Episode 1: A Villainess’ Wish (2)

The dummy which was protected by a 5th-tier barrier spell was cut in half, done in by a peak 4th-tier spell <Wind’s Judgement>, from a mere 1st year student.

The astonishment from Professor Atruina was evident. But she quickly moved onto the next participant. 

Indeed, Glenn was the one and only magical prodigy of the century.

It wasn’t long before the crown prince, Isodor Estelle’s turn came.

He was taught both the sword and magic. Balancing the two traits, his limit was a 3rd-tier magic spell. Objectively, that level of magic prowess was quite fitting for his age. It felt ‘lacking’ only because he was put in comparison to geniuses like Glenn and I.

Still, since he was the crown prince, the students all cheered.

“Next, Kairen Copper,” He, was finally called. 

A fodder villain for Lowe who had no redeeming qualities besides his somewhat above average looks. He stood out in appearance being the only student in class with tan brown skin. Reaching the stand he turned to the dummy. 

“I’ll start now,” his voice sounding boringly ordinary.

Tapping the ground with his feet, I sensed him drawing energy from beneath the ground.

Feeling the density of the mana he was channelling, I couldn’t help but furrow my brows.

He channelled the mana into his right arm, violent lightning crackled in his fist. Then twisting his body, he arched his posture like a bow in preparation to fire. 

Drawing an arc in the ground with his feet as if a martial artist, he quickly sent his fist forward against air.

—BOOOOM!!

The air exploded. The recoil created a gust of wind exploding backwards, while the lightning and air shockwave fired forward and shook the target.

While it didn’t deal any major damage to the target as his fist didn’t collide directly, one could imagine the damage felt from being hit square by his attack.

This guy, Kairen Copper… I don’t remember him doing this.

It was a 2nd-tier lightning spell, yet… it was executed in such an unorthodox manner. I couldn’t decide if it was appropriate to call it the same <Thunderclap> spell I knew. The potency of the discharge was abnormal.

… What the hell?

A student who wasn’t some kind of high noble talent had displayed skill on par with the likes of the crown prince. The crowd burst into a roar. 

Feeling a little dazed, I watched him leave the stage as Professor Aturina called on the next participant.

Has he always been that strong though? No way. 

Without being able to finish collecting my thoughts, Lowe’s turn came next.

In a panic, she waved her arm desperately to conjure a spell, any spell. Unfortunately, due to her lack of skill, even a 1st-tier spell like <Spark> had failed to form.

“U-Uh…” Lowe stuttered, squinting her eyes.

“If you can’t cast a basic spell, then at least show me what you can do,” Professor Aturina, who saw Lowe’s deplorable performance, held her head. 

“R-Right, I’m sorry,” Lowe hurriedly apologised. She did not give up.

As she drew her arms close with fist and eyes clenched tight, a golden light rippled out from underneath her.

Professor Aturina’s instruction was to showcase magic. And Lowe, who thought that she had to create a spell to hit the dummy target, struggled to come up with an offensive spell.

However, her prowess lied not in common spells, but in her intuitive talent in supporting magic.

A surge of vitality sprung up from within those who stood in range of Lowe’s non-tiered magic, <Vigor’s Veil>.

“Wonderful, student Lowe. You may return,” Professor Aturina nodded, satisfied.

Lowe thanked her and stepped out, embarrassed.

It was an unexpected twist of events, everyone was in shock and confused by what had happened. That feeling of upsurge which they had received from her magic left an indelible impression on everyone.

After finishing her showcase, Glenn would take the initiative to approach Lowe out of curiosity—but that didn’t happen. 

Wasn’t the event that brought the protagonist and 2nd male lead together? Why was Lowe left standing there alone?

I searched for Glenn in the crowd, and noticed him embracing Kairen intimately in his arms, looking so confused.

For a moment, I thought I was hallucinating. Rubbing my eyes, I looked again. Our eyes met, he flinched.

Then finally entering full panic mode, he pushed Kairen away. The bastard slipped from his grasp and fell face first on the ground, unconscious.

At the disconcerting thud, everyone’s attention turned towards them.

Glenn looked at everyone with an expression that pleaded his innocence.

“What happened?” Professor Aturina asked in a half-exasperated tone.

“Oh no.” Lowe gasped. Then quickly she ran over.

“Mana exhaustion… maybe… I didn't think he’d faint…?” Glenn explained, or at least tried to.

Watching Lowe trying to save the person who killed her in the previous life made me dizzy. 

“Professor Aturina, I’ll bring him to the infirmary!” I was just about to interrupt when Lowe spoke. She tried to carry him but… she was too weak.

Glenn, wanting to help, grabbed Kairen by the arm and dragged him like a gunny sack.

“W-Wait! You can’t treat a patient like that!” Lowe gasped. 

For reasons unknown, Glenn didn’t know to carry Kairen in his arms, or shoulder. 

Isodor pinched between his eyes before walking towards them. Sweeping the fainted Kairen into his arms, he informed everyone of his dismissal and carried him off to the infirmary.

Glenn and Lowe looked at each other. The former looked confused, while the latter showed a cute disapproval.

Meanwhile I couldn’t help but wonder what went wrong. I don’t recall a BL scene happening here.

Was Glenn into guys? Could there be some hidden achievement scenario to turn Kairen into a capture target for the male leads? Just what in the world happened?

Wait, no. Fuck, what am I thinking?! 

I should’ve stopped Isodor from approaching him! That son of a bitch’s fuck face would’ve been erased off the face of the Earth if Glenn had continued to broom him across the ground. 

