The Strongest Villain Sets Out: Reincarnated into a Merit-Based Clan, I Become the World's Strongest Swordsman - Chapter 20: Original Heroine

As part of the first day’s class, I ended up fighting the original protagonist Aiden.

Aiden could use the same three abilities as me: ‘Aura,’ ‘Divine Prayer,’ and ‘Magic.’ He probably could use curses too. However, he had misjudged his choices.

An all-rounder type who could do everything could only become the strongest when all their stats were on par with specialized types. Otherwise, they became a jack-of-all-trades but master of none. All their stats ended up uniformly low.

Then no matter how many moves they have, it’s meaningless. That’s why I don’t use magic and curses.

“H-hey… did you see that match just now?”

Around me, the students who had been watching the match were making a commotion.

“As expected of the Salvatore family genius. The scholarship student was quite strong too, but he was no match.”

“Luka-sama is so cool…!”

“Handsome appearance. A genius in both literary and military arts!”

“Being in the same generation as someone like that is ridiculous. It kills my motivation.”

The evaluations of me varied. Mainly, most of the female students were supporting me. Just hurry up and have your own matches already. I glared at them with sarcasm. Since my match was over, I decided to rest in a corner. Then Cornelia came over.

“Good work, Luka.”

She stood next to me as I leaned against the wall.

“Don’t you need to have a match, Your Highness?”

“That can wait. They’re all weaklings anyway.”

“There might be some interesting opponents among them.”

“Eh? No way. Only Luka can entertain me. Crushing ordinary people is just a waste of time.”

This girl is saying incredible things.

I understand the feeling, but with that attitude, won’t you be isolated in class? Though she probably thinks it’s fine to be isolated as long as I’m there.

“More than that, that scholarship student was hilarious.”

Cornelia laughed while seeing off Aiden being carried away by a teacher.

“He seems to have talent, but his overall ability values are too low. He can’t beat people like me and Luka who have trained aura. What an idiot.”

You’re a heroine, right? You’re completely on the villain side here.

Well, I didn’t have such lukewarm feelings as not stealing heroines from the protagonist.

I neither dislike nor like Cornelia. I just had no intention of bending my path for that protagonist’s sake. Even if the protagonist died and the scenario changed as a result, it was none of my business.

I have my own path, my own future. I’ll live selfishly for my own sake.

“He should at least learn summoning magic.”

“Summoning magic is particularly difficult to master among all abilities… or rather, it’s special. He probably struggled too.”

Rather, being able to manipulate three abilities to that extent at the beginning of the scenario was amazing. Originally, according to the game settings, he’d be level 1. You could say he worked quite hard.

Though his direction was wrong.

“Luka, aren’t you going to learn summoning magic?”

“Me? Well… I don’t find it attractive at the moment.”

“Heh.”

Summoning magic was the ability to call forth and command special creatures. To summon stronger individuals required much more connection and time.

Rather than spending time on such things, there were other abilities I wanted to raise. That was—

“So what’s Luka’s next goal?”

“Magic.”

That miraculous blessing that Lucia Morgan had used. At that time, I had taken a massive lump of magical power with my bare body. Thanks to that, I grasped the sensation of ‘magical power’ necessary to activate magic and awakened my aptitude for magic.

But I still hadn’t managed to activate magic even once. I had been thinking of starting today, after enrolling in this academy.

Because this academy had a large number of ‘spellbooks’ that weren’t available at the Salvatore family mansion. That’s why I had continued to skip it for seven years.

“Magic, huh. I had a feeling.”

“Close combat is aura. Support is prayer. If I can just learn long-range magic, I’ll be stable in future battles.”

“Yeah yeah. I can use magic too, but I’m still at beginner level or something like that. Can I study together with you?”

“If you don’t get in the way.”

“Yay! That’s why I like Luka.”

Chu, suddenly Cornelia kissed me.

“We’re in class right now.”

To be honest, I was used to it. How many times do you think I was kissed over seven years? I almost had my chastity stolen too.

Normally, would you poison a rival and duke’s son? It would have been dangerous if I couldn’t use divine prayer or aura.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I don’t care about the rabble.”

Saying that, Cornelia hugged my arm. The soft sensation was slightly pleasant. I’m a boy after all.

☆

After the match with Aiden, the first day’s class ended while watching other students’ matches. As a result of clashing head-on from the first day, something like a caste system was born within the class.

At the top were Cornelia and me. We were more than a head above the rest. The others were mixed. Aiden’s evaluation was also quite divided.

Those who looked down on him for being a commoner. Those who acknowledge him because he had ability even as a commoner. Such group-like things had already been formed.

How utterly ridiculous. More importantly, it was time for training.

I declined invitations from classmates who approached me and left the classroom. The first place I headed wasn’t the boys’ dormitory—but the white tower that existed beyond the school building where classrooms and such were located.

The tower’s name was the Magic Tower. The domain of magicians. The so-called ‘Library’ that housed many spellbooks.

I would acquire and train magic here. I put my hand on the door leading inside, and—immediately after, someone called out to me from behind.

“Hey, you.”

“Hm?”

There were no other students nearby. I turned around thinking it was probably me they meant.

Then, behind me was…

“…Sheila, is that you?”

Unforgettable. A character in a heroine position who appeared in the main scenario.

Sheila Calera was there.

Excluding Lucia Morgan, a magician with the world’s highest level of talent!