Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I'm Not the Demon Lord Act 1 (Light Novel) E-Book

Satori Tanabata

• Herausgeber: J-Novel Club
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Serie: Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I'm Not the Demon Lord
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Seitenzahl: 388

Beschreibung

Yumiella Dolkness is your run-of-the-mill villainess in an otome RPG—except for the fact that she’s also secretly the overpowered hidden boss. But Yumiella wasn’t always Yumiella, you see. In her past life, she was nothing more than an introverted college student and devout gamer. So when she realizes that she’s been reincarnated as a hidden boss, she’s determined to steer clear of the protagonists and avoid her demise at their hands. All she wants is a nice, quiet life. Too bad when her gamer instincts kick in, Yumiella can’t just ignore her awesome stats... A girl’s gotta grind!

So, with plenty of time on her hands before starting life at the academy, she gets a little carried away and maxes out her level at 99. And when everyone else finds out, they get the wrong idea about her power—now they think she’s the Demon Lord! Is this OP villainess strong enough to win back the peaceful life she always wanted?!

Leseprobe

Prologue

“The eldest daughter of Count Dolkness, Yumiella Dolkness. L-Level...99.”

We were gathered in the great hall of the Royal Academy, the school for the Kingdom of Valschein’s children of the aristocracy, where the entrance ceremony had just concluded. The warm, inviting atmosphere of the occasion dissipated as my level was announced, and the excitement of the teachers and upper-level students greeting the incoming students vanished as everyone stared at me, speechless.

At that moment, I came to the realization that I would already have to give up on my goal of being as inconspicuous as possible. As I accepted my fate, I began to think back on the events that led to me reaching level 99 as if to escape from my current reality...

◆◆◆

I was five years old when I regained memories of my past life and realized that I had been reincarnated as the villainess of an otome game. It all started when I was looking in the mirror in my room and felt strange about how young I appeared.

The face reflected back at me was a doll-like face with dark black eyes. Though my eyes had been black in my past life, this was a much deeper black that seemed to consume all the surrounding light. The perfectly straight hair also complimented the other features.

If I wore a kimono, I might look like a Japanese doll.

Upon thinking about my own appearance, I realized that I knew terms that I had never heard before, like “kimono” and “Japanese doll.”

From there, my memories of my past life came back one after another—I was born during the Heisei period in Japan, I was an introverted female college student, and I probably was killed by a car that crashed into the sidewalk. In a matter of seconds, twenty-something years of memories flashed before my eyes, and I was left gasping for air while my heart was beating out of my chest. All I could do was crouch down, close my eyes, and take deep breaths until I calmed down.

When I felt a little bit better, I thought about what I knew of my current life, only to realize that I didn’t know much at all. The extent of my knowledge was that my name was Yumiella Dolkness, I was five years old, and I was an aristocrat. I had almost no memories that took place beyond the doors of my bedroom, nor any memories of meeting my parents. Though the servants did the bare minimum in caring for me, they didn’t offer much in conversation—I suspected they were avoiding me—so I was left not even knowing the name of the kingdom I was living in.

Naturally, my first course of action was to bombard the maid with my arsenal of questions. She was surprised that the quiet child, who she had barely spoken to before, was suddenly so talkative, but she took the time to answer everything I asked about. Through my interrogation, I found out that I was in the Kingdom of Valschein and that I lived in the lord’s mansion in the county of Dolkness, where I was the eldest daughter of the count. My parents lived in their mansion in the Royal Capital and hadn’t returned to this county since before I was born.

Though the maid was hesitant, I coaxed her into spilling the reason why I was sent here alone. She said it was because my parents wanted to distance themselves from me, their black-haired child. Apparently, black hair was seen as unlucky and a symbol of evil in this kingdom, which explained why the servants around the mansion were so unfriendly. A quiet little girl with black hair would seem creepy. On top of that, my parents, who despised me, were their bosses. It only made sense that they’d be cautious in dealing with me.

Aside from all that, the name Yumiella Dolkness rang quite a few bells. It was the name of a character in an otome RPG that I played in my past life. She’d been the villainess, or more accurately...the hidden boss.

The title of the game was Light Magic and the Hero, commonly known as LMH. It was a world with swords and magic, and despite being a commoner, the main character could use light magic. Thus, she was allowed to attend the Royal Academy, where she worked together with her love interests to grow stronger and eventually defeat the Demon Lord. It was a very classic story; at worst, it was predictable. The game alternated between the academy portion, where you raised the affection levels of the love interests, and the RPG portion, where you worked together with them to defeat monsters.

