I, reincarnate as the leader of the villainous knight order

Chapter 117: I Want to Save Him

Even though I was running as usual, I felt unusually slow. I needed to reach Yamato quickly. This time… I had to save him. I felt my soul, Naoki’s soul, crying out.

When I arrived at the battle scene, I saw about ten Black Wolves weaving through the trees. They were engaged in a chaotic fight with the adventurers. The air was filled with screams, shouts, and the growls of the Black Wolves, creating a scene of utter chaos.

Among the wolves, a particularly large one stood out—it was clearly a variant, and it was heading straight for Alan (Yamato). It must have recognized Alan as the leader of the adventurers. The sight made my heart clench in fear.

“Uoooooo!!”

My mind went blank, and the roar that escaped my mouth was only noticed by me after I had already beheaded the variant wolf just before it reached Alan. The wolf’s head rolled on the grass, spraying blood. I realized I had been holding my breath.

“…Haah, haah… Alan, are you okay?”

“Brother… Yeah, you saved my life. I thought I was a goner with a wolf that big… Ugh…”

Although he was relieved, Alan’s face was still contorted with fear from his brush with death.

“Haah… I’m glad I made it in time this time…”

As I hugged his larger body, I realized my own body was trembling.

“Sniff… Brother, there are still Black Wolves left…”

I patted Alan’s back, then let go and surveyed the area. Covered in the blood of their leader, none of the remaining Black Wolves approached us. But, the fight was still raging around us.

“My men are on their way! Hold on until then!”

The adventurers, initially overwhelmed by the pack attack, seemed to regain their composure and focused on defense rather than trying to fight back. Alan and I continued to take down individual wolves.

Thanks to the adventurers serving as good distractions, the cleanup was easy. As the number of wolves dwindled to three, they tried to flee but were cut down by my arriving subordinates.

“Captain, what happened? You never get this covered in blood.”

Simon commented, shaking the blood off his sword as he approached. Normally, I avoided getting splattered, but now blood was dripping from my hair.

“No problem. ‘Cleanse’… Any other monsters around?”

I used cleansing magic to clean myself and sheathed my sword.

“None that I could sense on the way here or nearby.”

“Good. Gather the Black Wolf bodies and let’s head back to our original route.”

I ordered my subordinates while recovering the variant wolf’s body. Just as I did that, Simon voiced his discontent.

“Seriously? We’re going back? Can’t we just head straight to town from here?”

“Yeah, there are a lot of injured people. It’d be better if we escorted them.”

Arnault also added a suggestion. Indeed, the adventurers had many wounded. Even the fifteen who came for backup were injured.

Some were still down and unmoving, barely clinging to life despite the potions they had been given. Leaving them alone in this state was a concern.

“You’re right. Simon, you and I will take the lead. Arnault, you cover the rear. If there are any bodies, store them. It’s too painful for them to carry them back.”

“””Understood.”””

Some were barely alive or had lost limbs, but fortunately, no one had died. Even with potions, their wounds couldn’t fully heal, and groans echoed from the rear as we moved. Alan, Simon, and I led the way, taking care of any monsters we encountered.

“Captain, are we heading back to the royal capital?”

Simon asked while storing the recently defeated Horn Rabbit into the magic bag. I noticed Alan flinch at the mention of returning to the capital.

“We’ll return to the capital after meeting up with the saint. Once she departs from the main temple in the Holy Kingdom, someone will come ahead to inform us. Until then, we can either stay in Frales or wait at the rendezvous point in Salamona. However, there are fewer monsters there, so you might find more to do by staying in Frales. What do you prefer?”

“Well, in that case, let’s stay here. We can keep the monsters we hunt during the waiting period as our own earnings, right? It’s better to make some pocket money while we wait! Plus, since it’s a town for adventurers, I’m sure the entertainment district is pretty lively. Right, Alan?”

Simon looked at Alan with hopeful eyes.

“Yeah, the girls come from other towns to earn money from adventurers here, so you can expect a good time.”

“Oh?! Then you have to tell me about the best places to go!”

“Of course! As my brother’s subordinate, I’ll recommend the best spots!”

“Woohoo! I can’t wait!”

“Hey, you two, don’t forget we’re still in the forest.”

“”Yes, sir!””

They responded in unison to my stern gaze. Realizing that the once innocent and cute Yamato was no more, I returned to town with a hollow feeling.