I, reincarnate as the leader of the villainous knight order

Chapter 82: Jest and Ernest After Departure

“May I ask…?”

“What is it?”

Ernest, entrusted with Jest’s care after departure, timidly spoke up to Jest on horseback.

“Are you… a dragon contracted with Vandière?”

“Yeah, that’s right. But my name isn’t ‘you,’ it’s Jest.”

“Why… is Jest in human form? Weren’t you in dragon form before?”

“I learned transformation magic from my mom! Just look how amazing I am!”

Ernest couldn’t help but smile at Jest’s innocent pride.

“Ah, impressive. This is the first time I’ve met a dragon, but I’ve never heard of a dragon taking on a human form.”

“Hehehe, when I’m in dragon form, I have to cling to Justin’s back when riding Eleanor. But in human form, I can sit like this, so I’m happy too! Right, Eleanor?”

In response to Jest’s words, Eleanor neighed as if in agreement.

“By the way, is Eleanor the name of this horse?”

Ernest’s expression as he asked seemed complex, but it was hidden from Jest who sat in front.

“Yeah! It’s the same name as the saint. Eleanor here~, is the only one Justin calls gently, so she brags to the saint about being the only Eleanor that is being treated this way. Even though the saint Eleanor doesn’t understand it.”

“…Does Jest understand what the horse is saying?”

In response to Jest’s natural explanation, Ernest asked with a skeptical expression.

“Well, not what she says, but her feelings? I can understand those!”

“The horse… bragging to the saint… Haha, ugh, ow…”

Ernest laughed, but blood oozed slowly from the dented part of his armor. Though few, there were some high-intelligence big shots like Ogre Oni, so attacks aimed at the seams of his armor sometimes occurred.

“Are you hurt? Eleanor asked if we should walk a bit slower.”

“Haha… Eleanor… is indeed clever. It’s alright, let’s keep going.”

Perhaps due to sharing the name with the saint, Ernest hesitated to say it. Blood seeped from not-so-shallow wounds, leaving spots on the cobblestones.

Aware that his consciousness was gradually becoming hazy due to fatigue and blood loss, Ernest chose to arrive at the royal castle as soon as possible. His vision blurred, and he momentarily leaned forward, bumping into Jest in front, the sound of impact waking him up with a painful sounding thud.

“Are you… alright? Is it painful where we bumped?”

“Huh? I’m fine.”

Ernest, busy with royal education since childhood, rarely had the chance to play with his siblings, so he was at a loss on how to deal with children. Despite the loud noise that brought his consciousness back, Jest seemed genuinely unharmed.

In fact, the durability of dragons far surpassed that of humans. Justin naturally kept Jest away from combat this time, but if Jest had gone wild in its original size, the monsters would have been dealt with much faster.

Justin had unconsciously adopted the idea of ​​protecting Jest. Jest wasn’t particularly fond of fighting either, so it was simply a matter of respecting Justin’s will.

“Huff… huff…”

Eleanor had visited the royal castle many times and naturally took the shortest route. However, by the time they reached the castle, Ernest’s breathing had become quite rough.

“Are you okay? Look, we’re almost there. You can hold on to me if you want.”

“Yeah… huff… huff… Thank you… huff… huff…”

“Is that the horse of the Vandière Knight Commander… Why is there a child… Ernest-sama!? Hey! Get a servant here!!”

The gatekeeper across the drawbridge noticed Ernest and the others and started shouting. Currently, due to the appearance of monsters, the drawbridge was slightly raised, but it was soon lowered, and Eleanor calmly crossed it.

By the time they crossed the drawbridge, knights from the First Knight Order and Ernest’s attendant servants were rushing out of the castle in a panic.

Eleanor, Justin’s beloved horse known for its fame, was easily recognized by the knights, who immediately realized that the horse Ernest was riding was indeed Eleanor.

“What in the world… But first, let’s get Ernest-sama taken care of! Summon a healer immediately!!”

Squire of the First Knight Order hurried back into the royal castle to call for a healer. Following the steward’s instructions, the knights helped Ernest down from Eleanor, and the steward, who had served Ernest since birth, gently spoke up.

“Ernest-sama, let’s remove your armor. These are… severe wounds. We’ll have a healer tend to them right away, so please bear with it a little longer.”

“Ah… ugh! Yeah… huff… That’s right, I need to… thank Jest… huff…”

“Jest? Isn’t that the name of the dragon belonging to the Vandière Knight Commander? But for now, it might be best not to talk too much until the healer arrives.”

Everyone present, without suspecting that the young boy on horseback was the dragon, tilted their heads in confusion.

“Well then, we’ll return to Justin’s side. Let’s go, Eleanor.”

Despite the chaotic situation, Jest calmly left the scene with Eleanor.