Yumiella was a typical villainess. She occasionally appeared during the academy portion of the gameplay to bother the main character and get in her way. However, as the story progressed, she appeared less and less, and by the time the main characters began their journey to defeat the resurrected Demon Lord, she was already forgotten. But that wasn’t the end of Yumiella’s story.

After the game’s ending, if you went back to the Demon Lord’s castle, there was a hidden boss that appeared as bonus content. Most players were probably shocked to see her as the hidden boss. That’s right. The hidden boss was Yumiella Dolkness, also known as me!

Of course, as a hidden boss, she was much stronger than the final boss. As most players probably experienced when going up against her with a party that just barely defeated the final boss, you’d get your ass kicked and end up having to flee the scene. Wearing equipment with dark magic resistance and then using light magic to weaken the damage you take from the dark magic may have worked on the Demon Lord, but Yumiella would just hit you with a physical attack and kill your whole party. If you took the opposite strategy of defending against physical attacks, you’d only be left vulnerable to her strong dark magic.

The RPG portion of LMH was actually quite well-balanced for an otome game. All of the enemies had weaknesses to physical or magical attacks of various elements, and exploiting them was the key to beating the game. But Yumiella? There was no other strategy other than to level grind and beat her with brute force. She was the embodiment of unreasonableness. Players called her the Balance Breaker.

According to a member of the production team, she was only added in because they felt that the villainess didn’t have enough screen time. She was built to be strong enough that grinding to the maximum level was the minimum requirement to defeat her. In contrast, players only needed to be around level 70 to defeat the Demon Lord. The developers made Yumiella detest the heroine for getting closer to all the love interests so much that she awakened the ability to use dark magic. The reason wasn’t that deep; they probably didn’t put too much into it since the hidden boss was just bonus content added after the fact.

I was someone who loved level grinding in my past life, so of course, I’d beaten her once. Though I will say, Yumiella must have morphed from a villainess into an entirely different beast because she was able to hold her own against my party of four level 99 heroes.

However, it still would have been premature to say that this was indeed the universe of LMH just because my name and appearance matched that of Yumiella’s. I had to gather more information to be sure. When I told the maid I wanted to learn how to read, a tutor was immediately hired, and my lessons began. Once I learned my new skill, I proceeded to spend all my time in the mansion’s library. I read through everything, regardless of the genre, from picture books to discourse on history and politics, and found too many similarities between the game and this world. The names of the members of the royal families, detailed names of places, legends about the kingdom...the list goes on. As a result, I had no doubt that this was the world of LMH and that I was Yumiella Dolkness.

The realization tormented me. Yumiella was the hidden boss of this world whose purpose was to despise the main character and her companions, only to be defeated in the end. Was there any point in my existence? Was there any point in living this life? I was a hidden boss, so awful that I was the embodiment of unreasonableness.

That means I have the potential to be stronger than the final boss, more athletic than the swordsman in the main character’s party, have stronger magic than the mage, and use dark magic, which is limited to enemy characters... Hold on... Isn’t this kind of awesome?!

My inner gamer was ecstatic. All I had to do was not meddle with the main story of LMH. I could keep my distance from the main character and the love interests and let them deal with the Demon Lord. If that didn’t work, I’d just have to secretly take down the Demon Lord. With Yumiella’s stats, that should be an easy insta-kill.

I have to start grinding.

From then on, I would sneak out of the mansion behind the servants’ backs to level grind. As expected of a hidden boss, my base stats were already quite high, and I was able to defeat monsters even as a child. I was also able to use dark magic without any issues. It seemed that hate had nothing to do with it.

Efficiency is vital to level grinding, so I bought items that increased experience by selling the magic stones that monsters dropped.

When I was no longer satisfied with the monsters that appeared near the town, I moved on to the dungeons in the mountains, where I hunted monsters endlessly. I spent roughly ten years level grinding, and when I turned fifteen, I received a letter from my father. It was the first message I received from my parents in all my years of life, and the gist of it was, “Attend the Royal Academy. While you are at the Academy, become acquainted with as many high-ranking noblemen as possible. Your future partner will marry into our family and be my successor, so he doesn’t need to be the eldest of his family.” I was immediately taken to the Royal Capital by carriage and promptly thrown into the Academy dormitories.

Uh...really, guys? Is this okay with you? Your own child doesn’t even know what you look like.

Every noble child attended the Royal Academy for three years, starting at age fifteen. The Academy was tied to the origins of this kingdom, as it was founded by the hero and saintess who defeated the Demon Lord. Because of its history, the Academy not only focused on academic education but combat education as well. Consequently, when the kingdom was facing an emergency, aristocrats were encouraged to fight on the front lines. Though in practice, this rule seems to have become outdated.

