I'm sorry for the delay. Thank you to those who waited.
"Talk to Zachary...? That's unusual. For you to want to hear my words..."
Quentin, the captain, was the one who broke the silence.
While looking at Captain Zachary with suspicion, Quentin opened his mouth, but a moment later, it seemed as if he was imagining a scene, and his expression changed to one of bliss.
"Zachary, you saw it too, didn't you! The divine appearance of His Majesty the Black Dragon King! To see His Majesty's dragon body sublimated and evolve into such a beautiful ancient species! Once you've seen that appearance, you have no choice but to kneel before the incomparable grandeur of His Majesty the Black Dragon King! That perfect and flawless..."
"Alright, I get it! I understand that you don't understand a single word I'm saying, Quentin!"
Captain Zachary interrupted Quentin, who was trembling with incomprehensible emotion, and turned to me.
"Fiea, if that's the case, you start! You have something to tell me, right?"
"I know what you want to ask, Captain Zachary! But I clearly deny it!"
I looked Captain Zachary straight in the eye and said firmly, as it was an important matter.
"Hmm, after showing such a clear relationship, you still claim to be unrelated?"
Captain Zachary narrowed his eyes slightly and tensed his crossed arms.
"What clear relationship? It's completely your baseless accusation, isn't it!"
"No, it's not a baseless accusation. You looked quite familiar with him, didn't you?"
"It's a baseless accusation! In fact, I'm not related to the bald muscle instructor you mentioned at all! We're complete strangers!!"
"Wait! What are you talking about!"
Captain Zachary, who seemed surprised, let go of his crossed arms and asked.
"Of course, I'm talking about the bald muscle instructor!! Look at my hair carefully! It's lush and thick!! And my father, Dolf, is also lush and thick! Our family line doesn't go bald! So, Captain, I'm not related to the bald muscle instructor you mentioned, and I have no connection to him at all!!"
"………………………………. Alright, I see that neither of you understand the gravity of the situation! Both of you, stand up straight!!"
Captain Zachary was momentarily speechless but quickly regained his composure and shouted loudly.
Captain Quentin and I placed our hands on our knees and straightened our backs to look at Captain Zachary.
But then I noticed something important and exclaimed.
"What's wrong? Fiea"
Captain Zachary asked, and I hastily clung to him.
"Captain Zachary! I forgot, but I was in an abnormal state!"
"Huh?"
"I was in a state of confusion! Didn't you say I was confused? ...Ah, that's why I must have seen a hallucination where a young 15-year-old girl was mistaken for a bald muscle man!! Wow, being in a state of confusion is so terrifying!!"
"No, wait! First of all, I didn't mistake you for a bald muscle man, and the state of confusion I mentioned isn't what you think! ...Wait, why am I the only one trying so hard? Hey, Quentin, you explain the rest!"
Captain Quentin, who was suddenly handed the conversation, frowned for a moment but, being a captain, continued as if nothing had happened.
"In other words, Captain Zachary seems to be saying that he wants to venerate Fiea, who can command the Black Dragon King, whose grandeur makes one want to kneel, like a goddess in heaven."
"Shut up!! ...Quentin, what's wrong with you!? You were supposed to be competent, so how did you end up like this!? The Chancellor was right when he said that capable knights become strange when they get involved with Fiea!"
Captain Zachary quickly criticized Captain Quentin's words, but I was the one to counter his words.
"Hey, Captain Zachary! I demand a correction! Captain Quentin has been strange from the moment we met until now! There wasn't a single time when he wasn't strange! This is not my fault, but Captain Quentin's inherent quality!"
"Hehehe, Lady Fiea. Perhaps I appear different to you because you see me differently from others. This is a great honor."
Captain Quentin, who received my complaint from the side, gave his usual off-the-mark response.
"See, Captain Zachary! Even when I clearly criticize Captain Quentin, he interprets it positively!! This is not normal!!"
Captain Quentin and I turned to face Captain Zachary and each asserted our own correctness, but Captain Zachary stared at us for a while without saying a word.
"...Captain, Captain Zachary?"
Worried, I called out, and Captain Zachary closed his eyes.
