"Wow, how cute!" (Fia)
When I saw the brightly colored dress I was wearing reflected in the mirror, I couldn't help but cried out.
The locals lent me these clothes, worried about me as I had emerged from the water in soaked clothes. Since it was lent to me, I thought it would be polite to wear it, and when I tried it on, I found it to be more colorful than I had imagined.
It used many vibrant colors, so just looking at it was fun. And the colors were very cute.
It was a very nice outfit, but I wondered if it would be okay to wear it among all the knights in uniform? I was worried that I would stand out in a bad way, but then I remembered that the other knights who had fallen into the sea had also been given a change of clothes by the residents. Then I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that if everyone was wearing them then it must be okay.
After getting changed, I had nothing to do and was wondering what to do when I thought of helping the residents. Due to the increased number of participants, the location of the memorial ceremony that the residents had planned was changed to the front garden of the manor house, as they thought that the preparations would be difficult.
Captain Cyril and Captain Curtis had holed themselves up together in a room to discuss how to respond to Commander Savis's sudden visit. By the way, Captain Cyril and Captain Curtis were both splendid knight Captains, and the Commander looked at them with astonishment because they were both soaking wet while still wearing their formal attire.
Hahaha, it's hard to become a great leader. Ah, I'm glad I'm just a humble knight. With that thought in mind, I ran to the front garden of the lord's mansion.
"Your Holiness! Is your wet body okay?"
"Oh, Your Holiness! Our clothes suit you well!"
"Oh, I never thought the day would come when you would wear our clothes! Your Holiness, you are so beautiful!"
The residents who spotted me started calling out to me one after another.
I was so happy that I smiled.
"Thank you very much for inviting us to your important ceremony! I'm very happy to be able to participate!" (Fia)
"Oh, what kind words! But I'm sorry, we're not ready yet..."
"Yes, that's why I came to help with the preparations." (Fia)
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
The residents were surprised that I offered to help, and I was surprised that they were surprised, so we exchanged surprised looks, but the next moment we were both laughing together.
"Hehehe, why were you surprised? Maybe I don't seem like the type to help out that much? The residents helped me prepare for the Kingdom welcome ceremony, which ended at dawn, so I thought it was my turn to help out. We need to do what we can to help each other out, right?" (Fia)
"Helping each other... my, you really are using the words exactly as they are in the legend! Yes, yes, Your Holiness. We will help each other."
Looking at the residents nodding enthusiastically, I tilted my head in confusion.
...Legends? Surely not everything I said 300 years ago is still around, and everyone remembers it, right?
Oh no, it's bad, it's bad. If this continues, I may not even be given the right to participate in the Great Saint Quiz Tournament. Even though I am the person in question.
"Your Holiness?"
Perhaps because I had a serious look on my face, they asked me curiously. I replied "It's nothing," and I helped the residents of Sutherland prepare for the comfort ceremony.
First, we laid several layers of beautiful cloth on the soft grass in the front yard and then arranged colorful round cushions. Then we tied several long, thin, brightly colored pieces of cloth here and there around the tree branches.
According to local residents, when the cloth fluttered, it was a sign that the departed spirit had returned to this land.
When preparations were finished, the Commander, Captain Cyril, and Captain Curtis walked towards us.
I thought that Captain Cyril and Captain Curtis should have been given new clothes by the residents to replace their wet knight uniforms, but when I looked closer, I saw that they were both wearing brightly colored clothing.
Although the colors were different, both were bold, bright colors, and were not the kind of clothes that either Captain Cyril or Captain Curtis would have liked to wear. Despite this, they wore it as recommended, which made me think they were really nice people. He could refuse, since he was a Captain and must wear knight uniform. In fact, I thought most people would refuse.
As I looked at the two of them with that thought in mind, I noticed that although their clothes were far from the Captains' usual image, they suited them incredibly well.
Wow, he does look a bit like a playboy, but it suits him. If a person had good nature, they would look good no matter what they wore.
I had decided that it would never suite either Captain Cyril or Captain Curtis, and I found it slightly amusing, but I lost. I've gave up!
