The Villainous Noble Who Kept Rewinding After Death: The Story Somehow Changed When I Committed Suicide

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The Villainous Noble Who Kept Rewinding After Death: The Story Somehow Changed When I Committed Suicide

Episode 20: The First Step of the Plan

After exiting the dungeon, we had come to the Adventurers’ Guild to exchange the magical stones.

After handing the magical stones to Sheila-san, we sat in the chairs inside the guild, waiting to be called. During that time, Fiera kept gazing at and stroking the Ice Serpent Gauntlet.

Meanwhile, I was grooming her tail, which must have looked quite ridiculous from an outsider’s perspective.

“Do you like it that much?”

“Yeah. It’s really great. The color is beautiful, and the scales have a certain charm. Plus, I’m just so happy I got it after defeating it.”

Indeed, it was only natural to like an item obtained after such an intense battle. Moreover, it suited Fiera well, and as she said, the color was lovely.

“You’re right. The color matches your beautiful hair and tail, so it looks good on you.”

“Thanks. But it feels like you’re flirting.”

“No way! I would never do something like that.”

“Is it because Iris is here?”

After saying that, Fiera glanced sideways at me with half-squinted eyes.

“No, that’s not it. I just have no interest in romance, to begin with.”

“…I see.”

Fiera turned her gaze back to the gauntlet, but I felt her tail lose some of its energy.

Then there was silence between us, with Fiera continuing to stare at the gauntlet while I just kept grooming her, creating a rather strange atmosphere.

“Eir-san! Fiera-san! Could you come to the reception, please?”

After a while, Sheila-san called us, having finished the exchange, and we headed to the reception area.

“Thank you for waiting! Here’s your reward! What would you like to do with the reward for the Frostbite Basilisk? Would you like to split it between the two of you?”

“No, please give all of it to Fiera.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course! You defeated it, so it’s only natural. I didn’t do anything.”

“…Thanks.”

“Then, here’s your portion, Eir-san, and here’s Fiera-san’s.”

I received the smaller bag placed on the table and stowed it in my bag.

Fiera, not wanting to carry a bag that would hinder her during battles, held onto the bag containing a large amount of money with great care.

“Well then, we’ll be heading back. Thanks for today.”

“Thank you very much!”

“Not at all! I’m just so happy that you two came back safely! Please take care on your way home!”

As we were seen off by Sheila-san, we exited the Adventurers’ Guild and made our way near the inn where Fiera was staying.

“Oh, by the way. I’ll take tomorrow off. Let’s meet the day after.”

“Why?”

“Today we had two boss battles, and you transformed, so you must be tired. Plus, there’s no rush to dive two days in a row. It’s a rest day.”

“…Got it.”

“Alright then, I’m heading home. Make sure to rest up.”

As I said that and tried to leave, Fiera grabbed my arm from behind, stopping me from going.

“What is it? Do you need something else?”

“If you’re free tomorrow, come visit me…”

“Huh? Why would I do that?”

“I want you to groom me.”

“We already did that a lot today! Besides, we don’t need to meet since we’re both off tomorrow.”

“I can’t relax without Eir grooming me. If you say to rest, then groom me and let me relax.”

“That’s just nonsense…”

“And it’s a reward for what I did today. Just a little is fine, so come to see me.”

I didn’t quite understand why she was so attached to me, but it was true that she had worked hard today. I only helped a little during her transformation and when defeating weaker foes, but she had mostly fought on her own.

(But still… why should I cater to her needs?)

As someone only interested in fighting and eternal death, why should I have to act for someone else?

I understood it was a pretty terrible mindset, but I had long since lost any feelings for considering others.

“Ugh. Then why don’t you come to my place?”

“…Eh?”

I pulled out the permit to enter the mansion from my pocket and handed it to Fiera while explaining how to use it.

“Show that permit to the knight at the gate. I’ll tell them you’re coming, so you should be let in. Just tell the butler or maid nearby that you came to see me, and they’ll guide you.”

“…Got it. What time?”

