I Don’t Remember the Number of Regressions of the Villainesses Who Have Returned.

“Hmm~ Hmm hmm~”

It was time for the first class at the academy. Vivian was walking down the hallway, humming to herself.

If her mentor Merlin saw her, he might seriously worry that she had finally lost her mind. That’s how uncharacteristic Vivian’s behavior was, to the point where even she herself found it unexpected.

“We were definitely in the same class from the beginning, right?”

She had been looking forward to it.

Because in her memories, she clearly remembered attending magic classes together with him in their first year.

The faint blush on her cheeks showed an excitement that was rare to see from the usually expressionless Vivian.

“Where would be a good seat?”

Arriving at the classroom while muttering to herself, which was unlike her.

The moment she appeared, the chatter of the students that could be heard from beyond the hallway instantly stopped.

There was a moment of silence, and then countless gazes began to gather, not hiding the vulgarity like hyenas that had found their prey.

The gazes of the future magicians were filled with so much greed that you could say drool was dripping from their eyes.

However, that was outside of Vivian’s realm of concern.

‘Aaron…Aaron…’

Slowly turning her head, she searched for Aaron while erasing the presence of each student one by one.

Originally, she could have simply used mana detection magic to find him, but…

‘I want to see him with my own eyes.’

She was being sentimental.

But

‘Huh?’

Aaron wasn’t there.

‘Again.’

He wasn’t there.

They had definitely met again after meeting at the Magic Tower…

Aaron wasn’t here.

‘Mana detection.’

With a soft chant that others couldn’t hear, she lightly struck the floor with her staff.

‘…He’s not here.’

He wasn’t there.

Aaron,

Wasn’t there.

At that moment, a voice came from behind her.

“Student Vivian. May I come in? Class has already started.”

The professor’s voice brought her back to her senses for a moment.

“I apologize.”

Quickly sitting in one of the remaining seats, she waited for attendance.

Harboring a faint hope.

—–

Attendance began simultaneously with the start of class.

The result was.

“Hmm. It seems everyone is here.”

“Wait a moment!”

“What is it. Vivian Karula.”

“There’s still a student who hasn’t been called…”

“I called everyone.”

From the beginning, Aaron wasn’t in this class.

At the same time, Aaron’s appearance during the test came to mind.

‘Aaron. You used a sword during the test.’

The information she had overlooked because she was simply observing Aaron.

He had wielded a sword, not magic, in the test duel.

Since he didn’t use magic, it made sense that he wasn’t in the advanced magic class.

However.

‘But Aaron took classes together with me?’

She clearly remembered taking classes together with Aaron.

But he wasn’t in class.

‘Aaron…is taking different classes than me?’

Her mind broke down, recalling countless situations based on this fact alone. She stared blankly into space with dazed eyes until the end of the day’s classes. It wasn’t until evening that she could organize her thoughts.

‘The present has changed.’

A reality that had greatly diverged from the memories she had experienced.

Facing reality, she clearly sorted out her thoughts.

‘Aaron isn’t in class…’

‘I can’t sit next to Aaron…’

‘I wanted to sit on Aaron’s lap…’

The delusions she had hoped for when coming to the academy.

But after the time spent sorting out her thoughts (delusions) passed.

“Still, at least Aaron is alive.”

Yes.

That’s enough.

Even though we’re not in the same class. Even though the connection to the Magic Tower has disappeared,

That’s enough.

It’s not like he’s coldly embracing me with half his body sliced off like that time.

It’s not like he’s foolishly patting my head with a body broken beyond repair like that time.

“Let’s cheer up.”

I finally went back to the past.

It’s not…much, but I can’t lie down powerless just because Aaron and I don’t have overlapping classes.

‘Think positively.’

Those were the words Aaron always had on his lips.

I can still picture that insane look on his face as he told me to think positively even when his arm was being cut off, but now I kind of understand.

It was because if you didn’t think positively, even if you went crazy, you wouldn’t be able to stand up.

It was to continuously make himself recognize that it was more important to stand up and move forward, even if he went insane, rather than kneeling down powerless.

“It’s quite foolish.”

Saying it out loud, she really thought he was a fool.

“You could have just leaned on me instead of embracing it all yourself.”

After all, it was because she couldn’t be positive that she made him lean on her so she could stand up.

But he stood up without leaning on her.

That’s why he chanted it to the point of always shouting it, deeply engraving it in his mind. She finally understood that now.

“It’ll be different this time.”

She won’t let him end up like that time.

Definitely.

