I dreamed.
It was a dream of the end of the world.
The sky was choked with soot-black clouds, and the earth beneath lay fractured and broken.
The city had been reduced to mountains of rubble, and people fled in terror amidst the roaring, insatiable flames.
Standing at the center of the devastation was a calamity that defied human comprehension—the Evil God.
At the Evil God's feet lay Reiji. His Holy Sword was shattered, and his strength was utterly spent.
Ah—it was my fault.
It was my fault because I had robbed Reiji of his strength.
Because I had failed to let him trample me.
That was why the world had ended like this—.
◆
"...Huff, huff."
I jolted awake, my breath coming in ragged gasps.
Cold sweat had glued my nightgown to my skin.
...What a wretched way to wake up.
But then, I had a reason to be plagued by nightmares now.
Yesterday, I had officially informed Celestia that our engagement was being annulled. I had already persuaded the parents of both our houses, but to her, the news must have come as a complete shock. The current Celestia was genuinely eager for our marriage. Consequently, I had finalized all the legal proceedings over her head.
I was well aware that I had wounded her deeply. However, if I was going to be haunted by nightmares over something of this level, I would never be able to become a Proud Stepping Stone.
I slapped both my cheeks to sharpen my resolve.
Now then—to protect this world I love, I would play the villain again today.
"I can do this!"
An arrogant voice echoed from my throat.
A villainous face stared back from the window glass.
Claude von Einhart’s day as a stepping stone was about to begin.
"Good morning, Lord Claude."
The door opened, and my personal maid, Chesa, entered the room.
She was the servant who had provided the catalyst for me regaining my past-life memories a year ago. She was also a loyalist who had wept with joy when she witnessed my supposed reformation. She had been the one by my side, supporting every good deed I performed over the last year.
But as soon as the current Chesa saw my face, a look of pure terror flickered across her features.
"A-ah... You were... already awake..."
That was the look she used to give me back when I was a total scoundrel.
Ow, ow, ow. My stomach flared with pain. It hurt so much.
But I refused to let a single ripple of it show on my face.
Forgive me, Chesa.
Today, I’m going to make things difficult for you again.
"You're late."
I spoke with icy detachment, remaining seated on the bed.
"Prepare my breakfast."
"I-I'm so sorry! Since you woke up thirty minutes earlier than usual today, the preparations aren't quite..."
"Do not offer me excuses. Morning begins whenever I open my eyes, you incompetent fool."
Unbelievable vitriol poured from my lips.
I was impressed with myself for coming up with such a line. I truly was a villain destined by fate. If I set my mind to acting evil, there seemed to be no limit to how far I could go. It was a level of unreasonableness that would put the CEO of a black company to shame.
When I looked at Chesa, tears were welling in the corners of her eyes.
This was bad. If I looked at her face any longer, my resolve would start to crumble.
I had to get her out of here immediately.
"I’m changing. Get out and finish the meal."
"Y-yes!"
Chesa scrambled for the door as if fleeing for her life.
However, just before she crossed the threshold, I remembered something.
"Wait."
"Hie...?! Y-y-y-yes! What is it?!"
"Summon a manners instructor."
"...Wh-huh?"
It was no use. Chesa was already at her breaking point. Her eyes were spinning in her head.
I mean, I knew I was making a bizarre request, but still...
"A manners instructor. Just arrange it. Understood?"
"U-understood. I will make the arrangements immediately..."
Chesa nodded her head frantically about ten times and bolted from the room.
Once I was alone, I let out a heavy sigh.
...With that, have my relationships mostly returned to the status quo?
I recalled the World as It Should Be that the god had shown me.
As Reiji's stepping stone, it wasn't enough for just Reiji to hate me. In the proper timeline, I was despised by the entire world. It was that universal hatred that forced Reiji to pick up his sword.
Reiji was a kind boy.
In fact, everyone in this world was far too kind.
If even a single person remained on my side, Reiji might never find the resolve to fight. Therefore, I needed to earn the resentment of as many people as humanly possible.
...But still.
...My father, at least.
Long before I had "reformed," my father was the only person who had ever shielded me.
The information I had about the World as It Should Be was fragmentary at best. I simply couldn't imagine a future where my father would abandon me.
Perhaps even in the correct timeline, my father had stayed on my side until the very end.
It seemed there was no need to go out of my way to make my father hate me.
However, since I would clearly be causing him endless trouble from here on out, I should probably buy him some stomach medicine soon.
And some for myself, obviously.
◆
There were several hurdles to overcome if I was to become a Proud Stepping Stone.
To address one of them, I spent the entirety of the afternoon giving specific instructions to the mansion's staff.
"L-Lord Claude. It is finished."
"You're... late."
"M-my deepest apologies."
The butler, who was entirely blameless, bowed his head low.
I almost told him "Good job," so I had to correct myself mid-sentence.
However... no one was quitting.
Even though it had only been a few days, I had been fairly terrible to the servants since receiving the Prophecy. Despite that, not a single one had left my service yet. I had expected Chesa to be the first to resign, but she was still here...
