I Like Villains, so I Reincarnated as One
“Aegis… All of your subordinates have surrendered. I don’t want to kill you, who were merely used… So please put down your sword.”
A young man with golden hair and a refined face stood facing a beautiful girl with red hair, both gripping their swords tightly. The girl was covered in wounds all over her body, especially the arrow wound on her shoulder, which was severe. If things continued like this, she wouldn’t survive much longer.
“So what? Are you saying that kind-hearted you will help me?”
“Yes, of course. If you ask my companions, they can treat those wounds immediately… so…”
The young man approached the girl with a reassuring smile that made people feel at ease. But in response, the girl sneered and raised her sword.
“Pure goodwill… how dazzling. But I’m not naive enough to believe in such things anymore. If I’m going to be betrayed after believing, I’d rather just trust myself and fight!”
“Aegis… I…”
The girl’s cry caused the young man to wear a pained expression. However, his desire to save her did not reach her heart. Precisely because his words were filled with kindness, they failed to resonate within her.
“I hate you! And besides… it doesn’t matter anymore!! What I wanted to protect is already…”
Then, the sound of clashing swords echoed for a while, and Aegis Bloody, the “Villainess Drenched in Fresh Blood,” met her end. It was the final battle scene between formidable rivals in the game, a moment that made fans who desperately wanted to save her burst into tears. She had been exploited time and again, even despised as the villainess, and the protagonist’s words no longer reached her. But… what if she still had a childlike heart that could believe? If there had been some ulterior motive behind the young man’s attempt to save the girl who couldn’t trust in others’ goodwill, perhaps the outcome would have been different? That’s what the fans thought.
The sound of swords clashing echoed in the training ground. Since then, the territory had stabilized somewhat. And what was I doing…?
“You’ve improved, Lord Weiss.”
“Is that sarcasm, Kaiser? I keep getting beaten up…”
I was undergoing magic training alongside swordsmanship practice with Kaiser. I had become somewhat capable in combat, but Kaiser kept toying with me.
When I complained, he inexplicably smiled happily.
“After all, I’ve lived by the sword. I can’t afford to lose easily. Still… the fact that Lord Weiss wants to learn the sword from me again… I’m so moved!”
As he shed tears and hugged me, I let him, vowing in my heart to become stronger. I had sworn to live alongside Rosalia and strengthen the Hamilton territory. To survive the upcoming turmoil, I needed more combat power.
And… if things went according to the game, that cursed event would soon occur… My heart grew heavy at the thought.
“Ah, sorry. I got too emotional and lost control.”
“No, don’t worry about it. It just shows how much you care. I appreciate it.”
I smiled back at Kaiser, who looked apologetic. He was part of the “Weiss Supporters Alliance,” just like me and Rosalia. Despite the terrible things I had done, I felt nothing but gratitude for his unwavering loyalty.
Well, he was a bit sweaty…
“Thank you. Let’s call it a day for today’s training. Also, thanks to the information from Barbaro, we’re making good progress in eradicating the criminal organization. Word has spread, and many have left the Hamilton territory.”
“Good. Thank you. I’ll continue to rely on you!”
“Yes, leave it to me, Lord Weiss.”
Kaiser saluted, and behind him, some soldiers who had been watching from afar did the same. Not everyone, but most of those who had cooperated with the criminal organization now greeted me and sometimes asked about magic.
It felt like I was being acknowledged, and it made me quite happy.
“There’s still some time before Rosalia returns…”
She had gone to check on the results of a request to the Adventurers’ Guild. Fortunately, the documents were slightly delayed. So, I thought I’d go for a secret training session in the backyard.
As I headed towards the backyard, I caught the eye of Meg, who was sweeping the yard with a broom.
“Oh, Lord Weiss, off to special training? Then I’ll bring you a sandwich later. I’ll make sure it’s tastier than Rosalia’s.”
“That’s disappointing. It’s not easy to surpass Rosalia. She knows my preferences perfectly.”
“Well, that girl adores you. Then I’ll aim to be the second-best maid who knows you. In return, I want the second-highest salary in the mansion.”
“Haha, alright. If Rosalia approves, I’ll consider it.”
We exchanged light banter. Ever since the Barbaro incident, she seemed to have taken a liking to me, and we had become quite comfortable with each other.
I didn’t think it was shallow or anything. This world operated differently from my previous life; there were no labor laws here. You could be fired—or worse, killed—by a noble. So, you couldn’t joke around with a terrible lord.
