Chapter 4: Chapter 3: The Dawn of Lecherous Maid

A ball flew straight into the temple of a white-haired girl, knocking the daydreaming child unconscious. At that moment, foreign memories surged through her mind—memories of a mediocre college student.

Anime movies. Hentai manga. Ecchi light novels. A flood of utterly useless memories invaded Alicia’s innocent mind. The pure little girl had been overwritten—replaced by a lecherous former college student.

“Alicia! Are you okay?” the other children called out, rushing to her side.

Alicia blinked, slowly raising her small hands. They were tiny—cute even. Then, without hesitation, those dainty hands floated up to her chest. She gave the soft, modest bulge a curious squeeze.

And smirked.

She was done for.

The original Alicia was no more. In her place stood Nathan—the reincarnated college student—inside the body of a young girl. A devious grin stretched across her face. His wish had come true. He had become an adorable, beautiful girl. The soft sensation beneath his palms confirmed it. There wasn’t much there yet, but the goddess had promised it would grow.

“Yay! I’m Alicia! I’m cute and beautiful!” she declared, pumping her fist proudly in front of her confused playmates. “I’ll be a big-breasted lady in the future!”

“Huh? Is she okay?” The children tilted their heads at her sudden outburst.

“We probably hit her head too hard,” one of the kids muttered. “Maybe she should lie down…”

“Hahaha! I’m perfectly fine!” Alicia laughed maniacally. “I’m Alicia! I’m now a talented, genius protagonist! Goddess Sistielle promised me!”

Puffing out her yet-to-be-developed chest and placing her hands on her hips, she struck a pose. With full confidence, she proclaimed, “In this world, I’ll become a successful lady! I’m an isekai protagonist—no matter what I do, I’ll succeed!”

“…She’s gone crazy,” one of the kids whispered.

Indeed, Alicia was a lost cause.

Terminal.

Her pre-reincarnation depression had already pushed her to the edge—and now, once there was salvation, there was no coming back.

Nevertheless, Alicia ignored the narrator’s judgmental comments. No one truly understood how she had felt. How despair had caught up to her when she became a useless college student. How even the most basic things—like eating and cleaning—had lost all meaning.

Yes, back when she was Nathan, she often skipped meals and showers just to stare at a screen, like the hopeless NEET she was.

She had felt she had no purpose. No passion, no wants, no drive. Everything seemed meaningless. All because she was mediocre—just another NPC on the street. Easily overlooked. Easily replaced.

And when she finally realized she was nobody special… that’s when the world turned gray.

It was the quiet lament of a useless student.

But that dark past no longer mattered.

Now, she was special. The goddess had said so. Mages were important—and mages of her caliber only existed by the dozen in the entire kingdom.

In this world, Alicia would not be just another NPC. She would stand out. She was chosen.

“Well, I’m a kid right now, so—let’s play! What are the rules?” Alicia beamed at her playmates.

They were all poor children dressed in worn-out clothes. Even Alicia was no different. She glanced down at her tattered tunic, then looked around. Slowly, it dawned on her.

This wasn’t a slum where the rich walked over the backs of the poor. No, this was just poverty—plain and honest. The entire region was underdeveloped. Almost none of the homes were made of stone; most were simple wooden houses.

“Let’s play ball! Catch!” one of the kids shouted, hurling a ball toward Alicia.

She caught it with ease and looked around, curious about what kind of game they were playing. The other kids raised their hands, calling for the ball. Alicia threw it back, and someone caught it.

With an adult mind, Alicia expected rules. Objective. Structure. Strategy.

But there was none.

One kid threw the ball and hit another, shouting that he’d scored a point—only to be scolded for being too rough. Another tossed the ball high into the air, declaring that he was the strongest. Meanwhile, some of the girls passed the ball gently between themselves, laughing as they made up their own rhythms.

There were no rules.

Just fun.

Alicia went with the flow. Her body buzzed with excitement as the ball came her way. She caught it with both hands and threw it back, relying on faint memories of her high school volleyball days.

