I'm in Love with the Villainess!

They waited deep in the Academy’s forbidden forest, far beyond where any student would normally go. Tall, root-tangled trees swallowed what little light there was, casting the clearing in a heavy green gloom. The air was damp and unmoving, carrying only the soft rustle of leaves and the faint, distant hum of the wards.

Hidden among the undergrowth and crumbling ruins, inquisitors stood in a tight formation, wrapped in concealment spells. To anyone passing by, the place would look deserted—but a strike force was there, waiting in absolute silence.

"She fell for it, didn’t she?"

An inquisitor spoke, but this wasn’t just any inquisitor. He was a High Inquisitor, a high-ranking member of an order that accepted only a handful of recruits each year.

He wasn’t anything to scoff at. In fact, his power rivaled that of a true elite in terms of magical breakthrough—a beast among beasts, the kind of asset the order only dispatched for high‑class operations that demanded their full attention.

And wherever a High Inquisitor appeared, a dozen more inquisitors usually followed.

"Yes. With the academy stripped of most of its top-performing students, it definitely has something to do with her."

"We’ve also seen her enter Inquisitor Juriel’s meeting place."

"Good. That means she should be busy interrogating him. That gives us enough time to secure the VIPs and get out of here."

The High Inquisitor smiled behind his golden mask. The only thing that set him apart from the others was the small laurels carved into the metal—subtle, but noticeable.

It ensured that anyone who saw them in combat would struggle to tell who was actually leading.

But the inquisitors who worked directly under him knew exactly who he was.

"Remember, we only take Illinalta. Avoid the others at all costs."

"Got it!"

A ripple of acknowledgment passed through the formation.

No hesitation. No questions.

They moved.

Not all at once—never all at once.

A few inquisitors peeled away first, slipping between the trees like ghosts. Their presence vanished the moment they stepped beyond the clearing, concealment spells folding over them seamlessly. The rest followed in staggered intervals, each group taking a different route through the forest.

Disciplined.

Silent.

And efficient.

The High Inquisitor remained where he was for a moment longer, watching.

Always watching.

"...Strange," one of the remaining inquisitors murmured. "The outer wards haven’t reacted."

"They won’t," the High Inquisitor replied calmly. "We’re not intruding. We were invited in long before we stepped foot here."

A lie woven into truth.

The academy’s defenses weren’t designed to detect something that had already been authorized—even if that authorization had been... altered.

He turned, finally stepping forward.

"Move."

*** Academy Grounds – Inner Pathways

Kevin yawned loudly, dragging a hand through his hair as he wandered down the quieter side of the academy paths.

"...I can’t believe I missed the exam," he muttered. "Master’s going to kill me..."

He stretched, still half-asleep, completely unaware of the way the air shifted around him — a breeze that shouldn’t exist, a silence that pressed just a little too hard.

He stopped.

"...Huh."

Something felt off.

Not dangerous — just... wrong.

Kevin frowned, glancing around. The pathway was empty, just like it should be at this time; most students were either in the middle of their duels or finishing up their written tests, so why did it feel like—

A flicker, just at the edge of his vision.

His eyes snapped to the side, but there was nothing.

"...Weird," he muttered with a shrug.

"Probably just tired."

And he kept walking.

"But just in case..."

[Penumbral Serpent]

[Penumbral Guardian]

He let a serpent coil around his left arm, using it as a passive shield, while a half-formed halo and wings shimmered to life on his right side as an extra layer of protection.

The serpent could both block and strike back, while the halo and wings were purely defensive. After years of being pushed around, he’d gotten used to bracing himself whenever something felt off.

And that feeling...

It definitely paid off.

HISS!

"H-Huh?"

The serpent wrapped around Kevin’s left arm suddenly tightened, making him flinch. When he glanced down, he saw it gathering a dense ball of magic in its mouth.

"W-Wait—!"

BOOM!

A powerful beam blasted from its jaws toward the rooftops of the nearby academy building, tearing through the air before exploding harmlessly in the distance, hitting absolutely nothing as far as Kevin could tell.

"W-What was that for...!? You’re gonna get me in trouble, y’know!" Kevin snapped at the serpent, then let out a long sigh. "Good thing I chose the path hardly anyone uses..."

*** Inquisitor’s POV

"W-Watch out!"

The warning came a fraction too late.

BOOM!

The beam tore through the concealment veil like it wasn’t even there. That sickly violet light ripped across the rooftop, shadows bending around it, before it slammed into the center of their formation and blew.

"—!"

The blast didn’t just explode. It scrambled everything.

Concealment spells popped like soap bubbles. Runes flickered, then died, as the shock tore through their magic circuits and ripped their formation apart.

Three inquisitors were flung clean off the roof.

Another managed to catch himself at the last second, a burst of light flaring under his boots as he dug in and skidded across the tiles, one arm raised to shield his face.

"What the hell was that—!?"

"Formation—!"

"Too late."

The High Inquisitor’s voice cut straight through the chaos—calm, level, completely in control.

The smoke thinned. He hadn’t moved an inch.

But behind the golden mask, his eyes narrowed.

"...He reacted."

That wasn’t luck.

That wasn’t coincidence.

That was instinct.

Down below, on the pathway, Kevin stood frozen, staring up at the rooftop with his eyes wide, looking just as lost as everyone else.

"...He doesn’t even know," one inquisitor muttered, still shaken. "That attack—he didn’t aim it..."

"Which makes it worse," another answered under his breath.

The High Inquisitor stepped closer to the edge, gaze locked on Kevin.

A commoner.

Late to his own exam.

Disheveled.

Forgettable.

And yet—

"...So this is Illinalta."

Silence hung for a heartbeat.

Then—

"Capture him."