Chapter 24

"It'll be great if you can withstand this for a second, really" I said, smirking. 

*(Gloom) 

Nothing happened. On the outside, of course. Inside, Dinesh fell to her knees and breathed heavily because of the Null. 

"You can't become a pioneer like that. This is only me going halfheartedly. I'll let it slide since this is not a real training" 

*(Inhale) 

"Cough..cough..what a…terrifying power" said Dinesh, still trying to catch her breath. 

I have to admit it, she's really strong enough to not lose her consciousness. Though, I'm sure if I use it  stronger I will be executed for threatening the princess. 

"It's not much. Even if I use my full power, this artificial Null won't be a hindrance to Mother. Well…she's overwhelmingly a powerful mother, after all" I said, handing a towel to Dinesh. 

Dinesh gets up, with her whole body still trembling from the Null. Seeing that Dinesh's will to fight is still there, I put the towel down. 

*(Flick) 

"If you want to save your people, you need a strong determination to protect them. I will teach you my method of controlling mana. But, we will also continue this training, until you can move normally after experiencing Null. It will be a really torturous training. Are you sure?" I asked. 

Dinesh looked straight at my face, smiling. 

"Don't worry! I will accept all of that, if that makes me stronger!" 

"Good! Let's begin now!" 

At that moment, Dinesh finally knew why all of my maids looked at her pitifully when she told them I will be teaching her. 

… 

Full moon, Itina's Grave. 

Just like what I said that time, Lavani and I arrived at the promised place. Not long after, I felt a strong mana closing the distance. 

"Lavani. She's here" 

"Yeah. I feel it too" said Lavani, clenching her fist. 

*(Fwooosh) 

"I am sorry for my late arrival" 

A beautiful demon, with an aura of divinity emitted from her, appeared. Lavani's mother, Lady Chandara. 

"I'll leave you two alone now. Please, excuse my rudeness, Priestess" 

Just before I left, the Priestess stopped me. 

"Wait. I need you to be here too. There is something I need to ask you" 

"...sure. But, I don't want to ruin your reunion time. I'll stay away from here and surround the area with my mana so your voices won't leak out. Is that okay?"

"It is fine" 

*(Fwoosh) 

"Well, Mother. Do you have something to say to me?" said Lavani. 

The Priestess approached Lavani slowly. She then caressed her face. 

"You have…grown a lot, my child"

Lavani clenching her fist. 

"...why now? After I lost everything?" 

The Priestess stepped back. 

"No…that is not it. I'm sorry, I can't do anything, my child. I can't even beg for forgiveness. It is shameful, indeed"

"You are the Priestess, no? Can't you do something in that position?!" 

"Your father asked me to not meddle at all. Believe me, I keep holding my breath every time you suffer. I can only help you indirectly all this time. But now…no need to worry, my child. I will stay with you, together "

"Why? Because I know you're my mother now that you will take care of me?" 

*(Step) 

I stepped in to interrupt them. 

"Okay now. I'm sorry. I need to do this before you continue this conversation. Lavani, give me the sword" 

Lavani silently gave me the Itina Sword. 

"Here we go" 

~Soul Manifestation~

Suddenly, a wind blows wildly. The surrounding mana became abrupt for a second, then calmed with an ominous yet warm mana. A figure, that is familiar for the two of them, appeared. 

"This is…have I been resurrected? No. I'm in my soul form?" 

Itina's soul, manifested. As she turned around, she finally saw them, her family. 

"Chandara?" 

The Priestess hurriedly hugged her, with tears raining down her face. 

"Lavani?...is that you? You've…grown up now" 

Lavani can't bring herself to hug Itina. Seeing that, Itina approached Lavani slowly. She hugged Lavani, tightly. 

"I'm sorry, my daughter. I'm really sorry" 

Lavani can't hold back her tears. Maybe she doesn't realize it. But, she's the one who missed her parents so much. 

After calming down, Itina then glanced at me. 

"This mana…you're already controlling it at this age? What a terrifying young lady. May I ask your name?" she asked. 

I bowed, deeply until my gaze fixated on the ground. 

"What are you doing?!" said Lavani, surprised. 

"I, Denallie Nayanika Isvara, the lady of the Isvara Family, express my deep apologies on behalf of my family, who aren't able to prevent your assassination attempt. If there is anything you want me to do, please, do tell me" 

Lavani understood why I did this. She then stepped back. 

"Raise your head, young lady of Isvara. I know very well that the Isvara won't let that happen. That time, the families that supported me were being halted by something. This is not your mistake. I'm very proud that the Isvara are still holding their prestigious pride"

"Thank you for your benevolence" 

Itina then picked up the sword with her magic  and examined it. 

"Your mana is really beautiful. Similar to mine, but more gentle. Tell me, have you reached enlightenment?" 

"That's-!" 

Lavani tried to warn me, but I stopped her. I think there's no harm telling Itina. I mean, she's still my benefactor in some way. 

