NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 1
TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 1
[Banish the Evil Villainess to the Monastery.]
Drip.
Red paint flows down the wall.
“F*ck.”
Once again, the estate’s wall bears the fury of a commoner.
Ricardo, now 23 years old, sighed as he scrubbed at the stubborn graffiti with a rag.
‘How did my life come to this?’
Why am I doing something a cleaner should be doing? Just as I lamented my miserable life, I overheard the conversation of guards patrolling the alleyway.
“Captain, is this the house where Olivia lives?”
“That’s right.”
“Wow… I heard she was expelled from her family, but it seems to be true. For a noble, this wall… looks like a ghost might appear.”
Plod, plod.
The captain’s calm voice echoed over the wall.
“Let’s skip patrolling here and just move along.”
“But shouldn’t we patrol properly?”
“Isn’t this the Villainess’s House?”
I turned my head to memorize the backs of the two men.
[Holm Lv.20]
[Job: Captain of the Guards]
[Favorability: -20]
[Favorite Conversation Topic: Justice Enforcement]
[Garamba Lv.15]
[Job: Village Guard]
[Favorability: 0]
[Favorite Conversation Topic: Women]
‘So this is where my taxes are going.’
“Sigh.”
A sigh escaped me.
The estate’s management is a disaster.
Comments about ghosts appearing and such.
The sight of mere guards mocking the Duke’s daughter is infuriating.
“Tax leechers.”
It angered me that they disrespected my master, but what made me even angrier was their complete inaction while the wall of our mansion reached this state.
That they insulted my master.
Well, they weren’t wrong.
***
Desmond Olivia.
She was the villainess in the novel [The Strongest at the Academy Fall for Me] that I had possessed.
She envied the attention the Heroine received and vented her anger on the Heroine when her unrequited love for the Hero failed.
That villainess was none other than the owner of this estate, Desmond Olivia.
Olivia was exceptional.
Until the Heroine appeared.
She was called the Flower of Society, her outstanding Magical Talent and the Support of the Family making her the ideal bride.
And she had such a gentle nature that she even saved me, an orphan of the slum.
Her butler.
In other words, my past self owed Olivia my life 13 years ago.
It wasn’t a grand event. About a week after I possessed this body, I was nearly beaten to death by some kids I tried to scold, and she saved me.
She pitied me and even gave me a job at the estate.
Since she was a villainess who would be disciplined and exit early in the original work, I tried to avoid her. But unintentionally getting involved, I decided to repay her kindness.
I did my utmost to ensure she wouldn’t meet the tragic end written in the novel.
-Young Lady, let’s lose some weight.
-Shut up, Ricardo!
-Quiet down and let’s exercise.
I worked on fixing the things she was ridiculed for in the original work, both externally and internally.
-Young Lady, you shouldn’t hit people so recklessly.
-But she called me an empty-headed woman!
-Hmm. Even so, you shouldn’t do that.
-Why not!
-In such cases, you should order someone like me, your subordinate, to handle it. I’ll take care of it for you.
I bribed the forces threatening her in the original work and personally dealt with matters that could cause resentment, directing the grudges toward myself.
For 13 years, that is.
I can confidently say I did my best to support her until I became an adult. I believed I had successfully prevented her tragic fate as written in the original work.
That is, until her admission to the Academy.
For the first time as an adult, she attended the Academy.
There, Olivia met a commoner man.
With his exceptional appearance, he was ‘Mikhail,’ the future Hero of the novel’s later chapters.
He was the Sub Male Lead who, in the original story, caused Olivia’s death.
Olivia began an unrequited love for Mikhail.
To be honest, it was understandable.
I had only read about his handsomeness in the novel, but I never expected him to be this remarkable in person.
Outstanding character and exceptional appearance.
A flawless man with no rough edges.
Even as a man, I couldn’t help but go “Wow.” Imagine how women must have felt. They must’ve gone crazy. Mikhail was that biased of a man.
Anyway, Olivia liked Mikhail.
She said it was because he saved her when she fell into a lake, but for someone who knew her death was tied to him, it was like hearing a horror story.
So, I tried to dissuade Olivia.
-You know, Ricardo? I think I’ve met my Fated Partner.
-Me?
-Shut up.
-Hmm. Is he handsome?
-Yes! He’s really incredibly handsome and kind.
-I’m handsome too, though?
-Ugh…
I caught Olivia stalking Mikhail and scolded her.
-That’s a crime, Young Lady.
-But how can I not be curious about Mikhail’s daily life?
-No matter how curious you are, who installs a Visual Magic Tool in someone else’s house?
-Doesn’t everyone do that…?
-I’m more curious about the state of your brain, Young Lady.
I followed Mikhail to the training grounds during his swordsmanship practice and shouted enthusiastically to lower his Favorability.
-Ricardo! Mikhail just defeated his third opponent.
-Woo────! If it were me, I’d take you down in one strike.
-You..!
-I’m quite skilled in swordsmanship. Let me go down there and show you. I’ll crush that pretty boy’s pride for you.
And then I got beaten up by Mikhail like a dog.
The more I interfered, the more Olivia’s feelings for Mikhail grew.
She said overcoming hardships made him seem even more wonderful. But what about the hardships I went through because of her? She didn’t care about those.
