The Villain Wants to Live a Quiet Life

After returning to the mansion yesterday, I was practically interrogated by Emilia.

We conversed in the reception room and garden until just before bedtime.

The main topic was about Sofia, who would be visiting today. Even though I had already told her about Sofia while walking around the lake, Emilia seemed very interested, asking the same questions repeatedly.

Morning has arrived.

During breakfast, Father brought up the topic. As Paula had mentioned yesterday, it was about the Este family’s visit.

Although they are vassals subordinate to our family, they still hold the noble rank of baron. Proper etiquette is necessary in official settings.

Accordingly, we had to dress differently today and prepare to receive them.

“Why don’t you introduce Sofia to Emilia, Ludwig? It’s been a while.”

“That’s what I was thinking, Mother. I think the two of them will get along well.”

It seems Mother coincidentally had a similar thought to mine.

Well, although their atmospheres are different, the two of them have a strangely similar feeling.

Even in the original story, Emilia was quite shy, and Sofia was also so timid at first that she could barely have a conversation with me.

Both of them were more calm and quiet than lively and bright. If I had to compare, Sofia might be a bit more spirited.

“Emilia might be a bit uncomfortable with the sudden guests. I’m sorry, but please understand.”

“Not at all, Lord Carl. I am also a guest, so please don’t worry about it.”

I wonder if they’ve gotten close without my knowledge. The two of them were already speaking comfortably with each other.

Emilia shook her head with a small smile at Father’s apology.

It was truly amazing how she could capture people’s attention with such simplicity.

Not only was her appearance beautiful but there was also a strange charm emanating from her. I suppose it comes with being the main heroine of the original story.

Father seemed to be finishing his meal, as he wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood up from his seat.

I heard that the Este family left their barony late yesterday.

Since the distance from their territory to the Aiphretz county isn’t far, they should arrive today.

Father seemed to have finished his meal earlier today to receive them.

“Ludwig, if you’re okay with it, would you like to stretch a bit after breakfast?”

“Sounds good.”

By stretching, does she mean to have a sparring match?

While I can’t gauge Emilia’s skill level, it’s clear as day that I’m no match for her.

However, I can’t refuse her goodwill to teach me swordsmanship after she stayed behind for that purpose.

Moreover, this could be considered a kind of opportunity. If I received training from someone of her caliber, I might grow enough to at least protect myself.

“My lady, what would you like to wear?”

“I’ll wear something simple. Could you prepare it for me?”

“Certainly.”

It seems she noticed that no further assistance was needed. As expected of a maid who has been by Emilia’s side, she has good sense.

I should go to my room and change into something comfortable as well.

I have clothes I used to wear when receiving lessons from the teacher who visited the mansion before, so I’ll use those.

“Well then, I’ll excuse myself. Take your time with your meal.”

I wonder if Mother didn’t see the empty plates in front of us. Maybe she said it out of politeness because Emilia was there.

Emilia carefully wiped her mouth with a napkin and spoke up as soon as Mother left the dining room.

“Ludwig, don’t you have any particular desire to become stronger?”

“Of course I do. I’m a proper man, so how could I not have such thoughts?”

“Then, how strong would you like to become?”

How strong… Hmm. It’s quite difficult to express when asked so directly. Today, Emilia’s questions seem to be penetrating deeper.

If I had to say, at least enough to avoid the bad ending given to me. But now that I’ve become friends with Emilia, the probability of that ending occurring has significantly decreased.

In that case…

“I’d like to be strong enough to protect my friends.”

“By friends… do you mean me?”

Emilia blinked as she pointed at herself with her index finger.

It was interesting how usually I thought she was beautiful, but at times like this, I found her more cute.

I wonder if Christian fell for this charm too.

“Haha, well… I think that’s quite an ambitious dream.”

Although I’m not sure if there will be situations where I need to protect Emilia… if I could cultivate my skills to that extent, it would be more than perfect.

Of course, the friend I mentioned did refer to her.

In this world of uncertainty, I didn’t want to see Emilia, who had readily approached me as a friend, get hurt.

A smile formed on Emilia’s lips as she silently gazed at me.

It was so subtle that you wouldn’t notice unless you looked closely, but that made it feel more sincere.

Still, being able to make Emilia smile, even a little, is a great blessing for me, isn’t it?

“Um… Ludwig. If you stare like that…”

“Ah.”

It seems I was too absorbed and lost in thought while looking at her.

I came to my senses when I saw Emilia lowering her head with a strangely red face.

You fool. No matter how pretty she is, she’s not your woman. Get a grip.

 *          *          *          *          *          *          *

I changed into clothes that were easy to move in and headed to an open space within the mansion grounds.

Although it was an open space, the foliage growing around made it a suitable place to move without others watching.

Although there was a training hall in the mansion, both Emilia and I felt more comfortable outside, so we decided on this place.

By the way, the clothes Emilia wore were quite stimulating.

Although they weren’t particularly revealing, they accentuated her figure, making it hard to know where to look.

Fortunately, the material was quite thick. I might have had to give up on sparring otherwise.

“I’ve heard it’s not good to move so much right after eating… I wonder if it’ll be okay.”

“Is that so? I’ve never experienced such a thing…”

Emilia tilted her head as if such a phenomenon was unthinkable.

Indeed, this is a fitting response from a woman who earned the title of Sword Saint at the age of 21.

