After Zachary declared he would never talk about abs exercises again, I was taken back by Cyril, the First Knight Captain.
For some reason, Captain Cyril looked extremely displeased. He was muttering something about "a daughter before marriage" and "a daughter after adulthood."
Then, after passing through several long corridors, I was led to a room that looked completely different and was lavishly decorated. Where am I?
The vast room was carpeted with a fluffy rug, and bookshelves and a desk were arranged in a way that didn't obstruct the space. As I looked up, I noticed that the ceiling was high and even had paintings of the knight corps and the Holy Maiden.
"Fia, over here."
When I turned at the call, I saw a low table and sofas in one corner of the room, where the Chancellor Savis and Second Knight Captain Desmond were sitting.
"Good evening, Chancellor Savis, Second Knight Captain Desmond."
After greeting them properly, I added with a grin,
"Hehehe, Captain Desmond, I have obtained top-secret information."
"Hmm? Let me verify if it's really top-secret. Tell me."
Captain Desmond's cheek twitched, and he looked at me with a serious expression.
...Of course, he's the commander of the military police. Gathering information is an important job, isn't it? I, Fia Rude, will assist!
"The content is... ta-da! It's personal erotic information about the Chancellor."
"......Huh?"
"Surprisingly, the Chancellor has a six-pack!"
"......Huh? Is that all? I mean, everyone in the knight corps knows that..."
"Whaaat! Is the knight corps so loose? Is personal erotic information just leaking everywhere?!"
I exclaimed in surprise.
Captain Cyril, who had followed me from behind, sighed.
"I apologize, she's completely drunk."
"Hehehe, no, I'm just a little tipsy. I just feel good from the alcohol, but there's no problem at all. And the delicious alcohol I promised to the Chancellor, I can drink as much as I want."
"That's reassuring. Sit down first."
The Chancellor gave us permission to sit and glanced at the door. A servant who had been waiting nearby approached and poured a golden liquid into a new glass.
"It's botrytized wine. It should be sweet and forward in flavor."
"......Botrytized wine! What a luxurious and delicious thing!!"
I held the glass with both hands. The Chancellor looked at me and spoke.
"Fia, today's slaying was magnificent. Let's celebrate your heroic figure here with everyone. ...All of heaven and earth is with the Nave Kingdom Black Dragon Knight Corps."
"All of heaven and earth is with the Nave Kingdom Black Dragon Knight Corps!"
Captain Cyril and Captain Desmond, and I repeated, and we raised our glasses to our lips.
Ah, it's delicious. It has a rich and sweet taste. As expected, the Chancellor. The taste is completely different from ordinary wine. ...I think.
"Chancellor, thank you very much for helping me today."
I smiled and thanked the Chancellor.
In the end, the Flowerhorn Diar was killed with one swing from the Chancellor. If anyone was the greatest contributor, it was the Chancellor.
"......Ah! By the way, did the Chancellor eat the meat of the Flowerhorn Diar?! When I think about it, the Chancellor was the greatest contributor today, but I was so focused on eating my own meat that I didn't secure any for the Chancellor. What should I do? Is there any left...?"
As I stood up to go back for the meat, the Chancellor stopped me with one hand and gestured for me to sit down again.
"Don't worry about it. Sit down."
Looking at the table, I saw a variety of colorful fruits, cheeses, and hams arranged.
Ah, it's enough. I apologize.
The Chancellor looked at me as I sat back down and spoke.
"You are a mysterious person. You can fight a monster you've never seen before with just data, and you can quantify a monster's vitality at a glance, and you can discern the characteristics of a monster in a short time."
Then, after taking a sip of wine from the glass, he continued.
"Surely, your eyes must be special."
"Eyes? My eyes? Yes, my eyesight is good, but..."
"Fia, be quiet. When you speak, things get complicated."
Rebuked by Captain Cyril, I hurriedly closed my mouth.
S-Sorry. I thought it was okay to answer.
