A Third-Rate Villain Tries Her Best Today 4

Chapter 4

“……”

“……”

“……”

An awkward silence fell. A familiar experience for ‘Sue’.

Fritz was the type to completely ignore anything he wasn’t interested in. At his worst, he wouldn’t even remember people’s faces, and that was precisely the case with Sue. Acrea wasn’t as bad, but on the other hand, he had no reason to be interested in Sue either. He probably saw her as nothing more than ‘that girl who follows Enzhe around’. No, that was definitely it.

It seemed ‘Sue’ had lived her life nonchalantly accepting their cold treatment, but that was impossible for the current Sue.

As their gazes, as vacant as if looking at dust particles in the air, pierced through her, she couldn’t stand the crushing awkwardness any longer and broke the silence.

“Well then, I’ll be on my way. Have a good day.”

“…Yeah, see you.”

It was Acrea who finally responded. Sue bowed her head to them once more and left the Golden Lion Class. The moment she stepped out of the classroom, the tension drained away, and Sue placed a hand on her chest, exhaling deeply.

She suddenly found herself respecting Halo, who had managed to captivate those guys.

Fritz and Acrea. Like Enzhe, they were both children of grand ducal families. Fritz, with royal blood flowing through his veins, was even qualified to inherit the throne.

She couldn’t help but feel a certain way about Enzhe, considering their families were tied together, but honestly, Sue wanted nothing to do with the two male leads.

In the novel, whenever Sue got involved with them, it always resulted in something bad happening. She had a feeling that would hold true in reality as well. A shiver ran down Sue’s spine at the thought.

*It would be great if we could just stay on our separate paths like this.*

*Though it is a little sad that they can’t even remember the face of someone they’ve seen for years.*

 

* * *

 

Sue entered the Black Eagle Class and quietly sat down, preparing for class.

Most of the subjects taught at the academy were related to aristocratic etiquette or magic. There were also subjects necessary for national affairs, such as politics, history, and international relations. Since ‘Sue’s’ memories were still present in her mind, she had no trouble understanding the content of the classes.

However, it seemed ‘Sue’ had an intense dislike for studying. Sue was appalled by the grades on ‘Sue’s’ academic record. There wasn’t a single subject above a C. On top of that, her mana capacity was significantly lower than average, and she barely knew any usable magic.

*Even for a go-fer, isn’t she a little too incompetent? …There isn’t a single decent thing about her.*

“Hey, Clot.”

Just then, a male student approached Sue’s desk. Sue frowned at the unwelcome visitor. The sly-looking boy’s name was ‘Bens Hanjee’. He and ‘Sue’ had a long history of conflict, having clashed with each other since childhood.

“What are you doing? Clot, are you deaf?”

Hanjee sat on the edge of the desk, cocking his head.

Although Hanjee didn’t make any direct appearances in the novel, he was the most hateful character to ‘Sue’. And for good reason – he was the one responsible for the readers not remembering ‘Sue’s’ name.

Clot.

It was a humiliating nickname given to Sue Byron even before she entered the academy.

Simply because of her deep red hair, Hanjee had started calling Sue ‘Clot’, and the nickname, which strangely suited ‘Sue’s’ unpleasant personality, had eventually become synonymous with Sue Byron herself.

Thanks to him, Halo, the protagonist who would enroll a year later, also came to know Sue as ‘Clot’. Even the narration in the novel referred to her as ‘Clot’.

*Just because of her red hair!*

Fortunately, only Hanjee and his cronies used the nickname directly to her face.

Other students avoided Sue because she was more terrifying than a pile of dung, but Hanjee never backed down, no matter how much Sue yelled at him.

“What is it? What do you want?”

Sue asked curtly.

Since only ‘Sue’s’ memories remained, and not her emotions, Sue hadn’t disliked Hanjee initially. However, he had been relentlessly getting on her nerves, and even Sue, who had been ignoring him all this time, was now fed up.

“What do you mean ‘what do I want’? I’m just saying hello.”

Hanjee grinned maliciously and placed his hand on Sue’s shoulder.

Sue brushed his hand off with a scoff.

“What hello? Go back to your seat. Class is about to start.”

“Since when have you ever cared about class? Don’t be like that. We shouldn’t be so cold to fellow Skias.”

