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

When I returned to the academy, the campus was abuzz with talk about the Emperor Worm's defeat—or so I thought. Actually, only the student council and a few teachers knew about it, and they likely kept it under wraps to avoid causing a huge uproar. You'd think someone from the student council might leak it, but they’re surprisingly tight-lipped. Even that guy Galeo seems to keep his mouth shut.

After my return, the academy director called me in, but I brushed it off because it was too much trouble. I doubt they wanted the academy to be destroyed, and sooner or later, the Balfonte family would have handled it anyway. I accepted their thanks as a formality and told them to send any further gratitude to the Balfonte family in the form of a donation.

---

"Leticia, let's go."

"Yes...!"

During lunch breaks and free time, I’ve been helpingLilysha  and Leticia with their training.  Leticia had been training by dueling various students on her own, but it seems she held back because her opponents were royalty. This frustrated her, as she realized she couldn’t improve that way. That’s where I came in.

"Deflect!"

"Too soft."

After striking her sword a few times with my magic blade, her defense crumbled. I knocked her off balance and sent her flying out of the field with a strike to her torso.

"Ugh... You're too strong... As expected of Lord Alphiss ..."

"Your stance is stable, but your magic reinforcement is inconsistent. When deflecting, you need to distribute your magic evenly across your entire body."

"Yes..."

"Next up,Lilysha ."

Lilysha stepped into the field. Unlike Leticia , this was the first time I’d seen her training at the academy. The recent incident must have really shaken her.

The Percifam family could easily provide better instructors than me, but knowing her, she’s probably already surpassed them. The fastest way to improve is to gain experience by fighting worthy opponents. I, too, spent my early days endlessly hunting weak monsters.

Now, I wonder how much she’s grown since our last fight.

"Don’t you dare hold back."

"So, I should just finish you in an instant?"

Lilysha  opened with a barrage of fireballs, both large and small. Her magic was well-controlled and condensed, with a slight curve to their trajectory—likely homing spells.

If those hit, even with magic reinforcement, they’d cause massive explosions and incinerate me. Each one was as powerful as her previous Flare spells, showing how much she’s grown.

"You’ve improved. But..."

At this stage, it’s still predictable. I created a black hole to absorb the fireballs. I’ll make good use of them later.

"Is that all?"

Just as I was feeling confident, flames erupted from behind me like a flamethrower. Caught off guard, I couldn’t fully dodge and got grazed on my left arm. She must have scattered embers from the fireballs and expanded the magic within them.

"You even dodged that...!"

"Not bad. You surprised me. Now, it’s my turn."

I charged straight at . Lilysha She tried to block with a wall of fire, but I sliced through it with my magic blade. Feinting another charge, I used Shadow Entry to appear behind her and struck her back, sending her out of the field.

"Ugh! I’m no match for you...!"

"Don’t sell yourself short. You’ve gotten incredibly strong. I almost had to get serious."

"But you still weren’t serious... That’s why I lo—I mean, why I’m so intrigued by you."

"Was that correction really necessary?"

Her face was red, but I’ll pretend it’s from the heat of her fire magic. She’s come a long way—she used to cry after losing, but now she’s much more composed.

"You’re amazing, Lord Alphiss !"

"Don’t get ahead of yourself. You’re fighting me next."

"Huh? No, no, no! There’s no way I can match you, Lord Alphiss !"

"It’s not about matching me. As my subordinate, you need to get stronger."

"As your subordinate... I’ll do my best..."

Lushel was squirming, her hands on her cheeks. She’s probably having some delusional fantasy. This girl’s obsession is really something.

Right now, all the students are training hard for the royal guard selection tournament. Soon, royals and nobles will be visiting the academy, and the plan is to showcase the academy’s talent by having top students serve as their guards. It’s a chance to impress the royals and elevate the academy’s status. Even commoner students are training like crazy.

"Lord Alphiss , do you think I can win the selection tournament?"

"Letitia, based on skill alone, you have a chance. But in a real match, anything can happen. You know that better than anyone."

"True..."

The tournament is open to all grades, so third-years have the advantage, but first and second-years can still be chosen through special evaluations if they perform well. The key is to stand out.

"Lord Alphiss ! It’s the selection fight! The selection fight!"

"Lord Alphiss looked this way!"@@novelbin@@

"No, he was looking at me!"

Ah, it’s Alphiss's  fan club. Their petty squabbles are best ignored.

"Lord Alphiss , shouldn’t those fan club members be training instead of slacking off?"

"Not everyone needs to aim for the top. Besides, weren’t you in the fan club too?"

Lushel looked shocked. Don’t underestimate the Balfonte family’s intelligence network. I know every member of that fan club. You never know what they might do.

"Heyyy,Alphiss ! I won’t go easy on you in the selection fight, but I’ll cheer for you! Go all out! Go all out!"

"Yeeeah,Alphiss ! Win this thing!"

Wait, what? Galeo’s leading a group of guys waving flags? That’s new.

"Lord Alphiss , you’re popular with the boys too."

"What are you talking about, Letitia? That makes no sense."

"You didn’t know? Ever since your match with Lilysha, the boys have been rooting for you too."

"Oh... that time."

Even Letitia knows about it. I was so exhausted from fighting that damn worm, I didn’t notice. Whatever, they can do as they please.

"Listen up! Alphiss fought alongside me, and I respect his strength! If any of you half-ass your support, I’ll knock you out!"

"Yeeeah! Alphius! Alphius! Alphius!"

"Honestly, I’m impressed..."

Just do whatever you want. Though, there’s one shady guy who’s giving me a bad feeling. If even I’m feeling uneasy, something’s up.

t/n End of the 1st arc