Anyway, by the end of the first semester, Olivia confessed to Mikhail. She didn’t want to lose him to another woman, so she boldly confessed.
-I like you, Mikhail.
-I’m sorry, Young Miss.
A cold rejection and Olivia crying her eyes out.
It unfolded exactly like the Original Work.
‘F*ck.’
Mikhail liked the Heroine. So, he rejected Olivia.
‘What a eunuch. There’s no other woman with a chest as big as Olivia’s. Is he a lolicon?’
That guy didn’t accept anyone’s confession.
Even when the Third Princess confessed.
Even when the Daughter of the Tower Master confessed.
Even when Olivia confessed.
His only response was, “I’m sorry.”
From that point on, Olivia’s future followed the Original Work.
She became so consumed by madness that it couldn’t be stopped and committed all kinds of eccentricities to win Mikhail’s heart.
She tried giving him an astronomical amount of money.
-I despise such filthy money made from the blood of commoners.
-What…?
She tried blackmailing him using his weaknesses.
-If you don’t date me, that girl you like won’t even be able to set foot in the Academy.
-I won’t let that happen. Stop being so disgraceful.
When blackmail didn’t work, she even knelt and begged.
-Please. Just date me for a month. I’ll treat you so well.
-I refuse.
In the end, just like in the Original Work, Olivia harassed the Heroine.
-Don’t hang out with that commoner woman.
She attended every party the Heroine was at and created the worst memories for her, just like in the Original Work.
-Ricardo. Do you see that vulgar woman?
-No, I don’t.
-Shut up and look properly.
-…
-Lock her in the wardrobe until the party is over.
-Do you really have to go that far?
-It’s better than killing her, isn’t it?
-As you wish.
Even so, the Heroine overcame the adversity like a true protagonist.
As expected of the Heroine.
The Crown Prince helped her.
The Disciple of the Tower Master helped her.
The entire world was on the Heroine’s side.
And so, when the First Semester ended.
Olivia was completely broken.
The Duke, who cherished Olivia like a jewel, gave up on rehabilitating her, and even her Older Brother, who adored Olivia, treated her like trash of the household.
After the First Semester, I was the only one left by Olivia’s side.
Still, I thought it was fortunate. I was relieved that Olivia didn’t make the drastic decision as she did in the Original Work.
When I first possessed this body, I thought I only needed to look out for myself, but now, I just wanted Olivia, who had been with me for 13 years, to grow up healthy.
Though she lost her wealth and honor, if she could live peacefully on the outskirts, wouldn’t that be a better outcome compared to the Original Work? That’s what I thought.
But life didn’t go as I wished.
-Young Lady. You can’t do this.
-Shut up. Mikhail is mine. Because he’s mine… he’ll understand this much.
-Please, come to your senses. You know very well that nothing will change because of this!
-Shut up. What does a beggar dying in the slum know to be running their mouth? Just because you’ve been with me for a long time, do you think you’re something? You’re just a half-finished butler… Keep your mouth shut.
She used Dark Magic, which was forbidden in the Empire.
In an Empire where even royalty would be punished for using Dark Magic, it was unacceptable for the daughter of a Duke to use it.
It was certain she would be expelled from the household.
It was certain she would lose all her wealth.
The dresses she loved.
The gems.
The noble ladies who flattered her.
She would lose everything she had left.
But Olivia, madly in love, used Dark Magic to brainwash Mikhail’s heart.
-Aaaaaah─! Haaahhh!
-Young Lady!
-Ricardo! My legs! My legs! My legs!
The outcome was, of course, a failure.
The doctor said.
-Due to the side effects of Dark Magic, her Magic Circuit has been completely destroyed.
-What does that have to do with her legs? Why can’t the Young Lady’s legs move?
-As the circuit burned, it seems the nerves connected to the lower body were also damaged.
-What are you saying? Explain it in a way I can understand.
-From now on, it will be impossible for her to walk on her own─.
-What did you say? Say that again.
From that point on, Olivia’s life was over.
She was excommunicated.
She was abandoned.
Left with nothing but a massive estate.
Olivia was no longer the Flower of Society and couldn’t even walk on her own.
***
After rubbing the wall all day, the obscene graffiti that once covered it had long faded.
With the master ruined, there wasn’t much to do. My only task was to care for the Young Lady lying in bed.
If I could finish up and feed the Young Lady her dinner, my day’s work would be done─or so I wished, but thinking about the fine imposed due to the Dark Magic, I couldn’t help but shut my eyes tightly.
There was no shortage of things to do.
I had to search high and low to find a cure for the Young Lady’s condition.
With the household’s support cut off, I also had to earn our living expenses.
Even with only one body, the reality of it all left me feeling bitter, but I could bear it because the Young Lady hadn’t made the drastic decision like in the Original Work.
I threw the dirty rag into the bucket.
The bucket’s water, now filthy with dirty water.
It felt good to have accomplished something.
What should I make for dinner tonight?
“Should I make steak, the Young Lady’s favorite…”
The sky was filthily clear.
In such weather, the paint dried even faster. I quickly filled the bucket with water and rinsed the rag.
That’s when it happened.
-Crash bang!
A loud noise came from the Young Lady’s room.