Reincarnated As The Villainess's Best Friend

Writing an exam about the entire history of magic in Westumberland was the easy part.

The hard part was what came afterwards.

Forty-five minutes after the written exam began, I was done.

"Are you sure?" The female instructor in academic robes asked when I indicated my completion.

"I am."

The female instructor gave me a questioning look, then sent for another examiner to collect my paper.

Meanwhile, silent murmurs broke out in the hall.

"Show-off."

"Failure.*

"Prolly dumber than he looks."

One of the male examiners took my paper from my desk, while another ushered me out of the hall. Once we were outside, he pointed towards another large stone wall building thirty meters across the lawn.

"Go over there for your second examination," he instructed.

Second examination? Interesting.

Just as I began my walk, I noticed another student step out of the exam hall.

When I saw her face, my eyes lit up with joy.

She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen in all of Westumberland.

I probably say this for every lady I meet, but this time (like every other time), I truly meant it.

Her hair was long, black, and wavy, and it flowed all the way down to her lower back. She was dressed in the female academy uniform; a clean white shirt and black tie tucked into a black thin pleated skirt, with a black blazer over it all.

Her long, slender legs were covered with dark thigh-length socks, and beneath her coat, one could easily make out two proportionally medium protrusions.

She headed straight for me, with a distasteful frown upon her face.

"Hi," I said, wearing the most charming smile I could muster.

Wham!

I received a deafening slap across the face.

"Where have you been?" She asked in a quiet, low-pitched voice.

Apparently, she knew Rin. But I had no idea who she was.

I decided to laugh it off, hoping to de-escalate whatever anger she held against me.

"Uh…What do you mean?" I asked, feigning a smile.

"You were supposed to arrive yesterday. I've been waiting for you all night. You promised we'd study together before the exam."

The more she spoke, the more I felt a vague sense of familiarity towards her.

"Really? I'm sorry, I kept you waiting. Had a little delay on the way."

"What delay? You told me you were on your way four days ago."

Four days ago, I was battling the Shadow Queen as Drey Belford.

"I know… but yesterday, my carriage was attacked by bandits."

"So? You can easily overpower them with your magic. Why the delay?"

Rin could use magic? That was a surprise.

"I was too tired to fight," I lied, feigning a slight chuckle.

She threw me a hard glare and muttered something inaudible under her breath. Then she marched towards the building ahead, arms folded.

After walking a short distance, she turned back toward me.

"Aren't you coming?"

I nodded and followed behind her.

So many questions sprang up in my mind, but one particular question bothered me the most.

Who the hell was this girl?

*****

Our next instructor was a tall, dark-bearded man, dressed in long black robes, holding a wand made of transparent crystal. He briefly introduced himself as Professor Varyn, before he began to explain the rules of the next examination.

"Your previous examination was to test your knowledge," he said, in a low baritone. "This one is designed to measure your mana capacity. If you pass, you'll be assigned a magic rank. If you fail, you'll have to return home and try again next…"

He was suddenly interrupted by a loud roar that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"What was that?" One student asked.

Professor Varyn wore a faint smile.

"That," he replied. "is your next examination."

He pointed towards a large door made of thick steel bars.

"That chamber contains an adult male Grimwolf and a mana measurement crystal. Each one of you is going to walk into the room and get the crystal. When you step in, the Grimwolf is going to guard the door, but you have to find a way out."

I knew from past knowledge, that Grimwolves were large, dangerous, wild creatures capable of tearing a human to shreds within minutes. How the hell were students supposed to fight it?

"The goal is not to fight it." The professor said, as if reading my thoughts. "This grimwolf has been tamed. The only way to make him leave is to activate your magic aura and intimidate the Grimwolf."

"And the mana crystal measures the mana output of the student," I added, not realising I had spoken out loud.

Professor Varyn turned to me, eyes beaming with curiosity. "That is quite correct. Impressive."

He turned back to the other students.

"Do not attack the Grimwolf. If you do so, it'll fight back. Intimidate it, and it'll retreat. For those who don't know, the spell is 'Aurora Exponentia'. So, who'd like to go first?"

Before he finished his question, the black-haired girl who slapped me earlier lifted her hand.

I had assumed that she'd be frightened by the Grimwolf, but there wasn't a slight shred of fear on her face.

"Alright then," said the professor. "Uh?"

"Lucy."

"Lucy. Go on ahead."

Without hesitation, Lucy barged the door open and disappeared behind it.

For a moment, all remained calm.

Suddenly, we heard the loud roar of the Grimwolf. It raged on for a long while, but finally it broke off.

We waited eagerly for the door to open, but instead, the ground beneath us began to quake violently. At the same time, Professor Varyn's wand began to glow with a bright white colour.

"What a powerful aura!" He exclaimed, eyes widened in amazement.

The quake ceased, and seconds later, Lucy opened the door again, holding a jade crystal in her right hand. She quietly handed it to the professor and left the examination hall without a word.

The professor quickly wrote down some notes in his journal. When he was done, he looked up and pointed straight at me.

"You're next."

My heart skipped a beat.

I needed magic to intimidate the Grimwolf and pass the examination, and without my magic, I was pretty sure to fail this exam.

I could turn around and leave, but doing so would equate to disgracing the name of House Stormborn.

I couldn't risk that.

Besides, if there was one place I could gain my magic back, or learn it over again, it was here. The Imperium Magic Academy.

I had no choice.

With a deep breath, I walked towards the iron gate and stepped into the Grimwolf chamber.