Volume 1 Chapter 3 Mean Villainess, Gaining Followers
As I looked around the classroom, wondering if there was anyone I could be friends with, I noticed a girl staring at me with sparkling eyes.
I turned around to see if someone I knew was behind me, but there was no one there.
"Lady Elena!"
Ah, so it was me after all.
"Um, yes?"
When I cautiously responded to her call, her eyes sparkled even more.
"I am Parsley! If you don't mind, would you like to be friends with me?"
As she moved closer, it was hard to refuse.
For a moment, I felt a bit hesitant, but...
"Sure, nice to meet you."
I smiled and answered, but then I heard another voice calling me from a different direction.
"Lady Elena, I want to be friends too! Oh, I'm Percella!"
Now there were more of them.
They called me Lady Elena and gradually surrounded me on both sides.
I was pretty sure these two were daughters of some Viscount.
During the entrance ceremony, the headmaster had said that there were both nobles and commoners in this academy, and everyone should get along, but it seemed that wasn't quite the case.
In this class, the highest-ranking students were me, the daughter of a Count, and Leve, the son of the same Count.
It seemed like the noble kids were trying to align themselves with us, whether to gain favor or to borrow our status, as none of the commoners were joining our group.
However... the way they kept calling me Lady Elena, it felt more like I was gaining followers rather than friends... Well, still, having followers as the Mean Villainess, who is the rival of the heroine, might be a classic setup.
I glanced at Leve, who seemed to be in a similar position, wondering if he would also attract followers, but he appeared to be in a different situation altogether.
Most of the girls gathered around Leve...! It looked like they were evolving from followers to fans or something.
Was that better? I wasn't sure, but either way, it seemed like it would be a strange struggle.
I noticed Leve's polite smile turning into a wry grin.
"Everyone, thank you for your hard work during the entrance ceremony. I will now explain about the academy."
With that, our homeroom teacher stood at the podium.
He seemed like a gentle man.
He would be our homeroom teacher and would usually teach the regular subjects.
The regular subjects included language, arithmetic, and history.
For other subjects related to magic, there would be specialized teachers.
And the magic classes were optional.
"Now, please write down your 2 preferred departments on the paper I will distribute."
As I looked at the paper handed to me, my excitement grew.
Magic. It was filled with dreams and romance.
The magic departments were divided into 5 types: Attack Magic, Defense Magic, Healing Magic, Divination Magic, and Spell-ology.
It seemed that as the grades went up, more specialized subjects would be added, but that wasn't mentioned on the paper I had.
"Two..."
It was a shame that I could only choose 2 from this list.
I wanted to learn them all if I could.
Even if I chose a completely different department from Leve and asked to see his textbooks, I would still be one short.
What should I do? I tilted my head while staring at the paper.
Having played action games, I had a strong desire for Attack Magic.
I wasn't sure if there would be opportunities to use Attack Magic like in action games since there weren't any monsters or clear enemies in this world.
But what if, in the future, monsters appeared or we had to fight another country? Hmm, maybe not.
This was an otome game world after all.
But then again, there might be otome games where you could use Attack Magic freely.
"Lady Elena, which ones will you choose?"
"Huh? I..."
"Attack Magic is so barbaric, isn't it? As a lady, we should go for Healing Magic instead, right?"
"...Well, I was thinking of choosing Healing Magic and also Divination Magic."
I got swept up by the enthusiasm of my followers, Ms. Parsley and Ms. Percella.
Apparently, Attack Magic is not popular among girls because it's considered barbaric.
Besides, mastering Attack Magic and Defense Magic leads to becoming a magic knight, which is a male-dominated field, making it almost pointless for girls to learn.
Damn it! I wanted to learn it.
With tears in my heart, I ended up choosing the safe options of Healing Magic and Divination Magic, even though I was also curious about Spell-ology.
After school, Leve hurried over to me before being surrounded by his fan club.
"What department did you choose, Elena?"
"Healing Magic and Divination Magic. What about you, Leve?"
"Defense Magic and Divination Magic."
"Oh, we have one in common."
Just go with Attack Magic! Attack Magic, dammit! Attack Magic is the best Defense Magic!
The hot-blooded guy living in my heart yells passionately.
"Was it bad to have a match?"
"No, it's not that. I just wanted to see your textbook if we had different choices."
When I said that with a smile, he laughed and called me studious.
From the outside, I might seem eager to study, but I don't see magic as studying at all.
Leve, still laughing, said he would show me the Defense Magic textbook, so I decided to make friends with those who chose Attack Magic or Spell-ology to borrow their books later.
"Shall we head home, Elena?"
A brave girl was trying to approach Leve, but he seemed to sense it and quickly started walking away.
It seems Leve isn't good at dealing with girls crowding around him.
"Yes. Oh, then goodbye Ms. Parsley, Ms. Percella. See you tomorrow!"
I waved to the two of my so-called followers, and they cheerfully waved back.
"Are you taking the carriage, Elena?"
"Yes. It's close, but still. What about you, Leve?"
"I'm taking the carriage. My family's villa is a bit far from the academy."
That's right, since the academy is in the Royal Capital, many kids commute from their villas instead of their family estates.
I also commute from a villa.
Nobles tend to have villas in the Royal Capital because they love to gather for social events like balls and tea parties during the social season.
By the way, for the commoners or less wealthy minor nobles who can't afford a villa in the Royal Capital, the academy provides dormitories.
Even though they are called dormitories, I've heard that the rooms, meals, and facilities are luxurious since they are provided by the Royal Academy.
For a moment, I thought about staying in the dorms, but then I realized that the girls' dormitory is off-limits to boys.
The moment I realized that Rolus wouldn't be able to come in, I dismissed the idea.
Well, even if I hadn't dismissed it, my mother was very eager to come to the villa with me, so staying in the dorms was out of the question.
If she wanted to witness everything as an observer, of course, she would come along.
"Oh, there's Rolus."
When we arrived at the student entrance, I spotted a familiar back.
He seemed to have been waiting at the entrance.
"By the way, Elena, about that board game we promised to play, should we play it tomorrow?"
"Yes! Is it okay if Rolus joins us?"
"Of course."
Leve is such a kind boy, treating my attendant Rolus like a friend.
Thinking about how this kind boy might be caught in a rivalry between me and the heroine when he grows up made my heart ache a little.
After parting ways with Leve in front of the carriage, I got in with Rolus.
"Ahh... I'm tired. Oh, by the way, Rolus, today I gained some followers!"
"Is that so?"
"Two girls named Ms. Parsley and Ms. Percella. Don't you think 'followers' sounds a bit mean villainess-like?"
"...Is that so?"
Maybe it doesn't?
"Mean Villainess-like, you know? Like, I stand at the top and give orders to my Followers, right?"
And that's how the Mean Villainess bullies the heroine without getting her hands dirty.
Isn't it perfect?
"With all due respect, Lady, you are very bad at giving orders."
"No way."
Since Rolus, who gets ordered around by me every day, said it, there must be some truth to it.
"Well... I thought I did pretty well for the first day as a Mean Villainess. So, what score do you think my meanness deserves?"
"10 points."
"...Out of how many?"
"100 points."
That's low.
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