I was Reincarnated as the Youngest Child of a Villainous Noble Family Who Controls the Kingdom from Behind the Scenes

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On a holiday evening, we were gathered around the dining table at the Balfonte family mansion, enjoying a rare family meal together.

There was my mother, Lisanias, my father, Leorg, the eldest son, Vaide, the eldest daughter, Miley, the second son, Girium, and me.

The tension in the air was palpable, even to the servants.

"Hey—, can someone pick up my fork—?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Thanks~. So, I heard Father got a raise."

"Huh?"

At an astonishing speed, a nearby servant handed Mirei her dropped fork.

Of course, there was no such thing as a raise.

Leorg glared sharply at Miley.

In my past life, I might have thought, "Don't use a dropped fork," but living in the mountains has erased such concerns.

If I worried about things like that, I'd never measure up to Vaid, at the very least.

That guy could eat anything dirty without so much as a stomachache.

"By the way, Father, the castle is finally complete. It's called Girium Castle! Now I'm a lord of my own castle."

"Oh, that's splendid. It's near the eastern border with Gearth, right?"

"Yeah, gotta keep an eye on that country so they don't get any funny ideas. Hey, Father, don't you think I'm doing better than some youngest son around here?"

"You've achieved commendable results. You should be proud."

Girium smirked, glancing at me sideways.

Why do I have to spend a pleasant holiday evening with this jerk of a brother?

He stopped acting up so much after I beat him up as a kid, but he still tries to one-up me whenever he gets the chance.

"Hey, Alfis, how's school life? What's your duel record?"

"Don't know."

"Come on, you'll get looked down on like that. If you're looked down on, it reflects on me too. I was already in third place by my first year, you know?"

"That's impressive."

From my perspective, not being in first place by the first year means you're already done for.

You can't use monsters in duels, so it's all about raw skill. Can't be helped.

He's probably still obsessed with collecting monsters.

"I've already gathered 3,000 monsters. They're all stationed at Girium Castle, ready to wipe out Gearth anytime."

"They're not doing anything right now. Besides, they're not the ones we should be wary of."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You really don't see anything, do you?"

When I provoked him, Girium grabbed me by the collar.

He always reacts like this with just a little taunting.

"Don't get cocky. Want me to show you how different I am from when we were kids?"

"Let go."

"Guaaahhh!"

I squeezed his wrist hard enough to almost crush it, and he crumpled to the ground, screaming.

He's weak but always acts tough.

"Anyone who can't follow table manners can disappear."

"Y-you... guh!"

I kicked Girium's chin as he knelt, sending him sprawling on the floor.

The servants screamed, but I ignored them and sat back down to continue my meal.

"Alfis, you're such a troublemaker."

"Hmph..."

Miley was her usual self, and Leorg just laughed.

Vaide silently chewed through a bone-in piece of meat.

This kind of scene is just everyday life for us. The servants, though, don't seem used to it.

"By the way, Miley, I heard you took on summoning magic re

"Thank you."

"Let those insolent fools regret ever messing with my garden."

Leorg voraciously devoured the meat.

In high spirits and with a hearty appetite, Leorg raised the salary of the servant who picked up the fork that day.

Thanks to this, the servant was able to send more money to their family in the countryside.