...Oh, what's that? The action I took for the sake of Captain Cyril is being criticized?
I tilted my head as I looked at Captain Cyril's cold smile.
Most of the time, Captain Cyril was often smiling. However, I had learned that smiling did not necessarily equate to being in a good mood. And because I clearly heard the voices filled with resentments, I knew this was not good.
"C-Captain Cyril? Well, the other day Captain, you said, 'I've made up my mind. I will do my best to help you with your performance,' right? I thought that if you were to play the role of the Great Saint's guardian knight, you'd be the perfect assistant. Wh-what is it that you're not satisfied with?" (Fia)
I asked the Captain in a low voice so that only Captain Cyril could hear.
That said, the people around were shouting, "The Duke is the escorting knight!", so it seemed that no one would be able to hear me if I spoke just a little louder.
Captain Cyril replied in a quiet voice, still wearing his perfect smile. From a distance, it would appear that Captain Cyril was smiling and chatting away. In reality, no one noticed that I was complaining. Damn, SHIRIRUDANCHOU is really skillful.
"I'm not satisfied with everything, Fia. The Blue Knight was an excellent knight who was dedicated to being the guardian knight of the Great Saint. It would be unbecoming for someone like me to claim to be his reincarnation. If people think I am a reincarnation, they will see the Blue Knight in my actions. They might see me and be under the misconception that the Blue Knight was all there was to him. That would be disrespectful to the Blue Knight." (Cyril)
"Huh? C, Captain Cyril, you are a very fine knight, you see. Certainly, the 'Blue Knight' was a wonderful knight, but..." (Fia)
Just as I was about to say that, I felt Captain Curtis's gaze on me and I quickly rephrased.
"...or so the legend goes, but Captain is also equally a fine knight!" (Fia)
Hearing what I said, Captain Cyril smiled softly.
"Thank you. However, Fia, that's just favoritism because we're in the same order. I believe I am an experienced knight, having been appointed as a Captain, but I don't think I can stand on the same level as a knight selected as the only guardian knight of the Great Saint. The Great Saint's guardian knight must be of a higher rank than me." (Cyril)
...Umm, Captain Cyril is the Captain, the head knight, so he's number one among the Knights, right? How humble does it take to still feel like you don't deserve it?
Or rather, Captain Cyril seemed to be dreaming a bit about the great saint, didn't he? That's why people might imagine the Great Saint's guardian knight to be a wonderful knight, always calm and competent, a knight brimming with self-control.
However, although Canopus was of course strong and capable, he was also quite childish. Every time my brothers in my previous life complained about something to me, they would either look frustrated or try to argue back.
Thinking about it like that, I began to worry, even though it was a little late, if I had played the role of the Great Saint in front of Captain Cyril, who even dreamed of becoming the Great Saint's guardian knight.
"Of course, Captain Cyril is a fine knight who can stand alongside the Blue Knight! But, I'm wondering if it's okay with Captain that I played the role of the reincarnation of the Great Saint? Did he destroy the statue of the Great Saint that was in Captain Cyril?"
At this rate, it seemed that there was originally an incredibly wonderful statue of the Great Saint inside Captain Cyril. And I was smashing it to pieces.
That being said, I was similar to myself in my past life, so it's just that Captain Cyril was dreaming too much.
When Captain Cyril heard what I said, he frowned slightly.
"That was the hardest question to answer. It’s a difficult question, but… judging by the results alone, you are perfect. The residents have wholeheartedly welcomed you, the Great Saint, and as a result, they have accepted the Duke’s family and the knights." (Cyril)
To my surprise, Captain Cyril replied in affirmation of my words and actions as the Great Saint.
"Huh? N-no, it's not such a big deal..." (Fia)
Surprised by the sudden compliment, I replied hesitantly.
Then, Captain Cyril saw me and smiled amusingly.
"Of course it is, Fia. You have accomplished something that no one else has been able to do in the last ten years. If you had told me five years ago, or even ten years ago, that you would be able to join hands with the residents, I would never have believed you. And it is something that no one else could have done." (Cyril)
"N-no, that's an exaggeration! Of course, even Captain Cyril and Captain Curtis could have done it!" (Fia)
I waved my hands vigorously and replied with the perfectly reasonable answer, and Captain Curtis looked at me with a frightened expression.
"Lady Fi, please don't issue such a frightening order! Of course that's impossible! I can't fix this already strained relationship. For example, even if I visited each and every house of the residents every night, it would take hundreds of years. In addition, if there are houses that don't respond to the first visit, I would need to visit them again and again, so it's impossible for me to convince all of them in my lifetime." (Curtis)
When I heard how Captain Curtis had solved the problem, I turned around in surprise and said, "What?!" Wow, that's amazing. Captain Curtis I can't believe you came up with such a polite and troublesome way to visit the residents' houses individually. You're a truly honest knight, aren't you?
As I nodded in admiration, Captain Curtis suddenly glared at me as if he had remembered something.
