The Villainess Sells Monster Materials

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I made my way to the city’s monster material exchange and handed a boar tusk to the owner behind the counter.

“Oh? A Swift Boar tusk today, huh? Vina, you’re amazing as always. You know this monster is B-rank, right?”

That was B-rank?

I had dealt with it almost instantly.

Well, it had been fast, certainly. But beyond that, it hadn’t seemed particularly threatening.

“Your reward is one hundred silver coins.”

“Thank you very much.”

I accepted the payment and casually stored it inside my spatial magic.

“That spell of yours is as convenient as ever. Makes me jealous.”

“It’s not quite that amazing. There’s a limit to what I can store.”

“Huh. Is that so? Still, magic’s something to envy. People like us commoners could never have talent like that.”

…Talent, huh?

Commoners couldn’t use magic.

Or rather, that was what everyone believed.

The truth was much simpler: they had never been taught.

It wasn’t a matter of talent at all.

Mina herself was proof of that. She was a commoner, yet she could use magic perfectly well. Anyone could learn it if given the opportunity.

The reason so few commoners wielded magic was because magical education required enormous amounts of money.

And time.

Naturally, training someone to use a force capable of killing another person with ease wasn’t cheap.

On top of that, there was another obstacle—magic capacity.

Even if someone studied tirelessly, a low mana capacity meant they would never become effective against monsters or in combat. For many, the investment simply wasn’t worth it.

Magic was essentially a gamble requiring immense wealth and years of dedication.

That was why commoners were said to be incapable of using it.

“Oh, please. I’m just a commoner myself. The only reason I can use magic is because an older boy from my neighborhood taught me when I was younger.”

That was the story I’d settled on in this town.

I’d debated whether to hide my magic entirely, but after relying on it for so long, suddenly pretending I couldn’t use it felt incredibly inconvenient. In the end, I decided not to bother concealing it.

“Hmm. Well, if that’s what you say.”

He clearly didn’t believe me.

Honestly, I couldn’t blame him. It was a pretty flimsy lie.

After leaving the exchange, I headed home where Yua was waiting.

Unfortunately, on the way back, I ran into someone I’d much rather avoid.

“Yo, Vina-chan! Looking cute as ever today!”

The man approaching me with a loud, carefree laugh was named Kankle.

Like me, he made a living hunting monsters.

And like always, I immediately wished he would go away.

Objectively speaking, he was probably considered handsome.

The problem was his personality.

I simply couldn’t stand him.

“Do you need something?”

“Keh-heh-heh! Cold as always! That’s what makes you great!”

“Thank you for the compliment. Now, if you’ll excuse me—”

“Whoa, whoa, hold on! Stay and chat a little longer.”

Kankle stepped directly into my path.

Honestly…

This man had no sense of timing whatsoever.

“I’m sorry. My little sister is waiting at home.”

The “little sister” in question was Yua.

That was the role we played in this town.

“Yua-chan, right? Oh yeah, she’s adorable too. Maybe the three of us could—”

He suddenly froze.

Ah.

Oops.

I had accidentally released some mana.

I really needed to calm down.

Still, this was a good opportunity to remind him of something.

“Kankle.”

I smiled sweetly.

A smile backed by simmering mana.

“Let me make one thing clear. Stop flirting with her.”

Kankle nodded frantically.

Good.

Satisfied, I withdrew the mana pressure.

Yua was a breathtaking beauty.

Even at the academy—a place filled with noble-born girls renowned for their looks—she had stood out as exceptionally popular.

She was that beautiful.

And beyond her appearance, she excelled at household work, treated everyone kindly, and, thanks to her royal upbringing, possessed a naturally gentle smile that charmed people effortlessly.

Men.

Women.

Young.

Old.

Everyone adored her.

That much was fine.

The problem was the men she attracted.

I trusted Yua’s judgment.

She knew how to handle herself.

But that didn’t mean I couldn’t clear away potential problems beforehand.

Once something happened, it would already be too late.

“O-Okay, okay! I get it! I’ll stay away from Yua-chan! Seriously, Vina-chan, you can’t take a joke.”

“The problem is that nothing you say sounds like a joke.”

I stared at him coolly.

“Besides, I heard you were surrounded by several women in the guild cafeteria yesterday. I’d appreciate it if someone that vulgar kept his distance from us.”

“Man, that’s harsh. I’m just honest about my desires.”

He shrugged dramatically.

“Besides, if you keep acting this obsessed with your sister, she’s gonna end up hating you.”

“Who are you calling obsessed?”

“Seriously? You don’t even realize it?”

Kankle laughed.

“Do you know why almost none of the young guys in town approach you two anymore? It’s because of you.”

Well.

That sounded about right.

“Every time someone tries talking to Yua-chan, you show up looking scary as hell. That mana thing of yours? Touch that stuff and suddenly your whole body starts shaking. You’ve been chasing away every guy who gets close to her. Most of them gave up.”

Exactly as intended.

People with no magical aptitude reacted instinctively when exposed to mana.

I simply took advantage of that.

For the record, I’d given Kankle the same warning several times.

Unfortunately, this idiot seemed to forget his fear every time we met.

