The Villain in the Novel Lives as the Second Best at the Academy

At first, she just found it trivial.

The purple eyes gazing at Escher on the entrance ceremony day.

The moment she saw that gaze, an inexplicable sense of alienation flashed by.

Pity? Compassion? Or sympathy?

She had never once thought there would be someone who would dare to look at her, Escher, that way.

And then, they met again at the dormitory. Even as roommates sharing one room.

When they first met, that thing was clearly arrogant.

Despite being of unremarkable origin, with just the reason of special admission, she acted as if she were some great being, and that attitude was displeasing.

No, it wasn't just displeasing, it was offensive.

She couldn't understand by what standard such a thing could enter this place.

The only presentable thing about her was her face.

So she treated her harshly from the beginning.

Moreover, her reactions were quite irritating. She showed an attitude that crossed the line and acted brazenly, and even when she was at a disadvantage, she didn't lose that inexplicable arrogance.

Perhaps it was a kind of defense mechanism. But such things didn't matter.

From the beginning, Escher didn't like the idea of that thing being here.

So wasn't it natural that she was being harassed?

She hadn't seen anyone going so far as to openly confront that thing, but it was obvious that the atmosphere in the Magic Department wasn't welcoming.

Such things exist everywhere. That thing was simply paying the price for daring to receive the privilege of being a special admission student despite being a commoner.

At first, she considered it natural.

So when she spoke less, when she avoided without a single retort despite provocation, she thought she was finally acting appropriately.

It was something to sneer at.

But.

"Arta, are you... okay these days?"

When she heard someone asking that thing in passing, that's when she started feeling something was strange.

She wasn't sure who it was. Whether it was a student from the same Magic Department, or just a fellow student who knew her by face, it wasn't clear.

When she heard those words, at first she snorted.

What kind of being was that to receive such concern?

It was ridiculous no matter how she thought about it.

But—

"I'm fine."

That's how it answered. While forcing a smile.

Escher felt an inexplicable feeling seeing that smile.

Even though there was no reason to take interest, that answer somehow bothered her.

It wasn't the common "I'm fine." It was an "I'm fine" that seemed to be deliberately hiding something, or as if accepting it so naturally that there was no need to explain.

She knew too well.

Whatever that thing was going through, it was none of her business. Rather, it would be strange to care.

Therefore, Escher had no need to pay attention to it.

Despite thinking so, it was strangely unsettling.

So she began to observe closely again.

Then, there were things that caught her eye one by one.

First, her food intake decreased. Of course, she somehow knew that she wasn't much of an eater to begin with.

But recently it was worse. She often averted her gaze from food, and her eating pace was excessively slow.

Sometimes her hand holding the fork would hesitate in mid-air.

She wasn't easily seen after classes ended either.

Normally, they should have encountered each other at least once on the way back to the dormitory, but such occasions had become rare from some point.

After class, she just seemed to disappear.

And the most noticeable thing was—

She was visibly wasting away day by day.

Her already small frame seemed to have gotten even smaller.

As if she wasn't already a frail little kid.

At first, she tried not to care. But now it was noticeable enough for others to recognize.

She had seen several times students from the Magic Department who weren't particularly close to that thing, or even people who seemed completely unrelated, approach with concern.

Yet that thing always gave the same answer.

"I'm fine."

While forcing a smile.

Seeing that, suddenly irritation surged up.

Was she doing this just to get attention? But it seemed too natural for that.

It was an attitude as if she wasn't even conscious of such things, as if it really didn't matter.

That grated on her nerves even more.

She bit her lip. Whatever that thing was going through, it wasn't her business. Rather, it would be better if she became more damaged and disappeared from this place.

Nevertheless, it kept bothering her.

Her own reaction irritated her.

One day, she finally couldn't bear it and clicked her tongue.

"Tsk."

She couldn't understand why she was feeling this way.

...There was no need to understand.

From the beginning, that thing was just an irritating presence.

There was no reason to care.

Even while thinking that, a part of her mind was still in disarray.

To begin with, there was no reason to watch this closely. It was just a matter to ignore and move on. There was nothing good in getting involved.

Nevertheless, there were more moments when her gaze followed that thing.

That irritated her more.

So, when this happened.

Escher couldn't help but react willingly.

"So, what if it was me?"

When Arta glared at her and poured out absurd suspicions, Escher instinctively retorted.

As soon as the words ended, the face before her visibly hardened.

She naturally expected an immediate rebuttal, but signs of agitation appeared more distinctly than expected.

Seeing that, she felt strangely pleased.

And irritated.

Why was I worried about something like that in the first place?

In the end, the answer didn't matter.

Throughout the walk to the dueling grounds, Escher was only thinking about how to definitively organize her current unsettled emotions.

And just then, an appropriate opportunity came.

Arta, bursting with anger towards her right before her eyes.

Yes, this might be a good thing.

Now she could be completely certain.

After properly pressing her down once, she would never dare to think of climbing up again.

Escher had never lost to a magician in a duel.

Whether it was a match or actual combat.

So, that cocky little commoner would meet the same fate.

○

The moment she entered the dueling grounds, cold and dry air touched her skin. It was a completely different temperature from the outside weather.

Regardless of the season, magic was cast to maintain constant humidity and temperature inside the dueling grounds.

Thanks to that, one could focus on training anytime, whether on hot days or cold days.

However, along with that bland air, the unspoken tension filling the space reminded that this was not just a simple practice space.

This was truly a place to prove one's abilities, a miniature battlefield where not a single mistake was tolerated.

Escher passed through the dueling cadets and went deeper into the dueling grounds.

This indoor dueling ground, accessible only to students belonging to Aureum Hall, boasted facilities incomparably superior to the general dueling grounds provided by the school.

Enough to be used as a stage for martial arts competitions at times.

The high ceiling provided ample spaciousness, and all kinds of protective magic were cast on the walls so that the building itself wouldn't be damaged no matter how strong the magic rampaged.

The floor was made of special stone that absorbed impact, and magic circles were engraved at regular intervals to automatically disperse energy in case excessive force was applied.

The decorations that extended along the walls were not simply aesthetic elements, but traces of the many magicians and warriors who had passed through this place.

The names of students who had won championships held in this dueling ground in the past were finely engraved, and among them were several figures who had made their names in history after graduation.

Leaving one's name in this space, where only records of victory were engraved, was no different than proving one's abilities beyond simple glory.

And in the center, in the middle of the dueling grounds, was a wide circular dueling area.

Complex magic circles were engraved on the floor, and at regular intervals, translucent barriers slowly flickered, revealing their presence.

The magic circles were designed to change properties as needed, allowing adjustments so that elemental magic such as flames or ice would not damage them. Impact mitigation magic was laid throughout the walls and floor.

It was a device to prevent accidents that could occur during duels, but despite this, many students were injured here.

After all, leaving this place where skills were contested with an intact body ultimately depended on individual capability.

Escher stepped forward, one step and then another. Her steps were smooth, but each time she walked, the air shook subtly.

It felt as if the magic circles inside the dueling grounds were responding, sensing that a fight was about to occur.

This is a place to prove one's abilities. Countless competitors had passed through here, some achieving victory, some tasting defeat.

But from the entrance ceremony until now, throughout all the records, Escher had never once been defeated in this space.

"..."

Escher lightly clenched and unclenched her fingers. Even in a space filled with tension, her movements were consistently flexible.

She was aiming not for a simple test of strength, but for a definite victory.

Slowly, and with clear steps, she advanced to the center of the dueling grounds.

Now all that remained was to wait for her opponent.