I Don’t Remember the Number of Regressions of the Villainesses Who Have Returned.

Gestalt collapse.*

It refers to the meaning that the definition or concept has collapsed, and letters, words, or sentences that you have always seen suddenly feel awkward.

“Aaron. Why are you so stiff?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

This would be no different than a starving lion grazing on grass instead of the carcass nearby.

To give an extreme example, it’s like a racist who was protesting until yesterday that an entire race should be erased, suddenly empathizing with their suffering and comforting them the next day, saying all races should be respected.

That’s how much Lioness hated humans.

A villainess who lost her family to humans and felt betrayed seeing her brother getting close to such humans.

But,

“Lady Lioness.”

“What?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

That got better.

‘What the heck is this?’

The villainess said the cause of her being a villainess has been erased.

“Just speak comfortably without minding things like status. Mordred and I don’t care about that.”

When I looked at Lioness with a peculiar gaze, she seemed to think I was tense because of things like status.

Of course, that was part of it, but.

Now that her hate for humans is gone, the Lioness I knew, who was full of malice, is nowhere to be seen, and she has become like a neighborhood unnie.

Should I say she’s exactly like the description of being a playful older sister to the elves?

By the way, Mordred was,

‘No, as royalty, you should at least mind status to some degree, you wench…’

He was just timidly glaring from behind with eyes that looked like he was seeing a lacking person.

If he said his thoughts out loud, he knew he would be tortured like earlier.

“Then I’ll also comfortably-”

When Lioness told me to speak comfortably, Aslan, who became relaxed like when he talked to me as the atmosphere loosened up, tried to say something to her, but,

“I don’t like it.”

An instant rejection without any hesitation.

Aslan’s shoulders drooped right away after being rejected.

‘Didn’t you say you don’t care?’

You told me to speak comfortably, and if you react like that to a duke, what am I supposed to do?

As I pondered how to deal with this absurd situation and turned my head, I saw something.

An escape from this thorny seat.

“Excuse me…”

The moment I opened my mouth, the seat became quiet.

The gazes of Mordred, Aslan, and Lioness all focused on me.

I pointed to the classroom entrance with my finger and informed them.

“You’re scaring the other students from coming in.”

That’s right.

What I saw outside the door was the silhouette of people.

Not just one but several silhouettes.

‘Nice timing!’

No matter what, Lioness, who is from a different class, will lea-

“Just tell them to come in. There’s still plenty of time before class starts, right?”

Lioness’s…permission?

“What?”

The reaction is different from what I expected.

Moreover, Lioness. You’re from a different class. To tell them to come in-

“Hey there! There’s quite some time left before class starts. Why don’t you join us and chat?”

Aslan’s invitation to join in…

“You guys are dismissed. I give up now.”

Mordred, who had been in complete spectator mode for a while, waved his hand with eyes that looked like he had attained enlightenment, dismissing the elven subordinates.

“……”

-Creak

The students outside the classroom who had been listening to their conversation opened the door and entered.

‘I’m sorry. To get caught up in something like this-‘

-Swish

“Good morning!”

“Ah…”

Never mind, I take back my apology.

Two students enter the classroom.

It was Sephir, who I could tell just by looking at her swaying tail.

“Hello. High-ranking people have gathered here from the morning.”

And Arcana followed behind her.

“Uh… Aaron?”

I turned my head at Mordred’s sudden call.

“That’s the Empress, right?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

He seems to be experiencing cognitive dissonance because her appearance differs from the information he knows.

‘That can happen.’

I’m still not used to it either.

“The Empress smiles and greets you…?”

Since Sephir’s average impression was that she never had even a hint of a smile, Mordred, who only knew her through information, was shocked enough.

Frankly, Sephir’s reputation makes her out to be an ill-tempered bulldog on the verge of exploding.

Then what would happen if they saw her smiling happily like a golden retriever?

“Yes.”

Since there was nothing else I could say, I could only affirm that he wasn’t seeing things.

“You really have something, don’t you?”

“…I don’t.”

I have something, but it’s probably not what you’re thinking.

‘Because Sephir and I knew each other in the future…’

If I say something like that, I’ll go from being a lacking fellow to a crazy one.

While he kept muttering something with a blank expression.

“Aaron! What were you doing?”

Before I knew it, she had walked up behind me and grabbed my shoulder, asking for an explanation.

I carefully got up from my seat and moved with her to the other side of the classroom.

There wasn’t really anything… major, just some things that happened, so I just told her what happened as it was.

“…So, it seems Lady Lioness’s hate has disappeared.”

“…You believe that?”

Of course she wouldn’t believe it.

‘Does she know she’s saying that while being at a similar stage of doubt as Lioness?’

It felt strongly like a double standard, but I just accepted it.

Because she’s a villainess.

—–

“Sephir. It’s better to stop there…”

Hearing Aslan’s signal for mediation, Sephir looked at the gazes around her and finally let me go.

“Phew…”

“Isn’t that too much?”

I didn’t believe it entirely either, but I don’t think it was to the point of grilling me like that.

“I held back appropriately. It’s because someone is foolishly hiding things.”

Her voice, which seemed a bit angry, loosened a little as if feeling refreshed, and she turned her head and returned to her desk.

Looking at her back, I…

‘Doesn’t that just mean you relieved your stress?’

I feel like I was used as an emotional trash can.

‘Trying to hide something from Sephir… What fool could do that?’

The beast-kin’s ears and nose aren’t just for decoration.

