The next day, I woke up feeling groggy.
I had somehow predicted that Captain Cyril's mother was a saint, but when I hear that the former Duchess was a typical example of a saint, I wondered what I had been doing.
In my previous life, I had striven to be the saint who was the shield of the knight. I had also given the same guidance to the Saints younger than me.
Although I passed away before I could achieve my goals, I thought that my wishes had been carried on to some extent.
I wondered if Canopus, who was my guardian knight in my previous life, just watched in silence as the ideal image of a saint was distorted? Or perhaps the appearance of saints had become distorted little by little over the course of 300 years, and their correct form was preserved while Canopus was alive?
When I thought about it, I remembered that since I came to Sutherland, I had been thinking of paying my respects at Canopus's grave.
"That's right, that's right. Canopus loved this place and this family! His grave must be here. And with my help, it will be easy to find his grave!" (Fia)
Because he was my guardian knight. It would not be an exaggeration to say that we had been together longer than anyone else in my previous life. That meant I knew him better than anyone. I would quickly find out which part of this land Canopus was attached to and where he built his grave.
...What a dreamy thought I was.
Breathing heavily, four hours had passed since we started our exploration, and I felt this way from the bottom of my heart. I visited every place I could think of, including the manor gardens and the headland overlooking the sea, but I was at a loss as I could not find Canopus's grave anywhere.
Hmm? Was I mistaken in thinking that I understood Canopus? It's a 300-year-old grave, and it's not like I can ask anyone and get information, so what should I do?
I let out a sigh and looked out at the sea from the top of the cliff. The endless blue ocean stretched out below, and the breeze carried the scent of the sea.
Ah, this is the sea of Sutherland that Canopus loved. And further south in this sea was the remote island where Canopus and his friends lived.
"Canopus, I'm late, but I came to see the ocean that you loved so much. It feels so good, like I'm connected to the sky." (Fia)
I muttered to myself as I brushed away my hair that was fluttering in the wind.
"...Fia. Were you speaking to someone I couldn't see? Or were you spilling your heart out?"
At an inopportune moment, a voice called from behind me. I counted to three in my head, one, two, three, then turned around.
"Oh, Captain Cyril. Although it looked like I was talking to myself, I was actually talking to a friend. That friend passed away a long time ago, but he loved this place so I'm sure he must have returned here. I thought it would be nice if he was next to me, so I pretended to be here and started talking to him." (Fia)
"……I see" (Cyril)
Captain Cyril stood next to me and we both gazed out at the blue sea.
"If I go by your theory, does that mean my mother has also returned to this sea? ...My mother's body has never been found. She may still be sleeping at the bottom of the sea." (Cyril)
"Captain Cyril......" (Fia)
Glancing at Captain Cyril, the Captain looked as if he was remembering something. Ah, I think the issue about Captain's parents may not have been resolved yet.
"...Fia. As a friend, please answer honestly. I was unable to save my parents. I have been thinking about it for ten years, but I still don't know what I should have done. The same goes for the people of Sutherland." (Cyril)
The Captain began to speak quietly, still gazing out at the sea.
"I have thought for many years that I, coming from the family that started it all, should take responsibility. However, it may be a mistake for me to rule this land. I have tried various things for the past 10 years, but the attitude of the residents has not changed. I... cannot save the people of this land." (Cyril)
He spoke in a calm, quiet voice, but the Captain kept his eyes fixed on the sea and never met mine. Feeling uneasy about this behavior, which was uncharacteristic of the Captain—he was polite and always looks people in the eye when he spoke—I stared at him closely and noticed that his fingers were trembling slightly as he clenched his fist.
...Ah, I guess what Captain Cyril said wasn't something he'd just thought about recently. It's a conclusion he must have come to after thinking about it over and over for a long time.
He believed that his parents were responsible for the incident 10 years ago, but because of his position he was unable to admit it or apologize, so even when he tried to at least try to improve the current situation, the residents never let up on their hostile attitude—Yes, if the Captain was a kind and responsible person, he might have felt guilty about causing the residents negative feelings for so many years, and thought that if he stepped down as lord, at least the residents' feelings would improve.
"...Captain Cyril, your parents and ruling this land are two separate matters." (Fia)
The Captain gasped as he answered softly. Without looking at the Captain, I answered while looking out to sea.
"...I'm sure there are problems that can't be solved. There is one problem that I just can't solve: why did they act like that? No matter how much I think about it, I just can't figure it out." (Fia)
Why did my brothers in my previous life leave me behind in Demon King's castle, my magical powers drained away? How could they leave me there in the Demon King's castle like that? I just couldn't understand it.
"But I don't know everything about their lives, and I haven't had a glimpse into all of their thoughts, so no matter how much I think about it, there's not enough information to understand them, you see." (Fia)
"Fia......?"
Although he probably didn't understand what I was talking about, he still peered at me with a worried look on his face, so I smiled sweetly.
