"Thank you, thank you very much. I am Fia Rude, a member of the Kingdom's First Knight Regiment."
After introducing myself to Chief Radec, I bowed my head slightly.
It seemed that Chief Radec and Colonel Curtis were already acquainted, as they nodded at each other.
Chief Radec, with a gentle smile on his wrinkled face, pointed to a nearby rug.
"Would you like to sit down? I find it more comfortable, so please, if you don't mind."
When the three of us sat on the rug, the villagers gathered around, looking very interested.
Chief Radec, with an admiring expression, looked at my hair and said,
"Your beautiful red hair is remarkable. According to the legends, the Great Saintess also had such vivid red hair. It's a very beautiful shade of red."
"Thank you. But I've heard that the former duchess also had red hair, and it's not that rare in the capital."
I replied with what seemed obvious, and the chief continued calmly.
"Yes, I've seen the former duchess's hair, and it was a reddish-orange, not as vivid as yours. I've visited the capital several times on official duties, and while many people have red hair, it often has hints of yellow or brown. I've never seen anyone with such deep crimson hair like yours."
"Is that so?"
When he said that, I began to think it might be true. Reflecting on it, I had never really paid close attention to other people's red hair, so I couldn't definitively say mine was unusual.
The chief laughed and handed me a branch of Adela.
"Ha ha ha, the higher the saintess, the more they seem to focus on having the same red hair as the Great Saintess, but someone with truly red hair like you doesn't seem to care at all. ... Here you go. We couldn't protect the Adela tree planted by the Great Saintess, but when it was cut down, we managed to get a branch and grow it into a new tree. This is a branch from that tree."
"Oh, thank you."
I smiled, looking at the red flower on the branch.
Seeing my smile, the chief's face brightened.
"Everyone says that you know this land well, Fia. Do you have any acquaintances here? Why did you think the opening dance was a dolphin dance?"
"Well, it's not exactly an acquaintance... I was interested in the 'Blue Knight,' who was once the lord of Sutherland, and I wanted to see the sea and town of this place someday. Dolphins... well, dolphins and jellyfish are kind of the same in a broad sense, so I must have made a mistake."
The moment I spoke, the villagers who had been listening in gasped.
Everyone looked at me with expressions of disbelief, making me shift uncomfortably.
Feeling uneasy, I looked at the chief, who returned my gaze with a serious expression.
"Fia, if you don't mind, would you allow me to tell you about the 'Resurrection Faith' that our island people have believed in for generations?"
"Um, yes, of course."
It didn't feel like I could refuse, so I accepted humbly.
"Our island people believe that deep emotions can bring the soul back to life. Deep, deep emotions, after a long time, can bring us together again. ... The 'Blue Knight,' who was once the lord of Sutherland, was the Great Saintess's guard. The story you mentioned about dolphins and jellyfish is also recorded as the Great Saintess's words. ... You must be the reincarnation of the Great Saintess's soul."
"......"
I was speechless.
I couldn't respond to the sudden and accurate statement.
"......Eh,......Ah......"
Seeing that I couldn't form coherent words, the chief looked at me with concern.
"Are you all right? I understand that this sudden talk might be shocking, and it's hard to believe. But our clan believes in the resurrection of souls. Souls with great purpose and mission will surely return. This is also our hope. We have a great debt to the Great Saintess and have sworn to serve her someday. But we couldn't repay her in any way."
The chief looked sadly at the red flower in my hand.
"The Great Saintess promised to return to this land. So, we have always believed that she would come back someday. You might think that you are not the reincarnation of the Great Saintess and that we are making unreasonable accusations, but as a representative of our clan, I ask you to please accept our beliefs. Can you accept our actions?"
"Um..."
I opened my mouth but didn't know what to say, and couldn't continue.
"Your actions are too reminiscent of the Great Saintess to be a coincidence. Caring about the 'Blue Knight,' who was the Great Saintess's guard, might be because you were the Great Saintess. Even if it's a misunderstanding, can you accept the long-held feelings of our clan?"
"Um..."
My heart was pounding loudly, and I tried to think.
Well, this doesn't mean my past life was the Great Saintess.
It's just that the island people have a belief in the resurrection of souls and suspect that I might be the reincarnation of the Great Saintess.
...Bingo! I hit the nail on the head without any evidence!
I muttered to myself, "Fuhii," and started to think about what to do.
Meanwhile, Colonel Curtis, looking at the chief with difficulty, spoke.
"I understand why you want to believe Fia is the reincarnation of the Great Saintess because of her red hair, but Fia isn't a saintess."
"Of course, I understand that Fia is a knight. The soul might have reincarnated in a different body without inheriting the power. ... Actually, this is the first time we've seen a reincarnated soul, so we're not entirely sure."
"......I see."
When the chief said it was the first time they had seen a reincarnated soul, Colonel Curtis seemed to be convinced that it was a misunderstanding by the clan.
However, to avoid hurting the clan's feelings, he started to pretend to understand.
"Indeed, Fia has red hair and golden eyes. Yes, her interest in the 'Blue Knight' might be a subconscious memory from her past life."
"Ch, Colonel Curtis!"
I was about to complain about his overacting when he whispered to me.
"Fia, this is a chance. If they believe you are the reincarnation of the Great Saintess, they might accept you as a knight, and perhaps even the knights. It might help reconcile the Sutherland family and the villagers."
"Ugh..."
I glared at Colonel Curtis, but he bowed his head slightly with a pleading expression.
Grrrr. I'll look at my feet.
Indeed, I do want to help Colonel Cyril...
I turned to the chief and clapped my hands.
"Oh, right. I feel like I was the Great Saintess! Yes, I feel like Canopus was my guard."
"You even know Canopus' name! H, it's real!! It's the real Great Saintess!"
Seeing the villagers suddenly become excited, I turned pale.
...Oh no.
I overdid it. I shouldn't have mentioned Canopus' name.
But Colonel Curtis looked at me with a broad smile, as if to say, "Well done."
Seeing the villagers jubilantly calling me "Great Saintess," I could feel my face twitching.
...What should I do?
Will Colonel Cyril be angry? Or will he praise me?