My Next Life as a Villainess

by Satoru Yamaguchi

  “Ah, I wish I had some rice,” she said after sipping on the tea and eating the pickles with delight. That was a word I hadn’t heard in a while, and I was surprised at hearing it, because I thought that the people here in the capital had no custom of eating it.

  I asked her about it, and, suddenly excited, she leaned towards me and asked, “You know about rice?! Wait, first of all, there’s rice here?”

  Shocked by her enthusiasm, I explained that, just as with pickles, I hadn’t seen it since moving there, but that I used to eat it as a child. I also told her that the culture and food of my town were closer to that of the neighboring country, which made me all the more nostalgic.

  Katarina, who apparently loved eating and appreciated my native cuisine, said that she wanted to visit my hometown.

  I told her of how far that was, and her expression changed to one so dejected that you’d think the world was coming to an end.

  Seeing her like that, I couldn’t help but feel pity for her, so I told her that I’d share some rice with her when my mother sent it to me. She rejoiced at that, and for some reason started genuflecting in front of me with her eyes filled with sparkles. I’d been thinking this for a while, but Katarina was really an unpredictable girl.

  “Thank you so very much!” she then said, bowing deeply. At least she wasn’t genuflecting anymore, but still, a noble being so grateful for sharing some rice was weird.

  I didn’t want her to feel so indebted to me, so I told her that I was really just growing homesick myself, and that I’d have that rice sent to me anyway.

  “For some reason, when I’m working here on the fields with you, I can’t help but think about my farmer grandma and the others...” I then followed. I’d felt like that for a while now.

  “Excuse me, but... does that mean I look like your grandmother?” she said.

  That’s no good. I was so relaxed I ended up being too honest.

  “No, I mean, yeah, you kinda do, but not in looks. Ya kinda got this air ’bout yerself, y’know...?” I tried to explain myself.

  “...So I do remind you of her...”

  My explanation had backfired.

  “But it’s in a good way. Like, yer easy to talk to.”

  “Easy to talk to...?”

  “Yup. Back home the young’ns all left fer the big city, so the whole place’s chock full of grandpas and grandmas, y’know? Young girls were so rare I ain’t ever had much of a conversation with one. And then I done come here, and there be lots of girls, but I ain’t fond of speakin’ with them. But ya got sumthing ’bout ya, just like grandma back home, which makes ya easy to talk to. And that’s a good thing,” I said, noticing that I’d completely switched to my old accent.

  She seemed to be satisfied this time, but she also said that I, too, reminded her of an old man. I wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

  “So you don’t like speaking with young ladies... I never noticed, since you seem to be doing that just fine at work,” she then said. I’d talked too much and let her know about another one of my weaknesses.

  However, I understood that there was no point in hiding the truth from Katarina, so I told her about the efforts I was making to mask my nervousness, and about how much more tiring it had become since a new girl had been assigned to my department.

  I sighed. I grew up surrounded by men and old women, and now that I had a young girl amongst my subordinates, every day was stressful.

  “Excuse me, do you mean Maria Campbell?”

  So she knew about Maria Campbell. After all, even if it was for reasons opposite to Katarina, she was also famous enough throughout the Ministry that it was no surprise that someone from another department would know her name.

  The rumors (which I now knew to be completely false) about Katarina were that she was an entitled noble girl who’d come to the Ministry just to kill time, whereas Maria was spoken of as a talented Light Magic user.

  Every department wanted Maria to work with them, but the higher-ups decided that, if she was so talented, she would make a wonderful addition to my team. I wasn’t grateful in the least.

  “She is just as talented as they say... but she’s no good,” I honestly said. She was skilled and a fast learner, but she was too much to handle for someone as nervous around girls as I was.

  “Wh-Why?! Maria is a very good girl!” Katarina said, her eyebrows slanted all of a sudden.

  I asked whether she personally knew her, and she proudly said that she had known her since her time at the academy. I hadn’t known that.

  As Katarina said, she was a very good girl, and a kind and talented one at that.

  “Are you trying to say that there’s something wrong with my Maria?!” she asked, with a stare more menacing than I’d ever seen before.

  It turned out that she really liked Maria, so I had to explain myself properly.

  “Please calm down, Miss Katarina. I’m not trying to say that there’s anything wrong with her. I meant that she’s no good for me, since I get nervous when talking to girls. It’s nothing personal,” I explained, shaking my head.

  She sounded perplexed that I still wasn’t used to girls after so many years in the capital, and I couldn’t restrain myself. I leaned forward and emphatically explained the heavy burden that a girl-less life had placed on my shoulders.

  After catching my breath, I went on to explain the biggest problem I had with Maria. Sure, she was talented and kind, but she was also prettier than any girl I’d ever seen. Even someone used to dealing with girls would feel nervous around a girl so beautiful.

  “I agree that she’s beautiful, but isn’t it a problem work-wise if you can’t even talk to her?” Katarina asked.

  I told her how, with many years of training, I had learnt to communicate while keeping my voice and expression unchanged. Of course, since she was a newcomer, I had to care for her now that she was in my department, and I actively talked with her about her tasks and frequently checked on her. Obviously, the more I did that, the more exhausted I would become. I knew that I was being too tense around her, but I couldn’t help it.

