WeTried Translations

Translator: Nemui

Editor: Nemui

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◈ Reincarnated as the Villain's Heir

Chapter 35: Lilisha Parsifam

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I am Lilisha Parsifam.

The rightful heir of a duke house in the Kingdom of Sailrand.

My father, Branmud, is commander-in-chief of the mage corps and minister of military affairs. One day, I must sit in that seat too.

The word defeat is not permitted in House Parsifam, and I have received strict education since I was young.

The first things I read after becoming aware of the world were not picture books, but books on every kind of study and magic texts.

From morning to night, Mother and Father scolded me over and over, and at times they struck me.

Even so, Father and Mother are splendid people, and I respect them.

They must be guiding me strictly because they are thinking of me.

From table manners to how to speak, I hammered everything thoroughly into my head.

"Lilisha. As long as you were born into this house, defeat is not permitted. Defeat is proof of weakness, and it becomes a brand that will never disappear for your entire life."

I was given tutors summoned from inside and outside the country, and I polished my magic.

Thanks to that, by the time I passed ten years old, I had become stronger than my tutors, and Father praised me for the first time.

I had never felt joy like I felt then.

Victory attracts people.

Losers gain nothing.

I came to believe that even more strongly.

However-

"Lilisha, I still lack strength now, but someday I will guide all of you."

Princess Leticia, whom I met at a party hosted by the royal family, said such a thing to me.

For a while, I could not understand the meaning of those words, and I shook Leticia's hand.

Then, after returning to the mansion, I finally came to my senses.

（Guide all of you? Me? Those soft hands do not have a single callus.）

I had never let go of my staff, day or night.

And yet she had enough leisure to hold carefree parties and show off to nobles.

Royalty must lead such elegant and boring lives.

From that day on, I devoted myself even more to training.

Then I enrolled in the academy and learned defeat for the first time.

Alphys Balfont.

The mysterious House Balfont almost never appeared at royal parties.

Father had always told me over and over that I must not lose to House Balfont alone.

That was why, on the day I lost to Alphys, Father scolded me more harshly than ever before.

You disgrace to this family. Why do you think I raised you?

He struck me again and again, insulted me, and I apologized.

Not long after that, I lost a second duel. Even the Arcane Truth of Magic was broken, and this time I thought I would surely be abandoned.

More than frustration, the panic of being abandoned won out, and I broke down.

But he-

"Yes. Let us become stronger together."

In that instant, something burst inside me.

It felt like a shock I had never experienced before.

After that, I could not stop thinking about him.

Yes, even now.

"The cave ahead is suspicious."

"Why do you think that?"

Right now, I was investigating the abnormality in the exercise field with Alphys.

I was somehow too embarrassed to walk beside him.

"There were no notable monsters on the open plain. The monsters living in the lake have a limited range of activity, and if there is nothing in this forest, the only thing left is the cave."

"N-now that you mention it, yes."

"Are you all right? Is your head not working?"

"Wha-!"

Alphys placed his hand on my forehead.

Being touched by a boy for the first time, I nearly panicked.

The sensation of his slightly firm, warm hand was strangely pleasant.

"Idiot! Do not touch me!"

"Sorry."

I knocked his hand away without thinking, but for some reason, part of me felt disappointed.

It was not as if I wanted him to touch me a little longer.

I am not such an indecent woman.

"Even so, there really are no monsters around. So it is true their numbers are decreasing."

"I do not see the Killer Wolves that ran away earlier either. Could that upperclassman have defeated them?"

"No way. Even if he is all muscle, he is part of the Student Council Executive Division."

"All muscle?"

Alphys began examining the ground carefully.

He was looking at goblin and Killer Wolf footprints and droppings.

After crossing the plain and entering the forest, he pushed through the trees and observed.

"It seems the footprints stop around here. If this were the forest, goblins should have happily attacked us..."

"Are you not scaring them with that pulse thing?"

"I am not releasing anything anymore. Hm? This is..."

Alphys suddenly crouched and stared at the ground.

There was a single trail there.

Was there a long, thin monster like this?

"I see. If the owner of this trail appeared, the monsters in this area would not stand a chance."

"Hey, what is here?"

"A worm. The one that left this trail is still a small individual, but the parent individual probably dug its way underground and reached the exercise field."

"A w-worm..."

I shuddered.

But I absolutely could not let Alphys see that.

"Are you scared?"

"I-I'm not scared! More importantly, where is the worm?"

"Probably in the cave. There is a chance it has made a nest underground and is breeding."

"The cave... You cannot mean we are going inside?"

"Obviously. You have at least this much experience, right?"

For me to say something so strange...

But the words worm and cave made me uneasy.

I did not want to admit it, but I was bad with dark places.

Long ago, when my parents got extremely angry with me, they once locked me in the mansion's basement.

Even now, I could not forget the terror of being locked in that dark, cold basement for an entire night.

Maybe that was when it started. I began learning fire magic because I wanted even a little light.

"Then let us go."

"W-wait!"

"What?"

"No... Waiting until it comes out is also an option."

"They dig underground and expand their nests. If left alone, they could cause ground subsidence and create a major disaster."

All I could do was try to stop my hands from trembling.

If Alphys noticed this, what would he say?

After acting so arrogant, I could not show him such a pathetic side. But...

"Still, a worm, huh? It is quite the opponent."

"That much...?"

"They attack even upper species without fear. The largest individuals can eat dragons to death."

"Then we should call for help!"

I clung desperately to the point.

If he was not stupid, surely he would reconsider-

"But with you here, we can manage somehow."

"Huh..."

Hearing those words, I felt the core of my body loosen.

My body was hot and flushed.

Even when I reached the Arcane Truth of Magic, this had not happened.

I-I will do it. I will do it.

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