Reincarnated As The Villainess's Best Friend

The Imperium Magic Academy wasn't just a school. It was a culmination of the entire history of Westumberland.

Since the dawn of time, following the discovery of magic, students who were keen on learning it had to resort to the apprenticeship system.

This was a system whereby a student travelled all the way to the house of a mage (B-Rank or higher). There the student spent an amount of time learning the basics, until he attained the User title. (D-Rank).

Afterward, the student could either return home or go to another mage to enhance his skills.

But the nobles, out of fear for the safety of their offspring, decided that it was more convenient to build one location where all students could live peacefully. Then the mages would be invited to teach those who were interested in learning their unique magic. For good compensation, of course.

And so, the Imperium Magic Academy was born. A large beautiful college where magic was in full communion with civilization.

The Academy became the very foundation of politics for the entire continent, as well as the final authority in determining the ruling noble of each house.

A long time ago, the academy was reserved only to wielders of noble birth, but after the great noble war, the academy now accepted students of all backgrounds, so long as they showed incredible magic talent.

Needless to say, I never made it in.

Being a useless slave of lowly birth, I had to rely on the old apprenticeship system to acquire any knowledge of magic whatsoever.

No one believed in me to get this far, but I silently overcame every obstacle in my path and mastered all existing magic affinities.

Eventually, I surpassed every known mage in Westumberland and rose to the title of Grand Mage.

Well, that was Drey Belford.

Rin Stormborn was of noble descent, and the House of Stormborn was known throughout the continent for their bloodline affinity to Weather Magic.

Now reincarnated as Rin, I had a chance to actually study magic at the greatest academy in the world.

Perhaps my reincarnation was some kind of magic spell. Perhaps this was the gods giving me a second chance at a happy life. Either way, I was going to enjoy this new life as much as I could.

It was a three-day carriage ride from the city of Caelthorne to the great city of Viridale, where the academy was situated.

After bidding goodbye to my beautiful mother and all the servants (I couldn't tell why, but for some reason, Rin and his father weren't on talking terms), I climbed onto the carriage containing my properties and began my journey to the Imperium Magic Academy.

*****

The journey was peaceful for the most part.

That was until the third day.

We'd crossed the border into Viridale the previous day, and so far, the entire journey had been smooth.

As we rode down the final road, which led straight into the great city of Viridale, I was greeted by the soft scent of wildflowers and wet earth; the beautiful scent of a world still alive.

Now that I had reincarnated from the dead, it seemed the world had grown more beautiful.

Tall forests stretched on both sides of the road, gently swaying in the breeze as their leaves danced with the wind. Golden sunlight spilled through the trees, and birds flew among the branches, singing sweet songs of freedom.

Or songs of mating, I think.

The land of Viridale was known for its lush green vegetation, with a city in communion with the earth.

But in my previous life, the entire city had been scorched dead by the Shadow Queen.

Viridale, the grand jewel of the western provinces, was reduced to a pile of ash.

Now it was green again. So green, it almost hurt to look at.

I placed my head outside the carriage window, letting the wind brush against my face.

In this life, there were no battles, no fire raging through cities, no Shadow Queen destroying the world.

For the first time in a very long time, I felt peace.

Somehow, I knew it wouldn't last.

But for now, I let myself breathe.

Then I saw them.

Three riders, hidden in the trees.

At first, I assumed they were just travelers, then I noticed the long swords they wore on their backs.

"We have company," I said to my carriage driver. "Go faster."

I heard the sound of a cracking whip, and the carriage picked up speed.

Unfortunately, it wasn't fast enough, and the riders caught up to us in no time. They slashed the belt connecting the carriage to the horses, and the carriage came to a gradual halt.

"Get out of the carriage!" One of the riders yelled.

Thieving was a common occurrence throughout the continent, and nobles were the primary target more often than not.

But these sad sons of harlots had chosen the wrong noble to deal with today.

The riders stopped behind the carriage and unsheathed their swords. Before they could get down from their horses, I was already out of the carriage, staring at them.

One of them was tall with a short beard. The other had a long scar beneath his left eye, and the third one, who was shorter than the rest, wore a weird grin on his face.

"Give us your gold," the tall ome demanded. He seemed to be the leader of the trio.

I almost laughed, but instead a faint smile appeared on my face.

"Do you have any idea who you're dealing with?"

The trio exchanged glances, like I had spoken in a strange language.

"Allow me to educate you ignorant beings," I continued. "You just attacked the carriage of the Grand Mage, Drey Bel..."

I paused as I realized that I was no longer Drey Belford.

"Give us your gold," The tall one demanded again. "Or we will cut you where you stand."

Even though I was no longer Drey Belford, I was fairly certain that these three were no match for me.

I had to end this altercation quickly and continue my journey to the Academy. I couldn't afford to miss my first day of school tomorrow.

As the men approached me, I raised my right arm at them.

"Nature Release: Vine Snare."

I expected a wild surge of vines from beneath the soil to tie up the bandits, but all remained still. So, I repeated the spell.

"Nature Release: Vine Snare."

Again, nothing happened.

Something was terribly wrong.

My heart began to pound loudly. Cold panic coiled in my chest.

This had never happened to me before, and I began to shudder, wondering what the cause could be.

The realization finally dawned on me, and my eyes widened in horror.

My magic was gone!