The Villain Bought the Female Lead - Ch. 3
The mansion of the Schugenharz Duchy was peaceful today as well.
“Make it again.”
“Master…?”
“Didn’t you hear me?”
I repeated my order clearly to the confused servant.
“This dish. It’s tasteless, so remake it.”
“But…”
“Are you the one cooking? The chef is the one making it anyway. Or are you so foolish that you can’t even say, <Master Vargan wishes for a different dish because today’s meal looks like it was just pulled out of the trash bin>?”
“I-I’ll bring a new dish right away!”
The servant hastily left. The other servants and I watched the new servant closely.
Alicia, the heroine with the most significant presence in this novel.
Originally, she would still be at her house, enduring the abuse of a wicked housekeeper known as her mother. But now, she worked as an exclusive servant at our mansion.
One might ask if I was being too harsh on her. Sure, that was possible. But this was all for her sake.
Alicia had a fundamentally flawed nature. She was too kind and weak. With such a half-hearted personality, she wouldn’t survive in this harsh world.
Therefore, I was helping her. I was investing my time and effort to ensure she could thrive at the Academy.
The reborn Alicia would have a strong heart and would let her talents bloom splendidly.
“I’ve brought a new dish. I’m sure you’ll find it to your liking…”
“Make it again.”
“M-Master? At least taste it a little…”
“It smells off.”
“… I’ll be back soon. Please wait a moment.”
Yes, this was all for her sake.
***
It had been a week and two days since I entered this novel.
Before my transmigration, I was a genius actor who entered the Department of Theater and Film with the highest grades, with not just a handsome appearance… well, enough about me. Let’s talk about this place.
I knew about <transmigration stories>.
To be precise, I had read such novels.
The title was something ridiculous like <I Transmigrated into a Side Character in an Academy Novel?!> The plot was somewhat interesting, except for the maggot-infested ending, but the title was too childish. At least they could have removed the question mark and exclamation point.
Anyway, the important thing was that I had possessed the third son of the villainous duke’s family in that novel. It seems crazy to transmigrate into a transmigration story, but on second thought, it seemed to have a connection rather than being another genre entirely.
The story I read was about a protagonist who transmigrated into the body of a commoner in a novel he had read. He overcame the limitations of his ordinary body with some ridiculous abilities. A few months later, he entered the Hero Academy, Academia, and the story revolved around the incidents that happened there.
Fortunately, the novel the protagonist read wasn’t a transmigration story. In that story, the protagonist was the third prince of an enemy nation striving to become king, and he fought against villains to make Alicia, a commoner with exceptional abilities, his queen. It was a typical plot.
Incidentally, I was included among the common villains in both stories.
In other words, from my perspective.
The protagonist of the novel I read was the <real protagonist>, and the prince protagonist in the novel he read was the <fake protagonist>.
Was it complicated?
Well, let’s focus on the important part.
I transmigrated into a transmigration story and became the third son of a villainous duke. I liked the role of the villain, the status, and the appearance, and decided to live well in this world for my own sake.
The <real protagonist> of the novel I read tried to escape from the novel, but I couldn’t accept his thinking at all. Why, for what reason would he want to leave this world?
Someone might ask.
‘Why do you want to stay in there?’
I was a descendant of a prosperous duke’s family. I could live grandly. In this world, I could do whatever I wanted, so why would I want to return to such a harsh reality? I would rather ask them back.
‘Why should I leave?’
Why on earth should I go back?
Here, I just needed to step towards a bright future. It was a guaranteed future. Where else could I find something better?
— Of course, there were problems to solve.
As was typical in life, this villain didn’t just prosper unchallenged. As a villain, he initially tormented the protagonists with great vigor, but in the end, he was overpowered and met a miserable end.
That was the fate of Vargan, whom I had become.
So, should I cling to the protagonists and overcome crises together? Should I submit to them or join their group to share glory?
No, I wouldn’t do that.
I would live as the protagonist of this new life. I disliked the idea of clinging to other protagonists, and their way of thinking didn’t align with mine.
Even when I read the novel, I liked this character, Vargan, the villain. Wasn’t he cool? Living as he pleased and being so confident. He was like my alter ego. So, I should show a fitting appearance.
I would do as I please and overcome all crises.
I dared say this because I knew the information that both the real and fake protagonists didn’t.
“… ugh. Master, may I ask how long I have to keep doing this?”
“Shut up and focus. If the mana flow is disrupted, all the time spent so far will be wasted.”
“… yes. … ugh.”
