I Like Villains, so I Reincarnated as One
“Alright, let’s go!”
“Lord Weiss, is it really necessary for you to go personally…? You’re the lord. I don’t think you need to expose yourself to danger…”
“Thank you for your concern, Rosalia. But this is also a battle to show my worth as a lord. Besides… you’ll protect me, right? I trust you.”
“Ugh, when you say things like that, I can’t argue back…”
Rosalia, pouting as she said this, was not wearing her usual maid outfit but instead a lightweight, easy-to-move-in armor. We had spoken with Barbaro and arrived at the mansion where his private soldiers were stationed. At first, he was reluctant, but when I mentioned sparing his life, he quickly spilled the information.
“Now, everyone, stand by!!”
At my command, the soldiers I had brought with me lined up in front of the mansion. Honestly, I was worried about the quality of the soldiers, but since many of them admired Kaiser, their morale had risen when it was decided that he would return as the security captain.
Well, it wasn’t just that… I knew that Kaiser had gone out of his way to ask other soldiers to cooperate with me, even bowing his head to them.
“Hehe, Lord Weiss… this reminds me of the old days on the battlefield. Well, I’ll proceed as planned…”
“Yeah, I’m counting on you. Leave this side to me.”
After confirming that Kaiser had taken a few soldiers with him, I shouted loudly. This place was just like a stage from the game. Well, it had been a few years, so there might be some differences, but I still understood the general layout.
“I am Lord Weiss Hamilton!! Your leader, Barbaro, has already been captured. I know your crimes!! The suffering you’ve caused my precious citizens is not trivial, but if you surrender now, I will spare your lives. Surrender!!”
“Huh… that incompetent lord? He’s just Barbaro’s puppet…”
“Ha, fortunately, they don’t have many soldiers. Let’s crush them!!”
At my words, the people inside the mansion began to stir. They’re pretty close, so I can hear them. Sorry for being incompetent…
And Weiss was doing his best too… As I was getting a little annoyed, I felt an intense chill from beside me. What’s this? It’s scary.
“Lord Weiss… they’re being disrespectful. Let’s kill them.”
“Uh… Rosalia… your character’s changed, hasn’t it? Well… it seems they’ve chosen to fight!!”
“But… they called you incompetent… they don’t know how hard you’ve been working!!”
As I was slightly intimidated by Rosalia, who was glaring with murderous intent and holding a spear, they responded by firing arrows at us.
Well… there’s no need to wait any longer. We came with a force small enough to make them underestimate us. This is a good opportunity to show them that I won’t show mercy to evil anymore.
“Everyone, charge!!”
At my command, the soldiers charged forward. And of course, I was among them. This time, I commanded on the battlefield. That alone would be enough for the citizens to reconsider their opinion of me. But… that’s not enough. If things continue like this, this territory will be dragged into war just like in the game.
By then, we need to have enough strength to survive that war. Especially in this land where there are no standout figures, the charisma of the lord is necessary. And… I also need to gain real combat experience to raise my stats.
“It seems like we won’t have to struggle as much as I thought, Lord Weiss.”
“Yeah, it’s a surprise attack, and we’re still regular soldiers. Our basic abilities are different. And…”
“Whoa! I’ll show my worth and get promoted!!”
“This is Kaiser’s comeback battle. We can’t afford to look pathetic!!”
Thanks to the rewards I had promised beforehand and Kaiser’s presence, morale was higher than expected. We shouldn’t lose now.
As I had thought, we steadily pushed them back, and as we broke into the mansion, we cornered the enemies to the far side of the building. It’s about time…
“Well… I think the battle is decided. It’s pointless for both sides to continue fighting…”
“Damn it… you haven’t done anything…”
“Hmm, you’re right… you wouldn’t be satisfied with a one-sided loss. Are you the leader? Fight me one-on-one. If I lose, take me as a hostage and escape. But if you lose… you’ll confess your crimes.”
“Lord!?”
“Heh…”
At my words, the soldiers gasped in disbelief, and the enemy sneered. Rosalia… even though I had persuaded her beforehand, she looked extremely dissatisfied.
Then, the guy who had been taunting me drew his sword and approached.
“You’re not lying, are you? If I win…”
“Of course not. I’m not like you guys. I’m a lord known for my integrity. I keep my promises. So…”
“Is that so!!”
Before I could finish, the enemy swung his sword at me. A complete surprise attack. He must think he’s already won!!!
“Why…”
“Because I’m stronger. Didn’t I tell you? I’m an upstanding lord. I know what you guys would do.”
I answered the guy who was coughing up blood after being stabbed in the stomach from behind by a sword held by a shadowy hand. I remembered his stats from the game.
He didn’t have any special abilities and was weaker than Barbaro, so I thought a surprise attack would work on him too.
“It’s not over… it’s not over yet…”
The man in front of me smiled confidently as the wall behind us was destroyed with a loud noise and someone appeared, but when he realized who it was, his face turned to despair.
“As Lord Weiss predicted, I’ve eliminated all the enemy soldiers hiding in the secret passage. As expected… how did you even know about that…?”
“Well done, Kaiser. Thanks for taking out their reinforcements. I told you, I know what you guys would do. So, what’s not over yet?”
“Damn it… at least, I’ll take your head!!”
“Lord Weiss!?”
Like a cornered rat biting a cat, the wounded leader desperately swung his sword at me. He must be thinking, at least I’ll take your head…
These guys conspired with Barbaro and did as they pleased while Weiss was suffering. You have no right to be angry!!
As I confirmed that all eyes were on me, I unleashed my trump card.
“Shadow Tyrant, lend me the chains of judgment!!”
With that incantation, an image should have appeared in my mind… but it didn’t. Of course not. This is still… no, this is a magic that Weiss couldn’t use in the game…
So, I linked the incantation with the scene I had imagined thousands of times, thinking that Weiss should be able to do at least this much.
“What… what is this!?”
“Lord Weiss… how did you use advanced magic…? Even Lady Felis hasn’t reached that level yet!!”
My shadow took the form of a giant beast, and a part of it became chains darker than darkness, binding the enemy. The clearly unnatural magic left not only Rosalia but everyone else in stunned silence.
Hahahaha, this is the result of my game knowledge and Weiss’s magical talent. Originally, this magic is one that Felis learns in the mid-game. Having played the game to death, I’ve seen the incantation and the results countless times. Imagining it was a piece of cake.
That said… using power beyond my current ability made my head spin… I probably can’t use it repeatedly. But before I pass out, there’s something I need to do.
“This is my… Weiss Hamilton’s power!! Did you all believe that I’m not just all talk…? I know that the sudden change in lords and the thought that my sister might be better suited has been on your minds. But from now on, I will prove to you that I, Weiss, am worthy of being the lord of Hamilton territory!!”
“Whoa!! That’s advanced magic!! Only elite court mages can use that…”
“Lord Weiss is amazing…!! Maybe even better than Lady Felis…”
“What the hell is this guy…? This is completely different from what I heard…”
“There’s no way we can win…”
Knowing that their reinforcements had been wiped out and seeing my advanced magic, our allies’ morale soared, and the enemy’s will to fight finally hit zero. One by one, they threw down their weapons and surrendered. In the game, these reinforcements had caused us to be caught in a pincer attack and suffer. Remembering that, I declared our victory.
“With this, the bandits have been captured!! I swear to the gods. I will never let those who torment my citizens run rampant again!!”
“Ooh!!”
The soldiers responded to my words. And so, our first battle ended in an overwhelming victory.
