The Villainous Aristocrat's Efforts Led to a Genuine Harem - Episode 12

Episode 12

(Back to Reis’ Perspective)

…Could he be a soldier from somewhere?

A man dressed in full equipment was calling out to the adventurers around him with a pleading voice.

But no one stopped at his voice.

A bit curious, I turned to ask one of the staff.

“What’s he doing over there?”

“…That man is a soldier from a village called Strite. Apparently, multiple high-level High Wolves have been confirmed in the area… He came to ask the adventurers for help.”

“Then why is he just calling out like that over there?”

“…Well, the guild leader isn’t present right now, So the request hasn’t been processed as an emergency request yet. For emergency requests, the guild leader’s judgment is required… But with the monsters in question, the reward is too low… so, well, no one’s willing to accept the request. That’s why we need the guild leader’s decision to add supplemental rewards, but…”

The staff member looked down apologetically.

…Well, I guess it can’t be helped. Adventurers aren’t doing this out of goodwill.

This kind of situation must be pretty common.

Like the other adventurers, I was ready to just move on—but then I remembered what the staff had said.

Strite Village… wasn’t that Reem’s hometown?

Yeah… that’s right. I remembered because Reis had visited her hometown once.

I still had memories from that time. But they weren’t ones I wanted to recall.

Because as Reis, I had utterly mocked the village Reem loved.

Even her usual smile had vanished back then…

Recalling how Reis had felt superior seeing her like that—just thinking about it now made me feel gloomy.

…N-Not the time for that.

The problem is the High Wolf situation in Strite.

…Now that I think about it, in the main story of the game, there was a time we visited Reem’s hometown, right?

Back then, she was all flustered when everyone was calling her “Milady! Milady!”—as a Reem fan, that was a real treat.

And I remember we learned the backstory of how she became the village’s acting lord.

Her father died fighting the High Wolves. And after that, she took over managing the village.

Originally, her family was entrusted with part of the domain by the Validor family. So technically she wasn’t a real “lord.” But still…

Could this be the very incident that was referenced in the game?

Given the timing… it’s totally possible.

Part of me wanted to rush over immediately. But a calmer voice inside held me back.

…If I step in here, wouldn’t that alter the original story?

If the story diverges too far from the source material, the world itself might spiral in a bad direction.

More than that, the Reem in the original story—her resolve, her burden…

It was precisely because of those hardships that the glimpses of her softer, cuter side shined even more.

Those qualities were born from the pain of losing her father.

So if I’m a fan of the original, maybe I *should* just leave it alone.

“…No… I don’t like that.”

Just because I want the game to go by the book doesn’t mean I should ignore lives that I might be able to save.

Besides… Reem is one of my favorite characters.

…If I can change her future into one where she can smile purely, then there’s no reason not to act.

It doesn’t have to be just a happy ending—

It can be a super happy ending. A story with no valleys, just never-ending joy.

And that would be fine, right?

I stepped forward and approached the soldier, who was on the verge of tears.

“You there. Got a minute?”

“…Huh?”

“You need help with the High Wolves in Strite Village, right? I’ll take the job.”

“Y-You mean it!?”

I nodded silently.

The soldier lowered his head. Tears were streaming down his face.

“Thank you…! Thank you so much…!”

Now the question is—can I handle this alone?

The High Wolves in the main story were strong. But I think I could take one down at my current level.

Still, if there are a lot of them… that’s a different story.

I’m still in the middle of leveling up—I don’t have the power to solo that many.

…Wiping them all out alone would be difficult.

I glanced at the other adventurers.

They were watching my exchange with the soldier with slight smirks. Like they thought it was foolish.

Their attitude wasn’t pleasant. But they weren’t exactly wrong.

Still, I locked eyes with them and raised my voice.

“Anyone else willing to take the request? If the reward’s too low, I’ll cover the difference.”

I said that as I opened a spatial portal to my room and reached inside.

Technically, I *could* store items directly in the spatial magic itself. But that increases the strain on me.

So usually, I stored everything in the mansion’s warehouse.

Everything I’d earned since becoming an adventurer was stored there.

I grabbed a handful of coins and scattered them dramatically in front of the adventurers.

Some of them reacted to the money… but none stepped forward.

…Damn. Looks like I’ll have to take this one on alone.

No helping it.

Guess I’ll consider it making up for all the crap Reis did to Reem.

I’ll just have to brace myself.

That’s what I was thinking—when one woman with a spear stepped forward.

“…You’re chipping in on the reward too, right?”

She asked while swaying her twin tails. Her sharp eyes gave her a slightly fierce look.

I knew this character.

Her name was Inaesia.

Her bright pink hair reflected the light from the guild and shone brilliantly.

Maybe it’s because the story hasn’t officially started yet, but she seemed a bit different from how I remembered her in the game.

Still, her confident, almost defiant gaze—anyone who saw it once would never forget it.

Inaesia is a character who appears in the main story. But you don’t need to recruit her to finish the game.

In Holy Orb Fantasy, there are four main story party members and several optional characters you can recruit through side content.

Inaesia was one of those optional characters—but she’s as popular as Reem.

…If she’s willing to take the request, that’s a huge help.

It’s reassuring, but… she’s a key figure in the original story. That makes me a bit hesitant.

Would it be okay for Reem and Inaesia to meet here?

Depending on how things go, it could change their event scenes later.

…Still, no one else is stepping up. And I need the help.

“Yeah. You can have this money if that’s okay.”

“Then I’ll join you.”

Looks like no one else is coming.

As I used spatial magic to retrieve the gold from the floor, I turned to the soldier.

“Alright. It’s just the two of us, but let’s head to the village right away.”

“Thank you…! I have a horse waiting outside, so we can leave immediately—”

“Can’t we use a teleportation stone?”

“W-Well… due to the monsters, the magic around the village is unstable. So the Strite teleportation stone isn’t working right now…”

…Right, that happened in the game too.

Teleport stones wouldn’t work during events or story progress.

Makes sense here too, I guess—it’s not just a game mechanic, but a magical interference issue.

“If it’s the three of us moving together, we’ll need horses, right?”

“No need.”

I said that and began casting spatial magic.

It’s the same spell I usually use to travel from the mansion to this town—only now, I’m connecting it to Strite Village.

I wasn’t sure if it would work due to the teleportation issue… but it connected successfully.

Lately, thanks to all my basic training and Stone Rabbit hunting, my magic capacity has increased.

Even moving three people shouldn’t be a problem.

A dark vortex opened up. It was large enough for a person to pass through.

Even though I had only visited Strite once as Reis, I could still create a portal there. That’s a relief.

This time, I made sure the exit on the other side was visible.

“…W-What is this?”

The soldier asked. I stepped forward and gestured to him.

“It’s my personal movement magic. Let’s just say it’s a lost form of spatial magic. I’ve connected it to the village. Follow me.”