Villainess Level 100

Finally, the big day arrived. As the Ombre carriage pulled up in front of the gargantuan gates that surrounded the palace-like complex that was Arcana Academy, I stared at the gleaming, white marble domes that each resembled a castle. There were five of them, one for each major element – fire, water, wood, earth and wind – and each ruled over by its dean.

They were deliberately set up in a massive formation meant to augment the academy’s defenses. I could see the shimmering barrier wreathing the black cast-iron gates, on a far greater scale than the one protecting the Ombre estate. Between the dome structures was a vast, verdant garden, dotted with fountains, ponds and verandas. There was even a single lake in the huge backyard, likely meant for mages to practice water magic, but large enough for leisurely boating.

“Please watch your step.”

The carriage had come to a stop, and I behaved with proper decorum, opening the door and disembarking first before turning to help Lumiere out of the extravagant transport. Unlike her usual simple red and black dress, she was now wearing the red and white uniform of Arcana Academy, adorned with gold trim, flowery ribbons and a frilly black skirt. Similarly, I had ditched my plain black attire for a similarly colored uniform, except that mine was dark trousers instead.

“It has been two months, huh?” I murmured, finally turning to stare at the looming entrance. It had been a while since Lumiere’s curse had been lifted and she began practicing magic. I closed my eyes and grimaced as the memories of our training session flooded my mind.

The very next day, after I dispelled the curse in the Ombre library, we had taken our lesson to the large field outside the estate. It was only natural. After the near disaster in which she almost burned her father’s books, we decided it would be safer to do it in the open.

“Um…do I do it like this?”

With a flick of her hand, she had burned down an entire tree, leaving nothing but ash. If I hadn’t gotten involved personally, I would never have believed this was merely her second day using magic.

“Again! I think I’m getting the hang of it!”

“Wait, wait! You’ll burn down the whole forest!”

Having come from a world that was under the threat of global warming and climate change, I was extremely against razing trees for no reason, even if it was for magic practice. I had to channel her practice to less…environmentally hazardous methods.

On the third day, she outdid herself and blew up a hill. I had gawked at the drastically altered landscape, a roughly flattened land with naught but ash and soot covering its surface.

The feat of strength came at a cost, though. She had suffered burns on her arm from unleashing too much mana. I had sighed and issued her a warning.

“Don’t unleash too much strength. Your physical body cannot handle the raw amount of mana. If you do that again, you’ll end up killing yourself.”

“Fine. I’ll be careful next time.”

Her flippant tone had worried me, and my fears were proven right on the fourth day, when she had attempted again. Though she didn’t blow up anything this time, her mana had billowed out and engulfed her in a hellish inferno, threatening to destroy not just her surroundings, but also consume her.

“Not again! Why? Why can’t I control my mana? Why does this keep happening?!”

Her body was crumbling from the immense amount of mana surging through her, breaking her apart from the inside out. Not to mention, her skin was reddening from the sheer heat and violence of her own spell.

“As if I’ll let this stop me…!”

“Calm down!”

I had swiftly extinguished the mana, smoothly sliding my runes and recomposing the lyrical structure of her spell. By now, I had plenty of practice and could almost pull it off without thinking. As the both of us panted, staring at the scorched surroundings in dismay, I pushed my glasses up with shaking fingers.

“Let’s take a step back for now and take our time to slowly think about how we can solve this.”

“What’s the use of having so much mana when I can’t use it?” Lumiere had grumbled, pulling her knees to her chest and sulking. “It’s almost like I’m back to square one.”

“Not necessarily.” I had smiled, an idea already forming in my mind as I surveyed the devastation. “I think I might know what’s causing your mana to go out of control.”

“Yes, it certainly was a period filled with ordeals,” Lumiere agreed, her gentle but firm voice piercing my reverie. She stood beside me and stared at the foreboding gates, a grimace touching her otherwise lovely features. “I hope it’s worth it. I believe that the matriculation ceremony will be marked with a demonstration event, the academy requiring all the newly admitted students to display their magical prowess in front of everybody.”

Ah, the power level ranking system trope. Of course.

“Look!”

“As expected, they’re in league with each other.”

“How suspicious.”

