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

After my match with Lilysha   , the students began to spar with each other.

As I watched, I realized that the match pairings, while seemingly random at first glance, were anything but.

One criterion was pairing those with similar skill levels, while another was pairing those who seemed to have a psychological edge over each other.

For example, if my assessment was correct, Leticia and Lilysha   weren't that far apart in terms of actual strength.

Linlin had discerned the close relationship between the two major noble families  and had seen through their true nature.

As expected, the results highlighted the dynamics between Leticia and Lilisha.

If there was any miscalculation, it was that Lilysha  had dominated too much.

Had it been a closer match, Lilysha  might have acknowledged Leticia's abilities.

"Too slow! Too slow!"

"Dammit!"

Now it was the match betwee nLushiel  and a student named Kaiser.

Kaiser wasn't bad compared to other commoners, but he was simply outmatched.

Lushiel's personality made it easy for her to manipulate hot-headed types like him.

Whether Linlin had seen through that was unclear, but it was a good matchup.

By the way,Lushiel  had been ordered not to use her wings here, so she was toying with Kaiser purely on skill.

In the end, Roushel, who had thoroughly exhausted Kaiser, emerged victorious.

"Yay! Alphiss-sama ! Praise me!"

"Well done. Good job."

"Hehe, pet me more~"

"Good, good, good, good."

Of course, the other classmates were watching intently.

My relationship with Lushiel must seem strange to them.

Leticia, in particular, was staring at us from close range, clearly puzzled.

"...Alphiss, what is your relationship with Lushiel ?"

"Master and servant."

"I-I see. So, you're not in a romantic relationship?"

"That's correct."

I didn't miss Leticia turning her back to me and pumping her fist in victory.

Could it be that she's fallen forAlphiss ?

In the game, she was fiercely opposed to Alphiss .

Thanks to that, it seems the death flags have been avoided, but this is heading in a strange direction.

"Fireball!"

"Whoa!"

Before I knew it, the matches had progressed.

A noble versus a commoner. Frankly, the gap between nobles and commoners is like heaven and earth.

I'm not saying this to discriminate.

Of course, there's natural talent due to lineage, but more than that, the difference in environment is too vast.

Whether it's swordsmanship or magic, the knowledge possessed by nobles is incomparable to that of commoners.

On top of that, the rigorous education and training environment ensure that those who are already strong become even stronger.

It's like a top-tier athlete training in an even better environment.

On the other hand, commoners are often self-taught, so it's not uncommon to find those who haven't even mastered the basics.

The commoner girl fighting now can barely use magic, and her swordsmanship is terrible.

"Persistent, aren't you!"

"Eeeek~~!"

Huh, she's surprisingly tenacious. Or rather, she's narrowly dodging.

That girl's name is Esti, a mob character who didn't even have a name in the game.

Upon closer inspection, she's tracking her opponent with her eyes.

I felt something off about Esti's movements.

The attacks from her opponent shouldn't be something Esti's skill level can predict.

Yet, she's tracking them with her eyes. What is she following?

"The match isn't ending anytime soon. She's fast on her feet, at least."

"That Esti, maybe she can see the fluctuations?"

"Huh!? N-no way... So, her opponent is using fluctuations?"

"Fluctuations, like mana, are emitted unconsciously. They ripple with every movement, and if you can see them, you can predict attacks."

Whether Esti is consciously aware of the concept of fluctuations is probably a no.@@novelbin@@

She must be doing it unconsciously.

"That's enough! It's a draw!"

"W-what!? It's not over yet!"

"It's been five minutes already. There are more matches to come, so both of you, step back."

"Dammit...!"

Esti's opponent is Dale, the son of a count.

He's the one who was trying to approach Leticia near the gate.

He slammed his sword on the ground, unable to contain his frustration.

I get how he feels, but taking it out on objects won't help.

"Dammit... you commoner trash. Just you wait."

As expected, he muttered something threatening.

Hmm, so that event is coming after all.

Well, that's for later, so it doesn't matter now.

"Hm? Lushiel , by the way, where did Lilysha go?"

"She left the training grounds a while ago."

"It's still class time, though... Well, she'll probably come back eventually. She might get a good scolding from Instructor Linlin."

"She got thoroughly beaten by Lord Alphius, after all. Maybe it was a good lesson for her?"

The matches continued, and about 30 minutes later, everyone had finished.

Lilisha never came back.

Linlin probably noticed but chose to ignore it and proceeded to wrap things up.

"Good work, everyone. I've got a good idea of what each of you is like from today's matches. Remember, your current strength isn't everything. All of you have potential, so make sure to study hard over the next three years."

"Instructor! Let me fight that girl one more time!"

"Dale, was it? Duels require proper procedures and mutual consent."

"I can't accept being looked down on by a commoner!"

"Enough."

A piercing wave of mana erupted from Linlin's body.

Dale, directly hit by the former court mage's mana, froze in place.

"Ugh..."

"I'm not fond of lenient teaching. If you want to fight so badly, I'll be your opponent."

"N-no, I'm sorry..."

"Good that you understand."

Wow, scary.

Even though she's a former court mage, they're the nation's top combat force.

Each of them has solo achievements in slaying dragons and other top-tier monsters.

Not very mature of you, Instructor Linlin, to go all out on a student.

"With that, let's conclude the introductions. Starting next time, we'll begin subject-specific classes, so stay focused."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Thanks to Dale, the students all straightened up.

They quickly realized who not to mess with.

"Also, Alphiss . Come to the faculty room after class. I have something to discuss."

"Yes."

So, Linlin wants to talk to me after class.

I wonder what she's going to say.