The Villainous Noble Son Wants to Capture His Stepsister! - Chapter 12

Since my reincarnation, I had dedicated myself to the pursuit of becoming the ideal older brother—studying, swordsmanship, magic, and even dieting.

That said, even a future ideal older brother needed a break sometimes.

So occasionally, I would head into town to unwind.

And every time, I encountered… the townspeople desperately avoiding eye contact with me.

Right.

Sometimes, I forgot, but… I was still a villain.

Before I reincarnated as Kraut, the previous version of him had kicked children just for crossing his path, dined and dashed without a second thought, and outright destroyed merchandise at stores.

Honestly, it was no wonder people looked away.

It stung, though.

To change my image, I had started focusing on charity work about a year ago.

Of course, in theory, nobles were supposed to uphold the spirit of noblesse oblige—helping those in need.

But in practice?

Only a small handful of nobles actually cared.

Most aristocrats believed their duty was to eat fine food and wear expensive clothes.

For reference—my own parents were a prime example.

So, when Kraut of House Veltheim suddenly started philanthropy, most people dismissed it as:

“That foolish son is just being fickle again.”

Honestly, I really understood how the boy who cried wolf must have felt.

So, I took a different approach.

I started doing charity work anonymously.

I selected a few trusted retainers and servants to assist, organizing support for orphanages and food distributions in the slums.

For the official representative’s name?

I chose “Nard Otaku.”

Yeah. Turns out, I lacked talent not only in swords and magic but also naming things.

As for funding?

That was the easy part.

I simply squeezed the money out of all the embezzlers siphoning funds.

When I started digging, I found an entire brotherhood of fraudsters.

A massive family, really.

Honestly, with my lazy, neglectful father, I wasn’t surprised.

But I had survived university entrance exams in my past life.

Did these idiots seriously think they could get away with such basic forgery?

Not on my watch.

And today—

I was finally visiting the orphanage reconstruction project, which had just been completed.

◇

“Lord Kraut… thank you so much for everything.”

Inside the carriage, across from me, sat a petite maid who lowered her head in gratitude.

Her name was Laps.

A servant of the Veltheim household, she had grown up in the very orphanage we were heading to.

She wasn’t what you’d call a striking beauty, but she had an innocent charm that made you want to protect her.

Definitely the type to have a secret fan club.

Since Laps had played a key role in managing the orphanage support, I had asked her to accompany me today.

“There’s no need to thank me. If anything, I should apologize for not knowing about the orphanage’s hardships sooner as the next Duke.”

At my words, Laps slowly shook her head.

Her short bob of light brown hair swayed gently.

“That’s not true, Lord Kraut. Everyone turned a blind eye, yet you were the only one who extended a helping hand. You are truly a noble among nobles!”

…No.

That wasn’t it.

I did this to fix my reputation, not out of pure altruism.

Of course, if I saw someone in trouble, I’d help them.

But this wasn’t some selfless act of nobility.

Still, how could I possibly tell Laps that—when she was looking at me with such sparkling eyes?

Come on.

I was a former Japanese person. We don’t say no to this.

Ah.

I could feel Heliotrope’s exasperated gaze beside me.

Listen, lady, you try holding up under this shoujo manga-level sparkle attack!

For today’s trip, we weren’t using the Veltheim family’s flashy carriage.

Instead, we were in a larger but more understated vehicle, with mesh curtains covering the windows for discretion.

Because today, I wasn’t traveling as Kraut.

I was going by my alias, Nard—

The heir to a certain merchant company.

…Yeah.

It was another chuunibyou-level setting I had created.

At this point, I might as well start a “justice-for-the-people” journey.

Although, knowing my luck, I’d end up as the villain getting purged.

Aah, such is fate.

After a while, the carriage reached the outskirts of town.

Through the window, a brand-new building came into view.

The orphanage was about the size of a small noble estate, with a grand two-story structure and gleaming white walls.

As the carriage stopped, Laps, Heliotrope, and I stepped out.

From within the orphanage, a young woman came running toward us.

“You came, Laps!”

“Kizalis!”

Laps and Kizalis embraced happily.

It seemed they knew each other.

Given their ages, they had probably grown up together at the orphanage.

Kizalis had an outgoing energy, with a bright smile that made her seem like the type who could befriend anyone in no time.

She was likely the kind of person who had a secret fan club, just like Laps, but for completely different reasons.

“Ahem. Laps, your master is still in the carriage.”

“Ah…! My deepest apologies!”

At Heliotrope’s pointed remark, Laps visibly paled.

I wasn’t the type to get mad over something like this, but technically, we were on duty.

“I—I was the one who called out to her! Please forgive me!”

Kizalis hurriedly lowered her head in apology.

She probably thought Laps would be punished because of her.

She also looked pale.

Relax, you two. I’m not a tyrant.

“Our master is not the kind of person to punish someone over something so trivial. You have nothing to worry about.”

“However, Laps, as a maid, you must always remain aware of your duties.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Ah, thank you very much!”

Well said, Heliotrope. Nothing more to add here.

Although…

Wasn’t this the same woman who once tried to chop off my head?

What happened to her sense of duty as a maid?

…Just kidding.

That one was entirely past-Kraut’s fault, so I’d appreciate it if she stopped glaring at me.

“So, um… the person inside the carriage is…?”

Now that she was reassured that Laps wasn’t in trouble, Kizalis started stealing glances at the carriage.

She was obviously curious about the benefactor of the orphanage—”Nard.”

Finally, my moment had arrived.

I was about to make my grand entrance…

Why was I suddenly feeling nervous?

“Yes, the person inside is the one who has been supporting this orphanage—”

Just as Heliotrope was about to introduce me—

“Oi! That guy, Nard, is in that carriage, huh!?”

A loud voice rudely interrupted my big moment.

Suddenly, a group of thugs appeared, swaggering toward us like they owned the place.

…The hell?

What’s with these guys?

And more importantly—

Why are they barging in on my dramatic reveal!?