The Protagonist of the Original Story
The protagonist of the original story! I tried not to stare too obviously, observing the most pivotal character from the novel that had become the foundation of this world with careful sidelong glances. Elena Kerru.
She never became the actual target of the title The Villainess Sues, yet she still played the central role in driving the entire plot. The one doing the suing was me—Maria—while the one being sued was Elena, the novel’s true protagonist.
In the world this story was set in, magic only awakened in girls born to noble bloodlines. By the empire’s ancient customary law, children from commoner families were strictly forbidden from enrolling in The Mountain. True to her role, Elena was an ordinary girl from a commoner household, yet she awakened an extraordinary magical talent and entered the academy as a special student.
She steadily proved her worth against the discriminatory stares that pressed in on her from all sides. In the process, she encountered Erika—the reform-minded imperial princess who had grown sick of the empire’s outdated laws and rigid realities. That meeting led her to form connections with various other young witches. However, the bond between Erika and Elena ignited fierce jealousy in Erika’s childhood friend, Maria. Claiming that the very existence of a commoner special student was abnormal, Maria dragged Elena into the academy court and attempted to have her expelled. That was the novel’s core plot.
So… the original description of the protagonist had been rather vague. I had vaguely pictured her as a bright, energetic girl overflowing with cheer. Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined she would be this kind of beautiful girl who triggered every protective instinct I possessed.
I stopped my observation before Zophy could once again yank my hair while demanding what I was doing just standing there. I bowed my head politely in greeting.
“Maria von Letiaponk. This is my maid, Zophy.”
“Zophy Polinbaroque. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“I am Lillia Cosette-sawa-yo, wahaha!”
“E-everyone looks so noble… Thank you for exchanging greetings with someone like me…”
Elena seemed to be gauging our reactions as she slowly edged sideways. Lillia thrust her hand into the air and exclaimed.
“No, it isn’t-sawa! I am not from a particularly noble house. The Cosette barony is, well, how should I put it… a title granted so that the position of village chief would be inherited across generations rather than decided by election. Even mid-level executives from successful trading companies look down on us, it is-sawa. Those rotten bastards! Wahahaha!”
Suddenly an outburst tumbled out—one that could have been a lament, self-mockery, or a plea for sympathy. Erika spoke in a gentle voice, as though comforting her.
“That isn’t the case at all. Though the Cosette barony is small, your family holds a peerless position in deciphering ancient texts. That is why the empire bestows noble titles upon you and treats you with favor. It is a long-standing tradition.”
“In my… opinion, even being a village chief sounds like tremendous power, doesn’t it? Having a fief means you’re a ruling noble house. You can do as you please with taxes and laws and everything, wow…” Elena said.
Lillia shrugged. “Power, power… Hoo-waa, I’ve never really felt anything like that, it is-sawa. I know every single person in the village personally—how could I possibly tell them I’m raising taxes? Instead I spend my days buried under their complaints, it is-sawa. Ah, but there is one thing that’s almost like power. When those detestable trading company fellows pass through the village carrying even a single book, the villagers confiscate it and refuse to return it until the transcription is perfectly complete. Our family may not collect money, but we satisfy our thirst for knowledge by wielding that kind of authority. Wahahahahaha!”
“B-books without limit… That’s truly amazing, Lady Lillia!”
“Oh, you are a special student with quite an interest in books, it is-sawa. Would you care to visit our modest village sometime? I am confident that even the academy library cannot compare to the collection in our family mansion.”
“I want to go! I definitely want to go!”
…Right. I remember now. In the original story those two grew close in exactly this way.
As Elena had said, although Lillia was technically a noblewoman with her own fief and therefore not someone to be completely dismissed, she considered herself a commoner lady. Because of that she felt no real distance from Elena. Elena, for her part, shared a common interest in books. Yet the author had thrown away a friend character like that so pointlessly, so meaninglessly…
You hack. I’ve been running around without any clear goal since the moment I transmigrated, my head still a mess. But now I finally have one. That pink-haired little gremlin—I’m saving her no matter what it takes.
In the short time we’d spent together her ridiculous behavior had somehow endeared her to me. The thought of watching her laugh like that one moment and then die the next made my heart ache. Terribly. Far more than could be explained by the death of a mere side character in a novel. Because to me right now, she was a living, breathing human being with blood and flesh.
I was sinking deep into thought, trying to recall how Lillia had died, when I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I whipped my head around. There stood Erika, watching me with a mischievous smile, grinning from ear to ear.
