The Villain's Reincarnation – Tired of Working Hard, I'm Slacking Off! The Peacefully Oblivious Slacker Avoids Ruin! - Chapter 16

“Liona, never forget this. A king exists because of the people. That is why a king must dedicate themselves to the people.”

“Yes, I will never forget, Mother.”

Even now, I still remember those words.

“Mother! Please, you must rest. I will take over your duties!”

“Cough, cough… Thank you, Liona. But I understand my own condition. Resting will not change my fate. That is why I want to continue until the very end.”

“Mother…”

Even as her body was ravaged by illness, she dedicated herself to the people until her very last breath.

“Isabelle…”

“Mother…”

I still remember her noble resolve—how she gave her life for the people.

“Father, I will carry on Mother’s will.”

“Liona…”

Yes, I must continue fighting for the people. I must protect their peace, even at the cost of my own life.

That is why… That is why I must never, ever become someone who harms the people, who drags them down—

“Such a thing must never happen!”

With a loud cry, Liona jolted awake.

“Huh? Where am I…?”

At some point, I had ended up on a soft, fluffy bed.

“You’re awake.”

“Master…”

With a slight twitch in his expression, my master calmly placed the book he had been reading onto the desk and looked at me.

“What… was I doing?”

“You just dozed off for a bit. I assume it was due to mental exhaustion. Well, I was a little surprised when I realized you’d fallen asleep.”

“Ah, I… I troubled you again!”

Ever since meeting my master, I have done nothing but make a fool of myself.

I lost in a duel and cried like a child, was taken care of by my master, and now, to top it all off, I had fallen asleep in his presence—such disgraceful behavior.

At this point, I am no longer just a failure of the royal family—I am a disgrace to the entire kingdom.

A war criminal who cannot even protect the people, nothing but worthless trash. Before I make any more mistakes—

“Master, please… kill m—ow!”

A sharp pain struck my forehead, like the sting of a flick.

“That kind of talk is forbidden. I’m tired of hearing it.”

“Tired… of hearing it?”

With an exasperated expression, my master stared at me.

“But I… I’ve been nothing but a burden… so discourteous… Ow!”

Once again, I was struck by a magical flick to the forehead.

“I just told you it’s forbidden.”

“But…”

“No ‘buts.’ Saying depressing things all the time won’t change anything.”

“That may be true, but… I must devote myself to the people, and yet, all I do is embarrass myself and hold them back. If I am nothing but a burden, then it would be better if I just—ow!”

Another flick.

“You really don’t learn, do you?”

“Ugh… I’m sorry. I’m so usele—ow!”

I placed a hand on my forehead. That was the fourth flick in such a short time.

Master sighed as he looked at me.

“You keep saying ‘for the people, for the people,’ but tell me—how does erasing yourself from existence help them in any way?”

“Because all I do is cause trouble for everyone. If I disappear quickly, it will be better for them.”

“So you’re not even going to try to make up for your mistakes?”

“…!! That… I…”

His sharp words pierced straight into my heart.

“If you disappear now, then who will make up for the damage you’ve caused?”

“But… there’s no way I could ever fix things…”

Yes, no matter how hard I tried now, I would only make the same mistakes and cause even more trouble for everyone.

“That’s how you feel right now. But people change, Liona. Even if you’re no good now, the future you—one who has changed—might be able to do it.”

“!! But no matter how hard I try to make up for things now, I’ll never be able to fix everything!”

People can change—but it’s not that simple. I can never undo what I’ve done.

If that’s the case, then before I cause even more damage—

“Where exactly are you looking when you say that?”

“…Huh?”

Something about Master’s words felt… off. It was as if we were seeing completely different things.

“Aren’t you only talking about this one mission?”

“Well… yes, I suppose…”

For the first time, my master’s words made me realize that I had been speaking solely about this inspection.

“Is your dedication to the people limited only to this inspection? That can’t be right.”

“This inspection is merely one step toward achieving your ideal future, isn’t it?”

“!!”

His words made it crystal clear—I finally understood the source of the unease I had felt earlier.

I had only been focusing on what was directly in front of me. But my master was looking ahead, toward the future he wanted to achieve.

He was speaking from the perspective of the future.

“Let me ask you again—do the failures of this inspection make it impossible for you to achieve your ideal future?”

“I… I don’t know.”

I couldn’t say it was irreversible, but I couldn’t say it wasn’t either.

“I don’t know what to do… I’m completely useless—ow!”

Another flick to the forehead.

I could feel a firm resolve from my master—he absolutely refused to let me say those words.

“Negative talk is forbidden. Understood?”

“Y-yes.”

Pressed by his indescribable presence, I nodded in agreement.

“Now, back to our conversation. From what I gather, you don’t know what to do next. You’re uncertain if you have the strength to achieve your ideals. Is that right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

My master’s words made me fully aware of my current state.

But even so, I couldn’t think of a way forward.

“What… what should I do?”

Without realizing it, I found myself asking him.

“That’s for you to think about, search for, and discover on your own.”

“Ugh, right… I’m sorry. I’m such an id—ow!”

With a tired look in his eyes, my master flicked my forehead again.

“For now, I’ll look after you during this inspection. Use this time to think—to figure out how you should move forward.”

“Wait, but I can’t possibly trouble you any more than I alread—ow!”

Another flick.

It wasn’t particularly painful, but since he used magic, there was no warning—it always came out of nowhere, making me jump every time.

(If you’re going to do it, at least warn me first…)

Even as I nursed this small complaint in my heart, I looked up at him.

“Honestly… do you even remember why you came here in the first place?”

“…To inspect the Mitsurugi family’s territory.”

“That’s right. You’re here on an inspection. Which means my duty, as the one overseeing this land, is to properly host you.”

He spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“I… I’m sorry for causing unnecessary tro—ow!”

Another flick.

And yet, my master had a strangely gentle look on his face—one that reminded me of my mother when she used to comfort me.

“Listen, when someone does something for you, the first thing you should do is thank them.

“Receiving help isn’t a bad thing.

“And apologies should be used to express genuine remorse—not as a means to belittle yourself, seek pity, or beg for forgiveness.”

His words sank effortlessly into my mind.

It was a strange sensation.

But more than that…

His words had real meaning. They carried weight. They made me feel like he was right.

And maybe that’s why…

The words came naturally.

“Yes. Thank you for teaching me, Master.”

I expressed my gratitude to him.

For some reason, it felt good to say it.

“Can we do something about that ‘Master’ title…?”

“?”

He mumbled something under his breath, but I couldn’t catch what he said.

As I tilted my head in confusion, he stood up.

“I’ll give you a little more time to compose yourself. Once you’re ready, get dressed—we’re heading out.”

“Heading out?”

Not understanding why we needed to go outside, I asked for clarification.

“That’s right. You’re here for an inspection, aren’t you? Then we need to check out the town as well.”