The Return Of The Exiled Villain

”Classification: High! Your power has tripled since the beginning of the semester. Congratulations!” Ellen declared happily, smiling at the girl standing on the platform.

”Yay!”

The girl clenched her fists in excitement, bowing quickly before running back to her classmates. The other girls immediately surrounded her, patting her back and congratulating her loudly.

”Good job!”

”I knew you’d do well!”

”Your control was way better than last time!”

”Alright, next!” Ellen glanced at her list again.

It had already been over half an hour since his own examination ended. The sun had moved slightly in the sky, and yet only two students remained.

One of them was Seraph.

”It’s really amazing...” Maelis suddenly muttered beside him.

”What is?” Gray turned his head toward her.

She looked back at the testing ground, her eyes narrowed in curiosity. ”...Almost every single girl here got a High classification or above. That’s not exactly... normal.”

”That is indeed true.”

Gray faintly looked at the group of girls.

Each one had a stable mana flow and showed no signs of fatigue or health issues. Typically, mana users usually have a mana deficit, but these girls’ bodies had no flaws.

That told him two things: they either had the best teacher or they were geniuses.

Clearly, it was the second.

Every girl in this class was a true genius, and almost all of them were at the Master Realm, far stronger than Gray’s own class.

And finally...

”...For last, our dearest Princess.”

The name alone caused a ripple to pass through the testing ground.

”It’s finally the First Princess’s turn!”

”She must have improved a lot compared to the last semester, right?!”

”Obviously! Don’t you know that there are rumours that she actually reached the state of Sword & Mind, and mastered Sword Qi?!”

Step...!

The whispers faded, and the girls straightened unconsciously as the First Princess stepped forward.

Seraph walked onto the platform calmly, her posture straight and composed, as if she were simply taking a casual stroll.

The runes beneath her feet activated the moment she stepped onto the platform, responding smoothly to her presence without any instability or backlash.

Ellen adjusted her glasses, watching closely.

”You may begin whenever you’re ready.”

Seraph reached for the hilt of her sword.

Thrum!

The instant her fingers closed around it, the air around the platform subtly shifted.

It wasn’t pressure, nor was it weight, but a sharp sensation that made the skin prickle, as if invisible blades were brushing against everyone nearby.

”That feeling...” Maelis frowned slightly.

Gray’s eyes narrowed as he recognized it immediately.

Sword Qi.

Seraph slowly unsheathed her sword, the soft sound of steel leaving its scabbard carrying farther than it should have.

The air around her became cleaner, sharper, as if it had been refined along with her intent.

”...She really comprehended Sword Qi...” Ellen’s expression stiffened.

Several girls reacted at once.

”My arm feels strange...”

”It’s like the air itself is cutting...”

Seraph raised her sword loosely, her stance simple and efficient, with no wasted movement. She wasn’t forcing anything.

The Sword Qi flowed naturally along the blade, stable and controlled.

”Begin output,” Ellen said carefully.

Seraph stepped forward and released her intent.

Fwip!

Thin lines appeared across the surface of the nearby crystal pillars, spreading evenly before slicing straight through them without a single explosive reaction.

The cuts were clean, precise, and perfectly aligned.

”She’s cutting without swinging! What an excellent show of invisible Sword Qi!” Ellen’s eyes widened slightly.

For the movement test, three crystal targets rose from the ground. Seraph moved once, her sword tracing a short, smooth arc through the air.

The targets didn’t shatter immediately, but a second later, each one slid apart cleanly and dissolved into light.

There was no excess force or wasted motion.

”Final test,” Ellen called out.

”Maximum Sword Qi release. One strike.”

A thick, reinforced crystal wall rose in front of Seraph, far denser than the previous targets.

Seraph adjusted her grip, her expression sharpening slightly as she focused.

Fwooom!

The Sword Qi around her condensed, tightening along the edge of her blade. The air vibrated faintly, and several girls instinctively took a step back.

Gray watched closely.

’She refined it properly.’

Seraph raised her sword and swung once.

The Sword Qi left the blade in a straight, invisible line and cut cleanly through the crystal wall from top to bottom.

The wall split apart a moment later and collapsed silently.

The sensors chimed.

