The Villainess is the Villainess [LitRPG]

Book 2: Chapter 26 - Demonstrations [Part 2]

And now the day had dawned for the ball.

Truth be told, a guilty part of her was actually looking forward to it. One undeniable perk of this world was its abundance of attractive men—a deliberate design choice she had insisted upon, not for selfish reasons, of course, but because beautiful people sold products. Anyone who thought otherwise was simply a loon.

The ball was scheduled for that evening, which meant she still had a full day of school to endure. Excitement buzzed through the corridors, and students chattered incessantly whenever teachers weren't around to silence them.

However, there was one class in which no idle gossip would be tolerated: Magister Belfrost's "Basic" Spell Theory. The atmosphere in that room was oppressive as he surveyed them like a drill sergeant.

"Now," he said, strolling up and down the rows, "I trust you understand why the mastery of your Path is called Control? To deny but also accept and command!"

A boy in the back timidly raised his hand.

"Yes, Peter?" Belfrost snapped.

"Petrio, sir," the boy corrected. "I don't know about that, but I was just wondering… what is your Path?"

Belfrost grunted. "Peter is a good, strong name. As for me, I mastered the Wind and the Wave—Air and Water."

A collective gasp filled the room. Mastering even one element was rare enough; mastering two was practically legendary. Especially the Wind, the most dangerous of all, brought with it swift madness. Several students marveled at having such an elite teacher, but Seraphina was unsurprised. She knew exactly how the Magister had managed it: the man was predictably cheating.

"But that's neither here nor there," Belfrost continued. "I want to see the fruits of your practice. Show me what you've managed to do in a week."

He scanned the class, then barked, "You! Melissa!"

"It's Melisiandre, sir…" came a soft reply.

"Is your name worthy of the annals of Aranthia?" he countered acidly. "Is the useless thing that is your name so important? Just show us what you can do, Melissa."

The poor girl looked ready to cry, then shook her head in sudden determination. She began to chant, and Seraphina almost smelled fresh earth, felt the dampness of forest loam. The girl continued, and vines sprouted from her hands like serpents, blooming into flowers.

"Nature," Belfrost remarked. "Not bad for a new whelp. But you take too long to find your magic. Focus your control; fill it with your intent. Be cautious, though… do not surrender to the Gentle Green."

Shyly, the girl smiled at the praise. Belfrost moved on, testing each student's progress. Most only managed to manifest a bit of their element, to which he responded with disapproval. Then it was Fleur's turn. She summoned a small ball of water, though it wavered in shape. At Belfrost's urging, she tried firing it at a clay target, only for it to fall short of the mark. Still, the Magister saw potential and pushed her until she nearly fainted.

"Only by pushing yourself can you achieve true progress," he proclaimed, nodding in self-satisfaction as it were he who had accomplished something great.

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Next up was Este Lize, the Living Saint of the Silver.

"You claim to be blessed by the myriad Paths," Belfrost said, his words weighted with meaning and portent. "The Cardinal himself says you are a prodigy. But you must prove you can command so many wild servants at once. Come, child. Show me. What color shall your magic take?"

Este Lize offered a demure bow, her pale features painted, with what Seraphina recognized, as false serenity. "I will do my best," she said. "Though I doubt my gifts compare to my peers."

Seraphina found the girl's feigned humility quite simply infuriating.

Este Lize began to speak to Mana, and the world answered. Seraphina watched, reminded once again of the dangerous rival set against her. As the story's main character, Este Lize possessed a "cheat" skill, allowing her to master the world's elements with consummate ease.

She called first to the mercurial Wind. It whipped around her in a localized whirlwind, making everyone's robes flutter. In her words, Seraphina heard the storm's restless spirit, its longing to be unbound. But the silver-haired girl didn't stop there; she next summoned raging Fire—simultaneously, no less. Her chant rose to a crescendo, and in fusing these two wild elements, she shaped Lightning, the element of the Withered Tree of Heaven.

A crackling sphere of lightning formed around her.

"Show me the flower of destruction it can bring!" Belfrost roared, eyes gleaming with a hungry fervor. "I must see it!"

Este Lize regarded him with a look of mild disgust but obliged, aiming the ball of lightning at a target dummy. White lines shot forward with a deafening thunderclap, blasting the target to pieces. Debris flew in all directions, but Belfrost's Wind barrier shielded the class.

"Amazing! I have never seen such Control in one so young," he breathed in genuine awe.

Seraphina ground her teeth; the hussy had learned how to Dual Cast. She wasn't meant to be able to do that until well after the Academy arc.

"Your words are too kind, Magister. A fluke, truly," Este Lize replied with a slight curtsy. It was the only movement Seraphina found flawed: too quick, her posture off.

The rest of the class ooh-ed and ahh-ed.

"Magnificent," Belfrost declared, rubbing his chin. "I doubt anything else today will compare. However, we do have one more who has yet to show us their progress… de Sariens! Your turn."

"You may be my teacher," Seraphina replied icily, "but I expect a certain degree of decorum, Belfrost."

He laughed dryly. "Such bold words for one so weak in her Path. And it is a weak path, at that. Will you run to your parents? Do you think their wealth and power can shield you here from your own failure? You failed when you chose Crystal. And, I will remind you, you're not the first spoiled brat I've taught."

That was enough. Seraphina's anger reached an icy, implacable point. "A word with my mother would be more than enough, Magister," she said, each syllable laced with raw venom. "Not even you, in all your arrogance, could stand against a Pillar of the Kingdom. And I am her true daughter."

In that moment, the young girl meant everything that she said.

Belfrost blanched. Fear flickered in his eyes, and Seraphina knew she had him. She didn't want to use her mother's name as a bludgeon, but the man had earned it.

"Very well, Miss de Sariens," he said, deflating. "Show us your great power."

She ignored him and summoned magic in a heartbeat, with no incantation or words of power. In her hand was Crystal made manifest, shimmering with lethal clarity. In a graceful motion, she kicked up a leg, perfectly straight, then brought it down, throwing the jagged crystalline blade with stunning speed. The projectile streaked across the training hall, flying on the wings of her cold fury, and slammed into its target. The dummy disintegrated in a thunderous spray of shards. The walls behind it, made of sturdy Dullstone, cracked beneath the shard's raw, explosive impact, leaving a ragged hole in a section of wall.

Both Belfrost and Este Lize stared in stunned silence. Seraphina met their gazes coolly, fighting back a satisfied smirk.

"This was surely a fluke," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I suppose I surprise myself sometimes."