After quickly eating lunch, I went out to the garden and helped the residents.
It seems that it is customary for the knights to assist with the festival preparations, and the knights around me were working with a practiced air. The residents, while still not particularly close, were not completely rejecting the knights and were quietly speaking to them when necessary.
Hehe, festivals are great.
They make you feel more open than usual, and even hostile relationships can improve.
Even after the memorial tree called "The Great Saint's Tree" was cut down, the residents still held the festival centered around where the tree had stood, setting up the event space in front of the stump. By decorating the area with colorful cloths, a festive and cheerful atmosphere was created.
As evening approached and I thought the preparations were almost complete, the knights began setting up flagpoles around the stump in various parts of the garden. Curious about what they were doing, I watched as they started to place the Nerve Kingdom's flag on the poles. "Huh? What are they doing?"
Surprised by the mismatch of the red flag with a black dragon in the midst of the lively festival scene, I asked Fabian, who was standing next to me. "Ah, during the festival commemorating the Great Saint, the use of the national flag is allowed. You see, although red is a forbidden color, it is used on the national flag. The red on the flag is said to be exactly the same as the Great Saint's hair color, so during the festival in her name, the flag is displayed in memory of her." "Oh, I see."
As he spoke, I remembered that Chancellor Savis had also said that my hair color was the same as the flag. Yes, he had taken me to the top floor of the castle to compare my hair color with the flag. I had intended to deny it, saying, "There are many shades of red," but he had replied, "It looks the same red to me."
Hehe, it's quite a coincidence that the red on the flag is the same as my hair color.
Despite finding it amusing, I went to the grand hall early to have dinner quickly. The festival was to start at sunrise the next day, so I needed to wake up before it was light. I had to go to bed early...
But it seemed I fell asleep instantly. I woke up to the sound of the female knights getting ready in the room.
I hurriedly got ready and headed to the front garden of the mansion.
The front garden was already bustling with a large number of knights and residents, creating a lively atmosphere. I slipped into the line of knights and waited for the time to come. As the first ray of sunlight from the rising sun shone down, the festival began.
First, Duke Sutherland, also known as Captain Cyril, stood before everyone and placed a branch of Adela with red flowers on the stump. As Captain Cyril bowed, everyone else did the same. After a while, I heard sobbing from various places and looked around in surprise. I saw several residents covering their faces with their hands or sobbing.
"Great Saint..."
"Thank you, Great Saint."
"Please, visit this land again."
I felt a warm feeling in my chest and bowed deeply again.
--- Thank you. Thank you so much for your kindness, even though I only visited once.
I silently thanked them and prayed for the health and happiness of the residents of this land.
The festival proceeded smoothly, and it was time for the residents to offer dances to the Great Saint. By this time, the solemn atmosphere of the beginning had disappeared, and everyone was behaving as they pleased. About half of the knights had rushed to the food stalls, and some had already started eating. I joined the residents sitting on the cloth laid out in front of the stage to watch the dances together.
There was still some time before the dances started, so I waited absentmindedly when I heard the voices of the residents sitting behind me. "When the Adela flowers bloom, I can't help but hope that the Great Saint will visit us again." "Yes, I would love to meet her at least once."
I was startled and tried to suppress the urge to turn around.
...Ah, wait.
Captain Cyril said there had only been one Great Saint, so they must be talking about my past life, right?
What? My past life died 300 years ago, right?
I am a saint, not an immortal creature.
It's impossible to live for 300 years.
...So, what do they mean by waiting for a visit?
Curious about the continuation of the conversation, I focused on the two people behind me, but the topic quickly shifted to last night's dinner.
Well, that makes sense.
The story of the Great Saint from 300 years ago is less important than dinner, right?
Feeling a bit disappointed, I was suddenly startled by the sound of instruments. The dances were about to begin. Excitedly waiting, about ten beautifully dressed women appeared and started dancing to the sound of bells. The colorful cloths they wore were a feast for the eyes and made me feel very happy. However...
"Hmm, I thought the dances would start with children's performances, but it's a very formal one from the beginning."
Muttering to myself, the woman sitting next to me glanced at my red hair and explained, "When the Great Saint visited this land, she only watched one of our dances... So, it became a custom to offer the most important dance first during the festival."
