I, Reincarnate as the Leader of the Villainous Knight Order - Chapter 136: An Unusual Event

Chapter 136: An Unusual Event

“It seems she’s not here after all…”

The morning after our visit to the royal castle, I spent the night thinking about it. Even after sleeping on it, I couldn’t recall a woman that I, Justin, had truly fallen for in the past or anyone I’m currently infatuated with.

“Hmm…? What’s not here?”

Jest, who had been sleeping beside me in my king-sized bed, rubbed his eyes as he sat up.

“Sorry, did I wake you?”

“No, I woke up because the atmosphere felt strange.”

“Strange atmosphere?”

I had a bad feeling about this, but I needed to confirm it to avoid bigger problems later.

“Yeah, over that way… If it were my mother, she’d probably understand it more clearly.”

“I see. In that case, let’s go see Jeanne today. We’ve been apart since last night, so maybe you felt a bit lonely?”

“Um… just a little? But I’m not lonely because I’m with Justin!”

Jest confessed shyly, which warmed my heart. After patting his head, I got dressed and informed Orel that we would be heading to the mansion where Jeanne and the others were staying after breakfast. We set out on my beloved horse, Eleanor.

When Jest and I arrived, the dwarves had already left for their workshop, and Jeanne apparently had some free time. Châteaubriand, the house steward, seemed to be worried about Jeanne looking bored when the dwarves weren’t around. So our visit was very welcome.

“Good morning, Jeanne. Sorry to intrude.”

“Good morning, Mother!”

“Oh, Master, Jest, good morning. It seems Jest noticed something as well?”

As soon as Jeanne saw our faces, she seemed to know why we had come.

“So Jeanne, you felt something too. This morning, Jest said the air felt strange… I thought you might understand it more clearly, so we came to see you.”

“Hmm… It’s true that I can sense it more clearly than Jest. Master, the revival of the Evil God is near. I can sense the direction and approximate distance… but that’s all I can discern for now.”

“No, knowing the general location is a great help. If the revival is near, that means it hasn’t happened yet, right?”

“Yes. It’s like the prelude to a stampede; the monsters are being drawn in. But it’s not on the scale of a stampede. Instead of monsters gathering at the site of the Evil God’s revival, they’re fleeing from it.”

“In that case, monster damage might increase in various places. I need to report this to His Majesty.”

I asked Châteaubriand to prepare a map and pen, and Jeanne explained in more detail.

“The place where the Evil God is likely to revive is around… this area.”

“Here, huh. It’s certainly a place people don’t visit. And it’s ideal for an Evil God to lurk. But that makes it a difficult place to reach.”

Jeanne pointed to a peninsula that juts out into the sea on the western side of the Taleraan Margrave. The area is covered with deep mountains and forests, and the sea side is a sheer cliff, making it an untamed land that no one has ever considered developing.

“…I hope this feeling is just a misunderstanding of mine…”

“Hmm? Did you say something?”

“No, it’s nothing. What are your plans for today? If you’re going to the royal castle to report this, why doesn’t Jest stay here and play?”

“Are you going to the royal castle, Justin?”

Jest looked up at me as Jeanne invited him to stay.

“Yes, I need to report this to His Majesty. Can you wait here with Jeanne, Jest?”

“Got it!”

Jest’s cheerful response brought me both relief and a slight sense of loneliness. Oh, I should confirm something while I’m at it.

“Jeanne, Châteaubriand was concerned about you being alone and bored. Are you feeling bored?”

If she was, I’d need to prepare something to keep her entertained.

“No? We dragons usually stay still in the mountains most of the time. Now, there’s plenty around to keep me entertained, and even just gazing at the garden is quite enjoyable. If there’s one thing, it’s that I can’t return to my true form… Sometimes, I want to spread my wings.”

“Ah… By now, the presence of Jest and Jeanne must be known throughout the royal capital. I’ll get permission from His Majesty to allow you to revert to your true form within the mansion’s grounds, including flying over the capital occasionally.”

“Oh! That would be wonderful! I’m looking forward to it, Jest.”

“Yes!”

Seeing the two of them so happy, I swore to myself that I’d make sure this wouldn’t turn into an “it was actually impossible” situation. With a firm resolve, I left the mansion.

After returning to the lodging and changing clothes, I headed to the royal castle. However, since I hadn’t sent word ahead, I ended up waiting for nearly half a day.

If I had mentioned that it was regarding the revival of the Evil God, I might have been granted an audience immediately. However, there’s no telling who might be listening, so I couldn’t just say something like that. After my audience with His Majesty, I handed over the map and reported what I had learned from Jeanne. I received a royal command to proceed with the preparations for an expedition in secrecy.

By the time I left the royal castle, the sun had already begun to set. When I went to pick up Jest at the mansion, the dwarves insisted I join them for a drink. Just one they said. In the end, by the time I returned to the Third Knight Order, several stars were already twinkling in the night sky.

As I entered the grounds, for some reason, I noticed that the members were heading towards the training grounds. I was about to take Eleanor to the stables to rest when a clerk approached me with a letter. I took the opportunity to ask why the others were headed to the training grounds and was told they were having a little test of skill.

“Justin, what’s that letter?”

As soon as the clerk left, Jest asked. It’s rare for me to receive a letter, as most of the time, it’s just documents. So he must have been curious. Since I didn’t have a letter opener on hand, I opened it a bit roughly.

“Let’s see… Huh? Ryuka!? This date… Could it be that the test of skill earlier was…”

The handwriting was familiar. I hurriedly handed Eleanor over to the stableman and rushed to the training grounds.

Original Author’s Comment:

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I was using a different site to write this story. And when I tried to save after finishing, it suddenly redirected me to the login screen. Then, the screen on my laptop went completely black, and I thought I was going to cry (´;ω;`). Thankfully, when I went back to the previous page, one chapter was still there. So I right-clicked and copied it. If I hadn’t copied it, I might have ended up in tears without today’s update…