The Villainesses in the Romance Fantasy Novel Became Obsessed with me

After deciding on the Swordsmanship Department, Yuri trained diligently in the garden every day to increase her chances of passing the entrance exam.

She practiced so intensely that her hands were covered in wounds after each session.

‘Even if her recovery is fast, there’s no need to push this hard.’

There was no reason to injure herself during training.

She could take breaks and still have a good chance of getting in.

Yuri’s physical abilities were inherited through genetics and they were exceptional.

Just like in the North, I applied ointment to Yuri’s hands.

“If you’re going to get hurt like this, you should at least wear gloves.”

“Hehe… It’s okay… I heal quickly…”

“Even so, getting hurt isn’t good. Make sure to wear gloves. Okay? I’ll get a pair from the storeroom tomorrow.”

“Alright… Sorry… And thank you…”

Slump!

Yuri bowed her head in apology.

‘At least she’s not being stubborn this time.’

The next day,

I handed Yuri the gloves before her training.

“Here, take these. They’re gloves.”

“… Gloves.”

“Now your hands won’t get hurt.”

“… Th-thanks, Damian.”

Yuri looked at the gloves I handed her, then slowly reached out to take them.

She seemed reluctant.

‘But if she wears these gloves while training, she won’t get hurt, right?’

I wouldn’t need to apply ointment anymore, which was always a bit awkward.

After giving Yuri the gloves, I went back to my room to study.

Once I finished studying for the academy entrance exams, I returned to the garden to check on Yuri’s training.

‘Why isn’t she wearing the gloves? Why is she using her bare hands again?’

I realized I had been mistaken.

Yuri was swinging the wooden sword with her hands getting injured again.

The gloves were neatly placed on the ground.

She was still practicing barehanded.

“Yuri!”

“Uh, wh-what? D-Damian…?”

Why was she acting like this?

I walked over to her quickly.

Then, in a slightly scolding tone, I asked,

“Why aren’t you wearing gloves?”

I gave you the gloves to prevent injuries.

Why was she continuing to hurt herself during training?

Yuri avoided eye contact and blushed.

“Well, you see… Please don’t get mad and just listen…”

“Tell me.”

“The truth is…! I’m intentionally getting hurt to become stronger…”

“To increase your natural recovery rate?”

“Yeah… That’s right…! To get stronger… And because it feels g-good…”

“Feels good?”

“I mean, it feels good to become stronger…”

Is that really true?

Seeing her avoid my gaze, I knew she was lying.

‘Should I confirm if it’s a lie?’

What truth was she hiding from me?

I followed Yuri’s evasive gaze and pressed further.

“Are you really not wearing gloves to increase your natural recovery rate?”

“Y-yes…! Of course…! There’s no other reason…!”

“Then why are you avoiding my gaze? Like someone who’s done something wrong.”

“B-because it’s embarrassing…”

That was not quite it.

She usually met my gaze much better than this.

I looked at Yuri, who was trying to hide the truth, and pondered.

‘Should I force out the truth she’s hiding? Or is it better to let it stay hidden?’

Sometimes ignorance is bliss,

As the saying goes.

If I try to force the truth out, it could backfire.

Even though we were best friends.

‘I have a rough idea why Yuri is doing this…’

Still, it would be best to hear it directly from her.

I spoke to Yuri, who was avoiding my gaze.

“If it’s really to increase your natural recovery, I understand. I won’t say anything. It’s your choice.”

“R-really?!”

She was revealing her true feelings now.

Yuri smiled brightly at my words.

“Then…! After today’s training…! I’ll come to your room, Damian…!”

“…Alright.”

“Hehehe…”

Was my guess correct?

No matter how I looked at it, the reason Yuri wasn’t wearing the gloves seemed to be

Because she wanted me to treat her wounds.

She was deliberately injuring her hands to receive treatment from me.

‘Her mindset isn’t normal.’

In that case, I needed to change her mindset.

To one that Yuri would find acceptable.

I gently held Yuri’s injured hand and said softly,

“… Also, you can come to my room anytime.”

“What do you mean by that, Damian…?”

Her expression gave everything away.

Yuri began to tense up, thinking her lie had been discovered.

To ease her tension, I gently stroked the hand I was holding.

“As friends, we don’t have to meet only when there’s an issue.”

“R-right…! We can meet without a reason… I got it, Damian…!”

From that day on.

Yuri started wearing gloves during her training.

Seeing that, I felt like I was beginning to understand how to transform the villainess.

‘It’s about directing the villainess’s attention towards me…’

***

Yuri trained diligently in swordsmanship and studied hard for the entrance exams.

She rested when needed, trained rigorously, and avoided injuries.

As a result, Yuri’s swordsmanship seemed quite decent to me.

Barring any unforeseen events, it looked like she wouldn’t fail the exam.

“It’s all thanks to you, Damian…! I think my stance has improved a lot…!”

“Swordsmanship for the exams is a bit different from Northern swordsmanship.”

“R-really? I couldn’t tell the difference…”

The swordsmanship Yuri learned in the North… To put it bluntly.

It was like a berserker’s way of wielding a sword.

It was about risking your life to take the enemy’s.

Every attack stance carried risk, and there was no concept of defense.

‘It’s a straightforward, extreme style of swordsmanship.’

Just like Yuri’s personality, it was an extreme form of swordsmanship.

While it efficiently used the body’s capabilities, typical of her family,

It was not likely to earn high marks in the academy entrance exam.

“Still, if you practice as we did at home, you’ll pass. You’ve worked hard, right?”

“Of course…! I’ll definitely get in…! If I fail… I wouldn’t be able to repay your kindness… Should I die then…?”

Why the question mark?

“No, there’s no need to die.”

“Th-then I won’t die…!”

Good.

