I Have Been Called The Idiot Son Behind My Back. But I Remembered Memories, And I Can Use The Abilities I Had In My Past Life. So I Will Make Use of Major Online Stores Like Am**on And Aim for a Slow Life for Now - 170

**Episode 170: Choosing the Option with Benefits**

If I want to focus on not standing out, it would make sense to lose in the first round. However, if my goal is to “live peacefully,” then losing might attract more idiots like earlier, and considering how I’ve been ridiculed my whole life, now might be the time to make it clear to everyone around me that I’m not someone they can mess with. I should imprint that fact in their tiny brains.

I’m not planning to show my full strength, and this is just a “ranking match with only students.” Winning this tournament isn’t going to change much.

If this were a competition involving Imperial Knights, Court Magicians, or the Empire’s Seven Knights, it would be a different story…

When comparing the outcomes of winning versus losing in the first round: Winning would reduce the chances of annoying fools bothering me, though it might lead to suspicions of cheating. On the other hand, losing in the first round would change nothing, meaning both the benefits and drawbacks are the same.

In that case, whether I win or lose, people will talk behind my back regardless. So, I might as well choose the option that brings some benefits: winning the ranking match. As I rack up achievements, the gossip around me should start to fade.

In the long run, winning will make school life easier than maintaining the status quo by losing.

I’m not aiming to win the whole ranking tournament. As long as I advance far enough, that’s all that matters.

I just need to win up to a point where I won’t attract attention from the Court Magicians, Imperial Knights, or members of the Empire’s Seven Knights—and then I can lose.

Well, I don’t think the Court Magicians, Imperial Knights, or the Empire’s Seven Knights would ever scout someone like me, who’s likely to inherit a dukedom. But, past or present, some nobles have joined those groups, so even if it’s unlikely, it’s not impossible. I should avoid standing out too much.

Even if I do get scouted, I can just give some excuse about being too busy with managing my territory or whatever and politely decline. I’m sure they’ll back off… probably.

In any case, if I had to choose between an option with benefits and one without, of course I’d choose the one with benefits.

Having thought this through, I decided that I’d win up to the fourth round and then lose on purpose.

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On the day of the ranking match, I headed to the venue, accompanied by the four noble mob characters who, for some reason, had started acting like my lackeys ever since that day.