TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 24
Standing on one leg, Ruin.
With a displeased expression, he looked at me, but I couldn’t figure out why.
“Nice to meet you here. Mr. Ruin, it’s a pleasure.”
“Pleasure?”
Ruin let out an empty laugh. What’s wrong with him? Last time, we shared life lessons and had a good time with Miss Hanna. Why is he looking at me like this?
I felt disappointed with Ruin for forgetting those happy memories.
Still, meeting here is also a kind of fate.
Maybe we can resolve things by talking it out since we’re Academy Mates.
With the joy of reunion, I spoke to Ruin.
“Isn’t this the first time we’ve met since the estate? I don’t think the Young Lady came to see you that time.”
“What? Who?”
“Desmond Olivia, the Noble Lady.”
Ruin let out a small sneer.
Desmond Olivia.
A Divine Healer rival and the woman who caused him unbearable humiliation.
The name of a woman he could never forgive flowed sweetly from the lips of someone he couldn’t forgive either.
Ruin had taken the bait.
The purpose of summoning Ricardo was simple—because it was funny that a broke Ricardo had come to Friends of Forest.
He wanted to humiliate him in front of a crowd and force him to apologize for the previous incident.
A white-haired woman was being carried on his back, but it wasn’t something Ruin cared about.
Anyone hanging around with Ricardo was probably on the same level as him. Judging by her outdated dress, she seemed like a Fallen Noble living in the outskirts.
And Olivia had black hair.
Convinced Olivia wasn’t here, Ruin spoke.
“So, where’s your master? If you come to a place like this, you should bring your master along.”
“What?”
“And how does a butler show up with another woman? Is that supposed to be a date? Pfft. Do you even have money?”
“Another woman? The Young Lady is right here.”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
Flinch. Ruin’s shoulders trembled.
Ruin, who had only heard rumors about Olivia, was unaware of many things.
Starting with her hair turning white to the fact that she could take short strolls while being carried on someone’s back.
All Ruin knew about Olivia were the rumors his friends shared. They didn’t want to recall or learn about the woman they had expelled, so the occasional rumors were all Ruin knew about Olivia.
-Did you hear? Olivia can’t use her legs and became disabled!
A rumor that started from a fact.
-They say Olivia’s life is in danger.
Through a process of exaggeration, the rumors took on extreme tones, leading Ruin to mistakenly believe Olivia was wasting away sick at home.
Thus, Ruin failed to recognize the identity of the Young Lady on Ricardo’s back and made the mistake of confessing his desire to see her right in front of her eyes.
I whispered softly to the Young Lady, who was counting the tiles on the floor.
“Young Lady. It’s Ruin.”
“Ruin?”
The Young Lady lifted her head with a pout.
In that moment, Ruin’s shoulders trembled.
Ruin, unable to meet the Young Lady’s gaze, kept staring at the floor.
What’s with him?
The Young Lady tilted her head in curiosity.
“Who is that?”
With a genuinely clueless expression, the Young Lady looked at Ruin.
“You know, the one they used to call your rival back at the Academy.”
“My rival? I only have Yuria as my rival.”
“That’s what he claims.”
“Him?”
The Young Lady looked back at Ruin.
Flinch.
Ruin’s shoulders trembled.
The Ruin who had stormed into the estate demanding to see Olivia’s face was gone. Now, he was like a Cat with its fur standing on end.
He wanted to lash out but seemed afraid of retaliation, leaving him frozen in indecision. It was pitiful to watch.
“Tsk.”
“So, do you remember him?”
“Hmm…”
The Young Lady furrowed her brows, scrutinizing Ruin closely. Having witnessed her excellent memory for 13 years, I instantly realized it wouldn’t be easy for her to remember him today.
“Is he the son of a barbecue restaurant owner?”
“No.”
“Then?”
“Village Chief of Green Algae Village.”
“Ah!”
Ruin, offended by the precise introduction, shouted loudly.
“It’s nothing like that!”
“Then, who are you?”
“I… I’m…”
In front of Olivia, Ruin trembled.
In the novel, he had a bold personality, but when faced with true madness, Ruin couldn’t muster any strength.
That’s how he was at the Academy too.
He would gleefully gossip about the Young Lady behind her back, but the moment she told him to shut up, he’d whimper and leave the classroom like a migratory bird.
I don’t know why he acts like this only in front of the Young Lady.
What’s certain is that Ruin feared her.
Olivia hugged my neck tightly.
The voluptuous sensation pressing against my back threatened my dignity as a man, but I barely held on by singing the national anthem in my head.
“Ricardo, let’s go. I’m hungry.”
