I, reincarnate as the leader of the villainous knight order

Chapter 121: A Sweet Atmosphere

“Come in.”

“Ahh, I’m exhausted… We left at the same time as the saintess two days ago, but the food wasn’t good, so I hurried back here. Now that we’re in Salamona, I can finally have some decent meals!”

Marcel opened the door and glanced at Alan. Though it was their first meeting, he must have assumed it was fine since I had allowed him to enter despite Alan’s presence.

“The dinner at this inn is the same as what the knight order gets, so don’t worry. Still, you returned much sooner than expected. I thought they’d keep you longer at the main temple.”

“Oh, that’s thanks to Jeanne! She was amazing, saying things like, ‘Who do you think is closer to God, you humans or I, a dragon?’ She left those bigwigs speechless.”

Marcel explained, throwing in a somewhat decent impression of Jeanne. I’ll get the full details once Orel returns. Alan seemed pleased to hear that the saintess was returning sooner than expected.

Four days later, the saintess and her entourage arrived in Salamona. We received word at the inn, so I went on foot to meet them. Just as I reached the square in front of the gate, Orel was leading a carriage into the square.

“Captain! We’re back. Everything okay on your end?”

“Yeah, there were some adventurer casualties, but the knight order has finished their treatment. Good work. Any issues on your side?”

“W-well… Thanks to Jeanne, we didn’t have any… major problems.”

What’s going on? His response was oddly hesitant. There didn’t seem to be any real issues, but it looked like something else had happened. I felt someone’s gaze and looked toward the carriage, where the saintess and Jeanne were peering out. Orel turned back, dismounted, and opened the carriage door.

“Eleanor, watch your step.”

“Thank you, Vice-Captain Orel.”

He offered his hand to escort the saintess, and the atmosphere between them… felt sweet? When did they become close enough for him to call her by name? As I watched in surprise, Jeanne stepped out of the carriage with a grin.

“It seems you’ve noticed. The Lord isn’t as oblivious as I thought.”

“Wait… Could it be…?”

Next out of the carriage was High Priest Julian, wearing a sour expression. Without noticing him, the saintess approached me alongside Orel with an innocent smile.

“Captain Justin! Hehe… It’s been a while. We have something to report… right?”

Blushing, the saintess looked up at Orel, who nodded shyly.

“We’ve decided to start dating as a couple.”

The two declared in perfect harmony. The shocked exclamations of the subordinates who had come to greet them echoed through the square.

“Wait, hold on… The Vice-Captain and the Saintess? What’s the age difference!?”

“Was that the Vice-Captain’s type all along!?”

Arnault and Simon were the first to voice their rather rude thoughts. But it’s what everyone must be thinking. A 38-year-old divorcé and, in modern terms, a 17-year-old high school girl… a 21-year age gap…

Now that I think about it, the saintess once fell for the crown prince protagonist in a novel because he was a kind protector. Orel must have treated her with the same care, like a noble lady. Or perhaps she was drawn to his mature, comforting presence.

Usually, Orel looks older with his hair up, but he could easily pass for thirty when his hair is down after a bath . Whether they didn’t hear or didn’t care about the teasing, Orel was looking fondly at the saintess as she stretched after the long journey.

“Ahem… High Priest Julian, we’re staying at the inn favored by the merchants. Will you be lodging at the town’s temple?”

“Yes, that’s the plan.”

“That’s a pity. The inn we’re staying at has been using a new recipe, so the food is excellent…”

“We’ll stay at your inn, too.”

The saintess immediately declared with a determined expression. It would be a hassle to write out the recipe or teach it while tired at the temple.

I had already requested salted fried chicken for tonight’s dinner from the innkeeper. It’s a popular dish at the royal capital’s lodgings. It requires a lot of oil, making it hard to prepare during camping trips.

“Eh… but…”

“If you’d prefer, Chief Priest, you’re welcome to stay at the temple. We have the knights here, and Commander Axel will accompany us as a guard, so everything will be fine.”

In the face of the unwavering resolve of the Saint, the Chief Priest eventually relented. And so, the Saint and the Holy Knights ended up staying at the same inn as us. On the way to the inn, when we mentioned the injured, she readily agreed to heal them with a determined look. With that, Alan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thank goodness… With this, those guys can continue living as adventurers. They’re the kind of people who can only live as adventurers, after all.”

“I feel like the activation time for my healing magic is getting shorter the more I practice. This is a great opportunity for me to grow as well.”

“Hehe… Perhaps it’s because of everything that happened since we parted with you in this town, but it seems Eleanor has grown a bit too.”

“Mom, what do you mean by ‘everything’?”

“Hmm, let’s talk about it at the inn. Jest, are you okay?”

“Yeah! But something interesting happened!”

“Then you’ll have to tell us about it too. It’s always fun when there’s a lot to talk about. Hohoho.”

Watching Jest and Jeanne walk hand in hand, we headed back to the inn.