I Fell into a Romance Fantasy, and I Need to Wake Up

I transmigrated into a novel.

Specifically, a romance fantasy novel I was reading.

I Will Become a Villainess in This Life.

Like any typical romance fantasy cliché, this story was about a female lead who died unjustly, regressed, and used her knowledge of the future to dominate everyone around her.

Plus, it was a reverse harem.

All sorts of talented men fell for her one after another, clinging to her as if they'd gladly hand over their own hearts and souls.

The second male lead I transmigrated into, Edwin Faldemont, was one of those guys who wanted to give her everything.

What? Why was I reading a book like that in the first place, you ask?

Obviously, I'm not some simp who reads this stuff for fun.

I only opened it to pretend I knew what my girlfriend was talking about.

...Though the writing was good enough that I ended up reading it to the end.

Anyway, I'm someone who has read my fair share of transmigration stories and web novels.

I had more than enough knowledge on what to do in a situation like this.

Monopolizing the original story's hidden opportunities and items. That's the golden rule of transmigration. Next, using the original plot to seduce the female lead and build a harem?

The only problem was that the character I transmigrated into, Edwin, was a tragic second male lead destined to die protecting the female lead.

Still, I wasn't too worried.

I can make it work with overpowered gear. If I can just hoard the divine relics that only appear in the late stages of the novel, I can turn this into a power fantasy right from the start...

A perfect plan.

It certainly was.

Or rather, it should have been.

"My lord, please wake up."

My eyes slowly fluttered open.

What greeted my vision wasn't my bedroom ceiling, but a luxurious single room in the academy dorms.

I let out a sigh.

So it's not a dream.

It was far too vivid to be a dream.

I had truly transmigrated into a romance fantasy novel.

As Edwin Faldemont, the second male lead of I Will Become a Villainess in This Life.

"My lord, are you awake?"

"Yeah. Thalia."

And the person shaking me awake was Thalia, my retainer.

"Now that you are awake, please change your clothes. Being late on the second day of admission would make you a laughingstock."

She was attending to me.

Royals like Edwin—well, me—were allowed to bring their retainers to the academy to serve them.

Even though it clearly established a hierarchy among the students, the academy turned a blind eye to it.

Well, even in modern democratic societies, there are invisible classes. Expecting true equality in a literal class-based society would be ridiculous.

Thalia approached me, holding out clothes to help me dress.

"Oh, come on, Thalia. I can dress myself."

"You said the same thing yesterday. Why the sudden change?"

Thalia tilted her head, looking genuinely puzzled.

Well, because I'm a modern guy.

Having someone dress me was just plain uncomfortable.

But she was stubborn.

Thalia resolutely brought over the uniform, slipped the shirt onto me, and began buttoning it up from the bottom.

To break the awkwardness, I cracked a joke.

"Thalia, you're kind of groping me. You know this is sexual harassment, right?"

"Do you want to get hit?"

"Then you'll be adding lèse-majesté on top of sexual harassment."

Thalia sighed and tied the velvet cloak over my academy uniform.

I shrugged.

"Alright, let's go. We ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠didn't forget anything, did we? Let's see, where is my sword? My mana quill and rune notebook? And where is my pretty Thalia?"

"Your sword is right at your hip, my lord. I have already packed your notebook and other supplies."

"And my pretty Thalia?"

"...Let us depart, my lord."

I chuckled.

She really has no sense of humor.

As we stepped out of the student dormitory, the surrounding students' gazes gathered on us.

"Look over there. Isn't that girl pretty?"

"Eyes front, idiot. That's Edwin Faldemont next to her. She's his retainer."

"That guy is the prince of Lamedia?"

"I heard he drags his retainer around like a lover, and it's true. Has he no shame inside the academy?"

"Quiet, he's looking this way."

Their gazes were generally cautious.

Even though Edwin's homeland, Lamedia, was a small kingdom, he was still royalty.

To nobles of count rank or lower, he was someone difficult to approach.

Well, at least until my country goes under.

In the original story, Lamedia eventually falls.

And Edwin, the last descendant of the royal family, becomes a Sword Master and vows revenge.

That was the plot, but...

I couldn't care less.

It was going to happen years later anyway.

And even if the country fell, so what?

It wasn't actually my country.

"Huh?"

Just then, I spotted a familiar face.

Or is it weird to call it familiar? Yesterday was the first time I'd ever seen her in person.

But I knew her.

After all, I'd seen her in the novel's illustrations countless times.

"Lady Rianette, good morning."

Hair as black as ebony.

Emerald eyes shining through the dark locks.

The female lead of I Will Become a Villainess in This Life.

Rianette Bellone, daughter of Duke Bellone.

"……."

But she coldly ignored my greeting.

As if she hadn't even seen me.

She just kept walking toward the academy's main building.

"You were rejected."

"Looks like it. Comfort me, Thalia."

"...My lord, please maintain your dignity as royalty."

I watched Rianette's retreating figure while trading banter with Thalia.

She really was the female lead.

It felt like she had a literal halo glowing around her.

Thalia muttered in confusion.

