I Possessed the Villain’s Childhood Friend – Chapter 6

“Gah!”

I collided with a girl who looked quite young and fell over.

“I’m s-sorry! I was in a hurry!”

She had vibrant reddish hair so bright it could be mistaken for gold, paired with chestnut-colored eyes.

She quickly got up and bowed her head to apologize, resembling a startled little animal.

But as soon as I realized that, my body froze.

“I-I’m okay, so…”

I needed to send the girl on her way without delay.

To avoid entangling with Reina.

I had to act as if nothing happened.

“No matter how urgent a situation may be, even if it’s a mistake, there are things that should never occur.”

But Reina wouldn’t let that slide.

Being the epitome of nobility, she couldn’t let it go unpunished.

Why did this have to happen?

No one here noticed.

Except for me, everyone was oblivious.

Just moments ago, Reina Rozelia took a step closer to her own downfall.

“A commoner injuring the body of a noble.”

“Oh no, I’m so sorry! I truly apologize!”

The girl bowed her head repeatedly, as cold as Reina usually was today.

This girl would soon enroll in the Empire’s educational institution, “Arcana Academy,” as a special admission student.

She would become the center of an event at Arcana in the future.

She would steal the heart of the Crown Prince in the future.

And she would eventually become a Saintess who saves the world.

She was the protagonist in the story of “She Heals the Wounded World.”

“How could a commoner injure the body of a noble? Even if it was unintentional, that is still a blatant crime.”

I had to find a way to move past this.

To leave a faint impression on the protagonist.

But no matter how I thought about it, it felt impossible.

She was more noble than anyone else.

The Ice Princess, strict with herself, and equally so with others.

Reina Rozelia would never let this incident go lightly.

“If you know what the noble class means, you’d never make such a mistake, no matter how urgent the situation. Even if it means twisting your body and enduring pain by yourself.”

It could be seen as an unreasonable claim.

But everything Reina said was an irrefutable principle.

In the Astria Empire, nobility is a privileged class.

And that privilege stems entirely from talent.

For instance, the heirs of Akses Duke House are born with knightly talent.

The heirs of Rozelia Duke House possess brilliant intellect.

Some families have exceptional magical aptitude.

The nobility protects the Empire by utilizing that talent.

“Even a slight injury to this person could lead to significant losses for the Empire.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…”

The protagonist continued to bow her head, apologizing non-stop.

If I had been alone or with any other ordinary noble, it might not have escalated to a big issue.

It was an undeniable mistake, and she bowed her head immediately.

But the counterpart was simply too unfortunate.

How could something like this happen while I was with Reina?

Was there no way to stop it?

We must avoid the protagonist harboring negative feelings towards us.

“So even if it was a mistake, at the very least…”

“I’m s-sorry! Please!”

“Let’s put a stop to this.”

When Reina’s words made the protagonist go pale, I instinctively spoke up for her.

It was a thoughtless comment that slipped out aimlessly.

“Prince Aike?”

“It’s fine. I’m not hurt at all.”

“That’s a relief, but that’s a separate issue.”

With Reina’s stern words, I just blurted something out.

“But we don’t have much time left, right? We still need to go see the lake.”

“Ugh!”

Oh.

Fortunately, what I just said seemed to have some effect.

Reina frowned immediately.

After all, it was Reina who suggested going to see the lake first today.

With time running out at this moment.

She must have realized that if we wasted time like this, we might end up returning with nothing.

True to her own strictness, Reina didn’t take trivial promises lightly.

“…Alright.”

In the end, Reina bit her lip but agreed to my suggestion.

“So, you. Be careful from now on. If it had been any other nobles, it could have been really dangerous.”

Reina turned her back, leaving some advice for the protagonist.

I wanted to say that the atmosphere had been ruined because of her, but I held back.

“Th-thank you! I truly appreciate it!”

As the protagonist bowed deeply to express her gratitude, we left the market behind.

“What? You were planning to punish her? I was just trying to teach her what being a noble means!”

“…Really?”

“Of course! What do you think of me?”

I definitely couldn’t say she was strict, cold, and scary.

While having lunch by the lakeside with Reina, I brought up the earlier incident.

Even though I’d bumped into her, there was no injury, and wasn’t it an overreaction to think of punishment? That was my question.

“After bowing so deeply to apologize, it’s impossible to not realize it was a mistake. Of course, had she been more bold, I might have imposed a punishment based on my discretion.”

“But wasn’t that a bit too harsh? She looked really frightened.”

“She should be frightened. That’s what the noble class is about. If I had quietly let it go without any reprimand, she might think, ‘Ah, if I just apologize, I can get away with it.’ Who knows what would happen then?”

“…That seems unlikely. I think most nobles would just brush it off lightly.”