"Yes. It occurred to me when I tried to awaken my artificial Null. Somehow my mana became more calming than before. When I tried to use Aura, the mana became sharper without any backlash to my body. Since then my core became more refined"

The Priestess suddenly stepped in. 

"Artificial Null, you said? Is that true?" 

I understand her curiosity. After all, an artificial Null is practically impossible. 

"It's not as strong as the real Null, but I can make it for a limited time" 

"Interesting. Show it to me" said Itina.

*(Flick) 

With just a flick of my finger, Null surrounded us. 

"This is…almost identical" said the Priestess. 

Itina then tried to move her mana. Even Itina's mana became slower in this Null. 

"Even in my soul form, I can tell that this is a Null" 

*(Drop) 

Lavani dropped to her knees. I then stopped the Null before she passed out. 

*(Flick) 

"You good, Lavani?" I said, giving her a hand. 

"Yeah. Though, It took almost all of my will to withstand that" 

"Please, Lady Denallie, refrain from using it in front of our kind. Unless the demons are on the level of myself and the Generals, they won't be able to tell that this is artificial. You may use it if they were hostile, so-" 

"Stop, Priestess. I know full well about the responsibility. You have my word" 

The Priestess then looked relieved. Itina, with her almost invisible body, approached us. 

"Looks like I reached my limit. I'm sure this won't be our last chance to see each other. Isn't that right, Lady Denallie?" said her, smiling. 

Is it intuition, or calculation? We'll, she guessed my plan correctly. 

"Indeed. The next time we meet, it will be the real you. Before that, I will need to ask for your help, Priestess" 

"Me?" 

I hope this is not a taboo on her side. 

"...I want you to create a vessel using Lavani's, and your own blood. So that Lady Itina able to resurrect completely" 

All of them fell completely silent. Just as I thought, this much is a taboo already. 

"That is completely possible. But, the amount of time needed for that will not be short. Are you okay with that?" said the Priestess. 

"That should be my question. Next week, I will be a temporary teacher at the academy for a whole year. Is that enough time?" 

"It's the same as my calculation, Lady"

Itina suddenly stepped in. 

"Well well, you two discussing something like this without involving me?" 

"Please, my dear, silence" 

Itina retreated to Lavani's back. I never knew someone like Itina is afraid of her own wife. 

The Priestess and I continued our discussion for some time.

"We reached a conclusion, then. Now please, excuse me. I need to be somewhere very quickly. Have a nice evening!" 

*(Vanish) 

"That lady…is really terrifying, huh" said Itina. 

"Indeed. I never thought I would be in the position pressured by someone other than the Demon King" said the Priestess, relieved. 

"What do you mean?" asked Lavani, confused by what they were talking about. 

Itina and the Priestess looked at each other, and giggled a little. 

"You'll realize it soon" 

They continued their heartfelt reunion, until Itina's mana ran out. Lavani finally hugged her mother, and agreed to listen to her story. 

… 

After a few months of training, Dinesh finally returned to the academy. I myself also went there, since I already accepted the invitation to become a temporary teacher there. 

The academy itself is surrounded by a magic forest that protects it. Only those who were recognized may pass the forest safely. Since I was invited here, of course I was able to pass it safely. 

Just an hour by foot, you can already see the magnificent building of the academy. Many students waited in front of the gate. It looks like the guards are really strict. Well, I've heard there was one incident where an assassin infiltrated the academy. I guess they won't experience that again, huh. 

"The mark, please" said the guards.

I then showed the letter that the Principal sent me. 

"Huh?! W-welcome to the academy, Miss Denallie!" 

The crowds then shifted their attention towards me. I mean, I'm not even a student of this academy. Yet, I came here with a letter. Suddenly, a man appeared behind the guards. Looking at his appearance, I think he is one of the staff. 

"Please, follow me, Miss Denallie" 

"Sure" 

… 

The academy really is huge. A training ground, a forest prioritized for the student, and even a beach-themed dungeon. 

"The Principal is waiting for you, Miss Denallie" 

"Thank you" 

*(Open) 

"Hello, Miss Denallie. I'm glad you accepted my offer. Please, take a seat" 

The Principal was already there, waiting for me. 

"I just accepted it since it was temporary. Sorry, if that sounds rude" 

"Hoho, don't worry. Well, I just want to say, you could start your class today" 

"That's good. So, which class is it?" I asked. 

He smiled. 

"I'm sure it suits your specialty, Miss Denallie. It's Battle and Magic class" 

Well, it is my specialty to fight. 

"Then, I should go to the class now, right?" 

"Have fun, then" said the Principal, smiling. 

I'm sure there will be problematic students that need some beating, so he told me to have fun. That's good. This will be my entertainment for now. 

*.*.*.*

To Be Continued...

*.*.*.*

A little bit of info regarding this story.

So yeah, truthfully, "The Strongest Villainess Is Me?!" is planned to be a prequel for my next work.

I'm still struggling with something so I won't update that quickly. But, I'm still trying to develop this story to become a pillar for my next work. I hope this story won't go awry.