The World's Strongest and Most Evil Noble Strives Humbly and Diligently ~ Using Knowledge of the Original Story and Unique Magic to Avoid a Destruction End ~ - Chapter 1.1: Reincarnation as the Villain

Chapter 1.1: Reincarnation as the Villain

“—Ah.”

While having lunch, a sudden realization struck me.

This is a fantasy world inside a game.

And I’m not the “protagonist,” but the “villainous noble,” Hollow von Heisenberg.

That astonishing fact sank into my mind surprisingly smoothly.

“…This is bad.”

If my knowledge of the original story is correct, this villainous noble named Hollow is—

Just as my thoughts wandered, the maid serving me bowed her head sharply.

“M-my deepest apologies! I’ll remake the dish immediately to suit your taste, so please forgive me!”

Her face clouded with despair as she repeatedly bowed her head.

“Oh no, that’s not what I meant by ‘bad.’ Sistie, your cooking is very delicious.”

The maid’s name naturally came out of my mouth.

“Y-you remembered my name…! And you’re using formal speech with me!?”

Sistie’s eyes widened in shock, and she took a step back with an expression of disbelief.

(…Oops. That might have been a careless remark.)

Remembering a maid’s name.

Using formal language with a maid.

Both are actions that the original Hollow would never have done.

“I-I need to call the master!”

Her face turned pale as she hurriedly tried to leave the room.

“W-wait, calm down! I’m perfectly normal—”

“Y-you said ‘I’!”

Now that I think about it… Hollow’s personal pronoun was “ore,” not “boku.”

“A-ah, ahem. Ore am perfectly fine. There’s no need to report anything to my father… got it?”

“U-understood.”

She bowed her head deeply.

Once the commotion settled down, I resumed my meal.

Even though I didn’t feel like eating anymore, leaving the food untouched might cause further unnecessary suspicion.

More importantly, it would waste the food she worked so hard to prepare.

“By the way, Sistie, what’s the date today?”

“Uh, it’s March 5th of Holy Calendar Year 1009.”

“I see.”

The original Hollow was born in the year 1000.

That means this body is 9 years old now.

As far as I know, the earliest Hollow dies in the story is at age 11.

That gives me two years of leeway.

(Let’s calm down and assess the situation for now.)

After finishing my lunch, I stood up and looked at Sistie.

“I need to think about something. Don’t let anyone into my room.”

“Are you sure you’re feeling okay—!?”

“I’m fine. Just do your usual work.”

“U-understood.”

She bowed politely, but her face still showed a lack of conviction.

She probably hasn’t completely erased her doubts.

(I need to use ore as my pronoun and stop using polite speech with subordinates… It’ll be tough, but I need to stay consistent.)

Leaving the dining room, I headed straight to my private quarters.

The layout of the Heisenberg mansion was exactly the same as in the game.

Thanks to that, I managed to find my room without getting lost.

After locking the door securely, I collapsed onto the bed.

“…Oh, come on. Is this for real…?”

This world is the setting of the multi-ending RPG Ronzorkia.

It’s a global mega-hit game developed by a collaboration of Japanese corporations and authors.

With the tagline “Everyone’s a protagonist! No NPCs!” every character had their own unique route and countless endings.

“Did I die in the real world? Or has my soul just been transferred here while I’m still alive?”

Well, either way, it doesn’t matter.

I had no lingering attachments to the real world.

Having lost my parents at a young age and being completely alone, Ronzorkia was the only real world I ever knew.

If someone asked, “Are you happy?” my answer would undoubtedly be “Yes.”

The exhilaration bubbling up from within me was so overwhelming I felt like dancing with joy.

But still, there’s one thing I want to say.

“Why! Of all people, did it have to be Hollow!?”

Hollow von Heisenberg.

A genuine genius blessed with talent in swordsmanship, magic, and academics.

But his personality is lazy and arrogant.

Drowning in his own abilities and neglecting effort, he ends up defeated by the protagonist—not just defeated, but destined to die in every possible route.

Hollow is a “walking death flag” whose destruction is inevitable.

And I’ve reincarnated as this villainous noble.

“If I stay like this, I’ll be destroyed. The scripted fate of this ‘scenario’ will kill me.”

If I don’t act quickly, I’ll reach a bad ending in no time.

“…Calm down. Stay rational.”

I sat up and took a deep breath, fully embracing the harsh reality of being reincarnated as Hollow.

“My top priority is—survival.”

The original Hollow was a character hated by the world itself.

From now on, countless trials will come my way, trying to end my life.

(But… I have knowledge of the original story!)

I loved Ronzorkia so much that I poured my entire youth into it.

Of course, I didn’t clear every character’s route, but I covered most of the main ones.

I know exactly how Hollow meets his demise.

(With this knowledge, I’ll break every death flag, avoid countless bad endings, and fully enjoy the beautiful world of Ronzorkia!)

To do that, I need to—

“—Work hard, stay humble, and grow stronger!”

Ronzorkia, like most RPGs, is a world of swords and magic.

To survive here, I need overwhelming individuality and unmatched strength.

Fortunately, the original Hollow is gifted with “the greatest potential,” making him an ideal character in a way.

Of course, his lazy and arrogant nature prevented him from realizing his talents, leading to his early death.

To avoid following in his footsteps, I’ll need to be diligent and humble.

“First, let’s check my stats.”

I decided to verify my “initial stats” before starting my training.

However, no matter how long I waited, no status window appeared.

“In that case—skills.”

Naturally, the skill window didn’t show up either.

“…I see how it is.”

The absence of a status and skill window means…

The Ronzorkia character growth system—① Defeat enemies to gain experience → ② Level up to increase stats and earn skill points → ③ Use skill points to learn new techniques and magic—doesn’t apply here.

So how should I get stronger?

The first thing that comes to mind is raising “proficiency” or “mastery.”

I’ll have to figure out the exact mechanics through training.

“The real question is which path to take.”

Ronzorkia features over 100 professions, including knight, thief, cleric, ranger, and necromancer.

You could become a tamer and command magical beasts, a merchant running a business, or an explorer discovering uncharted territories.

But what I need right now is simple strength.

“That leaves swordsmanship and magic.”

I’ll master the basic professions of swordsman and mage to aim for the advanced class of magic swordsman.

No room for play; I’ll build a setup solely focused on strength.

“Sword or magic—where should I start?”

I plan to master both eventually, but training both simultaneously from the beginning would be inefficient.

It’s better to concentrate on one first, build a solid foundation, and then tackle the other.

(The baptism ceremony takes place at age 10. That means I have just over a year left.)

In that case, it’s best to start with swordsmanship.

Fortunately, the Heisenberg family employs Orvin Dankert, a master swordsman.

Orvin’s swordsmanship skills are top-tier, even in the game.