The Villain Wants to Change Genres

Chapter 81

I haven’t wandered around this city much, but just recalling the atmosphere I’ve observed while coming and going, most people were dressed casually. Indeed, my current attire might seem out of place.

“Should I change clothes?”

“Pardon? No, it suits you well.”

“Is it really okay? Doesn’t it stand out too much?”

Hm? What’s this? Luwen is giving me that look of pity again. Those eyes full of implied meaning. He shows it to me every now and then when I least expect it.

“If you have something to say, why don’t you just say it? Don’t curse me with your eyes.”

“Curse? No, not at all. How could I dare?”

“Dare? You’re the only one who can say such things to me.”

He’s never openly insulted me, but there are times when he looks at me with those strangely irritating eyes. I usually let it slide, but today I need to ask. It’s an important crossroads of whether to change clothes or not.

“So why don’t you tell me exactly what you just thought?”

“…I thought it suits you well.”

After pondering, he just repeats what he said before? Our Luwen is really bad at lying.

“Come on, don’t be like that. I’m really serious. I’m debating whether to change or not.”

“If your reason is that you think it will stand out, you can go out as you are.”

“But why?”

Tell me the reason. If it’s convincing, I’ll just go out, if not, I’ll change.

“To be honest…”

Why is he hesitating like that? I nodded to indicate that it was okay to speak freely. Then Luwen said with a slight sigh:

“No matter what clothes you wear, young master, you stand out.”

“…”

For a moment, I was at a loss for words. Is it to the extent that it doesn’t matter what I wear? I’ve come to accept that my face is quite effective, more than I thought. But it was still hard to understand. It was only natural that my gaze turned to the mirror.

Sharp eyes that seem irritable, thin lips that look sensitive, and pale skin to boot. There’s not a single aspect I’m satisfied with. Moreover, my white hair looks just like gray hair, making me appear older than I am.

In contrast, Luwen with his ink-black hair, thick eyebrows that look dependable, firm lips that show his resolute personality, and attractively tanned skin that looks healthy, was charming.

We both look cold, but while I have an unpleasant expression that looks like I might throw a fit at any moment, Luwen has a restraint that stands out as if to uphold his beliefs, making him somewhat exciting. That must be why Luwen was so popular at the academy.

‘But my face… hmm.’

If I hadn’t heard that rumors started spreading from the first day of enrollment, I might have dismissed Luwen’s words as a joke.

‘If I’m going to stand out anyway, it’s better to just go out like this.’

There’s no need to bother changing, and if I’m going to stand out, it’s better to make a clear impression to put pressure on others. To prevent them from talking carelessly about me.

“Did you really not know?”

“Should I say I knew but pretended not to know, or that I didn’t know but pretended to know…?”

“Pardon?”

“I just thought it was empty flattery to praise me. But thinking about it now, I just realized you were being sincere. Luwen, you don’t lie to me.”

Having decided to go out as I am, there was no need to waste time. I walked towards Luwen, who was still standing by the door.

“Let’s go. We shouldn’t be late for our reservation.”

“Please be cautious. You need to be careful when you’re alone. Be wary of both men and women.”

Wow. Now he’s warning me to be careful with my conduct, saying I’m all grown up. I’ve heard this so much from Dedric that my ears have calluses… Come to think of it, that’s what all those warnings to be self-aware meant.

“Why bother when you’re going to protect me?”

“That’s a given, but…”

When I showed my trust, Luwen’s face relaxed for a moment before becoming alert again.

“But I can’t protect you while I’m at the academy, can I? So when you go out, make sure to be accompanied by a guard. It would be good to hire a free knight who specializes in security. Mercenaries are too rough, so they won’t do.”

“I won’t be going out.”

“Have you decided on an herb merchant to deal with? I know you’re particular about herbs, so you wouldn’t have decided after just looking around for a few days. Since you’re not buying for treatment purposes and only need a small amount, you prefer to see and choose in person, don’t you?”

It’s a problem that he knows me too well. He remembers and brings up even the vague excuses I’ve made.

“You’ll probably look around several times until you decide on a regular merchant, but there are many adventurers and mercenaries in this area, so you absolutely must not go alone.”

Everything he says is right. To think that I, of all people, am getting a lecture from Luwen…

“Alright. I’ll hire a free knight.”

I’ll have to change the gardener’s status to that of a free knight when he arrives.

