I was Reincarnated as the Youngest Child of a Villainous Noble Family Who Controls the Kingdom from Behind the Scenes

Royal Sailand Academy. One of the few educational institutions in the country, its motto is "excellence in both academics and martial arts."

Originally established to strengthen soldiers for wartime conscription, its purpose was to cultivate not only knowledge but also physical prowess.

However, back then, anyone could enroll, so the quality of education was, well, you can imagine.

After the war, the academy underwent significant reforms, and under the new educational system, it began producing many outstanding individuals.

Officially, it was said to be part of the nation's post-war reconstruction efforts, but behind the scenes, the Balfont family was involved.

While the emergence of exceptional individuals went against the wishes of the Balfont family, particularly Leorg, the family couldn't afford to let the nation fall into ruin.

In other words, the Balfont family needed a certain number of capable individuals to maintain balance.

That's why I was sent to this academy.

You might wonder what a member of the Balfont family would learn at an academy.

My purpose for enrolling was to eliminate elements deemed unnecessary by the state.

After the entrance ceremony, I took a moment to observe the first-year students.

I had already reviewed the list of new students, which the Balfont family had obtained in advance.

The result? Aside from a few top-tier individuals, the rest were rather unremarkable.

Based on the entrance exam results, the noble students were passable, but the commoners were a sorry sight.

In a game, the main characters would stand out, while the rest would be mere background characters, so it wasn't as noticeable.

Well, grades aren't the sole criterion for identifying "unnecessary elements."

If that were the case, we could simply filter them out based on entrance exam results.

After the ceremony, we first-year students headed to our respective classrooms.

"I am Linlin, the homeroom teacher for Class A. Before becoming a teacher, I was a court mage. Pleased to meet you."

Linlin, our homeroom teacher, is a 28-year-old single woman with no romantic partner.

She's a serious and competent teacher, but her old-fashioned, Spartan teaching methods are a drawback.

Her title as a former court mage isn't just for show—she's highly skilled.

By the way, be careful not to make fun of her name; she doesn't take kindly to that.

"I left my position as a court mage to become a teacher because I had doubts about the way talent was being nurtured in the education system. During my time as a court mage, I saw many individuals who were unfit to be mages."

She tends to be a bit too intense and long-winded, but she's not a bad person.

As I watched her ramble on, Linlin finally snapped out of it.

"Ahem... my apologies. I got a bit carried away. Now that you've officially become first-year students, let's start with... hmm, how about self-introductions?"

The class seemed relieved at the mention of self-introductions.

With a teacher like her, they were probably worried about what she might make them do.

But things didn't go as expected.

"Alright, let's head to the third training field now."

"T-training field?"

"You're Princess Leticia, right? Even though you're royalty, everyone here is treated equally, so keep that in mind."

"Yes, I understand, but why are we going to the training field for self-introductions?"

Without further explanation, Linlin led us to the third training field.

The academy's grounds are enormous.

Gathered in one of the twenty training fields, it seemed we were going to be pitted against each other.

"Formal self-introductions are a waste of time. A person's true nature is revealed in battle. So, you'll be fighting each other now."

"F-fighting!? Isn't this too sudden!?"

"Leticia, do you know where you are? This is the Royal Sailand Academy, where we value both academics and martial arts. You can't expect to graduate just by studying."

"But still, making students fight each other right away..."

It wasn't just Leticia.

The entire class was in an uproar, questioning whether this teacher was sane.

"This training field is equipped with a safety barrier. It will forcibly eject you just before you suffer a fatal injury, so don't worry."

"Does that mean we'll be using real weapons...?"

"Exactly. I'll decide the matchups. First up, Leticia and Lilysha, head to the field."

"M-me!?"

Looking utterly bewildered, Leticia stepped onto the field.

On the other side, Lilysha stood with a stern expression, holding her staff as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

In the game, this is where the story branches, with one route pitting me against Leticia.

The battle between the protagonist Leticia and Alfis is a so-called "lose battle."

After losing, Alphiss would mercilessly taunt Leticia, planting the seeds of a grudge.

But for now, it's the Leticia vs. Lilysha .

"Lilysha, thank you for the party the other day..."

"Princess Leticia... no, Leticia. Let's begin."

Before Leticia could finish, Lilysha launched a fireball.

Lilysha's weapon of choice is a staff, and her affinity is fire.

In terms of raw firepower, she's among the top characters in the game.

"So sudden!?"

As Leticia dodged, Lilysha immediately launched a second fireball.

Completely caught off guard, Leticia couldn't mount a counterattack and took the hit head-on.

"Ugh!"

"Is that all? If you're not going to fight back, I'll keep attacking."

"W-wait..."

"Fire Shot."

A barrage of small fireballs, like a volley from a Vulcan cannon, rained down on Leticia, engulfing her entire body.

She was left scorched, a pitiful sight.

The fact that the safety barrier didn't eject her meant Leticia was enduring all that.

"L-Lilysha..."

"Pathetic. For someone born into royalty, you're surprisingly weak."

"How dare you...! Lilysha, take that back!"

"Still clinging to your royal status? This is Sailand Academy, where both academics and martial arts are valued, and everyone is equal."

Lilysha continued to relentlessly press Leticia.

Already weakened by the initial attack, Leticia could do little to fight back.

She managed to hold her own for a while, but eventually, a finishing blow forced her out of the field.

"Haa... haa..."

"Leticia, well done. Lilysha, I think I understand what kind of person you are now."

"Teacher Linlin... I..."

Lilysha stepped out of the safety barrier and looked down at Leticia, who was on her knees.

"Leticia, how do you feel?"

"Lilysha..."

"With that level of skill, how could you have said 'I will guide you all' at that party years ago?"

"Th-that was..."

"Did you think being royalty automatically made you qualified to lead? Someone as pampered as you should just sit comfortably on your throne and leave the dirty work to us."

The rest of the class fell silent at the harshness of her words.

Lilysha, huh? She really leaves a bad impression.

Even in my past life, she had her fair share of haters.

But that's just who she is.

"Ugh... ugh..."

"Oh, are you crying to gain sympathy? How pathetic. Take this as a lesson and just focus on marrying some charming prince."

The scene was so brutal that even the other classmates began to feel outraged.

Linlin moved to intervene, but before she could, I approached Lilysha.

"Hey, young lady of the Persifam family, one of the two great noble houses."

"...What?"

"Oh, my mistake. The Persifam family is actually the second-tier noble house. My apologies."

"...You've got some nerve."

Lilysha glared at me sharply. Oh, scary, scary.

This event was pretty hard to watch, so I'm glad I could step in.

"Next, you'll be fighting me."

As I said this with a smile, a faint aura of mana emanated from Lilysha's body.

Just what I wanted. I'm going to beat this arrogant, delusional woman to a pulp.