Chapter 21: I Want to Be a Hero

As Alicia began to calm down, a scene suddenly flashed in her mind.

The most iconic moment in the novel The Reincarnated Villainess Wanted Friends was undoubtedly the one where Elidranthia slaughtered a gang of bandits in the middle of the street.

Alicia had forgotten exactly why the bandits were there at the time. She’d assumed they were trying to kidnap Alicia—that was her vague recollection, anyway.

But then, a realization struck her.

This time, her two brain cells were in perfect sync. A rare, miraculous moment of harmony.

Why was Alicia's father dead again? What if the bandits weren’t just after her? What if their whole operation went deeper than she thought?

John—her father—was found dead after the attack.

Why? Why target him?

The novel never went into deep detail, but now Alicia’s mind raced with new possibilities. She couldn’t remember all the specifics—the book was something she read over two years ago, and her brain had more or less treated those details like expired milk. Technically still in the fridge, but not to be trusted.

In fact, the book had mentioned why her father died. It even switched to his POV briefly to emphasize it. But that was way beyond the current capacity of Alicia’s overtaxed memory.

Still—intuition screamed at her. Something was going to happen. Something bad.

“Eli!” she gasped, eyes wide with alarm. “This is dangerous! My father is going to die at this rate!”

The relief from earlier—the realization that her father hadn’t betrayed her—gave way to a wave of guilt and panic. That look in his eyes… the tears… the hug—it hadn’t been a lie.

Her heart swelled with something warm and painful. She did have a loving parent.

And now she was about to lose him.

Again.

She had to do something. She had to stop it.

Otherwise, she’d be an orphan in this world too.

“Huh? What do you mean?” Eli asked, clearly confused.

“The book!” Alicia cried. “I just remembered—Alicia’s father—I mean my father—John! He’s going to be killed by some bandits on the way to the capital! He’s in danger!”

She was wrong, of course. The book actually stated he was killed by unknown assassins when the plan to blackmail Alicia failed and their hideout was raided, not bandits.

But even a broken clock is right twice a day. At least, roughly.

Elidranthia quickly connected the dots. Unlike Alicia, Eli had more brain cells—and a much clearer understanding of the darkness lurking within humanity. There was no way ordinary bandits would deliberately target a knight.

Killing or harming a knight would guarantee capital punishment. A punitive force would hunt them down. No sane group of bandits would invite that upon themselves unless they were more than just common criminals.

She didn’t fully trust Alicia’s memory—it had proven… questionable at best. But this was still worth investigating. If John were to meet with an “accident” during his travels, then everything he had tried to achieve would collapse. That couldn’t be allowed.

Their goal was Alicia, after all. The 150 gold was a pittance—barely even a bribe to a dukedom. But a level 7 mage? That was something that could make even dukes move.

“Let’s talk to my father again in the morning,” Elidranthia suggested.

“Um…” Alicia glanced to the side, suddenly sheepish. The thought of facing Count Shadowstep after everything that had happened today made her stomach twist.

(Not that she actually did anything—but her delusions had been loud and public.)

“I’ll go with you,” Eli said gently, and pulled her into a hug.

Even though they were both ten years old, the difference in their height was becoming obvious. Alicia had already grown almost half a head taller than Elidranthia.

“Thank you, Eli. You’re really kind,” Alicia whispered.

In her previous life, Alicia had always been the invisible boy. Her parents ignored her. Her friendships were superficial at best—people like Anne had never even bothered to help her with homework, let alone real problems.

But Elidranthia went above and beyond. Alicia hadn’t even asked for help. Yet Eli spoke to her father, arranged everything, and now promised to stand by her side again.

Alicia briefly wondered if Eli could really turn into the villainess Sistielle warned about. She was practically an angel.

…An angel with soul-piercing eyes that looked like they could strip a man bare with one glance, but still—an angel.

“I’m not kind…” Eli murmured.

She had to remind herself of that. She wasn’t doing this out of the goodness of her heart.

She was doing it for her future.

To become a benevolent lord.

To be loved by the people.

Repeara had given her a chance—and she would not squander it.

She thought she was simply repenting for all the evil deeds she’d done before.

Alas, when they approached Count Shadowstep the very next day, they were rejected on the spot. The Count didn’t even consider it.

“Hm? You want to escort John to the capital? Do you think we care about the life of one puny knight? He’s a knight, not a baby! If you have nothing better to do, go sweep the floor or tend the garden or something. Stop causing trouble for us adults,” the Count said, waving them off like flies.

“But Father…” Eli pleaded, her voice strained.

But he wasn’t having it today.

“Not you too, Elidranthia. If you don’t start behaving, I’ll have to separate you from this insolent peasant. This barbaric maid has clearly been a bad influence on you. Get back to your study room,” Count Shadowstep scoffed, not even hiding his disdain.

“Ugh… That cunt clearly belittled us. Just because we’re kids, he didn’t even consider that my father might be in danger,” Alicia muttered, tapping her foot furiously against the marble floor. “I’m going back to my room. I will find a way to save my father!”

"Alicia... language," Eli frowned deeply.

Despite all his arrogance, Count Shadowstep wasn’t an idiot. He must have known about the possibility of assassination. That made it worse. He knew, and yet he did nothing.

Because he didn’t care.

If John died, Alicia would be an orphan. That would nullify the debt. John had cosigned the loan with his wife. Once both were dead, the debt would evaporate, since Alicia had been a minor at the time. The Count wouldn’t have to spend time in trials as he got a level 7 mage without strings attached. Legally clean and convenient.

