Chapter 2 : The Villainess’s First Steps

Sitting in the back seat, leisurely gazing out the window lost in thought, the classroom door opened, and a professor entered with someone.

The girl glowing with a pink light stood out. She was unique in this world.

The protagonist of the original story, ‘Lucy’.

But why is she coming in with the professor?

“Go ahead and find an empty seat.”

“Yes, Professor.”

Her voice is lovely too.

It’s like a songbird’s melody.

I couldn’t help but wonder, what kind of sounds would she make at night?

The professor addressed the class. “Everyone’s here, right? Let me introduce myself briefly. I am Professor Lilian Immary, and I will be in charge of Class A for the next year. My subject is Elemental Magic.”

A beautiful professor with a fitting black bob cut, the academy life seems like it will be enjoyable.

No. I shook the thought away. My goal was clear: expulsion. I couldn’t afford to lose sight of my original determination.

“Note that accumulating three warnings will result in a class downgrade, you know?”

Hearing that, I made up my mind: to work harder than anyone else.

From this moment forward, there would be no such thing as a warning in my dictionary.

The professor told us to check our individual schedules and attend classes on time starting tomorrow.

“Well then, for the first day, we’ll just do a simple mana measurement and finish,” she announced.

At that moment, a student raised their hand.

“I’m aiming to be a knight, do I still need a mana measurement?”

“Ah, there was a student who wanted to be a knight but turned out to have the talent of an archmage. Since then, it’s been mandatory for everyone.”

The professor took out a mana measuring tool, a rather expensive-looking crystal ball, from subspace and set it up.

“Come forward one by one from the front.”

Each time a student stepped out to measure their mana, a number was displayed on the crystal ball.

The average was around 50, and it’s commonly said that exceeding 100 indicates the talent of an archmage.

Befitting the name of Class A, the numbers were quite outstanding, averaging between 70 and 80.

Finally, it was our protagonist Lucy’s turn.

When she placed her seemingly white and soft hand on it, an astonishing number, 115, was displayed.

It was a number well over 100.

If a noble had achieved that number, they would have been showered with congratulations. But as a commoner, Lucy was met only with bitter remarks and disdain.

Ignoring the murmurs of the others, it was my turn. I stepped forward and placed my hand on the crystal ball.

At that moment, with a loud ‘bang!’, the crystal ball shattered into pieces.

“It’s defective.”

“Th, that can’t be…?”

The professor mumbled in disbelief, then told us to wait a moment and left the classroom.

Not long after, the professor returned, holding an identical crystal ball.

“Try again.”

“Yes, Professor.”

I placed my hand on the crystal ball, but this time too, it broke with a loud noise.

I glanced at the professor, curious about her reaction. Her face was lit with ecstasy.

“Finally, among my students…”

She seemed deeply moved and held my hands tightly.

Her touch is soft.

“Any interest in a teaching position at the academy!? Starting as an assistant and eventually becoming a professor…!”

“I’m fine.”

I refused flatly and tried to pull my hands away to return to my seat.

But the professor didn’t let go easily.

“Don’t be like that! Think about it carefully!”

“Um, I’m sorry.”

Despite her being a beautiful professor, I’d already made up my mind.

With a parting offer to visit her office anytime if I changed my mind, she hurried off to report the incident.

Class ended early.

“Let’s go back.”

Eve was my maid and the second daughter of Baron Cereve. She took the lead.

“Yes, Miss.”

I’m terrible with directions, often getting lost even in my own home. I couldn’t imagine life without Eve.

While heading to the dormitory, I heard someone calling from behind.

“W-wait a minute!?”

Turning my head, I saw our protagonist ‘Lucy’ panting and running towards us.

Why is she doing that?

“Huff, huff. H-hey…”

Lucy extended her hand towards me.

Just then, with a ‘smack’ sound, Eve slapped Lucy’s hand away.

“Don’t touch her so carelessly.”

“I-I’m sorry!”

She bowed deeply in apology.

But why did she chase after me?

I raised my hand to stop Eve and approached Lucy.

“Please speak.”

“Well…”

Lucy hesitated, glancing at me.

After a moment of hesitation, she seemed to make up her mind, her eyes sparkling as she spoke.