The exterior of the Academy was gorgeous enough to believe it was the Royal Palace. Though I had seen it on-screen when I played the game, it was absolutely breathtaking in person. As for the dorms, I was, of course, provided my own room, as well as separate servants’ quarters, making me very aware of my status as the daughter of a count.

Apparently, I barely made it to the Academy on time because the next day was already the entrance ceremony. I dressed in my uniform and headed to the ceremony, but I couldn’t help but feel that people were staring.

I’ve learned enough etiquette to not be laughed at, so it shouldn’t be that. Could it be my face? I know I’m not a doe-eyed child anymore, but I don’t think I look particularly evil...

After some time, I came to the realization that everyone was staring at my head. It was my black hair that was attracting all the attention. Some were very obvious about their disgust, not even trying to hide it, which made me a bit worried about my future at the Academy.

The disdain for black hair in this kingdom seemed to run very deep. It may have been because some legends said the Demon Lord had black hair, and all the villains in the fairy tales of this kingdom were always dressed in black from head to toe. It was no wonder that everyone subconsciously equated the color black to evil.

I was planning to hide my powers and act like an NPC, but I wasn’t sure if I could after standing out that much on my first day.

As long as I don’t interact with the main character and the love interests, I should at least be able to avoid the hidden boss route...

The entrance ceremony began and proceeded without any issues. Though I wanted to take a peek at the main character and her love interests during the headmaster’s welcome speech, I remembered that the new students were supposed to introduce themselves at the end of the ceremony. With no need to find them now, I sat back in my chair with a nonchalant expression.

However, that didn’t last very long. After the headmaster’s speech, there was an announcement that level assessments would be conducted for new students.

Huh? No one told me about this!

I barely manage to stop myself from shooting to my feet in shock. One after another, students walked to the front and placed their hand on a crystal-like magical instrument to get their level assessed. Most were in the single digits, with only one student over level 10.

I don’t know what level I am.

I had never measured my level, nor did I know what level I was when I regained the memories of my past life. A five-year-old shouldn’t be able to defeat a monster on their own, so I had to be level 1 by default. I was probably only able to take down monsters because I was extremely athletic and had magic that was just potent enough.

Everyone was cheering for the level 10 student, so coming in at level 5 would most likely be my best bet to not stand out.

Level 5... I hope I’m around level 5. I would be so happy if I was around level 5.

But I had been level grinding for the last ten years. On top of that, I had been using my knowledge of video game mechanics to utilize effective items, and I’d been training in dungeons.

Of course, there was no mercy for me, and eventually, my turn came just like everyone else’s. I walked up to the front but froze in front of the magical instrument. The elderly headmaster spoke kindly and reassured me that there wasn’t anything embarrassing about being level 1 as a new student, but that wasn’t the problem. I prepared myself for the coming result and made a selfish wish.

Please, oh magical instrument, malfunction and give me a one-digit level.

Alas, my wish went unanswered, and we now return to the beginning...

Chapter 1: The Hidden Boss Enters the Academy

The first to speak up after silence had taken over the Academy’s great hall was the headmaster.

“I’m sure it just malfunctioned.” He called over a member of the staff. “Have the backup magical instrument prepared for assessment.”

The backup was immediately brought out, and I placed my hand on it as instructed. Unfortunately, the result hadn’t changed. After a pause, the headmaster spoke again. “It seems that you are level 99, after all.”

In an effort to confirm if the magical instrument was functioning properly, teachers took turns assessing their own levels. The previously silent hall began to fill with the murmuring of uneasy students, so I allowed myself to escape the discomfort by thinking back on my level grinding once more.

I was already at the max level? All that extra EXP I worked so hard for... What a waste...

Finally, the teachers concluded that the magical instrument was indeed not broken, and one teacher made their way toward me.

“Lady Yumiella, do you have any idea as to why your level is so high?”

I didn’t justhave ideas... I probably knew the exact reason. For a moment, I considered coming up with an excuse, but the thought of having everyone suspicious of me for three years made telling the truth sound like the better idea.

I’d rather take action now than spend my days terrified of the truth coming out.

“Yes, I can think of a few reasons why this assessment is correct.”

“The magical instrument itself is working properly. You must have done something to meddle with it, did you not?”

“No, I did not. Level 99 should be my correct level...” I said tentatively.

“You may not know this, but in order to increase your level, you must defeat monsters. We’ll know if you’re lying, so just tell us the truth.”