"I'm trying to grasp your level of common sense. I can't understand your conversation at all. You guys are amazing, to be able to talk about things I don't understand... You guys are really something."
"Um, is that so? It's nice to be praised by Captain Zachary..."
My face broke into a smile despite myself, and Captain Zachary's eyes widened.
"Alright, I was wrong! That was a veiled insult!! I thought you would understand, but I was wrong! Fiea, I'm not praising you. It's a high-level technique to express the opposite by appearing to praise... Or, please, don't make me explain this. I don't know what to do anymore!"
I placed my hand on the shoulder of Captain Zachary, who was holding his head, and Captain Quentin spoke to him as if to comfort him.
"Zachary, you've been a sensory insensate who only accepts what you can see. But here, you will make a great leap forward. Feel the greatness of Lady Fiea! And accept it! Then you will be able to understand the world correctly, just like me!!"
"Shut up! I already don't understand what you're saying!! Just be quiet!!"
Faced with the two arguing captains, I decided to make a constructive suggestion.
"Both of you, stop it. ...In this situation, there's nothing left to do but eat."
"......Huh?"
Captain Zachary, who seemed not to understand what I meant, blinked repeatedly, and I smiled at him.
"Both Captain Zachary and Captain Quentin are hungry and are getting irritated over small things. Pfft, they're like children. Well, just wait. I'll go get lunch for the captains."
"No, wait, Fiea...!"
Captain Zachary called out from behind, but I pretended not to hear and went to get the food.
...Hehe, there they are. People who get cranky when they're hungry.
I didn't expect Captain Zachary to be that type.
Captain Zachary, despite being a captain, is like a child.
Finding it amusing, I approached the nearest knights of Quentin's team and received lunch for three people.
"Thank you! I'm sorry for coming to get only the food without helping to prepare it."
When I apologized, the knights, who had been looking at me cautiously, started talking enthusiastically.
"Wh-What are you talking about! We should be thanking you. Fiea, you are... ...No, nothing. I mean, just eat a lot!"
"Yeah. If you run out, come get more. Don't hesitate at all!"
"Thank you! Hehe, the knights are so kind."
I smiled and thanked the knights, and they frowned and mumbled something.
"No, that's... "
"Ah, damn. ...The vow of silence is troublesome. Can't even say thank you."
"Huh? Did you say something?"
Since I couldn't hear it clearly, I asked, and he waved his hands.
"No, nothing. Just, learn to protect yourself first."
"I am protecting myself. That's why I'm going to get lunch properly, even though I didn't help with the preparation."
"...Ha. Fine. Just take the lunch to the captains. The trip turned into a day trip, but we prepared a week's worth of food. You can eat as much as you want."
"Thank you!"
I was puzzled by the knights' suddenly tired appearance but, with three lunches in hand, I returned to the captains with high spirits, only to realize Captain Zachary was standing right behind me.
"Oh, couldn't wait, could you? Maybe you didn't have breakfast?"
I asked, amused, and after a moment's pause, he replied with a sigh.
"...You're so peaceful. I envy you."
As he said this, Captain Zachary took the three lunches I was holding and walked ahead to deliver them.
"Hey, stop it. It's improper to have a captain carry the food. Don't take the job of a new knight."
Without turning back, Captain Zachary sighed dramatically.
"I can't judge whether to treat you as a new knight. Sometimes you're so calm that it's more believable to say you're close to retirement."
"Hey, Captain Zachary, you keep trying to classify me as a bald muscle man. Fine by me!"
In response to my retort, Captain Zachary shook his head lightly and slumped his shoulders.
"Ha, Fiea, just stay away from the bald muscle man. ...Got it, food is important. I feel like your head isn't getting enough nutrients. Eat my share too."
He walked back to Captain Quentin with large strides and called out to me, who was standing still.
"Hurry up! You can't sit down, so I can't sit down either!"
Oh, Captain Zachary. Not sitting until a lady sits is so chivalrous.
But shouting from a distance is not acceptable.
I ran to Captain Zachary and, with a small jump, landed saying, "Jaaan," as if I were sitting.
"How's that? It's a high-level technique to make it look like I jumped and then sat down!"
"...I'll correct that. You're just a kid."
