I, Reincarnate as the Leader of the Villainous Knight Order - Chapter 139: Strategy Meeting

Chapter 139: Strategy Meeting

With Ryuka’s arrival, we decided to reorganize the knights. Additionally, the new dormitory was completed, and the apprentices were scheduled to move in, adding even more to my already busy schedule. 

So, the day after Ryuka arrived, I gathered him and Orel in the commander’s office to discuss the future.

—

“First, let’s start with the royal decree to defeat the Evil God. Ryuka, you’re familiar with general knowledge, right? You studied with me under the same tutor. The revival of the Evil God is drawing near, and thanks to Jeanne—the mother dragon—we’ve roughly pinpointed the location. We’ve been ordered to prepare for the subjugation in secret.”

“W-wait a minute! That’s a lot of information all at once!”

Ryuka interrupted my explanation.

“Captain, the subjugation of the Evil God is classified, so Ryuka probably knows nothing about it, right?”

“Exactly! What’s this about the revival of the Evil God? Isn’t that just a fairy tale?!”

Ah, now that I think about it, that makes sense. I’d been talking about the Evil God so casually lately that I assumed Ryuka was already aware.

“I should probably start with recent events. You know that we—the Third Knights—prevented the Stampede at the Taleraan Margrave’s border, right?”

“Yeah, I heard that from the lord, Marquis Vandière. You also made a Familiar Contract with a dragon and then went to find her mother and made another contract, right? Around the same time, there was that monster disturbance in the capital. And then you went on an expedition to the eastern territories after receiving a request for aid, right?”

“Well, seems like you know most of it already.”

I had prepared to explain everything from the start, but it seems Ryuka knows more than I thought.

“Then you must have also heard that the Saintess went to the Holy Kingdom?”

“I knew about the Saintess, but this is the first I’m hearing about her going to the Holy Kingdom.”

“…How do you know about the expedition to Flares in the eastern territory, but not that the Saintess went to the Holy Kingdom?”

The information seems strangely lopsided. I tilted my head in confusion, and Orel chuckled as he spoke.

“Hehe, could it be that Marquis Vandière only told him about his son’s achievements? The Commander always says his father isn’t interested in him, but maybe he’s a bit of a doting parent after all.”

“No, that can’t possibly… Wait, maybe it can.”

I suddenly remembered how, when I returned home, my father told me that my mother had been keeping up with information about me. And I found myself at a loss for words. Still, “doting parent” seems so far removed from how I see my parents.

“Whether or not he’s a doting parent, it’s clear that your parents care more about you than you think. Every time you achieve something during a mission, they manage to subtly make sure we hear about it.”

“So, he’s just a proud parent bragging about his son’s accomplishments, isn’t he?”

“Ahem, let’s move on from that.”

I couldn’t believe my parents were showing me affection, and the way these two were teasing me made me feel oddly embarrassed. So I cleared my throat to change the subject.

“Haha, you’re just like the Marquis! He does the same thing when he talks about you. Whenever someone praises you, he coughs like that to deflect the attention. I see now—it was because he was embarrassed by the compliments. Watching you just now, I’m convinced.”

“Enough! Let’s get back to the topic!”

“Yes, yes.”

“Got it.”

With those two grinning, I forced the conversation back on track. I spread out a map of the kingdom on the table.

“Now then, when the Saintess went to the Holy Kingdom, she received a divine revelation that the revival of the Evil God was near. Yesterday, Jeanne told me she sensed something strange and roughly pointed out the location. It’s here. When I reported this to His Majesty, we were ordered to prepare for the subjugation in secret.”

Both of them focused intently on the spot I pointed to.

“This place… Isn’t this area unclaimed by any territory?”

“Yes, it’s a region that’s been left undeveloped due to its isolated geography, with no access to the sea.”

“I’m planning to reorganize the units for the subjugation. Since we’ll be operating as a group, I think it’s best to divide the forces like we did during the Stampede—one unit focused on offense, and the other on rear support. Also, Orel, your unit will now be under Ryuka’s command. You’ll be handling more administrative work going forward. During the Evil God subjugation, you’ll serve as a liaison with the Holy Knights and act as the Saintess’ bodyguard.”

“W-what?”

Orel sounded surprised. While I’d mentioned the administrative shift before, this was the first time I’d brought up the Saintess’ protection.

“The Saintess will accompany us for the subjugation of the Evil God. If she were left behind, you’d be too worried to focus on the battle, right? I’m not incompetent enough to take someone to the frontlines who can’t concentrate. It makes more sense for you to stay with the Saintess, Orel, since you’re familiar with the Third Knights’ tactics. That way, if anything unexpected happens, you’ll be able to coordinate with the Holy Knights and avoid any conflicting actions.”

“That’s… certainly true. Thank you for the consideration.”

Orel, still seated on the sofa, placed his hands on his knees and bowed deeply.

“…Hey, why wouldn’t Vice Captain Orel be able to focus if he were separated from the Saintess?”

“Well, that’s because Orel and the 17-year-old Saintess are lovers.”

“EEEeeeee~~~~~?!”

As I expected, Ryuka let out a loud cry of shock when I emphasized the Saintess’ age. His shout startled the clerks in the adjacent room, who burst in, adding to the commotion.