"Leave something valuable behind...!"
As soon as I stepped out into the town, this happened.
Incredible. My bad luck was off the charts.
I, a noble, found myself cornered against a wall, facing a stick, about the thickness of a brown sugar-flavored wheat cake*. But I knew the deliciousness of that wheat cake. Why? Because I remembered my past life last week.
Let me give you a brief overview of how it all started.
It happened when I was shamelessly bossing around the servants, using my money and status.
"Are you the one responsible for making these awful apples? Should I punish you? Should I?"
"My apologies, Young Master."
"No way! I won't tolerate this! If you don't want Father to find out, make apples without those brown spots! Right now! And make it look like you did it in the blink of an eye!"
"Y- Yes! Understood!"
"Nyahahaha! Run, run... Wait, huh..."
Just as I burst into laughter, memories from my previous life flooded my brain. I used to be a 17-year-old commoner, but somehow, I woke up as the 6-year-old third son of a noble family. Is this what they call "remembering your past life"? Anyway, facing my current situation— acting all high and mighty —filled me with embarrassment and discomfort. I had no choice but to crouch down and curl up tightly.
Afterward, I returned to my room and spent three days lying face down on the bed. The servants fretted over me, my two older brothers watched me closely by the bedside, and my father gave me a half-hearted pep talk, urging me not to be disheartened and to persevere. And then, it hit me again.
[Ascalon Empire War Chronicles.]
An RPG created by a minor game company. It was a fantasy game that combined romance and strategy, featuring the story of a hero who defeats the Demon Lord. And guess what? The Triaina family stood in the hero's way as rivals.
Wait a minute, that's us!
Our family name matched, and this was indeed the Ascalon Empire. Plus, I could use magic.
I am Fran Dux Triaina, the third son of the Duke's family.
In the future, I would be defeated by the hero, and my brothers would mock me as the weakest among the three siblings—the classic villain. Talk about bad luck.
For a week, I quietly grappled with confusion, feeling down. But then I resolved;
"First, let's quit being the villain. Leave home and live peacefully in a neighboring country or something."
I knew about the secret passage in our house because of the game I played. My older brothers might not be aware of it.
Late at night, I sneaked into the storage room under the separate wing, opened the door leading to a cold, dark passage.
"Scary..."
Well, well, well. Now that I knew it existed, I'd execute my plan during daylight.
So, I tried again during lunchtime. Even though tears streamed down my face as I walked through the dark passage, I climbed the ladder at the end and pushed open the wooden door. And there, I found myself outside an abandoned church on the outskirts of town.
That's where the flashback ends.
"Are you listening to me!?"
"Oh, sorry..."
I realized I was being threatened by a boy holding a stick resembling a fukashi.
The boy, probably about 10 years older than me, has trembling hands holding a club. I don't think he's used to threatening people.
In my past life, I wasn't very smart and went to a school full of delinquents, so I'm not really scared. What's more despairing is the thought of having to go through that dark passage again to get back home.
"Do you want money or something valuable?"
I wonder if I have any money. Since I never pay for anything myself, if I have anything, it would be something valuable.
Hmm... I rummaged through my pockets but found nothing. There's nothing a 6-year-old like me has to wear. No accessories either.
"I only have my clothes, but can you sell them?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Then, here you go."
I spread my arms wide, waiting.
"What's this?"
"It's my clothes, right? Here."
"...What do you mean 'here'?"
"I can't take them off by myself, so you can just take whatever you want."
"Eh, you can't take off your own clothes...?"
"Yeah."
It's not like a T-shirt, and I've never done it before, so I don't think I can move my body well enough. I know it's bad if I force it and tear it.
As I stood with my arms spread wide, looking up at the boy, he snorted at me with a sneer. So malicious.
"Nobles are such fools."
"I can see that."
Thinking back to my past life, being a fool now is the right answer. Smart, huh? When I agreed openly, the boy made a strange face and forcefully tore off a few buttons from my clothes. My body swayed as it was pulled, and the boy supported me.
"This is enough. You can go back now."
"Is this enough?"
"It's enough to buy medicine."
"Hmm."
It's a common thing, isn't it? People in poverty can't afford medicine. I wonder if something can be done if I tell my father... Probably not, since my father is all about sports.
"Well, I'm going back home."
I've figured out how to get out to the town, so I'll just head back home for today.
"Yeah, be careful."
"Okay. Hey, hey, are you always here?"
"Sometimes."
"I see. Well, see you again then."
"...Yeah."
I returned to the church, moved the carpet under the desk in the center, and opened the wooden door. In just a few minutes, nothing had changed; it was still pitch black.
"Scary..."
I went back home, crying.
Home really is a place of comfort.
It's the home I plan to leave in the future, but it's sparkling with plenty of daylight, and the presence of the servants means there's nothing to fear.
"Young Master! We've been looking for you!"
"Kitty...!"
The maid assigned to me, Kitty, who seemed to have been looking for me, ran over with tears in her eyes, so I also jumped into her skirt, half-crying. Ah, indeed, there's no place like home...
"So, he was here...?"
"Yes, Sevran-sama!"
With a hug my head was grabbed.
As I was kneaded like a head massage, I looked up to see Sevran nii-sama**, who is seven years my senior.
"You little rascal. We've been searching for you."
"I'm very sorry."
"Tell me where you've been or what you've been doing... Fran, what happened to your clothes!"
"Oh...!!"
I feel sorry for Kitty, who turned pale and covered her mouth.
But before that, I saw him making a cool face saying he wouldn't ask. When Sevran nii-sama, who immediately changed his expression and started asking questions, looked like something out of a comedy sketch, I couldn't help but chuckle, and then he grabbed my shoulder firmly.
If a younger brother's buttons were torn off, of course, you'd be surprised. Sorry.
"Fran, tell me what happened."
Hmm, I messed up. I hadn't thought of an excuse.
"I gave them to a pigeon."
"...What?"
It was a word that came out in a rush, but somehow, I thought, 'This could work!'
So, I decided to stick with the theory that I gave the buttons to a pigeon.
"I gave them because the pigeon seemed to want them. Buttons look like beans, right?"
"...Fran."
Sevran nii-sama held me tight. After hugging me firmly for a moment, he let go of my body and looked me in the eyes. Then he said, as if to convince me,
"Listen, pigeons do not eat buttons. Because buttons are not made of beans. ...Let's study properly, I will join you."
He really must have thought I was stupid.
Sevran nii-sama took my hand and led me to the room. "It's about time for your magic teacher to come, isn't it?"
And so began my story of escaping from being a villain.