The ball was made of cheap, worn leather—it barely bounced at all.

Still, a few of the boys clapped, thinking her move looked cool.

“Yay! I’m the best!” Alicia cheered, arms raised in triumph.

It would’ve been unthinkable for her to feel this kind of joy when she was Nathan. Back then, even existing felt like a chore.

But now? Even if someone punched her in the face, she’d probably still smile. That’s how happy she was for getting another chance at life.

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Despite having the mind of an adult, Alicia blended effortlessly with the children. That was a blessing in itself.

Still, she was no longer a shy, unremarkable girl. No—among the children of Shadowstep County, Alicia had already earned a reputation:

The narcissistic one.

“Let’s go home! Papa’ll scold me if I’m not back before sunset!” one of the kids called out.

Mob mentality took over, and the children began to scatter, each heading back to their own home. Alicia waved them off with a grin and walked confidently in the wrong direction.

This stupid girl got lost.

“Hm…” Alicia scratched her head and dug through her memories, trying to remember where her house was. It took a while to sift through Nathan’s mostly useless knowledge, but eventually, something clicked.

“Wait a minute. Shadowstep? That sounds familiar…” Alicia blinked. “Am I in that novel? That mediocre story about a bloodthirsty villainess?”

As if in divine response, a bird dropped its droppings right onto her head—again.

Bullseye.

Karma had come for poor Alicia. That’s what she got for badmouthing someone else’s web novel. All she had going for her was her face—her head and her wallet were both empty.

“AHH! What the hell!? Are the birds cursing me or something?! This is the second time!” Alicia shouted, glaring at the cerulean sky.

The birds above paid her no mind.

They just chirped sweetly, as if mocking the foolish girl below.

“Argh! So annoying…” Alicia grumbled as she walked over to the well.

There were no hand pumps in this region—just a good old-fashioned rope and pulley. After experiencing the true medieval way of drawing water, she used the bucket to wash her face and hair.

“Ugh… I shouldn’t have asked to be born in the Middle Ages…” she muttered, clearly regretting her wish. The thought of a world without AC and computers filled her with despair.

She really was spoiled rotten.

The house was empty when she returned. She glanced around, hoping to find some food—but there was nothing.

“Oh yeah… Alicia’s the daughter of a poor knight,” she groaned, slumping into a bed.

Her father still hadn’t come home, despite the sun having long set. But Alicia wasn’t upset. She was already used to this. Nathan had barely seen his parents in his past life either.

Digging through her memories, Alicia remembered that her mother had died years ago, and her father had been working nonstop to keep them both fed.

“Well… let’s just endure it. I’m a chosen mage. Soon, I’ll have servants and maids to handle all these menial tasks,” she said, sighing dramatically. “Ugh… I’m a fire mage. If I were a water mage, at least I could conjure a bath.”

As always, Alicia whined at every hardship she encountered.

One had to wonder what exactly went through Sistielle’s head when she chose Nathan to reincarnate. He wasn’t evil… but he wasn’t good either. Not smart, but not dumb. Just perfectly, painfully average.

Later that night, a voice called out from the doorway.

“Alicia, still up?”

It was her father—John.

“Yes… Papa,” Alicia answered, a little unsure.

She quickly searched her inherited memories. Should she call him Papa? Father? John?

She had called her parents by their first names in her past life, but this world was different.

“Let’s eat. I brought some bread for dinner,” John said, handing her a chunk of bread wrapped in a paper bag.

Only one? Alicia sighed. The goddess wasn’t kidding when she said I’d be born as a poor knight’s daughter.

Why the heck is he so poor, anyway?

She bit into the stale bread. It was dry and tough—far from delicious.

Still, for someone who had just reincarnated, Alicia didn’t really mind. It was all new.

A part of the experience. Temporary.

Soon, she would rise above this life. Once her talent was recognized, she'd leave poverty behind and bask in success and luxury.

This was just play pretend. A momentary struggle before glory.

