I awkwardly averted my gaze for now. Truthfully, I had met many who tried to win favor with clumsy affectations or innocent acts.
But they were not tits. Not such soft fluff-ball tits like this. They were all human, and I had never shown them even a dust of generosity.
I never even gave a glance to the little puppy Lillia brought!
...But Zigor was a tit with such small and incredibly soft feathers.
To think I was weak to such things; I firmly engraved this newly discovered weakness in my mind. I will absolutely never let anyone find out.
"Nadav is waiting for me."
[Nadav! That thick-headed bastard getting to meet the Captain first!]
Zigor shook his head violently as if indignant. Puffing up his feathers and chirping, Zigor was expressing his anger, but in reality, it only looked like a tantrum.
Unintentionally giving his appearance another glance, I clenched my lips tight. This won't do. This guy is a headless Dullahan.
Continuously imagining the terrifying appearance of a Dullahan in my mind, I resolutely requested.
"As soon as we arrive at the forest, I want to see your true form."
I want to see his true form and break the illusion. At my earnest wish, the Dullahan, who had transformed into a tit, whimpered once again.
[I'm sorry, Captain. I want to formally greet you too, but I haven't recovered my strength, so I can't return to my original form. Please give me a little time. If you wait for me, I will fulfill my duty as a knight!]
"...Sorry for what. You're injured, so it can't be helped."
[You are so generous, Captain! I want to recover quickly and stand at the vanguard! I am confident I will bestow the most terrifying fear in the world upon our enemies!]
A tit standing at the vanguard and bestowing terrifying fear...
I gave up imagining. Let's just go back for now.
* * *
"An indictment?"
"Yes."
The Duke stared down at the indictment placed before him. It was an official indictment stamped with the Temple's official seal.
"At the end of the meeting, it was decided to respect Imperial law."
"That sounds like a great consideration."
"Of course. There were loud voices calling for severe punishment according to the Temple's discipline, so if it had been decided that way, I wouldn't be delivering this indictment to you now. The sinner would have been summoned urgently according to the pact."
The monotonous voice lacked inflection but sounded rather audacious. Duke Roam, who had been silent with a furrowed brow, leaned back against the backrest.
With both arms draped over the armrests, he stared at the man standing before him with a cold face.
"Now it's time to hear the reason for such unnecessary consideration."
"Considering the life of 'Annelie Roam' known to the public, we judged that the Empire might have room to doubt the divinity of the Resurrected One. As this incident stemmed from that, the High Priest conveyed that an opportunity for repentance must rightfully be given."
"Repentance..."
The Duke's lips twisted askew. Tapping the end of the armrest with his index finger, he narrowed his eyes.
"This is your only chance, so be careful from now on?"
Cynicism oozed from the Duke's murmur, which sounded like talking to himself. And Samuel, who had been listening to that voice, suddenly recalled Annelie, who had consistently acted coldly.
The Duke's attitude and Annelie's attitude were undeniably similar. He newly felt that the Duke was indeed Annelie's biological father.
"So you're saying the Temple's illustrious Sir Samuel personally brought me the indictment to warn me."
"The Temple puts the safety of the Resurrected One first. As the Commander of the Search Party, I intend to prevent extreme situations in advance."
"So you publicly pointed out a knight of Roam as an example."
"Arin Tosun inflicted harm upon the Resurrected One. As the Temple, we cannot stand by and watch someone who threatened the Resurrected One's life. If the Empire does not carry out appropriate punishment, the Temple will immediately take custody of the sinner should the same problem occur again."
The indictment Samuel brought indicted the violent behavior Arin Tosun displayed during the search process and requested severe punishment.
In fact, the final destination of the indictment was the Imperial Family, and Samuel originally planned to go directly to the Imperial Palace.
The reason he deliberately diverted his schedule to the Roam family was, as the Duke said, for a warning.
If Holy Knights in shining armor visited the Duke Roam's estate with an indictment, it would undoubtedly be known throughout the entire realm.
No matter how much they tried to hide the contents of the indictment, they wouldn't be able to hide the sight of Arin Tosun, the Search Party Commander, standing in an Imperial court.
When told that Arin had shot an arrow, Annelie, far from being surprised, casually advised to discard sympathy.
Despite Arin being her knight.
Her reaction was not normal, and it wasn't strange that he rather felt his nerves stand on end at that sight.
Samuel had sufficient justification for his choice to stand here.
"I accept it. Roam supports the Temple's intention and will cooperate with the investigation of Arin Tosun at any time."
The Duke readily accepted the indictment. Samuel clenched his teeth tightly at the sight of the Duke, whose complexion didn't change even after hearing that his daughter's life had been threatened by a knight of Roam.
Hadn't they said that after Annelie was beheaded, the Duke's estate didn't even collect her corpse?