“Well, I might give up on Yua-chan, but I’m not giving up on you! Come have tea with me sometime!”

I wished he’d realize I genuinely disliked him.

But that would require self-awareness.

And Kankle wasn’t exactly blessed with that.

I sighed.

Then—

“Lady Vina!”

A familiar voice called out.

Yua came running toward us.

She should have been home.

The timing couldn’t have been worse.

“Yua? Why are you here?”

“Um… I was worried because you were taking longer than usual to come back…”

I suppose I had spent more time than expected at the exchange.

Given our circumstances, I really should have returned sooner.

“Oh! Yua-chan! Hey there!”

This idiot again…

“Ah… um… Good morning, Mr. Kankle.”

Yua forced a stiff smile.

Just like me, she wasn’t fond of him.

Unlike me, however, she was far too polite to show it openly.

“So, how about we all—”

He suddenly stopped.

“N-never mind. Please put away that mana. Seriously, it’s terrifying.”

I stared at the trembling Kankle and let out another sigh.

Then, accompanied by Yua’s helpless smile, I resumed the walk home.

Kankle tried to follow us for a while longer before finally giving up and running off to hit on some other woman passing by.

Watching him go, Yua murmured,

“Commoners really are… quite varied, aren’t they?”

“He’s an exception among exceptions.”

I shook my head.

“There are plenty of decent men out there. Men who devote themselves entirely to the woman they love.”

Though I’d already given up on that possibility for myself.

“You need to learn to recognize those kinds of men, Yua. Choose someone sincere.”

For some reason, Yua’s expression darkened.

“…A man… But I…”

She muttered something under her breath.

Too quietly for me to hear.

“Hm?”

She quickly shook her head.

“No. It’s nothing.”

“…I see.”

A lie.

Obviously.

Still, everyone had things they couldn’t say.

Things they didn’t want to say.

I wasn’t about to force her.

And so, together, we returned home.

◆ ◆ ◆

The students of Creatio Magic Academy were living in fear.

Ever since that day one week ago—

The day Vina Lilifal’s engagement had been publicly broken, the day she had been ridiculed for losing her composure and needing a younger student to protect her—

A series of incidents had shaken the academy.

Students who had carried out the bullying of Mina Yukishiro under Vina’s orders were turning up dead.

Under normal circumstances, suspicion might have fallen on Mina seeking revenge.

Yet almost nobody believed that.

After Vina left the academy, those students had apologized to Mina.

They had reconciled completely.

And Mina’s willingness to forgive them had dramatically improved her reputation.

The girl once dismissed as “an arrogant commoner” had become one of the academy’s most beloved students.

The perfect fiancée for the prince.

As a result, no one suspected Mina.

Instead, blame settled squarely on Vina.

A spiteful woman who, after losing her engagement, sought revenge by murdering those involved.

That was the story spreading through the academy.

There was no evidence.

Of course there wasn’t.

Vina wasn’t the culprit.

She was far away and couldn’t possibly have done any of it.

But faceless killers were frightening.

People preferred a villain they could understand.

Someone whose motives made sense.

Inside a climate-controlled greenhouse on academy grounds, several individuals gathered.

“Damn it!”

Prince Arnight slammed his fist down.

“Of all the reckless things for that woman to do…”

“Please calm yourself, Prince Arnight.”

Mina gently soothed him.

“I’m sorry. This may be my fault.”

Her voice trembled.

“Perhaps I pushed Lady Vina too far. Maybe there was another way. I’m truly sorry.”

Arnight immediately shook his head.

“No. You’ve done nothing wrong.”

His expression hardened.

“The one at fault is that woman. The woman who bullied you and now commits these atrocities.”

“…Thank you, Prince Arnight.”

Mina smiled weakly.

“Your words mean a lot to me.”

“My sister’s actions have caused all of this…”

Glenn, standing nearby, lowered his head.

“I’m truly sorry.”

“Don’t blame yourself.”

Arnight waved him off.

“The guilty one is her, not you.”

“That’s right, Glenn.”

Mina nodded gently.

“Please don’t shoulder her sins.”

Deeply moved, Glenn bowed.

“Thank you.”

He meant it from the bottom of his heart.

These two had become precious to him.

Important enough that he felt he could devote his entire life to supporting them.

“More importantly,” Arnight continued, “we need to find that woman. I’d have her arrested and executed immediately if we knew where she was. Glenn, do you have any leads?”

“No.”

Glenn shook his head.

“We’ve been searching, but we’ve found nothing.”

“Even the Lilifal family can’t locate her?”

Arnight clicked his tongue.

“Infuriating woman. Perhaps we should have killed both her and Yua back then.”

Glenn silently agreed.

And so did Mina.

Yes.

She’s truly infuriating.

But she kept that thought hidden.

On the surface remained only the face of the heroine.

The protagonist.

The victim.

Just give up already.

Die for the sake of my happiness.

Taking a sip of tea, Mina swallowed the bitterness burning inside her chest.

The warmth spread through her body.

The first stage of her plan was complete.

All that remained was finding the villainess.

Once that happened, her story would finally reach its happy ending.

That’s the purpose of your existence, isn’t it?

Vina Lilifal.

Suppressing her irritation, Mina took another quiet sip of tea.