“Thank you!” Alicia smiled at her father.

“Sorry,” John replied, patting her head. “The bakery only had these left. There were more customers than usual today.”

Their house—no, their shack—was barely furnished. Two beds, a cupboard of worn clothes, and a shelf dedicated to weapon maintenance.

Despite the late hour, John still polished his armor. For soldiers, a well-maintained weapon was a matter of life and death. If he let it rust, he couldn’t afford a blacksmith to fix it.

Alicia wanted to sleep, but curiosity kept her up.

One of the goddess’s gifts had been Sword Mastery. She couldn’t wait to get her hands on a real weapon and start slaying monsters. Since her father was a knight, maybe… she could borrow his?

“Dad, were there any monsters today?”

“There are always monsters in the frontier, my dear,” John said with a tired chuckle.

“Did you kill them?”

She leaned forward, eager for details. General strategies. Movement patterns.

Should she become a knight? Or an adventurer?

This was a fantasy world, after all—monsters were a given. For powerless peasants, life would be brutal. Their crops ruined, their homes ravaged, their lords taxing them dry. And adventurers? Probably arrogant bullies at best.

But not for Alicia.

For her, this world was a paradise. She had magic. She had sword mastery. She even had bow skills.

Everyone would bow before her. No pun intended

Peasants would praise her for defending their lands. Lords would compete to hire her and cater to her whims. Adventurers would buy the dragons she slayed for a fortune.

Wealth. Fame. Glory. All will be hers.

In this world, Alicia would no longer be a mediocre NPC.

She would be the protagonist.

“No. Monsters rarely reach our walls unless it's stampede season,” John said. “The ballistas, archers, and mages employed by Lord Shadowstep usually take care of them.”

“I see. So your job is just... standing at the gate?” Alicia tilted her head. Being a knight sounded easier than she thought.

“Haha. Sometimes I man the ballista. Sometimes I’m the archer,” John chuckled. “I killed two orcs with Sadin and Jonathan last week. A huge arrow skewered that pig-faced abomination like a meat skewer!”

John was a jack-of-all-trades, a mediocre knight who could do everything reasonably well—but never stood out.

Still, Alicia didn’t know any better, and her eyes sparkled with excitement.

The foolish Alicia missed who the local lord was entirely, too focused on calculating how much money she could make from killing monsters.

“Amazing! How much do you earn per kill?”

“We’re knights, Alicia. We defend the land. We’re paid monthly by the lord—not per kill.”

“Ehh… what a bummer…” Alicia deflated. Her fantasy of knighthood shattered in an instant.

Working under a lord felt like slaving away for a black company.

Just look—her dad could only afford a single loaf of bread for dinner.

“Well… that’s how it is, Alicia,” John said, polishing his sword. Once he slid it back into its scabbard, he moved on to his leather armor. It didn’t take long to wipe it clean.

“Dad, can I borrow your sword?” Alicia asked.

“Hm? Why?”

“I want to become a female adventurer!” Alicia declared. “We’ll slay monsters together! No more working for lords who pay us with a single slice of bread. That’s tyranny!”

She pumped her fist like a revolution had just begun.

John stared at her, eyes wide. His smile faltered.

“…I’m sorry, Alicia. But this isn’t the lord’s fault. It’s mine. Please… don’t blame him, okay? Now get some sleep. We’ll talk again tomorrow.”

He placed his sword and armor on the shelf, then gently patted Alicia’s head. With a quiet breath, he blew out the candle, plunging the house into darkness.

“Well, he might be Alicia’s father… but he’s not mine,” Alicia muttered under her breath.

Through the original Alicia’s memories, Nathan knew John was a good man—kind, hardworking, and deeply loved by his daughter.

But Alicia had already been replaced.

And Nathan—mediocre, lazy, indifferent—had no qualms about leaving behind the people who cared for him.

As her stomach let out a low rumble, Alicia pulled her blanket over her head.

“…I’ll find a part-time job tomorrow. No way I’m starving again.”