power to force Maurice onto the list of patients at the selection committee seemed quite unbecoming of him.
As I tilted my head in confusion, Captain Cyril explained the situation ten years ago, "He was 17 years old at the time and had just assumed the position of the Knight Commander. At the time, we went to Kingdom of Dithal to defeat a dragon, but... I had just lost my parents in Sutherland, and I couldn't concentrate in the battle."
I immediately thought that it couldn't be helped. Ten years ago, Captain Cyril lost both of his parents one after the other, which caused deep animosity between him and the residents of Sutherland. Captain Cyril was probably worried about many things, including his parents. If that was the case, it was only natural that people would be unable to move around as they normally would.
"Because of this, I couldn't move around well on the battlefield. Commander Savis covered for me, but the opponent was a ferocious dragon, and he was almost torn apart by its fangs. That's when Maurice came to protect him."
"I see, I understand," I said, clapping my hands together. "Maurice was a brave man! So, in gratitude for his help, Commander Savis made him a patient of the Selection Committee."
Captain Cyril hesitated for a moment, then shook his head, "...No, I think it's atonement."
"Atonement?" I asked. Certainly, losing both legs was a terrible thing, but protecting the Commander was part of a knight's duties.
As I was wondering what was going on, Captain Cyril carefully explained the situation from 10 years ago, "If Maurice had been given prompt medical treatment after his injury, he would have only had to have his leg amputated at the ankle. However, Commander Savis thought that if he asked the queen dowager, amputation might not be necessary. Once amputated, there is no way to reattach it, so Maurice returned to Nav Kingdom with his injuries."
I see. The Queen Dowager is a First-ranked Saint, so she can heal even serious injuries, right? Commander Savis tried to choose a way that would allow Maurice to continue as a knight.
When I looked at Captain Cyril, he quickly lowered his eyes, as if he didn't want his feelings to be read. But from the whiteness of his clenched hands, it was easy to guess how emotionally disturbed he was.
Captain Cyril opened his mouth and continued with a look of anguish on his face, "But in the end, the Queen Dowager did not heal Maurice.... After a long period of untreated Maurice's injuries worsened, and he had to have his leg amputated below the knee."
It was a sad event. Unable to say anything, I remained silent, but Captain Curtis spoke in a dignified voice instead, "No matter what the outcome may be, if it was a decision made by the Knight Commander, then it is the duty of a knight to accept it all. There is no reason for Commander Savis to feel guilty."
Hearing Captain Curtis' words, Captain Cyril smiled weakly, "Normally, Curtis would be right. However, the cause of this incident was that Commander Savis misread the Queen Dowager's actions, so he just couldn't accept it."
Captain Cyril only told me part of the truth. There was no mention of whether there was a unavoidable reason why the Queen Dowager did not cure Maurice, so there must have been many things that were not explained.
As we remained silent, Captain Cyril looked out the window as if to change the atmosphere and continued, "It seems that we have arrived at the royal castle... Fia, both Commander Savis and I made many mistakes ten years ago. But because of that, we have come to understand what we need and what is important to us."
I wondered what that could be. Either way, if the Queen Dowager did not cure Maurice, even if there were unavoidable reasons, I wondered if he would have come to resent the Saints.
There was no way she could read my mind as I thought this, but Captain Cyril gave a small smile, "Fia, I still believe in the Saints. They were special beings endowed with special powers, and I'm sure they will save us someday."
Yes, Captain Cyril had always revered the Saints. "I don't think you are wrong, Captain Cyril," I said.
"You're the only one who would say something like that," saying this, Captain Cyril smiled sadly.
Author's Note
Thank you for always reading!
3/13 (Wed) Comics Daiseijo 10, Comics Daiseijo ZERO 1
We are pleased to announce that Novel ZERO 4 will be released on Friday, March 15th.
Release date: Wednesday, March 13th
This is a fun book filled with stories ranging from Fia reuniting with her Imperial brothers, to visiting the Northern Territories and reuniting with her sister, to setting foot in Blackpeak Mountain!
A story from 300 years ago that's not on the web begins! 6-year-old SERAFIINA was hiding out in the forest. Then SIRUISU appeared...
It's a very gentle story that also lets you see an unexpected side of Sirius.
Release date: Friday, March 15
☆Story☆
Serafina and her friends have come to the Starry Forest in search of Galle Kinba, but by chance they come across her brothers who are in grave danger after being attacked by a monster!
Serafina wants to help, but it seems that someone has a hidden agenda behind this situation...
The Serafina group visits Galle Village again.
There, the shocking truth about Galle Kinba is revealed...!?
There are plenty of amusing episodes, such as a story where Serafina takes measures to convey that "Sirius is kind", a story where Sirius is afraid that Serafina will enter a rebellious phase, and a story where Serafina becomes "Sirius for a day"!
〇First edition bonus SS (※First edition only, a paper that is inserted separately)
"Sheato, you're declaring that you have a soft spot for women?!"
*There are no special bookstore bonuses, so please purchase the book at your favorite bookstore.
*The same thing is included with the e-book.
It turned out to be a really fun final product, so I hope you'll enjoy it(❁ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)⁾⁾⁾