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

"Alfis-sama, where are we going today?"

"To the mountains."

When I briefly explained to Lucille , she tilted her head slightly.

Not far from the Barufonte estate lies the Jimul Mountain Range.

It's a place  players visit  near the end of the story, but if we don't  go too deep, even I can handle the monsters there now.

Of course, this is assuming  I strategize and prepare properly.

For example, if the protagonist  WAS as strong as I am now and ventured in,  I will surely be wiped out at the entrance.

But I have dark magic now. I plan to use it effectively to train.

"Mountains! Sounds great! I'll make some lunch!"

"No need. We'll gather what we need  along the way . Extra baggage is just a burden ."

"Eh? That's no fun..."

"This isn't a leisure trip. I need you to get stronger too, not just me."

"Y-you want me to get stronger...? D-does that mean...?"

She seems to be misunderstanding, but if she's sworn loyalty to me, I want her to be strong enough to match me .

It's pointless to drag along weak servants .

But she's the hidden boss, after all—she has the potential.

"A-Alfis-sama... I-I'll get stronger!"

"That's the spirit."

As long as she's motivated, it's fine.

We left the estate and headed for the Jimul Mountain Range. After more than half a day, we arrived in the early afternoon.

Even at the entrance, we could hear the cries of monsters.

The aura emanating from this mountain is completely different from the weaklings around the estate.

If that's the case, I need this overexcited angel to get serious too. I gave Lucille a firm pat on the back.

"Wah!"

"Let's go."

"P- Physical contact... hehe..."

"...Seriously, focus, okay?"

"Y-yes!"

Not long after entering the Jimul Mountain Range, we encountered a monster.

The enemy was a Crescent Bear—essentially a moon bear, but with crescent-shaped claws.

At my current level, it could kill me in one hit.

"Ahhh! A-Alfis-sama! We need to run!"

"If we defeat this thing, we'll get a ton of EXP. Here goes—Dark Smog!"

The spell I cast on the Crescent Bear (not a moon bear)   blinded it.

Its attack power is terrifying, but it has almost no resistance to darkness. If I play  my cards right, even at  my current level, I can take it down.

"Alright! Full assault!"@@novelbin@@

"Eh? Me too?!"

"Of course!"

I charged in with my sword while Rucelle attacked with her bow.

Yes, Lucille's   special weapon is the bow.

Yet that idiot Gillium gave her a dagger.

It's understandable if you don't have game knowledge, but if you don't properly assess your party members, all that training is just a waste of time.

Especially Gillium—he just tamed a bunch of monsters and called it a day.

"Groar...!"

"Phew... We did it."

"Yesss! Did you see that? Take that, weakling!"

Somehow, we managed to defeat a stronger opponent.

Honestly, it was pretty nerve-wracking, but handling weapons, magic, and auras is something you learn through battle.

That's what EXP is all about.

Just like how a beginner wouldn't gain any experience by fighting a pro athlete head-on, there's an order to things.

You   need gradually get used to fighting opponents of the right level and improve step by step.

It's not like a game where everything is quantified, but I can feel the experience building up.

If  I had stayed training at the estate,  I wouldn't have come this far.

The same goes for Lucille .

Not only is she skilled with a bow, but she can also use  holy magic.

Having someone who can wield the opposite attribute to mine is a huge advantage.

"Lucille , start using holy magic more actively."

"Huh? How do you know I can use holy magic?"

"Just a hunch. You've got angel wings, so you should be able to use it, right?"

"Wow! As expected of Alfis-sama!"

Her being a bit of an airhead actually helps.

What kind of logic is "you have angel wings, so you should be able to use holy magic"? It's a stretch.

But it makes her easier to handle.

"Alfis-sama! Let's wipe out all the monsters in this mountain !"

"That's impossible. The Crescent Bear had an obvious weakness, but not all monsters are like that."

"R-really? By the way, Alfis-sama, you seem to know a lot... You even knew my name..."

"Don't overthink it. Let's keep picking our battles."

I can't exactly say it's because I'm a reincarnator.

She might accept it, but she seems like the type to spill the beans easily.

Besides, explaining it would be a hassle, so I'll just skip it.

After that, we focused solely on hunting Crescent Bears.

At first, one hit could have killed us, but as we leveled up, it became easier.

We also found out that their meat is pretty good.

We can sustain ourselves just by gathering food locally.

"That mantis-looking thing seems strong..."

"The Blood Mantis is dangerous. Let's avoid it."

It has decent resistance to darkness and even higher attack power than the Crescent Bear.

Its Death Sickle attack could knock us out in one hit, and I don't have a counter for it yet.

If I could master aura manipulation, there might be a chance, but at my current level, I can only sustain it for a short time.

It's frustrating how much I can't do yet, but that's what makes it fun.

On the first night in the mountains, we finally rested.

"Hmm, I feel like I've gotten a lot stronger just today."

"I'm starting to get the hang of it too!"

"By the way, you still can't use aura, right?"

"Aura?"

"It's a separate power from magic. Everyone has it, but only a few can consciously draw it out. Starting tomorrow, we'll focus on that."

Lucille had a question mark floating above her head.

Despite her clueless demeanor, during the hidden boss fight, she went all out with her aura and crushed many players' hopes.

Her aura's nature is "regeneration," the opposite of mine.

"Aura, huh? If Alfis-sama says so, I'll do my best!"

"Yeah, count on  you . The final stage of our training will be to retrieve 'that' from this mountain."

"That?"

Yes, this is the real goal.

The demon sword Disbareid, hidden in the Jimul Mountain Range—one of the strongest hidden weapons, but of course, it's not easy to obtain.

Naturally, we'll have to defeat its guardian.

It's not as tough asLucille  , but it's still considered a  hidden boss.