It was to clarify the responsibility for changing the schedule of Her Highness, the Great Saintess.
This time, Seraphina tried to take the responsibility of visiting Sutherland alone, even resorting to a poor acting performance.
However, it is clear that the responsibility lies with me, who, despite being a guard knight, did not seriously intervene.
When Seraphina said she would visit Sutherland, I was surprised but also felt joy and gratitude.
The people of Sutherland are my fellow countrymen.
If possible, I wanted to save them somehow.
However, since I couldn't find any way to save them, I was at a loss.
Then, Seraphina said she would take action.
I was overjoyed and, looking back, did not seriously try to stop her.
I had Seraphina sit in one of the chairs in the reception room, stood in front of her, performed a knight's salute, and began to speak.
"Your Highness, I, a foolish knight, humbly submit this. Regarding the visit to Sutherland, all the responsibility lies with me for not being able to stop you. Knowing the danger of the journey to save our fellow countrymen, I failed to strongly advise against it, which is clearly my mistake. I am truly sorry."
Seraphina glanced up at me and tilted her head.
"Really? I said I wanted to see the sea, so the one at fault is me for being selfish, right? Canopus has no responsibility at all."
"That's not true! No knight was fooled by your poor acting!"
"Really, that hurts a lot. In that case, I won't admit to the acting. I just wanted to see the sea."
"Are you still going to say that! Your Highness, how many times do I have to say it for you to understand!!"
Seraphina glanced at me again and, with a clearly fake solemn face, said in a sad voice,
"No matter how many times you say it, I don't seem to understand. ... I'm sorry for being so slow, Canopus. I'm causing you a lot of trouble."
"Your Highness!! That kind of acting is enough! Oh, really, what is the great Saintess doing!!"
Despite my sharp tone, Seraphina seemed to think I was really angry and looked dejected.
I sighed at my own immaturity and knelt before Seraphina.
"Your Highness, there is no one in this world more important to me than you. So, ... please, before you do something reckless, think about why I am here. I am your guard knight. I exist to help and protect you."
"... I understand. I acted on impulse, and I'm sorry."
It seemed she genuinely felt bad, as she apologized again.
Seeing Seraphina looking dejected, I sighed softly.
... I know Seraphina truly feels bad.
However, if the same situation arises, Seraphina will likely take the same action again.
And she will never consult me beforehand.
Because I will definitely try to stop her.
If I had been consulted beforehand and had the time and opportunity to make a calm judgment, I would have stopped her.
Because Seraphina is the most important person to me.
So, knowing all of this, Seraphina makes decisions alone and takes reckless actions in a way that doesn't involve me.
I took a deep breath and looked Seraphina in the eye.
It would be best to end it here.
Talking any further would just lead to a stalemate, and Seraphina is very tired.
I decided to conclude the conversation and spoke again.
"I am relieved that you understand."
With that, I bowed deeply.
"To Her Highness, Seraphina Nave, the Great Saintess and Second Princess of the Kingdom, I deeply thank you for visiting my territory. All of us, the people of this territory, welcome your visit with all our hearts."
Of course, such words cannot convey even a fraction of our family's gratitude.
I opened the door behind me a little and called out to the residents peering in with smiles.
"Prepare the welcome banquet quickly. We must convey our gratitude to the Great Saintess."
The residents near the door scattered like a swarm of spiders, undoubtedly rushing to prepare the banquet with great excitement.
I extended my hand to help Seraphina stand and decided to take her back to the garden.
"If you don't mind, could you show yourself to the people again? Everyone wants to see you once more."
"Oh, how wonderful! I want to see everyone too."
Seraphina is undoubtedly exhausted, but in this situation, where the residents' excitement and joy are palpable, she wouldn't calmly rest even if I asked her to.
So, the best course of action is to have her sit down, eat some food, and spend some relaxed time.
An exhausted Seraphina would likely fall asleep without being asked.
As we stepped into the garden, the residents who spotted Seraphina gathered around.
