I Don't Know The Playthroughs Of The Returned Villainesses - Chapter 15

Mordred. A descendant of the noble Alv, and prince of the elven nation, Alvheim, where he lived with pride in his elven heritage. Before entering the Academy, he received a mission from his father, the ruler of the elves.

“I want you to gain various experiences at the Academy in preparation for the war that will soon engulf the continent.”

Sending him, the prince, to the heart of the continent meant an unspoken mission: to build relationships with the leaders of other races. He had researched beforehand and knew that the children of high-ranking officials from numerous races were scheduled to enroll at the same time. Confirming these circumstances, Mordred was certain. The war was already anticipated by each nation. The Academy was a place to connect the highest-ranking nobles of different races in advance.

Realizing this, Mordred felt a chill run down his spine.

‘This…is a far more dangerous mission than I thought.’

In a continent still rife with racial discrimination, the task Mordred had received was incredibly challenging. While there wouldn’t be overt discrimination within the symbolic grounds of the Academy, his mission was to gather these individuals and prepare for the future. While they would likely cooperate, given their similar situations, would they all advocate for equality? The beastkin, driven by instinctual violence, relentlessly striving for dominance, and the humans, driven by greed, seeking to solve everything through ambition, regardless of the era. Could they truly come together in harmony?

‘Impossible.’

Even an ant crawling on the ground could answer that. It wouldn’t be possible unless they abandoned their pride and engaged in dialogue. But he had to succeed, regardless. The fact that his father, the King, had personally intervened meant this was a matter directly linked to Alvheim’s fate.

‘Three years…not short, but not enough time either.’

Three years until graduation from the Academy. Within that time, he had to establish connections between the races.

“Prince Mordred…His Majesty has bestowed upon you the list of those who will be enrolling in the Academy with you.”

The list of elves who would accompany him on this mission arrived just in time.

‘This list…clearly shows His Majesty’s emphasis on this mission.’

They weren’t just high-ranking elves’ children of the appropriate age, but skilled individuals who had distinguished themselves in various tasks. Furthermore, there were those skilled in diplomacy, to gain an advantage in negotiations with other races.

“With this lineup, it might be possib…?”

Mordred stared at the list, speechless.

‘I’m doomed.’

The initial feeling of a gentle breeze in the forest had turned into a frantic escape from a burning forest. His rising expectations plummeted into the abyss. The reason was a single name on the list.

Lioness Greener.

His older sister, an elf infamous even in Alvheim.

‘Extreme human hatred.’

Even he, her younger brother, had to acknowledge it, but the extent of it was the problem. It was enough to say that she would reach for her bow before words if she saw a human.

‘The problem is that my sister’s eyesight can see even the blue horizon beyond the mountains.’

He had visited his father, wondering if it was a mistake, but received no answer. Only the command to accept the mission. And so, he departed for the Academy with his sister, a problem he couldn’t solve.

And after a few days,

“Something’s strange.”

Mordred felt something was amiss.

“We agree.”

Even his companions felt it, a strangeness bordering on the bizarre.

“My sister…isn’t complaining while passing through human cities.”

It meant her human hatred was nowhere to be seen. Usually, she would be voicing all sorts of complaints, even threatening to shoot her bow, just for being in the same space as humans. Yet, she was simply sitting there with a smile on her face.

“Perhaps she received different orders from His Majesty?”

That was a likely scenario. At his companion’s words, the others agreed, the tense atmosphere beginning to ease.

“No, if it were that easy to change, she would have changed long ago.”

Mordred quickly dismissed the idea, knowing that even his father’s pleas hadn’t changed her hatred.

“Let’s…observe the situation at the Academy.”

Even he, her family, couldn’t understand the situation, so he decided to postpone his judgment. The journey to the Academy had been surprisingly uneventful. He had been worried about what his sister, who had even summoned a spirit along the way, might have done, but thankfully, there were no dead humans in sight. Though there was someone crawling on the ground, seemingly caught in the crossfire.

‘Did she relieve some stress…’

He was simply grateful that his sister’s actions were within the realm of what he could cover up. After that, they arrived at the Academy, and luckily, he ended up in the same class as the Dukes. The conversations flowed smoothly, and it was a surprisingly smooth start to the day.

Yes, the day.

“Good work, everyone. I look forward to the next three years.”

“”Yes.””

After the testing period, they gathered in the dormitory to share information. His sister sat quietly, seemingly uninterested, lost in the scenery outside the window, as if she were listening to the rustling leaves. After a lengthy discussion about their future course of action, he headed to the dining hall, followed by his companions.

