novelraw Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Episode 1
"My dream is to conquer the world."
It was the time for all the orphanage children to present their dreams.
Flora, with a solemn expression, looked down at the paper she had scribbled on and read it out clearly, syllable by syllable, with her imperfect pronunciation.
"I will become a magnificent villainess and turn the world into my world! I will make everyone kneel at my feet and tremble with fear!"
All eyes turned at her ambitious words.
With a proud heart, Flora put down the paper where black worm-like scribbles crawled.
Everyone's gaze was still fixed on Flora.
Some had their eyes wide open in surprise, while others had their hands covering their mouths.
Even though it was such an outrageous statement, no one here could mock Flora's dream.
No, they didn't.
And for good reason, because this place was...
"Then I want to be Flora's subordinate number one!"
"What are you talking about, Johnny! You said you wanted to be a great chef! I'm number one!"
"Then I'll be Flora's right-hand man, not a subordinate!"
"Gasp, Sophia, you genius! Then I'll be the left-hand man!"
...because there was no one who didn't like Flora.
As Sophia and Kay retorted to Johnny's words and shouted, the other children, as if they hadn't even thought of that, all jumped in, claiming that position for themselves.
A new debate had begun.
"The children really like Flora, don't they?"
"Well, Flora is the youngest here, and she's cute."
At Lian's words, Mrs. Finny covered her mouth and chuckled, "Ho-ho."
"It's also because Flora is so good to the children. I really don't even want to imagine what the orphanage was like before Flora came."
It was an astonishing sight, the children gathered noisily, changing the dreams they had just presented in front of everyone.
Yet, Mrs. Finny, the orphanage director, and the staff member Lian simply watched the chaotic scene with fondness.
"Eve-ry-bo-dy, quiet!"
As if accustomed to this situation, Flora shouted with all her might to get everyone's attention.
Though it was just a word from a little girl, everyone closed their mouths simultaneously as if by prior agreement.
Satisfied for only a moment, Flora put her hands on her hips, made a stern face, and said,
"Who said you could just decide who my subordinates are! I'm the one who gets to choose my subordinates!"
She was just a mere four-year-old child.
But at Flora's voice, everyone started scrambling to appease her.
"That's right, that's right. Flora should decide."
"Exactly, that's fair!"
At Johnny's words, Sophia nodded in agreement, and Jenny, not missing her chance, held up a pouch of cookies and shouted,
"Flora, I haven't eaten my cookie today, do you want it?"
"Jenny! Bribes are forbidden!"
As a bribe even appeared, Kay stepped in front of Jenny and yelled. But Flora, instead, snorted as if indignant.
"I'm a villainess, so bribes are fine."
At Flora's solemn expression and words, Kay, who had been trying to stop Jenny, quickly offered the chocolate that was his share.
"Flora, eat mine!"
"Ah, cutting in line!"
The surroundings began to get noisy again.
A mountain of enormous snacks piled up in front of Flora, and the corner of her mouth, which had been trying to maintain her expression, twitched.
'Ha, this popularity... It's really tiresome.'
Words that might sound ungrateful if someone heard them, but words that everyone at the orphanage would nod along to as a matter of course.
Flora, at the tender age of four.
With her cute and lovely appearance, she was the most popular figure at Finny Orphanage, monopolizing everyone's attention and love. But who could have known?
The truth is that this small child was actually the reincarnation of humanity's greatest enemy, the Great Demon Mors, who had tried to bring about the world's destruction.
Looking at the boisterous children, Flora muttered softly so no one could hear.
"Sigh. I, who was the Great Demon in my previous life, am troubled because I'm too popular......"
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
'How did it come to this?'
Flora would wake up every day thinking the same thought.
The sun was already high in the sky, and shatteringly bright sunlight streamed onto the pink bedding.
Time had flown by since her rebirth, and she was already four years old, but neither this cute room nor the situation surrounding her seemed to become familiar, no matter how much time passed.
With a dazed expression, Flora looked at the blanket, then slowly got out of bed at the sound of the children's innocent laughter coming from outside.
Entering the bathroom to wash her face, a large mirror greeted her.
Her glossy, light pink hair cascaded softly past her shoulders, and her sparkling golden pupils, as if stars had been captured within them, shone brightly even in the daytime.
Flawless, white, soft skin, pink-tinged cheeks, large eyes beneath rounded eyelids, followed by a straight nose, and a lively, small mouth.
