Countess of Balanchefort
The grandeur of this place seemed to subtly suggest that the village of Rudin had not always been poor.
However, now it served merely as a symbol contrasting the poverty of the village with the cruelty of the Countess of Balanchefort.
Anyway, I found myself face to face with the ruler of this place.
The process wasn’t difficult.
There weren’t any soldiers guarding the fortress, nor were there any guards at the gates.
I simply walked here on my own.
Even within the count’s estate, there were no visible servants working.
It didn’t take long for me to spot Scarlett Balanchefort either; she was walking alone in the garden, wearing an irritated expression.
However, when our eyes met, she changed her demeanor, and with a stern expression, she said, “Follow me,” before leading me inside.
Then, in a very arrogant manner, she sat down in a chair and looked down at me.
“So, who are you?”
A voice filled with undeniable charm. Red hair. Cold eyes.
An air of arrogance as if surrounded by the pride of nobility.
Could this be the infamous villain, Scarlett Balanchefort?
She definitely had the aura of someone not to be trifled with.
“I… I’m Victor. Victor Evan…”
No.
Using my full name might be dangerous.
It’s best not to reveal that I’m a hero.
“Just call me Victor. I came here hoping to find work. But it looks like there’s no one working at this estate?”
“None. They’ve all either left or been kicked out.”
“Kicked out?”
“Yeah. There were a lot of crazy people trying to steal my position, so I had to get rid of them. If you’re here on Kyle’s orders to kill me, you should turn back. I’m a formally trained wizard from the academy. I’m not weak enough to be taken down by someone like you.”
I wasn’t planning to do that at all.
But, then again, could it just be my imagination?
It seemed like the countess was trembling slightly.
Her gaze, upon closer inspection, looked less arrogant and more fearful.
“Um… Countess? I’ve met Village Chief Kyle a few times, but our interactions weren’t anything suspicious. I’m just looking for a job.”
“What can you do?”
“Well…”
What can I do?
Since being summoned to this world, I’ve lived as a hero, but even that hasn’t been done properly.
I have no special knowledge or skills.
“Well… I can do any odd jobs, really.”
“What kind of work have you done up until now?”
“Why aren’t you answering? Were you unemployed?”
“Well… I suppose you could say that. I’ve mostly just been a burden to those around me.”
“And now you want to work for the glorious Balanchefort family? You’re out of your mind. Get lost.”
“Well… but, Countess? It doesn’t seem like anyone else works here. Who does the housework, like cooking?”
“I do it. Why?”
“Wouldn’t it help if I did that instead?”
“…Why do you want to work under me so badly?”
“Well… I need food.”
“Hahaha!!!”
What was that sudden laughter?
It was crazy, like a maniacal laugh.
“In that case, you should leave right now and go to another country. This is a dying village.”
Scarlett Balanchefort said ominously.
“A poor, miserable village ruled by the evil Countess Balanchefort. It’s a place where it wouldn’t be surprising if someone starved to death. Trying to find a job here is insane. You should wake up and leave for somewhere else.”
“Well. I don’t want to.”
“What?”
Scarlett Balanchefort widened her eyes and stared at me.
“Did you not hear me? There’s nothing good waiting for you here. And I’m the worst villain of all.”
“No… I don’t quite understand that. You don’t seem like such a bad person to me.”
“What… What kind of joke is this?”
It wasn’t a joke.
As a hero, I’ve met plenty of bad people.
I’m not just talking about demons.
There were plenty of villains trying to use the hero’s prestige for their own gain.
The atmosphere they gave off was completely different from the one I felt from Scarlett.
Scarlett seemed like someone trying too hard to appear evil.
“Countess Scarlett, as long as you allow it, I’d like to work here. If there’s anything troubling you, could you let me know? I’d like to help you.”
“What… How arrogant! Don’t talk such nonsense! Who needs help from someone like you?”
“Is that so? Then I’ll take my leave.”
“What…? Wait…”
As soon as I heard her response, I turned my back and began walking briskly, without hesitation, forward.
“Wait a minute…”
A faint voice came from behind me.
“Wait! We’re still talking! I command you! Wait!”