“Why are they here? Do they actually intend to enroll in Arcana Academy?”

“Where’s security? Shouldn’t they throw them out?”

“Security can’t do anything, they’re wearing the same uniform as us.”

“There must be some mistake, there’s no way black-haired demonspawn will be allowed into our school.”

“...Black-haired demon couple…”

As we stepped through the gates and into the academy proper, malicious rumors and contemptuous gossip drifted to my ears. Lumiere strode confidently, ignoring the condescending voices around us, but I could see the set in her jaw. No matter how detached we were from noble society, there was no way we wouldn’t be stung by such spiteful chatter.

“Lady Lumiere, why are you here?”

A familiar voice cut through the commotion and caused us to pause in our steps. Turning, I saw Prince Leonard Rifenhart approach us, accompanied by Silvia Sainte. The latter was watching us fearfully for some reason.

I wondered why she was so afraid of us. We hadn’t done anything to her.

“I’ve been admitted to Arcana Academy as a student,” Lumiere replied matter-of-factly.

“That’s impossible! Everyone knows you can’t use magic!”

“That’s right,” another of the noble students said. “Leave!”

“Quit pretending! You can try as much as you want, but you’ll never be on the same level as us!”

“You can’t accept your disgrace because you still consider yourself to be a duke’s daughter, huh? Accept reality already!”

“Everyone, please.” Leonard silenced the jeers with a look. Then he turned back to Lumiere. “Have you really been admitted here? But how? As far as I know, Arcana Academy doesn’t accept students who can’t use magic.”

“Well, obviously, Lady Lumiere can use magic now,” I said, failing to keep the annoyance from my voice. Everyone stared at me for a few stunned moments before Leonard burst out laughing. Everyone, with the sole exception of Silvia, joined in a second later.

“Are you listening to yourself? Everyone knows Lady Lumiere has been unable to use magic for years. Are you seriously telling me that she suddenly became able to use magic one day? If you want to make something up, at least come up with something more believable!”

“It’s true. I’m the one who taught her.”

That only made them laugh harder.

“Is he for real?”

“He’s claiming to be a teacher now? Then why is he enrolling here as a student, and not a teacher?”

“Does he believe he’s some kind of genius simply because he wears glasses and reads a lot? Did he let the nickname bookwater noble get to his head?”

“How deluded. I suppose insanity is a common trait of those with black hair?”

“Whether we’re telling the truth or not, you’ll see for yourself during the magic demonstration.” Lumiere narrowed her eyes and took my hand. “Let us go, Sir Trevor. It is pointless to waste time debating with such narrow-minded people.”

“W…wait!”

To everyone’s surprise, it was Silvia who called out in a quivering voice. She swallowed, feeling uncomfortable under the weight of so many stares, but steeled herself. Taking a deep breath, she approached Lumiere.

“Y…your magic…please…you really should avoid learning magic.”

“Why?” Lumiere asked coldly. Intimidated, Silvia shrank. But she was so desperate that she stood her ground and blurted.

“If…if you use magic, it’ll lead to disaster!”

“A little too late for that,” I muttered, recalling the destruction she had wrought during our practice sessions over the last couple of months.

“What do you mean by that?” Lumiere asked icily, ignoring my comment. She was understandably unsettled by Silvia’s proclamation, especially since the saintess shouldn’t have any way of knowing what recently transpired near the Ombre estate. Furthermore, Silvia was speaking in future tense, so she was definitely not referring to the poor plains that had borne the brunt of Lumiere’s practice.

The silver-haired girl lowered her head, unable to speak. Leonard quickly came to her rescue, interposing himself between her and the coldly furious Lumiere.

“That’s enough.” He placed an arm around Silvia’s shoulders and guided her away, but glanced over his shoulder to leave a parting shot. “Whatever means you used to deceive the school’s administration, it’ll be exposed soon.”

I tried not to sigh. They were the ones deceiving themselves. Well, with the magic demonstration coming right up, there was a chance to silence their accusations and mockery. I was looking forward to it.

This time, it was my turn to gently place my hand on Lumiere’s shoulder and lead her away. She was visibly fuming, but I was relieved to see her restraint.

