I, reincarnate as the leader of the villainous knight order

Chapter 107: The Next Challenge

“Well… um… Father, Mother… I am doing well,” Axel gave up reading halfway and handed me the letter written by the Saintess.

“Let’s see… ‘Dear Father, Mother, I hope this letter finds you in good health. Everyone here is doing well. There may be an invitation from the Holy Kingdom, but I wish to stay in this country. The King has said that if our family desires, he would summon us to the capital. Once things settle down, I want to see everyone. From Eleanor… Does that sound right?'”

“Yes! That’s exactly it!”

“Incredible… You read that letter so fluently.”

The Saintess nodded. Meanwhile, Axel was surprised and inadvertently made a somewhat rude remark. Well, It was thanks to my younger twin brother, who had been bringing home letters written in the park every day since learning hiragana.

“Then, I’ll write the same thing here in easy-to-read handwriting. Even if Eleanor’s parents can’t read, the village chief should understand… It might be good to add some explanatory notes. …Alright, now with this, they should recognize Eleanor’s handwriting above. And Eleanor’s parents will realize that Eleanor can write a letter now just by looking at them. They will surely be delighted, won’t they?”

“Hehe, I hope so. Thank you, Captain Justin.”

Since there were only a few lines on a single sheet of stationery, I quickly wrote a corrected version with mirror writing and corrected spelling mistakes below, and also included a simple explanation of the situation.

“Now I’ll keep this letter and entrust it to the royal messenger. If Eleanor’s return from the Holy Kingdom is scheduled earlier than planned, I’ll ask His Majesty if it’s okay to stop by Eleanor’s parents’ house. Both the Grand Temple and the country would be happier if the Saintess had to leave here less often.”

“Wow! Thank you very much!”

“I hope you can come back soon, Saintess.”

Axel watched the happy Eleanor with a gentle smile. I guess I should write about the Saintess’ environment as well.

After collecting the Saintess’ letter, I decided to return to the dormitory for the time being.

“Justin, Eleanor, welcome back!”

It had become customary whenever I left Jest. He would jump out of the dormitory entrance like a dog waiting for its master.

“I’m back, Jest. Shall we go to the stable today?”

“Yeah!”

I lifted Jest up and sat him in front of me. Eleanor seemed to understand and started walking slowly towards the stable.

After finishing grooming Eleanor together, we held hands and headed to the dining hall, chatting about trivial things.

“Oh, and you know, I also participated in training with a wooden sword! Swordsmanship is quite fun!”

“Is that so? If it’s fun, I’ll give Jest some practice too.”

“Yay!”

“Stop it, Jest!”

We entered the dining hall and chatted. Simon was having his meal and overheard. He immediately interjected with a serious expression.

“Why? Isn’t Justin the strongest in the Knights?”

“Yeah, but when it comes to training, the captain doesn’t know how to hold back! It’s not just fun like earlier, you know!?”

“Isn’t training supposed to be for getting stronger? It’s only natural that it’s not just fun, right?”

“Ugh… well, I suppose so…”

Simon was being countered by Jest.

“Don’t worry, being unyielding is just for you guys.”

“Isn’t that harsh!?”

“What are you saying? Training half-heartedly and risking your life, or training with determination to survive, which is better?”

I glared at Simon, who was saying foolish things, with an intense gaze.

“Ugh… I’ll do my best training with determination.”

“Haha, good job.”

I gave him a look that’s similar to when a younger brother declares he’ll eat disliked vegetables. I then gently patted Simon’s head. Despite his grumpy expression, Simon continued eating his lunch.

Today’s lunch was Fangus, a chicken-based soup with mushrooms and green onions. It used to be bland, but the chefs had experimented with herbs and spices, significantly improving its flavor.

I tore off a piece of tough bread, dipped it in the soup, and ate it. The bread wasn’t soaked in soup for long so it wasn’t soggy. It was more rough and chewy.

There’s no convenient dry yeast. And baking bread with baking soda is no good unlike steamed bread. I remember the recipe for natural yeast was in the instruction book that came with the bread maker I bought. It came with a dedicated cup.

But after trying it once, I stopped making it because dry yeast was easier. I think you could make it with apples, strawberries, or grapes… I wish the Saintess had known how to make soft bread, but I don’t remember any description about the bread.

I wonder if I should try making natural yeast, and if it works well, I might be able to make jam or cream bread, even if curry is impossible.

“Justin, why are you staring at the bread like that?”

Oops, it looks like I was lost in thought. Jest was peering at my face with a curious look.

“Oh, I was just thinking if I could make soft bread.”

“Will Justin make it!?”

“Uh… no… I mean… I’ll make…”

I was going to say I would only make the yeast and leave the bread to the chefs. But I know Jest thinks that only what I make will taste like magic. If Jest is looking at me with hopeful eyes, there is only one answer.

“Yeah, if I can make it well, I’ll let Jest have some.”

“Yay! Looking forward to it!”

“Yay! Looking forward to it!”

I heard Simon mimicking Jest’s voice and the smile quickly faded from my face.