I, Reincarnate as the Leader of the Villainous Knight Order - Chapter 184: Secret Strategy Meeting

Chapter 184: Secret Strategy Meeting

“Oh, come to think of it, Jest was with us all the time until last time—does the monster-repelling magic tool not work on Jest?”

Trying to break the awkward atmosphere, Marius asked Aria.

“……That’s right! I completely forgot because he was in human form. But Jest is a dragon, so he’s not a monster!”

Aria was clearly shaken. It was as if she had only just realized it now.

“Wouldn’t it just not work on normally strong monsters? Or… maybe it doesn’t work on monsters with high intelligence.”

“That was a blind spot. It’s true that I’ve never tested it on monsters with high intelligence or those too powerful for us to handle.”

If it turned out the tool could control powerful monsters, then there would surely be those who would think of invading other countries.

“But in terms of the original goal of driving off monsters that attack villages and settlements, there’s no problem, right? The stronger the monster, the more they prefer places with a high concentration of magical energy. So only small fry show up in places like villages and settlements.”

“…That’s true. But reporting this result to *him* just like this really grates on me.”

“For now, just act like you haven’t noticed anything. Unless we gather solid evidence, you might end up getting framed and thrown in jail instead.”

“That’s why it’s so frustrating.”

The easiest way would be to just reveal the fact that the poisoning happened… with the coffee Aria brewed.

If the Magic Tower Master insisted that Aria added arsenic to the coffee he brought, that would be the end of it.

No matter how talented she was, Aria was a commoner mage. On the other hand, the Magic Tower Master carried royal bl00d. Even if he was an illegitimate child. There was no need to even ask whose word would be believed more.

Aria looked frustrated. But considering the current reality, there was no helping it.

Conversation died down, and we walked in silence until we exited the forest.

As usual, we boarded the waiting carriage—but for some reason, Arnault climbed into the carriage with Aria and me this time.

“Hey, why’s Arnault riding with you guys?! That’s not fair!”

“Simon got to ride with you last time, didn’t he? I want to have a relaxed chat with the Commander too sometimes!”

He’d seemed to be thinking about something ever since we were walking through the forest. So he probably really did have something to say.

Simon, oblivious to this, kept complaining. It was until Gaspard and Marius shoved him into the second carriage.

Once the carriage started moving, Arnault opened his mouth.

“Commander, about earlier…”

“Wait a moment. Aria, can I ask you to cast the soundproofing magic again?”

Aria nodded and activated the soundproofing spell.

When it comes to information leaks, being overly cautious is just right.

“Wow, so now the driver can’t hear us talk? Amazing. Commander, you should learn this too—it’d come in handy in the forest and stuff, right?”

“This spell also blocks outside sounds from coming in. So it’s not suited for us. More importantly, you had something to say, that’s why you joined this carriage, right?”

When I asked, Arnault smiled brightly.

“As expected of you, Commander! I knew you noticed. Earlier in the forest, you said something about getting framed—that stuck with me. Simon probably didn’t notice at all, but I bet Marius caught on. And that ‘him’ Aria was talking about—it’s the Magic Tower Master, isn’t it? Something definitely happened.”

His keen perception really is impressive.

And yeah, Simon definitely didn’t notice.

“Aria, can I tell Arnault everything? He’s the brains of my squad—he’ll definitely be a help to you. I was planning to ask for your permission to tell him anyway.”

“……Alright.”

Though her expression was stiff, Aria nodded.

After hearing the full story, Arnault muttered with a bitter look on his face.

“That’s awful… Making a kid do something like that…! If the opponent is royalty, you’d need solid evidence and a clear situation or you’ll just get crushed. First step is information gathering. It’d be best if we could find out the shop where the arsenic was obtained. But we don’t even know if he bought it directly or used someone else…”

He asked Aria a few questions. He then fell silent in thought for a while before raising his head.

“Then tonight, we’ll head out for information gathering. If the Commander comes along, it’ll raise suspicion. So you’ll have to stay behind… Also, bars where mages hang out are a bit high-end, so we’ll need some funding.”

Arnault held out his hand with a very cheerful smile.

“…………Bring back information worth the funding.”

I flicked a large silver coin I’d taken out across to Arnault. He caught it cleanly, looked at it in his palm, and smiled brightly at me.

“As expected of you, Commander! I can’t promise for sure, but I plan to pull info that’s worth every coin of this.”

Saying that, he quickly tucked the silver coin into his pocket.

“Why… are you doing so much… for me…?”

“I can’t forgive someone who uses a kid for evil. And as a knight of the Kingdom of Rafios, I can’t overlook the chaos that could come if Princess Clarisse gets caught up in this after marriage. If we can root out the rot while we’re here, then we should.”

“Hehe, and since the Commander said that, we as his subordinates simply follow. You’re not alone, Aria.”

“U…uhh… sniff… th-thank you… so much…”

She had already looked like she might cry during my and Arnault’s conversation. But Arnault’s final words were the final blow—tears began pouring from Aria’s eyes.

When we got off the carriage and Simon saw Aria’s tear-streaked face again, he once again accused me—so this time, I sentenced him to Pickled Plum Punishment.