I Became the Absolute Hidden Villainess Princess of the Academy

Chapter 17: The Villainess(?) and the Thousand-Ton Hammer (1)

Because I was two minutes late, I was subjected to a “punishment” at the podium: having my cheeks thoroughly squished by my mentor.

Of course, calling it a punishment was a bit much—it didn’t hurt in the slightest.

Her hands were so soft that it actually felt nice.

Sometimes, when we were alone, I’d even beg her to do it.

But right now, we weren’t alone.

Worried about the mentor I adored, I began to plead outright.

—Squish, squish, squish.

‘Mentor, are you sure about this…? I’m still a princess, you know? Doing this in front of so many people could be seen as an insult to the imperial family!’

“Mmff… M-mmentuh… sthop….”

My words came out garbled as my squished cheeks distorted my pronunciation.

It sounded like my already-short tongue had gotten even shorter, but my meaning seemed to get through.

My mentor’s hands, which had shown no signs of stopping, abruptly froze.

“Hm, that should do it now.”

“Bweh…?”

“Well then…”

—Swipe.

Letting out a satisfied sigh, she withdrew her hands.

Immediately afterward, astonished murmurs spread through the room.

When she pulled back, four layered magic circles appeared beneath me in a burst of light.

“——Dispel.”

—Flash!

“W-What was that?!”

“When did she cast so many spells?!”

“Even casting two simultaneously feels like it’ll make your head explode…!”

What this meant was that my mentor had been maintaining four spells simultaneously.

And she’d done it effortlessly, all while playing with my cheeks.

Even Irene, a witch proficient in magic, raised her eyebrows slightly in surprise.

Meanwhile, my mentor, as nonchalant as ever, spoke up.

“Pupil, can you tell what magic I’ve been using?”

“Huh? I can only guess invisibility, maybe…?”

“Correct. …Now then, let’s see if the other students can answer the rest.”

Out of nowhere, a quiz.

But since my specialty was illusion magic, I could only answer with that one spell.

My mentor didn’t seem to mind, though, since she was the one who had only ever taught me illusion magic. She probably thought it was natural I wouldn’t recognize the others.

“……”

—Silence.

Nobody else raised their hand to answer, though.

Whether they were intimidated or didn’t know, they all avoided eye contact.

Even Irene, who could have easily identified the spells, kept her lips tightly shut.

My mentor clicked her tongue.

“Tch. How is it that no one can recognize such basic magic? Have you not even mastered the fundamentals? This is an academy, not a nursery.”

‘No, it’s because you’re glaring at everyone so intensely…!’

Clearly displeased by the students’ lack of response, she scowled and added her usual barbs.

It was a move typical of her infamous temperament.

—Murmur, murmur.

“Ugh, if I say something and get it wrong, she’ll just tear into me.”

“She treats her pupil so differently compared to the rest of us.”

“She’s such a pain. She’s talented, but I feel like she wouldn’t teach us properly.”

Her criticism only made the atmosphere in the lecture hall even colder.

Some students sighed audibly.

This definitely wasn’t the kind of vibe you’d expect for an exciting first lecture at the academy.

In the midst of the uncomfortable silence, my mind started whirring.

‘As un-villainous as it might have seemed, my blunder earlier could actually be an opportunity.’

One of my goals here was to ensure Irene had a proper academy experience and found happiness.

For that, we needed a lively and cheerful classroom atmosphere.

There was no way she’d enjoy sitting through a lecture with this dreary mood.

And right now, I was the only one who could turn things around.

‘When Mentor was squeezing my cheeks earlier, it was a little embarrassing, but the atmosphere wasn’t bad.’

Not to toot my own horn, but even someone as notoriously cold as my mentor adored me.

If I took the lead, flipping this gloomy mood would be a breeze.

The only catch was that it would hurt my pride as a hidden villainess…

‘Actually, no—this is perfect. It makes me even more of a hidden villainess…!!!’

After reframing my thoughts, I realized there was nothing to be embarrassed about.

A true hidden villainess didn’t appear villainous on the surface.

The trope of a seemingly harmless mascot character turning out to be the mastermind was a classic for a reason.

Who would ever suspect that the squishy-cheeked princess getting her face massaged in class was secretly the ultimate villain?

No one, that’s who.

This realization reignited my enthusiasm.

‘Alright then, I’ll become the perfect mascot! No one will ever suspect I’m the hidden villainess!’

“…Mentooooor~♡.”

—Nuzzle.

With my resolve set, I lightly pressed my cheek against my mentor’s arm.

Unlike before, when I had begged her to let me go, this time, I did it of my own accord.

Every gaze in the lecture hall turned toward me.

“Pupil?”

“Everyone’s probably just feeling shy since it’s the first lecture. So, how about explaining it to them first, Mentor?”

“…No. It’s better for them to figure it out themselves rather than being told.”

—Rub, rub.

“Pleaaase~♡.”

My voice, dripping with exaggerated cuteness, echoed through the hall.

And to top it off, I nuzzled my mentor’s arm like a puppy.

I trusted that my mentor, despite her sharp tongue, was fundamentally kind.

A little coaxing with some affectionate antics, and she’d definitely break down and explain it.

