Chapter 46
Commander Desmond of the Second Knight Order started to say something when he saw me, but then shook his head as if he'd changed his mind.
"I've got a mountain of questions, like why Quentin is soaking wet and why he's prioritizing lunch with Fia over the council meeting he was about to skip, but we're out of time. Let's hurry. I'll ask you about all of it later!"
Commander Desmond pointed toward the dining hall entrance with one hand, then strode ahead at a brisk pace.
"Damn it, whenever some commander does something out of character, Fia's involved again..."
I thought I heard my name, but Commander Desmond's muttering was too quiet for me to make out.
With no other choice, I followed Commander Desmond along with Commander Quentin.
Zabiria slipped into the usual spot inside my uniform and rubbed its face against my stomach.
It must be planning to sleep...
I patted Zabiria gently through my clothes as we walked for a while, until we arrived at the main knight headquarters.
We went deeper and deeper down a long corridor bustling with knights, then stopped in front of an especially lavish door. Two knights standing beside it opened it for us.
Beyond the door was a spacious room. One entire wall facing the courtyard was fitted with huge panes of glass from floor to ceiling, and sunlight glittered as it poured in. A large, highly polished round table stood in the center, with several knights seated in the chairs arranged around it.
"You're cutting it close, Quentin. That's not like you."
One of the seated knights, a knight with rust-colored hair, stood up and called out to him. After walking a few steps toward us, the knight noticed me behind Commander Quentin and spoke to me.
"Fia! You look as cheerful as ever!"
"Um..."
I tried to remember where I might have met the knight, then glanced at the color of the sash slung across their chest.
Oh, that's right. This was the commander glaring at his subordinates during the meat feast the night we defeated the Flowerhorn Deer.
"Good afternoon, Commander Zachary of the Sixth Knight Order. Yes, I'm doing well."
It seemed he'd mistaken me for someone else and was greeting me familiarly, but I'd only glimpsed him during the meat feast. Since we'd never spoken, I gave him a polite, noncommittal reply.
"Ha ha ha! You're not going to call me just Zachary like you did last time?"
As he spoke, Commander Zachary ruffled my hair until it was a mess.
Hey, stop! You're messing up my hair.
And I don't know who you think I am, but I'm not rude enough to call a knight commander by his first name!
As I argued desperately with him in my head, Commander Zachary bent down, put an arm around my neck, drew me close, and whispered in my ear.
"We share personal dirt about the Commander-in-Chief's sex life. You can call me Zachary, if you like."
Wait, what do you mean, "personal dirt about the Commander-in-Chief's sex life"? What a stupid-sounding phrase!
Honestly, he has me mixed up with someone completely outrageous!
I hurried to protest, but Commander Zachary had already turned his attention to Commander Quentin. When he noticed Quentin's dripping-wet hair, he looked astonished.
"Hey, Quentin! So this is what they mean by a handsome man dripping wet! Why are you pouring water over your head?"
Commander Quentin simply replied, "Oh, this?" as though it were nothing.
"Fia-sama spat water at me."
Commander Zachary whipped around to look at me and shouted in a wildly over-the-top voice.
"Fia! You have that kind of fetish?!"
"I don't!"
I reflexively denied the outrageous accusation.
What are you saying, Commander Quentin?! And Commander Zachary, stop shouting and drawing everyone's attention!
I hurried to explain before anyone could get the wrong idea, but Commander Zachary's loud voice drowned me out.
"And you too, Quentin! Why aren't you wiping the water off? Are you enjoying being like that?!"
Of course he's not enjoying it! Commander Zachary, please think about how you're phrasing things!
I could hear the knights around us starting to murmur that Commander Quentin must be a total masochist to address the woman in question as "Fia-sama."
Wait, wait! At this point, I don't care what happens to Commander Quentin's reputation, but won't mine suffer too if everyone thinks we're a couple?
That can't happen! Sister Oria would be furious with me!
I avoided looking directly, so I couldn't be sure, but it seemed Commander Cyril was radiating cold from diagonally to my right and glaring at me.
"C-Commander Quentin, that was an accident, wasn't it? We were eating, and I happened to choke and spit out my water, right?"
As I desperately tried to explain, Commander Zachary exclaimed in surprise.
"Huh? Quentin, you had a meal with Fia? Even if she's your subordinate, don't you refuse to eat with women?"