“Unlikely doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. And it does, occasionally. Those who misuse the power of their noble status.”

…I might have fundamentally misunderstood something.

Surely Reina was cold and strict towards others, but that didn’t mean she was evil-hearted.

While wanting her to be happy, I had also gotten trapped in the image of her as the Ice Princess.

But then Reina continued speaking.

“Well, honestly, my reaction was a little overboard.”

Her tone was completely nonchalant.

“Since the collision was on the right side of my chest, I was somewhat taken aback.”

Yet she wore a troubled expression, biting her lip.

“Was it? I didn’t even notice.”

All I could do was pretend I didn’t know and turn my head away.

“…I’m glad.”

After that, we chatted and finished lunch before parting ways.

I guess I should consider the attempt to leave a good first impression on the future protagonist a failure.

By the way, why had we met the protagonist today?

Reina and the protagonist were bound to meet for the first time at Arcana.

I couldn’t figure out how the story was turned upside down.

And no matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t remember the protagonist’s name.

To be honest, while I had enjoyed the original story, the only character who stayed with me was Reina.

I should have asked before we parted ways earlier.

It would be a while before I ran into her again.

★

“Hah!”

I swung my sword with all my might.

For an ordinary person, my strike would surely have been a decisive blow they wouldn’t even realize had happened.

But my father effortlessly blocked my sword with a simple twist of his.

A decisive blow was a finishing move aimed at turning the tide in a critical moment.

In other words, if I missed, it was my own safety that would be in jeopardy.

“Pathetic!”

My father’s beloved sword suddenly traced five lines in the air.

“Guh!”

One. Two. Three. Four.

I somehow managed to block up to the fourth attack, but my defense was broken on the final fifth strike.

“Ugh!”

Blood spilled from my left side.

I hurriedly channeled my magical power to stem the bleeding.

“Focus, Aike!”

Father seldom held back during our sparring sessions.

While I wouldn’t receive a life-threatening injury, he also wouldn’t hesitate to strike me.

Even after the match, I was forbidden from receiving treatment immediately.

I had to manage with emergency care until dinner.

“Hah, hah, hah, hah.”

Even considering that, today was way too intense.

My body was already severely bleeding from multiple cuts.

In a sparring match, all I could do was provide first aid.

It wasn’t really healing the wounds; with just a slight movement, blood would seep out again.

“The enemy won’t go easy on you just because you’re hurt!”

“Guh!”

Before I knew it, my father had moved to my right and mercilessly swung his sword down.

If I hadn’t pulled back my body at that split second, the last strike would undoubtedly have been fatal.

Something felt off about today, no matter how I thought about it.

Usually, he’d let me off with merely a light wound, but today, he was unleashing his full power to threaten me.

If it wasn’t Aike’s body, I’d probably have died hundreds of times over.

No, I wouldn’t even have known I was dead in the first place.

Neither my reaction speed nor my reflexes would have stood a chance against him.

“Aike, how long will you just stand there!”

“Okay, I’m going again!”

Questions continued to flood my mind, but there was no time to dwell on them now.

My goal of needing to grow stronger remained unwavering.

I only just felt like I was able to trace about 10% of the movements I had during the ball.

While it was tough, I knew for sure that sparring with my father was beneficial.

If I could receive help from that voice I heard then, it would have been much easier, but since that day, I hadn’t heard it even once.

Was that a one-time perk granted for possessing the other-worldly body?

Despite that, the voice had felt like it held real emotion within it.

“Terrible! Targeting only your opponent’s vital points isn’t a good attack!”

I had been through countless sparring matches with my father up until today.

There had been a few times I actually landed some decent hits.

But today was different.

Today, my father didn’t allow even a single attack to get through.

Any opening I thought I had, he simply brushed off with a twist of his sword.

“Gah!”

I never expected him to throw away his sword!

And then he plunged into my space and mercilessly struck my solar plexus with his elbow.

With a completely unimpressed expression.

“…!”

The moment I was hit, breathing became impossible.

Not a single sound escaped my lips.

My thoughts froze as I flew about ten meters away.

“Ugh.”

I barely managed to suppress the urge to vomit and stood up.

Though I was ignited with the determination that it wasn’t over yet, it turned out to be my father’s declaration to end the match.

“Good job, Aike.”

“Thank you, Father.”

After retrieving the sword I had dropped, I sheathed it and caught my breath.

But my father grabbed me before I could return to my room to administer first aid and rest.

“Aike.”

“Yes, Father?”

“We’re finally heading out for your first appearance.”

“…What?”

“Next Thursday, we’ll be going to the Rozelia Duchy in Heros, so make sure you prepare properly.”

With that, my father left the training hall.

But I couldn’t move even a single step.