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

On a holiday evening, we were gathered around the dining table at the Balfonte family mansion, enjoying a rare family meal together.

There was my mother, Lisanias, my father, Leorg, the eldest son, Vaide, the eldest daughter, Miley, the second son, Girium, and me.

The tension in the air was palpable, even to the servants.

"Hey—, can someone pick up my fork—?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Thanks~. So, I heard Father got a raise."

"Huh?"

At an astonishing speed, a nearby servant handed Mirei her dropped fork.

Of course, there was no such thing as a raise.

Leorg glared sharply at Miley.

In my past life, I might have thought, "Don't use a dropped fork," but living in the mountains has erased such concerns.

If I worried about things like that, I'd never measure up to Vaid, at the very least.

That guy could eat anything dirty without so much as a stomachache.

"By the way, Father, the castle is finally complete. It's called Girium Castle! Now I'm a lord of my own castle."

"Oh, that's splendid. It's near the eastern border with Gearth, right?"

"Yeah, gotta keep an eye on that country so they don't get any funny ideas. Hey, Father, don't you think I'm doing better than some youngest son around here?"

"You've achieved commendable results. You should be proud."

Girium smirked, glancing at me sideways.

Why do I have to spend a pleasant holiday evening with this jerk of a brother?

He stopped acting up so much after I beat him up as a kid, but he still tries to one-up me whenever he gets the chance.

"Hey, Alfis, how's school life? What's your duel record?"

"Don't know."

"Come on, you'll get looked down on like that. If you're looked down on, it reflects on me too. I was already in third place by my first year, you know?"

"That's impressive."

From my perspective, not being in first place by the first year means you're already done for.

You can't use monsters in duels, so it's all about raw skill. Can't be helped.

He's probably still obsessed with collecting monsters.

"I've already gathered 3,000 monsters. They're all stationed at Girium Castle, ready to wipe out Gearth anytime."

"They're not doing anything right now. Besides, they're not the ones we should be wary of."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You really don't see anything, do you?"

When I provoked him, Girium grabbed me by the collar.

He always reacts like this with just a little taunting.

"Don't get cocky. Want me to show you how different I am from when we were kids?"

"Let go."

"Guaaahhh!"

I squeezed his wrist hard enough to almost crush it, and he crumpled to the ground, screaming.

He's weak but always acts tough.

"Anyone who can't follow table manners can disappear."

"Y-you... guh!"

I kicked Girium's chin as he knelt, sending him sprawling on the floor.

The servants screamed, but I ignored them and sat back down to continue my meal.@@novelbin@@

"Alfis, you're such a troublemaker."

"Hmph..."

Miley was her usual self, and Leorg just laughed.

Vaide silently chewed through a bone-in piece of meat.

This kind of scene is just everyday life for us. The servants, though, don't seem used to it.

"By the way, Miley, I heard you took on summoning magic research."

"That's right, Father. Since Alphiss won't let me kiss him, I took it on instead. Aren't I great?"

"Keep me updated on your progress."

"Yes, ."

Even our father casually brushes off  Mileycomments.

Our mother is practically invisible.

She's always smiling and following Leorg around, so it's no surprise.

"Recently, Vaide and Alphiss captured a man on a mission and made him talk. It seems some rather trivial matters are afoot."

"So, is Allgan Country up to something?"

"At this stage, I won't say much. It's truly trivial... trivial... too trivial..."

Here, we covered our ears.

At the same time, we released a wave of energy to envelop Leorg.

"I can't contain my anger! That rotten, weak little country that pretended to be neutral during the neighboring war! How dare they mess with my garden! Who do they think they are! Who do they think they are to trample on my garden!"

Leorg's furious shouts and the terrifying waves of energy that leaked out would have driven the servants to suicide if they had been directly exposed.

Even with the three of us containing it, it was barely enough.

A faint ripple of the energy touched the servants, making them burst into tears, collapse, and tremble.

Meanwhile, our mother, Lisanias, continued eating without losing her smile.

After Leorg's anger subsided, she gently leaned against him.

This is pretty much a daily scene.

"Darling, calm down. You're always at the top, so you mustn't do anything unbecoming."

"You're right, my apologies. Lisanias, I worried you."

"It's fine. I'm here to support you..."

In this world, she's the only one immune to Leorg's terrifying energy.

Her love can overcome any fear.

"That's right, I must always remain calm. Calmly consider what should be done. Of course, it's not about countermeasures. You understand, right?"

"It's about how to deal with them, that's all."

"Vaide, exactly. I'm glad you, as the eldest, answered first. Hahaha!"

Leorg laughed cheerfully, as if he were a completely different person.

He's really such a small man.

Just a little flattery, and he's like this.

"We should act as usual. Strike first."

"Indeed, Vaide. That's the Balfonte way."

How to deal with them.

It's like discussing how to torment a mouse.

Not exactly dinner table conversation.

"Moyu moyu."

"Moyu, if you want to eat, then eat."

Vaide has a level 25 magical beast with him.

It seems to have accepted Vaid as its master and has grown quite attached.

He even named it, and it's amusing how he's completely taken with it. Straightforward, but still.

More importantly, how to deal with them.

Well, I'm seriously thinking about it too.

"Father, I have a proposal. May I speak?"

"Alfis, that's unusual. Go ahead."

I had an idea.

As Alphiss , I have the freedom to carve out my own path.

Meaning, the next steps are up to me. Might as well make it fun.

When I shared my idea, the whole family fell silent.

"That's risky."

"Vaide, do we even have such a thing? This is the most effective way."

When I said that, Leorg stabbed his fork into a piece of meat with gusto.

The servants trembled again.

" Alphiss  , good. I approve."

"Thank you."

"Let those insolent fools regret ever messing with my garden."

Leorg voraciously devoured the meat.

In high spirits and with a hearty appetite, Leorg raised the salary of the servant who picked up the fork that day.

Thanks to this, the servant was able to send more money to their family in the countryside.