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The Villainous Noble Who Kept Rewinding After Death: The Story Somehow Changed When I Committed Suicide

Martial Arts Tournament Arc

Chapter 162: A Man After My Own Heart

A few weeks had passed since I was promoted to S-Rank, and we had settled into our academy life, enjoying peaceful days.

We attended classes just like always, and our school life was distinctly routine, but somehow, I found myself surrounded by people like Iris, Sonia, and Sephiria—who I would typically not interact with.

As I experienced days unlike my previous life, today was finally the day we would enter the Black Lion’s Judgment, and we arrived at the building Olga had informed us about beforehand.

“Pitch black.”

“Absolutely dark, isn’t it?”

The building that served as the stronghold for Olga and the others was a three-story structure entirely colored black, exuding quite an unusual atmosphere.

“It looks just like a Demon King’s castle.”

“Sonia, you’ve never actually seen a Demon King’s castle, have you?”

“That’s just what it feels like, Iris. But don’t you think? If a Demon King’s castle existed, it would definitely look something like this, entirely black.”

“Is that really true?”

Iris seemed slightly skeptical of Sonia’s words, but since she had never seen a Demon King’s castle either, she refrained from saying anything further.

“Enough small talk; let’s hurry inside!”

As I said that and opened the door, I was greeted by bright lights and a whole lot of people.

“Welcome to the Black Lion’s Judgment!!”

“…What the?”

Inside the building, there were many clan members, and the beautifully decorated interior was adorned with a banner saying “Welcome,” giving it the vibe of a party.

“A party?”

“What’s going on here?”

Fiera and Shuvina showed surprise at this unexpected turn of events, and I was just as baffled by the more welcoming situation than I’d anticipated.

“Hahaha!! It seems we managed to surprise you!”

“Olga.”

“Hey, Eir! Thanks for coming today!”

For a while, we were surrounded by the members of the Black Lion’s Judgment, getting showered with questions when Olga and Rai came down from upstairs, laughing heartily.

“What the heck is this?”

“Well, it’s a welcome party, obviously! Didn’t you know? A welcome party!”

“No, I knew that part.”

“Then there’s no reason to question it. We, the Black Lion’s Judgment, are here to warmly welcome all of you into our clan!”

As Olga declared this, the surrounding clan members cheered and offered their congratulations.

“All right, everyone! It’s a welcome party for the newcomers! Eat and drink to your heart’s content! And then we’ll get back to work starting tomorrow!!”

“Yesss!!!”

Thus, despite it being daytime, a drunken celebration began, and more and more bottles of liquor filled the area alongside tipsy revelers.

Though we were technically of age to drink, we had classes to attend the next day, so we stuck to juice.

Even so, it seemed Iris and Sephiria had caught the party spirit, their cheeks slightly flushed, while Miria kept a watchful eye on the two. Fiera, for some reason, started arm wrestling with the guys, and Shuvina was enthusiastically playing referee.

(This is chaotic.)

As I observed the disorderly surroundings while sipping my juice in a corner, Olga approached, carrying a barrel of alcohol.

“Oh, Eir! Are you having fun?”

“Olga, well, I’m managing.”

“What’s that? Don’t tell me you dislike this sort of thing?”

Saying that, Olga took a swig directly from the barrel as if drinking water.

“It’s not that I dislike it; I just find it a bit unfamiliar.”

“Hmmm. I see. Guess this kind of atmosphere doesn’t suit someone who goes to school, huh?”

“No, that’s not it. More like, I’m not used to this peaceful vibe.”

“Oh, I get that. That makes some sense.”

We’re adventurers. We live in a world where we risk our lives in battle, and it’s not unusual for good friends to die overnight.

Particularly for me, having faced death countless times, I’m closer to death than anyone here and even desire it.

While I attend the academy and experience a peaceful life, in reality, that place is merely a stage luring me to death.

I’ve seen the illusion of peace many times, but being shown such a peaceful scene outside the academy makes me feel more of a sense of discomfort than enjoyment.

“We’re adventurers. The ones drinking and laughing over there might not survive to see tomorrow, you know? So, doesn’t that mean we should enjoy this moment?”

“Living without regrets even if we die, huh?”

“You bet! Our motto is to die with smiles! Both those who die and those who send them off, we do it without regrets. That’s how we can face forward, living in the now! You feel the same way, right?”

“Ha! Yeah, you’re right.”

As Olga pointed out, my endings usually left me with nothing but regrets, but at some point, I started to enjoy the moments so that I wouldn’t regret anything, even in death.

(I still haven’t met a true death smiling, but one day, just like Olga said, I want to die with a smile and no regrets.)

“Is something up?”

