The morning after the demon attack by Wise and Gyaro, Luna heads to the Saint Academy with Ro.
Exchanging small talk about the weather and classes, they arrive in no time at the classroom for Class 1-C.
The moment Luna slides the door open——Sarko spots her and comes flying over at incredible speed.
“Luna……!”
“Oof……!?”
“Oh, thank goodness you’re safe……! You ran off so suddenly, I was absolutely worried sick!”
“I-I’m sorry……”
Yesterday, while the three of them——Luna, Ro, and Sarko——were following the Holy Knights to the evacuation area, Luna had suddenly announced “sorry, I really need to use the bathroom!” and sprinted off somewhere.
It had been unavoidable, to conceal the connection between Luna and Silver——but the fact that she had caused a friend great worry is real enough.
She had already received a thorough lecture from Ro about it the previous night, so she is genuinely reflecting on it.
“Well anyway, I’m just glad you’re safe.”
Sarko lets out a relieved breath and raises one index finger pointedly.
“By the way, did you see this morning’s newspaper?”
“Oh, yeah……”
At Sarko’s question, Luna nods with an indescribable expression.
“Something about the Saint having reincarnated……?”
“Yes! According to that large plate armor——the Proxy of the Saint——the Saint has finally awakened after three hundred years!”
“H-how wonderful……”
Not particularly wanting to engage with Saint-related topics, Luna gives a vague answer while looking away——and Ro joins the conversation.
“But you know, the fact that the Proxy is the one acting suggests the Saint herself probably isn’t at full capacity yet.”
“Yes, that’s almost certainly true. According to the latest statement released by the ‘Saint Academic Society’……’the Saint, who accomplished reincarnation through great magic, is likely experiencing severe deterioration of her power and memories, and there is a strong possibility she does not even recognize herself as the Saint.'”
“Huh, is that right.”
“Ahhh, the whole world is longing so desperately for the Saint’s full return……. To think her past-life power and memories still haven’t come back yet——how terribly frustrating……!”
Sarko, who believes with every fiber of her being that she herself is the Saint, wraps her arms around herself with an anguished expression.
“Ha, haha……”
“Sarko is as confident as ever.”
Luna and Ro share a strained smile——and then the classroom door slides open, and Class 1-C’s teacher Jurall Serpent walks in.
“Hmm……no tardiness, no absences. Splendid. We will now begin homeroom.”
He takes his place at the podium and clears his throat.
“Students, I have good news to start with. A new member will be joining you.”
He turns his gaze toward the corridor outside.
“——Come in.”
At his word, the door quietly slides open.
In walks a girl of such breathtaking beauty that even flowers would blush.
She stands beside Jurall and draws her already straight spine up even straighter.
“This student joins you as a classmate from today——Wendy Triard. Please, introduce yourself.”
“I have transferred from the Empire’s Saint Academy. My name is Wendy Triard. My hobbies include reading, and I’m most proud of my cooking——I look forward to getting to know everyone.”
Wendy Triard, fifteen years old.
Height one hundred and sixty-four centimeters, a lean build.
Pastel pink hair reaching down to her back, styled in a half-up arrangement.
Large eyes, healthy clear skin, rose quartz irises——strikingly well-defined features——dressed in the Saint Academy’s Saint Division uniform.
The class applauds as Wendy finishes introducing herself.
“Wendy Triard transfers today from the Saint Division of the Empire’s Saint Academy to our Saint Division. She is an exceptionally talented student, an elite schooled in the Empire’s tradition of saint study. She will be a positive influence for all of you, and you for her. I expect everyone to get along.”
Jurall says this and scans the classroom.
“Your seat is……hmm, the one beside Luna Spedio happens to be open. Take that one for now.”
“Yes.”
The Saint Aptitude Test held recently had left a few vacancies in Class 1-C——some failing students, expelled——and the one beside Luna happened to be among them.
“Wow, the Saint Division of the Empire’s Saint Academy……!”
“Isn’t that the one with the extraordinary acceptance rate?”
“This year I believe it was over a hundred-to-one……? She must be an absolutely remarkable talent.”
As the class stirs with chatter——
“……!”
——Luna has gone pale.
(……A transfer student……? At this strange timing, a month after enrollment……? And her hobbies are reading, she’s best at cooking……!?)
