TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 142
Ruin is surrounded by a lot of hype.
Praised by those around him.
He was indeed talented.
Above all, the Magic Tower’s backing created an absurd level of hype around the existence of Ruin.
Although Ruin ascends to the ranks of the strongest in the latter part of the novel, that was merely a story for the later chapters.
The current Ruin was someone who couldn’t do anything. He created useless conflicts, escalated problems, and had such a foul personality that people around him were constantly on edge. If he had exceptional skills to justify the hype, it might have been different, but the Ruin I saw was nothing more, nothing less than a foul-tempered Green Head.
He didn’t possess the mana to rain down Meteors upon the earth like the Tower Master, nor did he command hundreds of Summoned Creatures like Darbav.
While he had enough talent to become an Archmage, he was sorely lacking both in personality and skill.
And to top it off, he made the novel’s Heroine cry….
He had now gone down a path of no return.
I, too, had my own standards.
Loving the novel.
As a reader who had followed the story “The Strongest at the Academy Likes Me” to its conclusion and as a Possessor with a deep interest in the plot, I had clear boundaries.
After possessing this body, I could count on one hand the number of times I interfered with the story.
Changing the future of a character destined to darken into a major Antagonist, or alternatively, killing them—those kinds of things.
The most memorable incident was probably taking care of the girl who was fated to darken into an Apostle.
It was all for the sake of a peaceful, carefree life. Their existence posed a sufficient threat to that peace. Additionally, it was out of consideration to alleviate the hardships of the Protagonists.
As long as I didn’t cross three specific lines, I tried my best not to interfere with the novel’s story.
That was the only thing I could do as both a reader and a Possessor.
The first was the Young Lady’s safety.
The second was any threat to my peaceful life.
And the third.
Was making Yuria cry.
Today, Ruin crossed two of those lines.
From now on, Ruin’s existence seemed likely to threaten my peaceful, carefree life.
Until now, Ruin had never truly felt the gap in ability. He had never faced an opponent he couldn’t beat no matter what he did. Even when he encountered Ballack, the Archbishop of Despair, at Hamel Mountain last time, he must have been under the delusion that he could somehow hold his own.
In the novel, Ruin always harbored thoughts typical of someone with Eighth Grader Syndrome.
“If I fight properly, I can win.”
Idiot. Saying you lost because you didn’t fight properly is nothing more than an excuse to protect your pride.
However, the novel always sided with Ruin. Whenever he faced a defeated opponent again, he would awaken or learn New Magic to secure victory.
Moreover, since the Romance Fantasy genre inherently required the male Protagonists to stand out in strength, Ruin was usually in a position of winning rather than losing. I thought the reasoning behind Ruin’s shallow mindset was understandable.
But now, even that understanding was starting to wear thin.
He made my friend cry.
And he disrupted my happy, carefree life, so I no longer wanted to extend any consideration to Ruin.
Ruin was weaker than I had known. To exaggerate a bit, he was only slightly better than the students attending the Academy. I couldn’t feel any overwhelming difference in skill. It was to the point where I thought it might be better to give the fortuitous encounters meant for Ruin to someone else and nurture them instead.
What made him so confident? It was obvious even without looking. His thoughts were simplistic as well.
So I’ve decided to destroy Ruin’s foundation.
If he endures, he’ll remain in the position of a Supporting Male Lead, but if not, he’ll become trapped in his own world and fail to grow.
By shattering Ruin’s foundation with the fact that he isn’t as great as he thinks he is.
This was both a way to guide the novel in a better direction and a means to vent my frustrations.
“What?”
Ruin let out an Empty Laugh, tilting his head.
“Why do you say I can’t do anything? I could kill you right now.”
I nodded in response to Ruin’s cute Provocation.
“Go ahead.”
“Hey…”
“You can’t, can you?”
“…”
“Honestly, you’re not confident, are you? You’ve never beaten me before, and you’re scared of being utterly humiliated in front of so many people.”