Even though she had just woken up, there was no trace of a bedhead; she looked like a doll. Flora let out a sigh, "Aish."
Every time she opened her mouth, her short, childish pronunciation made her not want to speak, but a lament escaped her lips anyway.
"Whewy, how did I end up like this."
In the distant past.
The Chief God Beshart created the world and fashioned countless lifeforms with his own hands.
Humanity took Beshart as their Chief God and developed the world, but there was an existence that sought to destroy their peaceful world.
That was the Great Demon Mors.
The Great Demon stained the world with evil and chaos, committing the sin of taking countless lives, and as a result, lost his life at the hands of five heroes who gathered their power under the divine mandate: Ractasia Philinwood, Babylon Hermannus, Opera Bellasia, Gzette Deshimo, and Etar Lucifer.
But contrary to people's wishes, even though the Great Demon died, the demons who followed him did not perish, and instead continued to threaten humanity.
Thus, the five heroes, inheriting the divine will to protect the world, founded the Philinwood Empire.
The Philinwood Imperial Family, rulers of the continent, and their loyal vassals: Hermannus in the east, Bellasia in the west, Deshimo in the south, and Lucifer in the north. Even after 1000 years had passed, they still held their positions as rulers and protected the world, resulting in a golden age of peace and prosperity for the Empire.
Why am I explaining all this?
'Because I am that very Great Demon who was killed by the heroes' hands.'
The origin of evil.
Slaughterer of humanity.
The destroyer who would stain the world with chaos.
The Great Demon, to whom no amount of negative words were sufficient, thought he would meet his death at the hands of the heroes and that his soul would be utterly annihilated.
But contrary to expectations, she miraculously opened her eyes again.
This was no different from a second chance given by the Chief God Beshart.
Inspired by Beshart's expectations and the human ingratitude that had driven her to become the Great Demon, Flora resolved that this time, she would truly become the villainess who would dominate the world and bring about humanity's downfall.
However, her ambitious plan was not so easily achieved......
〈Abooboo.〉
〈Oh my, our Flora. So pretty.〉
〈Aboobooboop!〉
〈Oh dear... You must be hungry. To think we can't even give a pretty child like you as much food as she wants.〉
〈Abooboo!〉
She had to be reborn as a baby who couldn't even speak properly.
And what's more, as a newborn abandoned by her parents right after birth, in the bitterly cold dead of winter.
Perhaps they had some conscience left, her parents abandoned her in front of an orphanage and disappeared.
Though abandoning a baby on a cold winter day with snow piled high didn't seem very conscientious, no matter how you looked at it.
"Hmm, I guess not having parents is better after all."
If she had grown up under the parents who abandoned a newborn on a cold winter day, she might have eliminated them the moment she awakened her power.
"Patricide is tricky if you get caught."
Muttering words unbecoming of a four-year-old, she finished washing her face.
As Flora changed her clothes and stepped out of her room, the corridor of a luxurious mansion, unbefitting of a normal orphanage, greeted her.
'At first, I thought I would starve to death.'
Mrs. Finny, the orphanage director, and Lian, the only staff member, were truly good people.
Even in that harsh winter when it was difficult to put food on their own tables, they took pity on the abandoned child and cared for Flora with love and affection.
But what good is being kind?
The orphanage was poor, the children struggled to eat even one meal a day, and a dilapidated house that could collapse at any moment was their shared fate.
With monster attacks from the Demon Forest, the hearts of the villagers had hardened, and they couldn't even expect any patronage.
When they found out that Mrs. Finny had even been swindled by an acquaintance in the midst of all this, it truly felt like there was no dream or hope left.
Everyone at the orphanage thought they would surely starve to death, but they somehow survived.
How did they survive?
Flora was lucky.
Very, very lucky.
Her first piece of luck was being abandoned by her parents, which allowed her to act relatively freely from others' scrutiny.
Her second piece of luck was......
"Huuuung. What should I do today to spread the rumor that I played well?"
Unlike in her reminiscence, as Flora was about to stomp down the sturdy stairs with all her might, a bad feeling made her quickly hide her body behind the stair post.
"Flora. Where are you? The Young Lady of House Hermannus has come to visit you."
Sure enough, Mrs. Finny's searching voice could be heard.
'Ugh, why does she keep coming to bother me like this? She should at least call ahead.'
Then I would have hidden and never come out.
Rosaria Hermannus.