The Villain Bought the Female Lead - Ch. 52
The full moon rose.
It was the Great Full Moon, which illuminated the world anew, filled with the light of the sun.
In a corner of the wide garden near the dormitory.
I was training my magic, basking in its brilliant baptism. Immersing myself alone in a solitary room was fine, but sometimes, training while enjoying the ambiance outside invigorated the direction of my magic.
As I touched the flow of magic, I felt a change.
‘As my total mana increases, the level of my curse magic is also rapidly growing.’
Magic was generally divided into three ranks.
The lowest rank was the lower rank.
The next step was the middle rank.
Close to the pinnacle was the high rank.
Most people passed through these stages by the time they graduated from Academia.
Vargan’s basic achievements were mostly in the high rank. Some magic that was unnecessary for combat or did not suit his disposition remained in the middle rank, but there was no need to force development. The cost-effectiveness was poor.
When magic reached the high rank, one could finally grasp the rough form of magic in that field. From then on, individual research and development were pursued in earnest.
‘Soon, my curse magic will reach the <Understanding> rank.’
The next step after the high rank, a new realm of magic.
A door opened to a new world, and all the perceptions of the existing world were reorganized.
One who had just entered the understanding rank was called a beginner. Some people assigned a sequence to further insights gained afterward, but this was practically impossible.
To reach the understanding rank and then numerically rank personal insights caused distortions for the sake of statistics.
It was that delicate and sophisticated field. It couldn’t be divided into mere numbers and clumsy tiers.
… well, expressing someone who had reached a truly different level as having attained the transcendental rank was common, but that was a story for later and pertained to a very few.
Anyway.
To complete the unique spell I was currently aiming for in magic, I needed to reach the understanding rank in at least one field.
Originally, Vargan’s curse magic was supposed to reach the understanding rank about 8 months from now. The achievements of the 7 months since I took over were not insignificant, which was pleasing to hear.
“……”
I could sense the presence of someone watching me nearby. She was trying to hide her magic as much as possible, but it was still clumsy.
I had known she was there for quite some time, but since she wasn’t interrupting, I didn’t bother. I disliked having my concentration broken. Now that I’d temporarily stopped training, the situation was different.
“Frieda.”
As my voice called her, the twigs in the nearby bushes shook. Frieda, who had been hiding behind the bushes, appeared with a sheepish smile.
Judging by the long time it took her to come out, I could guess she had been conflicted internally.
“Haha, I didn’t mean to peek… I was out for a walk and ended up here by chance….”
Under the moonlight, Frieda’s appearance was different from usual. Her long, orange-tinged light brown hair was the same, but the pointed ears on her head and the fluffy tail hidden under her skirt were new.
“Oh, this appearance….”
“I know. You’re a demi-human, aren’t you?”
Frieda, who lived in a slum in an unnamed small country, originally had roots in the Darek Union, a country full of demi-humans.
Had she not been abandoned in a distant, unfamiliar slum, she might have made friends with others from the same region as Diphelia.
“… yes, that’s right….”
She looked at me with a gaze that seemed surprised I knew her species.
I chuckled, thinking it wasn’t something that rare to hide.
“The Academia is full of demi-humans. In the slum where you lived, you might have been targeted because of your tail or ears, but not here. You know that, but you still go to the trouble.”
“… it’s a habit, so I end up hiding it.”
Frieda had eyes full of curiosity. She seemed to want to ask how I knew all that.
A fluffy tail dropped from under Frieda’s skirt. She had unconsciously hidden it out of caution, but it had now fallen.
“Don’t ask how I knew. I’ve already spent too much time talking today. I don’t want to waste any more precious resources on chatting.”
“… is it true that when you deeply understand curse magic, you can see through people’s psychology… it’s a bit scary that you can see that much.”
Frieda pretended to shiver in fear, hugging herself. But when I ignored her and showed signs of leaving, she hurriedly continued.
“I’ve finished organizing the research group’s documents as you instructed. And of course, I cleaned up thoroughly, not leaving a speck of dust.”
“What’s the purpose of saying that?”
“Don’t you understand the implication of me bringing this up?”
She made an OK sign with her fingers and smiled bashfully.
Though her blunt attitude was somewhat absurd, it didn’t upset me. In fact, it was rather straightforward and convenient.
When I tossed her two silver coins from the pouch I carried, she caught them in midair and looked satisfied.
“Thank you, as always!”
I had done enough training outside. It was time to head back.
As I started walking, Frieda trailed closely behind. I had already given her what she wanted, yet she still followed, signaling she wasn’t satisfied.
“Vargan, you always devote yourself to training.”
“It’s necessary.”
“Do you focus like this every day?”
I stared at Frieda. It seemed like she was skirting around what she really wanted to ask.
“What are you curious about?”
“Ah, as expected… you catch on quickly.”