When he first learned of that fact, Samuel thought the rumor might have been exaggerated.
However, facing the Duke like this, he felt he could tell how full of cold air this household was.
"If Arin Tosun testifies that he was carrying out a specific order, the Roam family will not be able to avoid responsibility either."
Samuel, who was about to turn around, suddenly opened his mouth. The Duke's eyes, which had been staring elsewhere lost in thought, glanced at him. For the first time, some emotion lingered in his cold eyes.
"Surprisingly, this entire incident was Arin Tosun's unilateral decision."
"I sincerely hope those words are true."
Samuel turned around. Just as he was about to leave the office, a quiet question came from behind him.
"Did you see that child?"
The hand holding the doorknob paused. Another question followed from behind.
"Did you talk to that child? With the living Annelie?"
After pondering for a moment, Samuel opened the door without answering. The Duke's voice did not hold him back any longer.
Coming out into the long hallway, his stifled chest felt somewhat better. Guided by a servant, Samuel headed straight for the entrance.
He had to deliver this indictment to the Imperial Palace within today and track Annelie again. It was exhausting that he couldn't concentrate solely on tracking her, even though he could feel her presence.
"Wait a moment, Holy Knight!"
Just as he was about to leave the mansion, a clear female voice called out to him. As he turned his gaze indifferently, he saw someone running up urgently.
"You are the Holy Knight, right?"
"I am."
"I have something to ask. It will only take a moment, but could you perhaps answer my question?"
Samuel stared at her. Clasping her hands together and mumbling with her lips, she carefully asked her question.
"Is the oracle really... I mean, did God really bring my older sister back to life? Is the oracle true?"
"There are no lies in the voice of God."
"Ah... Actually, I wanted to hear news about my older sister. Is she doing well and healthy? Did the resurrected sister seem like a different person? Like, she spoke words you couldn't understand."
"I do not know her before the resurrection."
"Ah... I see."
Perhaps because of the consecutive blunt answers, she looked somewhat intimidated. Samuel, who had been looking at her impassively, suddenly spoke first.
"But out of my ignorance, I must ask. Why do you call the Resurrected One 'older sister'?"
"Pardon?"
"It is my understanding that the legitimate children of the Roam family are only the Young Duke, Prizian Roam; the former fiancée of the Crown Prince, Annelie Roam; and the youngest young master, Seiri Roam."
She, who had frozen with a surprised face at Samuel's words, made a flustered expression. Her slightly flushed cheeks made her look very lovely.
Her face turning bright red as if she never expected him not to recognize her, she parted her lips and retorted with a raised voice.
"I, I was taken in as the adopted daughter of the Roam family!"
"I apologize. I have only lived in the Temple, so I had no idea."
Of course, it was an absurd excuse, but the other party seemed to think Samuel really didn't know. At his calm apology, she cleared her throat and calmed her excitement.
"The Crown Prince's fiancée is also not my older sister, but me. I am Lillia Roam."
A slight shyness was mixed into her softened voice. Samuel, who had been silent for a moment, suddenly smiled faintly.
Lillia, surprised by his sudden smile, stared intently at Samuel's face. Toward her, Samuel spoke calmly.
"So her ties with the Empire are completely severed. Thank you for confirming that, in serving the Resurrected One, there are no other matters to worry about besides her own will."
Just as Lillia, with a bewildered expression, was about to say something, a sharp voice interrupted between the two.
"Lillia!"
"Father."
Duke Roam, with his hands behind his back, was staring at the two with a stiffly hardened face.
Seeing his expression wasn't ordinary, it seemed he had heard some of the conversation. However, it was a matter Samuel didn't need to care about at all.
He stepped out of the Duke Roam's estate with much lighter steps.
* * *
The fields I studied exceptionally deeply are specific. For instance, if I were to study history, it means I learned the general world history of the continent while focusing the advanced course on the history of the Empire.
Likewise, in theology, I delved into the parts intertwined with the Empire, especially the content intertwined with the Imperial Family.
Since that was the best choice at the time, I don't particularly regret it or feel unfortunate about it. However, the field I want to know about now is a completely different field, and it's frustrating not to know the necessary knowledge, and it's inconvenient that I have no way to look it up right away.
I want to find out more certainly what the Knights of the Round Table really are. No matter what, there are too many parts not explained by just this monster book I brought from the Grand Library.
I rested my chin on my hand and stared blankly at the scene before me. I had always thought of myself as someone who makes calm judgments in any situation.
But now that it has come to this, I was worried whether my cool judgment would actually function properly.
[To think you have such a small body. You are weaker than a weak male. You don't look very useful, but I'll specially let you join my pack as a temporary member.]
[That insolent wolf bastard! Captain, is that guy a knight too? You! Let's fight fair and square after you get your head back! Don't attack cowardly when our species are different!]