“Your habit of spacing out hasn’t changed at all. You’re exactly the same as back then.”
“Zophy’s been trying to correct it, but it’s hopeless. Must be in my nature.”
I brushed off her words naturally. Erika twitched an eyebrow with clear interest.
“Aha? And how exactly does Miss Zophy correct it?”
“She yanks my hair with all her strength.”
“I did not yank it with all my strength! If I had gone that far it would have caused problems between our houses.”
Zophy, who had been standing silently, protested. Erika tilted her head.
“Would it be all right if I did it too?”
“If you want to turn this meeting into a diplomatic catastrophe between House Letiaponk and the imperial family, go right ahead.”
“So strict.”
Erika looked disappointed as she finally released the lock of my hair she had been holding. Noticing Zophy’s triumphant glare, she added, “Is the Polinbaroque young lady perhaps forgetting which of us holds the higher rank?”
“Rank has no meaning here, Erika. You know that. House Polinbaroque are retainers to my family. Didn’t you say many things are equal at the academy, Erika?”
“Many things are equal. But there are only two things that are not, Maria.”
“And those are?”
“Talent and charm.”
Having said that, Erika turned her gaze toward Elena, who was engaged in an animated—and to me, incomprehensible—conversation with Lillia about ancient bibliography.
Erika Waldmark had originally been Elena Kerru’s main heroine in The Villainess Sues. Their fated encounter began when she rescued Elena, who had gotten lost on the way to the ballroom on entrance day. From there they slowly built their bond.
So has she already fallen for her at first sight, just like the cliché? I felt the need to check.
“Does that special student’s charm reach the level of captivating a Waldmark?”
“Charm? Hmm, no—it’s talent. Charm is a multilayered trait. Its essence is melting a person’s heart with the first impression and captivating them with the very first words. But as a member of the imperial family, one must not judge by that alone. Maria, I did not even form my opinion of you based solely on first impressions.”
“Oh. Is that so.”
“Allow me to correct myself. When we first met I was truly too young. All I could think was that there existed a fairy known as a witch. That is the truth.”
“If that’s supposed to be a pickup line, the scripted dialogue for our lady is painfully bad.”
Zophy jabbed from the side. Neither of us reacted to her remark; we simply sipped our champagne. I wasn’t sure whether Erika was actually hitting on me, and if she was, I had no idea how I should respond. Fortunately, staying silent seemed to have been the correct choice.
When I simply smiled without answering, Erika’s expression cooled slightly. She stood with her legs apart and folded her arms.
She changed the subject. “I spoke Elena Kerru’s name at the main gate. Without knowing who she was. Why do you think I knew it?”
“It’s the imperial academy. There’s nothing strange about a member of the imperial family memorizing the list of new students. Besides, an unheard-of commoner special student—our ignorant Zophy, who sits squarely in the middle of the rankings, would remember that name even if I didn’t.”
“Excuse me?” Zophy bristled.
“That’s true too. No, Zophy, I didn’t mean I agree that you’re ignorant… Maria, try not to be too harsh with your maid.”
“I’ll stop being harsh the moment my maid stops physically assaulting me. Anyway, keep talking, Erika. What exactly are you trying to say?”
“Fortunately, I have been chosen to give the new student representative speech before the ball begins. After all, I achieved the highest score on the entrance examination.”
“Even if you hadn’t, the imperial family would have pulled strings. Having anyone else deliver the representative speech on the day the empire’s only witch enrolls? That would not uphold national prestige. It’s an important matter.”
“I truly earned first place fairly.”
“Yes, I believe you.” I spoke sincerely.
Erika tilted her head, seemingly reluctant, and continued. “However, it was extremely close. I nearly lost the podium. Let me be clear—if I had genuinely lost, I would have yielded it to the true first-place student without caring about family honor or national dignity… But fortunately I won. And when I heard that a classmate had followed right on my heels, I naturally thought of your name, Maria. However…”
The rest of the development was easy to guess.
“It was Elena Kerru?”
“…You’re not surprised? At the fact that you are not second in our year?”
Come to think of it, one of the reasons the original Maria harbored such intense hatred for Elena was that sense of inferiority over their grades. Well, it doesn’t matter to me one way or the other.
“On the contrary, what’s wrong with that, Erika? She’s a once-in-an-era prodigy. If she didn’t possess at least that much talent it would actually be boring… Let’s just watch. We’ll see how things unfold.”