Chapter 5

Today is the entrance ceremony.

Unfortunately, my brother isn't here because he left the capital the day before yesterday due to some trouble in our territory.

However, the mansion is very lively, and I, dressed in my pristine white uniform, am being seen off grandly at the entrance.

"Y-You're off, Miss! Have a good day!"

Can't this be fixed somehow?

The Marcus Duke family is a prestigious noble family, but they also have a face like a mafia that controls the underworld.

While there are ordinary servants, the guards and bodyguards are mostly tough men with scars on their faces and bodies. They form an all-star team that ordinary people would never want to get close to.

"Hehe... Miss, please have a safe trip."

Rosso, with his intimidating face, took out a mysterious bag from his chest and handed it to me.

"What's this?"

"It'll make you feel better."

When I opened the bag, it was filled with colorful candies.

Well, Rosso is a veteran guard, but I wonder if he still thinks I'm around five years old. I used to get happy with candy, but that was in the past.

I'm not happy about being treated like a child all the time.

But these candies are delicious, so I'll take them.

"I'm off."

I left the house with Syd, accompanied by a row of ominous-looking men in black, and got into the carriage.

In the carriage, which jolted and swayed, I hugged the cushion and looked gloomy. To be honest, I'm sleep-deprived. I was so anxious that I only managed to sleep for six hours.

"Miss, you look like a zombie."

"Excuse me. I'm barely alive."

"By the way, may I ask?"

Syd, sitting opposite me, looked at me hesitantly. He avoided my eyes, his gaze fixed on my bangs.

"What happened to your bangs?"

"Uh, you noticed? Really?"

"Well, when you cut them that short..."

My bangs, which were parted to the side until yesterday, are now straight across.

"I tried to look a bit less like a villain. I wanted to improve my impression."

You see, heroines usually have bangs, right?

A side-parted or center-parted hairstyle without bangs tends to look more like a villainous lady.

Unaware of my thoughts, Syd burst out laughing.

"You don't need to worry so much. As long as you don't do anything bad, you'll be fine. That villainous lady you're talking about has really done a lot of bad things, hasn't she?"

"That's true, but..."

I started with the appearance.

There are no bad girls with straight-across bangs, right?

"Besides, the uniform really suits you. The white looks great on you. You don't look like a villain at all."

"R-Really? You think so?"

I felt a bit flustered by the compliment.

I feel like I'm being toyed with, but it's hard not to be happy when Syd praises me.

"Syd should have worn the uniform too."

"I don't want to. It gets dirty so easily."

Syd has already graduated, so he doesn't wear a uniform. He wears a dark gray robe with black inner clothing.

A purple brooch stands out at the collar of his robe.

In this country, mages have a hierarchical system, and the brooch, which serves as an ID, indicates their rank. The highest rank is awarded the purple gem, which is only given to those who can use all attributes of magic, including fire, water, earth, wind, lightning, darkness, and holy.

The mage ranks start from purple, then blue, red, green, yellow, and white, with six ranks in total. The lowest rank, white, is just barely able to use magic, so some people don't even bother to register. However, ranks from yellow and above are advantageous for employment, so most people register.

"I wish I could use magic freely like Syd, then I could have gone to the magic academy."

"Miss is a bit special, you know..."

My special trait is that I have a lot of magical power, but I can't release it. I can create a fireball, but it disperses and disappears if I try to throw it far.

"I wish I had healing powers."

"Like a holy maiden? Miss as a holy maiden... hah!"

That's incredibly rude!

I glared at him with a half-lidded gaze, and Syd straightened his back and looked out the window deliberately.

I know it's impossible for a villainous lady to be a holy maiden. But I've lived a proper life, so I at least wanted a cool reincarnation cheat skill.

This work is the grand prize winner of the "2nd Other World Reincarnation/Transfer Manga Original Contest" and was published in book form on July 15, 2021!

(ISBN: 978-4047364998)

Author: Koushi Hoshizuki

Illustrator: Iyutani-sensei

Character Design: Jiro Aruba-sensei

It is currently available at Anime-Do and other bookstores and online bookstores.

Thank you for your support!

* Due to significant revisions and the addition of romantic tension, the content of the book version differs from the web version.