---

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

Chapter 283: Invitation

That night, after my discussion with Sephiria.

Miria had returned to her room, and as I relaxed alone, reading a book, I suddenly sensed a presence by the window and turned to look.

“Hey there. Sorry for coming so late.”

“The headmaster?”

Standing there was Meijina, the headmaster of this academy, who casually entered my room as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Um, just to clarify, this is my room and it’s a boys’ dorm, you know?”

“Hehe. True, but if you trace it back, the rightful owner of this academy is me. Therefore, this dormitory on the grounds also belongs to me. The only one who can stop me from going anywhere is myself.”

“Wow, that’s quite an arrogant way of thinking.”

“That’s part of my charm. So, what do you think? Have you fallen for me again?”

With that, Meijina sat gracefully in a chair, crossing her legs and smiling brightly.

“Haah. Honestly, it’s impossible to fall for someone I wasn’t even in love with in the first place. It’s easy to turn one into two, but turning zero into one is quite difficult.”

“Hm? That’s a strange way to put it. They sound quite similar, don’t they?”

“No, no. Starting with one means there’s some kind of emotion there from the beginning, so it’s easy to move to two. But zero means nothing existed initially. Therefore, giving something new to something that didn’t exist is an incredibly tough challenge that requires blood, sweat, and tears.”

“Hmm. So what you’re saying is, since I never had romantic feelings for you initially, there’s no positive element of falling for you again?”

“That’s not what I’m saying, it’s what I said at the start, right?”

“Now that you mention it, you did say that.”

I couldn’t tell if she was genuinely listening or just enjoying teasing me, but I realized it was pointless to take her words seriously right now.

“By the way, what brings you here at this hour? Is there a reason behind that outfit of yours?”

“Hehe. As expected of my husband. You catch on quickly.”

Meijina was wearing a hooded robe over her usual dress, looking as if she was about to head out somewhere.

“Actually, I’ve received a request for an investigation from the Emperor. I need to head to the site right away.”

“A request from the Emperor to the headmaster? Not to any other spies or adventurers?”

“That’s right. A direct request to me.”

“I see. So something significant happened that requires the headmaster herself to go?”

I’ve said it many times, but Meijina is considered the strongest person in this nation.

The fact that she received such a request means that something has occurred that can’t be handled by just any top-notch spy or adventurer.

“Can you give me the specifics?”

“Hmm. It is technically state secret, but I suppose I can tell you. Considering it’s a duke’s household, Lewis will probably hear about it eventually, and besides, there exists no secret in this world that can be kept hidden forever.”

“Then, could you tell me?”

“Sure.”

Saying that, Meijina began to casually reveal the contents of the request she received from the Emperor, despite it being a state secret.

“The request I received is that there have been sightings of demon races near the southeastern border, and I need you to investigate that.”

“Demon races?”

“Yes. Apparently, they’re up to something, and humanoid monsters have also been found. The ones who went to investigate before me—almost all of them perished. The information I just shared about the demon races and humanoid monsters came from the sole surviving low-ranked adventurer.”

“So, demon races and humanoid monsters, huh? In that case, a standard elite probably wouldn’t stand a chance if it came to a fight.”

If what Meijina said is true, depending on what kind of demon race we’re dealing with, even an S-rank adventurer might not win if they engaged directly.

After all, the base physical abilities between demon races and humans differ greatly, making it impossible to accurately gauge a demon’s abilities using human standards.

“However, what’s concerning about this is that only one low-ranked adventurer survived.”

“I share the same sentiment. Other higher-ranked adventurers and spies were certainly killed, yet a single low-ranked adventurer made it out alive. No, it might be more accurate to say they were allowed to live.”

“Right.”

If a demon race strong enough to require Meijina’s intervention appeared, there’s no way a low-ranked adventurer could survive. The notion that this adventurer was allowed to live probably indicates some ulterior motive.

“Still, something nags at me. I feel like I forgot something…”

Listening to Meijina’s account, I felt as though I had indeed forgotten something, yet I couldn’t recall what that was and fell deep into thought.

“Well, for now, leave this matter to me. I’ll finish it quickly and return. My princess.”

In the midst of my musings, Meijina suddenly sprang up, closing the distance in an instant, and the next moment, she kissed my forehead without hesitation.

“Huh?”

“That was my first kiss, so cherish it, okay? Now, I’ll be off.”

Seeing my stunned expression, Meijina smiled in satisfaction and vanished through the window just as she had come.

“Ah, I remember now…”

Thanks to the sudden kiss from Meijina, my mind went blank, allowing me to finally recall what I had forgotten.

It was…

“The Disappearance of Meijina Marcuri.”

The incident of Meijina Marcuri’s disappearance.

It was an event that occurred once during my tenth life, and her status as the strongest in the Ruzenia Empire sent shockwaves across the continent when she vanished.

Later, a major incident occurred when demon races invaded the Ruzenia Empire, and ultimately, she never reappeared until the day I died.

“Could it be… this request is the catalyst for that?”

Thinking back, the last time she vanished was just before the winter vacation, which coincided closely with now.

“If that’s the case, then the humanoid monsters must be artificial demon races created with that drug. It seems that the demon race during the Hydra incident is likely connected.”

Once I remembered one thing, it became much easier to recall everything else, and I was finally able to piece together all the fragmented memories of my tenth life.

“This is going to be interesting.”

I don’t know why Meijina will end up disappearing, but if it serves as a precursor to a future similar to the tenth life, what happens next will surely be…

“Well, before that, I have a meeting with the demon races, so I can decide what to do after that. I think the invitation should arrive soon.”

Whether I should crush the demon race’s plans beforehand or allow them to unfold for my benefit could be determined after meeting with them.

“Alright then. For now, that’s enough thinking.”

Having concluded that there was nothing more to do at the moment, I decided to stop overthinking and lay down on my bed, quickly drifting off to dreamland.

A week later.

That day, the long-awaited invitation to the Demon Country finally arrived at my doorstep.

 

---