“They keep running their mouths off even though they know absolutely nothing.”

I nodded, agreeing with the vehemence in her voice. “Yeah. These morons have no idea how hard you’ve worked. They’re too blinded by prejudice. If only they can keep an open mind…”

She shot me a withering look. “I don’t care about that. Honestly, I wanted to keep a low profile. After what happened in my previous life, I would much prefer not to draw unwanted attention.”

“I see.” That was unexpected. Before I could ask, Lumiere continued.

“But what annoys me is their dismissive attitude. I never would have gotten this far without you. If it weren’t for you, I would have ended up in whatever disaster it is that Lady Silvia seems to think I’ll create. In fact, regardless of what I learn here in Arcana Academy, I believe that you’re the most important teacher to me.”

“Oh. Um…” I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. Clearing my throat, I looked away, praying that she didn’t see me blush. I couldn’t see it myself, but I could certainly feel the burn that was creeping across my face. Fortunately, before things could get too awkward, a thunderous voice resounded across the courtyard.

“Over here, new students!”

A teacher wearing long robes and even a matching hat waved to us, his dark hair barely visible beneath the purple brim. Stars were emblazoned in gold across his cloak, signifying his high status. The students ceased their contemptuous conversations and followed him to a particularly vast courtyard where target boards in the shape of humanoid armor stood in rows. Evidently, these would be the poor victims, set to be the students’ punching bags.

“Greetings, noble students of Antares Kingdom. You’ve all traveled a long way, to gather in this most esteemed institution of learning and esotericism. I welcome you, and look forward to your bright futures, the illuminated paths that you will pave to serve as shining beacons for successive generations of mages to come.”

An old man stepped forward, his hair white and his beard long enough to reach his chin. Like me, he wore glasses, the lenses shielding his crinkly, silver-blue eyes. The mage who had called the students using a magically amplified voice earlier, had stepped back, to allow the old man to deliver his speech. Even though this was my first time seeing him in person, I immediately recognized him.

Arthur Crowley. The headmaster of Arcana Academy and the former first mage of the royal court. His contributions to the war in the south had been legendary, with people claiming he drove off an entire army with nothing but magic.

Seeing his imposing aura, which felt like an ocean of mana suffocating the gathered students, and completely at odds with his seemingly physical frailty, I felt as if I could believe that.

Even as Crowley descended into platitudes of encouragement and the occasional flattery, for he was dealing with young nobles, my attention wandered to the gathering of mages behind him. While most of them were teachers, dressed in the same distinctive purple robes with golden stars, there was a significant number who stood apart. They were clearly not students or teachers, and their regal bearing and expensive attires hinted that they might be stakeholders.

One of them, in particular, stood out. Sharing the same blond hair and sapphire eyes as Leonard, but with more mature features and a colder, dignified air, he sat quietly at the back and studied the students dispassionately. Dressed in a black and gold military-styled uniform, with a fur coat snuggled over his shoulders, he stood out from an otherwise similarly exalted company.

“That’s his highness, Prince Oswald. The crown prince.”

Lumiere must have noticed where I was looking, for she whispered. I nodded and tried not to groan. I never thought I would be correct when I thought the damned crown prince arc would be next.

I wasn’t the only one who noticed. More than a few students murmured, their hushed tones barely suppressing their excitement.

“Why is his highness Prince Oswald here?”

“I heard that his highness’s staff is here in the capacity of the committee that oversees the matriculation ceremony.”

“The school usually invites him every year.”

That explained it, but I couldn’t shake off the feeling that his presence was a little too convenient. The students continued to chatter, provoking glares from the teachers behind the headmaster, and silence fell once more as the old man moved to the importance of maintaining ethics in human research.

Thankfully, Crowley mercifully kept his speech short.

“Whatever the outcome, and whichever paths you eventually choose to undertake when you graduate from here, may your journey here in Arcana be filled with enlightenment, delight and development.” He retreated, his steps still strong despite his age. “Master Bruno, back to you.”

