I, The Villainess, Will Seduce All The Heroines Instead
Chapter 141: The Start of The Trial

Chapter 141: The Start of The Trial

This was it.

The long-awaited finale, the dramatic curtain call at the end of the volume. Took them long enough.

After weeks of grueling practice under Professor Sirius (who definitely enjoyed watching students cry mid-drill), they had finally reached the threshold of the first-year trials. Of course, the other teams had their own instructors, some kinder, some even worse. It all came down to this.

The Labyrinth of Ascendance.

The first-years were gathered in the subterranean atrium beneath Irasios Academy, a vast, echoing chamber carved from black celestial stone.

The floor was etched with shifting constellations, glowing faintly underfoot like a living star map.

Towering archways lined the walls, each pulsing with magic and ready to open the moment the labyrinth accepted its next victim... er, participant.

Above, the ceiling looked like open night sky, enchanted to reflect the true astral alignment overhead.

Professors, Conduitors, and faculty watched from elevated terraces, their expressions unreadable. Probably betting on who’d break down crying first.

The air thrummed with tension and starlight.

Soon, one by one, the gates would open.

And the Labyrinth would choose.

Meanwhile, somewhere just off the grand atrium, past the glowing archways, down a dim corridor marked Authorized Personnel Only, Verena was hunched over the marble sink of the nearest restroom.

She splashed cold water onto her face, the chill biting into her nerves like a wake-up slap from the universe itself. Droplets clung to her lashes as she stared into the mirror, watching her own reflection blink back with quiet dread and way too much eye baggage for an eighteen-year-old.

"Okay," she muttered to herself, "just a cosmic death maze. No big deal."

The faint humming of the labyrinth’s magic could be felt even here, vibrating through the pipes and making the lights flicker ominously.The air smelled faintly of eucalyptus and destiny.

Verena exhaled, looking down at the sink with a serene expression.

Time to face the stars. Or be humiliated by them. Same thing, really.

"Verena..."

Evelyn stood there, smiling brightly.

She no longer looked like the timid, miserable girl she once was. Confidence radiated from her posture. Her robe was neatly worn, her hair styled with care, and every part of her appearance was polished and composed.

She hardly clung to Verena these days, choosing instead to live more independently, guiding the other heroines alongside her.

"It’s been a while, Evelyn."

"So it seems," the girl replied with unexpected poise. Her voice, once soft and unsure, now carried a steady confidence. "But... do you still remember my promise to you?"

"Of course." How could she forget? The girl’s boldness had always been impressive—borderline reckless, even.

"If I win and become more confident," Evelyn said, her eyes glinting, "I’ll marry you."

"But—"

"I know," she cut in gently. "You probably have a dozen things you want to say. And I’ll listen... soon. But not yet. First, I’ll see you in the trials."

Before Verena could muster a witty retort or step back further, Evelyn moved toward her. Instinctively, Verena flinched, stumbling until her back hit the cool marble edge of the sink. Her body tensed, half-expecting some ridiculous flirtation like before.

But it didn’t come.

Instead, Evelyn wrapped her arms around her—not with desperation or possessiveness, but with calm assurance. It was warm. Steady. Sincere.

And surprisingly, they fit.

Not just physically, but in a strange emotional way. Verena had always been the assertive one, the guide, the mentor. But now Evelyn wasn’t reaching out for help—she was simply... there. As an equal.

"However," Evelyn whispered against her shoulder, "give me just a minute to hold you like this."

And so she did.

The embrace lasted exactly that—a full minute. Sixty slow, grounding seconds that reminded Verena of all the strange, impossible growths that had happened since they first met. When Evelyn finally pulled away, it was without lingering fingers or flirty remarks.

Just a smile.

A real one.

***

The sun had not yet risen, but the academy grounds thrummed with energy.

A cold silver mist clung to the stones beneath their feet, coiling around the toes of the gathered first-years like the breath of some sleeping titan beneath them.

Somewhere deep below, the Labyrinth of Ascendance waited. Silent, sentient, and hungry.

Dozens of students had assembled at the heart of the eastern sanctum, a ceremonial plaza encircled by astral obelisks that shimmered faintly with pre-dawn light.

At the center stood a wide, spiraling platform etched with zodiac sigils that pulsed softly in rhythmic cycles. One for each sign, all glowing in a harmonious celestial ballet.

A voice boomed across the plaza, clear and cold like chiseled glass.

"First-Year Initiates of Irasios Academy, welcome to the Labyrinth of Ascendance."

The Headmaster’s voice. It was unmistakable.

Regal and otherworldly, amplified by layers of enchantment.

His presence shimmered above them like a constellation in human form, projected through an illusion spell: a cloaked silhouette of silver and void, with twelve stars orbiting slowly behind his head.

