I, reincarnate as the leader of the villainous knight order

Chapter 4: First Good Deed

“I’ll see this child off, so please don’t worry. Come on, hurry up and go home!”

“Wait, doesn’t this child need medicine?”

I stopped the shopkeeper from pushing the boy out. He looked about eight years old, and he probably wouldn’t be here alone unless something serious had happened.

“Yes, but he doesn’t have enough money, so I was going to send him home.”

“In that case, I’ll pay. Get the medicine for him. Also… do you have thyme, rosemary, laurel, and basil?”

“Yes, of course! Um, they’re over here. Would you like me to mix them?”

The shopkeeper pointed to a wooden box filled with various herbs. It seemed that leafy herbs were treated as medicine, so I grabbed some familiar ones.

“Oh, there’s chili peppers here too. Alright, get medicine for this child and these… and these too.”

Since there were healing potions and antidotes available, I bought one of each.

“Here you go! Thank you very much!”

Ignoring the fidgeting child, I received the items in exchange for the payment. Despite the quantity being more than enough, the price was less than a tenth. Well, some herbs grow back every year once planted, so that explains it.

After receiving the goods, I tried to leave the apothecary, but the boy didn’t follow.

Perhaps he didn’t expect to get medicine from the notoriously wicked Knight Commander.

“Where’s your home? You need medicine, right?”

“Ah, y-yes! Thank you very much!”

With a tearful expression of gratitude, he began to lead the way with quick steps. Even with his hurried pace, it was just a normal walking speed for me. With the shopkeeper’s farewell behind me, I followed the boy into the dirty alley.

In one corner of the so-called slums, the boy’s house stood. It was a dilapidated wooden structure that looked like it would collapse with a single kick.

“Ah, big brother!”

Inside the house, there was a girl about four years old. And in the bed beyond her was a woman with a pale, sickly face, who seemed to be her mother.

“Chloe, were you a good girl? Knight Commander Vandière bought medicine for Mom! You can relax now.”

“Wow! V-Vand… um… Vann…?”

Struggling with the difficult name of the house, the girl called Chloe was having a hard time.

“Hehe, if it’s hard to say, you can just call me big brother.”

“Yeah! Thank you, big brother!”

“You’re welcome.”

Perhaps because she didn’t know about my reputation, the young girl thanked me with a bright smile. As I squatted down to pat her head, it felt extremely greasy. Presumably, her mother was too sick to even bathe properly.

“How about ‘Cleanse and Refresh’? Feel refreshed?”

“Amazing! I feel refreshed! Are you a noble,big brother?!”

In this world, most people with magical abilities are nobles, or rather, many nobles have gained their status by achieving feats with their magic. It’s common knowledge that those who can use magic are usually nobles.

“That’s right. Alright, let’s give Mom the medicine.”

“Yeah! Come over here!”

Chloe tugged at my hand with her small one. It would have been cute even if I had younger siblings. While the boy froze in place behind me, it was best to give the medicine to the mother first.

I hate to say it, but even the mother smelled quite bad. The medicine handed over by the apothecary should have been an effective magical potion like a comprehensive herbal remedy. Would it really work properly for this mother?

“For now… ‘Cleanse and Refresh.’ Here, medicine. Can you sit up?”

When I called out to her, the mother slowly opened her eyes, but she seemed to have trouble focusing for a few seconds before her eyes widened.

“K-Knight Commander Vandière!? W-Why are you here…!?”

The surprised mother tried to sit up, but she lacked the strength and fell back onto the bed.

“Don’t strain yourself. I just happened to meet this boy and the apothecary. Take the medicine, I’ll support you.”

“That’s… money to buy medicine…”

To mention money right away, they must be in quite dire straits.

“Don’t worry, I bought it on a whim while shopping. It’s pocket change for me, so don’t worry about it. More importantly, drink the medicine quickly and put the kids at ease.”

I put my arm around her back and helped her sit up, and she drank the medicine with trembling hands. It seems that the quality of the medicine from that shop is good; the mother’s complexion improved rapidly.

“How do you feel?”

“Thanks to you, I feel much better. How can I ever thank you… Thank you, Mark, too.”

It seems that the boy’s name is Mark. Now that I think about it, I hadn’t even asked his name. The children seemed relieved to see their mother’s improved complexion.

“Knight Commander Vandière, thank you!!”

“Thank you, big brother!”

“Chloe! Calling Knight Commander Vandière ‘big brother’…!”

The flustered mother scolded Chloe, but I raised my hand to stop her.

“It’s okay. I said she could call me that because my name is hard to pronounce.”

“Well, Knight Commander Vandière… you’re so kind.”

There was a moment of hesitation, probably meaning “contrary to rumors.”

“I certainly used to be a bit of a troublemaker. But more importantly, let me cast a cleansing spell on Mark too. If you don’t tidy up, the shop will start to dislike you. ‘Cleanse and Refresh.'”

“Wow, that’s amazing! Thank you, Knight Commander Vandière! Haha, how many times have I thanked you today?”

As he said this, Mark wiped his eyes. He must have been quite anxious, holding his unconscious mother and his young sister. At that moment, the door of the house opened with enough force to almost break it, and a drunken man entered.

“Hey! Is it true you brought a man in here!? Joseph just saw it a while ago!”

It seems like the vermin of this house has returned.