"Hmm, here it is, la la la~. A cluster of beauty~. Could this be~ a fragment of a star that fell from the sky last night~? Pika pika pi~"
As I picked up the sparkling stone from the ground, an arm suddenly stretched out from the side.
"Yeah, it's just a common stone, Feea."
Fabian, who had finished his inspection in an instant, returned the stone to my hand.
"Hehe, are you still practicing poetry even at a time like this? But the more you practice, the further you seem to get from proper poetry, so it might be better to stop."
After hearing Fabian's words, I reluctantly glanced at the stone one more time before placing it back on the ground.
If I brought back everything that caught my attention on the way, my luggage would be bursting. There's no helping it.
--- Currently, our visiting delegation is heading south towards Sutherland.
The Kingdom of Nave is located on a continent surrounded by the sea and is a powerful country that governs the entire western end of the continent.
It is elongated from north to south, with both the southern and northern ends of the country touching the edge of the continent.
In other words, the north, west, and south of the kingdom are bordered by the sea.
Sutherland, located at the southernmost point of the kingdom, is about a ten-day carriage ride from the capital in the center.
This visiting delegation is composed of eighty knights from the First Knight Regiment.
Due to Sir Cyril's desire for young knights to learn history, many young knights, including Fabian, are participating.
Additionally, about twenty civil servants are participating, but since most of them cannot ride horses, they are traveling by carriage.
In other words, while the knights are traveling on horseback, they must match the speed of the carriages.
"Let's get going! The break is over!"
Turning at the voice urging us to depart, I saw a noble-looking figure standing at the center of the knights.
It was Sir Cyril.
For this visit, Sir Cyril is representing the royal prince, so he is wearing noble attire instead of his knight's uniform.
He is wearing a shiny noble's outfit embroidered with gold and silver threads, a dark-colored mantle, and a large gemstone at his neck. Several medals are pinned to his chest, and golden tassels hanging from the mantle are sparkling in the sunlight.
Though the outfit might look overly grand and gaudy on some people, Sir Cyril wears it magnificently.
He truly embodies the image of a high-ranking noble, leaving no room for doubt.
... The Chancellor did well to appoint Sir Cyril as the representative.
As I watched the Chancellor from a distance, I admired his wise decision.
I think the impression one makes is important when going to a hostile place.
And Sir Cyril has such a strong presence.
He will undoubtedly give a good impression to the people of Sutherland.
With that thought, I mounted my horse and rode alongside Fabian.
The scenery from horseback seemed to sparkle.
Going to a new place feels good.
Unfamiliar landscapes and foods that I haven't tried before give me new thrills.
The knights being rare, children along the way waved at us.
I waved back with a smile, and the children threw flower garlands.
I caught them in mid-air and placed them on my head.
The children cheered, and I laughed along, enjoying myself.
As I continued to giggle, Fabian spoke to me.
"Feea, you're amazing. You can always find joy, no matter who you're with."
"Huh? What's this all of a sudden?"
"Yeah, I've thought this for quite a while. Feea has many talents, but I think your greatest talent is your ability to enjoy yourself with anyone, anytime."
Fabian's intense gaze made me tilt my head in question.
"Really? But I think everyone has that talent."
"Do you really think so? Unfortunately, I don't think that 'everyone' includes me, Sir Cyril, or any of the other regiment leaders, or even the Chancellor."
"Hmm?"
Thinking about what Fabian meant, I looked at him, but he just smiled and looked back at me.
... Yeah, that's Fabian for you.
He has the bad habit of knowing the answer but not telling you.
I glared at Fabian, trying to convey, "That's a bad habit!" but he just laughed out loud, so I'm not sure if he got the message.
◇◇◇
The journey had been pleasant, but as we approached our destination, everyone became quieter.
Come to think of it, the visit to Sutherland is an annual event, so most of the knights participating this year must have visited the place last year.
If many of the experienced knights are becoming quiet, it might mean, as the Chancellor said, that the knights are not well-received in Sutherland.
Looking around, I noticed that people no longer waved at us as we passed.
The residents would stop what they were doing and bow their heads when they noticed the knights marching by, but the welcoming smiles we saw at the beginning were gone.
The trend of not being welcomed became even more apparent as soon as we entered Sutherland's territory.
First, there were almost no people around.
We had informed them of our visit in advance, so they should have known that a representative of the royal family was coming, yet there were no residents in sight.
Normally, people would line the streets to welcome us, but there was no one to be found.
It seemed as if the residents were deliberately staying in their homes to avoid meeting us.
The few residents we could see from a distance only bowed their heads, showing no friendly atmosphere.
Hmm, what's going on here...?
I tilted my head in confusion.
I thought the people of Sutherland, reflecting the warm climate of the land, were gentle and warm-hearted.
Originally, most of the residents of Sutherland lived on an island in the south of the continent.
They lost their homes when the island's volcano erupted and moved to Sutherland.
They were a cheerful and friendly people with tanned skin and dark blue hair.
I thought they were a lively and fun-loving people who couldn't stay quiet and would laugh at even the smallest things.
However, this was my first visit to this place in my previous life, and the then-lord, Canopus, was with me, and everyone might have been smiling just to be nice to me.
I rode my horse among my fellow knights, lost in thought about my past life.
Everyone seemed to sense the uncomfortable atmosphere and became quiet.
Fabian, too, was tilting his head in confusion.
"I never imagined that the land governed by Sir Cyril would have such an atmosphere... No one is welcoming the lord's return..."
The group arrived at Sir Cyril's residence—the lord's mansion.
... Ah, this building.
Seeing the beautiful blue and white mansion that suited the seaside, I couldn't help but smile.
Yes, this lord's mansion, shining blue and white in the sunlight, is the same as it was 300 years ago. It's nostalgic.
As I dismounted and unpacked the luggage, I heard the sound of new horses approaching from a distance.
Turning my gaze towards the gate, I saw a group of knights I had never seen before.
They seemed to be the Thirteenth Knight Regiment, responsible for this area.
Seeing the figure of the regiment leader, who dismounted gracefully from the most impressive horse, I tilted my head in confusion.
He was a tall man with sun-tanned skin and hair.
He seemed to be well-built, with a muscular physique, but... is this knight weak?
... Yes, among the regiment leaders I know, he is by far the weakest.