“The magic you used at the entrance ceremony was so cool, I really wanted to tell you that!”

Ah, so that was it.

Originally, I planned to approach her when regular classes started.

But since the opportunity came first, I wouldn’t be a villainess if I let it pass.

I approached Lucy and raised my hand, causing her to flinch, close her eyes tightly, and lower her head.

I lifted Lucy’s chin with my fingers, and she looked at me with her rabbit-like eyes.

“Aria Theres!?”

“You’re quite pretty, you know.”

With those words, I turned and headed towards the dormitory.

She should get it now, right?

That she’s on my bad side.

On the way to the dormitory, Eve’s bad habit surfaced again.

She was muttering something while biting her nails.

“Eve.”

“Yes, Miss.”

I took Eve’s hand, and she looked at me with surprised eyes.

“I told you not to bite your nails, didn’t I? You’re bleeding.”

With a bright light, the wound healed.

Eve, at a loss for words, thanked me with a flushed face.

Does she have a fever?

When I placed my hand on her forehead, it was hot.

“You have a fever. Let’s go and rest.”

“Th-that’s not it…”

“Shall I carry you?”

“No! I’m fine!”

When I naturally linked arms with her, she protested that I shouldn’t.

“Everyone is equal at the academy, right?”

“That’s just a formality, Miss!”

“What about between us?”

“Miss…”

Together with Eve, who made a cute sound, we entered the dormitory, and the dorm supervisor handed us our room keys.

“The luggage sent from home has been moved into the room.”

“Thank you.”

Checking the room number, it was on the 5th floor.

We climbed the stairs to the 5th floor and opened the door, revealing a spacious room.

While the average Class A dormitory is about 99 square meters, the rooms for the top and runner-up students were on a different level.

This space, which looked to be about 231 square meters, had five rooms, two bathrooms, a large living room, and even a kitchen.

Normally, Eve, being a Class A student and from a baronial family, would have been entitled to her own room.

However, she said she was worried about me and wanted to stay together.

For me, it’s actually better to have Eve by my side, but I don’t know how Eve feels about it.

Just then, as I watched Eve unpack and start organizing, I moved closer and picked up an item.

“I’ll do it, Miss.”

“I’ll help. You’re not feeling well.”

“Th-that’s not it!”

Judging by the way she shouted, it’s clear that she’s not feeling well.

I patted her shoulder and told her to take it slow, and Eve made a strange expression.

Is she embarrassed?

How cute.

The assigned room was a typical studio size, about 16.5 square meters.

It was an unbelievable treatment for the runner-up, but even this was something to be grateful for.

Being born a commoner and entering the academy itself was a great fortune and an opportunity to learn.

In fact, because of my looks, I was almost sold off as a concubine to an old, wealthy noble, but thanks to my talent, I was able to enter the academy.

Thanks to that, I avoided the worst-case scenario, but another hardship awaited me.

Just because I was a commoner, I had to endure blatant disdain and discrimination from professors and students.

Moreover, my talent became a target of envy and jealousy.

While I was worried about whether I could graduate safely, an anomaly occurred at the academy.

The mana measuring crystal ball shattered, drawing everyone’s attention to one person.

It was Aria Theres, the top student of the academy’s entrance exam, the dignified figure from the prestigious magical Theres Dukedom.

From the moment we first met, she was different.

She immediately recognized that I was a commoner but didn’t look at me with contempt like others.

Instead, she seemed to have no interest in me at all.

But the reality was different.

Captivated by her dazzling magic at the entrance ceremony.

I wanted to convey my greetings, but she did something unexpected.

She gently lifted my chin and whispered.

That she liked me…

Ah, in our society, it was something unimaginable, yet she said it so confidently.

It was like something out of a novel.

Burying my face in the pillow, I silently cheered.

When suddenly, the professor’s proposal came to mind.

He offered me an assistant position.

He worried that it would be difficult for me, a commoner, to graduate from the academy.

Come to think of it, I remember him making the same offer to Aria.

If I become an assistant, could I be with her?

Some might laugh at me for being just a commoner.

But I will seize this opportunity.

This heaven-sent fortune, I will never let it go.

“I will definitely stand by your side.”

Hugging the pillow, lying on my stomach, I quietly vowed. Unforgettable for the rest of my life, my…