Mr. Albright finally found his voice. It came out as a sputtering roar.
"That is— that is an outrageous, unsubstantiated claim from fringe historical sites! Utter nonsense!"
He wasn't looking at Mark, the one who had spoken. His furious, bulging eyes were fixed on me.
"And you, Ms. Luna! The audacity! Using another student to disrupt my lesson with such baseless conspiracy theories! This is an egregious violation of classroom decorum!"
I simply met his gaze, my expression a perfect mask of calm indifference. I didn't need to speak. My silence was louder than his shouting.
"Detention! Both of you!" he bellowed, pointing a shaking finger from me to the still-catatonic Mark. "After school!"
A murmur went through the class. Mark getting detention wasn't a surprise, but me? The quiet wallpaper at the back of the room?
I had never been in trouble for anything. The ripples of my actions were spreading.
The system pinged in my vision, a welcome distraction.
[Status Update]
Name: Luna
Title: Fledgling Villainess
Level: 1 (10/100)
Villainess Points (VP): 20
[System Commentary: A clever and efficient use of resources (fear). By leveraging an existing asset (bully) to complete the objective without revealing your own primary weapon (voice), you have demonstrated tactical acumen. Well done, Host.]
A faint smile touched my lips.
Tactical acumen. I liked the sound of that.
The rest of the school day was a study in this new reality. In the hallways, students didn't just ignore me; they actively avoided me.
They would see me coming and part like the Red Sea, their eyes wide with a mixture of fear and morbid curiosity. Whispers followed me, but they were different now.
Not 'there's the mute charity case,' but 'did you see what she did to Mark?' and 'what is with her?'
I was no longer invisible. I was a question mark, a danger sign. It was infinitely better.
Mark and his cronies, Jake and Leo, were absent for the rest of the day.
I imagined them hiding in a bathroom somewhere, trying to make sense of a world that had suddenly turned upside down.
After the final bell, I made my way to Mr. Albright's classroom for detention. Mark was already there, slumped in a desk at the front, looking like a ghost. He refused to even look in my direction.
Mr. Albright sat at his desk, his face still flushed with anger.
"I don't know what kind of game you think you're playing, Ms. Luna," he began, his voice low and menacing.
"But it ends now. You will not disrupt my class again. You will not spread these… lies. And you will not intimidate other students."
I raised an eyebrow, a silent, insolent question.
Me? Intimidate?
"Don't play dumb with me!" he snapped, rising from his chair.
"I saw you. I saw how he looked at you. Whatever you did to him, whatever hold you have over him, it stops."
He was trying to scare me, to reassert his authority. A week ago, it would have worked. I would have shrunk under his glare, my silence a confession of guilt.
But now, I had a system that praised my 'tactical acumen.'
Slowly, I lifted my datapad, my fingers tapping out a short message. I turned the screen towards him. The glowing text was simple and cold.
He read what was written. The question stands. Is your curriculum so fragile it can't withstand a single question?
Mr. Albright's face went purple. He was a man whose entire authority was built on the sound of his own voice, and he was being defied by a girl who refused to use one.
It was a special kind of hell for him. He pointed a trembling finger at the door.
"Get out. Just… get out of my sight."
I stood, gave a small, almost mocking nod, and left. I didn't spare Mark a glance. I didn't need to.
I waited for them outside the school gates. Mark emerged first, looking utterly defeated, followed by his two shadows, Jake and Leo, who were hovering nervously.
When they saw me step out from behind a pillar, all three of them froze, their faces paling.
I held up my datapad.
The screen glowed with my new instructions.
24/7 Mart. My shift starts at 6 PM. You're covering for me. All of you. You will stock the shelves, you will mop the floors, you will run the register.
You will give every credit to the owner. You will not be late. You will not complain. You will not make a mess. You will do this every day until I say otherwise.
I let them read it, then read it again. I watched their eyes dart from the screen to my cold, unblinking face, and back again. They saw the promise in my eyes.
The memory of that unholy voice in the store, the public humiliation in class—it was all there. They understood this wasn't a request.
It was a decree. It was the new shape of their lives.
Mark gave a jerky, spastic nod, his body language screaming submission. Jake and Leo, seeing their leader fold so completely, quickly followed suit.
I lowered the datapad and walked away without a backward glance, leaving them standing there in the long afternoon shadows.
I could feel their terrified gazes on my back.
As I turned the corner, the system pinged, its red text a thing of beauty.
[Secret Objective Completed: Subjugation!]
[Description: You have successfully bent others to your will, forcing them to perform your labor. This is a cornerstone of true villainy.]
[Reward: 30 VP. New Title unlocked: 'Puppet Master.']
[Status Update]
Name: Luna
Title: Puppet Master (Fledgling Villainess)
Level: 1 (10/100 l)
Villainess Points (VP): 50
I had enough for a healing potion now. I had security.
A slow smile spread across my face. I didn't just have fear on my side anymore. I had pawns. I had minions. I had the entire evening free for the first time in years, courtesy of my new 'employees.'
This villainess thing had some serious perks.