The Villain's Reincarnation – Tired of Working Hard, I'm Slacking Off! The Peacefully Oblivious Slacker Avoids Ruin! - Chapter 32

In the same garden where I had first met Master, I now stood face-to-face with Lord Iwaya, the Captain of the Knights, engaged in a mock battle with wooden swords.

I launched a series of refined strikes—techniques I had honed carefully—but unlike Master, Lord Iwaya responded with delicate and precise movements, expertly parrying each blow.

(He’s this skilled at parrying, too!?)

This was our third match.

Lord Iwaya didn’t simply block my attacks; his elegant swordsmanship subtly redirected each strike, guiding them in a way that made it increasingly difficult for me to maintain my grip.

(Oh no—my strength…!)

The combination of his offense and defense was masterful. For just an instant, my grip faltered.

And in that fleeting moment, Lord Iwaya acted.

In one seamless movement, he entwined his blade with mine and sent it flying from my hands.

“One more round… please.”

“Of course. I don’t mind.”

And so, I clashed swords with him again. And again.

“O-One more… if you would…”

“No, that’s enough for today. We’ve been going for three, maybe four hours now. You might not have noticed, but your stamina has completely run out.”

“…Yes, you’re right.”

The moment he pointed it out, I realized just how little strength remained in my legs. I collapsed on the spot, my body no longer able to support me.

(I couldn’t land a single hit…)

Because of Master’s encouragement—and the wooden sword he had specially prepared—I had naturally ended up sparring with Lord Iwaya.

As expected of a Knight Commander, he was unbelievably strong.

In our very first exchange, he’d read my intent just from my initial movements, and with a single, precise strike, had disarmed me before I even began my assault.

In the matches that followed, he took points from me in various ways—subtle changes in footwork, deceptive grips, careful manipulation of weight. All without ever injuring me.

(Even Dorothy never handled me this effortlessly…)

Even Dorothy, who had always trained with me, had never been able to suppress my flurry of strikes like this.

“Here—some water and a towel. Please, take them.”

“Thank you…”

Unable to move, I could only accept as Lord Iwaya handed them to me himself.

“You’re incredibly strong.”

“Thank you for the compliment. As Commander of the Knights who protect the frontier, I’m relieved I was able to demonstrate the level of strength expected of me.”

“You’re being too modest, my lord. You’re not just a frontier knight. You serve directly as the personal guard of the future head of House Mitsurugi. That alone speaks volumes. Even Dorothy couldn’t deflect my strikes as effortlessly as you just did.”

I meant it as praise.

But Lord Iwaya tilted his head slightly, as if puzzled. He seemed to think for a moment, then turned back to me with a faint, resigned smile.

“…It seems there are a few misunderstandings I should clear up. However, some of what I’m about to say must remain strictly confidential. Will you promise not to share it with anyone?”

“…Yes. I swear. As one who serves the Justina Kingdom, I vow upon the Light of Purity to never speak a word of what I hear.”

I still didn’t know what kind of misunderstanding he meant.

But I could feel that he was about to tell me something important—something that involved taking a risk.

So I swore the highest oath I could offer.

The Light of Purity—Kekkō—is the symbol of the Justina Kingdom itself.

Defeating the Demon King alone wasn’t enough to end the Dark Era.

With 80% of the human world destroyed, scattered peoples, cultures, and races were pushed into the remaining 20% of livable territory. As conflict naturally arose, humanity still couldn’t unite—even with extinction looming.

After the Demon King was sealed and lost lands were reclaimed, what followed wasn’t peace—but a brutal struggle over territory, as bl00d was repaid with bl00d.

Peace was nowhere in sight.

That’s why the First King had all who followed him—including the First Companions—swear a vow:

“Let the past be washed away. From now on, we fight for peace.”

To cleanse the dark era. To begin again from zero. To build a new, unified world. That vow became the shining light in the darkness, the Light of Purity—and it was the First King who gave it that name.

Today, the Justina Kingdom stands as the world’s largest nation—a land of many races and cultures.
It exists because so many people, beginning with the First Companions, upheld that vow, overcoming hardships together.

And so, for one who serves the Kingdom, to swear upon the Light of Purity is to make an absolute vow—one that binds your soul to the future of the nation itself.

Lord Iwaya clearly understood the weight of my words. He bowed his head and began to speak.

“First… what I’d like to clarify, and keep between us, is this: We were not chosen to serve Lord Kaito. We simply happened to be nearby when he arrived. Nothing more. We’re not the kind of elite retainers you might be imagining.”

