After riding through the day and night with only short breaks in between, we arrived at Sutherland just before dawn two days later.
The date was that of a ceremony, and the fact that it was just before dawn suggested that the ceremony would be reaching its climax. So as I rode my horse towards the venue, I came across a strange sight.
One after another, the knights and the residents of Sutherland were jumping off the cliffs into the sea.
………What’s going on?
In an attempt to find the cause, I turned my horse around to change direction and galloped towards the shore where the people who jumped in would likely swim to. It seemed to be just sunrise time, and the sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon as we arrived at the beach. The first rays of light shined in one by one, beginning to paint the sea red.
In the midst of that scene, something shining even redder, illuminated by the sunlight, caught my eye. ——It was Fia. The young knight's red hair stood out even from afar.
As I was captivated by Fia's hair, the residents gathered along the coast began to fall, one after the other, as if struck by lightning.
………What’s going on?
As I stared at the strange sight, a man who seemed to be the chief began loudly praising Fia.
I see. So, the story of Fia being recognized as the Great Saint had become such an exaggeration. To my surprise, all the residents seemed overwhelmed with emotion at the sight of Fia. ——Fia was still wearing her dress, soaked from head to toe in seawater.
"I thought a night swimming tournament was unusual." (Savis)
I called out to her without thinking, and Fia looked at me in surprise and came running over to me in a panic. There was nothing different about her appearance from before.
However, I noticed that all the residents are desperately following Fia's figure with their eyes. Their expression showed genuine awe.
...Fia, what on earth have you done?
Seeing not only the way Fia was treated, but also the way the residents treated the knights, I found myself asking the same question in my mind for the umpteenth time.
Until just a few days ago, the people of Sutherland were desperately trying to hide their hatred, pretending to be expressionless and indifferent, and keeping their distance from the knights. But guess what? The residents handed the soaked knights towels and offered words of encouragement. ——What should we make of the words and actions of the residents, who seemed to have completely turned their backs on us, and were filled with goodwill and enthusiasm?
Did Fia cast some fairy-tale magic on Sutherland, which was shrouded in hatred and sadness?
As I shook my head lightly, an unimaginable scene unfolded before my eyes. The chief of Sutherland, who had never been particularly friendly, proposed that they hold a joint ceremony to celebrate "Sutherland's Lament," the source of their discord.
For anyone who had known the past 10 years, this was an unbelievable concession by the residents. While everyone was left gasping and speechless, Cyril regained his composure and accepted the offer with an expression that could not hide his happiness. Behind him— was Fia, who was looking back and forth between Cyril and the chief with a truly simple joy, completely different from Cyril's.
This girl probably has no idea what she's accomplished. Thinking like that, I was sure my guess was probably correct.
Following everyone's urging, I headed towards Cyril's mansion.
Afterwards, I had a meeting with Cyril and Curtis in a separate room, but— there I noticed that Curtis's behavior was clearly different than before.
Curtis had a quiet confidence and composure about him. Although his demeanor was still as reserved as ever, I could sense the intensity of a raging flame within him. They say that if you don't see a man for three days, you should look at him with renewed vigor, but can people really change in such a short period of time?
But change needs a catalyst. What on earth has changed Curtis so much? I wondered about this, but there was no need to look into it. Curtis had always spoken proudly of Fia.
Curtis included Fia in every story, and continued to talk about how the red-haired knight was proud, merciful, and a savior to the people. It was so persistent that it was tiresome to listen to it, and even Cyril, who was usually polite to others, stopped making appropriate responses in the second half of the story and just repeated the single word "Huh..."
I knew that capable knights had been influenced by Fia and had begun to act in unusual ways, but this was the first time I had seen such a severe case.
When the time came, we headed straight to the lord's mansion garden, which was the ceremony venue. The rookie knight who had been occupying my mind for a while now was also sitting nearby, so I decided to observe her closely.
According to Cyril's explanation, the people of Sutherland fell ill with a fatal disease 300 years ago and were in danger of annihilation, when they were saved by the Sreat Saint. Because of this, their longing for the Great Saint and their strong desire to repay her kindness, combined with their existing belief in resurrection, led them to recognize Fia, whose words and actions were reminiscent of the Great Saint, as her reincarnation —— even though they knew that Fia was not a saint.
