"So, a quick question, Fia." (Cyril)
I smiled brightly and Captain Cyril turned his gaze towards me.
Oh, this is bad. It felt like he's trying to see right through my soul. He's trying his best to corner me.
I smiled and looked back at the captain, but an incredible amount of sweat was running down my back.
"Why do you know so much about Flower-horned Deer?" (Cyril)
"Huh? Ah, well, that's because I saw it in an encyclopedia." (Fia)
Hey, great! That's a really easy question!
"The Monster Encyclopedia lists all the monsters that have been discovered. I saw it in the encyclopedia and thought it was a beautiful monster with flower-like horns, so I remembered it." (Fia)
"Huh? You said you had some hunting experience, right?"
As I spoke so proudly, one of the members of the 3rd Platoon muttered in surprise.
"That's obviously just a bluff. Even if I said I read it in an encyclopedia, no one would trust me with it, right? Hehe, it's all in how I say it." (Fia)
I grinned with satisfaction at having fooled him.
Well, I might have killed hundreds of Flower-horned Deer in my previous life, but I was not brazen enough to count that as an experience in this life.
Either way, even if I insisted that I had defeated it, a thorough investigation would reveal that I had never set foot outside the territory until I joined the order, so my lie would be exposed immediately.
Past life experiences... Hmm... If I had to compare it to something, would it be something like an experience in a dream?
"Well, I've defeated him in my dreams before, so I thought it might work." (Fia)
"Y-you..."
The knights of the 3rd Platoon began opening and closing their mouths.
"Y-You say it so easily, but there's no way you can grasp the characteristics and properties of something just by reading about it in a picture book and then use it in real combat!"
"I mean, normally you'd forget a trait you only saw in a monster codex, right? We've seen the list, so we should have learned it at least once, but it was only when you told us that the eye color can change that we remembered!"
"Even if you remember the ability to change your eye color, there are too many unknowns, like when it will change, or whether the color will change enough to be clearly noticeable, so you won't be able to move!"
"You're a genius! You can command the subjugation of a monster you've never seen before. Are you a genius at combat?!"
"Oh no, what should I do? I can't believe they praised me so highly...!!" (Fia)
I was so happy that I covered my red cheeks with both hands, but then everyone in the room started teasing me.
"That's not right!!" (Everyone, x3)
What the heck is this betrayal? I thought I was being praised, but it turned out I was being dissed!
The captain, who had remained silent up until then, asked to confirm.
"So, Fia, despite having no prior experience, did you declare that you did and volunteered to take command of the subjugation of the Flower-horned Deer? And by experience, did you mean the knowledge from the monster codex and experiences in dreams? ...Hmm, the monster codex and dreams. So, you thought it would be okay to call this experience."
...Ah, what's that? Things were starting to look ominous again.
Let's keep quiet.
"………………" (Fia)
I didn't say a word and just dropped my gaze to his feet, but the silence continued for a while, so when I took a timid glance at Captain Cyril, he noticed that the Second knight Order's Captain, Desmond, was standing next to Captain Cyril.
Captain Desmond silently shook his head, while Captain Cyril seemed to be deep in thought.
Hmm? I wondered, what were they doing?
"So, Fia, next question. How did you know when Flower-horned Deer's eyes would switch from red to blue? You said, 'its eyes will turn blue in seven seconds,' and it did in exactly seven seconds." (Cyril)
"Well, before Captain arrived, its eye color had already changed a few times. Enough to tell its identity." (Fia)
I paused for a moment, but since I didn't seem convinced, I added some elaboration.
"Well, that individual's flames were of the type that disappeared in three stages. The time it took to go from stage two to stage three was two-thirds of the time it took to go from stage one to stage two, so I calculated that it would take seven seconds." (Fia)
Captain Desmond, standing next to Captain Cyril, shook his head again.
And then, Captain Cyril's face gradually became tense...
"So, my last question. You quantified the vitality and remaining vitality of that individual, right? How can you accurately quantify it?" (Cyril)
"Well, for example, in the case of a Flower-horned Deer, you can measure its vitality from its body size and the number of branches on its horns. You can measure its remaining vitality from how many attacks each knight made, or from the monster's posture, sweat, and other factors. But, more than half of the measurement is based on intuition and feeling, so there is some margin of error." (Fia)
Measuring the life force and remaining vitality of monsters is basic to a saint's job.
And because I'd defeated countless monsters in my previous life, I had no shortage of samples. After defeating many, I'd become able to gauge a monster's vitality at a glance.
"...So, Fia, you can quantify a monster's approximate vitality just by looking at it, and you can also tell how much damage a single attack from a knight will do?" (Cyril)
"Well, that's how it is..." (Fia)
After hearing my answer, Captain Desmond shook his head again.
What are you doing, seriously?
The captain must be in a good position to be able to just shake his head and play around while we're getting a thorough lecture or interrogation from Captain Cyril.
Ah, I'm getting tired of the lectures.
"Fia. If what you're saying is true, then this is something amazing. I need to consult with the Fourth Monster Tamer Knight Order's familiar... Fia, what's wrong? If you have something to say, then say it." (Cyril)
"Even if you say that, if I really said it, you would be angry." (Fia)
"I won't be angry. I promise." (Cyril)
"If that's the case, why has today, which is supposed to be a meat festival, turned into a preaching contest? My butt wasn't made for sitting on this hard, uncomfortable chair! And my hands weren't made for clutching my uniform trousers while sweating profusely at Captain's lecture. These hands are made for grabbing tasty meat and alcohol!" (Fia)
"………………My apologies for that." (Cyril)
The captain must have been surprised by my words, as he looked deflated and muttered, then looked up at the commander.
The commander met my gaze and nodded.
"Fia, come to me later. I'll give you a nice drink." (Savis)
"Understood! I will never disobey orders!" (Fia)
Then the commander looked over at the knights of the 3rd Platoon and spoke.
"You all need to learn about monsters. Write a report on the characteristics and combat methods of Flower-horned Deer and submit it to Zachary." (Savis)
"Yes, Commander! Understood!"
The Sixth Knight Order Captain, Zachary, looked at his subordinates with a stern expression, then suddenly began to speak.
"Each person will have to submit 30 pages of reports." (Zachary)
"H, Hiiiiiiiiiiii"
A shriek like an angry shout echoed throughout the hall.