“…”

The answer left me stunned.

“I don’t know what kind of educational policy House Mitsurugi follows. But as far as I’m aware, Lord Kaito was never assigned a formal tutor. Our only instructions were to follow his orders—and to let him do as he pleased.”

“Then… that means…”

“Yes, as you’ve likely guessed. Despite being the heir to House Mitsurugi, Lord Kaito was given almost nothing. The position he holds now—he built it almost entirely on his own.”

It was hard to believe.

The Master I knew—strong, wise, and kind—had grown up without the support he deserved.
His relationship with House Mitsurugi… was far more twisted than I had imagined.

“That’s all I needed to say in confidence. Now, moving on—this is only a guess, but I believe Lady Dorothy has been holding back. Based on what I’ve observed these past two days, if my eyes are not mistaken, she’s quite capable of doing what I did.”

“…What?”

The words left me speechless.

Of course, I never believed Dorothy had been going all out during our training sessions. I wasn’t so full of myself as to assume I was that strong.

But she always seemed to struggle at least a little. Her movements carried a sense of difficulty, and her expressions showed effort.

Unlike Lord Iwaya, who had responded with such ease and composure, Dorothy had appeared genuinely pressed.

If Lord Iwaya’s words were true, then Dorothy must have been pretending to struggle for my sake.

“W-Why… would she do something like that?”

“To protect you, I believe.”

“…??”

That made even less sense. Why go so far as to act? What reason would she have to go to such lengths?

“After crossing swords with you, I understand now. Your greatest flaw… is that you pursue your ideals too strongly. To put it more precisely—you don’t allow yourself to be weak.”

“…I don’t really understand what’s so wrong about that.”

I had something I wanted to achieve. And for that, I was still far too lacking. I had to work harder than anyone else—many times harder.

There was no way I could allow myself to be weak.

“Because you can’t accept weakness, you refuse to stop even when your body reaches its limits. And that narrow focus keeps you from seeing reality, even when you think you’re looking right at it.”

“….”

“When your body was clearly exhausted, you still wanted to continue training—unable to forgive your own weakness. And when cornered during our match, you immediately chose a reckless approach that risked breaking everything, all just to avoid defeat. It may seem brave and admirable to fight without running, but I ask you to consider—”

Lord Iwaya’s voice grew firm.

“—What part of that leads to a good outcome?”

“…”

“Pushing your body beyond its limits only leads to destruction. Once broken, you can do nothing. Even if you force a win through sheer will, there will always be a price—and if you don’t fully understand that cost, and accept it just to follow your emotions, then what awaits is ruin. In truth, even when you managed to shift the momentum, the consequences of that recklessness kept your sword from reaching its target.”

Calmly, without cruelty, Lord Iwaya evaluated the choices I had made.

“To borrow Lord Kaito’s words: right now, you’re using your ideals and your efforts as an excuse to avoid facing your weakness and your reality.”

“….”

“I believe Lady Dorothy noticed that about you. That’s why she held back—so that you’d feel challenged without pushing yourself too far. Perhaps it was her way of keeping you from overexerting yourself and hurting your body. …Of course, that’s just my speculation. You’d have to ask her to know for sure.”

And yet, I was certain he was right.

Given how others spoke of Dorothy, her personality, and my own skill level—his explanation made far more sense.

(How could I have missed something so important…?)

I clenched my fists.

“When things get too hard, I think it’s okay to run.”

“…What?”

“To borrow Lord Kaito’s words again—running isn’t inherently wrong. For example, if you’re up against an unbeatable foe, it’s better to retreat and report back with the information than to die for pride. What matters is the meaning behind your choices.”

That word—meaning. It had come up again and again in Master’s teachings.

“When people are overwhelmed, their vision narrows, and they lose sight of the best path. Responsibility, effort, endurance—these are all admirable traits. But if they lead you to the wrong decision, then they’ve done more harm than good.”

“….”

“That’s why… I think it’s okay to run. Or rather, in your case—maybe it’s better to say, it’s okay to be kind to yourself.”

“…That…”

I couldn’t answer immediately—not after I’d just rejected that very idea earlier that morning.

“You don’t need to decide right away. What matters is whether you can accept it. Lord Kaito often says that himself. So, take your time and reflect on it—until it truly makes sense to you.”

“…I will.”

And so, carrying a storm of conflicting feelings in my chest, the third day came to a quiet end.