Although I Was Reincarnated As The Villainess Of The Otome Game I Was Playing, I Only Bought It For

As they say, the years went flying before I knew it.

By the time you see me, I, Lillie Rivale, have grown older and am now 12-years-old.

Now that I’ve grown up this much, I am now able to control a real Sacred Machine, but I haven’t even been able to hit my Father once in a match.

… Inevitably, my number of losses is now in the five digits rather than four, I don’t feel like I’ve grown much at all.

7 years have passed since I knocked the Golden Lord off his throne in the Sacred Machine Simulator, however:

At first, I was pampered, but in the end, it was beginner’s luck and I only did it once… and I was about to be forgotten because of a big incident.

First of all, an Academy was established to train Sacred Machine pilots. Well, it was the setting for the game’s main plot.

Or at least it probably is.

Well, I don’t know what I don’t know, so let’s set that aside for the moment and say it’s a safe bet that I’m about to enter the main plot of the game.

Second of all, Prince William’s younger brother, His Highness Alex, has returned to the country.

He was a year younger than Prince William and me, and he was training under a talented knight.

Even though he’s just in his 10’s, he’s a knight who’s just a step behind the adults, or so I’m told.

I haven’t met him in person but he was probably a Capture Target in the game.

I don’t know for sure.

Well, because of that such big news, the details of my duel have gotten hazy and lost to time.

“Lady Lillie…! I’m Karin Smalact! I began to learn how to pilot Sacred Machines to follow the same path as you, Lady Lillie!”

… Yes, there’s still someone with me.

Now then, this is a serious problem, the future I mentioned with my Ruin Flag is… well, it’s fine if I make 100 million concessions, but it’s out of the question to get others involved with me!

I’m fine if the whole world turns against me, but my friends will definitely suffer! It’s how it is.

“… All that said, I don’t want to do anything that would make you hate me,” I said.

“Lady Lillie?” Karin asked.

Oh, I’ve got a habit of mumbling soliloquies to myself when I’m deep in thought.

Hmm, if I can, I’ll manage something… if not, as far as I can see… I’ve got a good idea!

“Karin, be my knight,” I said.

“La-Lady Lillie?!” Karin cried.

Yeah, isn’t it possible there wasn’t going to be anyone like her in the future? Since I’m the daughter of a Duke, it wouldn’t be strange for me to retain the strength and political influence I had, right?

Then, it’s only natural that I want to use her as part of my private army, and if she looks up to me, I should be able to save some time building up trust with her.

“R-Really…?!” Karin asked. “You’re going to make me one of your knights, Lady Lillie?”

… You’re pretty blatantly happy about this, aren’t you?

Well, she must have been from a family of knights without titles… wouldn’t it be a huge step-up to be taken under my wing, one of the top aristocrats?

To be honest, I was only ever interested in the Sacred Machines, so I should learn this properly.

“Yes, you will now be the leader of my… Knightly Order and dedicate the rest of your life to me,” I said.

… 12-years-old, I feel like it’s outrageous to ask her to devote her entire life to me like this.

No, well? I’m talented, and honestly, it’s such a good offer she can’t refuse.

Well, if she dislikes it, I’ll just have to create a different role for her, yes.

“Yeees, I’d be happy to!” Karin said.

Is this a comedy act at a club?

“… Well then, Karin, I’ll tell you how to prepare for combat as my knight,” I said.

Though, this is also something that Father often talked about.

“Make your opponents show their hands! If you know everything about your enemies, you can easily defeat them,” I said to her with a giant smile.

Yeah, in practice, if you can do this, even if you find defeat in the worst-case scenario you’ll be able to move on to the next weakness, and even if you die, you’ll be able to pass intel to your allies and contribute to their victory.

“And now, I’m going to tell you the opposite…” I continued. “Only show the tricks up our sleeves after making sure the other party can’t pass that information on to others.”

No, if you can do this, it’s good to keep your friends in the dark.

Is it called cross-examination? The risk of your allies spilling information under torture or duress is greatly reduced.

In the game, you can research and understand the Sacred Machines then change parts and strategies accordingly as much as you pleased… but here, I’ll have to conceal my hand and defeat them on the first try as much as possible.

“Understood…!” Karin said. “Very impressive, Lady Lillie!”

“I just asked my father for advice, so please thank him,” I said.

… By the way, it’s almost time for enrollment, and I must also make adjustments to my Sacred Machine.

I used the setup from the game for the moment but… I’d also like to buy more parts with spare money.

That’s why it’s convenient to have a stock of various technologies to be able to adapt in battle.