There’s a reason Sephir is called the Empress of the Underworld. It’s natural for her to know people’s secrets.

“Aaron! Are you going to keep spacing out there?”

Aslan’s voice snapped me back to reality.

“I’m coming.”

I decided never to come to the academy early again.

I’ve already gone through a lot, but there’s still quite some time left before class starts.

—–

Some more time passed…

Perhaps because of our respective positions, the conversation gradually shifted to work and status, and we naturally split into groups of women and men to talk more comfortably.

“Aslan, I have a question.”

Mordred asked sincerely.

“What is it?”

Aslan’s voice, full of playfulness, became serious to match Mordred.

After glancing around for a moment, Mordred continued.

“Why are you hanging out with Aaron?”

“You’re asking that in front of him?”

“It’s better than asking behind his back.”

Is that why he was glancing around?

It wasn’t something to ask blatantly in front of him, but I was also curious about the content, so I didn’t say anything.

Even though Aslan had no reason to approach a fallen noble he had only met for a few days as a duke, he approached me.

After that, when I approached him, he was in a position to ignore me, but he didn’t.

I at least want to know why he does that.

Mordred and I looked at Aslan with eyes that looked like a child begging for something they wanted, and he waved his hand and answered.

“There’s no grand reason. It’s just, it’s fun to be next to Aaron.”

“”Fun?””

Mordred and I asked back together.

“Look at the incidents Aaron has been involved in, even though it’s been less than a week since we met. Do you think that could happen by coincidence alone?”

‘Indeed.’

Even I think the number of incidents that have happened to me is not normal.

But I knew it was becau-

“Surprisingly, those happen to him by coincidence.”

Aslan answered confidently.

“What?”

I looked at him dumbfoundedly, while Mordred waited for his next words with interest, resting his chin on his hand.

“That’s why it’s fun.”

As soon as Aslan finished speaking, Mordred asked a question.

“What must have happened for a duke like you to say that?”

“There’s no need to even give examples for that question.”

Aslan lightly answered Mordred’s additional request for an explanation.

“Take a look around us.”

Aslan pointed at me with his finger and covered his mouth with his other hand.

“What about me?”

What did I do for him to say that?

Seeing my incomprehensible expression, Aslan added an explanation.

“Why have elven royalty, a duke, the Empress, and a merchant gathered?”

“Well…”

Uh…

“Is it me?”

“That’s right.”

Aslan nodded his head.

“That’s true…”

Mordred appeared to be seriously contemplating that again.

“No, no matter what, how can a fallen noble create this situation?”

It was an extremely realistic question.

I might be able to gather people below me, but how could I gather those above me?

“Let’s think it through. Was this the first time you met the elves in this class?”

“Yes.”

“You… ‘misunderstood’ Lioness, so I came to your side. Right?”

He lengthened the word misunderstanding as if he still couldn’t completely deny Lioness’ hate.

“Yes.”

“The simplest one here is Sephir. Whose scent do you think she followed and came for?”

“…Me.”

“Arcana is, well, she just came to her own classroom.”

“……”

Am I really the cause?

“Hearing it like that, it is indeed peculiar.”

As if Mordred’s pondering had ended, his words continued.

“Looking at the situation separately, everyone was chatting with Aaron before I knew it.”

“It can’t be helped.”

“What do you mean it can’t be helped?”

“This guy’s way of conversing is strange.”

The moment his next words continued, Aslan put his hand on my shoulder.

“Strangely, Aaron never centers the conversation around himself.”

“What does that…”

I’m listening, but I have no idea what he’s talking about.

“What does that mean?”

Mordred also asked back as if he didn’t understand.

“You can tell after exchanging just a few words, not even days. This guy never elevates himself.”

The two of them looked at me as if they saw something amazing.

“Now that I’m aware of it, it is indeed strange.”

Even Mordred is looking at me as if I’m an endangered species.

‘What’s so strange about that…’

It’s the nobles who strangely overestimate themselves that are weird.

Rather than thinking of yourself too highly, it’s more comfortable to live by seeing yourself a little lower than you perceive.

As Mordred and Aslan’s “exploration” continued,

-Slide

“Heek?”

I flinched at the sudden sensation on my waist.

I felt it before, but it seems to be a habit for Sephir to erase her presence.

While I was looking at Mordred for a moment, she approached me and grabbed my waist with her tail.

“Sephir?”

When I called her name, her ears twitched to let me know she heard, but strangely, she didn’t respond.

The moment I was puzzled by her incomprehensible behavior,

“Aaron, what’s your relationship with Sephir?”

Lioness was approaching.

With eyes filled with malice?

Translator’s Corner

I’ll write what I know of Gestalt Collapse.

Also known as semantic or verbal satiation, gestalt collapse is the repetition that causes a word or phrase to temporarily lose meaning for the listener, who then perceives the speech as repeated meaningless sounds.

A common example of gestalt collapse is the temporary failure to recognize your name after hearing it a lot. Like you hear it so much that you start disassociating with it.

While gestalt collapse is mostly used to explain the cognitive effects of word repetition, it can also refer more broadly to the perception of a concept, event, or relationship as lacking meaning due to familiarity or prolonged exposure.

I did some research to verify it, and I think it’s mostly accurate. But correct me if you’re a psychology person or something. And tried doing some gestalt collapse thing here, but I doubt it had any effect.

Also original title is something gestalt collapse, but I’m so annoyed with typing gestalt collapse I couldn’t.

Also if you came from one of my other novel’s, never thought I’d be doing this again.

-Ruminas