Now, I had one more big task left.
This was to clarify who was responsible for changing the Great Saint's schedule.
This time, Lady Serafina was trying to take all the responsibility for visiting Sutherland by showing a terrible performance. But, in reality, it was clear that the responsibility lied with me, since I was the guardian knight but didn't try to stop her.
When Lady Serafina said she would be visiting Sutherland, I was surprised, delighted and grateful.
The people of Sutherland were my brothers. If it were possible, I would have done something to save them. But there was nothing I could do, for I could not see any remedy for it.
At that time, we were told that Lady Serafina would take action. I was overjoyed, and no matter how much I thought about it, I didn't really try to stop it.
I had Lady Serafina sit in one of the chairs in the reception room, I stood in front of her, took the knight's bow, and began to speak.
"Your Highness, a foolish knight reports. I take full responsibility for not being able to stop your visit to Sutherland. I clearly made a mistake by not strongly admonishing Your Highness, knowing that it was a dangerous journey, in order to save the lives of my compatriots. I am truly sorry." (Canopus)
Lady Serafina glanced up at me and tilted her head sharply.
"What? I said I wanted to see the ocean. So I was the one at fault for being selfish. Canopus is not to blame in the slightest." (Serafina)
"That's not true! Not a single knight was fooled by Your Highness' poor acting!" (Canopus)
"Yes, that's very hurtful. If it turns out like this, I won't accept it as an act. I wanted to see the ocean." (Serafina)
"Are you still insist? Your Highness, how many times do I have to tell you before you understand?!" (Canopus)
Lady Serafina glanced at me again, put on a grave expression that was obviously fake, and spoke in a sad voice.
"No matter how many times I tell you, you don't seem to understand... I'm sorry for my poor understanding, Canopus. I'm causing you trouble too." (Serafina)
"Your Highness! That kind of acting is enough! Ah, seriously, what on earth is this rare and great saint doing?!" (Canopus)
Lady Serafina insisted that it was all her fault, and I couldn't help but let out a sharp voice.
While I was at a loss as to what to do next, Lady Serafina smiled.
"What are you doing? I just wanted to see your territory as quickly as possible. So, I was in a bit of a hurry." (Serafina)
"A little? A little? Hahahaha, do you really think changing horses multiple times and running for two whole days without a break is just a 'little'?! Stop being such a jerk!" (Canopus)
We were supposed to be talking about who was responsible for the visit to Sutherland, but we ended up talking about Lady Serafina. I remembered many close calls along the way, such as Lady Serafina getting hit in the cheek by a branch or the horse getting its footing stuck in the mud.
"……sorry" (Serafina)
Apparently my tone was harsher than I'd realized, and Lady Serafina looked downcast, as if she thought I was taking it seriously.
I sighed at my own immaturity and knelt down before Lady Serafina. "Your Highness, there is nothing in this world that means more to me than You. So, please... before you do anything reckless, please think about why I am here. I am your guardian knight. I exist to help and protect you." (Canopus)
"...I know. I acted impulsively, and I'm sorry." (Serafina)
Apparently feeling genuinely sorry, Lady Serafina apologized again.
Looking at Lady Serafina, who was looking downcast, I let out a small sigh.
…I knew that Lady Serafina truly felt bad about what she had done. However, if the same thing were to happen again, Lady Serafina would likely take the same action again. In such cases, she would never consult with us beforehand.
Because I would definitely stop her.
If I had been consulted about this matter beforehand and been given the time and opportunity to make a calm decision, I would have decided not to go ahead with it. What's most important to me was Lady Serafina.
So, knowing all of that, Lady Serafina made decisions on her own and did things that were unreasonable without placing any responsibility on me.
I let out a big sigh and looked straight at Lady Serafina. That should be it for today. Any further discussion would only get us to a halt and would not improve anything, and Lady Serafina was very tired. I spoke again, trying to bring the conversation to a close.
"I'm relieved that you understand." (Canopus)
Then I lowered my head so that it touched the ground.
"I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Her Highness Serafina Nav, the Most Honorable Saint and Second Princess of the Kingdom, for visiting my territory. All of us here in the kingdom wholeheartedly welcome Your Highness." (Canopus)
Of course, these words did not convey even a shred of the gratitude our family felt.
I opened the door behind me a little, rather unruly, and told the residents who were peering in with smiles.
"Please hurry and prepare a welcoming banquet. We will convey our gratitude to the Great Saint." (Canopus)
Upon hearing my words, the residents near the door ran off like a swarm of spiders. Everyone would be overjoyed and would surely throw a party in a panic.
I held out my hand to help Lady Serafina to her feet and decided to lead her back to the garden.
"If you don't mind, could you please show your face to the residents once more? Everyone would love to see you again." (Canopus)
"Oh, I'm so happy! I want to see them all too." (Serafina)
There's no doubt that Lady Serafina was exhausted, but with the excitement and joy of the residents firsthand, there's no way she'd quietly listen to an offer to rest. In that case, the best thing to do was to let them sit down, put food in their stomach, and create an environment where they could relax. Being exhausted, Lady Serafina would fall asleep without being asked.
