I Was Reincarnated As The Older Brother Of A Villainess Destined to Die, So I Want To Change The Future By Raising My Younger Sister With My Own Hands. I Am The Strongest In The World, But My Little Sister Must Be The Cutest In The World - Volume 4 Chapter 1.6
The incident began with a duel between Yudai and the son of Viscount Toria. They fought just as in the original game, and the outcome was the same. Yudai emerged victorious, boosting the reputation of the hero among those present.
However, there was one deviation from the game’s storyline that sparked the assassination turmoil. It involved the reward for winning the duel. Yudai demanded an apology from the son of Viscount Toria to his childhood friend Marina—right in front of a large audience.
What a fool. I wanted to punch Yudai right then and there.
For nobles, apologizing is a weighty matter. Nobles must maintain their dignity to command the respect of their subordinates. Revealing weakness too easily is not acceptable. It undermines their ability to lead with statements like, “I cannot follow someone as weak as you!” It would not have been seen as dignified by the audience, especially since the demand for an apology came from the winner of the duel. Unless it was a demand made by the victor, they would never have accepted it.
In the end, their response was to eliminate the person Yudai demanded an apology from and pretend it never happened—an extreme act of covering up the evidence.
The actions of the Toria family were not praiseworthy. However, we cannot solely blame them. Yudai also clearly had his faults for not considering the circumstances of the nobles. Even if he wanted an apology, he should have shown some consideration by arranging a private location away from prying ears. It’s clear that he acted based on the values of his previous life, thinking that “if you do something wrong, you should apologize for it.” I earnestly hope he learns about the values of the current world.
Moreover, in the original game, such extreme actions were not taken at this point. I believe Yudai only swore not to approach Marina again. What caused this deviation?
Even after speaking to the spy who was monitoring Yudai, there were no significant changes observed. We should continue to pay attention to any changes in Yudai’s state of mind.
“Well, let’s go.”
“Yes.”
I called out to Shion, and we sneaked into the girls’ dormitory.
Yes, it was the girls’ dormitory. It is a residence within the school grounds for nobles who do not have separate mansions in the capital or commoners. Shion and I were on the rooftop of the dormitory.
It was late at night, and we blended into the darkness, making ourselves completely suspicious individuals.
However, there was a reason why it had to be done this way.
The situation where Marina’s life is threatened may continue in the future. She will likely be at risk for the rest of her life.
Although the assassins dispatched today were eliminated by our subordinates, there is a high possibility that it won’t end there. As the Toria family seeks to restore their honor, they won’t stop.
Therefore, we needed to discuss with Marina about our future course of action. We had to remain hidden to avoid contact, depending on how we handle the situation.
Technically, we have no obligation to help Marina . She may be a commoner, but she doesn’t hold enough value to justify saving her from conflicts with the nobles.
However, I had previously decided in my heart to lend a helping hand if she found herself in trouble. Plus, it wouldn’t sit well with me to abandon a heroine I liked from the game. That’s why I chose to assist her.
Both Shion and I are skilled in stealth techniques, so we easily reached Marina’s room without any obstacles. Unaware of the attack, she was sound asleep.
Compared to eight years ago when we first met, Marina had grown into a beautiful young woman. Her facial features were gentle and well-balanced, combined with a soft-looking figure, giving off a serene aura. If I recall correctly, her game profile showed measurements of 88-58-90.
…Why am I thinking such unnecessary things? It’s all because of that tempting fruit hanging before me. Perhaps due to the abundance of temptations in my daily life, I’ve been swayed by desires recently. I need to tighten my focus.
Shaking my head to reset my thoughts, I activated the alternate world Bauler de Tesoro, mimicking Marina’s room. Then I turned on the lights and had Shion wake her up.
“Hmph… What? Morning?”
At first, Marina mumbled sleepily. But as soon as she noticed our presence in the room, she quickly sat up.
“Huh, who are you!?”
Her crisis management instincts seemed intact. She shook her aqua-colored hair and tried to distance herself from the two of us. However, since Shion and I surrounded her, there was no way for her to get out of bed.
Realizing that there was no escape, Marina’s faintly purplish-blue eyes filled with fear, and she froze in place. Trembling slightly, she spoke.
“W-What brings you here?”
Judging from her lack of screaming, it seemed that Marina had excellent situational judgment.
Come to think of it, although she had little combat ability and had fewer opportunities to shine in the original game, I recall that she often voiced accurate opinions.