“But what if John was captured…” Eli muttered to herself, standing outside her father’s office.

That possibility was worse.

If Duke Luca had taken John alive, then Alicia’s emotional vulnerability would become a weapon. Her love for her father would be used against her. Blackmail. Manipulation. And she would give in.

If that happened, Alicia would join Luca’s side without hesitation.

And they would lose her.

“Even if John is captured, it would be hard to blackmail us. We assumed they wouldn’t go further than sending threatening letters. Kidnapping a knight is a major offense. Even a duke wouldn’t get off easily if he were caught harming a knight from another dukedom,” Rodrique said as he sneaked out of the office. He knelt down and whispered, “Lady Elidranthia.”

“Rodrique!” Eli exclaimed, surprised. “Are you—”

“I’m here to assure you that no harm will befall John. Moreover, he has two other knights with him. It’s not like he’s traveling alone,” Rodrique said with a reassuring smile. “You do not need to personally guard him, Lady Elidranthia.”

Eli let out a breath. At the very least, John wasn’t being sent to certain doom.

“Ugh… if I said Alicia could see the future, nobody would believe me,” Eli muttered to herself. Still, knowing that John wasn’t alone on the road gave her a sense of relief. But Alicia didn't feel as relieved as Eli. She knew what was going to happen.

Thanks to her lessons with Laura and Mr. Brexford, she knew where the capital was. But that didn’t help her now. She had no money. The goddess hadn’t granted her any swordsmanship cheat skills. There was nothing she could do. Even if she were magically teleported to John’s location and faced the attackers, she would lose. Maybe she could take down a couple of them—but not a whole group. Not when surrounded.

“Ugh… this feels just like before. I’m supposed to be different this time. I’m supposed to make a change…” That same hateful feeling of helplessness returned—the one she knew all too well from her previous life as Nathan.

She had studied for months, but her grades never improved. She had tried to find work, but part-time jobs felt like slavery. Alicia hadn’t been working for money; she’d been working for validation. She wanted to matter. But cashier jobs and flipping burgers drained her soul.

She wasn’t made for that.

And so, like many others with crushed dreams and nowhere to go, she began to rot like a NEET during her college years. Defeated. Powerless. Just another replaceable cog in the machine.

She wasn’t a hero. She was just an NPC.

In this fantasy world, it was supposed to be different. She was the chosen one. She was powerful. She was needed. She was supposed to be able to make a difference.

Yet she couldn’t even save her father from a bunch of nasty debt collectors.

“Alicia! Good news. John didn’t actually depart alone. He had two or three friends with him. Even if some bandits try to attack him, they should be able to fend them off!” Eli said as she entered Alicia’s room. Her words, however, brought Alicia no comfort.

“Can two or three knights fight off ten bandits and two mages?” Alicia asked, her voice quiet but sharp.

“Huh? There’s no way a mage would ever join a group of bandits,” Eli replied, frowning.

“The bandit group that tried to kidnap the original Alicia was about that size,” Alicia said flatly.

“Original Alicia? Ah, the Alicia in the book?” Eli asked.

“Yes. And her father died soon after. In a few days or months… by the time we finish our magical lessons in two or three days, it’ll already be too late,” Alicia muttered, feeling hopeless.

“I see.” Eli narrowed her eyes slightly. She was a bit peeved. She didn’t fully believe Alicia. Even if Alicia wasn’t lying, the contents of the book had already changed. For example, the number of siblings Elidranthia had was different now. There was no guarantee that what Alicia said would come true.

“…Let’s go to the lessons,” Alicia said at last and Alicia followed.

“Who’s a good girl today?” Laura beamed to Alicia as she continued the lesson. This time Alicia was meek.

“Oh, you’re sweeping? Nice! I’ll take care of the other one, then,” Elena said, surprised to see Alicia actually working. She’d brought both a broom and a mop with her.

Alicia nodded silently. Elena glanced at her for a moment before moving on with her duties.

As Alicia worked, she sometimes gazed out the window, wondering if her father was safe. The harsh reality had already hit her. Even as a mage, it didn’t matter.

She was just a kid.

The real Nathan—the part of her that remembered everything—began to surface again. That deep, hollow feeling of helplessness wrapped itself around her like a familiar shroud.

Just follow the rules. Be invisible. Don’t cause trouble. Don’t stand out.

It’s easier that way… not to be acknowledged by anyone.

The day quickly passed, and as the sun began to set, Eli—thinking everything would be okay—didn’t try to visit her again. Left alone in her room, Alicia picked up a piece of paper and began to write a letter.

“I’m sorry, Goddess Sistielle. I think I might have failed you,” Alicia whispered as she set the letter down on the table.

As the moon rose high and bathed the world in silver light, Alicia quietly slipped out of her bedroom and made her way to the stables. It was a full moon tonight—the road was clear and bright and guards lazily slept on their night watch.

“I didn’t want to feel useless. I… I… I wanted to prove myself. Be loved. I want to matter…” Alicia murmured to herself. “If I let this go, I won’t matter anymore. I will be just a side character, never mentioned. I’m sorry for being selfish. But in this new world, I’ve decided. I’ve decided to follow my heart. I choose to follow my heart.”

“In the previous world, I always played it safe. Always followed the rules. Always stayed hidden—no one even looked at me. In the end, I was safe… but my heart was empty.”

Under the cover of night, Alicia carefully strapped on a rein and saddle to one of the horses. With quiet determination, she mounted and rode away from the manor.

Far above, the goddess Sistielle watched from the heavens and sighed.