The Villainous Lady Wants a Quiet Life

Chapter 7: Self-Study Period

Imperial Calendar Year 931, April 20th, Sunday.

[ Level 9 Cleared. Congratulations. There are no higher levels beyond this. ]

"Thank you."

Serena continued intensive training right up until the day of her lecture.

In the end, Serena cleared the stages using only "Basic Telekinesis" and earned a new reward trait:

──"Master of Psychokinesis"──

◆ Grade: Normal

◆ Description: The fruit of arduous training. Increases telekinetic efficiency by 11%, and reduces mana consumption by 11%.

──────

The description was simple, but to Serena, it was immensely valuable. The '11%' especially pleased her. As she grew, the trait’s value would scale alongside her.

Sitting in her office chair, Serena checked her watch.

10 a.m.

The lecture would begin at 3 p.m. Although she had plenty of time, there was no need for Serena to arrive early today. She only needed to show up at 3:30, once Ellen gave the signal.

This was Serena's carefully planned "First Self-Study Class."

***

Third floor of the university’s Mage Tower.

Flora stood in front of Classroom A and sighed.

"Hoo..."

Serena was inside. Flora would be attending Serena’s lecture in this space.

That alone was stressful enough... but did Serena still remember her speech from a month ago?

More importantly, did Serena remember Flora’s last name?

Cuiting.

The surname of the mage Serena had killed.

If her target of vengeance had forgotten even the name, wouldn't Flora be even angrier, even mad with rage?

What was she supposed to do? Try to stir up old crimes Serena might not even remember?

These anxious thoughts tightened around Flora's throat.

"Flora, why are you just standing here?"

A voice broke her reverie. A female student in robes looked at her curiously.

"Ah, just a bit nervous. Go on ahead."

"Yeah, I’m nervous too. I looked Serena up on WizaBoard. Apparently, she’s really strict. But she’s pretty good-looking..."

The student muttered and entered the classroom. Flora remained in the hallway—until another woman appeared, approaching her direction.

She was momentarily speechless.

"...Ah."

With each step, the woman’s well-maintained golden hair flowed like a stream. Her arrogant bearing exuded the scent of roses, her soft elegance so natural it needed no effort.

She was a natural-born noble, the kind universally acknowledged as aristocracy.

The daughter of one of the empire’s most prestigious families—the House of Habs.

Aurelia.

Aurelia Habs.

"..."

Though she already knew they were classmates, Flora instinctively assumed a guarded posture. She narrowed her eyes, licking her lips.

Flora disliked Aurelia. Her loathing wasn’t mere inferiority—it was old resentment.

The Cuiting family had long ruled Zuhar, a region under Habs territory. They were once even relatives.

But ten years ago, when she was still under eight years old.

She remembered the head of House Habs, Giltaion, glaring at her. He had surrounded her mansion with troops, treating her family like refuse.

She still remembered his voice calling them "lowborn."

All because that house feared her talent, and her father’s.

But this was no longer their territory. This was the Mage Tower. She was no longer a child. She would never lose in talent to that pompous woman.

Most importantly, in the Mage Tower, mages had no surnames or family names—only their own name and talent mattered.

And yet.

"...?"

Aurelia glanced at Flora and simply walked into the classroom.

Her expression didn’t change—emotionless, natural—as if she didn’t recognize Flora at all.

Flora awkwardly scratched her neck and followed her in.

"...Huh?"

She stopped in her tracks.

This wasn’t an ordinary classroom—it was a vast gymnasium. The ceiling was high, the ground filled with wells, trees, dirt, sand, rocks, and piles of metal.

"Whoa. Serena’s lectures weren’t like this before, right? Weird."

"Yeah, nothing like this on WizaBoard. Maybe it’s just for the first class?"

Unlike Flora’s confusion, the other mages were filled with curiosity and surprise.

"Oh, look at this."

Someone pointed at a sign in the middle of the room.

[This professor wishes to test your abilities in the first class.]

[This space is filled with elements. Feel free to use them as you like.]

