Reincarnated As A Hated Game Villain, He Hid His SSS-RANK Stats, But the HERO is Also a REINCARNATOR

Recap

A player wakes up as Alphonse von Valliere, the repulsive, cruel noble villain from the game Dominant Tactics—and discovers he’s in the middle of strangling his maid, Rico. Horrified by the body and reputation he’s inherited, he apologizes to Rico and his governess, Roselia, then vows to avoid the game’s bad ending: humiliation, exile, and a life of misery.

Alphonse starts over with an intense routine of exercise, magic practice, and study. His sudden politeness is so startling that Rico and Roselia keep wondering whether he’s really the same person. He even learns to summon a little slime, Puggy, who becomes his loyal companion—and, at first, the only one he feels he can truly show affection to. His lonely confession that people don’t regain trust overnight turns into a sweet moment when Puggy presses against his cheek to comfort him.

His efforts soon pay off. Alphonse’s magic grows astonishingly fast, and he helps defeat a gang of thieves threatening Rico and Roselia. The rescue changes their relationship with him, and he gradually becomes a respected, caring young noble. He also uses his abilities to improve life in his territory, including cleaning polluted water. When he makes magical water animals to cheer up a lost demi-human child, the crowd treats it like a performance—leaving Alphonse embarrassed by all the attention he was trying to avoid.

Meanwhile, the original game’s hero, Zeke Mind, has also been reincarnated. Zeke expects to enjoy the protagonist’s destined victories and romances, but events keep slipping away from him. Alphonse saves people who were supposed to meet Zeke, attracts the heroines’ attention, and repeatedly takes center stage. Zeke insists that he is the real protagonist, but his jealousy and rage make him seem increasingly like the villain.

Alphonse’s attempts to stay low-profile keep backfiring. He gets caught exploring a dangerous dungeon and is grounded, then begins sword training with Kareha, an S-rank adventurer known as the Sword Saint. Kareha expects the supposedly useless noble to quit after a few brutal lessons. Instead, Alphonse returns every day, studies her movements, and eventually beats her in a serious spar. Impressed by his talent, she asks to become his knight. Alphonse is less excited about acquiring another powerful ally than he is worried that he’s derailing the game’s story again.

At the Magic Academy, he tries to hide his enormous magical power by making the measuring crystal register an average score. His plan works—until Roselia, now a teacher, recognizes his talent and gets him moved into Class A anyway. His new classmates include Zeke and several of the game’s major characters. The comedy continues when Princess Olivia invites Alphonse to a tea party that was supposed to be Zeke’s scene. Alphonse tries to dodge involvement in the royal succession struggle, but accepts Olivia’s friendship ring—an important game item intended for Zeke. He realizes he may have accidentally blocked the story from progressing.

The attention only increases. Alphonse is challenged to a duel by Dust, a proud noble who thinks Roselia unfairly selected him for a mission. Alphonse easily handles Dust’s attacks, using water magic and Puggy’s slime tricks. When Zeke secretly fires a lightning spell at him, Puggy takes the hit. Alphonse then uses Puggy’s ability to multiply and envelop Dust until he gives up. The victory makes Alphonse even more popular, while Zeke watches in furious disbelief as the crowd praises the person who was supposed to be a disposable villain.

The romantic mix-ups are just as chaotic. Regine, Alphonse’s fiancée, has a crush on a mysterious “water magician”—not realizing it’s Alphonse himself. She also keeps insisting she dislikes him, even as she gets jealous whenever other girls grow close to him. Riseria takes Alphonse on a date, but Regine disguises herself and follows along. The two end up competing for his attention and even try to feed him at the same time. Later, in a magic-stone shop, Riseria jokingly introduces Alphonse as her fiancé and nearly gets him fitted with a powerful engagement ring, prompting Regine to protest that she is his actual fiancée. Their argument is interrupted by masked robbers, whom Alphonse and Puggy quickly subdue.

By the end, Alphonse has built a circle of allies and repeatedly rescued people who were meant to belong to Zeke’s storyline. Zeke, now convinced Alphonse must be eliminated, plans to kill him during the next expedition. At the same time, Regine and Riseria are growing more determined not to lose him to each other—or to Olivia. The academy’s dungeon mission is about to begin, with Alphonse, Zeke, Olivia, and Prince Julius selected to investigate the ruins and recover the legendary holy sword. Everyone has their own agenda, while Alphonse still just wants a peaceful, unremarkable life.

Personalities

• Alphonse von Valliere — Reincarnated player inhabiting the game’s villain; determined to change his fate and stay out of the spotlight.
• Zeke Mind — The game’s original hero, also reincarnated; increasingly resentful that Alphonse keeps taking over his scenes.
• Rico — Alphonse’s maid, initially wary of him but gradually devoted to the changed young noble.
• Roselia — Alphonse’s governess and magic teacher, later an academy professor who champions his talent.
• Puggy — Alphonse’s affectionate slime companion, useful in both combat and comfort.
• Regine Orson — Alphonse’s fiancée, proud and easily flustered, secretly interested in the water magician.
• Riseria — A noblewoman who grows fond of Alphonse and competes with Regine for his attention.
• Kareha Howell — S-rank adventurer and Sword Saint who becomes Alphonse’s knight.
• Olivia of Altoria — A princess seeking allies for her campaign to reform the kingdom.
• Julius of Altoria — Olivia’s brother and a powerful prince with a polished public image.
• Dust von Gabbage — A noble who challenges Alphonse to a duel.
• Aisha — Olivia’s half-human maid and knight.
• Angelica — An elf who runs a magic-stone shop.
• Marc von Valliere — Alphonse’s father and head of the Valliere family.