And Meg, whether for better or worse, was straightforward. Perhaps because she praised me in front of everyone, lately, the mansion staff and even the merchants coming and going had started talking to me.
Arriving at the inner courtyard, I took a deep breath to calm my mind. Meg followed with a basket containing sandwiches. Was it okay for her to leave her work?
“Well… it’s about time to start. Right now, I can only cast two high-level spells. But what about royal-class magic…?”
I had been experimenting, but using high-level spells that I shouldn’t have learned yet was taxing. After casting twice, I felt sick and collapsed. However, since I was using magic daily, the number of times I could cast them should gradually increase.
That was fine… Now, the question was whether I could use royal-class magic.
“Royal-class magic is supposed to be stronger than high-level magic, right? Being able to use high-level spells at your age is already impressive. Do you really need to train this hard? Even though you’re training with Rosalia, do you really need to do extra self-training?”
“Yeah, royal-class magic is above high-level magic. Only a select few elite court magicians can use it. By the way, there’s also something called god-class magic, though it’s legendary.”
Royal-class magic was generally considered the pinnacle. In game terms, it was like “Mera Zoma” or “Figa,” spells you could use once you reached level 4. Right now, I was at level 2, so skipping two levels was no small feat. No wonder it wasn’t working.
But… I believed Weiss could do it. He had talent. If… like in the game, I (Weiss) hadn’t died and had trained properly, there was a chance I could have reached this point eventually.
“The Hamilton territory is being underestimated because the lord has changed. I want the power to protect you all when the fighting begins. I want to try everything I can.”
“Lord Weiss… Hehe, it’s wonderful to see you talk about your dreams like before. Or is it your male pride wanting to impress Rosalia?”
“Don’t tease me. I’ll tell her you’re slacking off.”
I retorted, feeling a bit embarrassed by Meg’s teasing. Apparently, someone had seen me hugging and crying on Rosalia, and it had become a bit of a rumor.
Still, her light teasing helped calm my nerves. Was she doing it on purpose to relax me? Seeing her grin mischievously, I dismissed the thought.
Well, whatever. I visualized the scenes I had seen countless times in the game, channeled my mana, and began chanting.
“Sword that guards the princess of eternal darkness, come to me! Divine Devouring Sword!”
My shadow transformed into a pitch-black feminine silhouette darker than the shadows, enveloping my sword… and then dissipating. At the same time, a searing headache struck, and my body suddenly felt heavy.
Damn… Is it impossible? Can’t I use royal-class magic…? My legs gave out, and the ground rushed toward me…
“Lord Weiss!?”
A soft voice caught me just before I hit the ground. If I had fallen, it might have been dangerous.
“Thank you… Rosalia.”
“Sorry, it was me, Meg. Guess I can be a proper maid too. Are you alright, Lord Weiss? Rosalia warned me you might push yourself too hard, so I’m glad I was careful.”
Hearing that, I felt a bit inferior compared to Rosalia… Wait, that wasn’t the point. She must have rushed over. The basket of sandwiches was scattered, and her hair was disheveled.
“Ah, sorry for worrying you, Meg. I’m fine now…”
I tried to get up quickly, but my body wouldn’t respond, likely due to overusing my mana or attempting to use magic beyond my limits.
“Really, Lord Weiss is such a pampered child. You shouldn’t push yourself too hard. But if Rosalia saw us like this, it might cause trouble, so I’ll carry you to your room.”
“Yeah, sorry… I can’t move…”
Being seen by Rosalia somehow felt awkward. Though I wasn’t sure if her feelings were romantic…
“Ah, but hugging a maid like this, Lord Weiss is quite bold.”
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you…”
“No, no, not at all… Ah…”
As I groaned and teased her, Meg laughed, but her smile suddenly froze.
“Lord Weiss… Why are you embracing a servant in such a place?”
“No, there’s a good reason for this…”
“Lord Weiss is so forward… I couldn’t refuse, so…”
“You sold me out!”
Rosalia sighed deeply at our exchange. Her slightly sulky expression wasn’t just my imagination, was it?
But then she cleared her throat and became serious.
“Most likely, Lord Weiss pushed himself too hard during magic training and was saved by Meg. Please don’t overdo it, Lord Weiss. More importantly… As you predicted, the worst-case scenario has been confirmed. According to the information, some adventurers haven’t returned.”
“Indeed…”
Her words brought a serious atmosphere over us. Meg, sensing the mood, fell silent. As usual, my bad premonitions were proving accurate.
