I Reincarnated as a Noble Bastard, So I'm Seducing All the Villainess

The sword's edge brushes against my thin neck, reminding me of the thousand reasons I was warned not to get involved with dangerous people. In moments like these, the advice from a drunk old man on the street about not getting involved with incompetent people comes to mind.

A drop of sweat trickles from my chin and dampens Philomeu's blade, whose cold gaze indicates he'll lop off my head if I don't answer now. I won't dare shift my gaze to Ravenna, surely one wrong move is enough for the bad guy to erase my existence from the face of the planet.

How many times I need to pull out the acting cheat in this life to save myself? This doesn't always work, so please, work now, because I need it to succeed more than ever!

"I... I came to join the Libertarians..."

"You?" Philomeu raises an eyebrow, obviously suspicious of my every word. "It's already suspicious enough that you sacrificed your life to save this pawn, now you want to join us? Is this some elaborate plan by the king to detect me?"

"Who I love has nothing to do with what I want to do."

To enhance the performance, I deliberately push the sword with my finger and close one eye, maintaining a know-it-all pose. I take the opportunity to tilt my head to the side, bringing my face a closer to Philomeu, though it will certainly make it easier for him to lop off my head.

"I want my father and my family to fall. Why should I stay on their side if they never helped me and only drag me into things I wasn't called for? I value my freedom more."

A sigh escapes my mouth, one of those that sounds like the "How rude" from manipulative characters you see around, the difference being that I don't fit that mold.

"I saved Ravenna because I already loved her before. As for the nobility, they are more like a cancer. If we could just remove everyone from power, take what they have and distribute it to the people, it would be much better... I believe... my deceased brother would be very happy hearing this... a shame a damned plump and proud baron killed him because he thought he was something!"

In the heat of the moment, I smack my hand against the sword's hilt, finally pushing it away. That was enough to startle Philomeu, whose expression changed from disgust to surprise. My words must have hit him right in the heart, I have a knack for this kind of thing.

"I didn't expect to find the Libertarians here, but if it's destiny... I want to join the movement and bring down the entire nobility!"

I point my finger straight ahead and puff out my chest. The guard at the door has his hand on the axe strapped to his waist, ready to dart towards me. To be honest, this brother I'm talking about is absolutely nonexistent, just like all the reasons why I want to join.

I just want to clear my name and get out alive, so please, trust me! I have every reason not to like the nobility, don't you believe?!

Philomeu stares at me as if trying to see through my skull and read my mind. Ouch, my hand is burning from the impact, I can even see a reddish tint appearing, but it's a good sign that the villain is standing still like that.

"A dead brother, huh..." he finally murmurs, with that voice of someone who's pulled many a traitor's fingernail. "Fat barons do that. They crush the common folk and spit on them afterwards."

Oh, so that's what you like? Family traumas? Want me to invent a dead dog too? Or a blind grandmother run over by a royal carriage? I don't know where this is going, but he lowers his sword by a centimeter, and for me, that's enough to breathe again.

"But it's not enough to make me believe." 

Shit! 

"I've lost count of how many nobles have sought me out, wanting to prove themselves worthy because of some idiotic rebellion... the only convincing thing about you is your rage."

"Because it's real." I adjust my collar, maintaining the "dignified" pose. "It makes no sense to do idiotic things without a good reason."

"And you, Ravenna?" Philomeu turns his head to her, still not lowering his blade. "Why the did you bring this fop here to the heart of our cause? You orchestrated the whole circus, didn't you?"

She gives a half-smile, the kind that says something like "Yes, it was me, and I'd do it again".

"He was more useful than all the rats you placed in the tribunal. He managed to invade the courtroom, made the king doubt the trial, incriminated my uncle, and even carried me out in his arms." She intertwines her fingers behind her head and leans back with an air of triumph. "Give him some credit. Not everyone needs to be born in the gutters to hate the rich."

He frowns and shoots a look my way that screams "I see what you're up to", but eventually lowers his sword and point to the side of the room.

"Bring him further inside, we need to talk."

Ravenna grabs my arm with a grip too sweet to be innocent and pulls me along, leaving Philomeu's eyes burning into our backs. I feel like at any moment this guy would draw his weapon and just smack the back of my neck to kill me, which would be very likely if my acting didn't work.

But I'm alive! Super alive, alive and kicking! The problem is I accidentally joined a criminal organization, which was not in my plans. This side quest is new. 