The other students seem to have no idea——but sharp as she is, Luna has connected the dots.
(There’s no doubt about it……. The protagonist has arrived……!)
A face that combines cuteness and beauty and stirs a protective instinct.
And despite all that, eyes with a certain quiet strength in them, dignified and unwavering.
A textbook beauty of the purest form——that right there is the very image of a ‘Main Heroine.’
(This is bad……!)
The ‘Villainess’ and the ‘Main Heroine’ are natural adversaries.
The two are like opposite sides of a coin——shadow and light.
The villainess is the main heroine’s natural enemy, and the main heroine is the villainess’s natural enemy.
Either the villainess crushes the main heroine, or the main heroine destroys the villainess. It is a predator-prey battle with no middle ground.
(To think I’d run into my lifelong rival this early……! This is bad, genuinely bad. One wrong move and I’m the one getting destroyed……!)
Luna’s inner calm is very much not calm.
And in the middle of all this——
“Hm, the Empire’s Saint Academy……”
“What’s with that flashy pink hair……does she think she’s cute or something?”
“Hey, should we go after her a bit later?”
——some of the girls in class immediately start in with disparaging remarks about Wendy.
Luna’s chest tightens.
(No, stop, don’t……! Don’t say awful things about her……!)
She can already see exactly where this is going. The scene where the mean classmates get what’s coming to them.
(Wendy, what a terrifying girl……! She’s already planting them……the seeds of Main Heroine Moves……!)
She is executing at an extremely high level as a Main Heroine.
(Something, something——what is there right now that would seem like a villainess……!?)
Driven by urgency, Luna looks frantically around the room.
But naturally, nothing conveniently suitable presents itself.
(Kgh……I want to do it. I want to do a Villainess Move……!)
Luna has been struggling greatly of late.
The reason is simple: doing Villainess Moves at the Saint Academy has turned out to be far, far harder than she expected.
At its core, a Villainess Move means using one’s position of superiority to lord it over those below.
But——every student at this school comes from a family of higher standing than Luna’s, which means none of them qualify as targets for a Villainess Move.
There are a few students from viscount and baron households scattered here and there——but they are attendants and lady’s maids, the same sort of position as Ro.
(Throwing my weight around at attendants and lady’s maids is……not right.)
That’s not a Villainess Move. That’s just a small-time bully.
(I need to raise my ‘Villainess Level’ as fast as possible, or that transfer student will be the one destroying me……!)
As Luna trembles with a sense of crisis unlike any she has felt before, a voice like a ringing bell sounds from the right.
“——Excuse me, may I sit here?”
She spins around fast——and there is the Main Heroine, smiling softly.
“P-please, do be seated……!”
Luna’s completely unhinged honorifics prompt Wendy to widen her eyes slightly——and then let out a small laugh.
“Wh-what is it……?”
“I’m sorry, I just thought you seemed like a fun person. I hope we can get along.”
“Y-yes, I hope so too. (Kgh……! She just looked at me and laughed! She’s the enemy, definitely the enemy! A villainess and a main heroine are fundamentally incompatible beings!)”
Luna seethes with competitive spirit while quietly chewing on her humiliation.
(I will become a proper villainess and beat this Main Heroine! To do that, first I need to raise House Spedio’s standing and lay the groundwork——set up the ‘stage for Villainess Moves’……! Right, decided! Next day off, I’ll go back to the family home and think everything through!)
Just as she is forming her plan going forward, Jurall clears his throat and draws everyone’s attention.
“Now, I would like to begin first period shortly——but before that, I want to briefly address the demon attack during our recent field trip.”
He says this and begins.
“First——the two demons who attacked the Elgia Royal Museum. Both have now been confirmed dead. Wise Burdahorn was completely annihilated by Silver’s great magic. The remains of the one who made off with the Red Book were found in a heavily mutilated state along a southern road. Most likely Silver dealt with that one as well.”
At Jurall’s update, the class bursts into chatter.
“Silver-sama really is something extraordinary……!”
“To cut down those vicious demons so easily……as expected of the Proxy of the Saint!”
“But just what kind of person is he……?”
“Perhaps a retainer who has served the Saint since three hundred years ago?”
“A mystery wrapped in plate armor……oh, I’m sure he must be a wonderfully attractive gentleman!”