I was telling the truth, and yet I was under suspicion for falsifying my level. It’s a hard world out here for honest people.

All of a sudden, the headmaster spoke up in a powerful voice that reverberated throughout the entire hall.

“Everyone, please settle down. Whether or not she speaks the truth will become clear when classes begin.” With the teachers not any closer to an explanation that would satisfy them and the students’ unease increasing, he probably felt he had to say something.

The headmaster turned to address me. “Lady Yumiella, finish your introduction and return to your seat.” I could see his glare in my peripheral vision. It seemed that even the headmaster was suspicious of me.

Would they believe me if I blew up the school with magic?

I gave up on trying to explain my situation with words and decided to keep my introduction short.

“I’m Yumiella Dolkness. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.” As I returned to my seat, I began to mentally prepare for the worst-case scenario.

I’ll just leave the kingdom on my own. I can probably strong-arm my way through the borderlands.

The level assessment and introductions continued in the apprehensive atmosphere. If things had progressed according to the game’s story, the main character should have stood out as the only commoner in the incoming class. However, her assessment and introduction took place with no particular attention drawn toward her, and the entrance ceremony came to an end.

Sorry about that, Miss Heroine.

It should be noted that, just like in the game, she was at level 1.

After the entrance ceremony, a buffet party was held to welcome the new students. Since I didn’t know anyone, and no one seemed to want to get to know me, I hung back in the corner of the venue.

I should start thinking about my plans for my future here.

If nothing else, I didn’t want to get involved with any drama related to the revival of the Demon Lord. I would need to keep my distance from the main character and love interests to make sure that didn’t happen.

I’ll just wait a bit longer and then say I’m not feeling well and head back to my dorm.

Just as I was finished coming up with my escape plan, I locked eyes with someone making their way toward me.

Speak of the devil.

The clearly angry male with fiery red hair making his way toward me was one of the love interests. His name was William Ares, the swordsman of the hero’s party. He had an extra strong sense of justice and a short temper—in other words, he was a hothead.

Without any sort of preamble, William loudly snapped, “You with the black hair! What kind of trick did you use? Aren’t you ashamed of yourself, pulling a stunt like that?!”

“Um...are you talking about the level assessment?”

“What else would I be talking about?! I don’t know if you just wanted attention or something, but don’t you have any pride as an aristocrat?” William, who seemed to be a second away from taking a swing at me, was stopped by someone who came chasing after him.

“Calm down, Will. I understand how you feel, but don’t cause a scene at the party!”

It was Edwin Valschein, the second prince of this kingdom and the main hero of the story, complete with his sparkly blond hair. He was a magic swordsman—proficient in magic and competent with a blade. Realizing that I was in the presence of the prince, I hastily curtsied.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness. I am Yumiella Dolkness.”

“The Dolkness family. So, a pseudo-centralist,” Edwin whispered to himself. He looked up to address me. “Lady Yumiella, Will has worked harder than anyone on his swordsmanship from a young age, and he finally reached level 10 just before entering the Academy. What you did made a mockery of his efforts.”

Why does everyone keep assuming I cheated? Maybe they’ll start believing me if I go on a magic shooting spree.

“I’m sorry, but my level being 99 is the truth. As the headmaster said, I’m sure you will understand once classes begin.”

Prince Edwin was unable to hide his irritation as he spoke. “So you’re going to feign ignorance until the end, are you?”

“Are you saying that you’re stronger than me? You’re lucky I don’t have a gauntlet to throw down!” William lashed out.

Is he trying to challenge me to a duel? William, my dear, you should really cherish your life more.

As the people around us quieted to listen in on our conversation, the final love interest unsurprisingly appeared.

“Level 99 isn’t even a realistic level to be at. Were you unable to even consider such a basic fact? Well, I suppose not.” This fellow with the insulting attitude was Oswald Grimsarde, a blue-haired mage with glasses.

The three love interests were childhood friends, so close that they called each other by the nicknames of Ed, Will, and Oz—The golden, orthodox prince; the red, fiery swordsman; and the blue, cool mage. This world was full of attractive people, but these three were on another level. However, while they were all good-looking, interacting with them was quite troublesome.

Welp, all the love interests are here now. Just my luck.

This might have been exciting for a fan of the game, but I was only into the RPG portion.

“Hey, why don’t you say something?” William seemed to have gotten impatient with my silence.

“It seems that I’m unable to get you to believe me, so...” I mumbled, eager to escape.

“You’re still not fessing up?”

“Is your head completely empty?”

“Are you a compulsive liar or something?”