Generally, if one did this right after a meal, their stomach would hurt so much they’d be half-collapsed, unable to continue sparring.

But does this mean that with an innate physique, one can naturally ignore such things?

“The Young Lady always moves her body before and after meals.”

“Greta, when you say it like that, it sounds like I don’t touch anything but a sword.”

“Oh my, but it’s true.”

A noble lady being teased by her maid… An uncommon scene, but I thought it wasn’t too bad.

For some reason, it felt like it was overlapping with me when talking to Paula or Matilda. It must be because they’ve spent a long time together and have no barriers between them.

Paula also sometimes plays pranks but is sharp as a knife when it’s time to work, so I thought Greta might be similar.

“Young Master, your gaze is too sharp…”

“You sometimes act like that too. Don’t pretend you don’t.”

“That can’t be. To me, the Young Master is someone I must serve with all my heart and soul, how could I play such pranks…”

Well, she certainly has a way with words. As she said, she indeed does her job well, so I couldn’t say her words were entirely wrong.

Sigh. Both sides have mischievous servants, causing trouble for their masters.

Of course, this is much better than an uncomfortable relationship with distance between us.

“Shall we start then?”

“Let’s do it.”

After receiving water flasks from our maids and quenching our thirst, we took our stances in earnest.

Since Emilia dislikes others seeing her train, we decided to have the maids step back for a while.

We’ve warmed up our bodies to some extent, so we should be able to start soon.

Nodding my head, I grasped the wooden sword I had brought, and Emilia, smiling, followed suit and picked up her wooden sword as well.

In an instant, the surrounding air became heavy, and her eyes changed.

‘Such aura.’

I had never felt such pressure since coming to this world. It felt like facing off against a fierce beast.

To think it’s like this just from holding a wooden sword, not even a real one. Considering she’s holding back, it was truly fearsome pressure.

“Ah, I’m sorry, Ludwig. I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s fine. I just cowered a bit.”

Although I knew I was inferior to her in swordsmanship and martial arts, I felt a bit embarrassed as a man for flinching at her aura.

As she reduced the pressure she was emitting, the heavy air finally eased.

To be able to handle the aura she emits so skillfully at such a young age… incredible indeed.

I could somewhat understand why a character in the story had expressed shock towards Emilia, who became a Sword Saint, saying that her talent wasn’t just at that level.

“In sparring, it’s important to get used to each other’s movements. Let’s take it slow.”

“Understood, Master.”

Since she would be both a friend and a teacher during her stay here, I responded with a smile, half-jokingly and half-seriously.

Emilia raised the corners of her mouth as if to say this level of joking was nothing.

She even went a step further by saying, “Then, I’ll be in your care, disciple.” Now that we’re talking like this, it feels like we’re doing some kind of role-play.

Emilia adjusted her stance again, giving me a look as she held her sword with both hands.

She was yielding the first move. It was a common action when facing an opponent weaker than oneself.

A kind of provocation. But I knew it wasn’t to look down on me, but rather came from her kind nature and consideration.

If that’s the case, I should do it. Considering Emilia’s skill, it’s clear she’ll easily block even if I swing recklessly.

Right now, pride is unnecessary. I should approach this with the mindset of learning.

“Haah!”

“Hut!”

– Clack! Clock!

A dull sound echoed as our wooden swords collided in mid-air.

The tightly maintained balance of power soon collapsed, and as our swords slid along each other’s blades, we simultaneously created distance and faced off again.

Yes. If she starts attacking, I’ll be busy just blocking.

Even with the intention to learn, I felt like I’d collapse from exhaustion.

In this situation, it might be better to clash head-on as much as possible. Emilia would surely want that too.

– Thwack! Clop!

I rushed towards Emilia, moving my body as fast as possible.

Our wooden swords collided twice, thrice in one breath, but neither of us landed any effective hits on the other.

Although Emilia is going easy on me, it’s still frustrating that I can’t even land a single hit.

I couldn’t help but smile wryly at the skill difference.

Emilia also seemed surprised at how poor my skills were, as she was blankly staring at me.

I wish there was a mouse hole I could hide in.

“Haap!”

“Huh!”

– Whack! Clop!

Before I could finish my thought, Emilia attacked.

Thanks to her holding back on her strength, I was able to react, but the weight I felt from the sword was different.

So this is what it means to be as heavy as a mountain. It felt almost as if a bear was riding on the sword.

Our swords maintained a balance of power as they held in place, but my arms were gradually losing strength.

Having no choice, I raised my strength to deflect her sword, creating distance. Even though I only blocked once, my knuckles were tingling.

If I had to spar twice a day, my body wouldn’t last… Huh?

“Emilia, what’s wrong?”

“Behind…”

Standing still in her spot, she pointed behind me, looking as if she had seen a ghost.

I thought it might be a joke, but I didn’t think she would play around during sparring, so I turned my head to check what it was.

Then, I saw a woman standing where I had turned my gaze.

Long lavender hair flowing in the wind, purple eyes a shade darker than her hair, and a figure even smaller than Emilia’s. I unknowingly found myself captivated by her upturned eyes that seemed to be pleading something, and I uttered her name.

“Sophi…a?”

“It’s been a while. Brother.”

Her name was Sofia Este.

Just as we met last, she called me what she wouldn’t even call her own siblings, and threw herself into my arms.

translator’s corner

wuh oh D: