The Shut-In Prince’s Splendid Social Debut — Me, a Villainous Imperial, Have Spent the Last Fifteen Years Fighting the “Wicked Thoughts” Eating Away at My Mind. When I Finally Returned to High Society, There Were Way Too Many People I Didn’t Recognize — - Chapter 1: The Awakening of the Villainous Royal

Why did people become tainted by “evil”?

If one referred back to the “theory of innate goodness,” human nature was considered to be inherently good.

Therefore, if a person became tainted by evil, it was the result of being influenced by their environment.

Hearing this, extremists might have retorted, “In that case, unless you shove a baby into a culture tank, force-feed them knowledge and ethics, and release them twenty years later, people can’t remain good, can they?”

If they did, I would have said, “That is wrong.”

Because such thought experiments held no meaning.

To begin with, if one interpreted the “theory of innate goodness” properly, it was a moralistic lesson saying, “Let us remain good without being swayed by our environment.”

If one caused trouble for others, one would be tormented by the pangs of one’s conscience, wouldn’t one?

Therefore, leaning towards evil required a corresponding cost. Usually, that was the case.

However, I did not particularly like this “theory of innate goodness.” Being good did not necessarily lead directly to happiness.

But logically, I thought it was correct.

Why, you asked…?

Because the existence of a person whose nature was “villain”—could not be proved.

◇◇◇◇

——The sound of the electrocardiogram echoed emptily.

“■■! Stay with us! You can still live! Father is here with you!”

A man approaching old age appeared to be shouting with a desperate expression… but his mouth was twisted.

I understood the need to keep up appearances in front of the doctors and nurses, but your acting was weak, and everyone already knew what kind of person you were. Even though you never came to visit even once before, that email I sent jokingly saying, “I’ll come back to haunt you when I die,” must have been working, huh?

If you were worried about divine punishment and shamelessly showing up at my deathbed like this, you hadn’t fully become evil, Father.

“Keep your spirits up! Look, you’re going to cure your illness and play your favorite games, right! Mother knows that ■■ was working hard on game streaming!”

Mother, you were an actor. As expected, women were skilled at using tears and understood well how to buy sympathy. It was amazing you could spew words that appealed to emotion that much.

You were quite the scoundrel, Mother; coming to take care of me frequently only when I was on the verge of death. Peeling apples and leaving them when I couldn’t even eat, trying to show game videos to me when I couldn’t move—it was truly annoying. And if I treated you coldly, you would put on a victim’s face and say, “Sorry, I was being meddlesome.”

I was nearly deceived. You knew that I had built a small fortune through streaming. You were waiting for an opportunity to snatch the money from me. I didn’t realize it until you started saying, “Actually, regarding ■■’s treatment costs, there is a debt…” But thanks to that, I laughed so hard my stomach hurt that day. Why? Because thanks to my clinical trials, money should have actually been coming into your hands, Mother.

That was why I told you, “When I die, I’ll make sure the money goes to you.” Then Mother made a sour face and started saying, “Inheritance tax is…” so I said whatever to chase her away.

Of course, I donated the entire amount of my money to a medical organization. Serves you right.

“…”

Finally, to my sister looking at her smartphone even though her Onii-sama was in critical condition. I thought I would apologize to you normally. Because I contracted a state-designated incurable disease when I was five, you were bullied for being the sister of a sick Onii-sama. That day, you told me, “Please die quickly,” but I was truly sorry for living twenty years after that. I was told the five-year survival rate was three percent, but I wondered what that was about. It was simply a living hell.

Come to think of it, I heard you graduated from university. Was it going well with your boyfriend? Your parents were building up debt, so run away quickly. I wanted to tell you that, but…

——It was no use anymore.

The sound of the electrocardiogram sounded distant, as if stretching out.

0 ――――――――――――――――

My consciousness was fading away.

I thought they were truly a hopeless family.

But the reason I couldn’t bring myself to hate them was perhaps because they were family after all.

In the end, everyone failed to become fully evil. Father, Mother, my sister, and me too.

When people leaned towards evil—it was a time of trial.

When your legs truly wouldn’t move anymore, and you couldn’t survive unless you did so.

But now, I didn’t know if even that was correct.

Because right before my eyes, a “deep darkness” was spreading.

Was I going to hell?

Did I do something that bad…?

I panicked and confessed my sins to the gods of all directions—North, South, East, and West.

I thought I was shallow.

Such efforts were in vain, and I was sucked into that deep darkness.

◇◇◇◇

“Congratulations, Crecela-sama. It is a healthy boy.”

“Oh my… How lovely he is. My angel.”

——Huh, where on earth was this?

When I realized it, I was in a strange floating sensation, drifting fluffily.

It seemed my body was being lifted up.

My viewpoint shifted from a red-haired woman wearing a maid outfit to a beautiful woman with blonde hair.

<If it is Yoan, he will slap her here.>

Suddenly, a thought flowed into my head.

What on earth was this?

Before I could even think, my body moved on its own, driven by that irresistible urge.

“Au.”

I slapped the cheek of the beautiful woman in front of me with a peshi sound.

I panicked, thinking I had committed an assault on a woman, but the hand that flew out was a small hand, just like a maple leaf.

…What was this?

“Oh my, oh my, Yoan. Do you recognize your mother?”

Saying that, the blonde beauty smiled.

No, that wasn’t it.

My body moved on its own.

Or rather, since when did my name become “Yoan”?

“Aa-u.”

And this sluggish feeling of my body.

My vocal cords were strangely high-pitched, and I could neither speak nor stand properly.

‘Don’t tell me, have I entered the body of a baby?’

The squishy feeling of this cheek, the moist texture of the skin.

There was neither the usual scratchy feeling of my beard nor the dry, flaky sensation.

There was no mistake, this was…!

“Ee-yaa-oh-yay-ah (‘It’s that thing called Isekai Reincarnation!’).”

My tongue didn’t move well.

“Fufu, I wonder what is the matter. Making such a surprised face.”

Affection like a holy mother, and sanctity like a goddess.

Could this dignified woman, wrapped in an atmosphere that felt somewhat inviolable, really be my mother?

Her frame was slender, and I felt a fleeting fragility, as if she might snap like a lily if just a little force were applied.

If that was the case, then perhaps I was also beautiful.

Looking around, beautiful women dressed in maid outfits were lined up in a row.

The fact that this many people were celebrating my birth meant I was likely born into a noble house.

‘In other words, a noble.’

The name Yoan was slightly concerning, but well, being born noble was already a winning route.

Judging by this mother, the “Parent Gacha” was a success among successes.

While I was harboring such warm and fuzzy thoughts…

‘Hm?’

The blonde beauty began to shed tears silently, trickling down her face.

“Crecela-sama…?”

“I’m sorry, I understand. I am, after all, nothing more than a tool to give birth to this child. Since Yoan has been born into this house, he surely will not be able to live peacefully. Why must such a precious child…”

I felt like I heard some very disturbing words.

What kind of fate was waiting for me?

“…Please leave Young Master Yoan to this Anje. I will surely raise him to be a splendid Emperor.”

The red-haired maid rubbed the blonde beauty’s back, trying to calm her down.

Wait, did she just say Emperor?

I was thinking that surely that was a joke, when…

Once again, that “wicked thought” flowed into my head.

<If it is Yoan, he will stick a finger in her nostril here.>

…Not good. This was not good.

She was a young lady who looked like she should be enjoying a relaxing tea time in a vast garden.

Moreover, in such a serious atmosphere, there was no way I could stick a finger in this beautiful woman’s nostril.

There was a limit to not being able to read the room.

However, I could not resist that desire.

“Aa-u? Uuu!”

I stuck my finger into that blonde beauty’s nostril.