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

"Ora ora ora ora ora———! This is just one-sided defense!"

A few minutes into the battle, it was clear that Shemna was terrifyingly strong.

Her fighting style involved enhancing her body with magic and unleashing various spells through hand-to-hand combat. When she thrust her fist, a flame in the shape of a fist was released, its power rivaling that of Lillisha's fireballs.

"Take this!"

"Ugh..."

When she delivered a roundhouse kick, the force of the kick was accompanied by a fan-shaped burst of flames. The impact and heat were overwhelming, and even with my deflect ability, defending against it took a heavy toll on my body. My arms went numb, and I was forced to retreat step by step.

"Shemna, you're amazing!"

"Easy peasy! Shemna, finish her off!"

The two who were with Shemna cheered her on. Were these the only ones in her faction?

"Not as impressive as I expected! You call this royalty? What a joke!"

"...Deflect."

"Again with that? Don't you have anything else?"

"My duty is to protect my charge."

That's right. I had no reason to fight Shemna. All I could do was endure her attacks and hold my ground. No matter how strong Shemna was, once her magic ran out, her options would be limited.

"Hey, you're not waiting for my magic to run out, are you?"

"Eh..."

"If that's the case, let me tell you something. This is my magic."

When Shemna released her magic, a scorching wind swept through the area. Her magic was on par with that of a court mage, perhaps even surpassing Lillisha's. The magic emanating from Shemna's body felt like the flames of a wildfire, ready to consume everything in its path.

"Surprised? This is my magic now!"

"It's incredible... With that much power, you could achieve anything."

"That's why I'm starting by crushing you. I can't stand people like you, who've been coasting on their privileged magic and environment."

"...You sound a lot like Lillisha."

I sensed something similar in Shemna to what I felt in Lillisha. But the difference was in Shemna's magic. The quality of her magic felt artificial, and it carried a deeper sense of hatred than Lillisha's.

Magic reflects the essence of a person. A kind person's magic feels gentle, while a violent person's magic feels wild. Shemna's magic was filled with hatred, as if it sought to destroy everything.

But sometimes, magic can consume its user. This is especially true for borrowed magic.

"I've lived my life scorned as a magic failure. Treated as a dropout, not even considered human in my own home."

"You... are you from a noble family?"

Only nobles care about the presence or absence of magic. Commoners don't concern themselves with such things, as it doesn't affect their daily lives. But among nobles, I've heard that if a child is born with weak magic, they are sometimes cast out of the family.

"Shemna Invernam. We met once before, but I doubt you remember."

"Invernam... The earl family from the Torkana region, right?"

"We only shook hands once as a formality, so it's no surprise you don't remember."

A faint memory of a past party resurfaced, where we had exchanged handshakes. I remember her looking lonely, and I must have said the same words that angered Lillisha: "I will guide you."

"After graduating from the academy, I was told never to return home. They only kept up appearances for the family's sake, but it was pathetic."

"I believe you have siblings..."

"Yeah, I have brothers, so who cares? And you, princess, you completely forgot about me until now, didn't you?"

"Th-that's..."

Shemna took her stance again. Her magic flared up, and it seemed she was finally getting serious.

"You were planning to save me for last, after crushing everyone else."

"Shemna..."

"My brothers are the heirs. As long as there are men, it doesn't matter. A girl with no magic is just useless. But... I'm satisfied now."

"Shemna! That magic of yours..."

Countless fiery fists were launched at me. Even with my deflect ability, I couldn't fully block them, and my body was thrown backward.

"Ugh...!"

"Impressive, huh? Some demon from the underworld is attached to me. Its ability increases the power of my techniques and magic the more I attack. Unlike Muto's, this effect is permanent."

"Summon Master...! That's not good for you!"

"Shut up!"

Shemna's fist pierced through my deflect. My entire body felt like it was burning, and I was on the verge of losing consciousness.

As Shemna said, her attacks were gradually increasing in power. I might not be able to withstand the next one.

"Lady Leticia, this is too dangerous."

"Siuri..."

"If Shemna continues like this, she will be disqualified."

As the one I was supposed to protect, Siuri was now trying to shield me. Instead of guiding her, I was being guided. No, this won't do. I stepped in front of Siuri.

"It's fine. Siuri, I will stop Shemna."

"But that is undoubtedly a summoning. And not just any ordinary demon."

"That's exactly why I need to face her."

I focused my gaze on Shemna. Behind her, the demon was smirking.

It seemed to be laughing, as if it wanted both Shemna and me to be destroyed. I couldn't let her life be toyed with like this. But determination alone wouldn't be enough to stop Shemna and the demon. I needed a plan.

"Leticia, you're good at defense, but you need to think about offense too. Right, Alphise?"

"That's right. Instead of focusing solely on offense, it might be better to use the opponent's attacks against them."

I recalled the words of Alphise and Rinrin. Since then, I had pondered their meaning and come up with my own answer.

"Shemna. Let's end this with the next strike."

"Huh? The next strike will be the end of you! Maximum power! Full output!"

A massive flame erupted from Shemna's fist. If it hit me directly, my life would be in danger. But—

"Spell Counter."

The fiery fist struck my sword, and I slashed downward. The flame changed direction and shot straight back at Shemna.

"Ha...! Wha—aaaaah!"

Caught completely off guard, Shemna took the full brunt of the attack and was sent flying, engulfed in flames. The explosion was more powerful than I had anticipated, tearing up the ground. Shemna couldn't get up and lost consciousness, not even moving a finger. This was bad. This was exactly what I wanted to avoid—