Chapter 5 -"The villainess "part 1
It looked like only Nox and Scarlet understood the truth:
Sisbell liked Alber.
But with her personality—so proud, so stubborn—she would never admit it out loud.
And Scarlet…
Scarlet kept glancing at Nox in a way that made him uneasy.
Why does she look like she’s studying me? he wondered.
Meanwhile, Sisbell and Alber were still arguing about something entirely different.
Scarlet tried to mediate.
“Sisbell, Alber, please calm down. Your voices are getting louder—”
But it seemed useless.
Then Alber suddenly sighed, walked toward Nox, and spoke like his soul was leaving his body.
“Nox… let’s go. Before these two eat my brain.”
Nox stood up.
Sisbell immediately blocked their path.
“What do you mean ‘eat your brain,’ idiot?! You two can’t just leave!”
Alber shrugged proudly.
“Of course I have a brain. I even scored higher than you in the exam.”
Sisbell flinched as if stabbed.
“T-That was pure luck! The exam was hard! Even Scarlet struggled! Right? Scarlet?”
Alber and Sisbell both turned to look at Scarlet.
Scarlet smiled gently, fan resting on her chin.
“I didn’t score too high… just ninety-eight. Total score.
What about you two?”
Both of them instantly looked away.
Alber raised a hand halfheartedly.
“Eighty-nine.”
Sisbell groaned.
“Seventy-five… I barely passed.”
Scarlet giggled softly.
“Don’t be discouraged. Both of you did well. But what about our special admission…”
Her pink eyes landed on Nox.
“Sir Nox, how much did you score? I’m curious.”
Alber and Sisbell stared at him with wide eyes.
Nox rubbed his neck.
“…A hundred.
Did none of you check the dashboard? I’m in the top ten, but since many scored perfect too, you can’t tell who’s first.”
Alber whistled.
“I knew it. When you act like a background character, you’re hiding something.”
Sisbell crossed her arms.
“Not bad… for a commoner.”
Scarlet immediately snapped her fan closed.
“Sisbell.
We are nobles, not barbarians.
Do not speak like that to our classmate.**”
Sisbell looked away with a pout.
Scarlet turned to Nox again, her expression softening.
“You truly did great. As expected from someone Headmaster Velmira chose personally.”
Nox stepped back.
“I’m going inside. See you all later.
And please… take care of Alber. He looks like he’s about to cry.”
“Hey! I’m not!” Alber protested behind him.
But Nox was already walking away.
As he entered the building, he glanced back at Scarlet.
His father’s words echoed in his head:
“A true noblewoman stays calm even when the world turns against her.”
Scarlet El Valorios—she fit that perfectly.
She even asked for everyone’s scores first just to quietly check mine… sly fox, he thought.
He didn’t like cunning girls.
But Scarlet watched him leave, her eyes glowing with quiet amusement.
Sisbell was busy yelling at Alber again, so she didn’t notice the change in Scarlet’s expression.
Scarlet murmured softly, just loud enough for herself:
“Nox Moon… even if he’s a commoner, how did he get a perfect score?
Two possibilities.”
Her fan hid her smile.
“Either he’s hiding something from us…
or he’s a genius like me.”
Her cheeks faintly turned ruby.
“…Interesting.”
Night settled over the dormitory, and Alber was already asleep—sprawled across the bed like a starfish, snoring softly.
Nox glanced at him.
“At least sleep quietly…”
But Alber suddenly mumbled in his sleep.
“Don’t… take my cake… Sisbell…”
Nox covered his face with both hands.
“Why is he pissed off even in his dreams…”
Still, he tucked Alber’s blanket around him and yawned.
He couldn’t sleep early. Never had.
His habit was to stay awake and study.
He opened the black book Headmaster Velmira had given him.
Shadow magic by an unknown author—or so he thought.
When he tugged gently, the outer cover peeled away like fragile skin.
Underneath was a different title entirely.
“Necromancer of Moon Bloodline”
Author: Willam Moon
Nox froze.
“…Moon. My family name.”
He had always known something felt strange the moment his father agreed to send him to the Academy so easily.
The Moon family avoided attention.
Avoided society.
Avoided trouble.
But this—this book—suggested something else.
“What are you scheming, Father…?”
His eyes narrowed with suspicion.
---
By morning, Alber was stretching like a cat.
“Ahh… I’m tired. First day with our homeroom teacher today…”
He yawned enormously.
“I hope she’s young. I don’t want some old teacher.”
Nox gave him a sideways look.
“Don’t we get married cute teachers here?”
Alber choked.
“You’re confident.”
“Of course. I already met her.”
Nox thought to himself.
They entered the classroom.
Immediately, several girls noticed Alber and whispered excitedly—but the moment they saw Nox walking beside him, they hesitated and backed off.
