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

Episode 287: Acting Stupid

As I entered the mansion that Wilhelm had built for me, I encountered two demon maids and a butler who bowed their heads the moment they saw me.

“These three will take care of your needs while you stay in this mansion.”

“Hmm? Weren’t you supposed to be the one taking care of me before I got here?”

“Yes, but I do have a master that I need to serve as well, and without me, it would be quite a disaster for them. Therefore, since I can’t follow you around all the time, I’ve split the duties and entrusted them to these three in my absence.”

“I see. That does sound important.”

Indeed, as Wilhelm mentioned, I was merely a guest here, so I couldn’t keep him tied down when he had his own master to serve.

However, Wilhelm must have noticed that the three in front of me, while bowing, were directing sharp killing intent at me, and the emotions emanating from them were filled with clear disdain and dissatisfaction.

“These guys are amusing.”

“Right? I really hope you can get along with them.”

As I muttered quietly, Wilhelm responded with a smile, almost as if testing me.

“Alright, you three, you can lift your heads. Now, one by one, state your names.”

I deliberately said this arrogantly, trying to seem slightly foolish while ignoring their killing intent. The first to speak was a young butler with two black horns on his forehead.

“I am Fon. I’ve been appointed the head butler of this mansion. Though, there’s only me as the butler, and the other servants are just these two maids, so being called the head butler is merely a title.”

The man calling himself Fon spoke politely, but his words dripped with contempt for me, and I could feel his dissatisfaction with serving a human.

“Fon, huh? Nice to meet you. By the way, what’s your race?”

“I am an Oni. Since this is your first time here, you may not know, but most of the demon race in District 4 are Oni.”

“Oh, I see. Thanks for the info.”

I smiled back at Fon, who looked as if he might sigh at any moment, but he still bowed his head, perhaps because Wilhelm was present.

It’s said that Oni are a special race existing in the eastern land across the sea, closely resembling ogres among the monsters on our continent. However, unlike ogres, Oni look more human-like and are superior in intelligence, abilities, and ferocity.

“So, what about you two?”

“I am Rei.”

“I am Mei.”

“So, Rei and Mei. You two are also Oni, right?”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

“Yes, indeed.”

Rei and Mei seemed to be twin Oni girls with identical features, each sporting a single white horn on their foreheads. Unlike Fon, while they might feel discontent, they didn’t express it on their faces or through their demeanor.

“Hmm. The guy with the indigo hair is Fon, the black-haired girl is Rei, and the white-haired one who looks like Rei is Mei. Got it. My name is Lewis, and as you can see, I’m human. Let’s get along from here on out.”

“We look forward to serving you.”

Since everything I said and did seemed foolish, Fon exuded even more of a condescending vibe, while Rei and Mei appeared to regard me as unworthy of their consideration, making it feel like they had turned off all their emotions towards me.

“With all the greetings done, shall we guide you to your room, Lewis-sama? Mei, could you take care of that?”

“Certainly.”

“Thanks, Mei.”

“Yes.”

Once Wilhelm directed Mei, she stood in front of me and immediately led me to the room I would be using.

During this time, I couldn’t help but ask Mei something that had been bothering me since I entered this mansion in hopes of gathering some intel.

“That said, it’s quite a big mansion but only three of you. Isn’t that hard work?”

“No, not really. We Oni have greater stamina than humans, so managing this size of a mansion isn’t that tiring for us.”

“Whoa, having stamina like that is impressive.”

“…………”

Even I thought my comment sounded ridiculously dumb, and it seemed Mei shared the same sentiment because after a quick glance at me, she quickly turned her eyes forward and didn’t talk or look back until we arrived at the room.

“We have arrived.”

“Thanks.”

As the oddly awkward atmosphere continued for a while, we finally reached my room, and I had Mei open the door for me to step inside.

“Oh! Nice room!”

What I said wasn’t flattery or sarcasm. The walls and furniture were all uniformly black, but with the bed, desk, table, and sofa, it contained only the bare essentials, making it simple yet exactly to my taste.