"Hmm...?"

Flora approached and squinted at the message.

"What’s this supposed to mean?"

What were they supposed to do? What did 'use freely' mean?

But the other mages didn’t seem fazed.

Were they used to this kind of class? Flora had self-studied to enter the Tower and wasn’t familiar with such formats.

"...No way?"

Suddenly, someone muttered as if realizing something. It was Gaiharon, heir to a prestigious magic family.

Flora edged closer.

"What is it? You know something?"

"Huh? Ah, maybe."

Gaiharon touched the ground, and water and earth swirled into a tall shape.

A mud tower.

"She said we could use elements. The lecture’s called ‘Understanding Elemental Magic.’ So, she’s probably asking us to create something using the elements—pure elemental manipulation."

"Oh~ That makes sense."

Hearing his explanation, most mages, including Flora, nodded.

"Shouldn’t be too hard."

Flora swung her arms and smiled.

A sculpture? A tower?

Make it tall? Or go for intricacy?

Anything would do.

She touched the bracelet on her wrist out of habit.

It was a magic artifact her father had personally given her. Now, it had become her “Oddity.”

So-called—Oddity.

The most limited and yet most versatile trait.

As long as she wore it, she could manipulate all elements at will.

"I choose you."

Flora pondered which element to choose, then sat near a metal pile. As she squatted and prepared a spell, someone patted her back and walked past.

"Ah, what the—"

She nearly fell over. Catching herself, she turned around—it was Aurelia.

Aurelia looked at her like she was roadside trash and kept walking.

"...What the hell? Why slap me and walk away? Is she blind or just clumsy?"

Muttering, Flora frowned and dragged the metal pile over.

"So heavy."

She brushed off her hands, then placed them on the pile.

Hoo... One deep breath to adjust her state.

Then closed her eyes and released her mana.

Crackle—!

Sparks of mana scattered. Before her hand moved, the bracelet gleamed blue—boom!

A small, ugly tower rose up.

"Mm."

Though she’d only studied magic seriously for three years and was lacking in many areas, this was acceptable for a demonstration.

Now that she’d grasped the feel, time to go bigger.

"...Hm?"

Suddenly, her tower began shrinking—drawn away by some force.

"Ah, where’d it go?"

She tried to block it with her hand but failed. Flora just stared blankly as her tower’s remains were sucked away.

"...Huh?"

Aurelia. She was using Flora’s tower fragments to build her sculpture.

Flora laughed in disbelief.

Sure, it’d be demolished anyway, but still—why do that?

"Hey, what are you doing? That was mine."

Flora stepped forward. Aurelia glanced at her and lazily replied:

"Mistake. It was too small—I thought it was junk."

"...Excuse me?"

Flora frowned.

Was this girl high or something? Even if it looked like junk... no.

Wait.

A thought flashed through her mind, and she grinned.

"Ah~ Lady Aurelia, you do know me, don’t you?"

Aurelia didn’t answer, just kept sculpting. Objectively, hers was indeed far better.

"Smart move. Playing dumb, huh? Scared I’ll catch up to you? I only started three years ago after a seven-year delay. You, meanwhile, had elite training—and now you’re afraid?"

Aurelia looked at Flora, her gaze deep and silent. There was no emotion—or rather, the pretense of no emotion.

Flora smiled slyly, eyes narrowing.

"Aha~ I get it now. Terrified of being surpassed?"

Aurelia’s lips curled faintly. Her voice was flat, detached.

"I don’t know you."

"You don’t? Why lie? You spoke informally just now. Why talk that way if you don’t know me?"

"I don’t. But your father does."

"...What?"

Flora thought she misheard.

Your father?

Did she say, 'your father'?

"That arrogant man. A useless noble."

"..."

"He’s dead."

He’s dead.

Her tone was completely emotionless—as if talking about an object, something that never existed, a lifeless corpse.

Worse than contempt or scorn—she erased him.

Something snapped in Flora’s mind. As Aurelia turned away, Flora’s bracelet flared with magic.