In the dark room, Alicia, standing with difficulty, was surrounded by a purple magic circle. She was channeling mana, forcibly awakening the dormant flow inside her and moving it for a long time, which was physically and mentally taxing.
On the other hand, I was doing the same thing but without any change, as I was always controlling the flow of mana inside, so I could handle this as effortlessly as breathing.
“Even if it hurts, endure it. You haven’t forgotten the promise you made to me, right?”
“I… remember….”
An hour passed, and I told her that she could finally rest. As soon as she received permission, she stopped her mana flow and collapsed weakly.
Alicia, drenched in sweat, panted heavily.
A woman in a robe approached her with a white towel.
“Miss Alicia, you did well.”
“Oh, thank you, Teacher.”
“Hohoho, no need to thank me. I’m the one who’s grateful. After teaching an unruly young master all the time, it’s a pleasure to teach such a beautiful young lady like you.”
“… if that <unruly young master> refers to me, I will twist your neck right here and now.”
“Oh, Master Vargan, of course not! I’m talking about another young master I teach. Hohoho.”
“……”
This annoying laugh belonged to my tutor, who excelled in magic, particularly in techniques and elemental magic. She was also known for being the only tutor who could endure the personality of the villain Vargan.
“By the way, Miss Alicia, you are so beautiful. It’s like looking at myself in my prime.”
“Oh, no. I’m nothing like that….”
Despite her annoying personality and laughs, she was an invaluable talent. Her knowledge and talent in magic were undeniable.
“Are you using some kind of medicine? Or perhaps doing some exercise that improves your figure? Ah, yes, or maybe….”
“Enough! Alicia, go wash yourself immediately. Get out of here before my ears go deaf from this chatter.”
“Yes, Master.”
She took the towel and managed to leave the room, her legs trembling. Even in such a state, she didn’t forget to bow to me politely.
“……”
After she disappeared, my slightly eccentric tutor Paula, who had been chattering moments before, now spoke sharply.
Her eyes matched her tone.
“You’ve brought a monster, Master.”
A monster.
That word referred to Alicia.
“Where did you find such talent? At the late age of 16, she learned to use mana today. When you first asked me to train her, I thought you had just found another toy.”
“A toy. A toy, you say….”
“But I soon realized I was wrong. A whopping six hours … goodness, even saying it sounds ridiculous. Six hours. Though she had touched mana once before, today was her first time seriously handling it. … this is, this is….”
“Unbelievable, you mean. I understand your feelings. But don’t deny reality… what’s important is that she achieved the impossible. Isn’t that right?”
Though I spoke nonchalantly, I was also hiding my emotions.
Witnessing such incredible talent firsthand, I felt a chill run down my spine and an overwhelming sense of exhilaration.
The average genius awakened to mana at five years old and could use it for an hour. As an elite from the ducal family, even with my renowned talent, I managed two hours. My two-hour record was so impressive that it sparked debates among other nobles.
But look at her. She entered the world of mana at a late age and set an unprecedented record of six hours.
Given that I inherited the memories and thoughts of Vargan, the original owner of this body, I could personally understand how remarkable that record was.
I still hadn’t gotten rid of the goosebumps. Even though I saw it with my own eyes, I couldn’t believe it. Was she really human, like me?
At the same time, I was certain that my decision to bring her to my side at the beginning of the story was correct. The thought of such a prodigy opposing me was more daunting than facing the Demon King.
“Next year, she’ll enroll in the Academia too. She’s the same age as you, so she can start then, right?”
“I was already planning that.”
There, she would become my loyal sword and shield, dedicating her talents to me.
“Goodness. The Academia is in for a big shakeup.”
In the original story, Alicia and the two protagonists successfully enrolled this year.
Among the two protagonists, a commoner girl, Alicia became aware of the <true protagonist> and started to care about him. Being of the same status and class, she tried to befriend him warm-heartedly.
As time passed, Alicia joined the <true protagonist’s> women. Though the protagonist knew their feelings, he hesitated to accept anyone, leaving them hanging. Foolish girl. She should have made the most beneficial choice.
But this time would be different.
Alicia would be associated with the prestigious Schugenharz family name. Her status wouldn’t change, but her position would be different.
Since she was bound to me, she would not be just an ordinary commoner but someone with a proper affiliation. She would no longer be a force for the two protagonists.
“I’ll turn the tables.”
The predetermined conclusion. The predetermined plot.
I would twist it all. When everyone was lost in the chaos, the one who laughed at their foolishness,
It must be <me>.