My Niece Is Not A Villainess

 

 

 

 

 

 

“…It doesn’t work.”

 

“Yes, once the numbers are inscribed, no matter what methods are used, they cannot be altered.”

 

“Is it magic?”

 

Ian nodded.

 

The reason he brought the mage instead of simply obtaining the seeds was to create this check.

 

“Hmm.”

 

Edelmar let out a gasp.

 

He thought Ian brought the mage, Lachik, to conceal the fact that he could use magic himself.

 

Generally, if someone in the family could use magic, there would be no need to hire a mage.

 

Although Edelmar wasn’t completely wrong, he was only partially correct.

 

Ian had both concealed himself behind Lachik and severed the ties between the Loenbaum family and the bank.

 

People would think that a mage as ordinary as Lachik couldn’t possibly create such a high-level artifact.

 

“You’re quite clever.”

 

“Thank you for the compliment.”

 

“So why did you come here today?”

 

“I came here to work.”

 

“Work?”

 

Edelmar tilted his head in confusion.

 

“Yes, I need to engrave one more spell onto the prepared check.”

 

“Oh?”

 

Edelmar looked intrigued.

 

“You said you wanted to see me use magic.”

 

When Ian used offensive magic during their duel, there was no time to observe it properly.

 

Watching magic during a battle could be fatal.

 

So, a few days ago, after the duel ended, Ian had mentioned in passing that he wanted to see the magic in action.

 

“Are you really going to show me? You seemed reluctant at that time.”

 

Ian frowned.

 

“You said it in a strange way.”

 

“Is it strange to say that your eyes are captivating when you use magic?”

 

“Are you going to watch or not?”

 

Ian spoke firmly, indicating he didn’t want to continue this conversation.

 

“I’ll watch.”

 

“Then, take two steps back.”

 

As Edelmar obediently stepped back, Ian placed the drawing of a rose on top of the stack of checks.

 

“Hmm.”

 

The mana that had been floating around Ian began to move.

 

It gathered into his hand, shining with a golden light. Simultaneously, his violet eyes sparkled.

 

‘Fascinating.’

 

At first, Edelmar thought he was mistaken, but every time Ian used magic, the sparkle in his eyes was real, not an illusion.

 

‘Interesting.’

 

Edelmar had met many people who piqued his interest or entertained him, but none had sustained his curiosity enough to fill the void.

 

His interest would quickly fade, and he would get bored.

 

One of Edelmar’s nicknames, ‘The Night Butterfly,’ came from this behavior.

 

Like a butterfly, he would flit from flower to flower, never staying long.

 

But Ian was different.

 

He wielded an unfamiliar sword technique, not the empire’s standard style, and used chantless magic that even royal mages couldn’t perform, coming up with ingenious ideas that no one else had thought of.

 

He was truly like an onion, with more layers to peel back.

 

“I’m looking forward to seeing how much more you’ll entertain me.”

 

Unaware of Edelmar’s murmurs, Ian brought the gathered mana close to the drawing of the rose.

 

“Copy.”

 

The crude rose drawing lifted off the paper, floated in the air, and then scattered into particles of light.

 

“Phew.”

 

When the mana that had stirred the wind disappeared, Ian let out a deep breath.

 

“Is it done?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Edelmar, who had quickly approached, inspected the check imbued with mana. But it looked no different than before.

 

“What did you do?”

 

“It’s a secret.”

 

Ian smiled contentedly.

 

***

 

A faint knocking sound could be heard.

 

Lachik, who was reading a spellbook, looked up.

 

“Come in.”

 

The door opened silently.

 

A girl with light-colored hair tied in two pigtails bounced into the room.

 

Following behind her was a wolf, its tail raised as if ready to express some displeasure.

 

“Lady Rose.”

 

“Hello, Lachik!”

 

Rose waved her hand at Lachik.

 

“How are you feeling today?”

 

Lachik smiled at the girl, who was checking on her in a manner beyond her five years.

 

“I’m doing fine today as well.”

 

Rose placed her hand on her chest and let out a big sigh of relief.

 

“That’s good to hear.”

 

“And how are you feeling today, my lady?”

 

“I’m happy.”

 

There was no trace of any shadow on her smiling face.

 

“What were you doing?”

 

“I was reading a spellbook.”

 

“Ohhh.”

 

Rose stood on her tiptoes and looked down at the spellbook.

 

“I don’t understand a word of it.”

 

“That’s because it’s a spellbook.”

 

Spellbooks were written in mana-infused runes, not in the common imperial language, so only mages could read them.

 

“I want to learn magic too.”

 

“Do you want to become a mage?”

 

Rose tilted her head, pondering the question, looking adorable in her contemplation.

 

“No. I’m going to become a Magic Swordsman!”

 

She clenched her fists and declared proudly, and a voice suddenly shouted, ‘Eerrr!’ from somewhere.

 

“Huh? Er?”

 

Rose quickly ran to the door and opened it, revealing an animal that was too big to be a cat but too small to be a leopard, its tail raised high as it dashed towards Rose.

 

– Errrr!

 

“No, I want to be a Magic Swordsman like my uncle.”

 

– Eerrr!

 

“But I want to be like my uncle.”

 

As Rose hugged the animal and talked to it, Fenrex barked fiercely.

 

“Woof woof!”

 

Not wanting to be outdone, the animal also bared its teeth.

 

– Hiss!

 

“No, Fenrex!”

 

Rose scolded Fenrex firmly, placing her hands on her hips.

