The Villain's Reincarnation – Tired of Working Hard, I'm Slacking Off! The Peacefully Oblivious Slacker Avoids Ruin! - Chapter 31

“So… another version of yourself, huh? I see.”

Master didn’t laugh at my far-fetched story, nor did he deny it. He simply listened—and accepted it.

Thanks to that, I was able to share as much as I could honestly.

Of course, I couldn’t say everything. I still couldn’t bring myself to admit that I wanted him to praise me.

“And? What do you want to do about this other version of yourself?”

“…I don’t know. I don’t even know who she is.”

This had never happened before.

She claimed she was freed by Master—so it’s likely she came into being after I met him.

Since coming here, my days had been a whirlwind of change.
Something like this happening now wasn’t so surprising, really.

Still, I didn’t know what she felt. I didn’t know what she was thinking.
I knew… nothing.

“Hm. Then isn’t the answer simple?”

“Simple…?”

Master already seemed to know what needed to be done. And so, he told me:

“You need to try to understand her.”

“….”

“What’s with that surprised look? Did I say something strange?”

“Oh—no, it’s just… I didn’t expect that. I thought… if it were you, Master, you’d already know exactly who she was.”

“…Who even is that version of me you’re imagining?”

Master looked almost offended by the idea.

“Honestly, I’m curious what kind of image of me you’ve built up… but it’s probably better if I don’t ask.”

He waved the idea away as though he’d rather pretend it never came up.

“For the record, I can’t perfectly measure or understand people. Not at all.”

He said it with a refreshing honesty that left no room for doubt.

“But… why do you say that?”

Master always seemed to see through people—to understand them and act accordingly.
It was clear that he had a remarkable ability to read others.

“Because people carry possibilities that go far beyond what I can imagine—both good and bad.”

“Possibilities… beyond imagination…”

“Yeah. That’s what I believe. After all, the world doesn’t limit us—we do. It’s us who make assumptions and close ourselves off.”

“…”

He was right.

The world doesn’t judge us. It only reflects the consequences of our actions. That’s why there’s no real way to prove something is impossible. And because of that, we can say infinite possibilities exist.

But we—humans—tend to draw conclusions only within the bounds of what we understand.
If I borrowed Master’s words, it’s because we can’t process too much meaning at once.

And yet, Master always keeps in mind that there are no absolutes.
He accepts that his judgments might be flawed. That flexibility—his refusal to shut the door on new possibilities—is one of the reasons his insight is so exceptional.

Today, I learned another reason why Master is such a remarkable person.

“There’s proof of this too—something the people before us have already shown.”

“Proof…?”

“Yes. If I had to give the most convincing example, it would be the hero who saved the world by defeating the Demon King—the one no one believed could ever be defeated.”

“!!”

Master was speaking of a tale known by all: the story of the great founding king of the Justina Kingdom and his legendary companions.

Long ago, there had been a Demon King—a tyrant of destruction and slaughter.

Nation after nation fell to his power. Even the greatest alliance in history, forged from the world’s strongest heroes gathered across every land, couldn’t defeat him. They were annihilated—utterly crushed—proving to the world that this Demon King was not only undefeatable, but the embodiment of despair.

It was the darkest age in history. With 80% of the human realm lost to the Demon King and his monstrous army, humanity could do nothing but wait for extinction.

Everyone had given up. No one believed the Demon King could be beaten.
Hope was gone.

And then—a single boy spoke up.

“I’ll defeat the Demon King. I’ll build a world where everyone can laugh and live facing forward.”

At first, no one believed him.

Of course they didn’t. Even those far stronger, far greater than him had failed—despite joining forces across races and borders.

No one thought a powerless boy could succeed where even the mightiest had fallen.

Everyone believed defeating the Demon King was impossible.

The boy was shunned, treated like a fool.
But the light in his eyes never faded.

He never gave up. Slowly, steadily, he chipped away at despair, facing it bit by bit, loss by loss.

And eventually, four companions gathered around him.

Those four would later become known as the First Companions. They stood by the boy’s side, helped seal the Demon King, pledged their loyalty even afterward, and eventually became the Four Great Noble Houses of the Justina Kingdom.

The boy and the First Companions, after a fierce and desperate battle, delivered humanity’s first victory against the demons—following countless defeats after the fall of the Allied Forces.

That day would later be remembered as the Day of Beginning, named after the declaration the boy made just before the battle.

From that moment on, the boy and his companions would become the spearhead of humanity’s counteroffensive against the Demon King and his army.

After a long and grueling war, the boy finally succeeded in sealing the Demon King. And to fulfill the promise he made that day, he crowned himself king, united the lands destroyed by the Demon King, and founded the massive kingdom that still stands to this day—the Justina Kingdom.

It was a story that proved, more than anything else, that nothing is impossible, and that humanity holds boundless potential.

“Well, that’s why… I don’t know everything. And just because I have thoughts or theories doesn’t make them absolute,” Master said with a wry smile. “Actually, I don’t know most things at all. So don’t think of me as some flawless superhuman, okay? Just think of me as a lazy, unreliable guy who slacks off a lot.”

“Master…”

Master was kind.

He really looked at me. And when he saw I was about to go down the wrong path, he would gently guide me—lowering himself if needed, so I wouldn’t feel overwhelmed or pressured.

“Yes, I understand, Master.”

With gratitude in my heart, I smiled from ear to ear.

“As long as you understand, that’s what matters most,” he replied. “Anyway, since I don’t know anything about her, I can’t say I understand the problem itself. And if I don’t understand the problem, there’s no point in thinking about how to solve it.”

“That’s why… the first step is to understand what the problem is—in other words, to get to know the other me, right?”

“Exactly. That’s what I believe. But don’t forget—this is just one opinion. In the end, the decision is yours to make.”

“Yes. I’ll think it through carefully and decide for myself.”

He didn’t impose. He encouraged me to come to my own conclusions.

That was something Master always made sure to do—and because of that, I knew without a doubt that it was for my sake.

And maybe that’s why his kindness made me so happy—and made me want to respond to it in kind.

“Oh, and one more thing—I want to give you this.”

With a flick of his hand, Master summoned the small sword I had used during our first-day sparring match.

It had been modified since then—the grip and hilt adjusted for easier handling.

“After this, the Knight Commander will be training with you. You’ve been doing some sword practice, right? So this is the perfect chance to let him watch you and give you some advice. That might even help you learn more about yourself.”

“…I don’t know how to thank you. Truly—thank you, Master.”

I bowed deeply and expressed my gratitude.

“You’re very welcome. Just don’t push yourself too hard, all right? I only arranged this because I thought it might help you have a meaningful experience. When the time comes, prioritize whatever you feel is most important.”

Ah… I could truly understand now—why so many people hold Master in such deep regard.

“Yes!”

And with that, our breakfast came to an end.