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

Episode 319: Do You Like Kids?

That evening.

After that, Fiera and the others had classes, so I wanted to take a break as well, and we dispersed for a bit, gathering again at the same place once Fiera and the others were done with their lessons.

By the way, Sephiria and Sharueina had prior commitments and were already scheduled not to come at this time, so the others gathered here did not include the two of them.

“Louis~!!”

As expected, when Dōna opened the door and realized I was there, she flew straight towards me and hugged my arm tightly.

However, since she’s a spirit, her body is small, and while she intended to hug me, the sight looked more like she was clinging to me.

“Welcome back! Louis!”

“Ah, I’m home, Dōna. Glad to see you’re doing well.”

“Yeah! I was lonely when you were gone, but I cheered up when I heard you’d be back soon!”

“I see.”

“Fufufu~”

As I said this, I gently patted Dōna’s head while channeling magic into my fingertips, and she smiled happily, letting me pet her for a while. Satisfied, she shifted and moved to the top of my head.

“Really, Louis, you’re so sweet to Dōna.”

“Is that so? I think it’s just normal though.”

“That’s not true. If I tried to hug you like Dōna does, what would you do?”

“I’d dodge you.”

“See? That’s what I mean!”

Though I didn’t quite understand what she was unhappy about, Shuvina crossed her arms, sulking a bit.

“Do you like kids, Louis-sama?”

“Iris. Sure, it’s a situation that could lead one to think that, but if you say that while Dōna is on my head, it sounds like something else entirely.”

“Is that so?”

Thanks to Iris’ sudden comment, I almost gained a reputation as a pervert who views children in that way, but Shuvina’s precise remark from earlier helped me dodge that dishonorable designation.

“But thinking about it, Fiera is curious, right?”

“Me?”

“Yes. I think if I did the same thing, like Shuvina, I’d get dodged. But when you try to hug, it’s always received normally. What’s the difference?”

“It’s love, of course.”

“No way! I wouldn’t lose to that. But I think I’d get dodged too. Does this mean that Louis treats Fiera as special? Or is it the beast ears? Can I wear them too? Or is it… the chest?”

Sonia looked at me as she said this, while Iris, Shuvina, and even Miria turned their gazes in my direction, seemingly wanting to know the reason like Sonia. Only Fiera seemed pleased with Sonia’s “special treatment” comment, twitching her ears and smiling.

“I’m not treating her specially, and it’s not because of the beast ears. It’s just that it’s a hassle to dodge, and I can’t avoid it because I can’t.”

“I can understand that it’s a hassle given your personality, but what do you mean you can’t?”

“Fiera is a beast person, so her physical abilities are on a whole different level. Plus, after experiencing many fierce battles with me, she’s even more perceptive and physically capable than typical beastmen. Also, she spends the most time with me, so she can read my movements perfectly. It’s really impossible to dodge, so I’ve just given up on that.”

“Ah, I see.”

“I’ve been praised.”

It seemed my explanation satisfied everyone, and Sonia and the others didn’t say anything more. Fiera, perhaps thinking she was praised, wagged her tail cheerfully.

“Well, in that case, it can’t be helped. But conversely, if we create a situation where Louis can’t escape, will we be able to be accepted too?”

“There seems to be a possibility. Should I work harder to learn binding magic?”

“Water magic only has spells that confine you, so that’s tough. Maybe I should try and come up with an original magic myself?”

“Miria. I’ll ignore those three and take a seat.”

“Yes.”

Sonia and the three began to get excited discussing how to capture me with magic, but feeling it might be better to avoid any further involvement with them, I took Miria, who was standing back, and sat down first.

After that, for a while, I enjoyed a leisurely moment sipping tea while eating macarons that Miria had made, and eventually, Fiera, who had been listening to Sonia and the others’ conversation nearby, returned and sat beside me.

“El. What are we going to do from here?”

“Hmm…”

Fiera’s “from here” likely referred to what we’d be doing at the academy starting tomorrow, whether we would remain inside or venture out to the dungeon or outside the academy during classes.

“Right now, there’s nothing urgent we need to do.”

“Oh! By the way, we received a letter from Olga addressed to us. She wrote that she wanted you to be informed once you returned.”

“A letter? When?”

“About four days ago.”

“Did you talk to Olga about me going out and when I’d come back?”

“Yeah. I went to meet Olga before the winter break. I told them I’d be heading to Iris’ territory for a while, so I wouldn’t be able to respond to any messages from the academy. At that time, I also mentioned you to them, and I let them know approximately when you’d be back.”

“I see.”

