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

"Alfis, you're really something."

Just moments ago, Linlin had been completely downcast, but now she had already bounced back. She stood up smoothly, acting as if she had won herself. Well, from my perspective, I didn’t consider that a victory either. If I had more strength, I would’ve wanted a closer match.

That said, it was a typical way of fighting for someone with dark attributes. But then again, Linlin was able to stand back up because she had a strong core.

"I never thought I’d lose to a student like you. Even if I let my guard down, if that had been a real battle, I would’ve been dead."

"You only let your guard down because I’m a student, right? But does this mean you’ll take me a bit more seriously now?"

"I never intended to underestimate you in the first place. But... perhaps there was a gap in my heart because you’re a student. It seems I still have a lot to learn."

"I also want to reach the level of strength that teachers have soon."

We were talking as if we were rivals, leaving our classmates out of the conversation. Letitia quickly came over and stared intently at our faces.

"Y-you two! That was amazing! C-could I become strong too?"

"Letitia, you’re good at defense, but you need to think about attacking more. Right, Alfis?"

"Yeah. It might be better to use the opponent’s attacks rather than focusing solely on offense."

I casually gave her a hint, and Letitia seemed to have an epiphany. This was a hint about the cheat skill she used in the game. But if I just told her outright, it wouldn’t help her grow. I want her to figure it out on her own.

"Alfis-sama! You even beat Linlin! I’m so proud!"

"Hey, idiot. Call her 'teacher.'"

"Ah..."

She is a teacher, after all. Linlin can be surprisingly strict about that kind of thing.

"Rushel, I lost to Alfis, but I don’t think I’m inferior. Would you like me to prove it to you right now?"

"N-no, I’ve seen enough..."

"Who’s Ranran?"

"That’s not meeeeeee!"

She’s still mad about the name thing. This is going to smolder for a while. I’d like to put it out quickly, but we don’t have time for that right now.

"Alfis and Rushel, come to the guidance room later."

"Wait, seriously?"

"I’m not involved in thissss!"

Damn it, because of that damn angel, I’ve been dragged into something weird. Since the embers are still smoldering, you should choose your words carefully. But this isn’t the time for that.

"Teacher Linlin, you promised to let me decide the remaining four members, right?"

"Ah, that’s right. I’m not happy about it, but since I lost, I’ll keep my promise."

"Then the members are Letitia, Lilisha, and Rushel. These three are decided."

"That’s fair. Who’s the last one?"

"Hmm..."

I looked around at the still murmuring classmates. Some were hoping to be chosen, others thought it was impossible, and some probably wondered why I was the one deciding in the first place. There were all kinds of reactions. But I’ll make full use of the winner’s privilege without hesitation.

"Everyone whose name hasn’t been called, get on the field. I’ll decide by fighting you."

"Huh!? You’re kidding, right?"

"Again!?"

"But Alfis-sama must be tired after fighting Teacher Linlin..."

When someone said that, the complaints suddenly stopped. Nice one. I am tired, but it’s not a problem. In real battles, you often have to fight consecutively, so if I can’t handle this, it’s pointless. That’s why I’ll say this:

"It’s fine. Don’t worry about me. Come at me all at once. If anyone lands even a single hit, you pass."

The classmates, who had assumed I was exhausted, suddenly got fired up. They eagerly stepped onto the field and began gathering their magic. The various attributes created a colorful display.

"Alright, Alfis-sama! Here I...!"

"Dark Needle."

I took out one of the classmates with a single strike before they could even launch their attack. Everyone was stunned.

"Y-you’re attacking!?"

"Of course. I never said I wouldn’t."

"N-no way! There’s no way we can beat someone who defeated Teacher Linlin! At least don’t attack us!"

"What are you saying to your classmate? I’m not a teacher, you know."

I readied my magic sword and charged at the classmates. A horizontal slash took out two, and another swing took out three. By now, spells were being fired at me, but they were too slow.

"Black Hole."

"Ugh, we got sucked in again!"

"Again? You should’ve expected this. If you know it’s coming, think and move properly."

"That’s impossible!"

I sliced through you and took you out. The two who tried to ambush me from behind with earth and ice magic got a spinning slash in return. After knocking them out, I noticed thorns creeping toward my feet.

"Close one."

"Whoa!"

I crushed the thorns with my magic-enhanced foot and then properly slashed the caster with my magic sword. It was similar to the Demon Flower Diabaran, but this was just magic. To be harsh, it’s a downgraded version, but they probably derived it from earth attribute magic to create a composite spell. That one was close.

"Is that it? If this keeps up, there’ll be no one left to pass."

"T-this is impossible!"

"I’m out too! There’s no way we can win!"

The remaining classmates fled the field. In an instant, I was the only one left standing. Kind of disappointing.

Facing a slightly stronger opponent and this is what happens. Well, I know all too well that fighting someone way out of your league isn’t good training. That’s why I never trained with my family. At this rate, it’s just bullying, and the only passers will be the four—

"Take this!"

"Oof..."

A fireball hit me in the head. My head shook slightly, but there was no damage. It was an incredibly weak spell. In a real battle, this would be—wait, did I just get hit?

"...Esti?"

"Ah! Ahhh—ahhh! I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t think it would hit!"

Esti was flustered and prostrated herself. Linlin and the classmates were all silent. Of course they were. Even I don’t know how I got hit.

I hadn’t forgotten about Esti. She was just too low on the priority list to take out. But I got hit.

"...Alfis. It seems the passer has been decided."

"Yeah..."

I wonder if this is really okay. But I’m the one who suggested this, and more importantly, there’s clearly something off about Esti. No matter how much I let my guard down, she shouldn’t have been able to hit me so easily.

"U-um, I-I’m really sorry..."

Even if it was a sneak attack, I should’ve been able to dodge that. There’s only one possibility. I casually released a wave of energy with one hand in front of Esti. Her eyes were clearly glued to it.

I see, she might be a hidden gem. She must’ve tracked my energy wave and timed her attack.