After a quick lunch, I went out into the garden to help the residents.
It seemed to be customary for the knights to help with festival preparations, and the knights around me were working with an air of familiarity. The residents still seemed aloof, but they weren't completely rejecting the knights either, and they quietly spoke to the knights the things they needed to know.
Hehe, festivals are great, right? You will feel more open than usual, and even hostile relationships will improve.
Even after the memorial tree known as the "Great Saint's Tree" was cut down, the residents continued to hold festivals at the spot where the tree had been planted, and had set up an event space in front of the stump. By decorating it with colorful ornaments, a festive and joyful atmosphere was created.
As evening approached, and it seemed like all the preparations were complete, the knights began setting up flag stands here and there in the garden, surrounding the stump of the memorial tree. As I watched, wondering what they were planning to do, the knights began to place the Nav Kingdom flag on the stand.
"Huh? What's that doing?" (Fia)
I was surprised by the mismatch of the red national flag with a black dragon painted on it amidst the bustling festival scene, and asked Fabian, who was standing next to me, a question.
"Yes, the use of the national flag is permitted at festivals commemorating the Great Saint. That is to say, red is a forbidden color, but it is used in the national flag, right? It is said that the red of the national flag is the exact same color as the Great Saint's hair, so during festivals named after the Great Saint, the national flag can be displayed in memory of her." (Fabian)
"Oh." (Fia)
As I was saying this, I remembered that Commander Savis had also said that my hair color was the same red as our national flag. That's right, that time I was taken to the top floor of the castle because they wanted to compare my hair color with the colors of the flag. I tried to deny it by saying to Commander, "Even though it's all called red, there are many different shades of red," but he replied, "They all look like the same red."
Haha, what a coincidence that the red of our flag is the same color as my hair.
Although I found it odd, I finished getting ready so I went quickly to the great hall and ate dinner quickly. The festival will start at sunrise tomorrow, so I have to get up before then... in other words, while it's still dark. I have to get to sleep early...
Just as I was thinking that, it seemed I fell asleep in an instant. I woke up to the sounds of the female knights in the same room getting ready.
I quickly got ready and headed to the mansion's front yard.
A large number of knights and residents had already gathered in the front garden, creating a lively atmosphere. I sneaked into the ranks of the lined up knights and waited for the time to come. Eventually, a ray of light shone from the rising sun, signaling the start of the festival.
First, the lord of the domain, Duke Sutherland, also known as Captain Cyril, stood before everyone and offered a branch of Adela with red flowers on top of the stump. Captain Cyril bowed his head, and at the same time, everyone in the room bowed their heads. After staying in that position for a while, I heard sobbing coming from all around, so I looked up in surprise. I looked and saw many residents covering their faces with their hands and sobbing.
"Great Saint..."
"Thank you very much, Great Saint."
"Oh, please... please visit this place again."
I felt a warm, cozy sensation fill my chest and bowed deeply once more.
——Thank you. Thank you so much, even though I only visited once.
I expressed my gratitude in my heart and prayed that the residents of this land would be healthy and happy.
The festival proceeded without a hitch, and it was time for the residents to offer a dance to the Great Saint. By this time, the solemn atmosphere that had been there at the beginning had disappeared, and everyone was behaving as they pleased. About half of the knights had charged towards the food stalls that had been set up, and the impatient ones had already started eating. I decided to join the local residents as they sat on a rug in front of the stage and watch their dance.
There seemed to be some time before the dance started, so I was waiting aimlessly when I heard the voices of the residents sitting behind me.
"When the Adela flowers bloom, I can't help but hope that the Great Saint will visit us."
"Yes, I'd like to meet her at least once."
I startled and somehow managed to suppress the urge to turn around.
...Ah, what? Captain Cyril said that there has only ever been one Great Saint, so the person they're talking about is me from my previous life, right? Huh? But I died 300 years ago in my previous life. I'm a saint, not a monster that controls immortality, right? It's impossible to survive for 300 years. ...So what does it mean to wait for a visit?
I was curious to see what was going on next, so I focused on the two people behind me, but the Great Saint's story quickly finished and the conversation shifted to last night's dinner.
Well, yes, that's true. A story about a great saint from 300 years ago was less important than dinner, right?
As I was feeling down about this, the sound of an instrument began to ring out. It looked like the dancing was about to begin. As I waited with excitement, about 10 beautifully dressed women appeared and began dancing to the sound of bells. The colorful fabrics worn by the women were a visual delight and made you feel very happy. However...
"Hmm. I thought it would start with a children's dance, but it started with something very professional." (Fia)
As I muttered to myself, the woman sitting next to me glanced at my red hair and explained to me.
"When the Great Saint visited this land, she only watched one of our dances... So it became a tradition to dedicate the most important dance as the first song at festivals."