"So I stopped thinking about it! I started from there, so it's easy to get pulled into my thoughts, but, well, it's no use getting caught up in something that you can't find an answer to no matter how much you think about it! I realized. I was really curious, but even if I didn't know the answer, I could move forward and I could laugh." (Fia)
Saying that, I looked up at Captain Cyril.
"Captain Cyril is very kind. But if he hadn't been so worried about his parents, he might not have become so kind. ...I like kind Captain Cyril." (Fia)
When Captain Cyril heard what I said, his eyes widened as if he was surprised. I didn't mind and continued talking.
"Perhaps there are some people who just can't be saved. And so, what Captain Cyril thinks is salvation may differ from what the other person thinks is salvation. But even so, I think it's wonderful that Captain Cyril tries to save people with his justice and kindness. If I were a citizen of this land, I'd want a Captain like that to rule it." (Fia)
"………………" (Cyril)
Captain Cyril opened his mouth with a shocked expression, but no sound came out of it and it closed again.
I looked at Captain Cyril straight in the eye and continued speaking.
"The residents right now are filled with all sorts of thoughts and may be harsh towards the Captain, but it's okay. Their kindness will be conveyed in the end." (Fia)
Captain Cyril maintained the same dumbfounded expression, but then he narrowed his eyes and burst out into a small laugh.
"Hehehe, your world is simple and beautiful. ...I'm very fascinated." (Cyril)
Then, after a burst of chuckling, he smiled with a beautiful, relieved expression.
"Your words have no basis in fact, but they have made me want to see your beautiful world. Yes... I agree. This is no time to complain. I should do what I can and try to be understood. Thank you, Fia. Talking to you cheers me up." (Cyril)
"You're welcome?" (Fia)
He thanked me with a very happy look on his face, so I accepted it without knowing why.
After the two of us had been gazing at the ocean for a while, Captain Cyril seemed to have regained his composure and asked me a question.
"By the way, why did you come to this cape? Did you want to see the ocean?" (Cyril)
"Well, I was looking for a grave for the Blue Knight, as I wanted to pray there." (Fia)
"Oh, by the way, you were interested in the last Blue Knight, who bore the surname Sutherland, right? Unfortunately, I have never heard of a gravestone for him here." (Cyril)
"Huh? Is that so?!" (Fia)
I was shocked and cried out in a panic. What? Canopus isn't sleeping here? If so... then I have no idea where he is!
I slumped my shoulders and turned to face Captain Cyril.
"Well, I mean, I've just run out of business. Did you come to see the ocean, Captain Cyril?" (Fia)
"In the end, that's what happened. You didn't show up at lunchtime, so I came looking for you." (Cyril)
"Oh, sorry about that! But, it's okay if I miss a meal." (Fia)
I frantically looked up at the Captain, but he just looked at me like he was scolding a small child and tapped me on the head.
"What are you talking about? You are in your prime and need to eat properly. Besides, tonight's dinner is light, so you should have a proper lunch." (Cyril)
"A light night? Ah, perhaps the knights are eating more than expected, and the Duke's household has run out of food?" (Fia)
I asked, thinking I had an idea, but the Captain just stared at me.
"...How meager is the duke's food supply to have enough food stockpiled for just 100 people to eat in a few days? No, it's not. Tomorrow is the day of the festival commemorating the visit of the Great Saint to this land. The festival begins at sunrise, so today we will have a light dinner and go to bed earlier than usual. Tomorrow, everyone will be able to get up before dawn." (Cyril)
"F-Festival commemorating the visit of the Great Saint?!" (Fia)
I couldn't help but repeat.
What the on earth is being opened!? A festival commemorating the visit of a great saint? Has something like that really been going on for 300 years? If that's the case, then why don't you crack down on it?
Well, maybe it couldn't be helped. The residents needed entertainment, and a visit from a Great Saint might be a quick and easy thing to do for a festival. But maybe they could have cancelled it when I died?
...Ah, I could read it. It's been 300 years, so there's no way things could be conveyed correctly, right? There were many stories that were not true, such as that the great saint was extremely fat or that she always did incredibly stupid things!
With my head hanging low, I followed Captain Cyril back to the manor house. Unlike when I left early in the morning, the manor's garden was open to the public, and many residents were working in the gardens in front of the mansion.
The residents were preparing festival decorations around the stump in the center of the garden.
"Oh, Adela tree. It's really grown big, isn't it?" (Fia)
I could imagine the size of the tree that grew there from the size of the stump, and when I murmured this to myself, Captain Cyril looked down at me suspiciously.
"Fia, how did you know it was an Adela tree? I told you last night that the tree was cut down, but I never told you what kind of tree it was?" (Cyril)
"I love trees! I can tell the type of tree... just by looking at the stump!" (Fia)
"Oh..." (Cyril)
Captain Cyril looked at me as if he wanted to say something, but I looked away and pretended not to notice.
Oh no. Captain Cyril is too sharp. I'll just shut up now.
With this in mind, I followed Captain Cyril in silence to the dining room.