Became the Villainess’s Guardian

Knowledge is power.

It was the era of enlightenment.
The knowledge obscured by the darkness of religion and superstition lost its power under the light of magic and engineering. ity had conquered the skies, pioneered distant sea routes, and harnessed a greater variety of magic to boil water and turn turbines than ever before in history.
Not just Keres Martop, but the demand for magical devices produced ceaselessly around the world never diminished.

While money, connections, and exceptional talents were certainly advantageous, a world had finally opened where the more knowledgeable could rise to success.

Of course, it was not a luxurious service that could be afforded to all, so Edan had only selected a few from his foundation to provide education.
However, once he took responsibility, he would see it through to the end. Freugne was one such case, as was Sif.

“Mr. Edan, the winter semester grades are out.”

“Let me see… Well done again. Should we go buy some meat to have for dinner together?”

“Yes, heheh.”

If he had sent her all the way to public school only for her to declare her aspiration to be a mastermind, just imagine how deeply disappointed Edan would be.
In Freugne’s case, who had everything, it felt like an act of filial piety, but she needed a respectable social status nonetheless.

Yet the need for learning did not end there.

The useful content Freugne glimpsed in her visions of the future amounted to less than a tenth.
After all, what use could she have for trivial information like birthday gifts received by her classmates’ parents?

However, if it involved specialized knowledge, she had to exclude it further.
It was simply because Freugne herself lacked that knowledge.

‘Behold this ritual! Is it not truly innovative?’

‘Oh, indeed. By applying the Albeto-Mustri Conversion Formula, it can be utilized in this manner.’

‘It will undoubtedly provide a breakthrough in complementing the Fregonian Ritual Array!’

What did that even mean?

While she had diligently kept a future diary, her limited understanding inevitably resulted in scant content.
How many futures had she simply skipped over, unable to make sense of them as if she had never witnessed them?

In short, it was better to borrow future knowledge rather than trying to become a giant herself.
Edan was already making that attempt, so she could simply stand on his shoulders and see further. Outright copying technology to establish Martop would be somewhat difficult, but who knew if it might come in handy later?

And lastly, one more point.

Crackle!

“Do you sense the [Difference in Power]?”

“…Not really? More importantly, what was that line?”

A spark flew from Freugne’s fingertips.
She was directly using magic that Edan had once demonstrated at the orphanage as a spectacle.

For now, even using it to zap someone would only have the force of static electricity experienced when sliding down a plastic slide, but Freugne did not harbor the unreasonable expectation of unleashing bolts of lightning from her very first spell.

In any case, she had plenty of time.
Since there was no urgent need for her to use magic, she could afford to take it easy, as she had told Edan.

After three months of practice following her manifestation of the first spell, she had reached the point where she could make someone flinch.
In an emergency, she could at least shock an opponent long enough to buy time to flee at full power.

Magic was not bad for self-defense either.
While she had intended to partially entrust that role to Sif, it was prudent to be prepared for any eventuality.

Of course, enrolling in a military academy would have been the best way to learn offensive magic.
However, not even a year later, that snack would be demoted to a staple diet of bread and pickled radish. No sane person would enlist knowing that.

By reasonably adapting what she had learned at Cardiff School, she could modify them into offensive spells.
While raising the output to lethal levels might be difficult, for now, she was content with this.

“Look at this! Isn’t it amazing…!”

“…Oh.”

“It is pretty amazing.”

As Freugne and Erine dueled to see who could generate stronger static electricity, Sif, watching from the side, seemed to want to join the conversation and spread her hands wide open.

Flickering inside was a flame akin to a few lighters being lit.
Currently, her achievement in fire magic at Cardiff School was at most creating a small flicker, the second-fastest among their grade level, so this was certainly an exceptionally rapid accomplishment.
The entry barrier for magic had been lowering with each passing era.
With proper education, while not everyone could become a great mage, they could at least gain basic proficiency.

Of course, there were exceptions like Michael, who had only completed elementary education yet ushered in the age of electromancy, or Sif, who had nearly become Londinium’s greatest fire performer through self-study alone. But they were exceptions among exceptions.

Whether guided by fate or not, Sif showed an interest in fire magic.
Freugne and Erine, learning by observing over her shoulder, entered the field of electromancy.

And unlike Edan, who had crammed it into his head through compressed field experience, Freugne had the advantage of a teacher thoroughly instructing her from the basics every weekend, allowing her to make rapid progress.

