[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-m-in-love-with-the-villainess":3,"chapter-i-m-in-love-with-the-villainess-i-m-in-love-with-the-villainess-chapter-40":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","I'm in Love with the Villainess!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},894976,1171,"Chapter 40: Decisive First Match!","i-m-in-love-with-the-villainess-chapter-40",40,"\u003Cp>\"Arden, huh?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Invictus jumped from the bleachers, using wind magic to soften his landing to reach the field.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fixing his hair while he did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An arrogantly handsome bastard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t keep me waiting, Arden.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An A-Rank Son of a Marquis, I swear I could hear faint shouting of women in the background the moment he landed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He seemed confident he could beat me despite our rank difference; it was likely he thought the crystal’s damage had missed his S-Rank capabilities, ranking him lower than he deserved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I couldn’t just let him brag and embarrass me like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was the son of a baron, and in this academy, this is the only chance I get to humble stuck-up brats like that without punishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And more importantly... Evelina was watching from the sidelines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Dark Step]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don’t plan to.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I appear on my own side of the field, adjusting the tightness of my dagger launcher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The hell is that—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Invictus reacted to my new gear, but was abruptly cut by Raven without any hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Enough.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven tapped his foot once, encasing the field in a rectangular barrier made of translucent darkness, his hair floating slightly from the action, magic flowing through it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fight!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He barked the moment his barrier fully solidified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Wind Crescent]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Invictus moved first, unleashing a gust of wind that was as sharp as a blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Bottomless Daggers (S)]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>CLICK!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You don’t even deserve to get hit by a spell.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I snicker, firing my launcher, the projectile being enhanced by both the machine and my magic at the same time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>FWOOSH!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dagger and wind crescent met in the middle of the field, and just as expected, the dagger completely penetrated it without much problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Wind Manipulation]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Invictus redirected the dagger before it reached him, flinging it harmlessly to the side as he tried to close the distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>FWOOSH!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He unleashed a powerful gust of wind aimed to temporarily blind me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed like in an actual fight, he wasn’t as boastful, completely silent, taking it seriously, even if he thought his opponent was below him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was one characteristic of him that was admirable at least...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he sure as hell would need a tremendous amount of luck if he thinks simple wind would make my aim worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>CLICK-FWOOSH!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>SHLICK!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dagger managed to graze his left cheek.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah...!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He grunted, feeling weaker the moment the dagger touched his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t even my intention; the bottomless daggers just had a passive effect of lowering someone’s strength the moment they wounded them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What...? I can’t move my legs...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And for a mere A-Rank to get hit by one of Beelzebub’s treasures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That effect was tremendous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>THUD!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A simple knee-kick to the face while he was distracted from the weakening effect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>CRACK!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t get distracted!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I yelled out, feeling a bone crack from the impact as he was sent flying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>CRASH!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He landed with as much grace as a fish out of water, rolling on the grassy terrain as he was covered in mud and limbs in various states of disarray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just a simple kick, yet he was out cold instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Victory to Cael Arden!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven declared with more enthusiasm than a professor should have from seeing a student just nearly cripple another with a kick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Isn’t he supposed to be a mage?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another professor who was spectating could barely believe it. How the hell could someone adept at using dark magic also be so physically gifted?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Doesn’t matter.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven laughed, removing his barrier and gesturing for me to return to my seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The professor looked at Raven with a frown, not sure if he was being pragmatic or if he just loved to see spoiled students get beaten up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Either way, he couldn’t really argue with him; he was of a higher rank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Never seen that bastard smile so much before...\" The professor muttered to himself, writing down the results in a book as he nodded to Raven to announce the next matchup.\u003C\u002Fp>",665,"2026-06-03T05:52:53.471Z",1,"novelbin.me","96b063bc0e206e9eedadcb801f058798935574dcdcf20f26819c4dcf8ba1edbc","i-m-in-love-with-the-villainess-chapter-41","i-m-in-love-with-the-villainess-chapter-39",324,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-m-in-love-with-the-villainess-cover.jpg"]