Nox ignored all of them, moving to the corner seat.
Alber plopped down next to him.
“Ugh… troublesome. The way they stare at us is annoying.”
“We can’t do anything, Alber.”
Nox didn’t even look at him.
“This is what I chose. As long as they don’t cross a line, I won’t hurt anyone. Noble ego is… fragile.”
Someone behind him commented softly:
“Even if they are fragile, nobles are not something you approach recklessly, Sir Nox.
And you already look like someone who knows when to use his mouth wisely.”
Nox turned.
Sisbell and Scarlet were standing right beside their seats.
Even though many seats were empty, they deliberately came to their corner.
Alber groaned.
“Why are you two here again? Don’t bully my boy Nox…”
Nox internally facepalmed.
Scarlet tilted her head, her pink eyes shimmering.
“It’s our choice where we sit.
Noble or commoner, everyone has the right to choose in the name of freedom.”
Alber blinked in shock.
“My boy… just got knocked out with a few words…”
Nox muttered.
He sighed.
“She’s right. It’s not like we own this spot.”
Sisbell sat beside Alber, cheeks faintly pink.
Immediately, she leaned toward him, flustered.
Nox moved Alber slightly closer to Sisbell, whispering into his ear:
“Please… take care of her. I feel uncomfortable.”
Alber nodded instantly.
“Got it.”
Nox sat on the other side, and Scarlet quietly sat beside him.
Her voice lowered, just for him.
“You look disappointed.
I only came here so Sisbell could talk with Alber.”
Nox muttered quietly, only for her:
“…Sly fox.”
Scarlet paused.
Then she smiled behind her fan.
“I don’t know what you mean…
but I like the way you see me.
It’s a new perspective.”
She proudly opened her book and hid her face, her ears faintly pink.
Nox looked away, exhausted.
I don’t want to get involved with her…
Yet fate seemed to be pulling him straight into the center of their orbit.
Prof. Mirella stood at the front of the classroom, her long black hair tied neatly behind her. Her calm, cool voice carried across the room as she faced the students of Class 1-A.
“Alright, students. For today’s lesson, we’ll begin with something easy. Because it’s the first day, I want everyone to relax and enjoy the lecture. But first…” She smiled gently. “Let’s introduce ourselves properly, one by one.”
The students went around introducing themselves. Some were stiff, some overly confident, some shy. When the last student finished, Prof. Mirella nodded.
“Good. I hope you all become close friends during your years here at Moonvale Academy. Now, let’s begin class.”
She tapped the board with her wand.
“As first and second years, you will attend six departments. One of them is Witchcraft Studies. So—who can tell me what witchcraft is?”
A blond-haired boy eagerly raised his hand. “Witchcraft is the art of crafting magic onto objects, Professor!”
“Mm. A good attempt, but not entirely correct.” She scanned the room. “Anyone else?”
Scarlet slowly raised her hand, confident as always.
“Witchcraft originated from the Seven Witch Magic Circle. They created simplified magic formations for easier use.”
“That is the origin,” Prof. Mirella responded, “and it is correct… but it still does not explain what witchcraft truly is.”
Silence followed.
Then Nox Moon lifted his hand.
Everyone looked at him, surprised. Nox rarely spoke unless necessary.
“Yes, student Nox ?”
Nox stood up calmly.
“Witchcraft is magic that surpasses time and magical wavelength. It allows magic to be placed onto an object… for the purpose of war.”
The classroom burst into murmurs.
“That’s totally wrong, right?”
“Isn’t that too extreme?”
“What kind of definition is that?”
But Prof. Mirella raised a hand.
“He is correct.”
The room fell silent immediately.
“Sit down, student Nox,” she said softly, pleased.
Nox sat, ignoring Alber’s stunned expression beside him.
Prof. Mirella continued writing on the board.
“Magic, normally, takes time to cast. It requires mana, concentration, and compatible materials. Most objects cannot hold magic unless they contain mana stones, are forged by dwarves, or include monster by-products.”
She pointed her chalk at the diagram she drew—an intricate magic circle.
“However, witchcraft removes the time and wavelength restrictions. It embeds magic into materials—even those without mana.”
Students stared at the board with wide eyes.
“For the first time in history, witchcraft was used during war. The knowledge came from the Three Witches who contributed to the formation of modern magic science.”
She finished the circle and stepped aside.
“This,” she said, tapping the board, “is Basic Witchcraft: Eruption.”
Gasps spread across the room.
“You may have seen similar formations in old magic cannons. Production today is extremely limited… reserved mostly for military use.”
She turned back toward the class, her expression firm but gentle.
“Now, write this down. When I continue, I will begin explaining the three core laws of witchcraft.”
Students flipped open notebooks in a rush.
Nox rested his chin on his hand, quietly watching the board.