“Wait a moment. Shouldn’t we at least find out who he is before leaving?”
If we move now, it’ll be troublesome in many ways.
“Hmm.”
Olivia spoke to Ruin.
“Who are you?”
“I-I-I-I’m…”
“Stop stuttering and speak clearly.”
Under the Young Lady’s stern command, Ruin barely opened his mouth.
“Disciple of the Tower Master.”
“Oh, I see.”
Olivia gave a thumbs-up.
“Then enjoy your meal before you leave.”
At that moment, Olivia didn’t care whether he was a Green-haired Head or the Supporting Male Lead. The meat in front of her was more important.
“Wait!”
“Why? I’m busy.”
“Do you really not remember me? Scorching Flame Mage Ruin. I was the runner-up at the Academy.”
Desperately trying to make her remember him.
It was pitiful to watch.
If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve told him to remember names better.
I felt sorry for Ruin in many ways.
“Remember when I burned your dress with my Fireball and you cursed me out like crazy?”
Stop it, Supporting Male Lead.
Don’t try to revive the Young Lady’s memory with embarrassing moments.
“I don’t remember.”
“No? You should. Back then, you burned an incredibly expensive dress and tormented me with Ice Magic for 30 minutes. I thought I was going to freeze to death!”
“Hmm.”
The Young Lady spoke.
“I don’t remember.”
To protect Ruin’s Mental State, I called over a nearby clerk.
“Proprietress, excuse me, could you prepare a table for two?”
“I’m sorry, but we operate on reservations. Could you give me your name?”
“Ah… Show her, Young Lady.”
The Young Lady stuck two Meal Vouchers onto her Divine Healer forehead. I had told her not to lose them and hold onto them carefully, and she had clung to them so tightly that they were full of wrinkles.
“Hehe.”
The Young Lady smiled.
The clerk, her eyes wide open, guided us.
“I’ll take you to the Special Room.”
As we left, Ruin mumbled quietly, watching our Back Figures.
“S…Special Room?”
When we disappeared from Ruin’s view, a Girl with Pink Hair tugged at Ruin’s Clothes.
“Ruin, what are you doing?”
Snapping out of his daze, Ruin spoke reluctantly.
“It’s nothing, Yuria.”
***
Sitting in the Restaurant, the Young Lady and I.
A happy atmosphere flowed.
The table was covered with side dishes.
A feast of dishes that could rival a King’s Royal Banquet was spread out before us.
“Oh…!”
“You’re drooling, Young Lady.”
“It’s mine, so I’m marking it with my drool.”
I wiped the drool running down the Young Lady’s chin with a Tissue. Even if it was food going into her mouth, a Noble behaving so sloppily was problematic in many ways.
The side dishes kept arriving at the Dining Table.
Even a rough count showed there were more than 30, but I didn’t remember ordering this much.
Worried that there might have been a mistake in the order, I cautiously raised my hand and leaned close to the clerk.
“Excuse me.”
“Yes, Guest?”
“We ordered the Steak Set, but it seems there’s been a mistake with the order.”
“Ah~ It’s fine. Since you brought Meal Vouchers directly from the Proprietress, we’re happy to provide this much.”
“The Proprietress? I received these from Mr. Malik.”
“Yes, from Mr. Malik.”
“What?”
“He is our Proprietress.”
I clasped my hands together.
Thinking of Malik, who must be swinging a sword somewhere, I prayed.
That I wanted to see him again.
The one who paid off my debt and handed over the precious Meal Vouchers—I missed him so much today.
We picked up our Forks and Knives.
Slice. The Meat Juices oozed out of the Steak.
“Wow… Young Lady, look at the Meat Juices… Ah, you’re already eating.”
With her mouth stuffed full of Meat, the Young Lady made noisy sounds.
“Ohhh!”
Her Bright, Shining Eyes were fixed on me, making me feel as if even Shim Bong-Sa would think he could see.
“It’s delicious…!”
I felt good.
This is what makes all the effort worthwhile.
The Young Lady chewed the Meat so hard her jaw seemed on the verge of dislocating.
She paused briefly, cut the Steak into a piece smaller than her pinky, and held it out to me.
“Ah.”
“Are you giving this to me?”
Nod.
“Then couldn’t you have cut it a bit bigger? Isn’t this too small?”
Zap. Under the Young Lady’s silent but intimidating gaze, I opened my mouth.
Truly.
It was incredibly delicious.
Just as described in the Novel, the Meat Juices seemed to come alive in my mouth, and it felt like a calf was frolicking before my eyes.
“Wow.”