Jeez, do they kiss their mothers with those mouths? Don’t they know that they’re just characters in an otome game?

In an effort to end my conversation with them, I tried to change the subject to something that would encourage them to go to the main character.

“Wasn’t there a commoner who uses light magic? She may be having trouble with...something. I think it would be best if you checked in on her.”

“Yes, that would probably be much more productive than playing along with your nonsense. I’m sure the Academy will issue a decision regarding your lies soon enough, so be prepared.” With that final remark, Prince Edwin turned and left with the other two.

Ugh... That was exhausting. I better hurry back to the dorm.

Having returned to my dorm, I had my maid Rita prepare some tea for me. Despite being a noble already, I couldn’t help but be charmed by how aristocratic it felt. Having tea like this was refreshing since, back at the mansion, I only had tea as a part of etiquette classes.

“My lady, are you sure you’re all right with being back so early? I believe the party is still going on.”

“It’s fine. It seemed like I wasn’t going to be getting friendly with anyone anyways.”

“You won’t be able to find a good partner with that kind of attitude. It’ll be a problem for the master as well.”

Rita was a maid working at the Dolkness mansion in the Royal Capital but was reassigned as my attendant yesterday when I entered the Academy. The Academy had a dining hall as well as specialized staff for chores such as laundry, making a maid feel unnecessary. However, there was no going against my father’s orders. It had only been two days since we met, but she took every chance she got to remind me about finding a suitor—likely an order from my father. She was probably also here to supervise me so I wouldn’t act out of line.

“With classes officially starting tomorrow, I’m sure you’ll meet someone great, my lady. Isn’t the second prince one of your classmates?”

I’ve already made quite a bad impression on the second prince. Wait, she doesn’t know about all the ruckus at the entrance ceremony? Well, she’s not a very good supervisor.

I was still curious about the term that Prince Edwin muttered after hearing my family name, and decided to ask Rita.“On an unrelated note, do you know what ‘pseudo-centralist’ means?”

“Someone must have called you that. Don’t worry. It’s nothing you should concern yourself with.” Just as I expected, it didn’t seem to be something good.

“I never said anyone called me that, but I suspect it’s something that describes the Dolkness family, is it not?”

“Er...” Rita seemed to give in and began to explain. “You know about central aristocrats and provincial aristocrats, right, my lady?”

“Yes, I believe the Dolknesses are provincial aristocrats, since we don’t hold any official positions at the Royal Capital or anything like that.”

“That’s correct. With regards to that, ‘pseudo-centralist’ is a derogatory name for provincial aristocrats who spend all their time in the Royal Capital without a central position.”

“I see, so basically, it refers to good-for-nothing aristocrats who leave their domain to a deputy and spend their time partying without working in the Royal Capital.”

As an employee of said good-for-nothing aristocrat, Rita kept her mouth shut and scowled. As the daughter of said good-for-nothing aristocrat, I let out a heavy sigh.

◆◆◆

Classes officially began starting today. It seems the basic schedule was lectures during the day and practical lessons in the afternoon. I was, of course, a total loner in the classroom. No one wanted to get on the prince’s bad side by interacting with me—as a result, everyone avoided eye contact.

This could actually make things easier for me. Spending three years as decor doesn’t sound too bad.

As I sat at my desk quietly, I began to listen in on all the gossip going on around me. Thanks to the sensory enhancement gained through leveling up, I was able to make out all the whispers in the classroom without any trouble. According to the other students, I was a carefree airhead who had convinced myself that I was amazing based on nothing.

Why stop at the Academy? Maybe I should blow up the entire Royal Capital to prove that I’m level 99.

Right before class began, Miss Heroine entered the classroom with her trio of love interests, the four of them having a friendly chat together.

“So light magic can heal wounds too? You’re impressive, Alicia,” William praised.

Oswald was impressed. “It’s an element not even I can use. So, do you think you’ll be able to do well at the Academy?”

“To be honest, I’m a little worried, being a commoner and all...” she replied anxiously.

“If you ever need anything, just let us know. We promise to help you,” Edwin encouraged earnestly.

Isn’t it too soon for them to have fallen for her? They shouldn’t have even spoken to each other at this point in the game. I wonder if things are straying away from the story because of me.

The main character’s name was Alicia Ehnleit. The game allowed the player to change her name, but Alicia was the default. Adorned with pink hair, she was your typical protagonist, defined by her optimistic and cheery personality. She was accepted into the Academy despite being a commoner due to the fact that light magic users were extremely rare. Light magic was so valued because it was the only weakness of the dark element, making it capable of being a secret weapon against the Demon Lord.