"Huh...? Ah, no, that's not it! It was an act of God! I was really looking forward to everyone's dancing, but I got tired and fell asleep! But the children were so cute, and I was very well received!" (Fia)
I was so shocked by the sudden news that I made up an excuse, but wait. It was from a past life, so it would be weird for me to make an excuse, right?
Thinking that I had made a mistake, I looked around and noticed that the surrounding residents were staring at me in shock. Ah, I see. I look like a crazy red-haired knight who talks nonsense, huh?
"... I-I mean, what you just said... how do you know that the dance the Great Saint watched was for children?"
"That red hair. It's definitely the Great Saint's..."
"Red hair and golden eyes. The mark of the Great Saint..."
"Great Saint..."
The person muttered something in surprise, but yes, I did have red hair—I thought the residents would be shocked by my earlier slip-up and say various things, but all I could hear was the word "red hair," so I thought this might be the so-called "red hair rejection reaction."
"Rejection of red hair"—This is a land with a strong faith in the Great Saint, so red hair was generally accepted, but it's a different story for the residents who experienced "The Lament of Sutherland", who were reminded of the former Duchess's red hair and had a rejection reaction, as it was explained. At a glance, I saw that everyone was an adult, so perhaps they all knew the former Duchess, who was alive until ten years ago, and were reminded of her by my red hair.
They would probably say something like, "The red-haired woman is causing trouble again. This time she's saying some strange things."
I decided to keep quiet so as not to upset the residents, and casually returned my gaze to the stage. However, even though I remained silent, the noise around me only grew louder, and I became confused as to what to do. Then, a burly man sitting nearby asked me timidly.
"Red-haired lady, what kind of dance do you think is being performed on that stage?"
"Ummm……" (Fia)
When I concentrated on the stage, I thought about the women dancing.
"This fluttering around... it looks like a jellyfish, but it's actually a dolphin! Hahaha, I know this is supposed to be a trick question, but I can't be wrong." (Fia)
When I proudly revealed the answer, the others began looking at me with even more astonishment.
"Dolphins...they don't move like dolphins at all, so why..."
"As expected... of the Great Saint..."
Several residents rose to their feet, and the auditorium erupted in an uproar like a hornet's nest. The atmosphere was no longer one in which one could leisurely enjoy a performance.
Captain Curtis came running over after hearing the commotion and looked surprised when he saw me.
"Fia, what's going on? There's a terrible commotion and you seem to be at the center of it all." (Curtis)
Indeed, there was a bit of a commotion around the event space. The opening dance appeared to have finished, but the next piece had not yet begun, and the performance appeared to have been temporarily paused. As for the auditorium, everyone was on their feet now, and the residents were gathered around me, whispering something to each other.
Surrounded by them, I was the only one with tears in my eyes.
"I-I-I don't know! When I was asked what the opening dance was modeled after, I answered that it was a dolphin, and that caused a commotion." (Fia)
"Huh, is that so?" (Curtis)
Captain Curtis tilted his head dramatically, as if he couldn't understand anything at all.
"Yes, that's it! Captain Curtis, if I say that I'm going to dance the dolphin dance, would that be considered rude in Sutherland?" (Fia)
"No, I've never heard of that. I was watching the performance from afar, and that was supposed to be a jellyfish, right? Maybe everyone was dumbfounded because you gave such a different answer?" (Curtis)
"C-Captain Curtis! You don't seem annoyed or anything, do you?" (Fia)
I looked up at Captain Curtis and protested. Captain Curtis smiled reassuringly and casually hid me behind his back so the other residents couldn't see me.
"I am Captain Curtis from the 13th Knight Order who has jurisdiction over this land. Today is the festival to commemorate the visit of the Great Saint, and I was looking forward to it, but what happened to my fellow knight? I apologize if we have caused any trouble." (Curtis)
Captain Curtis had been accepted by the people of this land, Captain Cyril had said. As expected, when Captain Curtis spoke to them with a bright smile, the residents' tense expressions relaxed, and they replied.
"Oh, uh, no, that's not the problem, I was just wondering who this red-haired girl is..."
"Yes, that's right. This young lady with hair as red as the dawn..."
"Fia is a knight of the kingdom who just joined this year." (Curtis)
When Captain Curtis replied, the residents looked wary.
"A knight. A knight..."
"No, but I heard that the Great Saint trusted the knight and treated him with care."
"Ah, isn't a knight's job to protect the country and its people? It seems like a likely choice for the Great Saint."
Among the residents, who continued to chatter noisily, an old man stepped forward. He was introduced as the chief of a tribe from the remote island during the festival.
"Nice to meet you, my lady. I am the chief of a tribe from a remote island, and my name is Radek."
After saying that, the chief bowed his head deeply.
Author's Note
Thank you for always reading!
Let me talk a little bit about my favorite piece.
The TV anime adaptation of our popular work, "Didn't I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?" will start airing on AT-X and other channels from 23:30 on Monday, October 7th.
I think that people who like light-hearted fantasy will enjoy it, so please give it a try (*´▽｀*)