The Villain Purchased the Heroine

The Schugenharz Duke's Mansion is peaceful once again today.

"Make it again."

"Y-Young Master…?"

"Did you not hear me?"

I repeated my words clearly to the confused servant.

"This dish. It tastes awful, so I said to make it again."

"But…."

"Are you the one cooking? Isn't it the chef who makes the food? If not, are you too stupid to even say something simple like, 'Today's dish seems to have just been pulled out of the trash, so Young Master Vargan would like something else to eat'?"

"I-I'll bring a new dish right away!"

The servant hurriedly left. The other servants and I watched the new one intently.

Alicia, the story's most important heroine.

Normally, she would still be at her house, running errands while being bullied by that awful housekeeper, referred to as "mother," but now she's working as a dedicated servant in our mansion.

One might wonder if we're not being too harsh on her—sure, that's a valid question. But all this is for her benefit.

Alicia's nature is quite flawed. She's too kind-hearted and weak. With such a pathetic personality, she wouldn't survive in this harsh world.

That's why I'm helping her. Investing my time and effort so she can thrive in the Academia.

Reborn like this, Alicia will undoubtedly cultivate her talents with a strong heart.

"I've brought a new dish. I'm sure you'll like it…."

"Make it again."

"Y-Young Master? At least try a little…"

"It smells bad."

"…I'll be right back. Please wait a moment."

Yep, this is all for her sake.

*

It has already been more than a week and two days since I entered this novel.

Before I possessed this body, I was a handsome genius who topped the acting department—enough about me, though; it's time to talk about this place.

I know about "possession stories."

More specifically, I've read that type of novel.

The title is "I Possessed a Supporting Character in an Academia Story?!" which isn't even funny. Aside from the maggot-like ending, the content was somewhat interesting, but the title was just too childish. They could've at least removed the question and exclamation marks at the end.

It would have been nice if you had given it to me.

Anyway, the important thing is that I have been reincarnated as the third son of the villainous Duke in this novel. You might think it's insane to be reincarnated into a reincarnation story, but thinking it over, it seems to have more connection than reincarnating into other genres.

To briefly explain what I've read, the male protagonist, who has reincarnated as a commoner in a novel, gains enough cheat abilities to overcome his shabby body. A few months later, he enrolls in the Hero Training Academy, Academia, where the main incidents unfold.

The good news is that the novel the protagonist read isn't a reincarnation story. In that novel, the protagonist, a third prince of a rival nation, struggles to become king while fighting against the villains in order to welcome the heroine, Alicia, who, despite being a commoner, entered Academia due to her abilities. It's a pretty standard plot.

For reference, I'm included among all the shared villains.

So from my perspective.

The commoner protagonist from the novel I read is the 'real protagonist,' while the prince protagonist from the novel he read is the 'fake protagonist.'

Complicated, huh?

Well, let me just get to the important part.

I am reincarnated in a reincarnation story as the third son of a villainous Duke. I'm quite pleased with my role as a villain, my status, and my appearance. I've decided to live well here solely for my own sake.

The 'real protagonist' from the novel I read wanted to escape the story, but I can't accept his way of thinking at all. Why, on earth, does he want to escape this novel world?

Someone might ask,

"Why do you want to live there?"

I'm the offspring of a thriving Duke. I can live lavishly. Here, I can do anything I want, so why on earth would I return to such a harsh reality? I want to ask back.

"Why should I leave?"

Why should I go back?

All I have to do here is stretch my legs toward a brilliant future. A guaranteed future. Where on earth could be better than this?

— Ah, of course, problems need to be solved.

As life often goes, being a villain isn't just about thriving. Naturally, at first, the villain torments the protagonists with bravado, but in the end, he is overwhelmed by them and meets a miserable fate.

That's how the future of this Vargan, whom I've reincarnated as, looks.

So should I cling to the protagonists and survive the crisis together? Should I submit to them and share glory in a group I don't belong to?

No, I won't do that.

I will live as the protagonist of my newly gained life. I despise timidly clinging to other protagonists, and above all, their way of thinking doesn't resonate with me.

Even when I read this novel, I liked the character Vargan, the villain. Isn't it cool? Living freely as I wish and being so confident. It's like a clone of me. Then I should show the appearance that fits him.

I will do what I want while blocking all the crises.

I can dare to say this arrogant line because I know information that both the real and fake protagonists are unaware of.

"…Cough. Young Master, may I ask how long we have to do this?"

"…Ugh. Young Master, may I ask how much longer we have to do this?"

"Shut up and focus. If your mana gets disrupted, all the time we've spent will be meaningless."

"…Yes. …Ugh."

