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

I am Lilisha Percifal.

The rightful heir to the dukedom of the Kingdom of Sailrand.

My father, Branmud, is the commander-in-chief of the mage corps and the minister of military affairs. Eventually, I will have to take his place.

The word "defeat" is not allowed in the Percifal family, and I have been subjected to strict education since I was a child.

The first things I read when I became aware of the world were not picture books, but books on various academic subjects and magic.

From morning till night, I was scolded by my mother and father, and sometimes even hit.

Even so, I respect my father and mother as great people.

They must be strict with me for my own good.

I have thoroughly ingrained in my mind everything from table manners to the use of language.

"Lilisha. Since you were born into this family, defeat is not allowed. Defeat is the mark of the weak, and it is a stigma that will never disappear."

I was given tutors from both within and outside the country to hone my magical skills.

Thanks to this, by the time I was over ten years old, I had become stronger than my tutors and was praised by my father for the first time.

I have never felt such joy before.

Victory attracts people.

The loser gains nothing.

I became more and more convinced of this.

However—

"Lilisha, you are still lacking in strength, but I will guide you and your peers in the future."

At a party hosted by the royal family, Princess Leticia said this to me.

I couldn't understand the meaning of her words for a while, and I shook hands with Leticia.

It wasn't until I returned to my mansion that I finally came to my senses.

(Guide us? Me? That soft hand doesn't even have a single callus.)

I never let go of my staff, day or night.

They have the leisure to hold parties and show off to the nobles.

The royal family must lead an elegant and boring life.

From that day on, I trained even harder.

And when I entered the academy, I experienced defeat for the first time.

Alphiss   Barfont.

The mysterious Barfont family rarely appears at royal parties.

My father had repeatedly warned me never to lose to the Barfont family.

So, on the day I lost to  Alphiss  , I was scolded by my father more than ever before.

"Disgrace to the family. What do you think I raised you for?"

I was hit and cursed at repeatedly, and I apologized.

Not long after that, I was defeated in a second duel, and even my magic was broken. I thought I would be abandoned this time.

The anxiety of being abandoned overwhelmed my frustration, and I lost my composure.

But that guy—

"Ah, let's get stronger together."

At that moment, something inside me snapped.

I felt a shock like never before.

From then on, I couldn't stop thinking about him.

Yes, even now.

"This cave ahead looks suspicious."

"Why do you think so?"

Right now,Alphiss   and I are investigating the anomalies in the training grounds.

I feel too embarrassed to walk side by side with him.

"There were no noticeable monsters in the open plains. The monsters that inhabit the lake have limited activity ranges, and if there's nothing in this forest, then the only place left is the cave."

"Y-yeah, that makes sense."

"Are you okay? Your head doesn't seem to be working."

"Hey!"

Alphiss  put his hand on my forehead.

It was the first time a boy had touched me, and I was on the verge of panicking.

The slightly rough and warm touch of his hand felt strangely comforting.

"Idiot! Don't touch me!"

"Sorry."

I reflexively pushed his hand away, but I felt a pang of regret.

I definitely didn't want him to touch me a little longer.

I'm not that kind of loose woman.

"Still, there are no monsters around. It seems the rumors about their numbers decreasing might be true."@@novelbin@@

"The Killer Wolves that ran away earlier are nowhere to be seen either. Did that senior take them out?"

"No way. Even if he's a musclehead, he's still part of the student council executive."

"Musclehead?"

Alphiss began to carefully examine the ground.

He was looking for footprints and droppings of goblins and Killer Wolves.

We crossed the plains and entered the forest, pushing through the trees as he observed.

"It seems the footprints disappear around here. You'd think the goblins would be eager to attack us in the forest..."

"Maybe you scared them off with that 'wave' thing of yours?"

"I'm not emitting anything right now. Huh? This is..."

Suddenly,Alphiss   crouched down and stared at the ground.

There was a long, thin trail there.

Was there ever a monster like this?

"I see. If the owner of this trail shows up, the monsters around here won't stand a chance."

"Hey, what is it?"

"A worm. The one that left this trail is still a small one, but the parent is probably digging its way underground towards the training grounds."

"A w-worm..."

I shuddered.

But I couldn't let Alphiss   see me like that.

"Are you scared?"

"N-no, I'm not! More importantly, where is the worm?"

"Probably in the cave. It's likely making its nest underground and breeding there."

"The cave... Are we going inside?"

"Of course. You've had experiences like this before, right?"

I couldn't believe I said something so strange.

But the words "worm" and "cave" made me uneasy.

I hate to admit it, but I'm not good with dark places.

When I was a child, my parents got really angry with me and locked me in the basement of the mansion.

I'll never forget the fear of being trapped in that dark, cold basement all night.

That's probably why I started learning fire magic—I wanted even a little bit of light.

"Let's go."

"W-wait!"

"What is it?"

"Well... we could wait until they come out."

"Those things dig underground and expand their nests. If we leave them alone, they could cause a subsidence and lead to a disaster."

I was doing my best to stop my hands from shaking.

If Alphiss noticed, I don't know what he'd say.

After all my big talk, I can't show him such a pathetic side of me, but...

"But worms... They're quite the opponents."

"Are they that bad...?"

"They attack even higher species without fear. The largest ones can even kill dragons."

"Then we should call for backup!"

I desperately tried to argue.

If this guy isn't an idiot, he'll surely reconsider—

"But if I'm with you, we can handle anything."

"Eh..."

Hearing those words, I felt something inside me melt.

My body felt hot and flushed. Not even during the Magic Revelation did I feel like this.

I-I'll do it. I'll do it.