A Villainess Should Be Strong

[What I want to do..]

Estelle thought hard as she prepared herself for the day.

It was already evening, but she wanted to be clean and finish her daily regulars.

Washing herself, eating a light meal, some light stretches, and basic mana regulation exercises.

During all of that, she contemplated everything that Yulia said.

She had to pick either one of the two choices.

To be honest, Estelle liked both sides.

Being in solitude and in crowds.

In terms of work, there were slight differences.

She experienced working alone. It was great. She was able to stay focused on just herself. She didn't need to think about unnecessary things like being considerate of another. Mistakes were easily discovered and noted down.

She experienced working together. It was also great. It depended on the type of people her coworkers were, but it yielded faster results. In her case, she was working with the best of their respective fields. Yulia with barriers, her crazy inventions and researches, Heine with the Spirits' affinity, and Minerva with her extensive knowledge of magic as shown inside her [Magic Library].

The end quality was more or less the same, but sometimes innovative changes can be made through the brainstorming of multiple people.

In fact, she was only able to progress this far thanks to the three.

They provided her with a path.

The highest resources one could ever imagine.

She enjoyed it. Learning and discovering new things with them.

However, the basic similarity was that she would be in charge, leading the progress.

She always made the final choice. Directed the scene.

Perhaps it wasn't that she liked to work alone, but that she preferred to take charge of something?

To be a leader?

Being surrounded by people also gave her comfort from time to time.

At the wrong time, she would be incessantly annoyed if someone approached her.

It wasn't a matter of the two choices Yulia gave her.

It was a question to herself.

What was she like? Her preferences? Likes and dislikes?

She realized that she didn't know herself at all.

She never tried to discover things about herself, only going with the flow and taking everything that's been given to her.

[...Maybe I can't stay here after all.]

Being a Duke's daughter would restrict her. Badly.

There were so many things that she could name. It was coming shortly in the future.

Not only that, her main quest was located in Alfheim. Her quest to trace her lineage back and obtain the supposed 'worth'.

Only after getting said worth would she finally be able to face Duke Miller, who vaguely mentioned the concept of 'worth'.

Yulia's second option began looking great for Estelle.

As she repeatedly thought about her future plans, Minerva came back.

She entered the house and saw Estelle all readied up.

Since she woke up at evening, it was already night time.

Minerva had spent her entire day outside the house.

"Yulia-nee came here?" Minerva asked, noticing some objects belonging to the blonde Witch scattered around.

It seemed like Yulia had been doing things even prior to Estelle's awakening.

Yulia was quite the forgetful person. Luckily, when it came to serious matters, that forgetfulness decides to go away for a bit.

That trait applied only to her regular activities, where she would casually forget why she was somewhere, or where she put her things.

Small things like that.

That's why, one of her ideas was terribly similar to something called a GPS in Estelle's past world. The ability to track all her belongings down.

"..She told me about the choices I can take,"

Minerva widened her eyes.

Sighing, she looked at Estelle as if she already knew that this was going to happen.

Yulia had no chill. There was not a single braking system installed inside her.

She was the type of person that would tell a dying patient that they had no hope left and it's better to give up rather than suffering.

That kind of person.

Obviously, the trait had good points as well, but it would be considered harmful to some.

"Then? Have you thought about it?" Minerva went over and picked up Yulia's scattered items. Collecting them in one place, she sat down and moaned out of exhaustion.

"Not really. I was thinking of.. something else that bothered me," Estelle said. "Are you tired? What did you do?"

"Fought off some monsters again. Those pesky things are really hatred-inducing," Minerva complained.

Estelle's thoughts diverted to the monsters.

They were common now. Widespread. Across the world. You would be able to see all kinds of monsters anywhere.

How peculiar.

This further deepened Estelle's thoughts.

She wanted to try and solve the impending case revolving around the mysterious monsters.

"I want to try too, after I recover. Fighting them, I mean,"

She wanted to test how much her skills have evolved, or maybe devolved instead.

Wouldn't it be fun?

She wanted a target. A testing target.

Not an ounce of sympathy was involved between her and the monsters.

It was like a huntress and her prey.

The monsters just seemed like a perfect target to challenge her enough.

To bring a purpose for her, who possessed strong power.

After all, what use would power be if there was nothing to use it on?

"People want to avoid monsters, but you're going to greet them instead, huh?" Minerva commented.

"I guess so? I managed to learn a lot of things too... I just couldn't put it into use,"

"Hmm.. Do your thing then. Did Yulia inform you about her discoveries yet?" Minerva asked, opening one of Yulia's forgotten book on a whim.

[Discoveries?]

Estelle began to think.

Yulia only mentioned the matter with her future choice. Nothing else.

"Come to think of it, she didn't mention it," Estelle pursed her lips. She would think that Yulia would be the first one to discuss the matter with her.

They would then proceed to think up of ideas together.

But strangely, Yulia didn't do that.

She came, delivered her message, and left.

"What about the Constellations?" Minerva was already beginning to sense something strange.

It was a bit off from what she expected when she learned that Yulia visited Estelle.

Minerva expected the child to already know everything by the time she got here.

But it seemed like her older sister had actually not said anything yet.

"The Constellations? Why would that be mentioned?" Estelle became even more puzzled.

She had heard of the term before. Years ago.

When Yulia first met Estelle, she had mentioned that she was a part of the 'Constellations'.

A group of specially selected individuals, consisting of 12 talented people in their own fields.

Estelle still didn't know how she was apparently a part of this group.

She thought that Yulia was just being nonsensical. A wild guess.

Until now, it had never been mentioned again.

"..She forgot such an important thing?" Minerva raised a brow.

As per mentioned before, Yulia was forgetful. However, that trait would disappear when it came to downright important matters.

This time, it was something that involved a huge part of Estelle's future.

Why would she forget it?

Unless.. she purposefully decided not to say it?

For what?

The Constellation wasn't something bad. It brought honor to those who once addressed the title.

They were viewed as valiant heroes.

Although not all of them were good people, with some being a part of evil or deranged factions, they all had something in common.

They followed the Sage.

One of the Founding Members of the world's peace.

Thus, the 12 people gathered would protect the world's balance as a consequence of following the Sage's ideals. Be it the 'evil' people or the 'good' people.

Minerva carefully considered the possible choices.

Yulia must have a specific reason.

"Why? What happened?" Estelle grew curious.

"...What reason does she have to not tell you?" Minerva mumbled.

The more she thought, the more she felt like Estelle deserved to know, even if she would be the one who conveyed the news and not Yulia.

Ultimately, it concerned the human called Estelle Clareste.

After all, the information was found inside Estelle. Yulia was also in the wrong for pursuing the seals' matter without properly discussing it with Estelle.

She decided to take the executive decision to break the news.

Minerva told her that Yulia had managed to pry into another one of the three seals that covered up her status.

It revealed another title.

[Constellation: Astraea].

None of them knew who or what Astraea was.

It seemed like a name, but it could also be an object.

No matter what it was, the title was attached to Estelle.

Estelle was dumbfounded.

Somehow, she had became a part of this 'Constellation' gimmick. Without having any contact with it.

How did that happen?

Was it something the original Estelle had as an innate title? Being added onto her status the moment she was born?

The original Estelle.

This was a matter that was always at the back of her mind.

The fact that she took over an infant's body. And that she wasn't the first possessor of the body.

Who was the original soul? And where were they?

[Constellation: Astraea.]

She herself never knew such a thing was there.

Astraea.

It didn't ring a bell with her.

But somehow, she had an instinctive feeling that it had something to do with her forgotten memories.

The one she desired to find out about.