I, reincarnate as the leader of the villainous knight order

Chapter 29: Unexpected Encounter at the Bookstore

“Mmm!”

“Wow, you can make sweets!”

“Thank you, Commander!”

After receiving approval from my direct subordinates, there was a commotion when I let the other members taste the cookies after dinner. It seems the smell of cookies baking had spread throughout the dormitory, causing everyone to get excited.

Even if they could only eat one or two, as long as they could tell whether they liked it or not. I also let the nervous cooks taste them, but it was quite difficult to eat due to the glaring looks from the members who wanted more.

“Hey now, perhaps in the future you might get to make them? Even if I teach you the recipe later, it’s important to know the taste. Cooking is one thing, but making sweets is tough, so treat those who can do it well with care!”

I told them, and everyone gave a good response.

Huh? It seems like I said treat me with care.

Well, they’ve always respected me, so I doubt they’ll misunderstand now.

The next day, while doing morning training, everyone seemed unusually enthusiastic. It’s almost like they were trying to impress me… Wait, could it be?

“Hey, just so you know, we won’t be making sweets for a while.”

As soon as I said that, someone slumped in disappointment.

“Yeah, maybe if you do some good deeds to change the image of the Third Knight Order’s wild dogs, I might consider making them as a reward. Something even tastier than cookies.”

I left the training ground amidst the voices of joy from my subordinates. If they’re that happy, maybe I should buy a recipe book to make proper sweets.

As I was getting ready to leave my room, I remembered the unease of not having my dagger from yesterday when I wasn’t wearing my sword.

“Right, there was that… It’s better than nothing if there’s a full-fledged dagger.”

I took out a pair of socks with a dagger sheath from the dresser. Since it’s unbalanced to have only one, I attached them to both feet, but it might take some getting used to.

I practiced pulling them out smoothly from the bottom of my pants several times. My body seems to remember it, so there shouldn’t be any problems. Maybe I should keep another one as a spare in my inner pocket.

“All right, this way I won’t intimidate others, and I can handle myself if I happen to encounter any trouble.”

While walking, I thought the weight of the dagger was surprisingly good for a workout, but come to think of it, I’ve never done weighted training in this world. I might consult with Vice Commander Orel and consider adding it to the training.

The bookstore is three shops down from the one I went to yesterday. It’s my first time coming here. When I entered the store, it smelled like paper and ink, just like a library.

It’s a two-story building with an open ceiling, and bookshelves line all four walls, with scaffolding surrounding the second floor. On the ground floor, there are rows of back-to-back bookshelves, each with genres written on the side, so I walk around the store checking each one.

As I was browsing through the bookshelves, I noticed a woman stretching to reach for a book. I approached and handed her the book instead.

“Thank you so much… Sir Vandière, Knight Commander.”

“You’re welcome. I couldn’t recognize you because of that outfit.”

With her gratitude, the woman who looked my way was Miss Diane, also known as the heroine.

Because she was dressed like a wealthy merchant’s daughter, I had assumed she was a commoner. I didn’t say it out loud though.

“That’s my line. Not wearing a sword, you also look like a completely different person. By the way… why are you here? Could it be…”

“Huh? Obviously, I came to the bookstore because there are books I want.”

“Eh…!? Oh, y-yes, that’s right! Then, excuse me!”

Miss Diane hugged the book, curtseyed briefly, and disappeared into the depths of the store.

I resumed my search for the recipe book, and picked up a book titled “For Those Who Want to Start Making Sweets”.

It had illustrated recipes, ranging from those with minimal ingredients suitable for commoners to those for people with a flexible budget.

“Hmm, I’ll go with this one.”

“Why would you get such a book? Wait… don’t tell me… you’re going to make sweets!?”

Miss Diane, who seemed to be about to settle her payment and leave, stared at the book in my hand and the maid’s hand. I didn’t want to spread the word about my interest in making sweets; it might attract unnecessary attention.

“What, are you interested in me?”

I smirked teasingly.

“N-No!”

Miss Diane blushed and stuttered.

“Just kidding. Even though it’s the noble district, be careful on your way home.”

Now that I had found the book I needed, there was no need to linger. I left Miss Diane and her companions behind and headed deeper into the store to settle my payment.

After paying and leaving the store, it seemed like Miss Diane and her companions had already left.

It’s a relief that nothing troublesome happened. Let’s head back. Just as I thought that, screams echoed from the alley where Miss Diane and her companions had disappeared.