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

I gradually became unable to comprehend what was happening before my eyes.

One moment, I thought I had been kidnapped by the terrifying second-year seniors, and the next, Lord Alphiss  appeared.

Ah, I felt relieved, thinking he had come to save me, but that relief was short-lived.

One of the seniors was slashed and disappeared into the darkness.

Huh? Did he kill him? What am I even witnessing?

From that moment on, I felt as though I had fallen into a dream.

"Is Rogueid dead?"

"Yeah. Just like you all, he's unnecessary  to this academy... no,  to this country."

Seeing   lord Alphiss smile like that in front of the second-years sent a chill down my spine.

His gaze was as if she was staring into the void, as if he didn't even recognize the people before her as human.

No, it seemed as though he didn't even consider them human.

His eyes were dark and cold, as if an infinite abyss lay within them.

It felt as though something born from the depths of the abyss was standing before me.

Perhaps the seniors sensed it too, as they launched an attack on Lady Alphys.

With so many of them, there was no way  lord Alphiss   could win.

I couldn't help but close my eyes.

"Gyaaah!"

"Ugh!"

"Argh!"

When I opened my eyes, the seniors were lying on the ground, bleeding.

It was as if they had been pierced by countless invisible blades, blood pouring from their bodies.

Something stirred within my chest.

Something so cruel and terrifying was happening, yet why did I feel this way?

I didn't feel the slightest urge to run away.

On the contrary, I felt a growing desire to keep watching.

"How about that! You're on the defensive! This isn't like you!"

It was all happening too fast for me to understand.

If I took even one step, I'd probably get caught in the attack and die.

But why? I found myself wanting to get closer.

I wanted to keep watching, right on the edge.

It was scary, but I felt something crawling up my spine.

It was both unpleasant and strangely pleasurable.

What would happen to me if  lord Alphiss lost?

Something unimaginable, surely.

What kind of expression was Lady Alphys wearing right now?

"Not bad. I'll show you one more trick as a thank you. Shadow Entry."

 lord Alphiss  disappeared.

The next moment, a blade shot up from below, piercing the senior's stomach.

Blood cascaded down like a waterfall, splattering onto the floor, and the senior finally collapsed.

I had no idea what had just happened.

There was so much blood, and the senior was on the verge of death, yet I felt... strange.

I couldn't suppress the pounding in my chest.

"Dark magic isn't as flashy as lightning magic, I guess."

"I don't... want to die..."

With those words, the senior stopped moving.

The senior was dead. Lady Alphys had killed him.

How could something like this be allowed in an academy?

Was  lord Alphiss  some kind of monstrous villain?

I felt the common sense in my head slowly slipping away.

"Are you hurt?"

The moment I saw lord Alphiss  extending  his hand, my thoughts came to a halt.

Before me stood a bloodstained prince, a noble of darkness.@@novelbin@@

Yes, I was incredibly excited.

* * *

The bodies here would be taken care of by the special cleaning team employed by the Balfonte family.

Today's incident would likely be written off as some kind of accident.

"Can you stand?"

"Huh? Ah, um..."

"What's wrong? Can't walk?"

"N-no..."

 Her face is red. Maybe you have a fever.

For now, I took Esti's hand and supported her.

"I'm sure you have questions, but bear with me."

"Alphiss .. sama..."

"Hey, what's wrong with you? I'll take you to the entrance of the girls' dorm, so just hang in there until then. I can't exactly go inside, you know."

"Fuhii..."

She must be in shock.

But it's not my fault—it's those DQN idiots playing mafia who are to blame, so I don't feel guilty.

I don't know what she's aiming for, but in a world like this, you're bound to see people die at some point.

Think of this as a rehearsal and endure it.

From then until we reached the girls' dorm, Esti didn't say a word.

"Well then. You have classes tomorrow, so get some rest early."

"Um..."

"Hmm?"

"Th-thank, th-th-thank y-y-y-you..."

Esti's face turned bright red as she stammered like a broken radio.

She must have been really shaken up.

Well, a good night's rest should calm her down.

"What's wrong? I can't go inside the girls' dorm, so you'll have to make your way back on your own from here."

"Y-yes, h-h-hi..."

"Once, a guy snuck into the girls' dorm and got expelled after the student council caught him. So, yeah, see you."

"Ah, um..."

This back-and-forth wasn't getting us anywhere, so I decided to leave.

I glanced back and saw her still standing there, dazed. Well, that's not my problem anymore.

* * *

The next day, it was reported that Dale and two others, along with Deniro and the other second-years, had broken into the magical tool storage and caused an explosion.

The cause was apparently due to accidentally activating a dangerous magical tool, causing a surge of magical energy that led to the explosion.

As a result, all the second-years had died, and the first-years were in critical condition.

Dale and the others were rescued, but their injuries were severe, and even the treatment center couldn't do much for them. It seemed they would soon be expelled.

"Lord Alphiss , the food here in the cafeteria is quite good."

"Well, they have a dedicated team for ingredient procurement and cooking. The tuition is high, but the treatment makes up for it."

We were eating in the cafeteria, opting for the regular meals instead of the elaborate bento boxes.

The food here was better than what you'd find in some restaurants.

After all, this is an academy attended by nobles with refined tastes, so they have to provide quality meals.

But despite the delicious food, it seemed like we were the only ones enjoying a peaceful meal here.

"Psst... Dale-sama, what a foolish thing to do, especially since he was born into a count's family."

"He always had that condescending attitude that got on my nerves. Serves him right."

"Gaz and Kater were getting way too full of themselves too. Feels good to see them taken down a peg."

No matter where you went in the academy, this was all anyone was talking about.

What a terrifying incident.

Some magical tools can cause a massive surge of energy and explode if mishandled.

"Playing around with magical tools at their age... What were they thinking? Right, Loushel?"

"Absolutely. There are so many things in this world that can be deadly if you're not careful, right?"

"Why are you looking at me?"

"With an accident like this, I'm sure some scary people will be paying a visit to Dale's family."

This guy knows what's up.

Of course, Dale and the others wouldn't just get off with a beating.

Later, someone from their families would investigate and decide their fate.

The Brooks family rose quickly with their lightning magic, but was that the only reason?

Like the Demaseka family, there might be all sorts of dirt hidden away.

Let's just hope that dirt doesn't catch fire next time.

"Um..."

"Hmm?"

It was Esti who had approached me.

She wasn't carrying anything, so it didn't seem like she wanted to eat together.

"I... I need to talk to you..."

"Talk?"

What could she possibly want to talk about, especially after what happened yesterday?

Judging by Esti's expression, it seemed like a serious matter.