I would have liked to have kept my distance from her, but just like the love interests, that probably wasn’t going to happen. Why? Well, in the short moment that we made eye contact, Alicia glared at me as if I had murdered her family.

◆◆◆

On the first day, afternoon classes started with swordsmanship. Although most of the male students were participating, there were only a handful of female students who chose to get involved, including me—most of them had opted to watch instead.

“All right, we’ll be taking turns and doing battle simulations to check everyone’s skills. First up will be...you, Level 99.”

Jeering laughter erupted from the surrounding students. Unfortunately for me, the teacher leading the swordsmanship lessons was the same teacher that had accosted me at the entrance ceremony.

First William, and now this guy... Do all swordsmen have short fuses?

“I will be her partner.” William stepped forward, which was followed by a shrill outburst of cheers from the other female students.

We were to use wooden swords for the simulation, so I randomly picked a sword out of the pile and stepped into the center of the training area. William picked what looked to be the longest and thickest wooden sword. It seemed fitting since he wielded a longsword that was about the length of himself in the game.

I mainly used magic when hunting monsters, but my physical strength was still on par with my magic. The last time I was caught off guard and a monster had gotten close to me, I kicked it away without thinking, and all that was left was a pile of dust with no resemblance to the monster it once was.

Okay, how am I gonna hold back?

“Last chance to back down.” I ignored his warning and took the pre-match bow. “I look forward to our battle.”

William sucked his teeth in disdain. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Jeez, back off. I’m busy thinking about how I’m going to not kill you. Whether you live or die depends on how careful I am.

“All right, raise your swords,” instructed the teacher.

At that moment, I realized I had no idea how to properly hold a sword. In fact, it was my first time picking one up. I was able to handle most enemies with my magic and, if needed, my bare hands, so there hadn’t been an opportunity to use one until now. William looked confused as I continued to stand there without raising my sword.

“Hey, hurry up already. Or is this your way of saying you want to forfeit?”

“I’m sorry, it’s just that this is my first time using a sword. Let’s just begin.”

The students watching didn’t even try to hide their roars of laughter, with shouts of abuse sprinkled in here and there.

William was visibly irate—his face twisted in anger. “How long are you going to keep making a fool out of me?! I’m not going to hold back just because you’re a girl, so expect this to end with a broken bone or two!”

Without waiting for the starting signal, William charged at me. He was probably fast to the average person, but with my reaction time, it wasn’t a problem. As William made his way toward me, I continued to think about how I could get through the lesson without hurting him. It only took a second for him to be right in front of me with his sword raised and ready to strike, but I was ready. The moment before the wooden sword swung down, I swiftly ducked to the side and positioned my wooden sword by his feet. He stumbled as his swing only struck air before William’s foot got caught on my sword, forcing him to fall to the ground face first.

Sorry about that. I didn’t expect you to tumble so magnificently.

Everyone fell silent, confused at what had just happened. I turned to the teacher and spoke. “Is that it? Or should I continue?” I vigorously spun the wooden sword in my hand while waiting for an answer, which created a gust of wind in the training area.

The teacher finally came to his senses and declared, “Th-The winner is Yumiella Dolkness.”

William jumped back up from his fall and objected, “No, not yet! I was just caught off guard! Pretending to be an amateur... You’re a coward through and through!”

It’s hard to take you seriously when you’ve got blood dripping down your face...

“Graaah!” William let out a battle cry and charged at me once more.

He probably wouldn’t let it go if I just dodged again.

I swung my sword to match his attack, and they collided. The crash caused the swords to resonate with an unrecognizable boom from the wood and sent William flying backward.

These wooden swords are surprisingly tough! Wait, that’s not important right now. Is William okay? If something were to happen to him, would it be considered an accident? All right, if anything happens, I’ll just hold the teacher responsible since they were the supervisor.

As I contemplated my liability, the training area was filled with screams like he was dead. I hurried over to check on William, only to find him unconscious, probably from hitting his head. His breathing was stable, so I was most likely in the clear. At worst, he was maybe a little less intelligent.

“Oh...should I carry him to the nurse’s office?” I held William up by his collar, which caused the teacher to panic.

“No, no! That’s fine. I’ll take him, so just...hand him over, all right?”

What is this, a hostage negotiation?

Though I was a bit offended, I released William to the teacher.

“I’ll be taking William to the nurse’s office. Everyone, practice your swings on your own until I return. Do not, under any circumstances, have any matches.” With that, the teacher ran out of the training area.