 

“I told you both not to fight! Especially you, Fenrex!”

 

“Grrr.”

 

“You know Er is mine! If you keep fighting like this, I won’t play with you anymore!”

 

The wolf, which had been growling, backed down.

 

While Lachik watched in surprise, Fenrex’s muscles bulged and, in an instant, transformed into a young boy.

 

“Fenrex!”

 

“I don’t like that thing!”

 

Fenrex pointed at Ermenia, who snorted dismissively.

 

“That creature isn’t even a real cat!”

 

Seeing the situation about to escalate again, Rose quickly grabbed Fenrex’s hand.

 

“Don’t fight with Er. We should all get along.”

 

Fenrex’s face turned bright red in an instant. The tension Lachik felt seeing the boy’s transformed appearance made her chuckle softly.

 

All three of them turned to look at Lachik.

 

“They’re just too cute.”

 

This time, all three of them tilted their heads in unison.

 

Lachik waved her hand as if to dismiss the thought and asked,

 

“Would you like a snack?”

 

This time, all three nodded their heads in agreement.

 

Lachik opened a subspace and took out some snacks.

 

The sweets, shaped like cherry blossoms and made from melted sugar, were a specialty from the southern region and were Lachik’s favorite treats.

 

She offered them as a reward for the cute behavior the three had just displayed.

 

“Here, try some. These are my favorite snacks.”

 

Rose’s eyes sparkled as she tasted the pink, sweet treat.

 

“It’s delicious, right?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

However, Fenrex’s face was slightly scrunched up as he answered.

 

‘It seems he doesn’t like sweet things,’

 

Lachik thought, noticing Fenrex’s subtle disappointment at not being able to enjoy the same thing as the girl he liked.

 

Lachik then pulled out some savory jerky from the subspace.

 

“Try this too.”

 

“Mmm.”

 

This time, Fenrex smiled, enjoying the jerky.

 

– Eerrr!

 

When the creature that looked like a cat but wasn’t exactly one made a sound, Lachik offered it a sugar cookie.

 

“Here.”

 

The rough tongue licked the sugar cookie, but it didn’t seem to like it.

 

The creature hissed and then jumped onto Rose’s lap, curling up like a loaf of bread.

 

“Seems like the cat doesn’t like sugar cookies,” said Rose, happily eating her sweet treat.

 

“Er is a spirit, so it doesn’t really enjoy food,”

 

Lachik explained.

 

“…A spirit?”

 

Lachik asked in surprise.

 

“Yes, Ermenia is a spirit! Umm, what was it again?”

 

While Rose was trying to recall, Fenrex spoke up.

 

“A Spirit of Illusion.”

 

“That’s right! A Spirit of Illusion! That’s what it is!”

 

Unlike Rose, who was smiling brightly, Lachik was left with her mouth wide open in astonishment.

 

***

 

In front of the Duke’s mansion.

 

The usual tranquility was replaced with a bustling crowd.

 

“Are we really gathering here today?”

 

“Yes, but what work will we be asked to do?”

 

“I don’t know, but I hope they pay us well.”

 

As the large doors of the mansion creaked open, the chatter among the people immediately ceased.

 

The knights were the first to step out.

 

As they lined up with a strong sense of discipline, a man hurriedly walked out and shouted,

 

“Thank you all for coming! There will be a simple test shortly. Only those who pass the test will be able to proceed to the interview and potentially receive work.”

 

As the man finished speaking, the crowd began murmuring again.

 

“What? There’s a test?”

 

“There was no mention of that on the notice board.”

 

“Are they trying to trick us?”

 

“Why would someone as high-ranking as the Duke deceive us?”

 

The murmurs grew louder until one of the knights in the lineup shouted,

 

“Women who wish to take the test, please line up here. Men, please line up over there.”

 

At the knight’s command, the murmuring stopped, and people began to form lines as instructed.

 

However, some quietly slipped away in the confusion.

 

“Good thing we prepared the test,”

 

Edelmar remarked as he looked outside through a window.

 

“We needed to filter out the people who came on a whim,”

 

Ian replied while signing some documents.

 

“There are more people than I expected.”

 

“About half of them will likely fail. Some may only be proficient in either letters or numbers.”

 

“Hm.”

 

After signing the last document, Ian put down his pen.

 

“Is that all?”

 

“Yes.”

 

As the construction of the bank building neared completion, Ian’s workload seemed endless.

 

Although Fred had taken care of the first round of tasks, most matters could not proceed without Ian’s approval, requiring him to double-check everything.

 

Pressing his fingers against his temples, Ian stood up. Seeing the exhaustion on Ian’s face, Edelmar asked,

 

“Can’t you use magic to get rid of your fatigue?”

 

“If that were possible, I would’ve done it by now.”

 

Magic could heal illnesses and injuries, but it couldn’t alleviate accumulated fatigue.

 

“How about receiving divine power?”

 

“No, thank you.”

 

The divine power bestowed by a priest could indeed relieve fatigue, but the nearest temple was too far away.

 

As Ian began walking, Edelmar followed.

 

“By the way, how is the knight order doing these days?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

🍓. Just a little info, in case anyone misunderstands or feels uncomfortable with Rose’s behavior. She is still a 5-year-old child, and before coming to the Duke Loenbaum residence she was not in a good environment to be able to know everything, yes her soul is indeed the reincarnation of Yoori (Sijun’s niece in his past live) but she has no memories of past lives. So she is just an ordinary little girl in this life.