Perhaps this was also influenced by the fact that Fia's color was the same as that of the Great Saint.
The residents' respect for Fia was genuine. As I observed the banquet, one by one the residents came over to Fia's side, expressing their gratitude, respect, and smiling. And that gratitude to Fia spread far and wide.
Here and there, I could see knights and residents talking and laughing together. Cyril was visited by a mother and daughter who expressed their gratitude.
And then— finally, the chief offered a formal settlement to Cyril. With Cyril accepting the offer, reconciliation between the knights and the people of Sutherland was completed.
………Something unbelievable was happening. After 10 years of stagnation, Sutherland has finally started moving.
"Hahahaha."
A bright laugh unexpectedly spilled out.
Reconciliation between the knights and the people of Sutherland would take a long time, and I didn't think it would be resolved in 10 or 20 years. I thought it was a problem so deep-rooted that there was nothing that could be done.
And yet, as soon as it fell into Fia's hand, it was easily unraveled. Even if Fia's eyes are special, she shouldn't be able to see everything to this extent.
From what I had observed so far, Fia just ate what she wanted and talked to the residents as she was interested in them. Why is this girl knight able to do things that no one else can do?
I believed that coincidences don't happen twice. When impossible events were repeated, the fact that Fia was always present was no coincidence, and one could assume that there must be something at work —— but at a loss. Even if you observed closely, you still couldn't figure it out...
Unintentionally, the corners of my mouth curl up into a grin.
The existence of Fia remained a mystery, but what was surprising was that I felt not discomfort but exhilaration. Perhaps because I perceived Fia as not being evil, I did not feel frustrated or impatient about not being able to decipher it, but rather I was excited about the opportunity to decipher it in the future.
Just as I was thinking how I wanted to have Fia at hand and test it out in various ways, I saw Cyril kneeling in front of Fia in front of me.
"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)
—— Cyril quietly told Fia, then offered his thanks and took his knight's oath.
…Cyril is going to take the knight's oath to someone other than the Saint?
I stared at Cyril's face in disbelief.
However, there was not a shadow of a shadow on Cyril's face, and her expression was bright.
...Ah, Cyril, will you finally be freed from the curse of this land —— from the curse of the Saint? As I was thinking this, Cyril was about to be freed from the curse of the saint that had tormented and tormented him for over twenty years since he had correctly recognized her mother.
For a moment, a hint of loneliness crossed my mind. ——Am I the only one left behind in this curse?
But those feelings were soon replaced by pure joy.
Cyril was now free. Nothing could torment this pure, honest and loyal man anymore.
I opened my mouth to praise Fia, who had freed Cyril from his suffering.
"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)
However, the moment she heard what I said, Fia looked genuinely displeased. As soon as I saw that expression, a sense of humour welled up inside me.
What a thing to say. Even though she controlled a wealthy land ruled by the head duke, and had the loyalty of a knight offered to her by the head knight, this young knight saw no value in any of these things.
Ah, Fia is truly free from worldly things like honor and money.
What this young knight was thinking was probably simple and innocent thoughts like, "I'm glad that everyone at Sutherland has become friendly with each other, and I'm glad that Cyril is in high spirits."
"Fia, to think there exists someone with a heart like yours... Your worth is beyond measure." (Savis)
When I said that, Fia tilted her head quizzically.
"Thank you. Of course, it's all thanks to Commander's guidance." (Fia)
This time, I couldn't contain my laughter and burst out laughing.
I see. So even my compliments are worthless to Fia. I thought I had given the highest compliment, but it was not accepted and was simply returned.
After we continued laughing for a while, new dishes were brought in. It is a traditional Sutherland dish made by mixing deep-sea shellfish with flour and baking it.
However, the moment the food was served, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became frozen.
I noticed that the arm of the man who served my plate was shaking slightly. It was clear to see that not only the waiter, but everyone in the room was incredibly nervous.
A chill ran down my spine, and just as I steeled myself, I saw Fia gobbling down the food right in front of me.
