I, reincarnate as the leader of the villainous knight order

Chapter 99: Jules’ New Door

“Good morning, Commander of the Vandière Knights. And who might this gentleman be?”

The middle-aged man in charge of the mansion, Châteaubriand, greeted us. We had met him yesterday. His family name was so impactful that I forgot his first name. Sorry about that.

“Good morning. He is from the family of Count Grass, dispatched from the royal castle as a civil servant responsible for the construction designed by the dwarves…”

I knew he was the third son, but what was his name again? I glanced at him, and he hurriedly introduced himself.

“I am Jules de Grass, a civil servant. I will be visiting frequently until the lodgings and workshops designed by the dwarves are completed. Pleased to meet you!”

Jules’ polite demeanor likely stemmed from knowing the servants in this mansion were capable of dealing with high-ranking nobility who entertained state guests. Châteaubriand, the manager, was probably from the Marquis family, but I didn’t recognize him, so he might be the second or third son of the previous generation.

“How courteous of you… I am Constans de Châteaubriand. If you need anything within the mansion, please do not hesitate to ask. For matters regarding the design, I will guide you to the office from the reception room. Please relax with some tea until Basil arrives.”

He signaled a maid with his eyes, who then guided us to the office. His movements were efficient and skillful. As the maid prepared the tea, I decided to break the ice with Jules to ease his tension.

“By the way, why were you appointed as the person in charge this time, Jules?”

“Ah… Yesterday was embarrassing. Please call me Jules. This appointment is partly a punishment for my disgraceful behavior and a lesson to avoid acting hastily. But honestly, it’s because they are afraid to get involved! They figured since I am already in trouble, I might as well try to improve relations! There were more suitable candidates, but no one wanted to make eye contact!”

It seemed his superior had dumped the task on him out of fear after yesterday’s incident.

“A suitable candidate, huh? Does that mean you’re not capable?”

“What!? No, I have been told I am quite competent.”

“Then there’s no problem. They are not the type to hold grudges indefinitely. Just prove yourself through your work. But why did you act that way yesterday? You knew Jeanne was a dragon, right?”

“Well… I felt that, as the king of this country, no matter how skilled the dwarves or even a dragon might be, they shouldn’t be above His Majesty…”

So, his actions were out of excessive loyalty.

“As a noble, that might be correct, but as a human, it was wrong. Such reasoning doesn’t apply to evil gods either, right? In terms of beings surpassing humans, dragons and evil gods are the same. So, think carefully before you speak from now on.”

“Yes… When I was glared at yesterday, I prepared for death. I have never experienced such fear… and such an overwhelming thrill… I am terrified to meet Lady Jeanne again…”

Jules, who had been pale until a moment ago, now had a flushed, ecstatic expression, breathing heavily. Maybe he was sleep-deprived rather than scared?

Animals being hunted supposedly release pleasure hormones to ease the pain of being eaten. Jules might have had a similar experience. It seems he has opened a new door. I should probably avoid getting involved with him as much as possible from now on.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. I’ve drawn up some floor plans. Take a look.”

The door suddenly opened, and Basil entered with a stack of papers. Châteaubriand hurriedly followed him. Normally, nobility would be escorted, but such customs didn’t apply to Basil.

“Let me see.”

Jules, now with a stern expression, took the papers and began writing on his own documents while reviewing them. It seems his reputation for being competent wasn’t unfounded.

As Basil sat beside me, Châteaubriand gracefully placed the tea on the table. After he bowed and left the room, Basil spoke up.

“By the way, this lad looks familiar…”

Basil tilted his head, looking at Jules who was sitting diagonally in front of him.

“That makes sense. He’s Jules de Grass, the civil servant who was scared stiff by Jeanne yesterday.”

“Ha ha ha ha! That one! It’s obvious that the other civil servants, afraid to deal with Jeanne, used his failure yesterday as an excuse to dump the task on him.”

Basil had accurately grasped the situation, as expected from a leader. Jules, on the other hand, seemed completely focused and didn’t react to our conversation at all. A few minutes later, his hand stopped writing on the documents, and he looked up.

“Lord Basil, I have a few questions regarding these plans, if that’s alright.”

“Of course, ask away.”

Impressive. He seemed like a completely different person from yesterday.

“These plans have detailed internal structures, but there’s no mention of the foundation work, necessary materials for the main building, or the estimated completion time.”

“What are you talking about? We’ll use earth magic to build it, obviously. As for the completion time, it won’t even take a day. The materials come from the ground itself, ha ha ha ha!”

Basil’s statement was so far removed from the common sense of humans that both Jules and I were left speechless.