The Villainous Aristocrat's Efforts Led to a Genuine Harem - Episode 10

Episode 10

(Back to Reis’ Perspective) 

Reem’s visit event ended without incident.

I’m really glad nothing happened.

She ended up staying at the mansion for about three days. But she spent most of that time just watching my combat training.

Heh. Forcing a visiting fiancée to watch endless combat training she clearly has no interest in… that’s probably a huge minus in terms of favorability.

Just imagining what she might’ve been thinking sends a strange thrill down my spine.

To be honest, I did want to get along better with Reem. She was one of my favorite characters in the game. But if the story doesn’t follow the original route, things in this world might go wrong. So it can’t be helped.

I’d been training with Zangell almost daily. And finally… I managed to activate spatial magic.

Right in front of me was a black, whirlpool-like hole.

I reached my hand into it. I created another black swirl elsewhere—and my arm popped out from the new portal.

Spatial magic… it’s a magic that connects one point to another. To put it very simply, it lets you warp.

“…You did it, Lord Reis…!”

Zangell seemed to be genuinely happy for me. It was almost like it had happened to him.

He’s been so invested in my training lately—it’s kind of surprising.

“It’s all thanks to your help in training. I appreciate it.”

“No… this is all the result of your own hard work, Lord Reis. I did nothing.”

…Why is he being so modest?

Let’s be real. The only reason I was able to grow this fast is because of his [Instructor] skill.

Of course, some of it is also thanks to my equipment. But Zangell has been absolutely essential to my progress.

Anyway, now that I can use spatial magic, I should have a bit more freedom to move around.

That day, after finishing training with Zangell, I’d gotten a solid grasp on spatial magic. I immediately began preparing for the next stage of my training.

My goal: leveling up.

I still don’t know exactly how things like levels and stats work in this world. But considering I’ve already grown so much from basic training, it’s clear those elements exist.

Which is why I plan to start grinding for levels now.

Leveling up will naturally increase my overall stats.

However, I’m not allowed to leave the city.

My family doesn’t want me going outside the city walls.

…Basically, unless I get direct orders from them, I can’t leave the city.

So of course I can’t go out and hunt monsters either.

That’s where this spatial magic comes in.

It seems like I can teleport to any location I’ve already visited.

I threw on a cloak to hide my identity, and finally put on a mask.

…Alright. Looking at myself in the mirror, I look just like an assassin.

With this getup, no one should be able to tell I’m Reis Validor.

After checking all my gear, I activated spatial magic.

…The entry point is, of course, this room.

For the exit… I’ll use the Vale teleportation stone.

I recalled the area around the stone and opened the exit portal there. Then I jumped in.

Passing through the black whirlpool gave a sensation I can’t quite describe—it was strange.

Then light returned. And I found myself outside the mansion.

…Nice, it worked. I used up a fair bit of mana. But I’ve got enough left to get back home at least.

I glanced at the teleportation stone behind me.

Just like before, another black whirlpool appeared—others were arriving in town through it.

…This is exactly why spatial magic is underrated.

Even though it can be used for teleportation, anyone can already do that easily using fast travel and teleport stones.

Of course, in combat, it can be used in other ways—but it consumes so much mana that it’s just not practical.

Honestly, I probably still can’t use it for battle right now.

My destination: the guild. I’m planning to register as an adventurer.

…Ever since reincarnating into this world, that’s something I’ve secretly wanted to try—living as an adventurer.

While leveling up, I also plan to enjoy this world as a proper isekai protagonist.

And more than that… I want to gain fame.

From now on, I’ll work as an adventurer and build up a party of comrades.

All in preparation for the future stampede that’s sure to happen.

As Reis, I can earn trust inside the mansion—but not outside of it.

So, I’ll build my reputation outside under another name.

I arrived at the guild and registered immediately.

I got a few odd looks due to my appearance. But adventurers come in all types. So no one seriously questioned me.

The registration went smoothly.

“Then, Ryō-san, best of luck with your adventuring!”

The receptionist handed me my adventurer card with a smile. I took it.

