"What is this, a strong and cute familiar? Huh? Blue Dove... isn't it?" (Gideon)
Vice Captain Gideon asked, looking agitated as he stared at Zavilia.
Wow, my sewing skills are amazing! He guessed it right away.
"That's right! It's Blue Dove, you know." (Fia)
"No, that's a lie! Blue Dove is bird-type! Why does it have such a long neck!" (Gideon)
"Huh? The neck?... Ah, yeah, it was quite a battle. When I was making the familiar contract, a very difficult battle unfolded. Well, to put it simply, its neck was pulled and pulled, and it stretched out." (Fia)
"No, your proof is so thin! The contract would be over in an instant!" (Gideon)
"Huh? Well, now that you mention it, that's true. It only took an instant for the monster's neck to stretch, right?" (Fia)
The vice-captain was looking at Zavilia and tilting his head, but he seemed to stop questioning me because it looked just like Blue Dove no matter how you look at it, except that its neck was a little longer. Hehe, it's a victory for my sewing ability.
"If its master is a failure, the familiar will also become strange. It is already the weakest monster, but can it fly properly with such an unbalanced appearance? A useless familiar is nothing but a burden!" (Gideon)
"Well, what are you talking about? He's so cute, so of course he's strong and useful." (Fia)
"Everything you're saying is wrong! Being cute and being strong and useful have no connection, and that it isn't cute to begin with!" (Gideon)
What are you talking about, Vice Captain Gideon?
It's small and fluffy, so how can it not be cute? Vice Captain is an amateur who doesn't know the definition of cute.
I let out a small sigh. Ah, maybe I had to teach him the definition of cute from scratch. How troublesome.
"Hey, you! You just made fun of me with your incomprehensible theory. I can tell right away that sort of thing! Why are you so confident when you have the weakest monster under your command? I doubt your thought process!" (Gideon)
As usual, the vice-captain continued to speak with vigor and enthusiasm.
Zavilia had been quiet up until then, but perhaps he was getting bored with the conversation in which he had no part, as he glanced quickly at the vice-captain and then came over to me. Then, when he opened his mouth, he made a strange noise.
"Idiot, idiot." (Zavilia)
"...Huh? Your familiar, what did it just say?" (Gideon)
The vice-captain asked, his brow furrowed deeply.
"Idiot, idiot, moron." (Zavilia)
Zavilia continued to chirp in her lovely voice.
Now, Zavilia.
He was a member of a hierarchical society and would never defy his superiors, so he was trying to avenge me. What a well-behaved boy.
I put on a serious face and answered the vice-captain's question.
"It appears that when its neck stretched out it injured its syrinx, which is why its cry is a little distorted. I'm sorry if it's difficult to hear." (Fia)
"Moron, moron, you moron." (Zavilia)
"No, it's not crying! It's just talking bad about me, isn't it?!" (Gideon)
"Haha, what are you talking about? There's no way that the weakest monster, Blue Dove, can speak human language, right?" (Fia)
"………………" (Gideon)
The vice-captain gritted his teeth and glared at Zavilia, but he continued chirping as if unconcerned.
"Idiot, idiot, idiot!" (Zavilia)
Hehe, Zavilia. Just take it easy.
I patted Zavilia on his head and looked straight at the vice-captain.
"Well then, Fia Ruud, from today onwards you will be in charge of healing monsters. Excuse me." (Gideon)
I turned on my heel and started walking back the way I came, and Zavilia rested his head on my shoulder, then turned to the vice-captain and continued chirping.
"Idiot, idiot, you hundred times more idiot." (Zavilia)
"Damn it, so damn familiar――――――!!!" (Gideon)
From behind me I heard the vice-captain shouted.
Hehe, you still have a long way to go if you're so easily fooled by a single chirp, Vice Captain.
"Well then..." (Fia)
Once I left the building and looked around, I started walking towards the castle.
Umm, first I need to get some healing potions from the saints, right?
Most of the saints spent their time at the church if they were unmarried, or at home if they were married, but there were also a certain number stationed within the castle in case something happened. To be precise, they seemed to live together in a villa next to the royal castle, but it's quite a distance to walk to the villa.
Indeed, after about 30 minutes of walking, I finally arrived at the villa. Maybe it was good training for me since I was carrying Zavilia in my stomach. Actually, Zavilia stopped moving and fell asleep again.
At the entrance to the villa, I showed the butler the recovery potion voucher I received from Vice Captain Assistant Patty. He glanced quizzically at my lapel pin, then led me into a guest room near the entrance. That's true, it's rare for a knight from the First Knight Order to come and get healing potions for the Fourth Monster Knight Order's familiars.
As I was standing by the window in the reception room gazing blankly outside, my eyes fell on several women. They were wearing a white robe, so I assume they were saints, but what were they doing?
They were each sitting on a bench in the garden, chatting while a servant was pumping water from the well and pouring it into several bottles that had been prepared beforehand. They then mixed it with a green liquid from another container, put the lid on, shook it, and handed it over to the saints. The saints who were given the bottles laid lazily on the couches, holding them on their stomachs, muttering something to themselves, then began chatting again. After a while, a faint glow appeared in their hands, and a servant noticed the glow and took the bottles away.
...Ah――, is this, perhaps...
After waiting for a while, the butler who had greeted me at the entrance came in carrying a tray carrying a bottle of sparkling, clear liquid. …Yup, it was definitely the bottle the saints were clutching earlier.
"Thank you very much" (Fia)
After thanking him, I accepted the bottle, bowed, and left the villa.
As I walked, I felt a vague uneasiness. I repeated this to myself over and over again to try to dispel that feeling of unease.
…Yeah, well, I guess it’s modern.
A lot of changes in 300 years, and there were only a few saints, so there were probably many other things to do, so efficiency was important, right?
This is the norm now, this is the norm now...
However, convincing myself didn't seem to work very well, and scenes from my past life kept flashing before my eyes.
——Nature had power.
Vibrant, lush green trees, and blooming flowers. Rooted in the earth, they had an indomitable vitality that allowed them to rise again and grow even if they were trampled on or buried under snow. Nature was full of beauty and power. What would happen if you were to take this overwhelming power into your body?
It was from this reverence for nature that the healing potion was born.
The holy women of 300 years ago would visit the spring whenever they had the time. There were springs here and there, and in those places there were always small trees, flowers, and medicinal herbs growing. They picked herbs, in awe of the beauty and power of nature. Fetched water from the spring, put the herbs you picked in the water, and poured the magic into it while imagining the injured person recovering from the power of nature. The herbs would then dissolve in the water, sparkling, and a healing potion would be created. The color of the potion would take on the color of the herb's leaves, turning a deep green.
…But then why are current healing potions transparent?
I peered into the bottle of healing potion I had just received and tilted my head.
They must have changed the process in a way I didn't understand and some of the effect must have disappeared—and that was definitely the pain relief part!
I remembered the pain I felt when I used the healing potion and my body trembled. Yep, even if I got injured, I'd never use healing potions again.
I nodded and started walking towards the familiar stable.