Since I was new to swords and had no idea how to practice my swings, I decided to just copy the others. Upon looking around for someone to show me what to do, I realized that no one was moving. Everyone who made eye contact with me let out a small gasp, and the female students who came to watch were gone.

There’s no need to be that scared...

I made sure I held back. The fact that William wasn’t ground meat was proof of that. With nothing else I could do, I attempted to practice some sort of swing, making motions based on what I thought was close enough. The class passed by like that, and the teacher didn’t return until the end of the lesson.

The next class was magic. The magic training area was lined with scarecrows dressed in metal armor with roofing only over the targets—similar to an archery range.

The teacher arrived right on time and took a look around at the students before saying, “Let’s begin with everyone showing me their magic skills. All you must do is hit the target with at least one element.” Similar to the swordsmanship class, we were to take turns performing magic in order to assess each student’s skill level. There were four main elements: fire, wind, water, and earth. There were very few people who could use light or dark magic.

One by one, students stepped forward to perform their magic, but surprisingly, there were only a few students who passed. For most, their magic went flying in unintended directions or didn’t reach the target. Even those who were able to hit the target could only manage to do so with up to two elements.

The targets don’t seem like they’re taking damage at all... I wonder if their magic just isn’t potent enough.

Alicia missed the target on her turn, but people exclaimed in awe because she used very rare light magic. Oswald was able to use all four of the main elements to hit the target each time. Though his magic looked more potent than the others’, the target still wouldn’t budge.

That target must be really sturdy.

“Wonderful! I expected nothing less of you, Oswald. It’s no wonder you’re hailed as a magical genius!” the teacher enthused.

“It’s only natural to be able to do this much.” Oswald then turned to me. “It seems that she’s the only one who hasn’t shown her magic yet. I wonder what kind of amazing magic she’ll perform for us.” He pushed up his glasses, looking at me mockingly.

Oh, right, he didn’t participate in the swordsmanship lesson. I guess he doesn’t know that I sent William flying.

As I stepped forward, the students who had participated in the swordsmanship class stepped back in anticipation of something happening.

There’s no need to be so cautious...

The truth was, I couldn’t properly use any of the four main elements. At most, I could produce a flame as strong as a lighter or create a gentle breeze. Yes, I was the woman who allocated all her skill points to her muscles and dark magic.

“I was wondering, would it be all right to destroy the target?” I wanted to know if it was okay to destroy such sturdy school equipment, but Oswald answered in place of the teacher.

“The armor on that scarecrow has gone through a special treatment. Besides, how could you destroy something that even I couldn’t?”

If you’re going to speak, could you at least answer my question?

I ignored him and turned my attention to the teacher.

“Only the Court Mages are strong enough to destroy them, but if you think you can do it, go ahead.” With the teacher’s approval, I cast my magic.

“All right, then, Dark Flame.” A pea-sized black flame appeared from the tip of my finger and shot straight out toward the target.

“What was that?” Oswald chortled. “I was curious as to what you would show us, but I didn’t think it would be a popgun.”

On the other hand, the teacher seemed to have noticed that I used dark magic and was wide-eyed with amazement. The pea-sized flame finally landed and immediately upon contact set the entire target ablaze. Now engulfed in flames, the armor began to melt into a viscous mess.

Dark Flame was a spell that I used often. Though it produced no heat, just like its name suggested, it was magic that looked like fire, even though the way it melted stone and metal looked more like acid than a fire—using it on a monster led to quite a grotesque result.

The scarecrow, once protected by the armor, had completely dissolved, and the black flame dissipated. The training area fell silent for a few moments, but then, someone spoke up.

“Is that...dark magic?” they muttered.

“Yes, it is,” I replied without hesitation. “It seems to be the only element I’m any good at.”

“B-Brilliant work, Lady Yumiella! Oh, there have even been some Court Mages who were dark magic users, so try not to be biased toward it,” the teacher explained with a slight stutter. I hadn’t realized that dark magic had such a negative connotation.

Come to think of it, most villains in picture books had black hair and were dark magic users... Am I a villain? Oh, right, I’m the villainess and hidden boss, duh.

Oswald, who had been quiet until now, began to mutter under his breath. “That’s impossible! Something’s not right! I’m the genius when it comes to magic!”

I think it’s just our difference in levels, not ability.

“I-I won’t accept this, you got that?!” His dissatisfaction culminated in a scream before he fled the training area.

How out of character... What happened to being the cool glasses guy?

As I stood there, put off by Oswald’s behavior, Prince Edwin appeared with the headmaster, just barely missing his friend.

