I, reincarnate as the leader of the villainous knight order

Chapter 27: Sweets from Another World

The next morning, when I reported to my subordinates about the permanent improvement in the quality of meals and the reconstruction of the quarters, they cheered with delight.

And a few days later, artisans arrived, and the construction began. In the end, instead of demolishing the salon for the shower room, we decided to install a door in the existing changing room wall and expand it outside the changing room and the large bath area.

Some of my subordinates eyed the artisans coming in and out of my room with suspicion, but once I assured them that it would benefit them too, they accepted it readily. Although the shower room wasn’t completed even after a week of construction due to the expansion, the mini-kitchen was finished first.

Seeing the craftsmen bringing in magical ovens and refrigerators, some of my subordinates looked at them with great anticipation. So, I thought I’d try making something as a test run for the oven. Although we had been granted ten days for rest, everyone was training individually to keep their skills sharp.

On the morning of the eighth day, after our training was done, we headed to the main street lined with shops in the noble district to buy ingredients. While Eleanor, my beloved horse, could have taken us there, it was good to walk long distances occasionally to prevent physical fatigue.

Since I had only worn training clothes or casual attire since the rest day began, noble attire felt uncomfortable. Moreover, not carrying a sword made me feel uneasy. I had left it behind to avoid alarming the residents of the capital, but I should probably wear it from now on.

However, it seemed that because I wasn’t wearing a sword, people still hadn’t realized that I was the Commander of the Vandière Knights. Until now, I had always emphasized that I was a knight and had been quite intimidating.

Let’s see, I need to buy sugar, butter, flour, and eggs… and maybe cocoa powder and oil too? Oh, do I need molds? Perhaps I have to go to the artisan district for those.

To be honest, apart from clothes and equipment, I hadn’t done any shopping for myself before, so I had no idea where to find what. When I passed by in a carriage, I felt like there were shops selling groceries clustered around here.

I looked around like a country bumpkin and found a shop with the words “Spices” written in small letters on the signboard. From the outside, it was hard to tell what kind of shop it was, but it probably dealt with expensive spices and seasonings, so they made the store look inconspicuous to prevent robbery by illiterate commoners.

As I opened the door, the bell rang lightly. In response to the sound, a well-built man, who seemed to be the shopkeeper, turned around, and two young-looking shop assistants emerged from the back and stood in front of the shelves. Probably, both the doorbell and the shop assistants were theft prevention measures.

“Shopkeeper, five kilograms of sugar, and if you have cocoa powder, then five hundred grams. And… oh…”

“P-please wait a moment! I’ll prepare them right away!”

As I rattled off the things I needed, the shopkeeper hurriedly instructed the assistants.

“Ah… I might make some snacks, so it’s better to have salt and pepper too. Shopkeeper, do you have anything in a mill?”

“In that case, we have separate mills for sale here! They are designed to perfectly fit these small bags here. How about these two along with this one? By the way, these small bags contain not just ordinary salt but rock salt, and they are also designed for use with the mill. You can even have your name engraved on the contents, and some customers deliberately buy different designs to distinguish them. How about it?”

The shopkeeper introduced the products with a splendid sales pitch. The rock salt was pink like Himalayan salt. I remember Himalayan salt contained minerals and had various benefits such as antioxidation and promoting blood circulation.

“Then, I’ll take that. I’ll have these two mills and the salt. Is that all for today…? Please calculate the total.”

“Yes! I’ll calculate it right away!”

While paying the smiling shopkeeper, I asked about the location of stores that sell the things I needed, and one of the shop assistants offered to guide me. He indirectly mentioned that by guiding a customer to other shops, they could gain repeat customers and also earn the gratitude of the shops they visited. It seemed like quite a savvy tactic.

The guide turned out to be a fourteen-year-old girl named Stella… or was it a young woman? She worked at this shop for the sake of her studies, even though she was from another merchant guild.

The daughter of a merchant guild, Stella, was very knowledgeable about the shops and even negotiated prices at the store. With all the ingredients and tools for making sweets now gathered, I wanted to do something in return for this girl.

“I’d like to give you a tip as thanks for guiding me. Would you accept it?”

“N-no! I-I couldn’t! I would be scolded by my master if I did something like that!”

Stella hastily shook her hands and head. While she might have accepted it at a tavern or restaurant, in noble establishments, it was often prohibited to accept tips to avoid the impression that the establishment didn’t pay its staff enough.

I had made her walk around quite a bit, and I still felt uneasy about it… Ah, I got it!

“I’m feeling thirsty from all this walking. Is there a café nearby where I can also have something sweet to eat?”

“Yes, in that case, I recommend a shop on the next street over. It’s often mentioned by our customers.”

“Oh, I see. Then, I can look forward to it.”

Upon arriving at the shop she recommended, Stella said she would wait outside the shop.

“I can’t allow that. Don’t you think it takes a bit of courage for a man to enter such a shop alone? Consider this as part of your customer service and accompany me.”

“…Understood.”

Although she hesitated, she couldn’t contain her smile.

“Please order whatever you like, and let me know how it tastes. You might have noticed from the shopping list, but I’m planning to try making sweets.”

“Wow! Are you going to make them yourself!?”

“Yeah, there are a lot of guys like little brothers, and I’m thinking of dangling a reward to get them to listen to me.”

“Hehe, those guys are lucky, aren’t they?”

In the end, Stella ordered a fruit cake with plenty of whipped cream, and I ordered a set of cheese tarts. To cut to the chase, it was delicious. It didn’t reach the level of taste in Japan’s high-end stores, but it was a comforting taste like something made by someone who enjoyed making sweets as a hobby.

After chatting and enjoying the sweets for a while, I escorted Stella back to the shop. By the way, the price was equivalent to a decent meal. Stella must have been beaming with joy when she finished her meal.

“Thank you for guiding me today. Tell the owner that I’ll come back to buy something again.”

“Yes! Thank you very much! Um, may I ask for your name?”

“I’m Justin de Vandière. It might be easier to remember as the Commander of the Third Knight Division. Well then.”

Since all my belongings were in my magic bag, I headed back to the quarters feeling light. I pretended not to hear Stella’s surprised voice from behind after murmuring my name.