“Thank you, headmaster.” The teacher-mage from earlier stepped up. “As per tradition, all new students will be asked to display their magical prowess to mark their enrollment in Arcana.” He gestured toward the rows of armored targets. “Do not worry, it is but a simple task. All you need to do is cast a spell – any spell – and ensure that it hits the target. It is not necessary to deal damage. After all, we are aware of the immense variety of spells, and that each element has its own strengths. We do not expect every single one of you to become a battle mage.”

His honey brown eyes wandered to Silvia, and I understood that he was saying that for the benefit of mages like her, who specialized more in healing and support than combat and destruction.

“Allow me to be first!” An enthusiastic red-haired student leaped up, fire already igniting around his hands. With a swing, he hurled a fireball, which detonated against one of the armored targets. Even as it wobbled, I saw – after the smoke cleared – that his flames didn’t even leave a single mark. Instead, a shimmering barrier enveloped the armor, a cascade of colors that extinguished the fading embers.

“My turn!”

“Me too!”

“I want to try!”

More mages from across a range of elements, stepped forward excitedly. A girl unleashing wind blades. A guy spraying lightning from his fingertips. Another girl engulfing a target in waves of water. A guy who entombed an armor in ice, before the barrier kicked in and shattered the frost.

“Interesting.” Leonard smirked as he stepped forward. The students parted before him, like the Red Sea before Moses, allowing him unfettered access to the front.

“Your highness!”

“Oh, we get to see his highness’s magic!”

“I can’t wait!”

Leonard flashed a smile to his followers, charming them with his natural charisma, before he held up a hand. Lightning coiled around his arm before arcing in an impressive golden fork that slammed into the target. The barrier materialized once more, protecting the armor within, but the surroundings were scorched and blasted apart by the sheer power of his spell. It was visibly on a different level from the spells all the other students had cast.

“Incredible!”

“As expected of his highness!”

“He truly is the most powerful mage of our generation!”

As the other students showered Leonard with praise, I couldn’t help but glance in the direction of his brother. However, the crown prince appeared uninterested, his expression bored. If anything, his staff was the one taking notes and whispering incessantly to each other. More than a few looked concerned.

I understood why. Even a backwater noble like me had heard of the politics involving the royal court – especially regarding the succession to the throne. There was a vocal faction among the nobles who believed that the second prince was more competent and charismatic, and therefore more suited to becoming king than the current crown prince. Rather, Oswald was notorious for convoluted political schemes and eliminating dissension, which stirred quite a bit of animosity among those nobles who opposed his proposed reforms.

Not that I knew what his reforms entailed. As I said, I was a backwater noble, so I wasn’t privy to the plans of the highly exalted lords and ladies in the capital.

“Silvia.” Leonard was oblivious to his older brother’s disinterest, his attention focused solely on his amor. “Give it a try.”

The silver-haired saintess candidate hesitated, then nodded. She took a deep breath and stepped forward, her hands outstretched.

“Holy laser!”

…was she for real? Did she seriously just try to rip off a healer from the hero’s party? Sure, she was cute enough to be confessed to by a demon who was reincarnated from a human, but…

However, what came out of her hands wasn’t a laser but a small bubble of light. Everyone watched, mesmerized, as the little bubble bobbed and slowly drifted toward the target, impacting against the shimmering barrier. Instead of dissipating like the other elemental spells, though, the bubble suddenly expanded and transformed into a radiant aura that suffused the armor with warmth.

A buff. A support spell meant to augment, not damage.

Leonard clapped, and he was joined by boisterous applause from the other students, who were amazed by the spectacle. Even the previously detached crown prince leaned forward, mildly curious.

“That’s not a f-ing laser!”

I was the only one outraged, but my indignation was drowned out by the cheers.

A few more students had their turns, but whatever plans Lumiere had to keep a low profile were squashed when a crowd of jeering cadets turned to us. Evidently, they hadn’t forgotten the challenge from earlier.

“Lady Lumiere, didn’t you say you’ll prove that you can use magic during the demonstration? Why haven’t you stepped up yet?”

“Could it be…you were lying?”

“And that bookwater noble who claimed to be her teacher…aren’t both of you being awfully quiet?”

“Suspicious. How suspicious.”

“Everyone, please. We’re nobles. Let’s behave like one.” Leonard raised his hands to bring a halt to the mockery. He turned. “That said, this is your chance to prove that you are truly capable of using magic, Lady Lumiere.”