“Yumiella Dolkness, the paperwork for your expulsion has been completed. You aren’t fit for the Royal Academy.”

Prince Edwin had apparently been making preparations for my expulsion.

Huh, so that’s why I hadn’t seen him since this morning. What a busy day you’ve had, Your Highness!

“My expulsion...?”

While I reassessed my plans moving forward, the headmaster chimed in.

“Someone who would lie to a member of the royal family is not fit for the Academy, nor are they fit to be an aristocrat in Valschein. If you are expelled, it will be quite difficult to remain at your current standing.”

“Hah, maybe a vacation would do you some good. Perhaps foreigners would treat you better,” Prince Edwin chimed in.

Is he implying that I should be exiled to a different kingdom?

Just then, the magic teacher spoke up in a panic.

“Y-Your Highness, Headmaster, please hear me out. She’s able to use the very rare dark magic and was able to destroy a target that even a Court Mage would struggle with. She may be telling the truth about being level 99. I believe that expelling her would be a loss for this kingdom.”

“But a Court Mage could destroy it? Then that isn’t proof of her being level 99.” His Highness turned to address me. “If you want to stay enrolled, you’ll have to convince me.”

It seemed that Prince Edwin was insistent on getting me expelled.

Wouldn’t it be a problem if a member of the royal family were to hand someone as strong as a Court Mage over to another kingdom, Your Highness? Hm... I wonder which would be better, going into exile and being harbored by another kingdom or hiding my identity and living as a commoner?

While I weighed the pros and cons of each, the magic teacher begged me to prove my innocence. “Lady Yumiella, that magic that you performed earlier wasn’t your full strength, was it? Please, show us what you can do at full power.” He seemed to be ready to prostrate himself if necessary. Perhaps it was his loyalty to his kingdom that drove him to such desperation, but I couldn’t turn down someone pleading so earnestly.

“Very well, I will launch a spell into the sky.” I turned to face the prince. “Your Highness, would it be all right if I used my magic?”

“Do as you wish. It doesn’t matter to me.”

“Are you really sure about that?”

“Stop talking and get on with it!”

“The thing is, if something were to happen, I would need someone to take responsibility...” I don’t want to be liable, you know?

“Why would something happen when you’re aiming for the sky? Fine, I’ll take responsibility!”

All right, gonna hold you to that, Your Highness. Pushing responsibility onto the prince is my best option, considering what’s about to happen.

“In that case, let us move to an area with no roof.” I left the training area, and the prince, the headmaster, and the magic teacher followed suit, with the other students anxiously trailing along.

Though I said I would showcase my full power, I wasn’t planning on actually going all out. I had refrained from using my full magical power since an incident in the past where I left a forest with a crater. As I had most definitely grown since then, my current full strength was beyond even my own imagination. Regardless, I decided to use the strongest dark magic spell—a spell that could only be used by the Demon Lord and myself in the game.

“Black Hole.”

In the blink of an eye, the Royal Academy was enveloped in darkness. If someone were looking in from far away, it would have looked like a black orb appeared above the Academy. It was large enough to be spotted from anywhere in the Royal Capital.

All the sunlight was completely obstructed at the Academy, making all the surroundings as dark as night. However, it only lasted for a moment before the black orb shrank before everyone’s eyes. Once it had disappeared, it was quickly followed by a strong gust of wind blowing up toward the air.

Black Hole was a spell that unconditionally obliterated any matter within its range. In other words, the air above the Academy had been eradicated in an instant. This caused the atmosphere in the area to become a vacuum and pull in all the surrounding air.

Once the violent winds had subsided, I did my best to put on a kind face and addressed the prince. “How was that, Your Highness? Was it enough to prove that I am level 99?”

“Eeek!” was all he managed.

Though he was scared stiff, Prince Edwin was desperately trying to run away from me.

Goodness, there’s no need to be so scared.

◆◆◆

The day after I made a black hole appear above the academy, I was called to the Royal Palace to have an audience with His Majesty, the king. Although the orb floating in the air yesterday had quickly disappeared, many people had witnessed it, causing a bit of a stir in the Royal Capital. Knights were dispatched to the Academy to investigate the situation. Naturally, I was questioned, but of course, I made sure to emphasize that Prince Edwin was responsible for the entire situation.

Along with the prince and the headmaster, other Academy teachers and students who watched it happen were questioned as well.

When I was called to the Royal Palace, I learned that the Academy uniform was on the same level as a military uniform, and I was able to appear as is for my audience with the king.

Not only is it comfortable, but I can wear it almost anywhere? This is great! From now on, I’m always gonna be in uniform.