When we went out into the garden, the residents who had spotted Lady Serafina all rushed to gather around.
"Thank you, Great Saint, for saving us!"
"Great Saint, thank you for saving my younger brother!"
"Great Saint, I had heard that you were very busy, but thank you so much for coming in such disheveled clothes!"
"Wait! Wait a sec! Wait that last bit! Ah, am I a mess? Oh no, I'm sorry for making it look so ugly." (Serafina)
Everyone smiled as they watch Lady Serafina stroking her hair while she was saying this in a panic.
"The Great Saint who is all messed up is many times more beautiful than the Great Saint who is not! I don't know any other royal who is as beautiful, noble, and loves us as the Great Saint."
"Even if our family dies out, we will pledge our loyalty to the Great Saint until the last person."
After hearing what everyone was saying, Lady Serafina smiled with a troubled look on her face.
"Well, I did what I could. The chefs cook, right? I'm a saint, so I healed everyone. That's all." (Serafina)
But, naturally, no one agreed with Lady Serafina.
...Yes, that's right. A Saint would try to heal. However, there was no other saint who would go to extraordinary lengths to provide treatment like Lady Serafina, risking her life by riding her horse for two days and nights. In order to cure this mutated yellow spot disease, we must understand the mechanism of the disease and create a new surgical procedure, and at this point in time, there was no other way to cure it other than with Lady Serafina.
——Lady Serafina, how much effort and determination have you put into increasing your Saint's power?
Even though the residents had never actually seen Lady Serafina's efforts, no one would expect such extraordinary abilities to be acquired by simply sitting back.
Her abilities were the result of her hard work.
What she had done no one else could have done but her.
However, the great saint who had performed this miraculous feat was smiling brightly as she was surrounded by children, seemingly unaware of her own achievement.
"Great Saint! I heard that you are busy and will be returning soon. Please come again."
"The ocean at Sutherland feels so good! Next time, please come and swim in the ocean."
"Please come!" "Please come!" the children repeatedly called out.
Lady Serafina tilted her head slightly and laughed happily. Then she looked around the garden, walked over to a tree at the edge of the garden and snapped off one of its young shoots.
"May I plant this branch as a memento of my visit?" (Serafina)
Lady Serafina asked, and everyone's eyes lit up with joy.
"Plant it in the middle, in the middle of the garden!"
"Please plant it in the middle of the garden so no one will lose sight of it!!"
"Yeah, but isn't that a bit of a nuisance?" (Serafina)
As Lady Serafina muttered in a troubled tone, I spoke up from the side.
"Lady Serafina, please plant it in the center of the garden. I, the owner of this lot, would like to ask you to do so." (Canopus)
"Oh dear, Canopus! Aren't you supposed to stop me from going too far?" (Serafina)
Lady Serafina laughed in a funny way, and I smiled too.
"You never restrain yourself, even when you say so yourself… Please plant it in the center of the garden so that many people can gather around it in the future." (Canopus)
Apparently eventually giving in to the children's pleading and my words, Lady Serafina planted a young tree in the center of the garden together with the children. The children were excited as they patted the soil around the young trees and watered them. Lady Serafina looked at the scene with satisfaction, then turned to the children and asked.
"This little sapling is a branch of the Adela tree. Do you know what the Adela tree is?" (Serafina)
"I know! Beautiful red flowers will bloom even if you pass through!"
"Now is the season for flowers. Look! They're in full bloom and so beautiful!"
Lady Serafina turned around at the children's words and, when she looked at the parent tree, she smiled happily.
"Yes, they're in full bloom. Because it's warm here, the flowers bloom earlier than in the royal capital. Hehe, what a wonderful time to come." (Serafina)
As Lady Serafina gazed happily at the Adela flowers, the children revealed the information they knew one after another.
"Red flowers smell nice too!"
"The red flower is a beautiful red, just like the Great Saint's hair!"
Lady Serafina stroked the children's heads and nodded in admiration.
"Well, you are all well behaved. That's right, the Adela trees have red flowers like that. When these young trees grow big and beautiful flowers bloom... when you remember me from the color of the red flowers, I will come to SAZARANDO once again." (Serafina)
"Great Saint!!!" (Children x3)
All the children, and even the adults listening closely behind them, shouted out the honorific in joy.
Lady Serafina smiled brightly and mischievously raised his pinky finger to face level.
"It's a promise between you and me."
The people of Sutherland were overjoyed with smiles that could not be better, while Lady Serafina looked on with a smile.
...At this point, I was sure Lady Serafina had made a serious promise to the residents and intended to visit this place again.
——But that promise was never fulfilled...
Author's Note
Thank you for reading.
I'm also grateful that so many people have purchased the second volume of the book. Thank you for all your comments and feedback.
Thank you, thank you!