The Villainess Carries a Strategy Guide

With a dry burst of noise, fireworks were launched into the sky of the Royal Capital. Continuously, one after another, another one. Even in the morning sky, they were visible and of various colors, very beautiful.

I sat on a simple chair and looked up at the sky.

I wonder who was the first person to think “Let’s make flowers bloom in the sky.”

Surely there must be a romantic reason for it, but speaking of the fireworks that were just launched, they were a signal of five minutes before the start of [Summer] and [Phantom Beast Festival].

The Old Library Quest Guide | Assas...

[Phantom Beast Festival] is a festival that is celebrated throughout the country. The Academy is open to the public and tourists come in droves, despite the heat.

It is divided into three parts, and in the morning, we second-year students have to show off our Phantom Beasts in our designated area.

To tell the truth, I am also sitting in my designated area, sweating profusely under the scorching sun.

In [Summer], it is traditional for the two out of the [Three Strong] who graduated last year to participate as representatives of the graduates.

In the distant makeshift stage, I could see the figure of a woman riding on the back of a cheetah and a woman who led a swarm of countless butterflies.

“Long time no see, Royal Academy! We are the representatives of the graduates this year!”

“Everyone, sorry for the long absence. Thank you for having us.”

With the arrival of Olivier, Marc, and Cectiara, Zoff, the courtyard where the event was held was engulfed in a frenzy that made it feel like the temperature had risen by several degrees. The particularly loud cheers from the men were especially impressive. Excitement could be heard all around. The audience was drawn to the stage as if they were being sucked in.

“I wanted to see it up close too…”

Without hiding my bad mood, I mumbled.

“This is where the second-year students always complain every year.”

A reply came back from the next space. It was Gadd, Maysen.

With his sharp eyes and cool atmosphere that suits his glasses, he was the epitome of a summer vacation before.

————But.

“Maysen-sama, did you do some muscle training…?”

He had transformed from a fine-featured beauty to a martial arts-based handsome man.

“Oh, you noticed? This is thanks to the [Muscle-Building Exercise].”

He called the name of my friend whom I had not seen yet. Emilia, what did you do during this holiday?

Ignoring Gadd, who was happily talking about the benefits of the [Muscle-Building Exercise] even though I hadn’t asked. I will not participate in this gathering, no matter how the world turns upside down.

I regained my consciousness on the simple stage.

Olivier and Cectiara-sama are saying something, but the momentum of the men is too strong and they are being drowned out. They are competing for a spot on the stage that is as close as possible.

The teachers are starting to take control of the situation. While watching, one of the male students throws a teacher.

While looking at the painful struggle, I noticed that the [Phantom Beast Festival] had been declared.

[Summer] is pretty much free while I’m being watched. There’s not much to do other than receiving the gaze from the surroundings and sitting.

Christina is sleeping with her big body at my feet. I should wake her up when the judges come. She is so brazen and cute to be able to sleep amidst all this noise, heat, and stares.

I thought I would just sit idle, but Gadd started proselytizing muscle-building exercises to a commoner boy, so I decided to lend a helping hand.

“Maysen-sama, is your Phantom Beast a sloth?”

I watch the boy bow to me and then run away.

Gadd stroked the head of the Phantom Beast he was holding onto with his upper body. Its limbs are long, eyes are round and it moves slowly. In any case, it’s kind of creepy-cute.

“Yes. It only works about once a month, so I think it’s perfect.”

“What do you do once a month?”

“It’s a secret. In [winter], there is a possibility of us becoming an enemy, so I’ll just say it’s related to moving.”

Gadd put his index finger to his lips. As expected, there’s no mistake.

He is excellent, but his popularity is greater than his abilities. When talking to him, anyone feels the poison being sucked out.

Then the inspection team approached. Olivier ran up to me.

“Hey! Rebecca-chan!”

She ran up to me, almost running into me, and stopped in front of me, standing like a sun blocking me.

“You’re sweating so much and it’s pitiful! Be careful of heat stroke!”

“Long time no see, Olivier-sama. Thank you.”

Gadd spoke to Olivier from next to us.

“I heard that Miss Olivier is in line for the position of Commanders. As a citizen, I’ll rely on her.”