  “All the more reason to do something about it, I think,” she said, and started silently thinking about something.

  “I have an idea. I will help you get used to speaking with girls, as thanks for teaching me so much about farming,” she said with a smile that, for some reason, gave me a bad feeling about how things would turn out.

  She told me she’d help me with my problem, and then, without explaining what she was actually planning to do, she left.

  The very next day, Katarina visited my department and asked to speak with Maria. She was too far away for me to hear what she was saying, but I could sense that it wasn’t good, whatever it was.

  Before leaving, Katarina noticed my gaze and gave me a proud, satisfied look. I started feeling even worse about it.

  After she had left, I overheard one of my subordinates saying, “The director always looks at the people from the Magical Tool Laboratory so sternly...” My preoccupied stare probably looked like a disapproving one to them.

  It was true that I wasn’t particularly approving of that department. They were talented in their own way, but Larna, their director, didn’t care about rules in the least. I couldn’t stand that, maybe because I was envious of how free she seemed to be. As a result, I was sometimes stern with them... but I didn’t hate them.

  However, since I had no friends to speak of in this department, I couldn’t do anything about that misunderstanding. And since that didn’t cause any issues with my work, I didn’t care too much about it.

  For the first time, I realized that there were many more things about me that I’d never made any effort to improve.

  Once I was done with work in the evening, I went to my field despite still having a bad feeling about what Katarina was doing.

  I went into the hut and changed into my farming clothes. Just wearing that outfit that I was so used to was enough to relax me. I then grabbed my hoe
and left the hut and saw something that, for the second time, made me freeze.

  Katarina was standing in front of me... next to Maria.

  I had known that Katarina’s smile meant nothing good, and that she was planning to do something terrible, but I had felt safe enough in assuming she wouldn’t go as far as bringing Maria Campbell here. But that girl had a way of betraying my expectations.

  I’ve never seen a noble girl so bold and unique... I thought to myself, before coming back to my senses and turning around to run away. However, Katarina, running at an unfathomable speed, quickly reached me and grabbed my arm, asking me why I was running away.

  In return, I asked her why in the world Maria was here, and whether Katarina was the one to blame for that. Of course, I was already almost certain that she was...

  Katarina explained that she wanted me to get used to talking with Maria, and that the only way to do so was to actually go ahead and do it. What she said made perfect sense, but I didn’t understand why I had to do that in my field.

  Her response, that I could only be myself when I was here, once again made perfect sense. She was right, but it was all too sudden. Katarina was really unpredictable.

  She then went on to say that she chose Maria because, if I managed to speak openly with her, I would be able to do the same with any girl. That was true, sure, but Katarina obviously understood nothing of how sensitive a man who wasn’t used to girls could be, especially when it came to one so beautiful.

  Katarina insisted that everything would be fine and forcibly dragged me back to Maria, who, this time, realized who she was looking at.

  “...Mister Lanchester...” she said, surprised.

  I noticed what I was wearing, and I hurriedly tried to explain myself. Being in front of a young woman made it so difficult to come up with anything coherent.

  While I was still mumbling, Katarina, out of the blue, intervened.

  “This is Mister Cyrus’s field. He’s really knowledgeable about farming, and he’s also very skilled with a hoe!” she said, sounding proud. Why was she proud of that? This girl was such a mystery.

  Maria, understandably, looked very surprised. Then, Katarina started proudly explaining my background before I managed to cover up her mouth. For some reason, seeing her so pleased about what she was saying made me feel calm, and I decided to continue the explanation myself.

  I looked at Maria and told her all the truth about where I had come from.

  When I’d done the same to Katarina I still didn’t know her that well, but having to reveal my secret to a subordinate who worked in the same office as me made me feel miserable. However, I had no chance of lying my way out of this situation, and all I could do was wait for Maria to laugh at me.

  “You act all high and mighty at work, and this is the truth about yourself?” she could have said. But she didn’t.

  “Mister Lanchester, I have nothing but admiration for your beautiful field, and I see no reason to laugh at you,” she said.

  That was so unexpected that I stared at her, trying to ascertain whether she was serious, but her blue eyes were not those of a liar.

  Looking into them, I realized that, just as Katarina and others had said, Maria Campbell was not only beautiful on the outside, but on the inside as well.

  “...Maria Campbell... I’m the one who admires you now,” I said, letting words that I would never utter at work slip from my mouth.

  And then, even more surprisingly, Maria asked me whether I hated her. That was so confusing that I ended up panicking slightly.

  “H-Hate? Why, I would never...” I started mumbling. But as I stopped to think of what to say next, she opened her mouth once again.

  “You see, Maria, Mister Cyrus has always lived in the country, with nobody but old men and women around him, so he isn’t used to talking with young girls. He says that he gets nervous around them, especially cute ones like you, and mfghfgh...”

  I forgot about delicacy and shoved a hand over her mouth. Couldn’t she choose her words a little more carefully? Did she have to be this blunt? She really didn’t understand anything about the fragile hearts of men.

