Stone Mage: Revenge of the Villain System

He was right. She can't blame everything on men, as not all of them are the same, and she was also the one who keeps perceiving herself as inferior.

Believing that she had to walk the extra mile just to be on the same lane as them, and thinking she can only call herself worthy if she had walked past them. No matter the achievement, no matter the honor and high numbers....

It was never enough for her as long as a man was higher than her.

And so, before the whole incident with Don, she was a nervous panicking wreck for the Scholastic exam tomorrow.

In fact, had it not been for Calla distracting her, she would have studied until morning and lost sleep, turning all her effort to naught.

A few hours earlier before nighttime, she was in her room forcing herself to digest every single word on her textbooks back to back.

Suddenly, there was a rap on her window.

When she opened it, Calla Lily was grinning, and said:

"Princess, let's go have some fun and have a stroll around the school!"

Edelweiss blinked. "At this hour? Calla, you know I have exams tomorrow---"

"You have a tendency to overdo things because of your anxiety, Edel." Calla Lily told her. "And that won't do, that's just as self-destructive as doing nothing at all."

"But the exams----"

Calla had already dragged her, pinching her cheeks. "Pretty please~ Just so you can have a breath of fresh air! Also..."

"I saw Rabuka sneak into the Student Council office earlier. I'm dying to know what she's up to."

Edelweiss narrowed her eyes. "The Student Council?"

"Yes, specifically her lover's old office, the Head's." Calla's tone become grave and mysterious, hushed and quieter than before. "She's scheming something, even a blind person can see it."

Edelweiss could not lie and said this does not concern her even a bit. After all, going inside the Student Council office at this hour was suspicious enough.....

But the fact that it was someone like Rabuka.... It's bound to be something malicious afoot.

And so, she followed Calla as they proceeded to tail this conniving rose-colored girl.

Rabuka had entered without a problem, and was not noticed since everyone had went to their dorm rooms before the curfew comes and the night patrol guards roamed.

She chose the perfect moment to sneak about. She must have been planning this for a long time.

When she arrived at Pavone's former office, which was now the office of the Simian party Head that won the elections.....

She took out a key, and easily unlocked the door, grinning.

"Ah, the Council should have changed the locks now that Pavone was gone." Calla whispered. "I can't believe they made such oversight."

Edelweiss frowned. "What do we do now, should we call for help---"

Suddenly, Calla's voice turned a few octaves lower, as she spoke with a certain tone and cadence:

"Councillor Verita suddenly arrived in the room....."

She herself walked forward, causing Rabuka to jump in fright.

"H-Head C-Councillor!" She exclaimed, the files she was holding falling down the floor. "How..... You're not supposed to be here....."

Calla crossed her arms, copying Councillor Verita's mannerisms.

"What are you doing here, young lady? Who gave you the permission to rummage about Student Council office?"

Rabuka tried to pick up the fallen papers. "I can explain! There is very good reason for this, I am saving the Academy from a threat---"

Calla did not hesitate to take the files from her, and raised her eyebrow.

"You are stealing the files of Ronin Willowe?" She scanned the papers herself. "And what about him would make you risk to commit something that would get in you into major trouble?"

"He is not what he seems, Councillor." Rabuka gritted her teeth. "Pavone sent me here to look for the only Commoner student in this Academy, and everything related to him."

Sure enough, everything about Ronin's basic information was there. His age, Mage Type and Focus, address, performance analysis since his Triannum test up to his latest academic involvements in his present school year---

"Zafeiri...." Calla mumbled. "Now where did I hear that before...."

Edelweiss was just watching by the door, unseen thanks to Calla's Theater of the Mind. She knew where she had heard that.

It was the new family of the Gridiron protege, that Don Asuli.

Calla rubbed her chin, and then turned to Rabuka.

"Very well, we may discuss this somewhere more private, possibly in my office. Come along."

Rabuka sighed in relief that the Head Councillor had trusted her. "Thank you. This is a dire matter than concerns everyone--- not just the Academy but Magecia itself!"

Magecia itself? Both Calla and Edelweiss wondered what she meant.

Calla lured her to the girl's dorm room by using her Theater of the Mind skill, and not to the Councillor's office.

Rabuka began to frown, noticing that they were walking more than usual. "Councillor, I never expected the walk to your office to be this long. How much longer?"

"We'll be there, child. But first, I would like you to elaborate further on this 'dire matter' about Ronin Willowe."

Calla added: "And do not think of lying, as I can use my powers to scour the truth from you."

Rabuka weighed her options, her confliction obvious in her eyes....

Until, she eventually said:

"I'm sorry, Councillor. But Pavone asked me to be quiet until we confirmed that he really was---"

Edelweiss accidentally slipped on a wet path on the floor just when they were about to reach the girl's dorms.

Rabuka blinked. "What was that sound?"

'Councillor Verita' just shrugged. "I do not hear anything, child."

Rabuka turned to Edelweiss direction, who had fallen on her bum on the floor.

Edelweiss was in great pain, but stayed quiet as much as she could to not break the Theater.

As Rabuka went closer and closer---

'Councillor Verita' took her by the wrist, and her face contorted into a ghastly monstrous form!

"Looking for this?"

She said with her blackened eyes and large opened mouth that can swallow her Rabuka's whole!

Rabuka panicked and screamed, using her Cordial Surge to push her backwards!

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

The Theater of the Mind was broken, and Calla grabbed Edelweiss' hand and ran while Rabuka was still busy closing her eyes and screaming and screaming like a banshee.

And as they ran, they bumped into Don Asuli, who had just jumped down from the boys' dormitory window.

That was how this sleepover came to be.

Ronin Willowe's file was still in Calla's hands the whole evening, and Edelweiss wondered what she planned to do with it.

Eventually, after dressing up Don with several dresses, Calla suddenly brought up the question:

"Don, dearie... Just how powerful do you reckon your servant Ronin could be?"