At first glance, Fiera seems like she wouldn’t be good at interacting with people and wouldn’t even communicate such matters, but being originally from royalty, she tends to make sure to keep in touch, and she can treat others with courtesy and respect if there are no issues.

In fact, when she met my parents, although there were some awkward moments due to cultural differences in manners, she always interacted with them with courtesy and respect.

“And? What did the letter say?”

“Olga wrote that a new dungeon has been found and that we should go see it together. But she also said not to push it if we’re busy with studies or anything.”

“A new dungeon? Did it say where?”

“It’s said to be about a five-day carriage ride from the imperial capital.”

“Hmm. That sounds interesting.”

As I’ve become an adventurer for the first time, including my past, I don’t have much information about dungeons, and I can’t really remember where this new dungeon was discovered either.

In other words, the discovery of a new dungeon is completely unknown to me, and the unknown is one of the few things that excites my heart.

“I’ve got nothing to do until the end of the school year, so I might as well go adventuring again for the first time in a while.”

“Dōna wants to go too!!”

“Hmm. If El is going, then I will too…”

“Of course you can’t go, silly Fiera! We have classes, and it takes six days just to go back and forth from a place like that.”

As Shuivina scolded Fiera, she returned, seemingly calming down the conversation, sitting down with Iris and the others and quickly downing a cup of tea that Miria had prepared, maybe because she was thirsty.

“But, if El…”

“I think even I would find it tough, you know? Even if we could go, it would be only if there were no problems with studies for Iris and us. However, Fiera excels in practical skills, but her theory is completely hopeless, so she needs to at least attend classes. That means this time, Fiera has to stay behind.”

“Sonia, that’s too blunt. Even I’m hurt by that.”

As Sonia pointed out, Iris maintains excellent grades in both practical skills and theory, while Sonia and Shuvina, due to cultural and historical differences, may slightly lag behind but also maintain fair grades.

For Fiera, although she excels in combat and has been granted freedom by practical instructors who have nothing to teach her, her theory is indeed hopeless. She can’t even sit still and listen to the teacher’s talk until the end.

Within just a few minutes of starting class, Fiera loses interest and ends up sleeping, grooming herself, or playing with Dōna, failing to attend class seriously.

Moreover, the only class she showed enthusiasm for, cooking, has turned into her simply eating what the teacher says they’ll pass her, making it a class for her to eat only.

“It’s really a mystery. Her quick thinking is impressive, yet she can’t grasp theory. How come she remembers the combat techniques and physical techniques I taught her so quickly, but can’t retain what’s explained in theory?”

“Louis-sama, you hardly attend classes, so what did you get on the last test?”

“Huh? If you just read the textbook once, you can remember everything, right? Then you compare that with the question sheet and the other materials or books you’ve read in the library, so it’s not that difficult.”

Well, having memories from the past influences my knowledge of what questions will come up, but even if I saw something once, I usually remember it, unless it’s something I have no interest in. As long as I have that connection, I can easily recall it with just a keyword.

“Louis-sama, your memory is something that instills terror.”

“I feel like I’ll be mocked for a long time if I say something I shouldn’t.”

“When I met you in the Magic Kingdom, I showed you quite an embarrassing side of myself. Do you remember all of that too?”

“Jealous.”

“Louis-sama has always had a good memory. Back when I was just a kid, you remembered my birthday, which I only mentioned once, and gave me a beautiful hair ornament as a present. By the way, I still treasure that gift.”

“More jealousy.”

For some reason, everyone was captivated by Miria’s boasting that suddenly began, but not wanting the conversation to stray further, I cleared my throat and steered the topic back.

“Well, I’ll handle Fiera’s matter. If I cram for about three days, Fiera should be able to grasp things; I think the headmaster will help us if I discuss it in advance.”

“Three… days…?”

“Is it okay? I thought you’d ditch us as usual.”

“Initially, that was the plan, but I changed my mind. This time, I’ll take you along.”

I realized that Sonia and the others had been intending to stick with us since the beginning, which made it seem cumbersome to say I’d be leaving without them.

“How rare.”

“Tomorrow, it will rain swords from the sky! Ah, it rained once during the practical training in the Magic Kingdom.”

“A day out with Louis-sama, huh? It’s been a while, so I’m a little looking forward to it.”

“I’ll take care of preparing lunch!”

“Studying… three days of cramming… three days? Will I be with El the whole time? That could be nice!”

“Going out with Louis~! I can’t wait!!”

With all of that settled, it was decided that everyone here would head to Olga and the others. I also decided to call out to Sharueina and then inform Mejina about Fiera and the others, thereby concluding our second gathering for now.

 

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