“Eek! What kind of sorcery is this!”

“Could the Edan Charitable Foundation perhaps be using some special curriculum for magical training?”

“There’s definitely something they’re hiding…”

With Freugne’s separately recruited individuals continuously showcasing their talents, the synergy only accelerated.
After confirming that Edan was the owner of the assets, Earl Norton grew more and more convinced.

Over the past three years, Freugne’s trajectory in life had been quite dazzling.

Having mega-evolved from a 15-year-old high school girl into a 16-year-old high school girl after the winter, she had now become the boss of an underground organization, an elusive source of information to some, and a prophet to others.

While no one in the organization had a loose tongue, humans were creatures who did not necessarily remain quiet just because they were told to keep their mouths shut.
Stories about her gradually spread through the grapevine among Londinium’s elite circles.

This meant the organization had grown to a size where strict secrecy was difficult, thanks to Freugne’s considerably developed ability to select suitable members.

Of course, even if she had gained some control over her abilities, she still found it challenging to see more than a year into the distant future.
However, repeated attempts would yield results, perhaps simply because the time remaining until those futures had shortened.

“Have a good day, Mr. Edan.”

“Yeah. We’ll be going out together tomorrow, so be prepared. Let me know in advance if there’s anything you want to buy on the trip.”

“Ah, right. Here’s a lunch box for you.”

It didn’t really matter either way.
As if it were an obligation, Freugne routinely checked Edan’s future once a day.

And as she naturally handed over the lunch box, their hands brushing against each other, Freugne tensed and inhaled sharply, utilizing her ability.

A familiar scene she had witnessed several times before.
She was trying to persuade Edan, who had his hands in his pockets as he listened.

However, there was one difference from before.

“Come, join me.”

“You… I did not raise you to be like this…!”

“Indeed. My apologies for being such a disobedient child.”

It seemed Freugne had not been entirely idle either, as the future had changed, with additional lines added.
Still, the crucial clue remained elusive. Perhaps she needed to aim for slightly before or after this moment.

And there was one decisive change.

“…Why are you doing this?”

Ulr, who was supposed to ambush and incapacitate Edan from behind, was absent.
There was no Edan pulling the trigger, no subsequent gunshot that should have followed.

“If you’ve grown to despise me so, then feel free to shoot and leave without restraint.”

“…That’s…”

“After all, if I’m destined to be so hated, I might as well die.”

And then, for some reason, she had a slightly saddened expression, which gradually returned to a smile when nothing further happened.

The gun Edan had aimed trembled before dropping to the floor.
That was where Freugne’s vision of the future ended.

“…Freugne?”

“……”

“Freugne!”

“…Ah, yes! Yes.”

“Are you alright? You’ve been silent for a while.”

As she raised her head, Edan’s concerned face came into view.
Freugne realized she had been tightly gripping the lunch box and relaxed her hold.

“Ahahah, it’s nothing. I was just lost in thought for a moment. I might be looking forward to tomorrow’s trip a bit too much.”

“Is that so? The Kingdom’s Magic Fair doesn’t seem significant enough to make you space out like that.”

“Ah, I don’t know. I just want to think that way.”

Finding herself at a loss for words, Freugne gently nudged Edan’s back.
After giving her a slightly suspicious glance, he turned and headed towards Martop.

Wasn’t this enough to alter the future?
Since Edan hadn’t fired his gun, nor had there been an ending where she kidnapped and confined him, it was a positive outcome for both of them, wasn’t it?

“…In the end, you didn’t shoot, Mr. Edan.”

Watching him walk further away, Freugne muttered.
Perhaps it meant their relationship had grown closer. She would have to recall exactly what proposal she had made, but it was a significant harvest nonetheless.

As Freugne calculated the potential for her plans to go awry and the associated variables in her mind, she suddenly stopped in her tracks, intending to return home, upon hearing a voice from behind.

“You seem pleased.”

“…Who are you?”

“Have you forgotten? We’re acquaintances, are we not?”

Slowly turning towards that vaguely familiar voice, she saw a man standing there.

From head to toe, he wore an immaculately clean, pure white suit that seemed out of place.
The very person she vaguely remembered encountering before.

“I have something to say. Will you not hear me out?”

The unidentified individual she had dismissed as a hallucination years ago.
A memory she had tucked away in a corner of her mind, never expecting to retrieve it in her lifetime, yet his appearance alone remained etched in her memory.