The Villainous Noble Tried His Hardest to Break the Original Storyline, and Now the Heroines Are Acting Weird - 34-35

Chapter 34

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By saving characters who were originally meant to die, the story was supposed to slowly begin to unravel. What lay beyond that unraveling—whether heaven or hell—I didn’t know. But if I was going to overturn the very foundation of the story, I figured it had to start with small things like that.

That was why she was someone important to me. I wanted to rewrite the story into one where all the people destined to die could end up smiling. If the world turned out like that, then even my little sister would probably enjoy her reincarnated life here.

“I want to walk through the future ahead with you while smiling together. That’s why I wanted to save you… Am I being a bother?”

I wanted to achieve a happy ending where no one had to die and Aifi was someone who needed to be there too.

“No… N-not at all. I… I was very happy to be saved.”

Aifi answered in a small voice, her cheeks flushing red. Yeah, that was definitely a pretty embarrassing thing to say. I felt like only someone with Rubest-kun’s face could get away with something like that.

“Well, anyway, that’s why I’m counting on you from here on, okay?”

“Yes… I-it’s an honor, though I may be unworthy. I look forward to working with you.”

That sounded just like the kind of greeting you’d give before getting married. So Aifi could make jokes like that, huh? The thought crossed my mind, but I didn’t say it out loud.

After Aifi left the room, I called out to the Goddess.

『Goddess, I want to confirm something… What’s Aifi’s status look like now?』

After healing Sasha, I had gone on to treat some of Father’s acquaintances. What I learned through that was that anyone I healed had their status limits removed—just like in Final Quest. However, this only applied in cases of major injuries or loss, not just regular HP loss.

『Aifi-san… Her status is completely messed up now thanks to Rubest-san’s healing magic…』

『Good.』

『It’s not good!』

The Goddess raised her voice in protest, but honestly, I felt like pumping my fist in triumph. Aifi had been training her magic relentlessly up to the start of the original story. So, if she kept honing her magic from here on, there was a good chance she’d grow even stronger.

Well, maybe in the original story, she’d trained her magic because her legs couldn’t move, but still, I doubted she’d just stop trying altogether now. I was sure her attribute value would surpass where they were at the start of the original timeline, so there was no reason for me not to be happy.

The Goddess continued grumbling for a while.

『…I-It’s going to mess with the flow of world history in all sorts of ways. What am I supposed to do if managing it becomes a nightmare…?』

『Just hang in there. I think the people will be grateful to the Goddess, you know?』

『W-Well… Ehehe, that does make me happy. B-But! I’m not supposed to favor humans too much! What if the world’s history diverges too drastically from the original storyline?!』

『It’s fine. I’m pretty sure things will end the same way as in the original. Isn’t that good enough?』

『I mean… Is that really okay?』

『It was written in the world management manual you gave me, wasn’t it? So don’t worry about it.』

I had gathered all that kind of information while helping the Goddess with her job. Even if reincarnators were sent into the world, it wasn’t a problem as long as the general point of history didn’t change.

This world’s ultimate goal was to defeat the Demon Lord and bring about world peace. As long as we stayed on that path, everything would be fine. And well, if anything did go wrong, I could just blame it all on the Goddess.

『…Well, if that’s the case, then fine. I’ll leave it to you.』

『You got it.』

The Goddess seemed to have accepted it for now, so I lay down on the bed. We’d been traveling a lot, and today had been especially eventful. I was worn out. Letting out a big yawn, I slowly closed my eyes.

The next day. After having breakfast at the mansion, we headed straight for a dungeon near Boldright. From today onward, Golsh-san and the others would begin selecting people to be treated, so while we waited, we’d gather materials in the dungeon.

Having done our research in advance, we entered the dungeon and walked through its cave-like interior.

“I hear Wind Orcs appear in this dungeon.”

Ah yeah, that monster.

“Are they stronger than normal orcs?”

“Yes. They use wind magic to boost their speed and strike fast, so if you let your guard down, they could take you out in an instant. That said, I’ve heard this isn’t a particularly high-difficulty dungeon, so I think we’ll be fine.”

“I see. So that’s the main thing to watch out for during battle?”

“Pretty much. As for how to beat them… it’s simple! Just move faster than them and hit harder than they do!”

Ah, right. Of course.  Nodding along with Sasha’s aggressive logic, I kept walking, looking out for monsters.