“I’m glad you like it.”

“Yeah, I really do.”

I responded, and it seemed like Mei felt a bit happy, so she probably was the one who prepared this room.

“So? What am I supposed to do now?”

“Nothing in particular. You are our guest, so we have no right to command you to do anything. Feel free to spend your time as you wish.”

“Well, then, do you have a study or library? I’d like to read some books.”

“We do, but you cannot read them.”

“Huh? Are there books I shouldn’t read? If you just tell me, I won’t read them, but—”

“No. We have no books.”

“…Huh?”

“We have no books.”

I wasn’t asking for clarification because I didn’t understand, but Mei repeated the exact same words as if she mistook something.

“Um… just to confirm, you mean there are no books, right?”

“We have no books.”

“Ugh. Then why did you even create a study or library?”

“It was deemed necessary by Wilhelm-sama. However, in this country, there’s hardly a culture of enjoying books. Plus, there’s almost no point in creating books that won’t be read. So, I heard we ended up just mimicking the form.”

“Ah, I see.”

When I was guided to this mansion, Wilhelm mentioned he had checked out other noble mansions and directed his subordinates to create this place based on that.

However, although he had them create it, it seemed like the demon race folks who preferred combat wouldn’t read books regularly, resulting in it ending up merely as a form without any substance.

“Sigh. Well, whatever. For now, I’ll just relax in my room for a bit. Let me know when the food is ready.”

“Certainly.”

Mei bowed and exited the room, and I immediately lay down on the bed and closed my eyes.

“Sigh. Finally, I can rest on a bed.”

Before coming to Imperial, I had mostly been camping out, with only a handful of chances to properly rest on a bed. Now, wrapped in the softness and warmth of the mattress, I felt my consciousness fading little by little.

“I still… have things to do…”

Actually, I had planned to take the opportunity of being alone to explore the mansion and check what was where, but it seemed I was more tired than I thought.

In the end, without holding onto my fading consciousness, I drifted off to sleep until Mei came to call me when the meal was ready.

◇◇◇

Around the time Lewis fell asleep in the room he was shown to.

Wilhelm, who had left the mansion alone, returned to the castle where his original master resided and immediately sought out the master’s chamber.

“Bagira-sama, it’s Wilhelm.”

“Come in.”

When a voice came from inside the room, Wilhelm opened the door and began to report to Bagira, who was looking out the window.

“Today, the target we discussed has arrived in District 4. Afterward, I guided him to the mansion I prepared, and he is currently resting in his room.”

“I see.”

Bagira replied briefly, then moved from the window to sit on the sofa, resting his chin on his hands.

“So? How was it?”

“Yes, as I suspected, it’s certain that he possesses that particular power. When I asked if he sensed anything since coming into the demon realm, he said he felt comfort and nostalgia.”

“Ha ha! Is that so? Then we can consider that almost confirmed!”

“Yes.”

Listening to Wilhelm’s report, Bagira smiled delightedly, returning his gaze to the window, then inquired of Wilhelm once more.

“You made sure he saw your form while passing through the center of the town, right?”

“Rest assured. According to your orders, I guided him through the most crowded area in the town.”

“Good.”

Bagira answered with satisfaction, then poured a blood-red wine into a glass that was sitting on the table.

After gulping it down in one go, he wiped his mouth carelessly and then showed a fierce smile like a predator stalking its prey.

“This town is going to stir up soon.”

“I’ll prepare the extermination team.”

“Ah, please do.”

“Leave it to me. Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

After Wilhelm conveyed his master’s instructions and exited the room, Bagira, now alone, poured more wine into the glass and slowly tilted it toward the floor, letting the crimson liquid spill out.

“I’m looking forward to meeting you. Lewis Valentine. Please, don’t die before we meet. Ha ha ha ha!”

On a quiet night without a moon.

The wine staining the floor seemed to symbolize the fate of this town itself.

And while it was eerie, it simultaneously felt strangely beautiful, as the wine slowly soaked into the floor, forming a sight that one could gaze at without growing bored.

 

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