I Was Reincarnated as the Villain in an Eroge, but I’ll Live Honestly ~Because the Protagonist Was Useless, I Ended Up Making the Heroines Smile and Somehow Built a Harem~ - 10

Chapter 10: Noah Listens to Flora’s Story

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“Nice—nice to meet you, Noah-sama! I-I’m called Flora!”

Hmm, it really was Flora…There’s no mistaking it.

The girl standing before Noah was exactly the heroine he had seen in the game. Flora was one of the heroines who appeared in Quilover, categorized as a sub-heroine. Among the main heroines, she was the shortest, with honey-colored golden hair that reached just past her shoulders. She had a slender build, a heroine whose cuteness evoked the image of a small animal.

She lived in a single-father household with her younger brother, the three of them together, but the story began when her father collapsed from illness. Her brother was not even five years old yet, so she had gone out to the city to work. However, at the tavern where she first found employment, she had suffered terribly, being harassed by a nasty owner.

It was at that time that Abel came to her aid. After hearing about Flora’s circumstances, Abel decided to employ her at his own estate. As they spent time together living under the same roof, love blossomed, and Flora became Abel’s personal maid.

When I played the game, the bright and energetic Flora was really adorable…

In his previous life, he had repeatedly indulged in sad fantasies about how much more enjoyable life would have been if Flora were his girlfriend. Also, perhaps because she was a sub-heroine, Flora never came into contact with Noah before entering the academy. In the game Quilover, sub-heroines were actually somewhat easier to romance than the main heroines.

Though honestly, even with sub-heroines, the bad ends involving Noah were all complete disasters.

Once academy life began, due to her cute appearance, Noah set his sights on Flora. Calling her an insolent commoner, threatening that depending on her attitude he would slaughter her family along with her for lèse-majesté…. He piled on baseless accusations and mentally cornered her. When Flora continued to endure bravely and desperately, Noah grew impatient and took Abel hostage as a final measure.

From there, hell began. After playing with Flora to his heart’s content, Noah sold her to a perverted noble for a huge sum. Abel eventually managed to find Flora, but by then she had been drugged beyond saving by that perverted noble, meeting a hopeless end.

Back then, I was really devastated… The final scene showed Flora strung out on drugs… Though it was a bit…

He hurriedly shook his head, chasing those memories away.

“Yes, it’s nice to meet you, Flora.”

“Y-yes! It’s a pleasure to meet you too, p-please take care of me…”

Flora bowed her head slightly. As she did, her golden hair, tied sweetly like confectionery, swayed softly.

She really is incredibly cute…!

“……Noah-sama?”

Layla shot him a light glare with narrowed eyes. Her puffed-out cheeks made it easy to imagine what she was thinking, but…

Why does Layla always know exactly what I’m thinking…?

Clearing his throat once, Noah turned back to Flora.

“Uh, um… If I remember right, you said you wanted to work at my estate, correct?”

“Y-yes! I heard that Noah-sama’s estate is short on staff! I also have experience working at another noble’s estate, so please, would you consider employing me…?”

“I-I see… That makes sense…If you don’t mind, could I ask which estate you worked at before?”

At that moment, a shadow crossed Flora’s expression. Even though he felt bad about asking, it was something Noah could not avoid.

Depending on Flora’s answer, I can tell whether Abel exists in this world, and which route we’re currently on.

“It’s fine, take your time.” 

Noah said, while his mind raced.

That said, the fact that Flora came to this estate means she shouldn’t be on Abel’s route… So why did she come here? Did me changing somehow alter fate a little?

Noah frowned in thought, but his speculation was quickly overturned.

“It was Abel Granado-sama’s estate… yes.”

“……Wait, seriously? Abel… That Abel? Abel from the marquis family?”

The name was so unexpected that Noah blurted it out in a strange voice. Perhaps frightened by his reaction, Flora’s shoulders jumped.

“Ah, sorry. I was just surprised.”

“N-no, not at all… It is indeed Abel-sama of the marquis family.”

“I-I see… Got it.”

Resting his hand on his chin, Noah pondered.

So Abel really does exist in this world, but then this doesn’t make sense.

According to the game’s route, once Flora worked at Abel’s estate, she was supposed to end up with him. The only time Flora ran away from Abel’s estate was when a certain minor incident occurred. That incident served as a branching flag. In other words, as long as you did not choose incorrectly, the story proceeded to a happy ending. The choice itself was extremely simple: chase after the fleeing Flora, or do not. Choosing incorrectly meant her death. Because of that, the current situation did not match any of those possibilities.

“U-um… Noah-sama? Are you perhaps friends with Abel-sama or something?”

Flora must have been worried by Noah’s silence. Maybe she thought she had said something wrong. Her voice trembled as she spoke.

“Ah, no… I was just surprised because I’ve heard that name before. You know, I’ve heard that Abel is someone kind and gentle who treats everyone equally. So I was wondering why you wanted to work at my estate instead of Abel’s.”

At Noah’s words, Flora’s eyes widened.

“……That man is… He’s a good person?”

From the way Flora said it, it was almost enough to make Noah laugh bitterly.

“Huh? Is that not the case…?”

Flora nodded awkwardly.

H-huh…? No, seriously, what is going on with this world? From Flora’s reaction, Abel doesn’t seem like a very good person at all…

“Hey, Flora. This might be hard to talk about, but could you tell me what happened at Abel’s estate?”

“……I understand. Yes, it started when I began working at Abel-sama’s estate—”

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(Abel’s POV)

The scene shifted. This was Abel Granado’s estate.

“H-hey! Where did Flora go?! Why isn’t she at my estate?!”

“I-I’m terribly sorry, Abel-sama!”

One of the maids bowed deeply, her face pale. Judging by how her shoulders trembled, Abel was probably not gentle with them on a regular basis. Then another maid, who had been standing by the edge of the room, timidly spoke up.

“U-um… Abel-sama. Actually, the head maid received a message from Flora…”

Seeing the frightened maid, Abel loosened the grip of his clenched hand and let out a long sigh.

“……What did she say?”

“Yes… She said that although it was only a short time, she was grateful for everything, but it seemed that the work at the estate did not suit her, so she decided to work elsewhere.”

“Why the hell would it turn out like that?!”

When Abel shouted, the maid’s shoulders jerked again. Abel felt like raking his hands through his hair.

Why would Flora leave my estate…?

No matter how much he thought about it, he found no answer.

I helped Flora when she was in trouble at the tavern, just like in the game… She was grateful, and after that she should’ve fallen for me on her own thanks to my charm, right?

“That’s right… I didn’t do anything wrong. After all, I’m that Abel… I see, I get it now!”

As if an electric current ran through his brain, inspiration struck Abel.

Is God testing me?!

Abel’s reasoning went like this. This world followed the game, but it was not a world where everything happened exactly as in the game. If someone altered their actions, discrepancies would naturally arise. That was why events stopped unfolding according to the scenario.

Because Noah did something that made no sense, like saving Layla, a discrepancy appeared in this world… And that’s why this trial has come to me. Haha, figures. In the end, everything bad really is Noah’s fault.

As the fog of doubt cleared, calm returned to Abel’s heart.

Seriously, Flora… Because of you, the maids are all scared.

“I got loud because Flora went off on her own, but I’m worried too, you know. You understand that much, right?”

“O-of course, sir…”

“Right. So, for my sake, please go easy on her. And find out where Flora went. She can’t manage without me, after all.”

Just you wait, Flora. I’m the only one who understands you and can save you.

Abel solidified his resolve that he would absolutely save her… Without ever realizing how twisted that resolve was.

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