I, Reincarnate as the Leader of the Villainous Knight Order - Chapter 138: Jest Seeks Comfort

Chapter 138: Jest Seeks Comfort

“Ryuka, this is the room you will be using. That’s all your luggage, right?”

After dinner, I led him to the room across from mine, opening the door as I glanced at the backpack issued by the Marquis Vandière’s Knights and the large piece of luggage he had with him.

“Yeah, that’s it. Aside from Kiara, the horse the Marquis gifted me.”

“Kiara!? That horse retired ages ago! Cleanse!”

“Oh wow, thanks! The dust is gone. Yeah, since she’s retired, the Marquis gave her to me. I guess he’s not wealthy enough to give away a horse still in service, though the territory’s stable enough that the people aren’t struggling.”

The conversation jumped topics, but we were both used to it, so it didn’t matter.

“Maybe Father wanted to see Kiara run with someone on her back one last time. She was probably just pulling carts since her retirement, wasn’t she?”

“Yeah, she was. It was great to run with her again after so long.”

Retired horses do tend to become liabilities unless they’re used for breeding, so it made sense to pass on a mare like Kiara.

“There’s a lot I want to talk about, but you must be tired from the journey. Let’s continue tomorrow.”

“Yeah. And that kid… It’s the dragon everyone’s been talking about, right? Seems like he’s a bit jealous of me. Better give him some attention, *big* brother!”

Ryuka ended his sentence with a mischievous grin, leaving me speechless.

“Wha…?! How do you know about that!? Weren’t you sparring with the others?”

“Well, I told them that I was invited by Justin to join the knights, but nobody believed me at first. So, to prove I knew him, I talked about Justin’s background and personality. Then… haha, they told me all kinds of stuff too. Eventually, we hit it off and decided to spar. They didn’t believe I’d been a company commander, so I got a bit defensive.”

I thought the sparring was to test his skills from the beginning, but I guess I was wrong. Still, those guys… they said way too much!

“So, who told you about that? What’s their name? Was it Simon?”

I was ready to storm out of the room, but I couldn’t leave without knowing. Ryuka noticed my irritation and started to look a bit nervous.

“Huh? Um… I haven’t memorized everyone’s names yet.”

“Oh? You may not remember their names, but surely you remember their faces?”

We’re trained to remember appearances and weaknesses to defeat monsters, after all.

“Well… um… it wasn’t just one person. Everyone there was eager to tell me, haha.”

Those guys…!!

“I see. Understood. The communal bath is available most times of the day. There’s also a shower room in the back, and the commander’s and vice-commander’s rooms have attached showers. Feel free to clean up and rest early tonight. Tomorrow’s training might be a bit tough… heh.”

“O-okay… Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

For the first time in years, we exchanged goodnight greetings as foster brothers. Then I returned to my room across the hall.

Once inside, I noticed Jest was nowhere to be seen. Normally, he’d be sitting on the sofa waiting for me.

“Jest?”

The lights were on, so he had to be inside.

“I’m in the bedroom,” 

Jest’s telepathic voice echoed in my mind for the first time in a while.

Wondering what was going on, I entered the bedroom to find Jest in his small dragon form, lying on the bed.

“What’s wrong? You’ve been in human form all this time.”

“Because…”

“…..?”

I waited for him to continue, but Jest just looked down and stayed silent.

“Because what? What’s wrong?”

Sitting on the edge of the bed, I pulled Jest onto my lap and patted his head. He leaned into my hand, rubbing his head against me. It had been a while since we were like this. As I thought that, Jest spoke telepathically again.

“Because, when I’m like this, Justin pets me a lot more, right? Even today’s hug… it was the first in a long time. But I thought you might prefer when I’m in human form…”

Now that he mentioned it, that might be true. At ten years old, he might find it embarrassing to seek affection. But maybe dragons, with their longer lifespans, grow up more slowly than humans. I’ll have to ask Jeanne about this sometime.

“I like both forms of yours, Jest. When you’re in human form, you can talk to the others, so I thought you wouldn’t get bored. But you can stay in whichever form is more comfortable for you. If you want to cling to me, go ahead.”

“Hehe, I love you, Justin!”

Jest snuggled up to my stomach, rubbing his cheek against me, which made me smile.

“I love you too, Jest.”

I hugged him back, feeling the smallness of his body, like holding a baby. It triggered a paternal instinct in me, though the only babies I’ve actually held were my younger brothers. Seeing Jest still wanting to be pampered, I quickly changed into my nightwear and got ready for bed.

The nightgown I had was a one-piece style that slipped on easily, but I’d been meaning to order proper pajama sets. I just hadn’t found the right time yet. Once in bed, Jest cozied up to me.

“Goodnight, Jest. *Mwah*.”

I kissed his slightly hard, scaly forehead.

“Goodnight, Justin. …Did you kiss Ryuka goodnight too?”

“Guh! *Cough cough*… Of course not! You’re the only one I give goodnight kisses to.”

“Really…? Hehe, just me…”

“…Jest? Haha, did you already fall asleep? Sweet dreams.”

As I listened to Jest’s peaceful breathing, I eventually drifted off to sleep myself.