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Chapter 35

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Dragonic Fantasy used a turn-based battle system. Among the monsters I had fought in it was the Wind Orc. They’d cast speed-enhancing magic to gain the initiative, but I never felt they were much of a threat.

Even if the turn order changed a bit, I just needed to prepare healing magic assuming I’d take damage. I had been wondering how that sort of fight would play out in a real-time battle like this too.

As we walked through the area in search of monsters, we spotted a Wind Orc. It held a sword in its hand and was twitching its nose as if scanning the surroundings. It didn’t seem to have noticed us yet, so I called out to Sasha, who looked like she was about to pounce on it.

“Mind if I test how much damage my magic does first?”

“…Yes, understood.”

Don’t make such a sad face…

I could tell she was eager to fight, so I tried to soothe her.

“I’ll leave the next battle entirely to you. Just hold on a bit.”

“Yes, of course.”

She said “of course,” but she still looked a little dejected.

This puppy, I swear.

Trying not to look at her face any longer, I began preparing my magic. With the leftover skill points, I had acquired an advanced spell: Lightning Burst. It really felt like I had finally made it this far. All thanks to diligently grinding for experience points however I could. From healing the seriously wounded to blasting myself with magic every day…

All of it had been for this moment.

Given my current level, it should deal a hefty amount of damage. Once the spell was ready, I assumed a casting stance.

I didn’t even have the guts to cast this one on myself.

According to the Goddess,『It should shave off around 80% of your HP, but you’ll be fine, okay?』 But that wasn’t the issue here.

Just try to think about it realistically. Losing 80% of your HP would be like getting into a serious traffic accident and ending up bedridden, wouldn’t it?

With the spell fully prepared, I took my stance, and the Wind Orc noticed us and started to approach us. Before the battle officially began, I unleashed Lightning Burst on the orc.

In the next instant, a thunderous sound echoed like an explosion, and a ferocious lightning strike erupted from the Wind Orc’s location. Lightning engulfed everything around it, leaving a deep scar in the dungeon and completely obliterating the area.

If you were looking to demolish a building, this might just be the perfect spell. When the lightning faded, even the Wind Orc’s death cry had been swallowed by the blast. All that remained was a single magic stone.

“…A-Amazing power. It’s stronger than any magic you’ve used before…”

Sasha said, clearly impressed, and I smiled in response.

“I’m good with magic, after all. It looks like even an orc can be taken down in one hit if needed. Let’s keep this pace going.”

“Yes. If another monster shows up, please leave it to me. I want to get in some warm-up too.”

In truth, she probably just wanted to fight as soon as possible. I nodded at Sasha, who looked positively giddy, and she eagerly started walking off to search for more monsters.

After a few more battles, we had safely gathered the remaining magic stones we were short on. All that was left was to check in with her.

“Sasha, are you planning to get a new sword anytime soon?”

Her current gear looked like the same sword she had in the game. I recalled stripping her of her equipment just before we parted ways in the game.

Sorry about that. They sold for a pretty decent price though. It wasn’t a particularly high-spec sword, and since it was a Sasha-exclusive weapon, no one else could equip it. Unless she had some sentimental attachment to her old sword, I was thinking of making one for her.

Sasha glanced at her sword and gave me a small nod.

“Yes… I was thinking of buying something with a better edge, but good weapons rarely show up on the market. I’ve actually been feeling troubled about it…”

“If that’s the case, how about I make one for you?”

We’d gathered enough magic stones now, and I had already unlocked the ability to craft a longsword using just those. I didn’t know about sharpness, but it had about the same attack bonus as my katana, so I doubted she’d be dissatisfied with its performance.

Hearing my offer, Sasha’s eyes widened in slight surprise.

“…You’d do that for me?”

“Yeah, sure. I’ve got a few already made, just in case.”

Saying that would probably help her feel less awkward about accepting. If Sasha wasn’t too particular about it, I might as well make both swords one-handed.

First things first—one sword. After checking Sasha’s current weapon, I began the crafting process. Using blacksmithing magic, I consumed magic stones to craft and enhance a longsword. 

Once created, the longsword was stored in my item box. When I retrieved it, a single sword appeared. It didn’t have any especially notable features. It looked like something you’d find lining the shelves of a basic weapon shop.

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