“You… You’re unusually arrogant today.”
“Aren’t I right? Even now, you’re measuring whether you can beat me.”
Ruin ground his teeth, glaring at me.
“Shut up.”
“No, I won’t.”
“Stop running your mouth.”
“Oh, I’m so scared.”
Ruin’s pride was like a towering fortress.
And the foundation of that pride was undoubtedly bolstered by the Magic Tower.
He was indeed talented, but there was clearly a background he could rely on.
The Tower Master’s Disciple, his outstanding Magical Talent. Everyone praised and exalted him, so of course, the evaluations of him were bound to be generous.
Honestly, Ruin and I had no reason to be arrogant.
Orphan of the Slum.
We, who were lucky to be picked up by a wealthy benefactor and enjoy a comfortable life, had no right to look down on others.
I began to prod at Ruin’s Reverse Scale.
“But, isn’t what I said correct? Mr. Ruin can’t do anything.”
“And you think you’re so great?”
“Yes, I must be. Otherwise, the Academy wouldn’t have sent me a letter asking me to re-enroll, right? I’m sure Ruin, who came to deliver it, knows that well.”
“Bullsh*t, they just felt sorry for you.”
“Being seen as pitiable is a talent too.”
Faced with my unyielding responses, Ruin let out a Deep Sigh.
It must be frustrating.
But so what?
The feelings of a Green-haired Head weren’t my concern. I had no interest in the emotions of a Supporting Male Lead.
“Ah… Come to think of it, the Magic Tower is quite similar to Ruin. They do nothing but raise traitors to the Empire, shelter murderers, and create Wizards with terrible personalities. They just keep causing f*cked-up problems.”
“…”
“One fell into Dark Magic and went down a path of no return, and another pardoned such a criminal. Wow… Is the Magic Tower this incompetent because it’s full of idiots?”
“Shut your mouth before I kill you.”
“I’m not insulting the Magic Tower; I’m just stating facts.”
“Shut up…”
“I’m talking here. Be quiet and listen.”
When I indulged him with polite speech, he became brazenly arrogant.
Ruin spat out a retort boiling up from his core.
“Then what about Desmond…!”
“I admit my Young Lady from the House of Desmond is flawed. But isn’t the Magic Tower the same?”
“Don’t talk nonsense. How can the Magic Tower and a small Noble Household be the same?”
“If the House of Desmond is a small Noble Household, then is the Imperial Family just a yard with a big house?”
“…”
“Think before you speak.”
Personally, I don’t think poorly of the Magic Tower. It’s a place that produces outstanding Wizards and continuously strives for the advancement of magic as a massive research institution.
But when it comes to the Wizards living within the Magic Tower, I have overwhelmingly negative feelings.
A Sense of Superiority.
A cycle of arrogance, stagnation, and territorial behavior, all while claiming to be chosen people.
This is just my personal opinion, so I don’t want to dwell on it too much.
The Magic Tower is indeed great, but Ruin is not. Without filtering my thoughts, I said what came to mind.
“What exactly can you do?”
“Stop picking a fight.”
“Let’s think about this rationally.”
I tapped my head lightly, trying to instill the concept of reasoning into Ruin.
“What you can do is use magic a little better than others. Do you have overwhelming skill? Not really, right?”
“Then what else is there? Your personality is trash, you provoke the Tower Master, and you cause incidents that tarnish the Magic Tower’s image. You’re just like a barking son of a b*.”
“Shut up.”
“Oh, and.”
I looked toward the veranda where Yuria had left and pointed out the most critical flaw.
“Isn’t it ridiculous for Ruin to lash out at that person? Who does Ruin think he is to tell someone to take off their dress?”
“…”
“Are you close to that person?”
There was no response from Ruin.
“I asked, are you close to them?”
“…”
“If you’re not even close, why are you acting like this? I overheard everything, and wow… It was incredibly disgusting.”