The interior of the Libertarians' base of operations isn't very fancy like the palace, but it's certainly much better than living in the same place as Leonhardt. Who knew I'd feel more sympathy for someone who just pointed a sword at me than for that son of a bitch.

Anyway, there's literally no one here, and the place resembles an improvised warehouse, or so the high ceiling and numerous side staircases suggest. The lack of exits also seems strange, if they tried to kill someone here, no one would suspect.

"It's better here..."

Holy Shit! Philomeu appeared beside us like a ghost and said that so close to my ear I almost had a heart attack! The ruby-eyed guard didn't come, but still, why is this guy here alone? Does he not suspect we'd kill him, or is he just confident he'll survive? Either way, he scares the hell out of me.

"Let's get straight to the point... I want you to prove your worth, Darius Moonlight."

Prove my worth? I'm literally on the palace walls, is there anything better than that? Wait, that look in my direction... no, don't tell me... A sword plunges right in front of me, identical to the model Philomeu used.

"I cannot allow just anyone to join the Libertarians. Your rage is admirable, and your good deed for our cause too, but if your strength is nonexistent, then you're as good as dead weight."

You're not serious, you want to fight me? I can't even pull this sword out of the ground, goddammit! 

A sigh escapes my mouth... how do I get out of this? Just lose, yeah, but there's no "losing easily" to this guy. One wrong move and he'll at least rip off my arm! 

I rest my hand on the pommel as slowly as possible, just to delay my death.

"Hold on. Wait. A second."

Ravenna's hand closes around the sword's hilt before I can pull it. Honestly, good thing, because I'd probably end up on my butt trying to pretend I know what I'm doing. Philomeu maintains that motionless expression as if he expected something like this, but there's a slight narrowing in his eyes. Aha, I got to him.

"You'd better back off." she growls, not a metaphor this time. "Now that we're here, I feel more comfortable actually talking..."

Her voice is so low and cutting that it makes me want to sit on the floor and let the adults handle it. The red-haired villain keeps his mouth shut, I bet he's really annoyed because he was interrupted at this super important moment, especially by a big woman like her, whom he considers irrelevant.

"You used me as a pawn for a terrorist attack and didn't even try to save me beforehand?"

"Why would I do that? It would be impossible and very costly in normal situations. Wasn't worth it."

"It wasn't worth it? IT WASN'T WORTH IT?!?" Ravenna approaches, her face twisting into a furious grimace. "After they caught me, I was arrested and almost decapitated. My existence became a political weapon because of you. Now that I'm back, you want to bring someone new in and act as if nothing happened? If you think I'm going to stay silent while I watch things repeat again, you must out of your mind!"

The tension in the air is so thick I think I'll suffocate just by watching.

"The cause is greater than our personal grievances. If you can't bear the weight, Ravenna, you should have accepted your fate quietly."

Ravenna raises her hand and delivers a sharp slap across Philomeu's face, making his head snap with the impact. Wow, that hurted even in me…

"I am not a symbol of your ideals, nor a toy for your revolution. You truly are a hypocrite, trying to play the hero by sacrificing whatever is necessary to achieve your perfect little world."

Philomeu massages his burning cheek, offering no rebuttal. What's going on? What's all this drama about? Why am I being treated like a secondary character in something so important?!

"Darius will not join a troupe of idiots," Ravenna declares... wait a minute, when did you start telling me what to do? "I'd never allow someone like him to be on the side of someone who only uses people when it's convenient."

"You were the one who chose to bring him here, so he's your responsibility, but from the moment you leave Scorn, I trust you understand the consequences..."

With that, he raises his chin, like a video game villain who knows he'll be back later with double the HP. Meanwhile, the beautiful gothic witch lowers her head and walks toward me, grabbing my wrist and heading back the way we came.

"Asshole..."

I have no real idea what's happening, but I'm sure something very important is going on. Why is she rubbing her eyes? Tears? Hey, hey, tell me what's happening! I want to understand!

"Come on, fig sweet. Let's find a place with fewer emotional traps."

I follow behind her like a lost dog who just escaped euthanasia. The guard at the door lets us leave without any trouble.

Ravenna squeezes my wrist very tightly, like someone clutching the only thing in the world that matters to them. I've known someone like that, someone who doesn't know when to let go of the other and who fears what might happen when their hands separate. For now... I'll let her do whatever she wants.

Whatever's going through your head, little witch, it's going to turn out for the best.