I, reincarnate as the leader of the villainous knight order

Chapter 114: Turning Point

“Did I mishear that? Alan cried…or something like that?”

The Guildmaster’s cheeks twitched as he asked again.

“Um, well, um…”

Jest looked troubled as he glanced back and forth between me and the Guildmaster. After thinking for a moment, he looked up at the Guildmaster.

“You know, it would be unfair to Alan if I told you without his permission, so I won’t say anything.”

With that, he covered his mouth with both hands again. I would have patted his head and praised him for understanding and keeping his promise if no one was watching.

“What…what the heck? It’s true!?”

“Huh? Wait, I didn’t say anything!”

Jest started to panic at the Guildmaster’s reaction. I patted his head to calm him down.

“Don’t worry, Jest didn’t say anything, so he’s not at fault. The Guildmaster just figured it out on his own.”

The Guildmaster looked at me like he couldn’t believe what I was saying, but Jest really hadn’t said anything.

“Then we’ll head back to the plaza. I’ve told Alan to rest today due to various things, so he should come to discuss the subjugation plan tomorrow morning. Let your subordinates rest in the morning and share the information in the afternoon so they can start exploring the forest.”

“Oh, uh, alright…”

“Jest, let’s go.”

“Okay!”

Holding hands, Jest and I walked out, watched silently by everyone in the guild.

—

The next morning, I had breakfast and headed to the adventurer’s guild alone. Jest didn’t come, worried that Alan might cry again if he saw him.

As soon as I entered the guild, yesterday’s guild staff member appeared and led me to the Guildmaster’s office. Inside, the Guildmaster and Alan sat on the sofa facing each other. The Guildmaster was glaring at Alan with a grim look, while Alan looked uncomfortable. His scruffy beard was cleanly shaved, and his outfit was tidy. They made him look much younger than yesterday.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Shall we start the strategy meeting?”

Ignoring the tense atmosphere, I sat next to Alan.

“Before that, I’d like to know why Alan accepted you guys so easily. He’s been tight-lipped about it.”

Apparently, with only childhood memories, Alan could only think and act like an ordinary commoner in this world. If he had lived until at least middle school in his previous life, he might have known various ways to cover up from manga and anime.

“Alan and I met a long time ago. I helped him out a lot back then, so he probably feels indebted.”

“B-Brother…!”

Alan looked at me with a grateful expression, but the Guildmaster openly looked suspicious as he glanced between us.

“Helped…right. Alan, you’re thirty-two this year, right? Why are you calling a clearly younger knight commander ‘brother’? Even if you did meet in the past, you’ve been in this town for over ten years. When would you have met him? If it was before you came to this town, then this knight commander must have been a kid. You wouldn’t need help from a kid, would you?”

“A brother is…a brother…”

Is Alan really that bad at speaking? He was so eager to come to us yesterday.

“We actually met over ten years ago. Think about it, I’m a marquis’ son, so it’s a trivial matter for me to look after a commoner. It’s not unusual for someone to look up to me as a brother, regardless of age.”

“Hmm…well, I suppose that’s possible…”

“It’s much better than being hostile, right? If you understand, let’s start the strategy meeting. Show me the map of this area. Let’s organize the regions where monster sightings have increased or where stronger monsters have appeared.”

“Got it. Here’s the map of the surrounding area. The regions where adventurers from this town usually operate are here and here. To be precise, the number of monsters hasn’t increased, but adventurers are saying that weaker monsters have decreased and stronger monsters have increased.”

The Guildmaster slid his scarred, rough fingers over the map he had taken out, explaining as he went. Judging by the scars likely inflicted by monsters, the Guildmaster was probably a former adventurer. His detailed knowledge of the forest’s terrain would make the afternoon’s exploration significantly easier.

“Bro, I’ve made a list of the monsters that appear around here. Take a look.”

“Thanks.”

He seemed quite confused yesterday, but he looks much calmer after a night of rest. I remember that right after recalling my past life, I forgot about being ‘Justin’ and reverted to ‘Naoki’.

Once his memories were organized in his mind, he must have felt incredibly embarrassed remembering how he clung to Jest and cried. After talking for about an hour, a thought suddenly struck me.

“The area affected is too limited… Could it be a monster transition period?”

“Transition period?” both the Guildmaster and Alan asked simultaneously.

“It’s said to only occur once every few hundred years, so it’s not widely known. However, it’s mentioned in ancient texts. In a limited region, a phenomenon occurs where the strength or type of monsters switches. As a result, monsters that never appeared before start showing up.”

“That’s exactly what’s happening.”

“Does that mean the monsters in this forest will stay this strong? We need to share this information with other adventurer guilds. If the Third Knight Order’s investigation reaches the same conclusion, we’ll have to inform all adventurers in Frales. Ugh…”

The Guildmaster leaned back on the sofa and looked up at the ceiling. A monster transition period was indeed happening. It is often seen as a convenient plot device to spur the protagonist’s growth among novel fans.