In the dark space, Alicia is surrounded by a violet magic circle. She's currently managing the flow of mana, forcing it awake in her body, which is exhausting both physically and mentally.

On the other hand, I was doing the same thing as her, but there was no change on my end. That's because I always control the flow of mana internally, making it feel as easy as breathing without drawing attention.

"Endure the pain. You haven't forgotten our pact, have you?"

"I… remember…."

After another hour passed, I told her she could rest now. As soon as she heard the permission, she stopped managing her mana and weakly slumped down.

Alicia, drenched in sweat, breathed heavily.

A woman in a white robe approached her with a towel in hand.

"Alicia, you did well."

"Ah, thank you, Teacher."

"Hahaha, no, I should be the one thanking you. It's a pleasure to teach someone as lovely as you, compared to the spoiled Young Master I deal with all the time."

"If that spoiled Young Master refers to me, I'll twist your head off right now."

"Oh dear! Vargan Young Master would never! I'm talking about another Young Master, the one I'm assigned to. Hahaha."

"..."

The owner of that irritating laugh is my tutor, a talented mage who excels in spells and elemental magic. She's also the only tutor able to withstand the personality of the villain, Vargan.

"By the way, Alicia, you're really beautiful. It's like looking at my prime days."

"Ah, no. What do you mean…."

She's annoying and her laughter is unbearable, but still, her talent is undeniable. Her knowledge and skill in magic can't be overlooked by anyone.

"Are you using some kind of potion? Hmm, or maybe there's an exercise for improving your figure? Oh, oh! Or…."

"Shut up! Alicia, go wash up right now. Hurry, disappear in front of this chatterbox. I'm about to go deaf."

"Ah, yes, Young Master."

I can't ignore her…

Alicia took the towel and weakly left the room, not forgetting to politely bow to me in her scattered state.

"..."

A little while after she disappeared,

My somewhat odd tutor, Paula, shed her previous cheerfulness and spoke sharply, her gaze matching her tone.

"You've brought a monster, Young Master."

Monster.

That word refers to Alicia.

"Where did you find such a talent? At the late age of 16, learning how to use mana just today? When you first asked me, I thought you just wanted a new toy."

"A toy. A toy, huh…."

"Toy, huh…."

"But I realized right away that I was completely wrong. A whopping 6 hours. Seriously, I can't believe I just said that. 6 hours. Sure, I've dabbled in mana once before in the past, but I've never really put it to use until today… This is… this is…."

"It's unbelievable. Well, is that what you want to say? I can understand your feelings. But don't deny reality. The important thing is that she accomplished that nonsensical feat. Isn't that right?"

Although I seem calm as I speak, I'm also hiding my own emotions.

Witnessing an incredible talent firsthand.

A chilling sensation washed over me, alongside a tremendous sense of exhilaration.

Typically, prodigies can first awaken mana and operate it at age 5 for about 1 hour. Even I, who am rumored to be a genius in the elite Duke's bloodline, managed only 2 hours. My record of 2 hours was so outstanding that there was debate among the other nobles about its validity.

But then, look at her. She entered the world of mana later in life and set an unprecedented record of 6 hours.

Since I inherited the memories and thoughts of the original body's owner, Vargan, when I possessed this body, I could personally feel how extraordinary that record was.

I still can't shake off the goosebumps on my skin. Even having seen it with my own eyes, I can't believe it. Can she really be a human like me?

At the same time, I have a strong conviction that my judgment to bring her to my side from the beginning of this story was not wrong. The thought of a talent like her blocking my future is more frustrating than the Demon King being in the way.

"Let's enroll her in the Academia next year. It just so happens that she's the same age as the Young Master, so she can join from next year, right?"

"I was actually thinking of that."

There, she will become my loyal sword and shield, dedicating her talent to me.

"Whoa now, this is going to send huge ripples through the Academia!"

In the original work, Alicia and the two protagonists successfully enroll this year.

Alicia becomes aware of the existence of the 'real protagonist', a plain commoner among the two protagonists. She shares the same status and is in the same class, and being a warm-hearted person, she wants to befriend her.

As time passes, Alicia integrates into the group of 'real protagonist' girls. The protagonist, knowing their feelings, still hesitates to welcome anyone, letting it go stale. What a pathetic guy. He should have made the choice that would benefit him the most…

But this time, it would be different.

That's because Alicia will step forward with the name of the Schugenharz Duke's Family behind her. Her status may not change, but her position is different.

Now that Alicia has come to me, she is no longer just an ordinary peasant but a notable person with proper affiliations. She can no longer serve as a power for the two protagonists.

"I need to turn the tables."

A predetermined conclusion. A predictable development.

I will twist everything. When everything is tangled and nobody can think straight, the one who laughs at those foolish ones will be.

It must be 'me'.