She let out an exasperated sigh, rolled up her sleeves and stepped forward. “Honestly, I was just waiting for everyone else to have their turns first. I don’t mind going last. But if you’re that impatient…”

She turned to Bruno and bowed politely.

“Master Bruno, will it be fine if I accidentally break the target?”

Callous laughter rang at her question, the other students heaping scorn upon her.

“Is she serious? Does she think she can break the target?”

“Is she blind? Does she not see the barrier protecting all those armors?”

“Deluded. Utterly deluded. First, she pretends to be able to use magic, and now she thinks she can somehow destroy the barrier that even his highness failed to penetrate.”

Bruno’s brow furrowed, as if he was wondering whether Lumiere was being insolent or not. Deciding to give her the benefit of the doubt, he waved his hand. “If you truly think you’re able to destroy the barrier around the target, you’re more than welcome to try.”

“P…please wait!” Silvia rushed forward in a panic. “You really shouldn’t force Lady Lumiere to use magic! If she uses magic, something terrible will happen!”

Everyone stared at her skeptically. Even her primary ally, Leonard, didn’t appear to agree. He placed a placating hand on her shoulder and gently pulled her back.

“Don’t worry, Silvia. Nothing will happen. I’m here. My older brother and his elite guard are here, they have overseen and resolved many incidents and are considered the cream of the crop of the royal mages. Lord Crowley is here too. With so many esteemed figures present, I’m sure we can handle anything…even if a demon were to be summoned.”

He chuckled at his own joke, but Silvia’s face only grew paler.

“You don’t understand, your highness! That is precisely what I’m worried about!”

While the couple argued, Lumiere pointedly ignored them – and the jeers from the other students – and began approaching the closest target. That only elicited more condescending laughter.

“She’s…she’s walking toward the target?”

“Does she plan to punch it or something? Has she forgotten that this is a magic demonstration, not a physical one?”

“I knew it, she’s lying about being able to cast magic! She’s going to hit it and then pretend that’s a spell!”

Someone snorted. “Any decent mage knows that our advantage lies in long range! If she can’t even cast a spell to hit the target from a distance, then what use is there in her learning magic?”

Idiots. I shook my head in disgust. If Lady Lumiere casts a long-range spell, she’ll end up blowing the entire school to smithereens.

Completely ignoring their chatter, Lumiere stopped about a meter away from the target. She dropped to a half-crouch and cocked her arm back, assuming an offensive stance.

More laughter.

“She’s really going to punch it!”

“What a fraud!”

But the scornful taunts instantly vanished when a crimson inferno ignited around Lumiere’s body with such force it sent gusts of wind rippling across the field. Even from here, I could feel the heat of her intensely blazing flames, which coalesced into a fiery aura that clad her usually diminutive figure.

“What… what the hell?”

“How…?!”

I smirked, recalling the fourth day of our training – after a couple of days of Lumiere’s mana rampaging and going out of control. Like I said, I had an inkling of an idea, and when we met again the next day, I had already developed it into an actual strategy. Carrying a book in one hand, I gestured with the other.

“Right now, your magic is like a hose. When you cast a spell, you release a highly pressurized, powerful stream of water. But the further your target, the more difficult it is to control the stream of water. And when you mishandle it…well, you end up spraying haphazardly and getting everywhere wet.”

“Okay, fine.” Lumiere had folded her arms, her gaze dropping to my book. She must be wondering if I was quoting from it. “I’m not sure I completely understand the metaphor, but what exactly do you propose I do then? Decrease the amount of water?”

“No, the exact opposite, in fact.” I had grinned and flipped open the book to show her an illustration. “How about, instead of attempting to project your spell over long range, you keep it close to you? Instead of releasing your mana in a huge blast, clad yourself in it. Think of it as…clothing, or a gauntlet, rather than water.”

“Hmm…” Lumiere had pondered over it. “Okay, I’ll give it a shot.”

And we had worked on perfecting that technique over the rest of the last two months. And now, her efforts were coming to fruition.

Her arm completely enveloped in a blazing inferno, Lumiere punched the target.