“No, nothing. Anyway, Olga, pour me another drink.”

“Sure thing!”

Then, what started as one drink led to many more under Olga’s encouragement. Despite my constitution, I didn’t feel particularly drunk, and before I knew it, it was just me, Olga, and Rai and Fiera chatting at another table who remained awake.

“Hey, Olga.”

“What is it?”

“If you die, I’ll laugh and send you off.”

“Ahaha! Sounds great! Then I’ll do the same for you if you kick the bucket!”

“I’m looking forward to it. Really, you and I seem to get along well, just like you said.”

“Right? Then let’s toast to our encounter!”

“To our encounter!”

I don’t know if Olga’s demise will come from old age or if he will be killed by a monster or someone, but unlike me, his future isn’t set in stone.

He might die before me, or I could go first, but if I do bite the dust first, he promised this time he’d laugh and send me off.

(This time, I might be able to have a better death.)

Afterward, with Olga and Rai seeing us off, we returned to the academy with a somewhat sleepy Iris and the others.

Four days after the welcome party at the clan, I finally got a response to the sensing I had been doing every day recently, so I immediately used magic.

“‘Mirror Butterfly’… Go!”

I created a water butterfly in my palm, opened the window, and released it outside.

The mirror butterfly is a magic that lets me see through the water it’s made of to visualize whatever it encounters remotely.

“Now then, Iris. How will you handle this?”

As I filled a nearby container with water magic and watched the scene reflected there, I felt a twinge of excitement for what would come next.

~Side Iris~

Having finished her magic theory class with Sonia, Iris said goodbye to Sonia, who was heading to another class, and walked alone through the academy.

“Next up is a break followed by the noble class. Until then, let’s kill some time at the library.”

Since other classes were in session, there were few students walking the hallway now, and Iris headed toward the library while thinking about her plans for afterward.

“Good to see you again, young lady.”

“…You are…”

Turning around at the voice from behind, she saw three male students who had previously harassed her at the welcome party, wearing grins that made their intentions clear.

“What do you want?”

“What do we want, you ask? What else but revenge? You made us suffer because you rejected us, didn’t you? Now what are you going to do?”

The moment the guy said that, he glared at Iris as if he had changed into a different person, closing the distance without reserve.

Then, reaching for Iris’s collar, he made his move, but Iris skillfully dodged and glared at them from a distance.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Besides, I mentioned I have a fiancé, and yet here you are bothering me?”

Iris had heard a warning from Sharueina via Lewis beforehand and had resolved to respond without mercy if they bothered her again, so she stood her ground from the start.

“Hah! You think you can act tough? That creepy knight who helped you is gone now, you know?”

“The knight… Ah, you mean that commoner? He did help me back then, but… hehe.”

“Huh? What’s so funny?”

“Oh, nothing. You seem to be misunderstanding something.”

“Misunderstanding?”

“Yes. It’s not that I couldn’t do anything; I simply chose not to. After all, interfering with someone from another country could lead to an international incident.”

“…What?”

“‘Water Prison’!”

The moment Iris cast the spell, the guys were imprisoned by the water prison, unable to move from that spot.

“Hey! Let us out! If you don’t, there’ll be war between our country and the Empire!!”

They yelled various reasons to be let out from inside the cage, but Iris only quietly laughed as if she hadn’t heard them at all.

“Fufu. I was really uncomfortable back then. After all, it’s only Lewis-sama who should be able to touch my body. It’s really disgusting that anyone else thinks they have the right.”

“Iris-sama.”

“Oh, Your Highness! It’s been a while!”

“Ah, indeed. Long time no see.”

As Iris was contemplating what to do with the guys trapped in the cage, Sharueina appeared at the perfect moment, as if she had been waiting nearby.

“What’s going on here?”

“These guys started bothering me again, so I felt threatened and had to use magic.”

“I see.”

“Your Highness! We were just responding to that woman’s provocation! We didn’t do anything!”

“Hmmm. But I believe I saw you trying to grab Iris-sama’s collar; was I mistaken?”

“T-That’s…”

“Well, fine. We’ll talk about it later.”

Sharueina said that and bound the guys with ice magic, signaling Iris with her eyes to dispel the magic.

“Then, Iris-sama, leave the rest to me.”

“Understood. But why is Your Highness here?”

“Ah, well, there’s a message from Is through magic saying he wanted you to handle this situation.”

“I see, Lewis-sama.”

Iris felt happy that Lewis-sama had entrusted her with dealing with the guys and showed even a little concern for her, leading her to be slightly grateful to the men who had created this situation.

After that, Iris spent the entire day with a happy expression, being asked by Sonia repeatedly what made her so blissful.

 

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