I Was Reincarnated as a Villainous Noble Who Gets Killed Midway Through the Story but It Looks Like I’ll Be Executed as a Traitor if I Try to Do Good Deeds

27: The Seeds of Anxiety

Around the time I had established a certain connection with my family, something changed again.

“Lord Rex, Lady Felicia has arrived. Let’s prepare to welcome her.”

“Ah, Master. Let me help you change into something suitable.”

“Understood. Make me look worthy of my title.”

“Of course, Master.”

I had Wes help me change, and then I rushed to the garden. Wes’s abilities as a maid have grown incredibly since the beginning.

Still, Felicia’s visit was a sudden announcement. Normally, we would receive advance notice, but maybe there’s some urgent matter this time.

As I went to welcome Felicia, flames flew towards me from the carriage.

“What’s this? Magic! Dark attire!”

I panicked and used my dark magic to defend myself, but the flames dispersed before reaching me. It was clear that they never intended to hit me in the first place. I was shocked, but I pretended to be calm.

Felicia emerged from the smoke, smiling as if she was enjoying herself. I realized that she was teasing me. It was a rather frightening way of teasing, typical of someone from a villainous family.

“Hehe, did I surprise you? I didn’t intend to harm you, Rex.”

“I’m not going to get hurt by your attack, Felicia.”

“You’re just being brave. I don’t dislike that about you, Rex.”

There are times when I think Felicia sees right through me. If she really understands my true feelings, it would be terrible. If my father finds out, it would be disastrous.

But I can’t react as if I’ve been caught. I have to pretend everything is normal.

“You think I’m weak, don’t you? That’s rich coming from someone like you.”

“Hehe, you’re cute when you’re like this. Do you want me to think you’re strong too?”

“I don’t care what anyone thinks. I’m the strongest.”

“That’s right. You’re a very manly boy.”

I don’t think I can win an argument with Felicia. Is she teasing me or what? Either way, I feel like I’m being toyed with. And she’s only 10 years old, which is terrifying.

Well, at least she seems to have good intentions towards me, so it’s not a huge problem. She was also very cooperative during the incident with the royal sisters. If I think positively, I can say she’s my greatest ally.

“Is that so? And, what’s the purpose of your visit?”

“Half of it is for fun, and the other half is a report.”

I wonder if there’s something seriously wrong if you’re coming without even contacting me. It’s not a big problem, but if you’re just here to have fun, I’m happy to welcome you. I quite enjoy spending time with Felicia.

However, I have a feeling that something troublesome might happen. It’s not just intuition, but more like circumstantial evidence.

“A report? What is it about?”

“Lately, a band of thieves has been approaching the Black family’s territory.”

In other words, are they going to attack our people? Should I do something about it myself? Well, I can’t make arbitrary judgments. I need to consult with Father as well.

I’m not experienced in group battles, so I don’t know the right way to deal with thieves. Even if we were to wipe them out, would it be better to extract information from them or just eliminate them? I’m not even sure about that.

“A band of thieves? That’s troublesome.”

“Hehe, Rex-san might end up defeating them.”

Even if I know they’re thieves, I’m not sure I can bring myself to kill them. Can I really do it? I think thieves who harm the people should be punished, but…

Still, the thought of taking someone’s life with my own hands makes me hesitate. It’s not something I can show on the surface, but as a member of the Black family, I’m not supposed to be able to kill people. It’s a ridiculous concept.

“Well, they’re not my enemies, are they?”

“That’s right. They’re just a nuisance, but…”

“Can you take them down alone?”

“Anyway, there are too many of them. It’s tough for one person to handle. But if it’s Philis-san or Rex-san, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Felicia can’t take them down alone, just how many are there? Is it a number that can be counted? If so, we need to think about how to deal with them. It’s not a problem we can just ignore.

But what can I do? If I can’t use the method of killing, my dark magic is useless. Can I really do anything?

“I see. By the way, do you know when they’ll arrive?”

“Rex-san wants to know about it too. We’ve shared the information. It’s the Break Thief Gang. They’re a small group, but if we misjudge them, it’ll be troublesome.”

At least it’s a name I’ve never heard of in ‘Destiny Blood.’ So, even if we defeat them, it shouldn’t be a problem. I don’t think it’ll have any impact on the original story. That’s a relief.

Well, I don’t want to think about the possibility that my actions might be causing the original story to collapse. My biggest weapon is being rendered useless, after all.

“I understand. Tell me more.”

“For now, it’s likely they’ll be coming from the north. We expect it to happen within a month.”

The north, so that’s why Felicia came. The Violet family’s territory is located northeast of the Black family’s territory. She must have passed by there or something.

Still, is Felicia alright? Did she encounter any thieves? Well, looking at her right now, it’s unnecessary to worry.

“I see. If we know their route, it’ll be easier to deal with them.”

“That’s right. So, I’ll be staying at your house today.”

“Alright, I’ll take care of you.”

And with that, our conversation with Felicia came to an end. Next, we’ll need to discuss how to deal with the thief gang as a family.

“According to Felicia’s information, a thief gang is approaching our Black family’s territory. Of course, we can’t let them take anything from our territory. Punishment is a certainty.”

Father says so. Just listening to the words, it sounds like he’s concerned about the people, but in reality, he’s just worried about his own assets being stolen. Our values don’t align, after all.

“Then, Father, let me handle it. I want to train to lead an army.”

Jan says confidently. I do think it’s a good idea to train by fighting the thief gang. But in front of Father, it’s hard to argue against him. Jan’s theory seems plausible, though.

I have no choice. I’ll prepare myself to be ready to move at any time, and then think about it. It’s not ideal, but I can’t think of anything else.

“Alright. You don’t have any problems, do you?”

“Then, brother, please watch over me.”

I’m really counting on you. Please minimize the casualties as much as possible. I can’t say that in front of Father, though.

Ideally, nothing would happen, but I have a bad feeling about this.