The Villainous Aristocrat's Efforts Led to a Genuine Harem - Episode 40

Episode 40

“Lord Reis. It suits you very well.”

I was dressed by the servant. It was not in my usual easy-to-move-in clothes, but in formal wear.

It was because Lady Fylia was finally coming.

“…I’m not really fond of these kinds of clothes though.”

“You mustn’t say such things. Lady Fylia is coming today, after all.”

At the servant’s words, I nodded slightly.

My older brothers looked at me and snickered.

“That doesn’t even fit you.”

“You’re wearing that and still going to stand in front of Lady Fylia? As expected of a good-for-nothing.”

The two older brothers mocked me like that.

…My family forced me to attend this event just to ridicule me. Normally, they’d ignore me.

Well, the clothes I’m wearing were apparently made a little while ago. So they’re a bit tight on me now.

I’ve built up my body and gotten bigger compared to the past.

Sighing, I let their insults pass.

Those older brothers seemed to be thinking about Lady Fylia.

“If she takes a liking to me, I might even end up engaged to her…”

“Lady Fylia hasn’t chosen a fiancé yet, right? I’ve got a chance too.”

As I thought, they were aiming for a relationship with Lady Fylia.

I don’t think it’ll go that smoothly. But while I was thinking that, my family turned their eyes toward the gate.

…It seems she’s arrived.

She probably used a teleportation stone. Lady Fylia was accompanied by several guards. She was walking toward us.

One of the guards… looked familiar.

Was it Ael? In the main game, she was a former knight captain imprisoned in a dungeon.

That was because she was accused of failing to protect Lady Fylia. And she had been confined in prison.

She appeared as a guest in the party partway through. So I remembered her face.

Even so, Lady Fylia… her beauty is remarkable. In the main game, she’s the older sister of the second princess who joins the party. So of course she’s stunning.

While I was vaguely thinking that, Lady Fylia came up to us.

Immediately, we all bowed our heads. Lady Fylia spoke.

“Please raise your heads.”

As instructed, we all looked up. Then, my father began to speak.

“Thank you very much for coming all this way today.”

“No, I simply wanted to see how the hunting here is going. I’m looking forward to working with you today.”

“Yes, of course. When the soldiers heard Lady Fylia was coming, they were all fired up.”

No, no, the soldiers were all full of fear, weren’t they?

They’re being made to act as escorts for Lady Fylia and hunt in the Forest of Rebellion — the mental burden must be overwhelming.

And on top of that, they still have to perform their daily tasks like patrolling the town, investigating the surroundings, and training as usual.

If they don’t even get a special allowance, it’s not worth it. But no one in my family seems to understand that.

“Is that so? I’ve heard the soldiers of the Validor family are of high quality. I’m looking forward to seeing them.”

Lady Fylia smiled. But her gaze felt somewhat probing.

…Something feels off. Her visit was sudden too… She might have a specific goal.

As I was thinking that, Lady Fylia’s eyes turned toward me. Our eyes met for a moment. And she smiled.

“You’re Reis, aren’t you?”

“…Huh?”

“Ael and your corps captain Zangell are acquaintances… I’ve heard from them that you’ve been diligently training with the sword every day.”

“…I see.”

Well, Zangell was a former vice-captain of the Royal Knights. So it wouldn’t be strange for them to be connected.

I was a little surprised by how friendly she was unexpectedly speaking to me.

My family seemed to be surprised too. They had just given orders to have me trained with the sword. For them, this must’ve been unexpected.

Lady Fylia took one step closer and brought her face near mine.

“Let’s definitely, later, have a full-power! Sword match…!”

There was a kind of strength in her voice. Though she was smiling, there was an overwhelming intensity that left no room to refuse.

“Y-Yes, ma’am…”

“Give it your all. Forget the fact that I’m the First Princess — and fight me with everything you’ve got, like it’s a fight to the death…!”

Um, could you not let your eyes go bloodshot? It’s scary.

We moved to the training grounds.

There, the soldiers were training.

“This is…!”

Ael spoke in a surprised tone.

Maybe it was because she was watching the soldiers spar in mock battle format.

Today, Reem, Boril, and a few other soldiers were participating.

…They were forces that Reem brought together. Reem had been teaching what she learned here to the villagers. And that had apparently raised their combat level quite a bit.

It was said they likely wouldn’t fall behind even against High Wolves anymore.