“Hey, hey, did you hear? Arslan completely crushed a student.”

He overheard students talking on the way to the dining hall.

‘That incident from earlier.’

Mordred, being in the same class as Arslan, knew that the other student had collapsed from pushing themselves too hard.

“I just heard about it too! Who was it again?”

But for some reason, despite trying to ignore it, his ears were focused on the conversation.

“That ruined noble who enrolled, wasn’t it? That, uh…uh…”

It was as if he anticipated this conversation would lead to trouble.

“Yes! Aron!”

Twitch

“Sister?”

Mordred couldn’t understand. Why had a vein popped up on his sister’s forehead? And she was emitting a killing intent so intense that the nearby trees seemed to be recoiling in fear. Just as a sense of urgency washed over him, his sister approached the students who were talking. At a speed so fast that even Mordred, right beside her, barely registered it. The cold sweat on his back told him,

‘Sister’s serious.’

He had to stop her. Just as he was about to move towards her, he heard her voice.

“Could you tell me what happened?”

“Sister! It was really the other student’s fault!”

“I don’t care. I’m going to see that Arslan right now.”

How did it come to this? After hearing the rumors from the two students, it seemed his sister’s pent-up human hatred had exploded. He didn’t know what had triggered it, but he had to stop her. Of all people, the Duke he had just started building a relationship with had become the target of his sister’s wrath.

“That student, Aron, coughing up blood wasn’t Arslan’s fault!”

Having witnessed the spar firsthand, Mordred was certain. Aron Dite, pushing himself to his limits despite his ragged breathing and knowing he was outmatched. He had seen him collapse after blocking the Duke’s attribute-infused sword. Some had laughed at his misery, but Mordred saw a respectable figure in his struggle. It was a fair duel; Aron had given his all, and Arslan had responded in kind. That was all.

“Arslan…that sword-obsessed fool actually…”

This situation wasn’t something that should have angered his sister this much.

“Seriously!”

“This is it. I’m going to shoot him right here.”

His sister finally drew the bow from her back after his continuous attempts to dissuade her.

“Sister? You’re not serious, are you?”

Was she really going to do it?

“Come forth, ruler of the other world. By the will of the noble Alv…”

The power of a spirit began to emanate from his sister. Why was she acting like this, when she was usually so gentle and kind, like the green of her hair?

“Please, sister! Stop summoning the spirit!”

“I call upon the Earth, beyond all creation…”

She showed no sign of stopping, as if conversing with a giant tree, giving him no response.

“No matter how much you hate humans, you can’t shoot an arrow at a Duke!”

She had endured it all this time, like an immovable mountain, until reaching the Academy, but it seemed she had finally snapped. There was no other explanation for this situation.

“Um… Lioness?”

Suddenly, a human voice called out. He had never turned his head so fast in his life.

‘Aron Dite?’

The student who had collapsed, the very subject of their conversation, was standing before them.

“Quickly, get away from her!”

A human was approaching his sister, whose human hatred had exploded. The chant was already complete, and his sister’s arrow, imbued with the power of a Spirit King, might be aimed at him. It was fortunate that the arrow meant for a Duke might be redirected, but this was not good. His sister’s arrow hitting Aron, who had just woken up…

“H…hello?”

‘?’

He blinked again.

‘…?’

Mordred couldn’t comprehend the situation before him. The Great Spirit’s power that had gathered on the bowstring had vanished without a trace. The oppressive atmosphere surrounding his sister, which had made even the air tremble like a windswept mountain, had returned to normal. And his sister, who had been radiating intense killing intent just moments ago, was now fiddling with her hair, her previous气势 completely gone.

‘My sister…greeting a human?’

Mordred’s eyes darted back and forth faster than a hummingbird’s wings, shocked by this unprecedented sight.

“Uh… Greetings, Lioness Greener.”

Aron Dite politely bowed to his sister’s greeting. Even in this situation, Mordred was deeply concerned. How would his sister react to being addressed by a human?

“Lioness.”

“What?”

“I don’t think it’s appropriate to use honorifics between students of the same year at the Academy.”

What was she talking about? In a place exclusively for nobles, honorifics were a given.

“But even so, your status…”

Even Aron Dite seemed to disagree with the suggestion. Who in their right mind would speak informally to elven royalty?

“Just call me by my name.”

“…Yes, Lioness.”

Under his sister’s persistent, almost forceful suggestion, Aron Dite reluctantly agreed, though he couldn’t bring himself to drop the honorifics entirely.

“Lioness.”

“Lioness…”

He decided to stop thinking.