Chapter 2

About ten years ago, the offline RPG for consumers, "Yugtoria Notes," was released.

It is the fifth installment in the "Notes" series, famous for its opening animation and theme song, and is a masterpiece that achieved the highest sales in the series.

The story takes place in the world of Yugtoria, where natural disasters have become frequent. It follows the protagonist, Reed Granwell, and his companions as they embark on an adventure to save the world and the girl he grew up with.

It was released when I was a college student with plenty of free time, and I remember playing it at least three times, including the "Stay Strong and Retry" feature.

I even pulled it out recently for a bit of entertainment after a long time.

Reed Granwell, the protagonist, officially sets out on his journey at the age of fourteen, just before he comes of age, but the story itself begins with his ten-year-old boyhood, incorporating foreshadowing and tutorials.

The first small boss battle is against the lord's foolish sons who try to take the pendant of his childhood friend. During this battle, Reed learns "Flame Slash," the base skill for fire-based sword techniques.

In short.

The boy, Reed Granwell, who wields a wooden sword, is the protagonist.

The girl, Tina Rambert, who clutches the pendant and sits down, is the childhood friend heroine.

The lord's foolish son is apparently me, Borman Etchegor Dunkvart.

I remember in the game, Borman's buttocks caught fire from the Flame Slash, and he fled in a panic.

I never thought I would experience it in real life.

The reincarnation into another world was triggered by rolling down the stairs.

Moreover, the world I was reincarnated into was the one from a game I knew well.

This kind of story is common in light novels.

But why was I reincarnated as a character destined to be a villain?

Especially as Borman, whose father's corruption would be exposed, leading to the decline of the Dunkvart territory, and whose village would be burned down by monsters four years later.

If this world follows the same path as the game, in a few years, Borman's father will be imprisoned for embezzlement, and the Dunkvart territory will be divided into two.

The larger and more prosperous part will be ruled by Reed's brother, who is a knight of the kingdom, while the smaller and depopulated part will be inherited by Borman.

The monster attack that prompts Reed's journey will occur, and while Reed's village manages to repel the monsters, both villages in Borman's territory will be destroyed and become abandoned villages on the map.

...Wait a minute.

"Isn't this a bit too hard?"

While being carried by my subordinates, I was secretly despairing.

By the time we returned to Ophel Village, where the protagonist lives, it was already quite dark.

Of course, I was put down before we reached the village, and we hurried to the village chief's house, where our fathers were.

On the way, we encountered several villagers.

However, when they saw us, they quickly turned around and ran into their houses, closing the doors.

Some even glared at us through the gaps in their curtains, frowning.

How much do they hate me?

...Ah.

As the lord's son, I must have bullied smaller children, stripped girls, destroyed fences, and monopolized goods in the general store, all for free.

Every time I saw a villager, the terrible memories associated with them came flooding back.

This is the worst.

No, not for me.

It was Borman who did it!

The villagers don't just dislike me; they seem to genuinely hate me.

What am I supposed to do about this?

"I want to die..."

I inadvertently said my usual catchphrase.

"Master, did you say something?"

The smaller of my subordinates, Stanief, asked.

This guy has good hearing.

"I didn't say anything."

I pretended nothing happened.

Then, Giles, the larger subordinate, spoke up with a stern face.

"Master, what are we going to do about that Reed guy? That fire sword technique is a bit troublesome."

What do you mean, "what are we going to do"? We just lost, didn't we?

"His brother became a squire in the kingdom's knight order and is getting cocky."

Stanief narrowed his already narrow eyes and pouted.

Yeah, it sounds like a loser's whine.

"Yeah. If we don't do something, it'll set a bad example for the others."

Giles chimed in.

Hey, stop it.

What's with that delinquent thinking?

He's the "protagonist" with a growth cheat.

There's no way we, the characters destined to be defeated, can win.

"So, what are we going to do, Master?"

"Ah, yeah. That's right..."

I muttered and pretended to think while walking.

Why are they asking me?

I didn't say anything about revenge, did I?

...No, I shouldn't be complaining.

I need to think of a way to resolve this peacefully.

First, let's consider the positions of these two.

If I can betray their expectations, I could just ignore the revenge and move on.

But if I need their help in the future, I can't do that.

What should I do?

...I can't just cut ties with them.

They are the sons of my father's retainers and one of my few allies.

With only four years until the monster attack, I need every card I can get.

So, should I seek revenge?

In the game, I remember trying to seek revenge and getting beaten back as expected.

...Hey.

"Going out there all fired up and getting beaten back twice would be a real pain!"

I shouted without thinking, and the subordinates walking in front of me flinched.

"Ma, Master...?"

Stanief cautiously checked my expression.

Oh no, I let my true feelings slip.

Well, let's go with this approach.

"Jiles, do you have a chance of winning?"

I asked the larger subordinate without stopping.

"N-no... But, we didn't know he would use that technique last time, so we got hit directly. If we knew, that weak sword wouldn't have been a problem!"

Jiles boasted.

I glared at him as we walked.

"Jiles, I asked if you have a chance of winning. Even if you were caught off guard last time, we were beaten one-sidedly by three of us. If there were other spectators, it would have been a huge embarrassment. We need a way to win one-on-one. Do you have any concrete plans at this point?"

"Of course not..."

Jiles's eyes darted around, probably because he didn't expect to be asked this by his master.

"Then, think about what we need to do to beat him by tomorrow. Of course, without using underhanded tactics, one-on-one."

"O-okay."

"Stanief, too. It doesn't have to be with a sword. Think of a way to clearly show everyone that we are better than him."

"U-understood..."

Stanief also seemed confused.

Good. I successfully shifted the focus and responsibility.

I managed to get through the immediate situation.

After all, I used to be in sales. I can at least confuse a couple of kids.

By the time we reached the village chief's house, Borman and the others had been staying there for a few days with their fathers.