The Villainous Aristocrat's Efforts Led to a Genuine Harem - Episode 5

Episode 5

(Zangell’s Perspective)

I am Zangell Dread, the captain of the military corps stationed at this mansion.

…Recently, Lord Reis asked me to train him in swordsmanship. And honestly, it was a huge pain.

I figured it was just some spoiled noble’s random whim.

So I tried to dodge the request with some smooth excuses, but…

“…To think it would become an official order.”

I let out a sigh.

This morning, the head of the household, Lord Roubel, formally assigned me to train Lord Reis.

I hadn’t expected things to go this far. So all I could do was sigh.

Because… it’s *that* Lord Reis. If he gets hurt, he’ll throw a tantrum. I’m sure he’ll complain that my teaching is bad, too.

Who in their right mind would want to deal with someone like that?

“…Ugh, what a pain.”

As I grumbled, the vice-captain of the corps, Garing, gave me a wry smile.

“Zangell-san, you’re starting Lord Reis’ training today, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Seriously, what’s with him suddenly wanting to learn swordsmanship and magic?”

“…Beats me. But just go easy on him. That one’s a problem child, no less than his parents.”

“…You’re not wrong.”

To be honest, I should probably scold my subordinate for talking like that about the lord’s son.

But truth is, no one in this corps has any real loyalty to House Validor.

The few soldiers who remain here are only staying because they were born in this town and want to protect it.

Their loyalty is to Vale, not the Validor family.

When the time came to start Lord Reis’ training, I sighed yet again—maybe for the hundredth time—and headed to the training grounds.

Next to the Validor family mansion, there’s a barracks and training ground for the corps. We had prepared a corner of the training area where we wouldn’t interfere with regular training.

Now, the question was whether Lord Reis would actually show up.

Honestly, I was hoping he wouldn’t.

But when I got there… he was already waiting.

Surprised, I made a show of hurrying toward him.

As I jogged over, Lord Reis turned to face me.

…He was wearing gear I hadn’t seen before. Probably something bought in town.

A bracelet, necklace, rings, and even his shoes looked like they were combat-grade.

He had a short sword hanging from each side of his waist.

“That equipment…?”

“Hmm? Oh, well, in the game it gives growth bonuses… n-no, I mean, it’s gear that helps maximize the effect of training. Don’t mind it.”

“…Huh?”

What is this guy talking about?

Wearing gear like an adventurer doesn’t *make* you an adventurer.

…Well, I suppose starting with the look isn’t all bad. Whatever.

Lord Reis glanced at me and gave a small bow.

“Well then, let’s begin properly. I’m counting on you starting today.”

He bowed again.

I was a little startled and delayed my reply. …But ignoring him would’ve been terribly rude. So I hurried to respond.

“Y-Yes… Likewise. I look forward to it.”

“Alright, let’s get started right away. We’ll do mock battles mostly. And I’d like you to point out flaws in my movements.”

“…Understood.”

“I’m a total amateur, so I can go all out, right?”

“Yes, I have no problem with that.”

“Great. Then let’s begin.”

Lord Reis gripped the short swords at his hips.

They looked familiar… probably taken from the storage room.

Still, choosing short swords is rare.

I think there were better ones in storage—why those specifically?

Well, he probably can’t tell their quality anyway.

“You’ll be using short swords for training?”

“Yeah, well… they’re the strongest weapons available to non-main characters, after all.”

Main characters?

Is he talking about a play or a novel or something?

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

“…Ah, sorry. Just talking to myself. Anyway, I can attack at will, right?”

Lord Reis hurriedly shifted the topic.

I wasn’t too concerned. So I just nodded without digging deeper.

“Yes, go ahead.”

The moment I said that, Lord Reis kicked off the ground—

—and charged straight at me.

He was faster than I expected.

But his movement was simple.

I parried the short sword’s obvious slash with my own blade, deflecting his body.

“…Are you enhancing your body with magic?”

“…Yeah, I am.”

As I thought.

He’s probably been reading some books and picked it up as knowledge.

Still, it’s unstable.

……….…I really didn’t want to provoke him by pointing things out and making him angry.

But out of habit, I gave him some advice.

“Suppress your mana more. Reinforce your entire body evenly.”

“…Got it.”

From there, Lord Reis listened earnestly to my feedback and kept correcting his form as he repeatedly attacked.

…It’s still the first day. So his movements are only slightly better than a novice’s.

But—he is a member of the Validor family.

I can see traces of talent in his motions.

Just like his grandfather—

The previous head, Lord Rotul.