I Was Reincarnated as the Prince in a Villainess Story, so I’ll Use My Cheat Knowledge to Create a Noble Lady Harem and Make Them All Happy - 61

Chapter 61: The Villainess

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Around the time Miria and the others activated “Call Arios: Descent of the Creation God” on the surface, Valis was making his way deeper into the ruins where the miasma drifted.

A cold scent stung his nostrils—a dampness that smelled like a mixture of stone, metal, and old blood. Even so, his feet did not stop. The hem of the White Vestments rippled with a faint light whenever it touched the miasma, repelling the coldness that attempted to invade his skin.

The vestments are working. My breathing and vision are fine.

Even so, Valis surveyed his surroundings without lowering his guard. Despite the miasma being this thick, he hadn’t confirmed the appearance of even lower-class specters like gargoyles. Suppressing the sound of his footsteps, Valis moved forward as if checking the seams of the corridor, once again peeling back the meanings behind Reina’s actions one by one.

The fact that his father, King Ars, had broken his engagement with Reina’s mother, Laura, in order to marry his mother, Mina. The letter from Laura—described by Reina’s father, Livele, Marquis of Agreia—which stated, “Let Reina be the fiancée to the child of Ars.” And the silver bracelet that was supposed to have been buried with Laura, which had ended up in the hands of Lynas Wolm in Beltea as a heretical relic.

At the end of those connecting dots lay that voice that had echoed at the wedding.

“…Morrigan. Right now, I am speaking with my mother. Be silent.”

That name had come clearly from Reina’s mouth. The Demon God sealed in these ruins by ancient heroes—Morrigan. It was the moment he knew that the entity currently influencing Reina was that very same being. Furthermore, Valis ruminated in his heart on the words he had exchanged with Feril regarding this matter.

“…A broken engagement. And afterward, the prince marrying another woman… If anything, Laura-sama fits the template of a ‘villainess’ more than Reina-neesama does.”

“And stories about villainesses often involve revenge on the prince… If that revenge hadn’t been completed…”

The “dead Villainess” Laura, seeking to entrust her revenge against the royal family to her daughter, had clung to the power of the Demon God Morrigan sealed within the kingdom, that narrative structure fit together like puzzle pieces.

The miasma of the demon race was “infectious.” Perhaps when she confronted the Demon God Biblos in Beltea, Reina had been strongly influenced, tilting her toward awakening.

Connecting this case with my existing knowledge, there is only one logical path.

Right now, Reina was desperately resisting Morrigan, using her feelings for Valis, Miria, and Feril as sustenance. Morrigan was a Demon God who specialized in mental manipulation. How much pain must have accompanied that pressure? Valis unconsciously bit his lip.

I grew complacent in being loved by Reina. I failed to notice her agony.

The sound of his feet treading on the stone suddenly bounced back with a lighter echo. The hall was close—the moment he realized this, Valis’s thoughts picked up another inconsistency.

Why was it necessary to make Reina the “fiancée of the Crown Prince”?

Laura’s wish was revenge against Ars, who had discarded her, Mina, who had been the catalyst, and by extension, the Alveria royal family. Morrigan’s wish was likely liberation from the seal. If so, the efficient route would be to plant hatred for the royal family in the young Reina and guide her toward summoning the Demon God and breaking the seal, much like Lynas Wolm.

Affection would only act as a brake. And yet, she loved Valis through her position as his fiancée. Even though doing so moved her further away from achieving her revenge.

Reina, who spoke of “Divine Era Ruins” at the library tower we visited together as children. That was knowledge provided by Morrigan. And I, who affirmed it despite it not being factual… That might have been a “cognitive alteration” caused by the imprinting of Morrigan’s mental manipulation.

Valis had previously theorized during the awakening of the composite spirit Amon regarding Silva Haruna. The reason Amon, sleeping within Feril, had awakened earlier than expected was likely because another psyche, that of Yuko Sonomura, dwelt within her.

In the same way….

Because I myself possessed another psyche, “Ryuusuke Sakagami,” a resistance to mental pollution was active, and the influence was limited to cognitive alteration. If so, it all aligns.