”Excellent classification. Sword Qi was fully comprehended. Control and stability... perfect.” Ellen stared at the readings.

At her words, Seraph nodded, sheathed her sword calmly, and stepped off the platform.

”That was incredible!

”She cut it without even trying!”

”Did you see that control?!”

The girls stared at Seraph with wide eyes, their earlier excitement turning into pure awe. Even those who had already finished their own tests couldn’t look away.

”She’s on a completely different level!”

A few girls pressed their hands to their chests, visibly shaken.

”I felt it... the moment she drew her sword.”

”It was scary, but truly beautiful...”

Ellen cleared her throat sharply, snapping the students back to reality.

”Enough. Save your excitement for later.”

The girls quickly straightened, though their eyes still followed Seraph wherever she went.

”The power examination is officially complete.” Ellen looked at her list one last time before lifting her head.

She paused for just a moment, then her lips curled slightly.

”So for now... We’ll proceed with an exhibition match.”

The reaction was instant.

An excited murmur spread through the testing ground.

”A match?!”

”Right now?!”

”Between who?!”

Ellen raised her voice over the noise. ”One student from Gloria’s Academy, and one from our academy.”

The girls’ eyes lit up even more.

”As for the participants,” Ellen continued calmly, ”I’ll be calling the strongest from both sides. Grayand Seraph, please step onto the duel grounds.”

At her words, the noise died down again.

Gray and Seraph both nodded lightly, neither showing surprise.

”Good luck, brother~” Maelis purred, leaning in to plant a kiss on his cheek.

”Behave.” Gray sighed, flicking her forehead lightly in response.

He then glanced at Cassandra and gave her a quick, subtle wink.

Cassandra’s lips curved slightly before she looked away.

Without another word, Gray walked toward the duel grounds, passing through a faint green barrier that shimmered briefly as it accepted him, before stepping fully into the arena.

”Ahem... are you two hearing me?”

Ellen’s voice echoed across the space, amplified by magic.

Seeing that both of them were listening, she continued with her explanation.

”Gray, the barrier you just passed through is a Time Barrier. Its function is to freeze your body’s time while inside the arena. Even if you were to lose an arm during the match, once you exit, your body will revert to its original state.”

A few girls gasped.

”That means you can fight without restraint,” Ellen added. ”Except for one single sacred rule! Killing is absolutely forbidden!”

She adjusted her glasses and glanced toward Seraph.

”And per Seraph’s request, no one outside the arena will be able to hear what either of you says inside. If you wish to speak before starting, you may do so freely.”

Ellen stepped back, raising one hand.

”That’s all. You may begin whenever you’re ready.”

The duel grounds fell silent as soon as Ellen’s voice dissipated away.

Seraph was the first to speak.

”You’ve changed quite a little,” she said, her gaze fixed on him, sharp enough to pierce through his body.

Her eyes lingered on his face, then settled on his particularly vivid black eyes.

”Your eyes are much different than before.”

Gray smiled faintly.

”I don’t think so,” he replied, shaking his head lightly.

Although his outward appearance may seem quite different, inside, even if he was no longer emotionless, he remained the same cold machine that treated anyone as a tool.

And he wasn’t bothered to say those words to the same person if needed.

Tools were tools.

And when they stopped being useful, they were discarded without hesitation.

If there was an exception, it was only for those who served a purpose in the long run. People like Jasmine, whom he had never once thought of as a tool.

If anything, she was the closest thing he had to permanence.

After all... a Soul Contract between two humans is said to be the purest form of marriage.

Sooo... by the standards of this world, she was his wife.

Seraph’s lips tightened slightly, her fingers curling at her side.

”...Do you still see me as a tool you can throw away whenever you feel like it?” she asked quietly, then continued before he could answer, her voice gaining a colder tone.

”Or just a slut you kept around to warm your bed?”

Those words almost made his calm expression twitch.

After all... those were some insults he said to her when he wanted to break up with her a couple of years ago.

He honestly didn’t know how to get her off him... so he opted for the most stupid solution, and even with that, it didn’t fucking work.

”Sera.”

Gray called out her nickname, causing her body to flinch slighly.

”Why are you still clinging to me?”