My ability to turn even the emperor into a doting father didn’t fail me this time, either.

—Ding!

[Current affection level of target ‘Stella’: 100 (Max)]

[Probability of gaining the target’s favor is absolutely high.]

“Well, if my dear pupil is asking, I can’t refuse~.”

My mentor’s lips curled into a wide, satisfied smile.

Gone was the scowling expression that had seemed to question, “Do I really have to teach these kinds of people?”

The biggest source of tension in the room had disappeared, just like that.

She began explaining the spells she had used one by one.

“First, the one in the inner layer of the magic circle is…”

Heat Detection.

She’d used it to check if I had a fever out of concern for my health.

Air Manipulation.

Noticing that I’d heated up from running, she used it to cool me down with a gentle breeze.

Shockwave.

She applied a faint vibration to massage my stiff leg muscles.

Invisibility.

To conceal the other spells from view.

‘…Wait. So all that cheek-squishing was actually because she was massaging my legs?!’

—Murmur, murmur.

By the time her explanation ended, a new wave of murmuring spread through the lecture hall.

The idea that her relentless cheek-squeezing was part of a process to assess the health of the imperial princess left everyone stunned.

Even I stood there, slack-jawed.

“Oh… If that’s what you were doing, you could’ve just told me. I didn’t realize and…”

“Fufu. I wanted the other students to know, too.”

“Huh?”

Her gentle smile returned, now directed at me.

Gone were the sharp edges of her expression, replaced by an unusually soft kindness.

“Most mages are often ignorant of magic outside their specialized fields. You could only identify one, couldn’t you?”

“Y-Yes…”

“That’s perfectly normal. However…”

She calmly explained the intent behind her peculiar behavior.

In summary:

Novice mages typically only study their own specialty.

This is natural since the path of magic is endless, and there’s no need to devote oneself to fields where one lacks talent.

However, advanced mages must study a variety of disciplines.

Higher-level magic requires broader knowledge, and collaboration with other schools of magic becomes essential.

“Unless you’re like me and prefer to handle everything on your own, you don’t need to delve too deeply. But at the very least, you should be able to recognize spells like these at a glance if you aim to become a high mage.”

“Heeeh. So that’s what you’re trying to teach?”

“Yes. The course is titled ‘Foundations of Collaborative Research,’ after all.”

—Ooooh…

By the time she finished explaining, the atmosphere in the lecture hall had transformed completely.

It became clear that she hadn’t been doting on me but was instead using the opportunity to impart a lesson to the other students.

I clung to my mentor even more tightly.

‘Hehe. My tsundere mentor. If only you’d always explain things so honestly.’

—Snuggle.

“You’re amazing, Mentor! So kind and thoughtful!”

“…You’re probably the only one who’d say that to me, Pupil. Fufu.”

—Pat, pat.

Delighted by my affectionate praise, my mentor stroked my hair with a warm smile.

Soft laughter rippled through the lecture hall, easing the tension and warming the atmosphere.

Even the gazes directed at us softened into something more tender.

Everything was going just as I had planned.

—Whisper, whisper.

“Who wouldn’t melt if she used that kind of cuteness on them?”

“I wish I could pet the princess like that just once.”

“…Ahem.”

Though my mentor’s ears reddened slightly, embarrassed by the attention, my objective had been achieved.

Inside, I smirked mischievously.

—Grin.

‘Hehe. Now no one will suspect me of being the mastermind behind the TS Brigade!’

—Huh? The princess is smirking weirdly…

Oh, that’s just how Esti is. She does that when she gets lost in her thoughts.

She used to do it often at social gatherings too.

I could hear Louis, Irene, and Lady Schefor murmuring about me in the background.

But it was probably nothing important.

After thoroughly absorbing my presence, my mentor finally sent me back to my seat.

She seemed to find it a bit burdensome to keep the imperial princess at her side for the entire class.

Naturally, I headed for the seat next to Irene.

Louis was smirking with his chin propped on his hand, while Irene greeted me with a gentle smile.

And then there was…

—Thud, thud.

“Princess! Here, I’ve saved you a seat…!”

“……”

‘Why is Lady Schefor sitting here again?’

The very same Lady Schefor I had utterly crushed in yesterday’s social battle was now glued to Irene’s side.

There was no way I could look kindly upon someone who had bullied Irene.

So, I…

‘That seat is mine.’

—Plop.

Plopped myself directly onto Schefor’s lap.

Having been humiliated yesterday, how dare she crawl back here again?

I made it clear with my actions: Irene’s sides were reserved for Louis and me.

I pressed myself firmly against her, enough that my tailbone touched her abdomen.

—Squish.

“I want to sit next to my friend Irene, but it’s a bit cramped. I’ll just borrow your lap for a moment.”

“………!!!!!!?”

—Tremble, tremble.

‘Hah, caught you trying to bully Irene again, huh? Now you’re trembling in fear because you got caught, aren’t you?’

“Gasp, gasp…”

Schefor was shivering violently, her breath coming in panicked gasps.

But I had no intention of showing her mercy.

‘Apologize and leave, and maybe I’ll forgive you. Hehe.’

“Gaaasp…!!!”