"Huh? No, that's not it! It was beyond my control!! I really enjoyed everyone's dances, but I accidentally fell asleep because I was tired!! But, the children were cute, and I was treated very well!!"
Startled by the sudden conversation, I blurted out an excuse, but then I thought, wait. This is about my past life, so it's strange for me to make excuses.
Feeling embarrassed, I noticed that the residents around me were staring at me in shock. Ah, right. I must look like a strange knight with red hair saying meaningless things.
"...Why do you know that the dance the Great Saint watched was performed by children?"
"Those red hair... It must be the Great Saint..."
"Red hair and golden eyes... The mark of the Great Saint..."
"Great Saint..."
They murmured in surprise, but yes, I do have red hair. I thought they were making various comments about my slip of the tongue, but all I heard was the word "red hair," so I wondered if this was the "red hair rejection reaction."
The "red hair rejection reaction." In this land, where the faith in the Great Saint is strong, red hair is generally accepted, but those who experienced the "Sutherland's Lament" are different. They are said to have a rejection reaction to red hair, reminiscent of the previous duchess. From what I could see, they were all adults, so they might have known the previous duchess, who had red hair, and were reminded of her by my red hair.
They must be thinking, "There's another red-haired person causing trouble. This time, she's saying strange things."
To avoid upsetting the residents, I decided to stay quiet and casually returned my gaze to the stage. However, the murmurs around me grew louder, and I was at a loss for what to do. Then, a stout man sitting nearby hesitantly asked me, "Miss with the red hair, what dance do you think is being performed on that stage?"
"Um..."
I focused on the stage and thought about the dance. "This fluttering and playful movement... It's a jellyfish, but it's actually a dolphin! Hehe, it's a trick question, but I won't be fooled!"
Proudly giving my answer, I was met with even more shocked stares. "A dolphin... But there's nothing dolphin-like about it... Is it really... the Great Saint..."
Several residents stood up, and the audience area became as chaotic as a beehive. The atmosphere was no longer suitable for calmly watching the performance.
Curtis, the captain, who had run over to investigate the commotion, looked surprised when he saw me. "Fia, what happened? It looks like you're at the center of this chaos."
Indeed, the event area was in a bit of a commotion. The opening dance had ended, but the next performance had not started, and the stage was on a temporary break. The audience was now standing, and the residents were whispering among themselves, surrounding me.
I was the only one with teary eyes. "I, I don't know! Someone asked me what the opening dance was mimicking, and I said it was a dolphin, and then the commotion started."
"Huh? Over that?"
Curtis, the captain, tilted his head in confusion. "Yes, over that! Captain Curtis, is it considered rude in Sutherland to say a dance is mimicking a dolphin?"
"No, I've never heard of that. From a distance, the dance looked like it was mimicking a jellyfish. Maybe everyone was just surprised by your different answer?"
"Captain Curtis! It's not that they're surprised, right?"
I looked up at Captain Curtis sternly and protested. He smiled reassuringly and subtly hid me behind his back to shield me from the residents.
"I am Curtis, the captain of the Thirteenth Knights, who oversees this land. I was looking forward to the festival commemorating the Great Saint's visit, but is something wrong with one of my knights? If she caused any trouble, I apologize."
Captain Cyril had mentioned that Curtis was well-liked by the residents. Indeed, the residents who were spoken to with a smile relaxed their tense expressions and replied. "Ah, no, it's not a problem. We were just wondering who this red-haired young lady is..."
"Yes, we were wondering... This young lady with hair like the dawn..."
"Fia is a new knight of the kingdom who joined this year."
When Captain Curtis answered, the residents looked wary.
"Knight... A knight, huh..."
"But I've heard that the Great Saint trusted and valued knights."
"Yes, knights are supposed to protect the country and its people. It seems plausible that the Great Saint would choose a knight."
From the murmuring crowd, an elderly man stepped forward. He was the leader of the island-born ethnic group introduced during the festival.
"Nice to meet you, young lady. I am Radec, the leader of the island-born ethnic group."
The leader bowed politely.
Thank you for always reading!
Let me share a little about one of my favorite works.
The TV anime of the popular work on this site, "I Said I Wanted an Average Ability!" will start airing on October 7th (Monday) at 23:30 on AT-X and other channels.
If you enjoy bright fantasy, I think you'll find it enjoyable, so please give it a try (*´▽｀*).