“Hey, hey, Fuuko, is that your name? What’s your relationship with Catherine?”
Yuria spoke to Fuuko as Catherine entered the back room to change.
“To think a mere servant of the Saintess would speak so familiarly.”
“Huh? Seeing you two, you looked like friends, but the way you called Catherine ‘Saintess’ makes me wonder if she was a private or public customer?”
“Which do you think it was? Oh, this tea is made with quite good tea leaves!”
Fuuko was bothered by the person who seemed to be Catherine’s servant speaking so familiarly. In the duchy, she was an object of worship, so servants were not allowed to speak like this within the sanctuary. Fuuko asked Yuria if she seemed like a private or public guest while drinking the tea that was served.
“If you were friends, you wouldn’t call her ‘Saintess,’ so was she a public customer? I—I’m so sorry.”
Because Fuuko had called Catherine “Saintess,” Yuria judged that she was a public customer, not a private one, and hurried to apologize for her impoliteness.
“Fuuko, don’t bully Yuria. We are friends, but today she is a public guest, so please keep that in mind, Yuria.”
“Understood.”
When Catherine returned after changing into her Saintess attire, she sensed the exchange between Fuuko and Yuria and informed Yuria what kind of guest Fuuko was.
“I’m calling the Holy Knights now, so they should be here soon.”
“Holy Knights, huh? I’m a little excited to see what kind of people will come. Fu, fu, fu.”
Catherine told Yuria that she was summoning the Holy Knights. Fuuko, who had been listening, seemed to be looking forward to seeing who would appear.
“Excuse me. A total of 13 Holy Knights are available for immediate dispatch, and we have reported for duty as ordered by the Saintess.”
“Thank you for your hard work. You may relax.”
After a little time passed, 13 out of the 20 Holy Knights, excluding those who were off duty or on guard duty at the sanctuary, gathered in the Saintess’s office.
“The reason I’ve gathered you all today is to introduce you to this child. Her name is Fuuko. Some of you may already be sensing it, but she is a high-ranking fairy and will be assisting me with my work.”
“””Murmurs”””
Catherine explained the reason for the summons and introduced Fuuko to the Holy Knights. Among them, the words “high-ranking fairy” surprised those present. Some of the Holy Knights could sense her magic, so a few of them were already aware of Fuuko’s power firsthand.
“Fuuko, I’m counting on you.”
Fuuko felt a slight restoration of her divine dignity upon realizing that someone understood her power, and she adopted a haughty attitude in front of the Holy Knights.
“I will greet you on behalf of everyone. I am Otsupain, Captain of the Holy Knights. It is an honor to meet you, Lady Fuuko.”
Then, Captain Otsupain, representing the Holy Knights, greeted Fuuko.
“As expected of the Captain. Your magic is far greater than the other Holy Knights!”
“I am honored by your praise.”
Fuuko looked at Otsupain as if she were devouring her, confirming the amount of magic she possessed.
“I think we can get along. I’m counting on you.”
“Likewise.”
Fuuko gently extended her right hand to Otsupain and offered a handshake. Otsupain responded by shaking Fuuko’s hand.
“Well, the introductions are finished, so we’re heading to the castle now. Otsupain and a few others, you will escort us. Of course, Yuria will come with us too.”
“Yes. We will select personnel quickly and make preparations for our departure.”
Otsupain, receiving Catherine’s orders, led the Holy Knights out of the office to begin preparations for their journey to the castle.
“Then, I will also begin my preparations.”
“Please take care of me, Yuria.”
After that, Yuria also began preparations to head to the castle.
“Oh, the Saintess is heading to the castle? That means my work is done for today. Good job! —Hey, why are you grabbing my arm?”
Fuuko thought her role was over and tried to leave the Saintess’s office, but Catherine grabbed her arm and stopped her.
“Of course. We’re going to the castle to introduce Fuuko, so what if the person herself tries to run away?”
“Ehhh.”
“You’re making such an obviously displeased face.”
“I can’t help it. It’s like charging into an enemy camp alone! I’d hate it.”
When Catherine told Fuuko they were going to the castle together, Fuuko made a very displeased face.
“It’s all right, it’s all right. As long as you don’t reveal your true identity, it’ll be fine.”
“Ugh, I don’t care if you say that, I still hate it!”
“You were told by Kent to help with my work, right?”
“Ugh, fine. I’ll go if I have to.”
Fuuko reluctantly agreed to go to the castle, still showing displeasure towards Catherine.
“It feels refreshing to head to the castle in formation.”
“It does. Catherine always goes to the castle on foot in her casual clothes with me.”
With preparations complete, the Saintess’s dedicated carriage, carrying Catherine and the others, headed towards the castle, accompanied by mounted Holy Knight escorts. Catherine, who was originally a commoner and disliked formality, usually went to the castle on foot with Yuria in casual attire. However, this time, to maintain her dignity as Saintess, she was moving in a formal formation. In the carriage, besides the coachman, were Catherine, Fuuko, the servant Yuria, and Otsupain as an escort. As Catherine felt a sense of freshness at the fact that she had arranged for a dedicated carriage after so long, Yuria spoke of the hardships she experienced on her usual walks to the castle.
“It is the Saintess’s consideration to avoid unnecessary expenses by disguising herself as a commoner. I also proposed to have escorts to protect the Saintess, but she did not accept.”
Otsupain, as the captain of the Holy Knight corps organized to protect the Saintess, was worried about Catherine traveling to the castle without an escort. She was sharing these past troubles with Yuria at that moment.
“Although the budget allocated to the sanctuary has increased compared to before, it is funded by taxes, so we cannot afford to waste it. Do you realize how much it costs just to form this procession?”
Catherine was aware of the budget allocated to the sanctuary and thought that if she were to travel between the sanctuary and the castle in a procession every time, it would be better to allocate the budget to the less fortunate.
“As expected of the Saintess. We were able to enter the castle with almost no checks.”
“Heh heh. Do you see how amazing I am now?”
Catherine’s procession reached the castle gate and entered the grounds through the aristocratic gate without any significant checks. Fuuko, surprised by how easily they entered the castle, was met with a smug look from Catherine.
“So you’re not just someone who chases after Master’s backside!”
“I-I-I’m not chasing your backside or anything!”
“Catherine and Fuuko-sama seem to be on good terms.”
“Both of you!”
Fuuko, slightly provoked by Catherine’s face, retorted with a jab, and an argument began. Yuria watched them with a smile.
“Haa, haa, you’re quite something, Fuuko.”
“Fuu, you too, Saintess Catherine.”
*Grasp*
As the carriage stopped inside the castle, Catherine and Fuuko had, without anyone noticing, become friends while shaking hands tightly.
“I was sweating bullets for a moment, wondering how this would turn out, but it ended up just as Yuria said.”
“Even so, I am the Saintess’s personal maid.”
Otsupain was impressed as the conversation moved in the direction Yuria had mentioned.
“Well, we’ve arrived. Now, I will lead the way, so please follow me.”
When the carriage door opened, Otsupain, who was acting as the escort, descended first. After confirming the surrounding conditions, she told the other passengers to disembark. Once everyone had gotten off, Otsupain led the way, with the Holy Knights forming a formation to protect Catherine and the others, and they began to move towards their destination.
