"Fia Ruud, huh...?" (Savis)
I sat down on the sofa in the room and muttered something to no one in particular.
One of the attendants who had been waiting approached and handed over a glass filled with amber liquid. I reached out to take it, took a bite, and leaned my back against the sofa. When I closed my eyes lightly, the fatigue of the day came flooding back.
As I thought about being cooped up in my office again today, my thoughts turned to Fia.
——If there is something that I really don't understand, I make it a rule to go to the scene in person and check it out. This was because my position as "Commander of the Knights" made it difficult to show the truth as it is.
The knights, without any ill intent and with pure goodwill, selected what they placed before me. They only displayed things that they thought should be shown to me.
However, since this was only a part of the whole, or a well-maintained aspect, it could sometimes be difficult to grasp the truth.
So, if there was something that didn't make sense to me, I made it a rule to make time to go there and see it for myself. I knew that by seeing with my own eyes and feeling with my own skin, I would be able to see and understand the whole picture of things that were previously unclear.
To me, Fia Ruud would always remain an "Unknown person."
From the very beginning, Fia was special. When she faced me off as a rookie knight in the mock battle, Fia gripped her sword and charged forward with all her might. Despite being the leader of the Knights — who was several times larger than her — and facing me, Fia didn't use any unnecessary strength in her body and her sword movements were excellent from the first blow. ——This alone was an incredible event worthy of special mention.
However, that wasn't all; Fia possessed the "eyes of a ruler", and by calmly analyzing the situation, she was able to see through my old wounds that no one else had been able to see. Furthermore, the iron sword she held in her hand at the time, which at first glance looked like an ordinary sword, was a treasured sword from the "Super Golden Age" that even had a conclealing magic effect. Anyone who believed that, as Fia explained, it was a sword that she had just happened to have in her hands, unaware that it was a treasured sword, would have to be extremely naive.
If we were to interpret this in a positive light, it could be that the rare "eyes of a ruler" allowed me to discern that the sword she happened to have in his hands was a precious sword— but did such a coincidence really occur?
"Who is Fia?"
——That was the question that was engraved in my mind the first time I met Fia.
The next time I saw Fia was at the Starry Forest. The knights were surrounding the monster from the abyss, but for some reason Fia was in the middle of them, leading the charge. Just how much can the "Eyes of the Ruler" see? ——As if to answer my question, Fia declared that she could see through monsters' characteristics and even measure their life force.
If what the Fia is saying is true, it's an outrageous story. As I was thinking that, something that surprised me even more occurred immediately.
—— Fia was "one beloved by the spirits." The spirits helped Fia so much that they transformed bitter-tasting fruit into sweet-tasting ones.
"What a pity. If she had been a master of healing magic, she could have become an excellent saint." (Savis)
The words that slipped out were my true feelings.
Being loved this much by the spirits meant that if she was a master of healing magic, she would have become one of the most powerful saints of her generation. And that would have increased Fia's value many times over.
To my disappointment, Fia replied in a dignified voice.
"That's enough. Everything I need has been given to me." (Fia)
Saying this, Fia smiled with satisfaction, and there was not a shadow of a shadow to be seen.
...She's a mysterious girl. To think that there was anything envious about this saint who was admired by women all over the country.
I suddenly wanted to hear Fia's thoughts about saints, so that night I asked her what she thought.
Fia replied with an amused chuckle.
"Hey, Commander. What do you want to do with the Saints? Are you planning to worship them and make them into a goddess? Hehe, that's not it. Saints are not some distant being who only grants salvation on a whim. Saints are, you see, a shield for the knights." (Fia)
——Those words stabbed me sharply in the heart.
The statue of the saint at Fia was beautiful.
What an honorable and beautiful sight it would be if a saint with miraculous powers were to protect a knight with all her might. But in reality, this was an impossible scenario.
Although a saint might use a knight as a shield, the reverse was never possible. This was because they truly believe that they were the ones who should be cherished above all else, and they never even dreamed of becoming a sacrifice for the sake of others.
In this way, the image of the saint painted by Fia was quite different from reality, but it seemed pleasing to me. It's a strange thought, something I would never have thought of, but it didn't feel unpleasant; rather, it gave me a sense of refreshment, like a refreshing breeze passing by.
And when that is spoken by Fia — with her crimson hair and golden eyes, the same color as the legendary great saint — it felt like I had found meaning.
However, it seemed I was not the only one interested in Fia, as I noticed that Cyril was actively looking after Fia.