The pieces fell into place one after another. That was precisely why the final piece—why it had to be Valis’s fiancée—remained blank, piercing his chest.

“…!”

From ahead, deep within the hall, a sickening scream echoed. It was a sound of the same quality as the gargoyle’s death throes he had heard when Ars cut one down. Before he could think, Valis was running. He burst into a hall filled with a forest of stone pillars. There, Valis saw it.

The back of a woman with large, black crow wings spread wide, carrying a massive black sword. And at her feet, the remains of Biblos, crumbling into dust.

“…Reina.”

When Valis called her name, she glanced at the remains and slowly turned around.

“Ah, Valis. You really did come for me, didn’t you?”

It was a sweet, gentle voice that felt like it was directly stroking his brain. It was clearly layered with more “mana” than on the night of the wedding. Without the protection of the vestments and the supply from the Amon dwelling in the book, he might have surrendered his consciousness.

“I’ve finished cleaning up the nuisances.”

She spoke nonchalantly, her black wings swaying softly. Since arriving here—in the span of what was about “one day” for her—she had likely annihilated every single demon nesting in the ruins.

“…Let’s go home together, Reina. Miria, Feril, and your father, Marquis Agreia, are all waiting.”

Reina’s expression remained unchanged as she took in those words.

“…No. I possess such heretical power… If I return, the Holy Kingdom’s Holy War will be declared, and not just Alveria, but many knights and even the common people will be hurt.”

Valis reflexively caught his breath.

“The only thing you should bring back is the head of this heretic, mine. With that, everything will be settled.”

The movements of the Holy Kingdom—the reality that Valis himself had dreaded—Reina spoke of it with terrifying ease. And she even provided the solution.

She’s sane. She hasn’t been consumed by Laura or Morrigan. However…

The original plan was that if Morrigan had fully manifested, he would use the space-time magic of the seal to reconstruct the “net” and capture it. But now, since Reina was suppressing it and had hardened her “resolve to die,” it was difficult to cast the net without involving her. That said, revealing that intention here and now would give Morrigan an escape route.

Valis swallowed the bitterness in his throat and threw out words as if clinging to her.

“Reina! I don’t care about some strangers dying! As long as you come back to me!”

If he could make her say “help me,” that would become an opening. A catalyst to drag Morrigan to the surface. However, Reina laughed quietly. Her eyelashes lowered slightly, and only her lips curved into a gentle arc.

“Ah, Valis. I know you very well. You are a truly strong person. You could never turn a blind eye to the sacrifice of many people just to save me.”

He had been seen through. Reina covered Valis’s “acting” with her years of affection. Reina composed her breath and closed her eyes.

“And this—this is my true wish. Miria is here. Feril is here. Surrounded by those two, your Master, and the kind people of Alveria, you will surely be happy.”

Those words were as cold as a blade, yet filled with love to the very end. The great black sword fell to the floor with a clatter. Reina hugged herself with both arms. Her black wings trembled finely, and her hair stuck to her cheeks.

“In exchange for taking the curse of my mother and the Demon God within me to the grave, let this heart stay beside you forever as a ‘scar’ upon your happy life.”

Valis was speechless. This was Reina’s true heart. And it was not a wish formed overnight. Since they were young, had she wished for Valis’s happiness while simultaneously wishing to bind him as a scar remaining in his heart? Was this her heart, stripped of all pretense?

Certainly, Reina was far removed from jealousy, yet she occasionally revealed a dominant desire toward Valis. To have that glimpse thrust upon him as such a pure confession…

“Ah, I’ve been hoping to see that face.”

Valis’s throat made a sharp sound. Reina smiled. It was bewitching, sensual, and heartbreaking.

“To deceive my friend, to sadden the sister who looks up to me, to turn my back on my mother’s final wish and my kind father’s feelings… and to wish to leave an indelible ‘scar’ upon you, whom I love more than anyone or anything…”

The black wings slowly beat up and down, and the miasma in the hall rippled.

“Could there be any ‘evil’ greater than this?”

In contrast to her ecstatic expression and words, tears overflowed from Reina’s eyes. It was the same awkward way of crying Valis had seen before the wedding—without making a sound, without closing her eyelids, just falling straight down.

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