Frieda showed a surprised reaction, then looked up at me with eyes that seemed hesitant but determined to ask.
“Are you not interested in women?”
Her sudden, bold question made me chuckle.
“Do I look like I enjoy the company of men?”
“Not really, but you always seem engrossed in training or reading books. Even with a beautiful attendant like Alicia, you haven’t laid a finger on her, right? It’s understandable why one might think so.”
“I did kick her into a pit full of bugs once, though.”
“… ugh. That’s a bit much.”
Frieda grimaced but then laughed.
Most people wouldn’t respond that way, which was peculiar. She added that it wasn’t the answer she wanted.
“Ah, that means….”
Frieda, giggling as if she remembered something, changed her demeanor.
The naturally cheerful air around her didn’t completely fade, but she became somewhat calm and slightly seductive.
She was testing the waters.
“Knowing that Vargan isn’t uninterested in women is good news.”
As if to show her sly nature, Frieda approached me with meaningful eyes.
The sweet scent carried by the wind tickled my nose.
“Does that mean I have a chance too?”
I could see the tip of her tail swaying under her skirt.
Watching her confident and somewhat provocative gaze reminded me of the time when I was reading the novel.
It was a similar situation back then.
“Even if you know, nothing will change.”
“You never know. I don’t mind being the second or third woman.”
“Is money really that important to you?”
“It’s not the only reason… but it is a major one.”
In the original story, Frieda was at best a recurring supporting character.
However, that was only in relation to the protagonist Liam. She had quite a close connection with Vargan and Erica.
“Concealing your true intentions is basic, but you act as if I would generously give away money.”
“You’re not someone who would be fooled by hiding it anyway.”
Erica’s engagement anniversary.
In the original story, when Erica invited Vargan on a date, he didn’t show up.
The reason he stood Erica up was clear.
While the exact details weren’t described, it was mentioned that readers could understand.
“That’s because you don’t know my charm yet. How about we take some time to get to know each other? Let’s go somewhere together next week. Then surely…”
There were some people who, not being with Alicia, had sniffed out the scent of money or success from Vargan, and among them, the one who stood out the most was <Frieda>.
Frieda approached Vargan at that time and suggested a date, which, for some reason, coincided exactly with the date promised to Erica.
Needless to say, Vargan’s choice was Frieda, not Erica. Although there was no description of Vargan’s psychology, it could be asserted that it wasn’t because he liked Frieda.
At that time, Vargan was trying to push Erica away for some reason, and he used this incident because it was suitable to humiliate Erica.
Even after that, Vargan caused Erica considerable humiliation through Frieda. To the extent that Erica was pitied as a noblewoman who was pushed aside by a mistress.
“……”
Erica….
Erica….
“Mr. Vargan?”
I couldn’t tolerate the unsettling feeling wriggling inside me.
No longer in the mood for playful banter, I pushed Frieda aside and walked forward.
Too many thoughts crowded my mind. The walk had been enough.
… time to head back.
“It’s late. You should head back too.”
I had already wasted too much time. I didn’t want to squander another minute, another second.
… or was this just an excuse?
“I have a prior engagement.”
Leaving Frieda behind, I headed to my room.
The long moonlit night of today had come to an end.
Left alone, feeling somewhat bewildered, Frida pondered deeply and muttered to herself. Her eyes were quickly calculating.
“… so, the rumor that he doesn’t get along with Erika was indeed false.”
Frieda also turned around and returned to her dormitory.
***
The next afternoon.
After finishing familiar training, I was on my way to the laboratory when I ran into Diphelia, who had been in the same class. She looked gloomy and startled when she saw me, then quietly lowered her head and approached.
It seemed like she intended to greet me every time now that we’d talked a bit, but she treated me like a ghost, making me feel like I’d done something wrong.
With trembling hands, she handed me a letter. She was so scared that she quickly ran away as soon as I took the envelope. It was fascinating to see her moving wheelchair following her thoughts.
I thought about reading the letter right away but put it away because I made eye contact with someone.
“…….”
Since when had she been watching? Without a word, Erica left the spot. Her expression was as cold and aloof as always.
It left me feeling oddly uneasy.
In many ways.
Strange… I hadn’t done anything besides the class battle. Or was it a big shock for Diphelia? If so, she was softer than I expected.
Shuffle.
I started walking.
In the research group, everyone had gathered, including Finn, who had returned. Frieda acted nonchalantly as if she had forgotten about yesterday’s events. She spoke to me naturally and teased Emily, just like usual.
Silencing the noisy scene, I started to speak.
“The selection of new members for Arbor Frutal has concluded. This brings us to a large research group of 33 members.”
The new members hadn’t entered this room yet. The list of those who passed had been left on the bulletin board, but their activities would start in earnest after moving the laboratory.
“Accordingly, we will change the laboratory. A new place has already been secured. Most of the research group’s items will be moved by the Academia’s staff, but personal items should be moved by individuals.”