Because of his mother, Cyril had a deep affection for saints. That was why I could understand why he was attracted to Fia, who had the same colors as the great saint but portrayed an image of a saint that knights yearned for.
However, it was a strange sight to see Desmond, who had a bad impression of women in general, approaching Fia of his own accord and paying attention to her. Zachary also clearly liked Fia, and Quentin even went so far as to try and curry favor with Fia.
"Who is Fia?"
Again, the same question came to mind. Standing alone, the solitary knights, the captains were drawn to her one after another...
However, that was the limit of my ability to calmly analyze the situation.
This was because an emergency report had come in from Sutherland, informing them that Fia had been recognized as the reincarnation of the Great Saint.
"... Fia? What are you talking about?" (Savis)
It was the first time that I had gone to the trouble of asking to repeat something even though I had heard it clearly.
"Yes, Fia Ruud is a member of the First Knight Order, has been recognized by the people of Sutherland as the reincarnation of the Great Saint!" (Reporter)
The reporter repeated the same words once more, word for word.
"...I see." (Savis)
I sat back on the sofa and crossed my legs. Sutherland was a complex place, a place where many different emotions had piled up.
The feelings that had settled in that place were deep, heavy, and stagnant. And Cyril, who ruled that land, blamed himself for the entire series of events that began with his mother's death.
As he continued to blame himself and felt guilty, Cyril was imprisoned in that place. ——Hatred and sadness had piled up in the land of Sutherland, and there was nothing that could be done.
In that land, even though they share the same color, the knight Fia had been recognized as the Great Saint?
That was something that far exceeded my expectations.
My heart started beating wildly.
——This was something I should see for myself.
I stood up and gave orders to the knights around me.
"We will be leaving for Sutherland in an hour! Including travel time, we will be absent from the royal capital for a week. If there is any urgent matter to be dealt with, bring it to us now! Also, prepare personnel and supplies so that we can depart in an hour! Please inform Desmond of this as well." (Savis)
Several knights quickly and noisily filed out of the room.
Even as I caught sight of them out of the corner of my eye, I couldn't stop my lip from twisting.
"So Sutherland is moving, huh... a place that has been stagnant for the last 10 years... it's unbelievable." (Savis)
When I voiced it out loud, it lifted my spirits.
——Now, I have to see it with my own eyes.
The atmosphere and swirling emotions of the situation could never be captured in a report.
What Fia had accomplished and what the residents felt.
Author's Note
Thank you for always reading!
The third volume of the novel is scheduled to be released on Friday, May 15th.
Thanks to you, I was given enough time to write something that I was satisfied with.
Below is an introduction to the additional content in Volume 3.
1. Sutherland Visit report (300 years ago)
This is the first time we see SERAFIINA's point of view. We will face off against the First Prince.
2. Short Story: Defeating monsters in the Barbizet Duchy (300 years ago)
Sorry. I'll keep this one a secret. It comes as a set with item 1.
After I finished writing, I thought that these two should be incorporated into the main story, and I was worried about whether I should include them in the book version. ...But, I wanted people to read them after I wrote them, and I didn't want to reduce the number of pages in the book, so I included them.
The person in charge who is good at promoting said, "It was an original work that was so interesting to read that it was worth buying the book!" Yes, he is good at promoting.
3. Side Story: The younger brother of the Arteaga Empire, BURUU = Sapphire
This is the third installment of the original book series.
4. Side Story: Commander of the Military Police, DEZUMONDO, "Receives the Grand Saint's report regarding FIIA."
When FIIA is recognized as the Great Saint in SAZARANDO, what is happening in the royal capital?
5. Side Story: Knight Commander Savith ~With the Wind of Beginning~
This is a story about FIIA from SAVISU's point of view. This is not an addition, but a reprint.
This was included as a first edition bonus when the first volume of the book was released. Thankfully, the first volume was reprinted within a few days of its release, and the first edition bonus disappeared immediately, so I thought that there might be many people who haven't read it.
Since it is similar to the contents of Volume 3, I talked to the editor-in-chief about including it, and he agreed to include it.
As an additional tidbit of information, this illustration features several characters appearing for the first time.
In addition to Fabian (first time!) and Desmond (first time!), the scene that was most requested has also been made into a painting.
And the cover features the most memorable scene from the past story.
In addition, we had them create a map and expand the table of knight orders, making it a fun book.
I hope you will pick up a copy and enjoy it.
Thank you very much!
This is getting too long, so I will introduce the store bonus SS tomorrow (will update on the web).
Lastly, I've received so many bookmarks and ratings over the past few days. Thank you!