So…

“This is for you…Aaron?”

The fact that I’m using an observation-type summon to observe Aaron’s room is for his sake.

To know if he’s ruining his body with some crazy act again and to stop him.

It’s absolutely not for my personal desires.

“Go.”

The translucent eyeball-shaped summon that appeared when her chant ended.

Its already translucent body flickered like a mirage and soon completely vanished.

“With this, Aaron’s body…”

Ah, that’s not it.

“With this, Aaron…”

At that moment, a split second of information was sent from the summon she shared the vision with.

At the same time, the shared vision was cut off.

But she learned one thing.

The summon that tried to enter through the window of Aaron’s room had died.

But that wasn’t what was important right now.

“A woman?”

Even if it was only for a moment, the image sent from the summon before it burst definitely showed it.

A gray tail.

It could be Aaron talking with his beast-kin friend.

Even though it was late at night, there were stories of men staying up all night drinking together when they became close, right?

Even though curves that couldn’t be thought of as male were clearly visible.

It must be a man.

-Knock knock

If I, who had only exchanged a single word with him, knocked on Aaron’s door at this hour, how he looked at me would change.

‘I…don’t want that.’

Tomorrow.

Let’s check again tomorrow.

If it’s there tomorrow too…

—–

The next day, she summoned a familiar at the end of class and ordered it to follow Aaron.

And finally, she could see.

The identity of that damn bitch.

“Why is this woman…”

Sephir Livris.

In her previous life, she handled countless deals in the underworld.

And in the war, she was the trash that sold even countless corpses to black magicians for the greatest profit, sticking with them until the very end for money.

There were even rumors that she sold off her fiancé like a toy.

“A beast like that…is approaching Aaron?”

Getting up from the dormitory, she immediately began chanting.

“[Haste]”

She ran towards the hill behind the dormitory, following the summon that was observing Aaron.

However.

“Ugh!”

Vivian suddenly staggered into the empty forest.

It was the summon whose vision she was sharing.

Right now, that summon had been caught and was spinning around countless times.

Vivian, hit all at once by the dizziness as if the summon had spun dozens of times, quickly cut off the shared vision. Still, the flood of visual information that had already hit her couldn’t be stopped.

“The wicked woman who sold the continent to those things…”

In the past, the word “wicked” that Aaron had used while looking at Sephir.

She felt like she understood the meaning.

A voice came from up ahead on the tree.

“Isn’t it about time for you to show yourself?”

——

Present-

“Yours? Aaron?”

It was so absurd that she asked again.

To that filthy beast claiming ownership of Aaron.

“Don’t casually address my assistant.”

This was undoubtedly meant as a warning.

However.

“What’s it to you?”

Sephir tilted her head and brushed it off as if it was pathetic.

Showing a slight smile as if ridiculing her.

“I’m Aaron’s friend, but what are you?”

“……”

Her expression didn’t change.

But

“I changed my mind.”

Seeing that, Vivian didn’t hold back.

“I should quickly dispose of the dirty stray before it spreads its filth to Aaron.”

At the same time, spells flowed from her mouth.

Those spells began to connect like puzzle pieces, finding their place as if they were cogwheels.

The blue pieces find their positions one by one.

Soon, countless circular formations faced Sephir.

“I’d prefer that kind of conversation from you.”

Lowering her stance, she rotated her mana.

As if preparing to leap.

She held a dagger in one hand.

Taking out a differently shaped dagger from her bosom, she held weapons in both hands.

At the same time, Sephir’s mana was imbued into the blades.

Even though she wasn’t an aura user, Sephir wielded blades, not magic.

Was it a provocation towards Vivian? Or a trick to use a hidden unique magic?

Despite being a magician, Vivian didn’t maintain distance and began chanting on the spot.

Was it simple confidence in Sephir, or a provocation for a hidden trap?

For a moment, the same thought crossed both their minds.

‘Doesn’t matter.’

The more spells lined up behind Vivian.

The more highly concentrated mana gathered in Sephir’s daggers.

The killing intent-filled mana flowing out from the two of them began to devour the surroundings.

—–

Meanwhile

“Lord Aslan.”

“Yes.”

“What is that?”

While talking with Aslan, he had come to understand his body’s condition to some extent.

But

‘What the heck is that.’

He felt the immense clash of mana in the distance.

To a degree he had never felt before.

“Uh…”

Next to me, Aslan, who was also sensing the mana’s impact, replied with a dazed expression.

“A fishing ground.”

“……”

What are you saying?