Captain Zachary, looking tired, bowed his head and handed me my lunch.
When I opened the package, there was my favorite white bread.
I was so happy that I ate it slowly, grinning.
As I was throwing small pieces of bread into my mouth, I met Captain Zachary's gaze.
"Why aren't you eating? I can't eat two people's worth, so please eat. The knights prepared a week's worth of food, but it's a day trip, so they're worried about the excess. If it runs out, I'll get more."
I tilted my head and asked, and Captain Zachary sighed and started to open his lunch.
He took out the white bread and ate it in just two bites.
"Wow, Captain Zachary, you have a big mouth!"
I was surprised and widened my eyes, and Captain Zachary sighed deeply.
"...You really seem to enjoy everything. But I also felt that my brain wasn't getting enough nutrients. ...Fiea."
When he called my name formally, I straightened my back and replied, "Yes."
Then Captain Zachary also straightened his back, placed his hands on his knees, and bowed deeply.
"I thank you."
"...Huh?"
I was so surprised that I swallowed the bread in my mouth.
"Choke, choke, choke... "
But Captain Zachary, unaware of my discomfort, continued.
"I am responsible for the lives of the knights as a captain. But today, with the appearance of the Dream Green, Flowerhorn Deer, Violet Boar, and Blue Dragon, no one died, thanks to you. I deeply thank you as a captain."
As he said this, he continued to bow deeply.
"No, choke, choke, choke, Captain Zachary! I didn't do anything. The Black Dragon and the knights worked hard. ...Please, raise your head."
I finally swallowed the bread and was flustered by the scene of Captain Zachary, who continued to bow, not knowing what to do.
In my confusion, Captain Zachary finally raised his head and spoke with a serious face.
"Fiea, did you use a hidden power to protect the knights?"
"Wha!?"
I was so surprised by Captain Zachary's words that I shouted without thinking.
"Wh-What, what, what, what, did I hide, hide, something? And, and, did I use it?"
In response to Captain Zachary's sudden accusation, I panicked, and Captain Quentin, who was sitting next to me, exclaimed in surprise.
"Wh-What? Lady Fiea was trying to hide her power? No, I was admiring your attitude of revealing everything and not hiding anything, ...What? What part were you trying to hide?"
If you tell me, I'll help you hide your power, Captain Quentin whispered, but of course, his voice reached Captain Zachary.
I was at a loss and covered my face with both hands, saying, "Aaaaaa."
What? What's going on??
What does Captain Zachary know?
And is Captain Quentin an ally? Or an enemy causing trouble?
Not knowing what to do, I continued to cover my face with both hands, and Captain Zachary's voice came from above.
"Knowing the method to defeat the Dream Green, the characteristics of the Flowerhorn Deer, the types and numbers of monsters encountered by other squads from a distance, controlling other knights' familiars, and commanding the Black Dragon... All of these are things that no one but you can do."
"......"
"But since you haven't manifested any special powers until now, I assume you were hiding them. Yet, in this situation, you chose to save the knights rather than hide your power. ...Fiea, I respect your choice. And I won't let you suffer for making such a choice."
Faced with his determined and strong words, I cautiously raised my face and peeked at Captain Zachary through my fingers.
"Captain Zachary...?"
Captain Zachary, who was looking at me with a very serious expression, despite my rude behavior of peeking through my fingers, looked back at me.
"I am a knight at my core. And I swore the 'Ten Commandments of Knights' when I joined the order. If I harm a savior of life, I would be breaking the commandments. ...I would no longer be a knight."
"......"
"Therefore, I swear to you under the name of the Captain of the Nave Kingdom Black Dragon Knights. I will protect your secrets and protect you."
"...Captain Zachary"
"This is a vow under the name of a captain. I will break it only when I resign as a captain, which means when I die. ...I'm sorry, Fiea. I should have talked to you about this first before asking about your situation."
Captain Zachary paused and relaxed his expression slightly.
"Say only what you can and want to say. I won't reveal anything you tell me, and I will protect you. You don't have to tell me everything."
He spoke each word with weight and then closed his mouth.
He crossed his arms and waited for my words.
...Faced with Captain Zachary's determined gaze, I was overwhelmed and couldn't speak for a while.