The Villainess Has No Regrets in this Life

I left the Marquis’ residence with Mylene, leaving behind those chattering in the garden.

According to my memory, there will be a big accident at the Marquis’ residence in the future.

And… I’ll get seriously injured.

I’m now on my way to find a general store that claims to sell everything, in order to protect myself from that incident.

“Stop here. And don’t follow me until I return.”

“Miss, but if you get lost in this big city…!”

“Did you forget that Father put a tracking spell on me? If I’m in danger, that spell will activate, and the Marquis’ knights will move. Until I become an adult, that spell automatically activates if my life is in danger, right?”

And so, I left Mylene and the coachman on the main street and got off the carriage alone, heading towards the alley.

As I walked deeper into the alley, the signs of people disappeared, and it started to get so dark that it was hard to believe it was midday.
It was proof that I had come to the right place.

This general store is a place that Leila discovered in her previous life.

Instead of having a blessing, she always protected herself and those around her with the items she had when dangerous situations arose.

Curious about where she bought these items, I once followed her, and she clearly entered this alley to meet the shopkeeper.

…That eccentric guy.

He’s not exactly someone I want to meet at this timing, but…

If it’s to prevent the accident that’s about to happen, I have no choice.

After walking for a while, I came across stairs leading underground, and following those stairs, I reached a door and called out like this,

“Hey, dwarf. Are you there?”

The moment I opened my mouth, white smoke started seeping through the cracks of the door and began to envelop my body.

And what appeared before my eyes was something in the form of a red monster that seemed very angry.

“How dare a wench come here, do you know where this is?”

When I first met this dwarf, I almost fainted from fear at the sight of that monster…

It’s funny now, though.

“There’s something I want to buy. Come out quickly.”

“How dare you be so insolent in front of me!”

“…I already know you can’t attack humans. Come out quickly.”

Hearing my words, the red monster seemed flustered, rolling its eyes, and then disappeared with a ‘poof!’ sound.

What appeared before me then was a very small… green-colored bearded little fellow.

…He seems to have gotten even smaller than when I saw him before.

Ah, Mafi should be in the middle of his growth period right now.

His personality is also not fully developed yet… it’s a period when he’s quite rude.

“What! What business does the precious young lady of Marquis Masipacius have with me?”

Still as prickly as ever.

How did he know I was the daughter of Marquis Masipacius?

“Why would I come to a general store? I’m here to buy something, of course.”

Yes, I came here today to buy something.

To obtain what Leila failed to get in her previous life because she missed the timing.

“There’s nothing here that a noble young lady would like! Go back! How did you even find this place in the first place…?”

…Ugh, the little one is bustling about making all sorts of fuss.

This dwarf can be called an ancient fairy.

He’s of a race called ‘Sellionrus’, with a very smart brain in a small body.

Because of their smart brains, they’ve been oppressed by humans, so they hide their bodies and create illusions like the monster I saw earlier to drive people away.

Therefore, making a deal with a sellionrus is, literally, like reaching for the stars.

It’s difficult to even figure out where they live in the first place.

The name of this sellionrus bustling about in front of me is ‘Mafi’.

And what I’m trying to trade with this sellionrus is the water attribute spirit that Mafi possesses.

Mafi is a sellionrus who rules over water spirits.

And sellionrus can trade their spirits with children under 17 years old, before their blessing manifests.

Unlike ordinary imperial citizens, some nobles manifest a blessing at the age of 17.

Father has a blessing related to wind attributes, and my brothers have also manifested related blessings.

However, in my previous life, neither Leila nor I manifested a blessing despite inheriting the blood of my noble father and mother.

But even if a blessing doesn’t manifest, it’s said that once you pass 17, the connection with the god is severed, making it impossible to trade spirits with a sellionrus.

Leila didn’t know this fact and came to find Mafi to trade for a spirit, but she was 18 when she found Mafi.

So she had no choice but to buy unique items made by Mafi instead of spirits to protect herself.

…And, in my previous life, I had a deeper friendship with this fairy called Mafi than I expected.

This story was also something I heard directly from Mafi in my previous life…

So I know very well what Mafi is most anxious about.

“I want to trade for a water spirit.”

Hearing my words, Mafi looked at me with a startled expression.

I smiled at Mafi with a smirk.

How about that, are you interested in what I’m saying now?

“…How do you know about that trade?”