"Great Saintess, thank you for saving us!"
"Great Saintess, thank you for saving my brother!"
"Great Saintess, thank you for coming in such a hurry despite being so busy!"
"Wait! Wait a moment! The last one, wait! Yes, I'm in a mess? No, no, I'm sorry, it must look terrible."
As Seraphina nervously smoothed her hair, everyone smiled.
"A messy Great Saintess is many times more beautiful than a neat one! I don't know of any royal family member as beautiful, noble, and loving as the Great Saintess."
"Our family will swear loyalty to the Great Saintess until the last one of us dies."
Hearing these words, Seraphina smiled in a troubled manner.
"Well, I just did what I could. A cook makes food, right? I healed everyone because I am a Saintess. That's all."
However, no one agreed with Seraphina, as one would expect.
... Yes, that's right. A Saintess would try to heal.
But a Saintess who rides for two days and nights without rest, risking her life to heal, is not normal.
To cure the mutated Yellow Stripe disease, one must understand the disease's mechanism and create a new spell. At this point, only Seraphina can cure it.
—Seraphina, the amount of effort and determination you put into enhancing your Saintess powers is incredible.
Even if the residents haven't seen your efforts firsthand, no one would think such exceptional abilities could be obtained just by sitting around.
Your abilities are the result of your hard work.
What you did is something no one else could do.
However, the Great Saintess, who performed this miracle, was oblivious to her own achievements and was smiling happily surrounded by children.
"Great Saintess! I heard you're very busy and will leave soon. Please come again!"
"The sea in Sutherland is very refreshing! Next time, please go into the sea."
"Please come! Please come!" the children chanted.
Seraphina tilted her head slightly and laughed softly.
Then, she looked around the garden and walked to a tree at the edge, breaking off a young branch.
"Can I plant this branch as a memento of my visit?"
When Seraphina asked, everyone's eyes sparkled with joy.
"Plant it in the center, in the center of the garden!"
"Plant it in the center so no one will miss it!!"
"Isn't that a bit obstructive?"
When Seraphina muttered in a troubled manner, I chimed in from the side.
"Seraphina, please plant it in the center of the garden. I, as the owner of this property, also request it."
"Oh, Canopus! Aren't you supposed to stop my excessive actions?"
Smiling mischievously, Seraphina made me smile.
"Coming from someone who never restrains themselves... Please, plant it in the center so many people can gather around it in the future."
Seemingly giving in to the children's demands and my words, Seraphina planted the young tree in the center of the garden with the children.
The children happily patted the soil around the young tree and watered it.
Seraphina watched them with satisfaction and then asked the children,
"This young branch is from the Adela tree. Do you know the Adela tree?"
"We know! It has very beautiful red flowers!"
"It's the flowering season now. Look, they're in full bloom and very beautiful!"
Turning to the parent tree at the children's words, Seraphina smiled happily.
"Yes, they're in full bloom. It's warmer here, so they bloom earlier than in the capital. What a wonderful time to visit."
Seeing Seraphina's delighted gaze at the Adela flowers, the children eagerly shared what they knew.
"The red flowers also have a nice smell!"
"The red flowers are the same beautiful red as the Great Saintess's hair!"
Seraphina nodded in amazement as she stroked the children's heads.
"Oh, you're all so clever. Yes, the Adela tree has such beautiful red flowers. When this young tree grows and blooms, ... when you remember me from the color of the red flowers, I will come to Sutherland again."
"Great Saintess!!!"
All the children, and even the adults listening behind them, called out to her with joy.
Seraphina smiled and playfully raised her little finger to her face.
"This is a promise between all of us."
The joy of the Sutherland residents, who were celebrating with all their hearts, and Seraphina, who watched them with a smile.
... At that moment, I was certain that Seraphina was making a genuine promise and intended to return to this place.
—However, that promise was never fulfilled...
Thank you for reading.
Thank you also for the many people who picked up the second volume of the book. I am very grateful for all the feedback I received.