"Lady Fi, I've been saying this for a long time, haven't I? Just because you can do something easily doesn't mean that everyone else can do it with the same ease. And besides..." (Curtis)
When I saw Captain Curtis walked up to me and put one hand on his hip, alarm bells went off in my mind, telling me this wasn't good.
Oh no, this is bad! Something in Captain Curtis has been flipped on. Apparently, he was remembering stories from his past life and trying to lecture me about past lives. I don't want to listen to a sermon from 300 years ago——!!
In a panic, I looked at Captain Cyril as if asking for help.
Then, Captain Cyril nodded with a very serious look on his face.
"Curtis is right about what we're talking about now. Of course, there's no way I could have created an opportunity for reconciliation with the people of this land. ...It was only because of the mediation of someone who commands absolute respect and reverence that this reconciliation was possible." (Cyril)
"I, I see..." (Fia)
Deciding not to say anything inappropriate, I gave an ambiguous reply that could be interpreted in any way. I wasn't sure what to say that would lead to a lecture, so I decided to just let it go without saying anything more.
"You are incredible, Fia. You managed to get all the residents to wholeheartedly believe the absurd story that you are the reincarnation of the Great Saint. And thanks to that, a reconciliation between the residents and the knights... and the Duke's family was achieved." (Cyril)
Captain Cyril smiled as if he had come to terms with something, and extended one hand towards me.
"It's painful to live with hatred and sadness. Even if you understand that, it's difficult to forgive. And yet you easily won the forgiveness of the residents. And everyone was smiling. You may be the wielder of a gentle magic that has yet to be discovered. You make everyone you come into contact with smile." (Cyril)
Captain Cyril took one of my hands and squeezed it with a little force.
"I told you before. I come from the family that caused the strife in this land, and I have been working hard for many years to resolve this issue. It has been my lifelong wish to resolve the problems in this land." (Cyril)
"Huh, yes, you're right..." (Fia)
I replied, remembering an incident from a few days ago.
Indeed, Captain Cyril said something similar as he looked down at the sea at Sutherland. The Captain seemed very worried at the time, so I was a little worried, but now he looked refreshed and didn't look sad at all.
The Captain smiled with joy, realizing that he was finally free from the worries he had had for years.
"I'm glad for you, Captain. Just as I said at the time, your kindness was conveyed to the residents." (Fia)
When the Captain heard what I said, his eyes widened in surprise, but the next moment, he was smiling happily.
"Really... your world is simple and beautiful. And yet, you still don't understand your own worth." (Cyril)
Then the Captain dropped to one knee, lowered his eyes, and continued in a quiet voice.
"Even if it was a simple event for you... that is why, even if you yourself do not understand its value, I understand its weight. And I will never forget this favor. Fia, I will definitely repay you this favor someday. As a knight, I swear to you." (Cyril)
Saying this, Captain Cyril pressed his lips against the back of my hand for just a moment, then took the oath of a knight. The residents who saw it started to get excited and started making a fuss.
"As expected, the Duke is the Blue Knight! As a knight, he has once again served the Great Saint!"
"Blue Knight, please protect the Great Saint!"
"What, wait...!" (Fia)
Surprised by Captain Cyril's sudden action, the residents were cheering and the Captain closed one eye with amusement, leaving me at a loss for words.
"Hehe, what's the matter, Your Holiness? Your guardian knight has simply sworn his loyalty to you." (Cyril)
Captain Cyril's beautiful smile was mixed with a look of amusement, as if he had just pulled off a prank.
Being the earnest Captain he was, I was sure he was serious about swearing to repay me. However, there was a hint of mischief mixed in with his serious behavior, and when I realized that he was getting back at me for what I had done earlier, I couldn't help but mutter, "I, I was defeated."
I was so defeated that I almost slumped over, but then I saw Commander Savis smiling happily.
That smile was the happiest I had ever seen, so I couldn't help but look up and take a second look at the Commander.
...Huh? Wh, what was he so happy about? Not being able to think of anything, I tilted my head.
The commander spoke to me with a look of genuine enjoyment on his face.
"Wow, Fia. You have seized control of the people of Sutherland and brought down its lord. It's just as Curtis said... Sutherland is now yours." (Savis)
Author's Note
Thank you for always reading!
I apologize for this being the longest time between updates so far.
Thanks to you, I was able to write an addition to the third novel volume that I was satisfied with.
Thank you very much to everyone who waited!
I'm going to do my best to make up for the wait, and hope to finish the Sutherland arc during this long holiday (whisper).
Because I'm not going anywhere. I have time. (←I'm sure I'll regret saying this.)
The third volume of the novel is scheduled to be released on Friday, May 15th. Thank you for your support, even in these difficult times!
(Sorry. I'm running out of time to update the website today, so I'll introduce the details of Volume 3 in the next issue.)
Since then, we have earned over 200,000 points on this website.
Gyaaah! (surprised) And thank you (*ᴗˬᴗ)⁾⁾