Perhaps I had spent the last year being far too good a person.
But—that ended today.
"Now then. Regarding this underground warehouse I had you all organize..."
The Einhart manor had several rooms that sat vacant.
Among them, I had successfully convinced my father to grant me this particular warehouse, the largest of the lot. With its poor ventilation and lack of foot traffic, it was the perfect place for secrets.
The servants must have been bewildered. What could I possibly want with such a room?
Listen and tremble. The answer was—.
"From this day forward, this shall be your Punishment Room."
The servants' faces turned ashen.
"In the future, any servant who commits a blunder in my presence will be personally re-educated by me here. ...Well? You're looking forward to it, aren't you? I'll have to order some specialized equipment. Candles, whips, collars... Yes, I'll place the order soon."
I was starting to sound like the manager of some fetish club.
The thought crossed my mind even as the words left my mouth. ...There were no such clubs in this world, so I should be safe, right? They weren't taking this as a joke, were they?
"L-Lord Claude...!"
Chesa raised a trembling hand.
"I-I am your personal servant! So, please... if someone must be re-educated, let it be only me...! I beg of you... I'll do anything you ask...!"
Stop it.
Please, don't bully my stomach any further.
I know I’m the one supposed to be doing the bullying here, but still.
"Don't speak such nonsense. To me, a servant is just a servant. There is no difference in value between you and the others."
That was a lie. I was immensely grateful to Chesa.
But that kind of self-sacrifice wasn't helpful right now. Since I was playing the villain, I couldn't always afford to be lenient.
I needed to dial up the intimidation.
"Or what? Did you actually misunderstand and think you were special to me?"
"N-no...! I-I didn't mean...!"
Chesa’s face turned bright red as she stammered her denial.
Poor girl. There was no way she would actually be happy to receive the "affection" of a man like me.
Well, this should be enough of a warning.
"I will hold the only key. Entry without my express permission is strictly forbidden. ...You understand what happens to those who try to pry, don't you?"
When I gave them a sharp, murderous glare, the servants nodded, their faces pale.
I stood my ground and watched until every last one of them had returned to their posts.
...Alright!
Success.
I finally had a private space where no one would dare approach.
I stepped into the newly organized Punishment Room and heaved the heavy iron door shut.
Once I was certain no one was watching, I let out a long, weary breath.
"...Shall we begin?"
This wasn't a dungeon; it was my training ground.
I needed to become strong.
My role in Reiji's life would be a long one. It couldn't end with him defeating me just once; I had to remain a viable stepping stone until the very eve of the final battle.
That meant I had to become strong enough to match Reiji stride for stride.
In fact, I needed to be stronger than him. Otherwise, I wouldn't be the wall he needed to scale.
However, I could never let anyone see me putting in the work.
The ironclad rule of a stepping stone was that one must appear to be a genius, not a hard worker.
A villain never shows the world the effort behind their power.
They must suppress everyone with their innate talent while maintaining a cool, detached expression. That was the essence of villainous charisma.
And so, I would hide my grueling, blood-soaked efforts in this basement.
Instead of candles and whips, I really wished I had some dumbbells.
"I'll have to train my body, of course... but first, magic."
I focused mana into the palm of my hand.
This world operated on the concept of magic—a supernatural phenomenon activated by consuming the internal energy known as mana.
Magic in this world was categorized into ranks based on its destructive power and technical difficulty.
First was the Fifth Rank: "Shot," which was simply firing a condensed mass of mana.
Next was the Fourth Rank: "Lance" or "Wall," which involved basic shape manipulation.
The Third Rank was "Arma," an enhancement magic that required sophisticated target designation.
...This was the level I needed to focus on for now.
If I could master the Third Rank, I could hold my own against even a seasoned warrior. Depending on my mana capacity, an overwhelming victory wasn't out of the question.
Second Rank magic like "Gate" or First Rank magic like "Avatar" were still far beyond my current reach. At those levels, the number of practitioners was so small that finding a teacher would be nearly impossible.
But—I was Claude von Einhart.
Claude possessed a truly rare and terrifying talent.
That was exactly why he had developed such a warped personality in the first place.
The "me" from my previous life had felt a pang of sympathy for Claude's circumstances. His lineage and his talent—those two weights were far too heavy. They had twisted him into an arrogant, overbearing monster.
Looking at how Claude lived, I was convinced there was a limit to the power a human should be allowed to possess. It was a literal case of excessive power destroying the soul.
...Perhaps that was why my past-life memories had awakened.
If the burden was too great for one person to carry, perhaps two of us could manage it.
Let's go... Claude.
It’s time to let your talent bloom.
"—Dark Arma."
Third Rank magic. I succeeded on the very first try.
As a pitch-black aura enveloped my entire body, a thin smile played across my lips.
I would become strong.
Strong enough to make Reiji know true despair.
I would become a solitary monster, an pinnacle of isolation that no one could ever reach—.