"This Trial marks the first great reckoning in your path as Weavers of the Zodiac.

It will not measure your raw power alone—but your alignment, your resilience, your comprehension of the Weave.

The labyrinth you will face today was constructed by ancient founders and tempered by celestial ley currents. It is alive. It knows you better than you know yourselves."

A hush spread through the crowd. Even the cockiest students, those who’d been flinging fireballs or flashing charms weeks ago, had gone quiet.

"You will enter individually, but your fates remain intertwined," the Headmaster continued. "Should you fail to pass the Trial, your name will not be erased. But you will be marked. Remember: growth requires friction. Adversity reveals alignment."

A few students shifted nervously. Verena noticed Evelyn inhaling deeply beside her, face calm but fingers twitching at her sides.

Sera yawned dramatically, though Verena noted how her shoulders were taut. Even Beatrice, somewhere across the crowd, was unusually quiet, surrounded by her group of admiring sycophants.

Then came the announcement of the teams, not for cooperation within the labyrinth, but for pre-entry arrangement and record-keeping.

"Team Ignis," the Headmaster said, "led by Sirius. Members: Raphael, Isolde, Penelope, Verena."

Team Ignis stood tall, with Sirius at the helm. He gave no speech, only a nod, his approval was earned, not spoken.

"Team Polarity," came next, "led by Professor Marienne. Members: Beatrice, Evelyn, Sera, Clarina."

Beatrice’s group gathered quietly. Their aura was strange, ethereal, soft, like they were carrying hidden weights behind their eyes.

"Team Ventus," concluded the Headmaster, "led by Assistant Conductor Valys. Members: Peterson, Moriona, Tulip, Ilon, Thea."

Verena blinked. She hadn’t expected these certain pairings. And Saphira, curled loosely around her wrist in snake form, hissed in amusement. "Looks like fate has a sense of humor," she whispered.

"Proceed," came the final command. "To the Threshold."

The obelisks around the plaza pulsed, and with a low grinding groan, a stone spiral staircase revealed itself in the center of the platform, descending into swirling starlight and velvet darkness.

One by one, each group began the solemn march downward, shoes clicking on old stone, breaths hitching in anticipation.

Verena’s heart thudded, not out of fear, but because she could feel the Weave react. The Zodiacal currents were stirring beneath the earth like sleeping gods.

The air thickened with a sweet, metallic scent like ozone and candle smoke.

As they reached the end of the stairwell, they found themselves standing on a massive circular platform suspended in a void.

Floating glyphs danced lazily in the dark air, while great astrological diagrams shimmered across the domed ceiling high above them.

At the center of the platform stood the Gatekeeper, a being forged entirely from starlight and shadow, faceless but watching. It raised an elongated hand, and twelve constellations ignited above the heads of the students one by one.

Verena’s chest vibrated as her natal sign, Ophiuchus, shimmered faintly above her, odd and flickering, like it wasn’t supposed to be there. No one commented.

Then came the moment of Astral Synchronization.

Each student stepped forward. As they did, their natal charts burst into view, three-dimensional astrological projections that rotated around their bodies like intricate galaxies.

Glyphs glowed. Threads spun. The floor beneath them shifted, as if absorbing and recognizing their essence.

The labyrinth began to change.

Creaking, shifting, rumbling. The stonework twisted into serpentine paths. Hallways formed from nothing. Staircases curved like ribbon through midair.

Every student’s section of the maze reshaped itself according to their birth alignment, their current rotational influence, and, more subtly, their subconscious psyche.

If your sign was in Ascendancy, the path was shorter, but grueling, testing restraint, balance, and emotional control.

If your sign was in Diminution, the maze grew longer, full of twists, illusions, and misdirection. It was less punishing, but more disorienting.

Verena could feel her section pulsing with chaotic magic, a fusion of borrowed zodiacs, an unstable mimicry.

The labyrinth had no idea how to read her, so it warped and twisted like a confused serpent, unsure whether to punish her or test her adaptability.

"Are you ready?" Saphira hissed from her arm, glowing faintly.

"As I’ll ever be."

Then, the Gatekeeper raised both arms.

With a brilliant flash, the platform split, not physically, but dimensionally.

Each student was pulled through their individual entryways, disappearing into threads of constellations. No more teams. No more chatter. Just silence and the cold echo of fate.

Verena fell, not with pain, but as though her body dissolved into strands of starstuff. .

When she reassembled, it was inside the maze. Alone. Quiet. Her mimicry glyphs flickered into visibility on her arm, reacting to the changing energy around her.

The Labyrinth of Ascendance had begun.

And there would be no turning back.

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