Engraved on the card was the name “Ryō,” my alias, and the letter “G,” indicating my adventurer rank.

…I used the name from my previous life. No way I could register using “Reis.”

With registration complete, I immediately headed over to the nearby bulletin board to check for quests.

…Oh, here’s one related to the Cave of Silence.

The “Cave of Silence” is a dungeon from the game.

Unlike the “Forest of Rebellion” near Vale, this one has a red whirlpool at the entrance. You can enter it to access the dungeon.

Without wasting time, I headed out of town to hunt monsters in the Cave of Silence.

It’s a beginner-level dungeon that can be accessed early in the game. But it contains a monster called the Stone Rabbit. Which can drop a rare item called the Necklace of Growth.

This item is insanely important.

Its drop rate is very low. But if you wear it, the experience points you gain skyrocket. And your stat growth gets a big boost too.

I definitely wanted to get this item to improve my growth efficiency.

I passed through the red whirlpool and entered the Cave of Silence.

…The atmosphere inside was clearly different.

As its name implies, the cave was shrouded in deep silence.

Not pitch-black, but visibility was poor.

Still, there was some light. Magic stones embedded throughout the cave gave off a dim glow like light bulbs.

I felt a little tense at first. But I quickly started walking.

…The Cave of Silence is a low-level dungeon used as a tutorial in the game.

With the strength I gained from training with Zangell, I probably wouldn’t have any trouble.

I used the map in my head and made my way through the cave… aiming for the area where Stone Rabbits appear.

That spawn zone is extremely small.

Apparently, Stone Rabbits weren’t originally supposed to appear in this dungeon. But due to a bug in the settings, they do—in just one specific spot.

That spot is at the far left end of the path if you keep going straight. Only that one area spawns them.

I arrived at my destination without encountering a single monster—lucky or unlucky, who knows.

I stood in the corner on the left and began stomping in place.

…Must’ve looked ridiculous.

Anyone who played Holy Orb Fantasy would know about this spot for monster farming—but doing it in real life is… wow.

If anyone saw me doing this, they’d think I was nuts.

And if that someone was a female adventurer…? Crap, now I’m getting excited.

No, stop thinking like that, me.

As I stomped energetically in place… a mist-like fog started gathering in front of me.

…That fog signals a monster spawn.

The mist condensed into one spot. And from it, a Stone Rabbit appeared.

“Shaaaah!”

It let out a hostile cry and glared at me.

I drew the daggers I’d prepared for combat in both hands and stared it down.

…This is my first real battle.

I’m a little nervous… but I can do this.

After a light breath, I pushed off the ground.

I closed the gap in an instant. And the Stone Rabbit’s eyes widened in surprise.

But it reacted quickly. It slashed its sharp claws toward me in a counterattack.

…I could clearly see its movements.

I parried its attack with the dagger in my left hand and slashed with my right.

The sharp blade dug into its body.

…Hard, but not literally made of stone, it seems.

My dagger left a shallow cut. The Stone Rabbit flinched.

It backed away—but then charged at me again.

Reading its movement, I leapt backward and dodged.

The rabbit crashed into the wall. It was momentarily stunned.

Now’s my chance…!

I closed the distance again and unleashed a flurry of attacks—right, left, then right again.

The Stone Rabbit’s movements began to slow. I didn’t miss that opening—putting all my strength into a final slash with my dagger.

“Gukyu!?”

The dagger stabbed into the Stone Rabbit’s neck. And it stopped moving on the spot.

…Just like when it first appeared, its body turned into a mist-like fog and vanished.

Before long, a single item was left behind where it had been.

A magic stone, huh.

This is a guaranteed drop—an item meant to be sold for money.

It’s not worth a whole lot. But there’s no reason not to keep it.

“For now… I made it through…!”

Having finished my first real battle, I was filled with exhilaration.

It finally started to feel real—like I’d actually been transported to another world.

That said, I couldn’t afford to let the excitement get to my head.

You have to stay cool in battle.

After taking a few deep breaths, I went back to the corner and resumed stomping in place.

Then, I began hunting the newly spawned Stone Rabbits.