That’s the right decision, Yuri.

I patted her head as a sign of praise.

“Hehehe…”

Clatter!

At that moment, the carriage stopped, and the coachman spoke to us.

“We’ve arrived, young master.”

“How long did it take?”

“About five hours.”

“We arrived earlier than expected.”

Thankfully, the capital was close to the estate, so we arrived early.

Even though we’d have to do this about three more times.

To enroll in the academy where the original story unfolded

It was a tolerable inconvenience.

I got out of the carriage with Yuri.

“Here, take my hand.”

“Okay…! Th-thank you, Damian…!”

Hop-

Yuri took my hand and stepped out of the carriage.

In front of our carriage, other family carriages were lined up.

‘… I can consider all those carriages as competitors.’

We studied hard so we wouldn’t fail.

To live up to my reputation as a genius, I had to pass the exams.

With that resolve, Yuri and I walked toward the academy.

The vast grounds and enormous buildings were impressive.

Yuri marveled at the sight of the academy buildings.

“Wow… it’s so huge… This is the academy… Damian…! It’ll be so fun to attend the academy together… right?”

She looked at me expectantly.

I smiled slightly and answered,

“Yeah, it seems like it’ll be fun. There are lots of people here.”

“… I don’t like lots of people.”

“But there’s no choice. It’s the academy.”

“… That’s true, but it makes me a bit uneasy.”

Yuri mumbled, seeming unsatisfied.

Still, she seemed to like the academy itself.

I decided not to respond further and headed to the exam halls.

“The right side is for the written exams. The left side is for the practical exams.”

I go to the right.

Yuri goes to the left.

“We’ll have to split up here.”

“W-what…? Damian, you’re going to the right…?”

“Yeah, I have to. You’re in the Swordsmanship Department, and I’m in the Political and Diplomatic Studies Department.”

“B-but… I want to take the written exam too… I guess that’s not possible…”

“Nope.”

I cut it short.

“It’s not possible.”

“Alright… See you after the exams… I’ll be waiting at the entrance…! I’ll finish quickly and come out…! You too, finish quickly and come out…! Okay…?”

“Got it. See you after the exams.”

“Yeah…! See you in a bit…! Good luck on your exam…! I’ll do my best too…! Thanks, Damian—”

“Stop talking and go already.”

Yuri kept turning back and mumbling as she walked away.

Once she disappeared into the practical exam hall, I felt alone for the first time in a long while.

‘… How long has it been since Yuri wasn’t by my side?’

It felt like ages since we had been this far apart.

A sense of liberation, like escaping a deep swamp.

I enjoyed the freedom from responsibility and breathed more easily.

However, the world didn’t seem to want to leave me alone.

“Damian.”

As Yuri disappeared, I heard the voice of a villainess I hadn’t heard in a long time behind me.

‘You came here without bribery and studied hard, huh?’

Thank goodness.

I turned to see her face after a long time.

Her blue hair had grown a bit, and she wore her usual stern expression.

“Bluebell.”

Bluebell Pieridot.

The girl I had taught was glaring at me.

It seemed my height had grown a bit, making her look relatively smaller.

“It’s been a while, Damian. Now you’re speaking informally to me like you said in your letter.”

“I told you we’d be friends when we met again.”

“… That’s right. You irresponsibly quit being my teacher, sent a letter, and ran away. You have no conscience.”

Sneer!

Bluebell glanced at my arm and sneered.

“…You ended up with a crippled arm after leaving me? Serves you right. You should’ve just died in the North.”

It seems she was very angry about my escape.

Bluebell insulted me with harsh words, but her blue eyes never left me.

‘She has a right to be angry. I lied about not having enough time.’

But she couldn’t stay angry forever.

I tried to diffuse her anger.

“You knew I got hurt in the North?”

Bluebell was taken aback by my question, stammering but still angry.

“Of course! I heard the rumors, how could I ignore them? Do you think I looked for news about a bastard like you on purpose?!”

“… And your language has gotten worse.”

“Y-you…!!”

Perhaps recalling last summer,

Bluebell protected her head with her arms.

It seemed the flick I gave her was ingrained in her memory.

“Try hitting me! Try hitting me with that crippled arm!”

“I told you to speak nicely.”

“You’re not even my teacher anymore!! Who are you to order me around!! You left without a word! And now you want to act like a teacher again! Forget it. Don’t talk to me!”

Fuming,

Bluebell stormed off toward the written exam hall.

Among the villainesses I’d seen, she seemed to be in the best condition.

Mentally.

‘She managed well without me. It looks like she studied a lot too.’

Her steps toward the exam hall were confident.

She must believe she’d pass the exam no matter what.

That kind of confidence was necessary.

As I watched Bluebell’s back.

She suddenly turned around and shouted.

“Are your legs crippled too? Don’t you need to take the exam? Why are you just standing there? Hurry up!”

“… Alright.”

She should really fix that foul mouth of hers.

It sounds like she was looking for a fight.

Still, I was relieved to see that Bluebell was doing well.

I thought to myself.

“You’re taking Political and Diplomatic Studies too, right? Don’t even think about failing. If you fail, I won’t enroll. I’d be too embarrassed to attend the academy if my teacher failed. My pride won’t allow it.”

“I won’t fail—”

“Shut up! Don’t respond! It’s annoying!”

“…”

Maybe she was not doing so well.

Emotional and impulsive behavior.

It seems Bluebell has developed anger management issues.

‘If she meets Yuri, it’ll be a disaster…’

I needed to finish the exam quickly and get back to Yuri.

I couldn’t let the villainesses meet each other.

However, that was just my wishful thinking.

“Damian, who is she…?”

“Hey, Damian. Who is she? Answer me.”

“…”

After the exam.

A rather troublesome situation unfolded before my eyes.