"Hmm. I heard the lady of House Bellone was a modest and well-mannered lady. She seems ruder than the rumors suggest."

I nodded.

No matter if she was the daughter of an empire's duke, ignoring a royal's greeting was blatantly rude.

But I could understand.

Because she...

"...just regressed yesterday."

"Pardon?"

"Nothing."

The moment I transmigrated was the start of the original novel.

Specifically, right after the female lead, Rianette, died in a conspiracy and regressed back in time.

The very day of the academy's entrance ceremony.

It'd be weirder if someone who literally died a few days ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ago wasn't on edge.

I smirked, feeling good about the exclusive information I possessed.

"Why are you smirking like a creep again?"

"Thalia, watch your mouth. ...Whatever, let's go. Is it swordsmanship class next?"

"Yes. It will take place after the aptitude test."

I gave a half-hearted nod.

The academy's swordsmanship aptitude test was conducted by channeling aura into a sword, while the magic aptitude test involved placing one's hand on a crystal ball.

I shrugged.

Effort, my ass.

Why bother learning magic when I have the talent of a Sword Master?

Besides, I had no intention of learning swordsmanship the slow, conventional way either.

In the original story, Edwin became a Sword Master through blood, sweat, tears, and a burning obsession to reclaim his fallen kingdom.

But I didn't have that kind of obsession.

So, reaching the level of a Sword Master through standard training was a pipe dream.

"Thalia, what's the fastest way to get strong?"

"Pardon?"

The moment class ended, I headed straight back to the dorms.

Thalia suggested it would be better to socialize and build connections with the other students, but I had much more important things to do.

"Do you wish to become stronger, my lord? Then you must hone your swordsmanship. Didn't they say you have talent?"

"Well, obviously. What I mean is, I want to put in the least amount of effort for the maximum amount of power."

Thalia frowned.

"In other words, you want to steal your way to the top."

I shrugged.

Maybe. Just maybe.

I made my way to the dormitory.

Now, since I've transmigrated, there are things to do.

Let's see. Promising to be careful not to change the future, only to immediately derail the plot.

Seducing the female lead along the way.

Stealing the opportunities meant for the protagonist, and so on...

Setting the first one aside,

the second was impossible.

Trying to get close to a female lead who was currently burning with a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠desire for vengeance and plotting her revenge would only end badly for me.

Then the answer was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠simple.

Steal the opportunities.

Opportunities.

Specifically, farming cheat items to boost my growth.

In I Will Become a Villainess in This Life, there was a concept called "divine relics."

Divine relics were physical manifestations of the great forces governing the world's order.

And I know exactly where they are.

"...Why did you ask to come to the back of the dormitory?"

Thalia asked, looking bewildered.

Well, of course she was.

Ignoring all the noble children of the academy just to visit the backyard of the dorms.

But I merely offered a sly smile.

"To do some stealing."

Before Thalia could ask for clarification,

I pointed to a large lamp decorating the back of the dormitory.

It was a mana-powered lamp, the kind installed all over the academy.

"My smart and pretty Thalia, doesn't this mana lamp look a bit odd to you? Why would they need such a huge lamp at the back of the dorms?"

"I do not know. A design flaw, perhaps?"

"Or maybe there was another intention behind it."

I drew the sword from my waist and handed it to Thalia.

She stared at me.

"...What is the meaning of this?"

"Cut it."

Thalia looked dumbfounded.

I shrugged and repeated myself.

"An Upper-class Swordsman can cut through metal using aura. You can do it, right?"

"I can, but that would be property damage."

"Then we'll just pay for it."

"My lord, I do not understand what you are trying to achieve."

Thalia hesitated.

Naturally.

She probably thought this was just another one of my eccentric whims.

Well, it technically was.

What transmigrators did always looked like madness to the locals.

"Just do it. It's an order, Thalia."

When I said that,

she hesitated for a moment before taking the sword.

"...If it is an order, I shall obey."

She took a deep breath,

and summoned her aura onto the blade.

A blue, shimmering energy flickered around the sword.

It was clear enough to be visible to the naked eye.

And then—

Slice.

With a swing of her hand, the mana lamp was sliced clean through.

I rushed forward and caught the lamp before it could hit the ground.

Thalia let out a sigh.

"Are you satisfied now?"

"Good job."

"Good job...?"

Peering inside, I saw a complex mana circuit, and even deeper within, something resembling a small box.

Just as I thought.

Grinning, I opened the box and found what I was looking for.

"...Yes!"

Thalia looked at me in surprise.

The accessory hidden inside the lamp was clearly unrelated to its function.

I picked it up and hung it around my neck.

Instantly, a mysterious energy began to ripple from the accessory.

A pendant embossed with overlapping faces.

One of the divine relics of this world.

The Pale Cameo.

The ability this relic granted its wearer was none other than creating clones of oneself.

The power of duplication.

One might think it was nothing special,

and indeed, compared to the many other cheat-like divine relics, its power seemed relatively modest.

But I knew the true value of this relic.

"My lord... what is that?"

Thalia approached me, looking utterly dazed.

I smiled and replied.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu."

This was,

without a doubt, the cheat item that would multiply my training speed to ridiculous heights.