⋉◆⌌ ⫺⪼▫◆▫⪻⫹ ⌍◆⋊

Glenn should’ve approached Lowe for the reason that he was curious about her magic, but… for some reason this time, it was Kairen Copper’s fainting which had led them to get along. 

And on that note, was it my memory, or was the bastard not supposed to have fainted? 

Was this the butterfly effect? So early on in the story?

I was afraid things would proceed differently from my expectations so I secretly followed Lowe after classes.

In the story, she would go to this quaint spot in the campus, and start practising magic because she felt disappointed by her performance earlier in the day.

I hid myself behind a pillar, and further concealed my presence with a spell, <Wind Magic: Concealment>.

I waited, observing Lowe as she frustrated over the simplest of spells.

In the story, even if you used up all the game’s best resources, you could never develop her elemental magic capabilities beyond 5th-tier. She was a support mage, so it was wisest to give up on basically everything else besides spells within her scope of talent.  

Leave the offensive spells to the male leads and buff them from behind. That was the intended strategy for clearing the game.

Just as Lowe was about to leave, Glenn appeared.

Seeing how the story did not deviate here, I sighed in relief. Mission accomplished, it was time to go.

Glenn Twilight was crucial in Lowe’s development. He was the one who suggested to us, ‘the players’, to capitalise on strengths rather than weaknesses. Not even him, the prodigy of magic, could compete against Lowe when it came to support-class magic.

I dispersed the concealment spell and fled from my hiding spot.

“What are you doing?”

“...” Royally screwing myself up in the process. Turning around I met Isodor’s gaze.

He turned to look towards the garden where Glenn and Lowe were, then to me, with his fist trembling slightly. I narrowed my eyes.

“Tell me, what the hell are you plotting?” His gaze was full of contempt.

Funny. As my fiance, he was more protective of Lowe than me. 

There was pain in my heart, but swallowed it back down knowing it was naive to turn back now.

This is the path I had chosen. I will carry on for the sake of the world.

I’ve enjoyed Isodor’s kind company in my previous life, so I knew that his current actions did not reflect his true self. His stinging remarks were justified, the result of my harsh behaviour. 

“Anything to tear your eyes away from that common bitch.” And so I had to continue, push him to the edge so that he’ll hate me.

“What… did you just call her?”

“Did you think, as your fiance, it is pleasant to hear the name of another girl being spat by someone as mighty as yourself? What about that ‘Lowe-ly’ bitch attracts you so much, huh?”

“Watch your language…” His eyes were red. I think he was slowly reaching his limit.

“Wow, you’re defending that commoner? Do you know how much that annoys me?” I scoffed, jabbing him again while covering my face with my paper fan.

“Enough!” His eyes glazed over. “Leave.”

I suppressed the turmoil rising within me. “Leave? Is that supposed to be an order? What a way to abuse your authority, prince. I’m so disappointed,” 

“I’ve warned…” Isodor’s words were left incomplete, interrupted.

“Huh?” It was Lowe. 

She bumped into the two of us arguing.

“Lowe… no. Nothing, Astraea, let’s go,” Isodor grabbed my wrist, wanting to flee.

The perfect chance to send his anger into the stratosphere—a permanent rift between me and the prince to shift his attention completely to the protagonist.

“You just spoke the name of that commoner bitch, how dare you!” I gave it a final push. 

“Astraea!” Isodor shouted back, his eyes bloodshot.

I shook his hand off.

“What is…” Glenn, who was following closely behind Lowe, flinched at the sight of the two of us.

I brought myself before Lowe and began my spiel. “Bitch, know your place. If you appear in front of my fiance again, I’ll tear that disgusting face of your’s and throw it to the pigs!”

Her eyes quaked, legs trembled like a newborn fawn. Guilt engulfed me, yet I knew I was doing it for her sake. What could I do? I was the villain. I had to be the villain.

“I’m satisfied. Let’s go, Isodor,” Forcing a plastic smile, I intertwined my hand with his—

He shoved me away. “You… You’ve completely done it now…!” 

“What! What did I ever do?!” I wasn’t even sure anymore if my response came from reason or emotion.

I looked at him, and then…!

My vision spun.

Pain shot up my knee and ankles. My cheeks felt hot… really hot.

Here where it was just the four of us, only we would know that—the crown prince had just slapped his fiance.

Truly, it’s as he said—I’ve done it now.

I couldn’t stop the tear from falling down the corner of my eye.

Desperate, confused… I raised my head.

Hiding behind the sturdy body of Isodor was the trembling Lowe. And Glenn, who had been furthest back, had come to shield Lowe’s eye from my plightful appearance.

The smile that never once disappeared from Glenn's face was gone. In its place was a frightening appearance that few people would come across in their lifetime. 

That spine-chilling gaze… this was the first time being on the receiving end of it.

My throat felt dry, my cheeks burned, my knee twisted so bad I could hardly move. Yet despite all of this, none of that could compare to this pain I was feeling inside, offending a friend which I had struggled life and death with.

For a moment I thought maybe I was wrong… maybe there was some other way, some better way, one that didn’t require me to be the devil…

Perhaps I should come clean, reveal all my sins—and beg for their forgiveness. 

I grappled with the idea—threatening to ruin it all. 

Isodor, with a painfully contorted expression, walked away. Lowe looked like she wanted to help me, but was stopped by Glenn who shook his head. They too left soon after the crown prince’s departure.

I lowered my head to catch my breath.

“Ha…” A laugh escaped my lips. “Hahahaha… I’m doing great, I’m… fine. I can do this.”

Compared to the shit I experienced last round, this was nothing.

This is fine.

I’m… fine.