“First of all, let me assure you that we have no intention of causing you harm.”
As previously decided, Shion, who is of the same gender, took on the role of negotiator. I, being a male, might have heightened her fear if I spoke.
Someone might interject, saying, “If you don’t want to be seen as an intruder, then don’t intrude illegally.” However, this matter was urgent, and we wanted to have a discreet discussion.
Shion and Marina exchanged a few words, gradually calming the atmosphere. Marina’s trembling voice settled down, likely influenced by the subtle mental magic I had been employing.
Having determined that Marina was now okay, Sion got straight to the point.
“The truth is, your life is being targeted by a certain noble.”
“Huh!?”
Caught off guard, Marina reacted with surprise.
Sion then explained the sequence of events in detail. How the incident during the day had caused poor reactions from Yudai. That she would be targeted for the rest of her life if things were left as they were. Shion made sure to explain it in a way that Marina, a commoner, could easily understand.
Upon hearing this, Marina, who had regained her composure earlier, began trembling once again. It was understandable.
While expressing concern for her, Shion continued the conversation.
“However, rest assured. Someone is willing to lend you a hand.”
“They’ll help me!?”
In her desperate situation, it was natural for her to cling to any hope available. Marina leaned forward in a jump.
Keeping his composure, Sion responded.
“Yes. Our lord here is willing to assist you.”
“They will… Wait!?”
Engrossed in her conversation with Sion, Marina seemed to have forgotten about my presence. She hastily looked in my direction.
However, her gaze changed in the middle. Initially, it contained a sense of gratitude… No, it still carried that, but it transformed into something even more intense.
A feeling mixed with burning passion seemed to emanate from her eyes. It felt as though I might get burned. Startled, I involuntarily flinched. The emotions conveyed were undoubtedly affection. Of course, it could be romantic affection, potentially even on par with Caron or Sion.
It didn’t make sense. Marina and I were essentially meeting for the first time. We had encountered each other before when I rescued her from the accident, but she was unconscious at the time. Moreover, back then, I was disguising myself as Six, so there was no way she would recognize me.
Amidst my inner confusion, Marina’s eyes sparkled with anticipation as she asked,
“Y-You are the ‘White-Haired Prince,’ right?”
“‘White-Haired’… ‘Prince’?”
Shion and I exchanged puzzled looks, silently sharing the thought, “What is this girl talking about?”
Marina seemed to notice our raised eyebrows and continued speaking while fidgeting with her hands.
“I-I’m sorry. I’ve always called you that in my mind, so it just slipped out of my mouth.”
“Always? But we should be meeting for the first time, shouldn’t we?”
Slight unease crept into the conversation, raising an unpleasant premonition.
“N-No, that’s not it. When I got stranded in the local mountains, you… um… helped me. Oh, and thank you very much for that! I-I had planned to express my gratitude first, but I got ahead of myself.”
“Hold on. Wait a minute.”
In response to Marina’s torrent of confession, my eyes widened.
Could it be that she was conscious when I rescued her from the mountains? If that were the case, it would complicate matters.
“I have no recollection of rescuing you.”
I uttered words of denial, knowing it was futile.
However, Marina firmly and confidently replied, as if she was certain.
“N-No, that’s not true! You… um… your little friend… helped me. I remember it clearly.”
“Ah, damn it.”
Upon hearing her words, I muttered a curse under my breath.
There was no escaping it anymore. Marina knowing about the spirit Noma meant that she had been conscious during the accident. Well, I should clarify at the beginning that her consciousness was “vague.”
During that time, there was a moment when I dispelled my “disguise” to correct Noma’s misunderstanding. At that moment, her consciousness must have briefly resurfaced. It wasn’t strange for her to recognize me, considering the small palm-sized spirit and the white-haired human would have stood out, even within her faint consciousness.
Once again, my knowledge from the original game had become a hindrance. I had the information that “Marina remained in a coma for a week,” so I became too complacent.
However, there were still parts that didn’t fully make sense. After all, Marina had completely exhausted her magical power. It was hard to believe that she, who was so depleted, had managed to regain consciousness, even if it was barely. To avoid making similar mistakes in the future, I needed to grasp the details properly.
I had come to visit Marina for her assistance, yet I found myself caught up in unexpected revelations.
Calm down, let’s think positively. Judging from her attitude, if tonight’s incident hadn’t occurred, she would likely have barged into our class during the day. It was better than being called ‘the White-Haired Prince’ in public. Yes, I’ll convince myself of that.