Wait, wait! What is this special rule just for Commander Quentin?! Don't spring that on me now!
While I searched for something to say that might calm things down, unaware of how desperate I was, Commander Quentin continued with whatever came to mind, looking utterly enraptured.
"Fia-sama invited me. I had no right to refuse. Besides, to be precise, I didn't eat. How could food go down while I was sitting with Fia-sama? But I'm so glad I got to be with you. That time we spent together was worth its weight in gold. I'd gladly sacrifice anything for a moment like that. Even having water spat on my head was a lovely touch."
The knights around us seemed unnerved by Commander Quentin's rapt expression and disturbing remarks. They recoiled with looks of horror.
Yes, I know exactly how they feel! Depending on how you hear it, it sounds like a knight commander with a strange fetish who enjoys having water spat on him!
I instinctively stepped forward and rebuked Commander Quentin.
"Oh, honestly, that's enough! Commander Quentin, your choice of words is awful! How do you manage to make this sound so terrible?!"
Now that I'd suddenly turned on him, Commander Quentin flustered and began apologizing.
"F-Fia-sama, please don't be angry! I sincerely apologize!"
"That's exactly why your choice of words is the worst! Please, just stop talking! I can't take this anymore!"
As I shouted desperately, a calm voice sounded from behind me.
"You always seem to be having fun, Fia. Whenever I hear a commotion, you're always there."
I turned around and met the eyes of Commander-in-Chief Savis, who had just entered the room. It seemed they'd brought him in once all the attendees had gathered.
"C-Commander-in-Chief Savis!"
I called his name as if I'd just found my savior.
The Commander-in-Chief raised one eyebrow, inviting me to continue.
"What is it?"
His tone suggested he was willing to listen, so I hurried right over to him.
I wondered if it was presumptuous for a rookie knight to seek the Commander-in-Chief's advice, but he was the only one who could save me now, so I clung to him desperately.
Then, before anyone could scold me for being disrespectful, I launched into my explanation.
"Please listen, Commander-in-Chief Savis! Our schedules happened to line up, so I just happened to have lunch with Commander Quentin! Then something completely unexpected came up during the meal, and I accidentally spat out the water I was drinking at him. Of course, I know it was my fault for spitting it out. But for some reason, whenever Commander Quentin retells the story, it makes us sound like we're part of some gang of perverts! If this keeps up, every knight who hears it will think I have some strange fetish! Please do something about this monster knight commander's way of telling stories!"
The Commander-in-Chief listened without a word. When I finished, he tilted his head slightly, as if mulling over what he'd heard.
"I'm aware that whenever you're involved, a group of capable knights all start behaving strangely. Perhaps it's a reaction to experiencing a stimulus they've never encountered before. Well, Quentin has also accumulated fatigue from his long expedition and gone off in a strange direction, but he'll return to normal after a while."
"Thank you, Commander-in-Chief Savis!"
Satisfied that he'd understood me, I turned back to the others with a proud smile.
The Commander-in-Chief has said that Commander Quentin's bizarre behavior is due to fatigue from his long expedition. You all heard that, right?
"It seems this has been settled to your satisfaction. In that case, come over here."
Just as I relaxed, a cool voice rang out.
I turned toward the voice and saw Commander Cyril quietly smiling as he beckoned to me.
"It's customary to bring one or two subordinates to the council meeting, but I'm alone this time. Since you're assigned to the First Knight Order, please come over here."
When I looked around, I saw that only the commanders of each order were seated around the table, with one or two knights standing behind each of them.
That made sense, so I started to step forward, but Commander Quentin grabbed my arm.
"What are you talking about, Cyril? I brought Fia-sama here, and she's currently helping our order with its duties. It only makes sense for her to stay with me."
Commander Cyril listened with a smile, his eyes narrowing.
Wow, Commander Cyril! It's impressive how you can show your displeasure while smiling. What an advanced technique!
"Ha ha, you'll offend one of them no matter what, so come over to me, Fia!"
Commander Zachary of the Sixth Knight Order called out to me.
Huh...? I thought I'd managed to calm things down, but I feel like I've gotten caught up in a new commotion. When did that happen?!
As I stood there, unable to understand the situation, the Commander-in-Chief addressed me with amusement.
"So, Fia, where would you like to go?"
That's an excellent question, Commander-in-Chief.
Honestly, I'd like to go home.