I had a vague idea that Cyril's mother was the Holy Maiden, but when I heard that the former duchess was the typical image of a Holy Maiden, I wondered what I had been doing all this time.
In my previous life, I had strived to be a shield for the knights, just as a Holy Maiden should. I had also taught younger Holy Maidens to do the same.
Even though I died before I could fully achieve my goals, I thought that my legacy had been carried on to some extent.
Did Canopus, who was my guard knight in my previous life, just stand by and watch as the image of the Holy Maiden became distorted? Or did the image of the Holy Maiden gradually become distorted over the 300 years, and was it still correct during Canopus's lifetime?
When I thought about this, I suddenly remembered that I had planned to visit Canopus's grave since I came to Sutherland. "That's right, that's right. Canopus loved this land and this family so much! His grave must be here somewhere. And with my knowledge, finding his grave will be easy!"
After all, he was my guard knight. In my previous life, I spent more time with him than anyone else. In other words, I knew him better than anyone else. I should be able to find where he had a special attachment to this land and where his grave was built.
...Or so I thought.
Breathing heavily after four hours of searching, I realized how naive I had been. I had visited every possible place, from the lord's mansion garden to the cliff overlooking the sea, but I couldn't find Canopus's grave anywhere, and I was at a loss.
Hmm? Was my understanding of Canopus just a misunderstanding?
It's a 300-year-old grave, and no one can tell me where it is. What should I do?
I sighed and looked out over the sea from the cliff. The blue sea stretched as far as the eye could see, and the wind carried the scent of the sea.
Ah, this is the sea that Canopus loved in Sutherland. And further south, there was the island where Canopus and his family lived.
"Canopus, I've come to see the sea you loved, even though it's late. It feels like it's connected to the sky, and it's so refreshing."
While brushing my hair out of my face, I muttered to myself.
"...Fia. Were you talking to someone I can't see? Or did your inner thoughts slip out?"
At an inopportune moment, a voice called out from behind me. I counted to three in my head and turned around.
"Oh, Commander Cyril. It looked like I was talking to myself, but I was actually talking to an acquaintance. He passed away a long time ago, but he loved this place, so I thought he must have come back. I was just pretending he was next to me and talking to him."
"...I see."
Commander Cyril stood next to me and gazed at the blue sea.
"If we follow your logic, do you think my mother has also returned to this sea? ...Her body was never found. She might still be sleeping at the bottom of the sea."
"Commander Cyril..."
I glanced at Commander Cyril, who had a look of reminiscence on his face. I thought that the issue of his parents was still unresolved in his heart.
"...Fia. As a friend, please answer me candidly. I couldn't save my parents. I've been thinking about it for ten years, but I still don't know what I should have done. The same goes for the people of Sutherland."
The commander, still gazing at the sea, began to speak.
"I've long believed that I should take responsibility for the incident that started with my family. However, it might be a mistake for me to govern this land. I've tried various things for ten years, but the attitudes of the residents haven't changed. I can't... save the people of this land."
He spoke in a calm, quiet voice, but he stubbornly kept his eyes on the sea, never meeting my gaze. This was unlike the commander, who always looked his conversation partner in the eye, and I felt a sense of unease. I stared at him and noticed that his fingers, which were clenched, were trembling slightly.
...Ah, Commander Cyril's words weren't something he had just thought of yesterday or today. He had thought about it repeatedly over a long period and had come to this conclusion.
He had thought that the cause of the incident ten years ago lay with his parents, but he couldn't acknowledge or apologize for it due to his position. Even if he tried to improve the current situation, the residents never changed their hostile attitudes.
...Yes, a responsible and kind commander like him might have felt guilty for making the residents harbor negative feelings for so long and thought that if he stepped down as lord, at least the residents' feelings would improve.
"...Commander Cyril, governing this land and your parents are two different things."
I answered softly, and the commander gasped.
I deliberately avoided looking at him and continued to gaze at the sea.
"...There are unsolvable problems, I'm sure. I have one too, a problem I can't solve no matter how much I think about it. I can't understand why they did what they did."
Why did my brothers in my previous life abandon me in the demon king's castle when my magic was depleted... Why could they abandon me like that...
I can't understand it no matter how much I think about it.
"However, I don't know everything about their lives or their thoughts, so no matter how much I think about it, I can't understand them due to a lack of information."
"Fia...?"
