The Villain's Reincarnation – Tired of Working Hard, I'm Slacking Off! The Peacefully Oblivious Slacker Avoids Ruin! - Chapter 12

“Who’s there?”

I called out to the girl in a maid’s uniform, who was peeking at me from behind the entrance to the garden.

(That’s strange. There shouldn’t be any maids around at this hour.)

Feeling a slight sense of unease, I got out of bed. The maid, realizing she had been caught, stepped forward hesitantly.

“U-Um…”

“Yes?”

(That’s not the designated uniform.)

The estate’s maids all had specific uniforms to indicate their affiliation. However, the one she was wearing was different.

(A new recruit? No, that can’t be right.)

Because of my involvement in the preparations for the inspection, I had become well-acquainted with the staff. I knew for a fact that no new maids had been hired.

(Which means she’s an outsider… but an outsider? Here???)

At this point, there was only one possible explanation.

(C-C-C-Could it be… that maid is connected to the First Princess!?!?)

A cold sweat ran down my back.

(No way! That’s impossible! Why!? C-Calm down! Breathe, just breathe!)

I exhaled deeply, forcing myself to stay calm.

(It’s fine. It’s totally fine! She’s a connection to the First Princess, but she’s not the First Princess herself! I’m still safe!)

Yes.

My goal was simply to avoid meeting the First Princess—her associates didn’t count.

So I was still in the clear.

My efforts weren’t wasted.

(Still, what’s she doing here? She should know that wandering around the estate is risky.)

No, this wasn’t the time to be analyzing that. Before things got even more complicated, I had to send her back where she belonged.

If I hesitated and someone else showed up, it would only make matters worse. First, I needed to remove her from the garden, then I could come up with a plan.

But just as I was about to escort her out, something caught my attention.

(…Huh? This maid… has an absurd amount of divine energy. What the hell?)

Thanks to my affinity for magic and my natural connection with spirits, I could sense power far more acutely than most.

Which was why I could immediately tell—this maid possessed an overwhelming amount of divine energy.

(She’s not consciously suppressing it. More like… she’s unaware of it. It feels like an unawakened power, which makes it harder to detect.)

That aside—why would a maid have divine energy in the first place?

Since this was a world like a story, such a twist could be possible.

But if my memory served me correctly, there was no character in the original manga with power like this.

More importantly, this kind of energy… felt like something only royalty would possess.

(…Wait. Royalty?)

A sudden realization struck me, and my thoughts ground to a halt.

(Royalty… Royalty… No, no way…)

I turned to look at the maid again, trying to disprove the absurd idea forming in my head.

She had an exceptionally refined appearance. Her hair was immaculate, not a single strand out of place. Even just standing there, her posture exuded grace, as if she had been meticulously trained in etiquette.

(…Two strikes?)

It wasn’t three yet.

So that meant she wasn’t the First Princess in disguise… right?

I mean, there was no way the First Princess would sneak into the estate under a false identity and explore on her own.

That would be ridiculous.

Maybe my mind was starting to deteriorate from overthinking.

I needed to get her out of here before things got more complicated.

Just as I steeled myself to do so—my communication stone rang.

“What is it? Did something happen?”

Communication stones, which allowed long-distance conversations, were rare and highly valuable. Only three people had them: the Captain of the Knights, the Chamberlain in charge of overseeing the First Princess’s escort, and the official representative of the bureaucrats.

And the one contacting me now—was the Knight Captain.

“Nothing has happened yet, but I wanted to inform you of something, Young Master.”

“Did you notice something suspicious?”

“It’s just my intuition, so I can’t say for certain… but there’s a possibility that the First Princess is an impostor.”

“…”

(Oh wow, what a coincidence!!! I was just thinking the exact same thing!!! What are the odds?!? Incredible!!!)

Maintaining my best poker face, I responded calmly.

“Thank you for the report. I will handle this matter personally and take full responsibility for it.

Continue your surveillance and do not inform anyone else for now. If you obtain solid evidence or notice anything unusual, report it immediately.

Regardless of whether she is real or fake, security must remain at maximum vigilance.

Of course, I highly doubt a member of the royal family would do something so reckless… but just in case, we must be prepared. Do not let your guard down for even a second.”

“Understood, Young Master.”

With that, the communication ended.

(…That’s three strikes, isn’t it?)

My mind refused to accept it.

I didn’t want to believe it. I couldn’t believe it.

This was too absurd.

Was my hard work really about to be undone by this ridiculous turn of events?

No. No, not yet.

(The Knight Captain only suspects it. It hasn’t been confirmed yet!)

Yes.

This was like Schrödinger’s cat.

Until it was confirmed that the maid was actually the First Princess, she only might be the First Princess—
Which meant she wasn’t the First Princess!

In other words, you are a maid!!!

Yes, that’s it! This is the reality I’m going with!

Stacking one absurd logic on top of another, I convinced myself to recognize her as just a maid and turn my eyes away from reality.

“A-Are you Lord Kaito Mitsurugi?”

“Uh… yeah, that’s me.”

Just as I was desperately trying to escape from reality, she apparently decided to speak to me.

“Lord Kaito, I am Mary Forster, a lady-in-waiting to the First Princess.

I am terribly ashamed, but since this is my first time here, I lost my way and ended up wandering into this place.

As a result, I unintentionally roamed where I shouldn’t have. My sincerest apologies.”

After introducing herself, she swiftly apologized for her actions.

(Not a bad response.)

Instead of making a clumsy excuse, she gave a reasonable-sounding explanation and immediately apologized.

By sincerely and promptly admitting her mistake, she minimized any potential suspicion.

(I could poke some holes in her story, but given how well she’s handling this, she probably has counterarguments prepared. Besides, I don’t want to escalate this. I should just let it slide.)

Of course, I had my doubts.

This estate was large, but was it really that easy to get lost? And even if she had lost her way, how did she specifically end up here?

But none of that mattered—because she was a harmless maid.

And I, being the benevolent man that I was, would smile and let it go.

“I understand the situation. I’ll overlook it this time.”

“Thank you very much.”

With that, this matter was settled.

All that was left was to escort this maid back to where she belonged and erase this entire encounter from existence.

“You probably still don’t know your way around, so I’ll escort you.”

“Ah, thank you. However… um…”

“Hm? Something bothering you?”

She looked a bit hesitant, which made me frown slightly.

“Well… I was told that Lord Kaito had duties far more important than the royal family’s presence. Is it really alright for you to spend time with me?”

(…Oh, crap.)

The excuse.

I had been so fixated on avoiding the First Princess, making sure the inspection proceeded smoothly, and coming up with the easiest way to handle things that I never actually thought too deeply about the reasoning I gave.

And now, thanks to my chronic laziness, I was in big trouble.

(Past me!!! Why the hell did you slack off on this part?!?!? You lazy bastard!!!)