I was reincarnated as a villainous aristocrat with a certain death route.

'...... Balm Gale is dead.'

She said with a startled look on her face.

“It looks like he was killed by a human.”

“By a mere human, he was--?”

He was a fierce fighter among the high demonkind. ......

“He must have let his guard down.”

　The attendants were all in an uproar.

“No, no.”

　She shook her head.

“I sensed a tremendous amount of magic for a brief moment.“

“More than Balm Gale, huh?”

“A mere mortal could do that?“

“Impossible. There is an absolute difference in the amount of magical power between humans and us.“

“Yes, there is a difference between humans and demons that cannot be exceeded.“

“It is true that there is a difference in the limit value between races. However, in very rare cases, 'outliers' are born that easily break through the limit barrier.“

　She looked around at all of them.

　All of them are high-ranking demons.

You think he's one of them?

Then he must be a threat to us.

No, not necessarily.

　A smile appeared on her mouth.

　She - the [Demon King] - was really smiling joyfully.

'Rather, it may help us. When we eventually invade the human world, then--”

　--The time for the great war that would later be called the “Demon King's War” was less than a year away.

※　　　　

“Okay, that`s a good start.”

　I returned to my room and grinned.

　By defeating the high-ranking demon Balm Gale, I was able to destroy the protagonist's awakening event.

　This would make the protagonist weaker than the original game storyline.

　The risk of me being killed was also greatly reduced.

　At the same time, I understood my current strength.

　I have enough power to instantly kill Balm Gale, one of the high-ranking demons with power second only to that of the Demon King.

　Moreover, there is still room for growth.

　After all, the number of spells I have learned is still small.

I need to learn more spells. ......

　There are offensive and defensive spells, buffs and debuffs, and so on.

　Even if I have destroyed the event of the protagonist's awakening, I still can't rest easy.

　I'm going to break every single one of my death flags.

　I'm going to enter the magic academy in perfect condition.

　After that...

　I steadily read magic books and increased the number of spells in my possession.

　As a genius, I could learn most spells with just a single reading.

　The more I read, the more spells I could use.

　And in addition to practicing my mastery of these spells, I never neglected my physical training.

　The way the people around me look at me has clearly changed.

　I am no longer the idle son of an aristocrat, who never works hard because of his talent.

　I am an model boy who is not proud of his talents and is willing to put in the effort.

“You have a good reputation these days.“

　About six months after I had awakened and started working hard, Mathilda came to see me.

“Reputation?”

“Oh, don't play dumb with me, I'm sure you've noticed. I thought at first that you would eventually return to normal, but if it has been going on for half a year, I thought maybe you really have changed your ways.“

　Matilda smiles.

　By the way, it's just the two of us here, me and her.

　Matilda asked Kisara to leave the room as well.

　She wants to talk to me alone. ......

　I wondered what they were going to talk about.

“I hated you, you know.“

“Well,......, I guess so.”

Matilda's straightforward confession made me chuckle.

Raven in the game is a talented and self-centered person who lives a depraved life.

　He was aggressive, always hurting others, and mercilessly beating up those less talented than himself.

　He is a typical villain.

　I wonder if I, in this world - that is, before I awakened to my ego from my previous life - was also harsh to the people around him.

　The very thought of it frightens me.

　I can remember some of the things I did before I woke up as “me,” but I can't remember the details.

　I guess I'll just have to let it go.

　I don't know what exactly I did before I became “me.

　At the very least, I don't want to act in a way that would hurt anyone after I became “me,” and I don't intend to.

“In a few months, we'll be classmates at the magic academy. We'll have more chances to see each other than we do now.”

“Hmm, come to think of it, I guess so. .“......

'......, why don't you be a little more joyful?　You'll be classmates with your fiancée, whom you don't get to see very often, and live at the Academy with her.

“No, because a fiancée is just a formality, right?　Matilda probably doesn't really like me that much, anyway.“

“............”

Matilda?

......, yes. It's just a formality.

　Matilda suddenly became blank.

　What?

　I didn't say anything wrong, right?

　Matilda is the heroine in the game, and depending on the route, she and the protagonist are supposed to be together, right?

“I'm leaving.“

“Matilda ......?“

Bye!　Stupid Raven!　Dumbass!”

　She says and runs off.

　Why is she angry ......?

'Master Raven, chase after her!'

　Kisara shouted.

'What? Why?

'Oh my god, you're being too obtuse!

　Isn't even Kisara angry ......?

　I mean, why are both Matilda and Kisara calling me insensitive?

　I don't know, but I guess I'll go after Matilda anyway - I don't understand.