"Fia!" (Savis)
I stood up and grabbed Fia's arm, but the girl knight was already munching away at what was in her mouth.
"C-Commander, what's the matter? Um, perhaps you don't like shellfish? This is called oachii, and it's a really delicious dish, munch munch..." (Fia)
As she spoke, Fia continued munching away.
Although every one of the residents was incredibly nervous about the food that had just been served, Fia seemed to notice none of them.
Suspecting that something might have been mixed into the food, I instinctively put my finger into Fia's mouth to scrape it out, but for some reason, the moment they heard the words Fia spoke, all the residents relaxed as if in relief.
...What is it?
Looking around the venue, the residents were some with tears in their eyes and some smiling. —As if to confirm that their treasure was still there, unchanged.
As I narrowed my eyes suspiciously, I heard Fia's anxious voice from around my chest.
"C-C-Cohandaa! Couhd you hlease take youh hingaa out oh hy houth? I-I cahn't eat."[1] (Fia)
"...Is there anything strange about your physical condition?" (Savis)
Even if something had been mixed in, I didn't think she would feel any unwell at this point unless it was an extremely fast-acting substance, but I still wanted to check just to be sure.
"N-n-nho, nho, there ishn't." (Fia)
After making sure that Fia's face was back to normal as she earnestly replied in affirmation, I set her free.
As if they had been waiting for that moment, the chief and several other residents came forward and knelt at Fia's feet.
"Chief Radek?" (Fia)
The chief bowed his head to Fia, who tilted her head quizzically. To the left of the chief, a resident was also kneeling, holding a large vessel as offering. The vessel was covered with a beautiful cloth and had about 10 transparent stones on top.
"Lady Fia, this stone was taken from the shellfish used in the grilled deep-sea shellfish (oatsun) that you have just enjoyed. The deep-sea shellfish from which this stone is obtained live only at the bottom of the ocean, deep enough that only people with webbed hands from remote islands can dive. For that reason, this stone has been protected by our clan for many years. Although it will not be enough to repay you, we will dedicate all of these stones, including any that we are able to collect in the future, to Lady Fia." (Chief)
Chief Radek spoke to Fia in a quiet voice.
On the other hand, the moment Fia saw the stone, her eyes widened in shock.
However, the shock was probably greater for me and Cyril.
——Because Fia probably didn't understand the meaning of offering this stone.
And Cyril's family, who were of royal blood — a family that would normally have been granted territory near the royal capital — became the lords of this land, far from the capital, precisely in order to gain control of this stone.
Fia stared at the stone and made a fearful noise.
"C-Chief, this is the Sacred Stone, right...?" (Fia)
So you know what this stone is?
If that's the case, then I should also recognize the significance of this stone being offered.
"Fia, do you know what you've got?" (Savis)
When I asked, Fia nodded vigorously with a serious expression.
"Of course! It's a very beautiful stone, and I'm sure ladies will be competing to get it. If I were to get one like this, I'd be very rich!" (Fia)
"You are..." (Savis)
——After hearing Fia's answer, I was at a loss for words and let out a big sigh.
However, I also knew that there was no way that a mere knight could know the value of this stone.
Author's Note
Thank you for always reading.
We are pleased to announce that the third volume of the novel, which will be released on Friday, May 15th, will come with a special store bonus SS.
They are Kumazawa Bookstore, WonderGOO, Toranoana, Gamers, MERonBooks, TSUTAYA, BOOKWALKER, and Kindle.
Details are listed in the activity report, so please take a look if you are interested.
Some stores may offer mail order options, so please consider this.
As people are still being asked to refrain from going out in some areas and some people may find it difficult to obtain the in-store bonuses, we will be posting a short story on the release date.
Published on 5/15 (Fri)
Side Story: The Sixth Knight Captain Zachary challenges the Chubby Savior to become the "XXXX Savior"
We hope that you will feel like you have received some in-store benefits, so we appreciate your support.
Translation Note
[1] "Commander! Could you please take your finger out of my mouth? I can't eat." Try to read (speak) it with your mouth open (forced open).