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

"And, Alfis-san. Among the three, which woman is your true love?"

"Don't talk to me while I'm working."

Ever since the exam started, Kukris has been bombarding me with ridiculous questions.

It seems she knows that I often train with three female students.

No wonder, since Kukris always checks out the love lives of people she's interested in.

In other words, at some point, I became her target.

Maybe it was when I went shopping in the royal capital with those three, or when I knocked out Hezler.

Either way, it's annoying to be asked melodramatic questions when my pass or fail is on the line.

"I see. Letecia is a princess, so she'd probably devote herself to you if you married her."

"Do you know what a conversation is?"

"Lilysha seems like the type who supports you behind the scenes."

"Do you know what a conversation is?"

This heartburn-inducing girl is my protection target, but I can't let my guard down.

This outdoor training ground is only for first-years, so there aren't any major monsters, but the problem is the Aliens.

If it were a normal fight, it probably wouldn't be an issue, but the situation is different now.

I have something to protect, and they are professionals at capturing.

They sometimes use ruthless methods, like using children as bait when capturing monsters.

They might know more about the weaknesses and gaps of their enemies than I do.

"Geez, you're so cold. Let's take a break here."

"I decide the time and place. If you're in a position where you could be targeted, I'll fail."

"Oh, are you suggesting I'm trying to make you fail on purpose?"

"At the very least, that shade is a target. There are too many blind spots, including the thicket behind you."

When I told her that, Kukris chuckled.

This girl, she deliberately chose a position where she could be targeted.

"As expected of Alfis-san."

"Even though you say love is more important, you're still testing me thoroughly."

"Well, I do get paid. No matter how much Alfis-san is trying to three-time, I wouldn't do something like this out of spite."

"My ears are rotting, stop it."

"Instead of three-timing, why not date them openly? Society may not accept polygamy, but love is free. Why not build a harem?"

Her views on love are probably beyond the understanding of ordinary people.

As long as both parties love each other, she seems to accept one-to-many relationships.

In short, as long as everyone is satisfied, it's fine.

"Haah!"

"Whoa...!"

That kind of thing doesn't matter at all. I blocked a sword strike from a man charging straight at me.

Feeling the heavy impact, I faced him, and the man chuckled.

"To think you could block my sword head-on. You should retire from being a mercenary."

"Balsar of the Aliens, the former mercenary known as the Cannonball, right?"

"To know my name at such a young age, you're quite diligent. As expected of a proper academy boy, huh?"

"I remember the names of most well-known people."

The middle-aged man with a bandana is a dual-wielder.

Balsar. He's one of the top fighters among the Aliens.

I'm glad he's interested in me.

If it were Letecia, it would have been dangerous.

After all, this guy looks serious but uses unexpected tactics.

"Well, I'm not interested in this babysitting exam. Sampling the younger generation is much more fun."

"So you're not interested in the protection part?"

"That's right."

Balsar crossed his two swords and charged again.

The power, enhanced with magic, was enough to push me back even though I had a firm footing.

He kept slamming his dual swords against my magic sword without any sign of stopping.

"Such strength..."

"You're pretty good for your age, kid! But your friends might have already retired by now!"

"Maybe."

He sees me as a kid and is deliberately trying to shake me.

This kind of thoroughness is what makes him a pro in combat.

Did he think I was a weakling worrying about my friends while fighting?

"Kid! You might feel a little pain!"

He accelerated like a train with broken brakes and pushed me all the way to a large tree.

If I only thought about protecting, I could just cover Kukris with a Dark Sphere.

But that would be a bad move.

The person I'm protecting is a noble with no combat experience.

Someone like Kukris might handle it, but an ordinary person would definitely panic if suddenly plunged into darkness.

They might run in the wrong direction and end up in the worst possible situation.

"Here we go!"

"Black Hole."

I created a Black Hole on Balsar's left side, where Kukris was.

Immediately after, one of Balsar's swords, which had been heading towards Kukris, was sucked in.

That's right, Balsar was pretending to attack me while targeting Kukris.

"Whoa!? Did you figure it out...?"

"I knew you were pushing me towards Kukris."

"Gah!"

I kicked Balsar away.

Rubbing his stomach, Balsar looked at me with a frustrated smile.

"That hurt... You noticed, huh, kid?"

"Pretending to be a reckless brute, emphasizing your lack of interest in protection. Then, during the fight, you'd target the protector if you saw an opening. You're more cunning than you look."

"Last year, this worked. This year's first-years are something else."

"So, what now?"

Balsar gripped his remaining sword with both hands and took a stance.

I see. He's a true battle enthusiast.

"Technically, I should back off after failing. But I want to fight you."

"Fine. I'll take you on."

Each Alien only gets one chance to target the protector.

Otherwise, the fight would continue until one side falls.

Since the students stand no chance against the Aliens, the exam wouldn't work otherwise.

"One sword strike!"

Balsar swung his two-handed sword at me.

The speed and power were beyond what you'd expect from a student, but I stood my ground.

The force of the slash was enough to split a rock in two, and even I had to brace myself to stay standing.

"Hmph!"

"Ugh! You blocked it...?"

"That was quite a shock. Satisfied?"

"...Yeah."

We both acknowledged the outcome as if we had reached an understanding.

After deflecting Balsar's sword with my magic sword, I slashed upwards from below.

"Oww..."

Balsar dropped his sword and fell.

I walked back to Kukris and crouched down.

"Hey... You could at least show a little concern."

"An old man like you won't die from that. You've got healing potions, right?"

"Total defeat. You're a scary kid. I'm glad I retired."

"Why's that?"

"If I met someone like you on the battlefield, I wouldn't last long."

Saying that, Balsar took out a healing potion from his pocket.

Watching him, I suddenly thought.

Understanding your limits is also a form of strength.

But I don't believe in my limits.

I vowed to become strong enough to satisfy this magic sword.