I, Reincarnate as the Leader of the Villainous Knight Order - Chapter 172: Emergency Escort Duty

Chapter 172: Emergency Escort Duty

“Ah! The Captain’s back!”

“That’s not fair! You told me not to go out ‘cause people would be on guard around me!!”

After parting ways with the two from the Magic Tower, I returned to the guest house. Upon returning, Arnault and Simon immediately rushed at me.

Were they glued to the window waiting for me to come back?

“That was right after our arrival. I went out with the assigned guide. So I was practically under surveillance—no problem.”

“A guide?”

“Yeah, remember the mage sitting next to me at the evening party? That was the Magic Tower Master. He assigned one of his subordinates as my escort.”

“That’s still not fair~!! I wanna go explore toooo! It’s my first time abroad, y’know!”

Well, it’s true this is the first time our unit has gone outside the country. So I get how he feels—but man, he’s loud.

I gave Simon a sharp glare as he threw a tantrum like a child. And he quieted down.

“Sigh… Fine. I saw a good skewer meat stand earlier. I’ll take you tomorrow. As long as we report it in advance, it should be fine.”

“Huh!? …Yay! That’s our captain! I’m gonna tell Gaspard and the others too~!”

After Simon ran off, I saw the Vice Commander of the First Order rushing toward me looking flustered.

He was clearly looking at me—so it must be something to do with me.

But we’re only supposed to be escorting them through monster territory. There shouldn’t be any need for us *here*.

“Thank goodness! You’re back!”

“Vice Commander Kustine, did something happen?”

“Actually… This morning, many of our people fell ill… It seems to be from eating unfamiliar food. We still have enough for basic protection. But we need three replacements for the rotation… I’d like your help.”

So these nobles raised in pure-blooded comfort can’t handle food they’re not used to, huh.

Probably the ones who didn’t get sick are those from rural domains. Since they’re used to eating monster meat and such.

“Got it. You heard that, Arnault?”

“Me and Marius, right?”

“Yeah. Simon and Gaspard shouldn’t be put in front of royalty. Go explain it to the three and bring Marius.”

“Understood!”

As Arnault ran off toward the stairs, Kustine let out a visible sigh of relief.

“Thank you. Still, is that boy a commoner? With his appearance, I would’ve believed he was nobility…”

“That’s exactly why we *can* put him in front of royalty. If you poke around too much, you might stir up snakes.”

“…! R-right. Of course. I’ll wait outside.”

Arnault had told me about his background.

His mother was a prostitute, and his father some noble. There’s a high chance his mother also had noble bl00d.

Even those in the Third Order know. But no one speaks of it. His mother’s unclear cause of death is likely part of why.

A noble-blooded child born in a brothel—this kind of thing happens from time to time.

There are even cases where that child prevented a noble line from dying out.

Basically, poking around carelessly could get you caught in a messy family dispute. Best to stay out of it.

After Kustine left through the front, I headed to my room. I then found Arnault and Marius already changed into their knight uniforms—and even the other two were with them.

I was about to ask what was going on when Simon opened his mouth first.

“Captain! Why’re me and Gaspard stuck on standby!?”

“You know we’re bored out of our minds, right!? Letting only those three go is so unfair!”

“You guys… This isn’t a field trip. It’s guard duty inside the royal palace. Even if they’re telling funny stories, you’re not allowed to laugh. Even if the conversation is boring, you can’t yawn. All you’re allowed to do is stand. Just wait until tomorrow.”

““…Have a safe trip.””

“Yeah. If you’re bored, there’s a training yard out back. Go use it. Oh—right, I’ve got to change too.”

To guard inside the royal palace, I changed into my formal knight attire. I then walked over with Kustine and the others.

“Sorry for asking this of you so suddenly. But we can’t exactly say ‘our people got sick from Eldrasia Kingdom’s food’ when it comes to diplomatic relations… The three currently on duty have been guarding since last night. So they’re reaching their limit.”

“Whoa, since last night!? Ohh, so that’s why they didn’t eat at the banquet and avoided getting sick. The food we had this morning, though exotic in preparation, wasn’t unusual in content except for the fruit. I guess it was the banquet’s special dishes that caused the issue…”

Though Arnault was speaking formally to Kustine, his wording was shaky at times.

He’s not as used to polite speech as Marius, who came from a merchant family.

Better tell him not to talk much inside the palace.

As long as he stays quiet, he looks like a noble son. So we should be fine if he’s guarding from outside the door and doesn’t get spoken to.

…Or so I thought.

“Oh my, so the Third Knight Order has come to join us!”

“Princess Clarisse, we’re glad to see you in such good spirits. We’ll be joining the guard detail from here on.”

And then—unthinkably—it was Clarisse who spoke to us.

I thought we’d just greet her and be assigned to guard from a distance. But then words I couldn’t believe came from the mouth of the prince and princess.

“Prince Felix, these knights are accompanying us as a special team. They’re monster subjugation specialists and very strong! Since they often travel outside the capital, it’s fun talking to them—they tell me all sorts of interesting things!”

“Oh really? That sounds great. I’d love to hear some things too. Since I’m still attending the academy, I don’t often get to hear stories from outside.”

Please give me a break!!

“Of course, Your Highness.”

As a mere noble, there was only one answer I could give.