“I’m not anyone’s subordinate.”
“Alright! Fine, fine!”
Thud!
I only turned around when I heard the sound of her chair falling.
Scarlett Balanchefort was reaching out to me with a desperate expression.
“Please… help me. I don’t know what to do by myself.”
“First… let’s hear what you have to say.”
And so, I became the vassal of Count Balanchefort.
Scarlett Balanchefort was born as the third daughter of the Count’s family.
Her older sisters were all excellent magicians, but Scarlett had no such talent.
Unfortunately, magic was not something she could excel at.
Even at the Academy, she never stood out in magic, always coming last in exams.
That wasn’t all.
There were even rumors that “if she can’t use magic, then maybe she’s the child of commoners,” which led to the scandal of her being an illegitimate child, further corrupting her personality.
To avoid being looked down on by others, she deliberately adopted an overbearing attitude and used an arrogant tone.
As a result, she was labeled as the “villainess.”
There was some injustice in that nickname, however.
One day, Scarlett was called to the professor’s office.
She had been reprimanded for her low magical scores.
While being scolded, Scarlett, frustrated, tried to demonstrate her abilities with magic, but it ended up causing an explosion.
People whispered that Scarlett had intentionally used an explosive spell to kill the professor who was scolding her, and she was eventually expelled in disgrace.
The legend of the villainess Scarlett continued after she took on the estate.
Count Serge was ill and unable to manage affairs, so the responsibilities that her father used to handle passed to her sisters, while the petty task of managing the rural region was handed to Scarlett.
Her oldest sister had said, “Even you should be able to handle something like this. If you fail, you’re really not part of our family.”
Scarlett gritted her teeth.
She had only one goal: to manage the village of Rudin successfully and gain her family’s recognition.
So, upon arriving at the village, she invited Village Chief Kyle to the castle and gave him a grand reception.
“Chief Kyle, I am still a lacking young girl, so I ask for your guidance.”
“Heh heh… Don’t worry. If you follow my advice, there won’t be any problems.”
She planned to manage the village well, learning from the experienced chief.
Scarlett proudly presented the crops her family had provided in large quantities.
It was the same crops her older sister had referred to when she said,
“If you can’t properly distribute crops like this, you’re an idiot.”
However, Scarlett wasn’t planning to act foolishly.
She believed she could handle distributing the crops herself.
“Hooh… What is this?”
“These are crops I brought from home. I heard that Rudin village has been suffering from long-term poverty.”
“Do you know what these crops are called?”
“Uh? I don’t know, but… please distribute them to the people.”
“Heh, I see. You don’t know, huh? Well, I’ll distribute the crops the lord gave me to the people.”
“Yes! Please do!”
With an innocent order, Scarlett caused a disastrous failure.
“Ugh!”
“Ahhh!”
“We’re… we’re dying…”
Everyone who ate the crops started complaining of severe stomach pains.
Some even fell ill and had to lie down.
Eventually, rumors spread that the villainess Scarlett had deliberately distributed poison to mock the people.
What happened here?
Had her family sent her poison to make a fool of her?
“Perhaps they really do think I’m an illegitimate child. Maybe they’re trying to exclude me from the family…”
Strangely, after that day, she lost contact with Kyle, and Scarlett’s infamous reputation only became more cemented.
With nothing else left to do, she gave up on everything, embraced her villainess title, and began to act like a true bad person.
“…And that’s my story. Pathetic, right? If you think there’s no hope, feel free to leave. There are plenty of other places I can work.”
“Hmmm… well. First, can I take a look at the crops that caused the stomach pains?”
“What’s the point of looking at them?”
“You said those crops were food sent by your older sister, right?”
“So?”
“Then, they can’t possibly be poisonous. I want to check them out first. I have a feeling about something.”
“…Follow me.”
With the remark that no one had eaten them, Scarlett led me to the food storage.
There, as I had suspected, the crops were piled up high.
“Hahaha.”
“Why are you laughing?”
“These aren’t poisonous, my lady. These are…”
I’ve studied history in my past life, so I recognized this situation. It’s a case I’d read about.
“These are potatoes.”