After informing the members of matters related to moving the research group, I got to the main point.
This would become the foundation and pillar supporting Arbor Frutal.
“As mentioned before, Arbor Frutal will be divided into four groups.”
The <Roots> would consist of executives.
The elite group, <Trunk>.
The <Stem> of average members.
The underdeveloped <Branches>.
“Members of the Roots, except for Frieda, who joined recently, will have additional responsibilities.”
Their primary affiliation was the Roots, but they would also act as leaders for each group. They would observe and report on the group members’ growth and provide guidance and assistance. They would also handle other tasks, but the main duty was this.
“I will be the leader of the Trunk. There is no one else here who can lead them, so I have to take on this responsibility despite being busy.”
There were four elite members in the Trunk.
First-year, Bantlo Troa Belliard.
Second-year, Francesca Victoria Ocell.
Fourth-year, Alexeria.
Fourth-year, Brockium.
These four were the main figures I mentioned briefly before.
There was no need to explain Bantlo any further.
Second-year Francesca was the second highest in her first-year entrance scores and was part of the student council. She left the council in her second year and joined our research group. There weren’t many useful second years, but Francesca was an exception.
Fourth-year Alexeria was as talented as Francesca and had ties to the student council. Alexeria was the student council president two years ago.
She became president in her third year, took a year off to travel the world after her term, and returned this time with her fiancé Brockium. According to the story, Brockium accompanied her because he was worried about her traveling alone.
Alexeria joined Arbor Frutal out of interest, and Brockium followed her. Whatever the reason, now that they were here, I planned to use them to my advantage.
“… next, the leaders of the Stem are Alicia and Serena.”
There were sixteen members in the Stem.
Since this group was the largest, two leaders had been assigned. Alicia specialized in swordsmanship, and Serena in archery, so they could divide the training appropriately if necessary.
“Lastly, the underdeveloped group, the Branches, will be led by Emily.”
“Why is my group called that….”
The Branches consisted of eight members.
This group included those with potential but hadn’t shown much promise yet or had only displayed slight talent.
It was a bit worrying to leave it to Emily, but I would be helping her, and she was gradually improving, so I appointed her.
Surprisingly, Emily was quite good at analyzing people.
“Wait. Why are there eight? I thought there were seven. And… doesn’t Finn have a responsibility?”
“…….”
Finn, who made eye contact with Emily, gave a faint smile, answering instead of me. Emily’s expression gradually hardened. She looked at me with a forlorn expression as if to say, ‘No way…’.
“Did you kick Finn out of the research group?”
Ignoring Emily, who wanted me to deny it, I continued speaking.
See, this was why misunderstandings and confusion arose when people interrupted.
“Finn, who was an existing member, is part of the Branches, not the Roots. Emily, unlike you, he’s not a leader but a member of that group.”
“But that’s too….”
“Emily, it’s okay. I asked for it.”
Emily’s trembling eyes stopped at Finn’s words. Finn calmly continued.
“I painfully realized how weak I was during the class battle. I’d be ashamed to be in the Roots just because I’m an existing member.”
“Finn….”
“Don’t worry too much. I’m not leaving the research group, and it’s not like we can’t be together. And….”
Finn smiled confidently, reassuringly.
“I’ll definitely make it to the Roots.”
From Branches to Stem, from Stem to Trunk, from Trunk to Roots.
The members of Arbor Frutal’s groups were fluid. Overall development was expected, but those who grew exceptionally fast or met the conditions for the next level would be reassigned to higher groups.
Finn declared that he would make it from the lowest level, the Branches, to the top, the Roots.
Emily couldn’t detect any sadness or negative feelings from Finn’s face. He looked at her with an expression of anticipation for that moment.
“… don’t be late.”
“I’ll catch up soon.”
I noticed this during the class battle preparation: the two seemed to feel some sense of rivalry. Emily was superior in skill, but she saw how hard Finn worked beside her.
Finn admired Emily’s skills.
Emily admired Finn’s passion.
They had a mutually beneficial relationship.
It felt refreshing to see. Originally, they were practically strangers who wouldn’t have even greeted each other.
But since I possessed this body, their relationship completely changed.
With a little less than a year remaining.
On the day of the Academy’s tragedy.
What would become of these two characters who were supposed to exit the stage originally?
“What are you looking at?”
“Oh, sorry. Master… it’s just….”
Alicia, who had been secretly watching me, smiled warmly. Like a gentle spring breeze.
“You seemed happy, so I felt happy too.”
“That’s a very subjective judgment.”
“Yes, Master, you’re right.”
“…….”
Alicia agreed with my words.
But her smiling face was quite annoying. It was as if she understood me completely, with a look like a mother’s gaze.
… let’s ignore it.
“Alright, let’s start today’s research group activities.”
The small laboratory became busy again.