“Ha.”

Sue let out a humorless chuckle.

“Since when were we close enough to talk about being Skias? Aren’t you disgusted with yourself?”

Skia.

It was one of the few settings that proved the Atlantis Empire was not a medieval world, but rather a ‘medieval-esque fantasy world’.

Firstly, magic existed in this world, and secondly, there was a system of honorary titles called ‘Skia’.

In short, Skia was a type of medal awarded by the imperial family. To put it even more simply, it was a term used to refer to the nobles who lived in Löhn, the capital of the Atlantis Empire.

Although it was nominally just an honorary title, without the Skia medal, no matter how high their title, nobles were not allowed to live in the capital.

Atlantis, as befitting the name ‘Azure Empire’, was a land abundant in water. Seas, lakes, rivers. It rained heavily regardless of the season.

Therefore, the boundary of the land where the imperial capital was located was also determined by water. Or more precisely, a canal. The border surrounding the capital city of Löhn was connected by a vast and long canal, and it was said to be one of the most beautiful sights in Atlantis.

And the nobles who lived within the boundaries of this canal were called ‘Skias’.

Originally, the Skia was simply an honorary title given to nobles who had made significant contributions to the empire. However, its meaning had gradually shifted and evolved over time.

Nobles who became Skias were automatically granted the right to live in the imperial capital, were allocated fertile land, received significant tax reductions, and were even given certain privileges such as the right to recuperate from illness. They were granted a mouthwatering array of privileges.

While the Skia title was mostly given to dukes, marquises, and other high-ranking nobles, it wasn’t always the case. And this was the most crucial reason why the Byron family was so obsequious to the Lopetrefer family. It was because the Byron family had received their Skia medals through the recommendation of none other than the Lopetrefer family.

There were only three Skias in the Black Eagle Class – Sue and Hanjee being two of them. The rest were all provincial nobles who had paid a hefty sum of money to enroll in the academy from outside the capital.

“Puhahahaha!”

Hanjee burst into laughter at Sue’s words. Or rather, he pretended to.

“Of course, it’s disgusting.”

His face, which had been twisted into a malicious grin, suddenly turned nasty.

“But you know, we’re Skias. We have to set an example for the other kids.”

“Did your mother tell you that again? That since Noel isn’t coming to the academy, you should stick to me? You’re such a good son.”

Sue retorted back.

It was fortunate that their homeroom teacher entered the classroom right then. She really didn’t want to get into another argument with Hanjee, whose face was turning red with anger.

*What a pathetic guy.*

 

* * *

 

On the inner grounds of the sixth-year building, there was an arch-shaped glass garden. Unlike the outdoor garden filled with flower beds, the glass garden was a small, cozy space decorated with a stream flowing through a stone path and well-maintained trees.

Although it wasn’t an unusual sight for the children of nobles attending Full Bloom, every student at the academy longed to enter that grand yet intimate glass garden.

Officially, the glass garden was a space open to all students. However, in reality, it was a place where only the most special individuals in the academy could enter.

The most special place in Full Bloom, where only special people could go.

There were no set criteria for determining who qualified as a ‘special person’, but it was generally the Skias. More precisely, students who were invited by upperclassmen were granted access. It just so happened that the proportion of Skias among the invited students was overwhelmingly high.

Sue had never been invited to the glass garden. When she first entered the academy, she had desperately pleaded with everyone she could think of to let her in, but she had been rejected by all.

Enzhe, Fritz, and Acrea had all been invited to the glass garden as soon as they enrolled, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

And now, in her sixth year, Enzhe had become the key master of the glass garden. The key master was the person responsible for managing the glass garden.

The position of key master of the glass garden was the only one Enzhe, who hated to stand out, was obsessed with. There were two reasons for this.

Firstly, because Enzhe truly cherished the academy’s glass garden. Secondly, because becoming the key master meant she could use the space more easily.

“Aaaaaargh!”

Just like today.

Sue, who had never been invited to the glass garden, was occasionally allowed entry on special days.

“It seems Lady Enzhe is in a very bad mood these days.”

Days like today.

“Aaaargh!”

A bloodcurdling scream pierced the air, followed by the sickening sound of flesh being trampled underfoot. Then came the thudding sound of a shoe heel repeatedly kicking someone in the stomach.