Their imaginations regarding Silver blossom.
The Saint herself, overhearing this from nearby——
(Heh heh heh……that’s actually me, you know……)
——is wearing a very pleased, very smug little grin, given the resounding success of the ‘Proxy of the Saint Move.’
All the while, Jurall continues.
“There are two major problems with this incident. First, our border defenses were breached with contemptuous ease. On this point, reconstruction of the defense network is currently underway, led by the Holy Knights. Second, the location of the kingdom’s most sensitive secret——the Red Book——was completely exposed. At this point, it is certain that information on the kingdom is being leaked to the Demon King’s side. Whether they are using some form of magical espionage, whether a treacherous rat has infiltrated our ranks, or whether it is something else entirely——none of the answers are good ones.”
(Intelligence warfare, spies, unexpected something-or-other……heh, interesting! I’m rather fond of this kind of development!)
Hearing what sounds like something out of a novel, Luna’s heart quickens.
“The demons’ movements have been extremely active of late. This is my personal view——but they are likely in a hurry. After all, this is the three-hundredth year recorded in the Red Book——the milestone year when the Saint is said to reincarnate. From the Demon King’s perspective, they would want by any means possible to prevent this——to prevent the Saint’s reincarnation. Going forward, we must keep attacks targeting the Saint Academy within the realm of possibility.”
Jurall pauses, then goes on.
“You are ‘eggs of the Saint,’ who have not yet reached ‘awakening.’ We teachers intend to protect you from external threats while drawing out the true power sleeping within you through every approach available. However——this is obviously not something resolved in a day or two. So today we will be holding a special lecture: a theory class on demons and magic beasts.”
Jurall snaps his fingers and activates ——a large quantity of books come flying out of empty space and land softly on each student’s desk.
(Ecology of Demons and Magic Beasts: An Introduction……?)
It is a textbook he has personally compiled.
“There is an old saying: ‘knowledge saves lives.’ Through this lecture, I want you to learn the abilities, ecology, and threat levels of our enemies——and be able to make fast, accurate judgments when you encounter a demon or magic beast: fight or flee. On the battlefield, a fraction of a second can be the difference between life and death. Use knowledge as unseen armor and a means of self-defense.”
Jurall says this and begins the lesson.
“The basic rule first: combat with demons is forbidden. They possess physical strength, magical power, and regenerative ability that exceed the human range entirely. Demons command magic beasts, and with the exception of certain named individuals like the ‘Moon Wolf,’ there is a complete hierarchy between them. They are simply not opponents any of you new students can overcome.”
Do not fight demons.
Having stated that plainly, he moves on to explaining magic beasts.
“As for magic beasts——there are an enormous number of types, and covering them all comprehensively is not realistic. So today I’ll focus on the well-known ones. Goblins, skeletons, cyclopes——these are within the range that you should be able to dispatch without too much difficulty. Let’s start with goblin ecology——”
He goes on to describe the traits and weaknesses of each magic beast.
(I see……goblins have low intelligence and are physically weak. Skeletons are fast but fragile. Cyclopes are large but slow.)
Luna, who is fundamentally diligent at heart, dutifully takes notes on the lesson content.
“And next, ogres, golems, gargoyles. These magic beasts are extremely dangerous——if you encounter one, you must flee immediately.”
(Ogres are brute-strength fighters and aggressive. Golems are too durable to bring down. Gargoyles have nasty sharp claws and poison……noted. Heh, this class might actually be kind of fun.)
There had been no opportunity for this kind of systematic study three hundred years ago, and Luna is genuinely enjoying the lesson on demon and magic beast biology.
“And this goes without saying——combat with Alpha or Mutation variants is out of the question. The difficulty of subduing these two types is incomparable to standard types. In the event of an encounter, focus entirely on surviving and act accordingly.”
(Hm……Alpha and Mutation variants. So there are magic beasts that dangerous in this era too. Better to remember that properly.)
As a side note——both Alpha and Mutation variants had been documented since three hundred years ago, and the Saint has already traded blows with them multiple times.
However, as her personal scale for measuring strength is extremely coarse——she has been one-shotting every single one of them, standard type, Alpha, and Mutation alike, without distinction——this knowledge will almost certainly never be of practical use to her for the rest of her life.