“Delicious, right?”
“Yes, it’s really good.”
“Hehe, eat a lot. Not that I’m the one paying.”
And so, we emptied the table completely.
***
“Ah, I’m so full.”
Rubbing her bloated stomach, the Young Lady burped while eating Dessert. She didn’t look like a Noble at all.
It’s about time to talk.
Evening had arrived.
The atmosphere was perfect.
The moment had come to present today’s main course.
It was finally time to say I had paid off all the debts and could now live without the fear of being evicted.
Ahem.
After clearing my throat once, I cautiously prepared to speak.
“Hmph! Ricardo.”
“Yes?”
“I have something to say.”
After finishing her meal, the Young Lady, who had been watching for the right moment, spoke first.
The Young Lady glanced around. Perhaps worried someone might overhear.
Even though it was a Special Room, a quiet space with no one around, it seemed like she was about to say something quite important. She kept looking around.
“Hmm. No one’s here.”
The Young Lady nodded.
She was quite adorable.
Sip. She took a sip of tea.
The Young Lady began to pull out A Sheet of Paper from between her chest.
“Hey! What are you doing?”
“Huh? Digging into my Pocket?”
“Why do you call that a Pocket!”
Covering my eyes with my fingers.
In many ways, it was quite visible.
Though it was wrong to look at the Young Lady’s body, it felt even worse not to uphold the duties of a gentleman.
The Newspaper slowly revealed itself from between her chest.
I wanted to keep it as a family heirloom for life.
The Young Lady puffed out her chest confidently and said.
“This Pocket is the biggest.”
“No…”
Now that I think about it, she’s right.
The Young Lady’s Chest is always right.
I couldn’t be the Correct Answer.
Thud. The Young Lady spread the Newspaper on the Dining Table.
The warm Newspaper pulled out from her Chest Pocket. Once again, I blocked my nose with a Handkerchief.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah, it’s just my Runny Nose.”
“Take care of your health. You ate Meat, so you need to stay healthy.”
The Young Lady, who was concerned about me, pointed to a line about a Knight and spoke brightly.
“You know, I want to work.”
“Pardon?”
“Look here.”
[Doll Eye Attachment Part-Time Job.]
-One Donghwa Coin per piece
“What do you think?”
The Young Lady looked at me as if seeking permission. While it was admirable, I didn’t feel entirely good about it.
What emotion should I call this?
Perhaps the feeling of a child, who has never lifted a drop of water, asking for approval to do part-time work to buy a computer.
It felt strangely bittersweet.
Yet, it also felt gratifying to see her growth.
“Why?”
The Young Lady looked up at me again.
With her Bright, Shining Eyes, she sought approval, but I couldn’t bring myself to say the words.
I wanted to praise her.
But I only felt inadequate.
The Young Lady continued to speak.
As if trying to persuade me, she went on to explain how good this part-time job described in the Newspaper was.
“I’ve been thinking deeply, and we’re going through a tough time, right? I thought I shouldn’t just sit around and started looking into it.”
“…”
“What do you think? Isn’t it a good idea?”
“Well…”
“I even thought about selling the Estate.”
The Young Lady smiled awkwardly.
“The price dropped significantly because I lived there. They say it’s the Estate where a Villainess lived.”
“When did you look into something like that?”
“I wrote a Letter to the Real Estate.”
While it was admirable of the Young Lady,
My heart ached.
I should have done better for her.
I didn’t want to make her worry.
With a bitter feeling, I stuffed a Dessert into my mouth.
“Young Lady, it’s fine.”
“Why? I can work too.”
“I know. But you shouldn’t work, Young Lady.”
“Why not!”
The Young Lady bent her arm, showing off a familiar muscle. Her biceps, smaller than a Quail Egg, caught my eyes.
With such delicate arms, how could she attach Doll Eyes? After doing about ten, she would surely collapse.
Truly.
I couldn’t bring myself to hate her.
“You’re truly admirable and praiseworthy. But we’re no longer in such dire straits.”
“Huh?”
“I’ve paid off all the debts. That’s what I wanted to tell you over dinner today.”
The Young Lady dropped her Fork and shouted at me.
“You… I told you not to do Dangerous Work!”
Her expression looked like she was about to cry.
With her lips tightly bitten and her cheeks puffed out, she scolded me with a Reprimanding Look.
And her eyes were moist.
She stared straight at me and began to scold me.
-You can’t do that!
-It’s Dangerous Work!
-Damn it! I told you not to follow the money just because they pay a lot!
As I listened to the Young Lady’s Nagging, I thought.
This kind of Nagging isn’t so bad either.