Enraged, Flora thrust her hand out—mana surged into a ring, rushing forward.

"Ah! Behind you!"

A voice shouted. Aurelia just glanced back. The torrent of magic was incoming. She calmly released her mana and blocked it.

The two spells clashed and fizzled.

"Tch! Hey, bitch! What did you just say? Say it again!"

Flora spat out sand, her tone vicious. Her crude attitude was familiar. Aurelia just looked at her, expression reading: “Of course.”

"Rude."

"Rude? There’s no rank here, you know? Want to see something ruder?"

Then, something even Aurelia might not have expected—Flora lunged and grabbed her hair.

Rip—!

Aurelia looked at her hair being pulled and said blankly:

"Let go before your wrist gets sliced."

"Go ahead."

"..."

"You bitch."

Their conversation was fierce—but curiously, others didn’t seem surprised.

"Hey, hey, over there!"

Things got even more chaotic.

"Ahh—! Aahhh!"

Screams and running.

Aurelia and Flora finally noticed.

"Huh?"

At the spot where their spells had collided, a 'void' had formed. A swirling hole, absorbing dirt, trees, water, metal.

"...What is that?"

In the narrow hole, objects scraped together with screeching sound. Wood and stone vaporized from heat—metal remained, glowing red.

"It’s gonna blow! That thing’s gonna blow!"

"Run! Get out—!"

The compressed mana exploded, tearing even metal apart.

If that gap burst.

Shrapnel would shoot like bullets, ripping through everything.

Sensing the danger, mages quickly erected barriers.

Crack—crack.

An ominous tearing sound.

Iron screamed.

Then.

──!

"Ah!"

Flora closed her eyes tight, her bracelet forming a full-body barrier.

She trembled like a penguin, praying.

One second,

Two,

Three,

Four.

Whoosh...

Wind roared.

Then it stopped.

That was it.

"...?"

No impact. Still trembling, Flora slowly opened her eyes.

"...Ah!"

She froze. A jagged metal shard hovered right in front of her eyes.

Strangely, it was perfectly still.

"What... is this?"

Not just hers—everywhere, shrapnel floated like stones in space.

...

The chaos settled. Mages, drained, stood in place, stunned.

No words.

Dead silence.

Shrapnel hung like gentle clouds.

A miracle. No—this was magical awe...

"...Was it you?"

Flora asked Aurelia. But even Aurelia looked confused.

Puzzled. Surprised. At a loss.

"Was it psychokinesis?"

"No way. No one can stop this much."

"True. Just guessing."

A miraculous sight stirred intense curiosity. Mages began examining the fragments, touching them, imbuing mana—

─No one move.

A cold voice sliced through the air.

Thud—thud.

Heavy footsteps followed.

Gulp.

An oppressive presence made everyone swallow hard. Cold sweat down spines. Legs rooted.

"Attention."

One word silenced 150 mages.

They looked back.

The lecturer.

Professor Serena, who had just quelled the disaster with instant magic—

Stood there.

"...What foolishness have you done."

Still in her sharp suit, she scanned the room with hawk-like eyes. Her chilling gaze gripped the students’ hearts.

Then.

The shrapnel finally moved.

Clink...

The shards danced elegantly, assembling themselves neatly behind Serena.

She hadn’t even lifted a finger.

"Wow."

"Whoa."

Gasps of awe.

Even Flora, who thought she’d seen enough of Serena’s skills, had to admit:

Her magic was elegant.

Not just elegant—artful.

To laypeople, it was “pretty magic.” But trained mages felt it—

This was breathtaking control. Terrifying. Beautiful.

When will I ever reach this...

The thrill nearly burst from their skin.

"Lecture paused. Troublemakers stay. Everyone else, dismissed."

The awe vanished.

Serena’s wrath and dignity forced everyone to bow their heads.

Flora hesitated, about to leave—until she noticed someone behind Serena, wearing a bowler hat.

"What happened here?! I sensed massive magic!"

It was the principal.

He looked around in a panic, and Flora realized:

She was truly finished.