I, reincarnate as the leader of the villainous knight order

Chapter 60: A New Order

Several days had passed since the evening gathering, and just as complaints started to arise from the members about too much training, I received a summons from His Majesty.

The destination was the audience chamber, which meant it was likely an official mission.

Upon being ushered into the waiting room, I found a priestess I didn’t recognize alongside the saintess.

“Oh, Captain Justin! I’m so glad. I was feeling a bit lonely thinking I was the only one summoned. This is Julian, the newly appointed High Priest.”

“Pleased to meet you, Commander of the Vandière Knights. I look forward to working with you.”

As I was introduced to the saintess, the High Priest bowed respectfully to me. It seemed he was aligned with the Temple Chief, and there was no animosity towards me.

“The feeling is mutual. We may need the Temple’s assistance in the future for the subjugation of the dark god.”

“By the way, isn’t Jest with you today?”

The saintess peered at my clear back and inquired.

“Oh, he seems to be getting along well with the subordinates and playing a lot lately. I guess it’s because their mental ages are similar.”

“Hehe, the knights say everyone acts like kids?”

“It’s true.”

As we exchanged such banter, we were called in simultaneously with the saintess. An attendant informed us of our arrival, and the doors to the audience chamber opened.

Standing in a row were the ministers… and why on earth is Ernest here? I had a bad feeling, but first, I greeted everyone politely.

“Thank you for coming. The reason I called you here today is because I want the Commander of the Vandière Knights to search for the mother of the dragon you made a pact with, in preparation for the subjugation of the dark god. And as an act of redemption, Ernest wishes to accompany you… Is that acceptable?”

I see… Spare me!! I wanted to say, but the King’s tone made it sound like an order. It wasn’t just my problem, and when I glanced at the saintess, she looked at me with pleading eyes. At that moment, I felt our feelings were aligned. It wasn’t about me being unwilling!

“Could you give Ernest a chance?”

Because I didn’t say anything, the King added further pressure. Could this be the compulsory force of the story where, as the protagonist, I have to fight Jest’s mother, one of the Four Generals of the Dark God?

“…I’m afraid I must decline. If the Third Knight Order and the saintess were to leave the capital together, it would be wise for the Crown Prince to strengthen the defenses of the capital. Given the Crown Prince’s particular interest in the saintess at the evening gathering, I was concerned he might have forgotten about his fiancée.”

As I advised, the saintess let out a sigh of relief beside me. The King is a wise ruler, but perhaps because he has watched the Crown Prince grow up with such good behavior, he tends to indulge him. After all, even during the trial, he ultimately let him off with a scolding and house arrest.

“Wouldn’t this negate the act of redemption? Ernest seems to think that it’s through hardship that redemption is achieved.”

If Ernest were to accompany us, the one facing hardship would be me rather than the Crown Prince. Was it just my imagination that there seemed to be a look of understanding on the face of the son beside me? I think he’s aware of it himself, but it might be best to make it clear for the saintess’s sake.

“Most of the people present here attended the evening gathering, so many nodded in agreement.”

“How rude!”

“Also, if we’re going to search for Jest’s mother, it might not be wise to bring too much firepower. They might mistake us for an invasion force and prepare for battle, especially since they likely think their son was taken from them. If we prioritize efficiency in our search, it would seem best for my squad and Jest alone to go, but when I first tamed Jest, it was thanks to the saintess’s help, so her presence is necessary.”

Ignoring the disgruntled Ernest, the King pondered, placing his hand on his chin. In reality, when the saintess goes, holy knights always accompany her. For the sake of her safety on the journey, dozens would likely come along, perhaps even more for the notoriously ill-behaved Third Knight Order, to protect the saintess.

In other words, the fewer members of the Third Knight Order, the fewer accompanying holy knights. Still, there would probably be at least ten coming along.

Perhaps the King was worried about leaving the capital with the members of the Third Knight Order without me. Considering past events, it would be like releasing wild dogs into the capital without their boss. Well, since they had been complaining about nothing but training, I’d let them wreak havoc in the undermanned territories along the way.

“But if we don’t know the location of the mother dragon, wouldn’t it be better to have more people for the search?”

“As for that, Jest mentioned having a general idea of the direction, so there shouldn’t be a problem. Moreover, there are many areas facing the forest territories that are understaffed. Jest’s mother is said to be in the mountains deep within the forest, so it would take over a month just to get there. Even if we were to request reinforcements in that situation, it would be too late. Therefore, I plan to deploy one squad to each territory, but what do you think?”

“Certainly, in that case, we could receive reinforcements before the damage increases, no matter where monsters are spawning.”

“Yes, I plan to establish emergency communication methods by then and ensure that nearby individuals can rush to support in case of emergency.”

“Hmm, if you’ve thought it through to that extent, let’s adopt the proposal of Commander Vandière.”

“Thank you.”

At that moment, I never imagined I would come to think that it would have been better to have Ernest accompany us.