I, reincarnate as the leader of the villainous knight order

Chapter 129: Farewell with Alan

The day after the Saintess’ party arrived in Salamona, we promptly prepared to depart for the capital. The farewell party included the temple officials from Salamona and everyone who had come from Flares. The Saintess was busy, receiving tearful thanks from those whose injuries she had healed and farewells from the temple officials who were reluctant to see her go.

Meanwhile, the adventurers who had joined us in the subjugation mission were saying their goodbyes to the knights they had bonded with. Considering they had even gone out to the pleasure quarters together, it’s no wonder they became close. In front of me, Alan stood with a face that looked like he was about to cry.

“Bro… I really want to go to the capital with you, but…”

“Don’t be foolish. You have a role to play in leading the adventurers in Flares, don’t you? Besides… you’ve lived as Alan for over thirty years, much longer than the seven years as Yamato. Having a place where you’re accepted is a blessing.”

There was nothing we could have done even if we had met earlier, whether it was at the time of our births or when we regained our memories. In fact, if we had met before remembering our past lives, I might have struck Alan down for being disrespectful. So, this was probably the perfect time for us to meet.

“Yeah… You’re right. In ten years, it’ll be hard to continue as an adventurer, so I need to train the next generation by then.”

“When you come to the capital, make sure to visit me. In ten years, if you retire from adventuring, I’ll hire you as a guard for my estate. By then, I’ll probably be married and have a house, so you can bring your family too.”

“Haha, I guess I’ll have to get married by then. But I’ve already failed twice…”

This unexpected reply caught me off guard. So, he had been married before? I’m not sure how to feel about that.

“If you do get married again, let me know. I’d like to at least celebrate with you.”

“Then you have to tell me when you get married too, bro! I’ll rush to the capital to celebrate with you!”

“Yeah, I’ll get in touch through the Adventurer’s Guild. …But before that, we need to defeat the Evil God and bring peace.”

Alan gasped at my words.

“The resurrection of the Evil God… It’s already a rumor among adventurers, but is it really true?”

“Yes, but we don’t even know where it’ll happen. Still, the Saintess and the Third Knight Order, including me, will definitely go to subjugate it.”

“Bro…”

“Don’t look so worried. We have a chance of winning!”

“Wah!?”

I ruffled Alan’s hair as he started to look teary-eyed again. Jest tugged at the hem of his shirt, trying to get his attention.

“You know, I’ll be there with my mom for the subjugation, so I’ll protect Justin. So don’t worry.”

“Hinata-niichan…”

“It’s Jest!”

Jest gave a confident smile, which made Alan mistakenly call out Hinata’s name, earning a scolding.

“S-Sorry… I’m counting on you, Jest.”

“Yeah!!”

As Alan and Jest bumped fists, Axel announced that it was time to depart. The people who had come to see us off started to bid their farewells and leave.

“Bro, Jest, take care!!”

“You too, Alan. Stay safe and avoid getting injured.”

“See you, Alan!”

And so, it was about a month ago that we left Salamona. At the Saintess’ request, we avoided staying at inns and instead pushed forward, camping out as much as possible. Thanks to that, we arrived in the capital without any trouble.

“Finally, I can sleep in my own bed again!”

Simon cheered, pumping his fist in excitement.

“Sleeping bags make it hard to turn over, don’t they? But I bet the junior knights are the happiest—they’ll finally be free from cooking duties.”

“True, but I think Vice Commander Orel is even happier. Now that we’re back, he can finally proceed with his engagement and have his secret meetings again.”

Arnault glanced at Marius, who then looked over at Orel, whose eyes were crinkled in a smile. Judging by his expression, he might head straight to submit the engagement papers as soon as we arrive. The head priest who accompanied us probably knows, but the temple head is likely going to be caught off guard.

But well, knowing that temple head, he’d probably think that if it strengthens ties with us in the Third Knight Order, who will be leading the charge in defeating the Evil God, then there won’t be any issues. He’s likely a broad-minded type anyway.

“Well, we’ll be returning to the temple. Jeanne-dono, we can arrange for you to be taken to the estate, but what about you, Jest-dono?”

Since we had entered the capital through the southeastern gate, we were now at a square where we’d go our separate ways. As Axel halted the procession to ask, the carriage door opened, and Jest stepped out.

“See you later! I’ll go with Justin from here! You’re heading back to the barracks now, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. You’ve figured it out.”

Without needing to hear more, Jest bid farewell to Jeanne and the others, then ran over to me. With both hands raised, Jest looked up at me, and I lifted him up to sit in front of me on the horse.

“Well then… We’ll probably meet again in the audience chamber tomorrow. Thank you for your hard work.”

“Yeah, it was tough… for both of us.”

During the journey, it was challenging to keep the two from making eye contact whenever they had the chance since they couldn’t talk much on the road. Although Orel didn’t disobey orders by approaching the Saintess, it was obvious they were in love whenever they looked at each other, making it impossible to hide.

Axel gave a weary smile before he and the Holy Knights turned the corner. Tomorrow, I’ll also have to report to His Majesty about Orel and the Saintess. I can only imagine how Ernest will react to this news… I let out a quiet sigh and returned to the barracks.