The Villainous Aristocrat's Efforts Led to a Genuine Harem - Episode 25

Episode 25

“Why me!?”

“I’ve told you over and over, haven’t I!? You’re my ideal big brother!”

I’m still Reis inside, you know! He’s an unpopular villain in the original story!

“Come on! Hurry up and hug me, pat my head, and say, ‘Inaesia, you did your best again today. Good girl, good girl.’ Praise me already!”

Inaesia grabbed my arm and forced herself into it. She was making me follow through with what she just demanded.

Then she glared up at me from below with an upward gaze.

…Yeah, this is hopeless.

The other day, I got cornered in a similar way by Reem. And even then, I just gave up on everything.

Might as well just get this over with quickly.

“…TODAY TOO, YOU’VE DONE YOUR BEST, INAESIA. ERAI ERAI~”

“Hehe… Thank you, Onii-chan… dehehe~”

…Apparently, she’s satisfied with that.

After pampering Inaesia for a while, she finally wore a content smile.

Her face looked relieved. And the expression was as innocent as a little child clinging to a parent.

“Yeah… I’m good now. Whew… I finally let out everything I’ve been bottling up… I feel so much better.”

She said that and took a deep breath. She looked genuinely pleased.

I, on the other hand, was exhausted.

Sure, getting to hug Inaesia could be considered a small reward in its own way. But even so, this kind of relationship is really hard to define.

While patting her head, I started thinking about how things would be between us going forward.

Then, with the same signature pose she used with the protagonist in the game—pointing her index finger firmly at me—Inaesia declared:

“From now on, every time we meet, you’re going to pamper me, Onii-chan.”

…My brain is refusing to process those words.

“…Can you please stop calling me ‘Onii-chan’?”

“True… It’s better if I save that just for when I’m being spoiled. That way I can recharge more powerfully… Yep, great idea!”

Can you *not* make it sound like I was totally on board with that idea?

I could only sigh at Inaesia, who now looked completely delighted.

Well, I suppose it’s better than being hated…

—

“Well then, shall we start our training, Onii-chan?”

“Stop that.”

Inaesia said that with a confident grin.

It was still early in the morning. As usual, I snuck out of the mansion using spatial magic and met up with Inaesia at the guild’s training grounds.

She raised her spear as she spoke. So I activated my spatial magic as well and pulled out a dagger from the black vortex.

Once we were both ready with our weapons, the mock battle began.

…Lately, I had been doing adventuring activities with Inaesia.

She had invited me. But it was also convenient for me.

That’s because Inaesia has the [Instructor] skill. Actually, all characters that appear in the game’s main story—including Reem—have the [Instructor] skill. Though they were at different levels.

While the experience points earned from defeating monsters decrease the more party members there are, the [Instructor] skill greatly boosts the amount your basic stats increase based on your actions in battle.

Eventually, everyone hits their level cap anyway. So it’s more efficient in the long run to focus on building up your base stats from the start. That’s why I teamed up with Inaesia.

We kept training for a while. But the first to tap out was Inaesia.

“…You’re still as strong as ever.”

“Not really. There are plenty of people stronger than me.”

“That humble attitude of yours… It’s exactly what makes you the perfect big brother for me.”

I don’t get it.

…At any rate, with my current level and stats, I’m nowhere near capable of clearing the game’s main story.

I have to get much stronger. Or I won’t know when the protagonist might target my life and lead me to a bad ending.

…And there’s still the issue with my arm too.

There isn’t much time left before the main story begins. And before that happens, there will definitely be a massive stampede, with monsters attacking.

I have to become stronger before then.

After taking breaks in between, we finished training and headed to the guild.

Now, I just need to accept quests with Inaesia and raise our adventurer rank.

Increasing our adventurer rank allowed us to accept special quests in the game.

Since the main story hasn’t started yet, we might not be able to take on quests like the ones from the game.  But even so, raising our rank is worth it.

As we headed straight to the counter in the guild, an adventurer we passed by called out to us.

“Ah! Ryō and Inaesia! You saved me the other day, thanks again!”

The adventurer who spoke was… someone we rescued just outside the city not long ago.

A monster rarely seen around town suddenly appeared and attacked him.

Probably another one of those random summons by the Demon King or something.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Exactly. We adventurers gotta help each other out. So next time *we’re* in trouble, you better return the favor, alright?”

“Haha, will do. Just let me know if anything comes up.”

The adventurer pounded his chest and smiled cheerfully.

While waiting in line at the counter, various adventurers came up to talk to us.

As everyone expressed their thanks, Inaesia gave me an exasperated look.

“You… Are you helping people everywhere even when you’re not with me?”

“Not really. It’s not like I go out with that intention. I just help when I see someone in need.”

…One of the reasons I operate under the name Ryō is to gain trust as an adventurer.

I can’t work outside while still being Reis. So I’ve been spreading the name Ryō to gather usable power outside the mansion—and rescue work is the fastest way to build reputation.

“…As I thought, you really are the best big brother.”

That’s enough out of you.

…Honestly though, people in this world don’t value their lives enough.

I’ve rescued people in dungeons many times. And they always seem to be recklessly challenging dangerous dungeons. They ended up injured and unable to move inside.

…Well, maybe the game’s system is affecting that behavior too.

In the main story, there were quests like “A teammate was injured in a dungeon and couldn’t return, please help with the rescue.”

So yeah, I often come across people in trouble and end up helping them when I notice.

As a result… a lot of people around here have started thanking me profusely.

Well, I don’t mind. It’s all part of the plan anyway.

When we reached the counter, a staff member noticed us and greeted us with a gentle smile.

“Ah, Ryō-san. Thank you for waiting. What can I help you with today?”

“I heard a new dungeon was discovered, right? I’d like to get permission to investigate it.”

“You’ll accept the exploration request!?”

…Apparently, a new dungeon had been discovered near Vale yesterday.

The layout and the monsters inside were still unknown. So they were currently recruiting investigators.

“Understood! Ryō-san and Inaesia-san both meet the conditions. Here are your passes.”

Currently, adventurers were stationed at the entrance. So unauthorized entry wasn’t allowed.

As I accepted the two passes she handed us, I asked:

“We’re allowed to keep any treasure we find inside, right?”

“Yes, no problem. In return, we’d like you to report any information you discover about the dungeon.”

“Got it.”

After replying to the staff member, I left the guild.