Vol. 1 Chapter 3

In my previous life, I led a very ordinary existence, but I ended up with a ridiculously meaningless death. As a result, I somehow reincarnated as the villain of a game, Alus.

It would have been great if I had been reborn from birth, but I regained my memories from my previous life when I was five years old. By that time, Alus had already finished his business.

At the age of five, an age where there was no possibility of any sexual awakening, Alus repeatedly played pranks on the maids and behaved rudely towards his cute fiancée for the unethical reason that he preferred attractive older women. It was hard to believe he was only five… And not to mention, all the women he was surrounding himself with had some kind of financial issue, which complicated matters since I couldn’t just release them, pretending to have had a change of heart.

At this point, I gave up on trying to make Alus a reformed character and decided to embrace the villainous route. In my previous life, I had lived fairly seriously and had always carried some degree of inferiority complex compared to my talented older sister. But in this life, I could indulge myself as a villain, surround myself with women, and enjoy it without feeling guilty.

Yes, being surrounded by beautiful women with delightful scents was undoubtedly fantastic. Although as an Asian-leaning individual in terms of body odor rather than European, during the summer, I could sometimes emit odors that made me want to cry out to my apocrine sweat glands. But even then, when it was a beautiful woman’s scent, it felt like a reward… just a little sweaty sock…

Well, I maintained my villainous aura with quite lecherous thoughts, but I wasn’t entirely acting as a full-blown villainous noble.

“Lord Alus, we have a message from the orphanage director.”

“Hmm, what is it?”

Because I had been performing good deeds like running an orphanage, I could get away with some level of selfishness and luxury as a noble. I wasn’t going to go to extremes and risk my life as if it were a game. 

I had died young in my previous life, and in this life, I intended to live a long one. So, I was aiming to become the strongest by absorbing the Demon Lord’s power. Becoming the strongest should help me overcome various hurdles.

Nonetheless, I continued to perform good deeds to accumulate allies. The number of allies directly linked to one’s strength.

“What’s the matter?”

“They say the crops haven’t been growing well.”

The maid who informed me of the message responded to my question.

“That’s not good… Very well, let’s go and see. Cancel all my plans for the rest of the day.”

“Understood.”

One of the maids nodded in response to my words.

“Then let’s go. Bring out the carriage.”

“Of course.”

I stood up, ready to head to the orphanage.

—

The Marquess of Rheinhardt’s territory, right in the heart of his domain, stood the orphanage I had built, managed, and funded. 

“I see… that’s just plain bad luck.”

Arriving at the orphanage, I listened to the story from Sister, who managed the place.

By the way, this orphanage’s story had grown in influence over the years and had even attracted the attention of the Church, resulting in them getting involved to some extent. Because of this, Sister was appointed as the orphanage’s director. 

“I can’t believe it… the lightning struck the small field we had here.”

According to Sister, recently, during a thunderstorm, lightning struck the small field they had been cultivating at the orphanage, ruining all the crops.

It’s quite a blow when your fields turn into scorched earth.

While the main source of financial support for this orphanage comes from my contributions, the orphanage also engages in various activities to earn money and cover its maintenance costs. Among these, the fields are the most significant source of income, so losing them is a considerable setback.

“Is the amount of loss substantial?”

“Yes.”

Sister nodded with a sorrowful expression in response to my question.

“I still have ten to spare. Despite being in a fortunate position and starting various ventures, we’re not making that much. We can’t afford to spend money recklessly. How about the Church?”

…

Sister didn’t respond to my question, but her expression told the whole story.

It seems we can’t count on financial support from the Church. Well, to some extent, it was expected. A corrupt Church, along with its influence, is unlikely to readily provide funds for an orphanage.

“Hmm… What about the money?”

“It will probably be a considerable amount. Originally, the number of children seeking shelter in this orphanage has increased, and our finances were already tight. Given the current situation with the lightning strike, we’ll need a substantial amount to cover the losses and start over. Seeds are not cheap either… Besides, the lightning storm affected more than just the fields.”

“I see, it’s impossible for me alone.”

I have been expanding businesses using the power of my noble status and the allowance from my stingy father, but I can’t afford that much money right now.

“I’ll try talking to my father.”

“Thank you.”

Sister deeply bowed her head upon hearing my words. It’s all for the sake of my reputation and flag-breaking, after all!