“Do it in the afternoon. I’m going to be lazy tomorrow, so I’ll be sleeping in the morning.”

“Okay. Understood.”

Once Fiera agreed to my plan, she released my arm.

“Well then, I’m really going home now.”

“See you tomorrow.”

“Yep.”

After saying goodbye to Fiera, I wandered into a deserted alley and used flight magic to return to the mansion.

Back in my room, I changed my clothes and collapsed onto the bed.

As I stared at the ceiling aimlessly, I practiced manipulating magic by creating water birds and ice fish while having fun, and then I suddenly remembered something important.

(Ah. How should I introduce Fiera…?)

Whenever I go outside, I create clones with dark magic, so when that happens, I’m supposed to be reading in my room.

Therefore, I hadn’t really left the mansion before, and if someone suddenly came to visit me from outside, it would look suspicious.

“Hmmm… well, it’s not like it’s a big deal if they find out.”

After thinking about it, I figured it would actually be a good opportunity to reveal the truth, so I decided not to take any precautions.

After that, I went to dinner when Miria called me, took a bath to relax, and then went to sleep.

The next day, I was abruptly woken up by a somewhat flustered Miria.

When I checked the time, it was around noon, and I realized she had awakened me for lunch.

“Yawn! Miria, I’m going to eat lunch in my room.”

“Lord Lewis! No! It’s not just lunch! We have a guest!”

“A guest? …Oh right.”

I completely forgot that I told Fiera to come visit yesterday, so I forced myself to shake off the sleepiness and got up.

After washing my face, I let Miria help me change my clothes and fix my hair, then I brought out my favorite water cushion to float.

“So where do I need to go?”

“She is waiting in the reception room, so please head there.”

“Alrighty!”

After some floating while being guided by Miria, we stopped in front of a door.

“Is it here?”

“Yes. I will open it now.”

Miria knocked, announced my arrival, and opened the door.

“Good morning!”

“Good morning. You really came, huh?”

“Because you invited me.”

Well, I did say to come, but I certainly didn’t think she would actually come all the way to the mansion.

“Oh, Miria, you can leave now.”

“No, I can’t do that. I can’t leave you two alone as you’re engaged.”

Miria was right; if a man and a woman were alone together, it could lead to rumors, and if anything inappropriate happened, it would be a huge problem.

“In that case, bring a knight from outside. You go get my father and mother.”

“…Understood.”

Miria reluctantly agreed, bowed, and then left the room.

Immediately after, a knight entered, so I extinguished the water cushion and sat down on the sofa.

“Jumping straight to meeting your parents, Eir is surprisingly assertive.”

“Are you stupid? I just have something to discuss with them. Don’t say things that could be misunderstood.”

After a short while, Miria returned, leading my father and mother into the room.

“Lewis, what’s going on here?”

“Who is that girl?”

Once my parents sat on the sofa, Miria served tea for everyone and stood by.

Once I confirmed everything was ready, I put on a somewhat serious face and began to speak.

“Father, Mother, there’s something I would like to ask of you.”

“What is it? You’re not asking for permission to marry that girl, are you?”

“No, it’s not that kind of discussion. First, please take a look at this.”

As I said that, I placed the guild card I had kept in my pocket on the table.

“This is… an A-rank guild card.”

“Yes. I’ve been working as an adventurer for about a month now. And this is Fiera, my party member.”

“Nice to meet you.”

When her name was mentioned, Fiera bowed her head politely to both of them.

“But you’ve been inside the mansion all this time, right? When did you sneak out?”

“Well, it was something like this…”

To answer my mother’s question, I proceeded to show her my dark magic cloning technique.

“You can do even that?”

“…I understand the situation. So why are you bringing this up now?”

Father closed his eyes and thought for a while before finally asking me what I wanted to say.

After dismissing the clones, I took a deep breath and shared my request.

“I would like to ask for your permission to go on a journey for a while.”

I was determined to discuss what I originally had in mind, putting in considerable effort for this unusual occasion.