  “Katarina Claes, could you be any less subtle?!” I said, glaring at her.

  Maria, whom I’d been avoiding looking at out of embarrassment, spoke up again. “S-So, does that mean that you do not hate me, Mister Lanchester?” she asked.

  I told her that no, I did not hate her, and that yes, what Katarina had said was true. Surely, this time, hearing the truth about me after seeing how I usually behaved at work, she would laugh at me. I nervously waited for her answer, wishing only that my position as her superior would keep her from berating me too much.

  “I am so glad...” Maria said with a lovely smile on her face. I couldn’t hide my surprise.

  She told me — sounding genuinely happy — that she had feared that I hated her, and so was relieved by the truth. I could tell that I was blushing, and for a different reason than before.

  “And I am also happy to be able to speak with you like this, Mister Lanchester, since I do not get the chance to do so at work,” she added, making my face feel even hotter and my chest tighter.

  “B-But... aren’t you disappointed seeing how different I am when I’m here compared to when I’m at work?” I managed to ask her despite how nervous and confused I was.

  “You are as wonderful here as a farmer as you are as a superior at work, Mister Lanchester,” she said with a smile so cute that I felt my whole body warm up.

  She was a very beautiful girl to begin with, but now she looked even prettier. It seemed as if even the air around her was sparkling.

  Wh-What is happening to me? Why does my chest hurt like this?

  Still dazed, I asked Maria to call me Cyrus when we were here. What had I done? Under normal circumstances, I’d never have said something like that. I felt as if I had a fever.

  Yet, Maria smiled once again as she said, “Yes, Mister Cyrus.”

  I could hear my heart pounding even faster inside my chest.

  Chapter 4: Lost Magic

  The day after Cyrus fell in love with Maria, I went to the field together with her.

  I waited for her after work, and Dewey looked envious when he saw us together. I would have gladly asked him to come along if it were my field, but I couldn’t do the same with Cyrus’s field. Maria was an exception, since she was part of my plan to help him overcome his fear of girls, but I had no such excuse for Dewey.

  I apologized to him in my heart, as he looked at the two of us walking away with a sad expression. He’s always so cute though. Makes you want to pat his head.

  On the other hand, though, Dewey was one of the characters who was supposed to bring Katarina (that is, me) to her doom... But how? Unlike Cyrus, he couldn’t use magic, was shorter than me, and, most importantly, he was so cute. If anything, I think I could even win against him in a fight.

  “Is anything the matter?” asked Maria, noticing that I was spacing out while thinking about that.

  Right, Maria’s been working alongside Dewey all this time. I’m sure she knows a lot about him.

  “Ah, I was just thinking... Dewey’s cute and small, but, uhm, can he like... lift heavy stuff and such?”

  Is he actually stronger than he lets on? Would I win against him in a fight? Is what I actually wanted to ask, but that would raise too many questions.

  “Lady Katarina, Dewey is a boy, so he would take offense to being called cute and small,” she said with a dry smile. “And despite his looks, he is quite strong. He used to do a lot of manual labor at home.”

  That was surprising, but I guess you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Now that I thought about it, I remembered hearing about him being raised in a poor, troubled household, and also about how he was picked on because of how smart he was... Maybe he was stronger than I had originally thought.

  Ugh! And I thought I could defeat him easily! My only hope is training to become stronger!

  We
finally reached the field, where Cyrus was already waiting, though he looked more gussied-up than usual.

  “Hello there,” he greeted us with an unusually radiant smile. Actually, he was probably mostly greeting Maria.

  Romance novels say that people change when they fall in love, but this was just incredible. Cyrus’s fear of girls is cured, isn’t it? I thought, but unfortunately he still looked nervous when talking to her.

  She started skillfully helping with the field, explaining that, “I often helped Lady Katarina when she was farming at the academy.”

  “That’s wonderful!” he commented happily, showing that he had made at least some progress.

  After that — possibly because of the power of love — Cyrus more or less kept talking with Maria. I was positive that at this rate, he’d overcome his fear in no time.

  For our usual break, the blanket we were sitting on was larger than normal to make space for our new guest, and there were also sweets to go with the tea.

  I’m feeling some disparity in our treatment here... Oh well, a farming buddy can’t compare with the girl you like, I guess.

  Maria, curious, tried the pickles. “I have never tried anything quite like this. It is delicious,” she said, munching on them with a smile. I was happy that she also liked them.

  We then talked about pickling practices, Cyrus’s hometown, rice, and more, after which Maria started looking around herself.

  “Apart from the field itself, the whole place seems to be cared for. Did you do all of this, Mister Cyrus?”

  Now that she mentioned it, the area around the field, despite the lack of a proper pathway, had a well-trimmed lawn and no large rocks lying around. It was surprising, considering how hidden away this place was. Was it Cyrus’s doing, like Maria said?

  “No, I couldn’t really manage such a large place all by myself. It was like this to begin with,” he said, shaking his head.

  “Do you mean that this place was just cared for all along?” Maria asked, confused.

  “Yes. It seems that back in the day there used to be a garden here. There was a magic spell in place to keep it tidy, and it must still be working.”