“…”
“I already feel disgusting wearing the same shirt as Ruin. How do you think it would feel if someone told me to change it?”
“There was a reason for that, you damn bastard.”
“Then take it off. I have my reasons too.”
I looked at Ruin with a Cruel Smile.
“Just kidding.”
Ruin’s face turned red, as if it were about to explode.
The flow of mana emanating from Ruin quickened, and he repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists, unable to suppress his boiling anger.
‘I guess I should stop here for today.’
I wanted to say more, but I didn’t want to leave the person waiting for me on the terrace alone.
Before leaving for the veranda, I looked at Ruin and asked a question, dropping a small hint to make him deeply reflect on what he had done.
“Just hypothetically, what if the person who ran to the veranda just now was Yuria?”
“What?”
“Wouldn’t it feel awful? If I were that person, any Favorability I had would disappear… I’m just curious about Mr. Ruin’s thoughts.”
“That kind of thing won’t happen. Shut your damn mouth.”
I cut off Ruin’s words and smiled.
“It would be so entertaining.”
I have a bad personality.
Maybe even worse than Ruin’s.
Once I made a decision, I rarely changed it, and I enjoyed tormenting others in a gloomy way.
Perhaps it’s because I serve a Villainess.
Even without offering any enticing bait, I smiled as I watched Ruin, who opened his mouth wide and swallowed the bait whole.
“I won’t do anything.”
“I won’t resolve any misunderstandings, nor will I help with anything that happens to Ruin in the future.”
“What are you talking about? What have you ever done for me anyway?”
“Puhaha! That’s true. From Ruin’s perspective, it must seem that way.”
I clasped my hands behind my back and walked leisurely.
“A lot of things will change from now on. Things that were strangely easy to resolve, or Fortuitous Encounters you were lucky to obtain, might no longer be found.”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
“I’m just talking nonsense.”
“Ha.”
“But I’m really curious about how the relationship between Yuria and Ruin will change.”
I took a step closer to Ruin and asked.
“Didn’t you notice anything strange?”
“What?”
“The Voice, actions, Perfume Scent, and Hair color of the person who ran to the veranda. Didn’t you find anything odd about them?”
“…”
“Think carefully. Reflect on what you missed and savor what is about to happen.”
At that moment, a sharp voice came from behind me.
-Shut up! How dare a Butler serving a Villainess insult Ruin!
A female student, who seemed to be one of Ruin’s devoted followers, clutched the Dress Hem tightly and shouted at me.
Looking at the student, whose face was flushed red with anger, I smiled faintly and responded.
“Shut up.”
“…Hic.”
“I’m in a very bad mood right now.”
As silence fell, people who had come to mediate began to approach us one by one.
The Student Council President Chartia. Mikhail. The Crown Prince. And other significant Supporting Characters were now holding onto Ruin’s shoulder. I shrugged and smiled.
“It’s troublesome to get angry already. The fun is just beginning, and you can’t collapse from Hypertension now.”
“Let go. I’m going to kill that bastard today.”
“Hmm…”
As I was about to say more, a chilling voice came from behind me. It was the Boy’s Boyish Voice, with its high-pitched tone.
“Stop it.”
Mikhail stood behind me, glaring sharply. He placed his hand on the Sword Hilt, as if ready to draw his sword at any moment.
In a situation where Mikhail, wielding the Disciplinary Committee’s Authority, was threatening a poor civilian with a weapon, I raised my hands and signaled Surrender.
Mikhail let out a deep sigh and shook his head.
“Get lost. I don’t want to see your face for a long time.”
“I don’t want to see your face either, but if I leave now, something quite regrettable might happen.”
“What?”
I looked at the massive Clock hanging on the banquet hall wall and smiled mysteriously.
6:30 PM.
Thirty minutes before the Cultists’ Raid would begin.
I didn’t want to miss out on the fun spectacle.