“I’m embarrassed!”

It’s not flattery, but Olivier is widely rumored to be riding her Phantom Beast, the cheetah, down the career ladder.

“Rebecca-chan, I heard you’re getting along well with Brian! He usually acts tough, but he’s really kind and a good guy. I’ll rely on you from now on.”

When Olivier said that, the rest of the jury caught up. They were leading a group of people through the gallery.

“Cectiara-sama, it’s been a while,”

“Rebecca, how are you?”

Cectiara Zoff-sama came out from behind Olivier and greeted me. She narrowed her eyes like a refined cat and smiled.

I wanted to introduce, “This angel is my sister-in-law,” but I couldn’t stand up to Olivier, so I gave up.

Instead, I shook Christina.

“Sorry, Christina. If you just let out one big breath towards the sky, you can go back to sleep.”

“Cuey.”

Christina looked up with sleepy eyes. And when she opened her mouth, to my surprise, one of the male members of the jury, who was also the recently appointed Prime Minister, approached Christina closely.

“Oh, it’s the one you call the [Dragon Breath] so plea——”

“Ah!”

I wanted to say it was dangerous, but it was already too late. A lump of magic with extremely high purity occurred in Christina’s mouth and was launched into the sky.

I couldn’t continue the second phrase. No, the Prime Minister was fine. That was good.”

However, the roar that was fired at close range blew away the Prime Minister’s wig with incredible force.

All the gazes from his surroundings focused on his head, and said with a clenched jaw,

“…there is no stopping it. This is fate.”

It was strangely cool when he said that, and maybe he’s a good person.

After that, he talked with Gadd again without any resolution, and the second year’s time was over. Next is the third year.

At this time, I am becoming a way to keep an eye on Sajad Mahajanjiga.

According to the strategy guide, [summer] is the timing when Sajad begins to move in secret.

Today is a one-in-a-lifetime chance for him to falsely claim to have the “ability to show people their favorite dreams” and sneak into the dreams of many people.

So His Highness and I decided.

During [summer], we must not take our eyes off Sajad. Anyone who allows Sajad to intervene in their dreams, whether they are students or regular people of the Academy, will be recorded and marked.

His Highness should have been watching while I was on watch.

I sent Christina back into her snake form and put her in my pocket. I looked for Sajad’s spot.

Many of the third-year students were already sitting in their own space, and I looked at them in order. Chameleon to sheep to goat to elephant. It’s already a zoo.

Finally, I found Sajad and I used long-distance magic from a distance. Since [Summer] is a big event in the Kingdom of Huaverdon, it is crowded, and if I’m this far away, I won’t be found.

As the third year section began, Sajad began to address the gathering in turn.

Asking the key question, [What was the dream you saw yesterday and where did it take place?] and seating them in a single sofa, making them close their eyes. It can also be similar to sleep induction.

Even though he hates commoners, he can at least be sociable if he wants to be.

The act of taking records is easy.

However, it was more psychologically tough than I thought to watch the victims increase and hold my tongue.

How good it would be to catch that man right now. But even the first prince and Duke’s daughter, it’s impossible to keep the citizens in custody for a long time without reason.

I continued to take records while biting my lip.

When the third year is over, it’s the first year’s turn. The last part of the Phantom Beast Festival is the most exciting because it is the time for the new Phantom Beasts to make their debut. There are even more people than in the morning and it’s hard to move.

In the scenario, the climax is this time. To brainwash, Sajad calls out the protagonist Emilia.

But somehow the situation is not going as planned, so honestly, I don’t know how Sajad will react.

Sajad stood up. That’s when the anomaly occurred.

——Certainly, he and I, who were dozens of meters away, met eyes.

At that moment.

“Ah, it’s the next queen!”

“Beautiful!”

Some people around me suddenly began to react to me. I was already surrounded by a high density of people and now they were getting even closer, extending hands to shake mine and getting closer and closer.

I thought it was strange because there were also students from the academy among them. They shouldn’t have shown such enthusiasm towards me.

Upon looking, they were all people who had been shown [their dreams] by Sajad.

While being pushed around, I looked through the gaps between people.

————He wasn’t there.

Sajad Mahajanjiga had disappeared from that place all of a sudden.