“I like reading books. I saw it in a fairy tale.”

At my words, Mafi put down what he was holding, hopped onto the desk, and looked at me.

I continued speaking while looking at him.

“An eternal promise with a fairy… through which a female warrior gained the power to control spirits? I think there’s no one in this empire who hasn’t read that fairy tale when they were young? But I found a record of a woman with no blessing actually gaining a blessing and leading the empire to victory in war, I think? I also remembered reading in a book that ancient fairies could trade spirits… I just said it on the off chance, but seeing your reaction, it seems it was true.”

Hearing my words, Mafi made an ‘oops’ expression and then glared at me with a piercing look.

Then he shook his head with a ‘hmph’ sound.

“I have no intention of trading my spirits. Nice try, but too bad! How did you know I communicate with water spirits?”

“You can find out everything if you read the newspapers. Just analyze the spirit power frequently seen in this area.”

I handed him a document.

Mafi looked back and forth between the document and me as if he didn’t trust me, then snatched the document from my hand irritably.

“This is…!”

The document Mafi was holding was a contract stating that all defensive and offensive equipment used by the Masipacius knights would be purchased from a specific store.

And that store was a place operated by Mafi’s kin, hiding their identity from people.

Mafi always worried about such kin.

Saying that if their identity was ever discovered and it was revealed that they were a sellionrus, they would once again be oppressed by humans someday.

Mafi, being alone, could make enough profit to live on with just this small shop, but due to the characteristics of sellionrus living in family units and having limited food they could eat, many fairies couldn’t feed their families by selling only specific items while in hiding.

But they can’t attack humans due to their contract with the god.

If humans are determined to oppress them, they have no choice but to endure.

This contract would be very sweet to Mafi.

In fact, fairies rarely need to use spirits in their lives.

When I die, the spirits will return to their original fairy owners, so it was actually a no-loss business for Mafi.

Mafi stared at the document for a long time as if contemplating, then brought a pen and wrote ‘For life until the Masipacius family is about to fall’ in front of every clause in the contract.

I chuckled at Mafi’s action and nodded in agreement.

I had already gotten permission from the knight commander.

Since the document was submitted under the commander’s name, Father also signed it willingly.

So we both signed the paper, and the contract was made.

…He gave in more easily than I thought.

I thought he would demand something else.

The Mafi at this time was much… more naive than the Mafi I knew in my previous life.

Then Mafi handed me the necklace he was wearing around his neck.

“Wear this around your neck.”

When I put the necklace around my neck, it seemed to emit light and then disappeared in an instant.

“What, did you think the water spirit would greet you or something? You can’t meet spirits when they’re awake. I’ve handed over the necklace, which is no different from the right to control the spirit, so it’s your responsibility from now on.”

Mafi snorted with a ‘hmph’ sound and got down from the desk, starting to tidy up the shop.

Looking at him, I took out a communication stone from my pocket and placed it on the desk.

“Then I’ll see you again. This is a gift.”

Mafi will probably use that communication stone to create an innovative item that can hear each other’s voices from anywhere without using magic.

And Leila will do business with that item together with Mafi and make a lot of money.

But Mafi, remember this well.

This time, it was me who gave you the communication stone, okay?

As I opened the door and was leaving to get out of the alley, a man in a black cloak brushed past me.

Hmm, is he someone coming to make a deal with Mafi?

Ah, could that person be the new man someone mentioned in the sentences that appeared earlier?

What, so the prediction that it really seems to hint at the future has completely hit the mark?

Did I gain a new blessing that hints at the future while dying?

No, even people with blessings related to prediction can’t see unless it’s the very near future… Did I gain a blessing that allows me to see such a distant future?

But as I thought before, isn’t it too much like… people’s gossip in conversational style…?

So I dismissed him without much thought and came out to the main street to find Mylene, who would be waiting for me, while diligently pondering about the sentences that suddenly appeared.

But Mylene was busy talking with a man in expensive clothes.

Mylene, who was talking with the man, saw me and shouted, “Miss!”

The man who was talking with her also turned his head to look at me….

Young Duke Posilia?

Young Duke Posilia, who spotted me, straightened his clothes and approached me.

“I greet the Young Duke of the Posilia family.”

As I greeted him as he approached me, he waved both hands as if embarrassed.

“There’s no need for such formal greetings. Please just call me Delian comfortably.”

Uh… what?

Me?