I secretly apologized in my heart.
——Shortly afterwards, the ceremony began.
Regarding the opening speech at the ceremony, Chief Radek had requested that Commander Savis gave the speech, but when the Commander commented that "The spirits residing in Sutherland would want to hear the voices of the clan," it was easily decided that Chief Radek would give the speech.
As I watched many of the residents nodded vigorously in response to Chief Radek's sincere and honest greeting, I was impressed that the Commander's decisions were always correct. Also, he's good at using words to move people.
Of course, the residents would have accepted the greeting if the Commander had given it, but by taking a step back and letting the Chief hold the flowers, the Commander's status seemed to have increased.
As expected of Commander, he knows what he's doing, I thought, as I glanced up at him sitting nearby.
——Yes, the Commander was sitting near me. To my horror, my seat was placed in the upper class.
Sitting at the top of the seats at the front of the venue were a distinguished line-up of people including Commander Savis, Captain Cyril, Captain Curtis, and Chief Radek, and naturally I was included among them.
I understood why the residents of Sutherland wanted me to sit in a high position near the commander, the captains, and the chief, as they believed I was the reincarnation of the Great Saint. Thinking about it objectively, sitting next to a knight was completely unsuitable.
That's what I thought, but I swallowed what I wanted to say and quickly secured what could at least be considered the lowest seat among the top seats.
…I remembered. I offered to help Captain Cyril so that the knights and the Sutherland dukedom would be accepted into this land. Since I was the one who brought it up, I wouldn't complain if the situation turned out differently than I expected.
Yes, even if I felt uncomfortable being identified without any basis as the reincarnation of the Great Saint and being treated with the utmost hospitality. Even though I was confused because Captain Curtis, who was like, "Let's work hard together," turned out to be the reincarnation of Canopus and had been treating me strangely ever since.
...Yeah, it's fine. It's my fault for not anticipating that!
While I was thinking about this, the drinks and food began to be served.
Looking at the many dishes laid out on the makeshift table, I swallowed deeply.
...Oh, that looks delicious. You're right, Sutherland is close to the sea, so the seafood was fresh and really delicious.
Thinking that, I called out to Commander Savis.
"Commander Savis, do you have a favorite dish? Or are there any that you don't like?" (Fia)
All food at Sutherland was served on large platters, allowing each guest to take their own portion of the dish they like. That's why I said that, wanting to ask about his preferences before we served him the food.
"Whatever you suggest." (Savis)
However, the answer I got was unclear as to whether it was serious or a joke.
I glance at the Commander, who stared back at me with an amused look on his face.
...Ah, rulers really don't let their minds be read. It was true that the commander was amused, but I was sure that's only about 20% of it. I was sure he was thinking about something else 80% of the time, but he wouldn't let me read his mind at all.
The fact that the busy Commander had come to Sutherland was quite unusual, so I wondered what he might be up to.
Although I was concerned about this, I came to the conclusion that it was none of my business as a mere knight, so I picked out some of the food that looked delicious and handed it to the Commander. In the same way, I set aside portions for Captain Cyril and Captain Curtis.
Then, for some reason, Captain Curtis served me my share of the food. Surprised, I looked at the plate handed to me and saw that it contained only my favorite foods.
Well, as expected from a former guardian knight, you know my preferences perfectly, right? And even if you are reborn, your tastes don't change.
With that in mind, I started by eating the egg dish.
"Oh, it's delicious!" (Fia)
There were still some soft, gooey parts remaining, and it was cooked to perfection.
As I was enjoying the delicious food, I noticed the smiling locals staring at me.
Apparently the ceremony hosted by the residents was a free-form event where people could move around and enjoy food and drinks. Because of this, residents came and talked to me one after another.
I was so happy that I started talking to them one by one, when I noticed a familiar little girl standing there, holding her mother's hand. She was the girl that Captain Cyril rescued from being attacked by a basilisk and picked up on the way home.
When I called out "Captain Cyril", the captain noticed immediately and came over.
Seeing the captain like that, the girl's mother nervously grabbed her daughter's hand.