“You’re not just going to brush this off, are you? Whenever the Master gives you advice, you say you understand, but you always let it go in one ear and out the other.”

Oh my, I wonder who’s being picky here. And he’s exactly right. If I didn’t have plans for the gardener to come, I would have just said I understood and ignored it. But now I could be confident.

“No, I’m not. I’ll really hire one and introduce you. More importantly, how long are you going to stand there? Luwen made this reservation for me, and I don’t want to be late.”

As I continued walking while urging him, Luwen followed me, acting as if he wanted to extract a promise.

“Please make sure to introduce me. I’ll examine them myself.”

“Alright. Now shall we go?”

“Of course.”

Why am I reminded of Luwen from last night, who kept insisting he was a servant while doing things unlike a servant? Because it was nagging based on affection and concern, it wasn’t unpleasant, but somehow, I had an ominous feeling that he was moving further away from the position of a reliable older brother…

When I narrowed my eyes and looked at Luwen, he returned a look of incomprehension.

“You’ll trip if you do that. You should look ahead properly.”

“Hey, Luwen. Aren’t I a reliable older brother figure?”

As I continued to walk while looking at Luwen, he seemed anxious and finally grabbed one of my arms. This is the mansion corridor with nothing to trip over. The fact that he’s doing this even though I wouldn’t fall without his help made me feel like my ominous premonition had become reality.

“…Well, I suppose.”

“No? Why are you answering like that? It sounds like you really mean no.”

Luwen burst into laughter. This time, I couldn’t laugh along, so I just closed my mouth. So I’m not reliable after all.

“You are reliable, but you also have many careless aspects. Sometimes you look unstable, and occasionally you seem to forget your no… noble status.”

Hm? Wasn’t there a wider gap between ‘no’ and ‘ble’? It seems like he hastily changed his words?

“Noble status, is that right?”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

He’s subtly avoiding my gaze.

No, that’s not it. What was he originally going to say? Among words starting with ‘no’ that could apply to me… Nosy? No, that’s not it. He follows me like this, so he wouldn’t think I’m nosy. It’s still within acceptable limits. When he becomes more of an adult, then my meddling might become annoying to him, but not now.

Other than that, there’s nothing really. Surely he wouldn’t think I’m notable…

“Ah… is that so?”

I was about to say it didn’t seem right, but I was held back by my earlier thoughts. I took a detour because I felt that if I kept pressing the issue, the time when he finds me annoying might come faster.

“It’s true. I was going to say ‘noble’ but my words got tangled up.”

Uh… was it okay to ask after all? The reason wasn’t particularly special either. Well, anyone can stumble over their words. Although his avoidance of my gaze bothered me, it seemed okay to let it slide. Even if it had a different meaning, it probably wouldn’t be a problem.

As I straightened my head, Luwen let go of the hand that was holding my arm. We continued down to the first floor.

As we exited the front door, a carriage was waiting.

“I haven’t seen this before, it’s quite flashy.”

His voice was puzzled. It’s natural since I never showed off like this while staying at the Duke’s residence. We only used such an ornate carriage with the family crest engraved on it when going to the Imperial Palace.

Moreover, that was a new one my sister had made for my safety. It was even larger than a regular carriage. It was thanks to her consideration so that I could stay comfortable during the journey.

With such a splendid carriage and knights swarming around, even the Kans groups who make a living by thieving wouldn’t think of messing with us. If there was a Kans group brave enough to attack despite this, I’d have to give them credit, but there hadn’t been any problems caused by people on the way here, just minor monsters.

“Yes. It’s a cozy time for just the two of us. I didn’t want to be disturbed unnecessarily, so I decided to reveal my status. That’s why I chose my clothes carefully too. To prevent people from addressing us carelessly.”

It was an excuse to hide my real purpose since my actions were different from usual, but it was true that I didn’t want our cozy time to be disturbed.

Mediocre people won’t even dare to approach, and if foolish ones try to approach with the intention of connecting with my sister, I can shut them down with my position. Just one displeased expression will be enough for them to back off without me having to say a word.

If I move around so conspicuously, news will surely reach my sister’s ears, but since this is an outing with Luwen as Fei Vinter, there’s no problem. She’ll probably be happy to hear that I’m doing well.

‘I should write about today’s events in the letter I send to my sister.’

The coachman opened the carriage door. I got in first, followed by Luwen who sat opposite me. Finally, it was time for our outing.