Even though Commander Cyril didn't understand what I was talking about, he looked worried. I smiled at him.
"So, I stopped thinking about it! My current life starts from there, and sometimes my thoughts are pulled back, but thinking about something that has no answer is a waste of time! I realized that even if I don't know the answer, I can still move forward and smile."
I looked up at Commander Cyril.
"Commander Cyril is very kind. However, if you hadn't been troubled by your parents, you might not have become such a kind person. ...I like the kind Commander Cyril."
When I said this, Commander Cyril's eyes widened in surprise. I continued without hesitation.
"Maybe there are people you can't save. And maybe the salvation you think is different from the salvation they need. But even so, I think it's wonderful that you try to save them with your sense of justice and kindness. If I were a resident of this land, I would want such a commander to govern this land."
"......"
Commander Cyril opened his mouth in surprise but made no sound, and it closed again.
I looked him in the eye and continued.
"The current residents are trapped in various thoughts and may be harsh to you, but it's okay. Kindness will eventually be understood."
Commander Cyril maintained a dazed expression but eventually narrowed his eyes and laughed softly.
"Haha, your world is simple and beautiful. ...It's very captivating."
After a moment of chuckling, he smiled beautifully, as if something had clicked.
"Your words have no basis, but you've made me want to see your beautiful world. Yes... that's right. I shouldn't be complaining. I should do what I can and strive to be understood. Thank you, Fia. Talking to you always gives me energy."
"You're welcome?"
I accepted his grateful words, even though I didn't understand the reason.
After gazing at the sea for a while, Commander Cyril straightened up and asked me.
"By the way, why did you come to this cliff? Did you want to see the sea?"
"Well, I thought I'd pay my respects at the 'Blue Knight's' grave if I could find it, so I was looking for the grave."
"Oh, right, you were interested in the last 'Blue Knight' who bore the Sutherland name. Unfortunately, I've never heard of his grave being here."
"What, really!?"
I was surprised and let out a high-pitched cry. What, Canopus isn't resting here? Then... I don't know where his grave is!
I slumped my shoulders and turned to Commander Cyril.
"So, in other words, all my business is now gone. Did you come here to see the sea, Commander Cyril?"
"In a way, yes. I came looking for you because you didn't show up for lunch."
"Oh, I'm sorry! But, it's okay to skip one meal, right?"
I looked up at the commander in a panic, but he patted my head as if talking to a child.
"What are you saying? You're in your growing years, so you need to eat properly. Besides, tonight's dinner will be light, so you should have a proper lunch."
"Light dinner? Oh, maybe the food supplies are running low because the knights are eating more than expected?"
I asked, thinking I had figured it out, but the commander gave me a stern look.
"...Do you think our duchy's food storage is so weak that 100 people could deplete it in a few days? No, that's not it. Tomorrow is a festival to commemorate the visit of the Great Holy Maiden. The ceremony starts at sunrise, so we'll have a light dinner and go to bed early today. Everyone will wake up before dawn tomorrow."
"The... Great Holy Maiden's visit commemoration festival!!"
I repeated it in surprise.
What kind of festival is this!?
A festival to commemorate the Great Holy Maiden's visit? Has this been going on for 300 years?
Canopus, why didn't you stop it!
Well, maybe it couldn't be helped. The residents need entertainment, and the Great Holy Maiden's visit is an easy and convenient theme for a festival. But, couldn't it have been stopped when I died?
...Ah, I understand.
It's been 300 years. There's no way everything could have been passed down correctly. There must be many stories about the Great Holy Maiden being extremely fat or doing foolish things that are far from the truth!
I hung my head and followed Commander Cyril back to the lord's mansion. Unlike when I left early in the morning, the mansion's garden was now open, and many residents were working in the front garden. They were preparing decorations for the festival around a large tree stump in the center of the garden.
"Oh, the Adela tree. It's grown so big."
I muttered, imagining the size of the tree from the size of the stump, and Commander Cyril looked down at me curiously.
"Fia, how did you know it was an Adela tree? I mentioned that the tree was cut down last night, but I didn't say what kind of tree it was."
"I... I love trees! I can tell what kind of tree it is just by looking at the stump!!"
"Hmm..."
Commander Cyril looked at me as if he wanted to say something but averted his eyes and pretended not to notice.
Ah, no. Commander Cyril is too perceptive.
I decided to keep quiet and followed him to the dining room in silence.