Just as I thought the Chancellor was deep in thought, it seemed to be Captain Desmond's turn. He held the wine glass by the bowl with his five fingers and swirled it gently.
"I don't understand your greatness at all, but the facts are that you've accomplished many things, and you don't have any special abilities or lie. ...Why are there so many things only you can do? The results alone show that what you've accomplished and can do are amazing. ...Ah, I just can't understand you at all. My past experiences are useless. You've shattered my pride."
"......"
I was told not to speak, but is this a compliment? Should I thank him? Or should I comfort him because he seems down?
I glanced at Captain Cyril, who shook his head. Yes, I'll be quiet.
After that, the four of us drank quietly without much conversation.
What is it? Important people don't get too rowdy, do they?
The silence makes me want to close my eyes, or meditate a bit... hmm.
I felt the futon shift and opened my eyes to find myself leaning on Captain Cyril. It seems I had fallen quite a bit, and this was now a knee pillow. Haha, I'm getting a knee pillow from Captain Cyril. ...Ah, I'll be killed!!
I hurriedly sat up.
"Sorry, Captain. I was meditating for a bit!"
A coat slipped off my body. Looking at it, I saw that Captain Cyril was down to his shirt.
"Ah, even the coat! I'm sorry!!"
"I put it on voluntarily. If I were to get angry at you, I'd be a personality disorder."
Captain Cyril smiled beautifully.
"You slept well. I've never seen anyone fall asleep in the private room of Chancellor Savis, no, the Duke of the Kingdom."
"Ah! The Chancellor's private room! And a royal private room! No wonder it was so luxurious!"
Seeing my panic, Chancellor Savis, who was sitting on the opposite side of the table, shrugged slightly.
"Children sleep well."
Next to the Chancellor, Captain Desmond continued to drink wine.
Good. It seems my meditation time wasn't that long.
I forced a smile and spoke to the Chancellor.
"Hehe, it was meditation. With the strongest knight in the room next to me, I felt safe and meditated."
Instantly, the room froze, but I didn't notice and was thinking about getting another glass of botrytized wine.
"......Fia? Who is the strongest knight in this room?"
The gentle voice of Captain Cyril came from above. What? Does Captain Cyril like to be praised?
"Of course, it's Captain Cyril. I've seen everyone wield their swords, and Captain Cyril is the fastest and most powerful. Although Captain Cyril has the bad habit of letting go of his strength at key moments, if we purely compare strength, Captain Cyril is the strongest! Right, the strongest knight?"
I smiled up at Captain Cyril and noticed he had a serious expression.
Ah, what?
"Fia, your eyes are truly amazing. ...When you faced the Flowerhorn Diar earlier, I felt something was off because you recognized the Chancellor late."
"That, that was very rude of me! When Captain Cyril arrived, the forces to defeat the monster were complete, so my focus shifted to defeating the monster. ...By the way, I knew the monster was the strongest, so I was wary of Captain Cyril, who was standing to the side, and charged at the Chancellor from the front. Of course, you must have known and positioned yourself there, right?"
"......Yes, I understand now. Your ability to grasp the situation during battle is perfect. Fia, I apologize for underestimating you."
"Huh? Huh? Huh? N-no, I'm the one who should apologize for acting on my own!"
What? Why is the Captain apologizing to me? I'm the one who always causes trouble, right?
"Fia, I have one request. Please don't tell anyone that I'm stronger than the Chancellor. It's easier for knights who value strength to understand if the top person, the Chancellor, is the strongest, and I don't like standing out in that sense."
Smiling, Captain Cyril nodded, and I immediately agreed.
Of course. I won't cause any trouble for the Captain.
As I continued to bow sincerely, the Chancellor, who had been silent, spoke.
"......Fia, would you like to join the Fourth Monster Knight Corps for a while?"
"Huh?"
Taken aback by the sudden proposal, I was momentarily stunned.
The Fourth Monster Knight Corps?
...Ah, something important in my memory is being touched. I feel like I've forgotten someone important...