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

"Letitia... no, Letitia's big sis! I was so moved!"

"Huh?"

The brown-skinned girl, Shemna, along with two others, bowed their heads to Letitia.

Wait, wasn't the Shemna faction known for being radical?

I heard they challenged everyone to duels left and right. Were they really this humble?

"Letitia's big sis protected us with her own body. Seeing her stand up to that demon, Muha, I had an awakening."

"Uh, huh..."

"Facing someone stronger than yourself and protecting the weak. That's the ideal I aspire to."

"No, Shemna, you're admirable too. I should be learning from you."

"Not at all! I was just relying on brute strength and forgot what really matters. And honestly, the Shemna faction is just me, Loru, and Hanna now."

The humble exchange between Letitia and Shemna began.

Shemna then started to explain. After making a contract with a demon, her win rate skyrocketed.

But in her obsession with winning, even her former followers abandoned her.

Yet, Shemna fought on, as if to say that strength was everything.

To avoid being looked down upon, to pay back all the humiliation she had endured.

To vent the frustration of not being able to achieve the results she wanted due to her lack of magical power.

"Shemna... I see."

"Letitia's big sis protected us. So hold your head high. In fact, from now on, I'm following Letitia's big sis."

"Eh? Ehhh?!"

"From now on, we're the Letitia faction! Loru! Hanna! If you've decided to follow me, no complaints!"

"Wait a second!"

The two responded energetically.

Good for you, Letitia. Protecting people and taking your first step as a leader.

You really are the protagonist I believed in.

"A-Alfis! What do I do? I didn't expect this!"

"Being admired by others is a big deal. And they're citizens too."

"That's true, but... it feels different somehow..."

Whether Letitia accepted it or not, this was reality.

As I tried to calm the flustered Letitia, Shemna and the others stared blankly.

"Letitia's big sis, that's Alfis-sama, right? Is he your boyfriend?"

"B-Boyfriend...?"

"His looks are perfect for you! Ha! So that means we're under Alfis-sama too..."

"Please, calm down."

Really, calm down.

From experience, trying to stop this will only make it worse.

We already have the bad example of the fan club.

"Alright! We're the Alfis faction under the Letitia faction, which is under the Alfis faction! Alfis-sama, cha-su!"

"Don't 'cha-su' me. Just don't cause me any trouble."

"Got it!"

Somehow, a group like a ladies' gang became the Alfis faction.

Such a faction doesn't exist, but well, it's like a fan club.

"Alfis-sama is your boyfriend..."

"Letitia, the exam isn't over yet. Don't let your guard down."

"Y-Yes!"

That's right, there's less than an hour left until the exam ends.

Many will let their guard down and fail here.

In fact, most Aliens would target that moment of carelessness right before the end.

If I were an Alien, I'd do the same.

As I was thinking this, Kuklis and the others arrived.

It was a situation where he might have gone full romance mode, but being a pro, he held back.

"Alfis-san. And Letitia-san. You two are passed."

"Huh? Kuklis, are you sure?"

"After getting caught up in such an accident and resolving it, what more do we need to test? This is our collective decision."

"Hmm... Sorry, but could you just pass Letitia? I want to gain more experience as a guard until the end."

When I said that, Kuklis looked surprised.

I was more interested in the experience than the pass or fail. Even if I failed.

"Is that okay? If you fail, you'll be disqualified..."

"No problem. Kuklis, will you go along with it?"

"G-Go along? Alfis-san, we're technically teacher and student! Not that I dislike forbidden love, but!"

"Let's just move on."

After some back-and-forth, I decided to see the exam through to the end.

As for the Shemna faction, or rather Shemna, there were things I wanted to ask, so I planned to detain her later.

Like with Muto, we'll discuss whether she should be punished.

Letitia, having passed, returned to the school building.

The battle with the demon Muha must have been exhausting.

After that, as I expected, the Aliens attacked right before the end.

Targeting the very last second, how annoying.

There will probably be a lot of failures because of this.

* * *

"Guh... t-too strong..."

"Tsk tsk, is that all? Don't disappoint me."

Erik smirked at the bloodied Aliens collapsing before him.

Beside him stood a man in a black cloak, emotionlessly observing the carnage.

"Well, a one-hit binding is about this much, huh?"

"Ugh..."

"I thought the school's capture team would be more fun. But I guess they were tired from work."

"Don't think... this is allowed..."

Erik stepped on the head of one of the Aliens.

The head began to rot rapidly, finally squishing under Erik's foot.

Seeing this, Ioas, a leader of the Erik faction, shook his head.

"Erik-sama, you'll dirty your shoes stepping on that."

"Huh? Oh... it does stink."

As Erik frowned, another leader, Waltamine, created a small whirlpool of water.

Erik's shoes were cleaned to a pristine condition.

"Still as handy as ever. Your water manipulation might be the best."

"Ohoho! Erik-sama, you flatterer! Saying such true things! Ohohoho!"

As Waltamine laughed loudly, Ioas froze the water dripping on the ground.

Waltamine, stepping on the now icy ground, slipped.

"Eek! What are you doing?!"

"Refrain from vulgar laughter in front of Erik-sama."

"Oh really? And you're so refined, are you? I bet you make loud noises in the bathroom too!"

"That's different. Truly a vulgar woman... hard to believe you're from a viscount family."

Watching their banter, the examinees trembled.

Before the exam, they thought the students were beneath them.

They had hoped the Aliens would teach them a lesson, but now they feared for their lives.

Erik smirked at their terrified expressions.

"Hey, is there any point in continuing? I hate pointless things, especially boring ones."

"W-Well, it's the rules..."

"Do you think you can stick to meaningless rules in this situation?"

"N-No, I guess not..."

As the examinees shook in fear, the contracted demons of Erik's group appeared.

A man in a black cloak, a monstrous figure covered in fur, and a strange old man with an umbrella and straw coat.

Each was a demon far beyond the examinees' comprehension, pushing their minds to the brink.

"...All of you pass."

The examinees resigned themselves.

This happened a few hours before Alfis and Letitia received their passing results.