A Villainess Should Be Strong

Ending her experiment on a positive note, Estelle looked up to the sky and realized that quite a lot of time had passed. The sky was already began to darken, as the previously clear scheme became shaded with colors of orange, signifying the setting sun's time period. She brushed the thin layer of sweat off of her forehead as she sat down, leaning her back against a sturdy tree.

"I want to hurry and return.. with the innovations I've made in this time," Estelle said. Although, there was still blobs of uncertainty surrounding her heart as the methods she learned here might not apply over there. However, the world was so terribly realistic that she couldn't help but feel that she was truly Goddess Estraea and not someone who had an alternate life in the Surface.

Deciding that it was the perfect time to quit today's worth of work, Estelle rose up to the sky and left the forest areas. She flew above the wide lands, some decorated with natural resources and the others packed with civilization. She mapped the area and documented the differences she found inside her head, circling the world with her high speed and stopping at certain places to gain more experience.

It was funny to her. Thanks to her privilege to be relaxed, and her absurd powers, she was able to visit the entire world in just one round. In this realm, she had already visited all the nations in one day, whereas in the previous realm, she hadn't done so.

After finishing her tour, Estelle concluded her data gathering session and rested for the day. She created a bed in the middle of nowhere, making sure that no one would be able to see her frequent antics. Once she made sure that she wouldn't be disturbed, she closed her eyes and slept the night away. 

In a few hours, she was awake. It was still dawn, but she immediately got up and stretched her entire body. Taking a large gust of breath, she moaned in pleasure as she prepared herself for the day. Her mind had been rested, and her impending needs were relieved, so it was time to... train more!

"Now then... A new day means more training, I suppose?" Estelle stood in front of the energy ball, which had grown to be more potent than the previous day she had visited the location. Even though she managed to suppress it yesterday, the ball still ended up coming back, which led to her frustration.

However, this frustration was turned into more motivation to get her job done and actually make her way through cracking the correct method's application. Her research was further more improved, and she felt like she discovered something new every time she passed a certain bottleneck. Documenting everything into her own note, she was absorbed in her own world as she didn't even realize how much time had been spent during her maniacal designs.

As her powers couldn't run out, she maximized this attribute by going through a long process of trial and error without resting in the slightest. She only rested her mind within the training, but her powers still kept going since she was able to cast the magic without too much attention being put into the spell.

When she saw the skies turn orange and almost reddish, she knew that it signified another upcoming event that she wished to follow.

"...This would be the perfect time to go back and join the festival," Estelle commented, looking at the town not far from the forest she was currently in.  "Do I attend? I think I'm fine with stopping here, and I can honestly last days without sleep," she whispered, thinking carefully.

Not only in this body, but she could also go on without sleep in her previous body. This whole trip was supposed to be like a small vacation for her exhausted mind, but she ended up tiring herself on every single chance she had.

Deciding that it would be a better idea to go and participate, Estelle started to make her way out of the forest and entered through the town gates. There were nobody guarding the area since every single town member would be invited into the party.

The crowds were already bustling inside the town's center, with vivid decorations and items being put around, displayed out in the open. The people were dressed well as they mingled with each other and had fun.

As she approached from behind, Estelle overheard one of the people saying that 'it was a shame how Rae couldn't attend this party because she was busy', and knew that it was the perfect chance to jump in.

"I'm here, you know?" Estelle chuckled. Her voice was very distinguishable from the others. It carried much more sweetness and charm within it. Furthermore, this voice suddenly entered the conversation without warning, so the bystander's heads were all turned to her way. They caught Estelle's figure in their eyes and began to rejoice.

"Rae! You decided to attend! Finally! We were just about to think that you wouldn't attend.. Turns out, you did come," Aleksei was the first one to approach Estelle and hold her hands, his eyes filled to the brim with warmth as he spoke. Soon, the others began to crowd around Estelle too and asked her various questions.

"Ao! We just talked about you, and you showed up!"

"How was your trip?"

"Were you safe?"

"Knowing you, the matter must me of high importance, right?"

"You're so powerful, the problem must already be solved by now,"

"What was it about?"

"Big sister, please tell me about your travels!"

"Big sister, big sister, please have this!"

A barrage of questions were launched almost at the same time, making Estelle back away from the crowd's enthusiasm, not used to being huddled up like this. Most of the concerned questions were from the elderly, whereas the excited questions were from children who also began to tug at her clothes with their small hands.

Aleksei noticed her uncomfortable gestures and shielded the woman from the others, signalling with his eyes that Estelle should not be treated like this. It worked, and the endless loud chatters stopped. Aleksei turned to look at Estelle, who was still flustered. "Sorry about that. Especially the kids. They like to hear exciting stories, you see? Adventures.. and all of that. You've never really stayed here for long other than just casually visiting by.. they've wanted to hear your tales from long ago,"

"No, it's fine. I find it cute," Estelle laughed, petting some of the children's heads. "Big sister will tell you next time, but we are all here to enjoy the festival, right? Come, why don't you show big sister around the feast? Big sister is starved!"

The kids readily replied, shouting in agreement. They held Estelle's sleeves as they walked towards the tables, with Estelle trailing behind them, careful as to not trip and fall down.

The festival progressed with the addition of Estelle. Within her arrival, Estelle actually caught a slight glimpse of Ophelia, who looked at her figure as if she was an extremely irksome being. Paying no heed to that, Estelle participated in the festival without worries.

Next, came the dance event. Everyone was geared up for the dance. Aleksei and Estelle reunited amidst the crowd, and faced each other.

"Would you have this dance with me, milady?" Aleksei's smooth voice rang, asking the other straightforwardly.

With a smile, Estelle took his hand and immediately cast magic on them. They were about to perform what would be the most memorable showcase for their entire lives. Estelle was still clad in loose robes, and she made use of that by performing spins, twists, and turns that accentuated her beauty. Aleksei, who was also affected by the magic felt like his footsteps were as light as feathers, and that he was able to fly with the woman who held his hands as they danced freely across the sky.

Estelle cast sparkles all over them. The scene was very dazzling, and the people who saw it from below immediately shouted words of cheering. It was a magical sight to behold, the couple just having their fun and entertaining the town at the same time. The night was merry, and they ended up partying until the night passed and the new day came.

Estelle and Aleksei had already went down on the ground long ago, and they were huffing and puffing when they finally stopped their continuous movements. Praises and gratitude were showered all over, and the couple almost had no chance to take a breather as the crows got too excited.

By this time, all the kids already fell asleep. They were brought by their respective parents and taken care in their own homes. The adults still scattered about, and they had more specific events following the previous ones, that weren't the most appropriate things to be shown to children.

The atmosphere started to recede. Just as Estelle was about to say her parting words, Aleksei approached her with a troubled face.

"...I sense something strange. The bad feeling is back," Aleksei suddenly said.