The Reincarnated Villainous Noble Still Won't Try His Best!

Chapter 20 : Memories of Past Life

I soon arrived at the Greylord Duchy’s courtyard while being accompanied by Flora.

The courtyard of our Mansion was magnificent, thanks to the gardener’s considerable efforts. A variety of flowers bloomed vividly here and there.

“What a beautiful garden. It seems like all the seasonal flowers are on display.”

“The gardener works hard, you know. I sometimes come here for a nap.”

“A nap you say?”

“Yes. On a nice day like today, it feels good to take a nap here. If you’re going to be here for a while, Flora-san, you should try it.”

“I see… I certainly will if I have the chance.”

She replied with a sweet smile.

It’s a virtue of hers that she readily agrees to anything.

“Actually, I’m sleepy enough to nap today, too.”

“But, there are no blankets to put underneath?”

“It’s a special kind of grass, so It’s comfortable to lie on.”

“Did you make it yourself, Marius-sama?”

“No… I mentioned once that it would be nice to have a lawn, and they made it for me.”

I remember being surprised when a lawn area suddenly appeared in the garden.

“That’s nice.”

“Well, yes. Although I caused the gardener extra trouble.”

“…Really.”

“Hm?”

“You really have changed, Marius-sama. You’ve become much more mature.”

“Why are you bringing it up suddenly? It’s like you are trying to say that I was too childish before.”

“No. Certainly, the old Marius-sama had a reckless side, but even so, I thought your actions were appropriate for your age. But the current Marius-sama looks like an adult. Your aura is different.”

“A-Aura? Is that so…?”

Suddenly, her words lost all credibility.

In the first place, it’s a mystery what she saw that made her feel that way.

“Yes. Has anything happened recently that might have triggered this change in you?”

“…Nothing. Nothing at all.”

Except for the reincarnation.

“If that’s the case… perhaps it’s unconscious. Like you’re unconsciously acting out your ideal self?”

“If this is acting, it’s quite something.”

“Indeed. So far, I haven’t noticed anything unnatural. It’s as if you’ve suddenly become a different person.”

“—!”

I was at a loss for words as she suddenly hit right on the mark.

“Marius-sama?”

Flora tilted her head at my reaction.

“It’s nothing. More importantly, I’m going to sleep… Flora-san, how about taking a nap with me? The weather is nice today, so it will feel good.”

“…Sure. Excuse me, I’ll be right next to you.”

Wow, she skillfully used my secret technique of changing the subject.

She then sat down and lay down right next to me.

After confirming this, I said, as if running away,

“Goodnight.”

◇◇◇◇◇◇

After closing my eyes for a while, I fell into the world of dreams as if being drawn in.

I was dreaming…

A dream of the past.

“This is…”

The next time I woke up, I was inside a familiar school building.

Confused, I looked around restlessly.

Then,

“Hey, Shun. What are you doing there?”

A friend with a familiar face appeared.

“You are… no, more importantly, why am I at school?”

“What are you talking about? It’s natural for a student to be at school, right?”

“Natural? I reincarnated as Marius Greylord. I shouldn’t be here…”

“Marius? Marius, like the villain in that game?”

“Yeah. I died in an accident and reincarnated as him.”

“Ahaha! That’s a funny thing to say, especially for you, Shun. You tell jokes too?”

My friend laughed while holding his stomach.

Annoying.

“I’m not joking. I’m serious.”

Even I want to think it’s a joke.

“Then look at yourself. No matter how you look at it, you’re the spitting image of Shun Haiba, aren’t you?”

My friend looked at the window next to me.

Following his lead, I also shifted my gaze there, and sure enough, my previous life’s face was reflected in the windowpane.

“…It’s true. I’m back to my old self…”

“Honestly. I don’t know what kind of dream you had, but I’m glad you seem to be playing the game properly. So? Was there a girl you liked, Shun? Which heroine did you prefer?”

“Heroine? Oh, the heroine…”

“I have a heroine I’d like to recommend.”

“—Lilia Twilight.”

I muttered almost reflexively.

“Eh? How did you know?”

“…Somehow. The reason is… because she seems like she’d pull me along, or something.”

“Scary! You’re really strange today, Shun. Did something happen? Did you awaken? To some special power?”

“No… I wonder if I really wanted to come back? To this world.”

I remembered something before I came here.

It’s a dream… I understand that this is definitely a dream.

I thought so from the beginning, but I clearly realized it in the current conversation.

And realizing it, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Shun?”

“Sorry. I don’t think I’m supposed to be here. It’s about time I went back.”

Almost simultaneously with my words, the world gradually lost its color.

I had something I wanted to say, even if this was a dream.

I decided to tell my friend.

“It was good talking to you again. The conversation itself was similar to the last time, though… Live your life to the fullest, okay? I’m really sorry, buddy.”

The faint scenery of the dream gradually disappeared.

◇◇◇◇◇◇

I soon woke up.

It seems I fell asleep at some point.

Opening my eyes, I saw a figure in front of me.

It seemed like someone was talking to me, but I was still half-asleep and could only give vague replies for a while.

I’d be back to normal in ten minutes, but it seems I slept for a surprisingly long time.

When the real world finally came into clear view, I could see who the person in front of me was.

It was…

“…Flora?”

But for some reason the distance between us was too close.

In the first place, there’s no way I could see her from the front while I was sleeping…