TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 30
Yuria hates me.
From the day we first met at the Academy until now, Yuria has hated me.
-Ricardo.
-Yes?
-A pervert is staring at you.
-A pervert?
-That Pink-Haired Girl over there has been watching you since earlier.
-No way…. That can’t be true.
When our eyes met, the Pink-Haired Girl quickly averted her gaze.
-It’s true.
The pervert the Young Lady mentioned.
That was the Protagonist of this novel, Yuria.
I don’t know if she found it strange that I wore a Butler Suit to the Entrance Ceremony or if she simply didn’t like my appearance, but Yuria kept stealing glances at me until the Chancellor’s boring speech was over.
Her face flushed with a blush.
‘Crazy, crazy,’ she muttered.
I was scared because it felt like she had noticed I was a Crazy Bastard.
Who wouldn’t feel intimidated if the Heroine, who later rises to be one of the strongest in this world, called them crazy?
But I’m not a Crazy Bastard.
Sure, I have a hobby of eating Poisonous Mushroom Soup to build immunity or throwing myself into Salamander’s Breath to gain fire resistance, but that doesn’t make me crazy.
At that time, I thought I had messed up my first meeting with the Heroine.
A Heroine who romances the strongest characters.
And yet, I ended up catching the attention of the Heroine who, in the later part of the novel, destroys Undead with just a wave of her hand. On the day of the Entrance Ceremony, I sensed that I was screwed.
After that, for some reason, Yuria began secretly tailing me. On some days, she would even leave strange letters in my Shoe Cabinet.
[Today at 6 PM. In Front of the Fountain.]
I thought I was going to face a Group Lynching, so I wore thick clothes in the heat of summer and went to the Meeting Location, but no one was there. That memory still lingers.
Did it happen about three times?
The Fountain.
The Girls’ Dormitory.
The School Rooftop.
All three times, I arrived at the Meeting Location on time, but all I got in return were fruitless trips. It was frustrating to take those wasted Footsteps, but I was still glad I didn’t face a Group Lynching.
Finally, a fourth letter arrived, but due to circumstances, I couldn’t go to the Meeting Location that day.
Anyway, during my time at the Academy, I followed the Young Lady’s orders and harassed Yuria.
-Oh my, I’m so sorry. I was trying to water the flowers but accidentally spilled wine on your Dress.
-Just now, you said flowers….
-Oh my! The flower is speaking!
I committed Evil Deeds in a way that wouldn’t hurt Yuria as much as possible.
-It’s okay. I’m a flower, after all!
-I’m really sorry. I just really love Cosmos Flowers.
-Do I look like a Cosmos Flower?
-Yes~ If you tell me your name, I’ll compensate you…
-Instead of that, would you dance with me in a little while? I don’t have a Dance Partner.
Yuria received it with a bright smile, like a person without a care in the world.
Indeed, Yuria had the kind nature described in the novel.
Even when she suffered excessive harassment, she would smile whenever she saw me, even sharing meals together. She was a kind person.
Perhaps it’s because she’s the Heroine of the novel.
She was someone full of warmth and consideration.
But I pushed Yuria away.
At first, we had a good relationship.
However, after the Young Lady was rejected by Mikhail, cracks began to appear in our relationship.
-Ricardo. Do you see that Vulgar Woman?
-No, I don’t see her.
-Shut up. Look properly.
-…
-Lock her in the Wardrobe until the party ends.
-Do you really have to go that far?
-It’s better than killing her, isn’t it?
-As you wish.
Back then, the Young Lady was a Villainess.
I knew the Young Lady, who couldn’t even kill an ant, wouldn’t actually go through with it, but there’s always room for unpredictability. So I played the role of mediator between the Young Lady and Yuria.
When the Young Lady heard strange Rumors from other Noble Ladies, I would tell her they were misunderstandings, and if they provoked her into plotting something strange, I would stop her.
Because I wanted Yuria to dislike the Young Lady a little less.
Perhaps understanding my feelings, the Young Lady secretly tipped me off about the schemes other Noble Ladies were planning.
-May 12th.
-Yes?
-Go to the Dungeon.
In the novel, Yuria often faced threats to her life.
Not just from our Young Lady.
But also from the Noble Ladies who liked Mikhail.
And the Noble Ladies who liked Ruin.
And the High Nobles who secretly admired the Crown Prince out of jealousy.
She drank Poisoned Tea.
She was kidnapped while walking through an Alleyway. And she was abandoned in the Dungeon after students were bribed.
I saved Yuria before things escalated, but Yuria misunderstood me.
-How long are you going to keep doing this? Why don’t you just tell me to die? Poisoned Tea. Being left behind in the Dungeon. And even confinement?
-That’s not it…
-Not it? You were there every time something happened. And you expect me to believe you? You even said you saved me again this time.
-Miss Yuria, please listen to me.
-No. I can’t trust you anymore. I must have been crazy to think well of you.
I wanted to clear up the misunderstanding, but Yuria wouldn’t listen to me. Because the many threats she faced were all tied to me.
I could understand why Yuria hated me.
Even so, we continued to harass Yuria.
Because if it wasn’t the Young Lady, the other Noble Ladies might have genuinely killed Yuria.
So we persistently tormented Yuria without crossing the line of threatening her life.
In the end, Yuria, true to her role as the tragic Heroine, bravely overcame every adversity, and the Young Lady and I faced the same Ending as in the Original Work.
And Yuria?
She hated us.
She never smiled at me again.
After my Expulsion, a Letter arrived at the estate saying, ‘I don’t like you anymore.’
‘You’re the most wicked person I’ve ever met.’ she said.
She was right, so I couldn’t reply.
***
Yuria is looking at me.
Various Emotions seem to be crossing her face.
With a Stern Expression, Yuria stared at me. The smile she used to give so freely at the Academy was gone, leaving only a cold expression.
“Did you say it’s been a while?”
Yuria’s voice was sharp.
I gave an awkward smile.
“Haha…. It’s nice to see you.”
Perpetrator and Victim.
I couldn’t figure out what to say. No matter what I said, I didn’t think Yuria would take it well.
I just wanted to leave this place as quickly as possible.
‘Should I run away?’
If I disappear in an instant, it’ll just end with me being a bad guy for a moment. Leaving without blushing would be better for Ruin, Yuria, and me.
As I was thinking about waking up the Elite Orc to buy some time to escape.
Yuria, who had been clenching and unclenching her fists, spoke to me.
“I’m not happy to see you. We’re not on terms to exchange greetings with smiles, are we?”
“I’m sorry. It’s been so long that I must have been mistaken.”
Yuria sighed.
She seemed to have a lot pent up.
“It’s the first time since Olivia got expelled, right?”
Expulsion.
It’s a bad memory.
-What did I do wrong to deserve being kicked out! Is loving someone a crime? You all cling to her like crazy because you like her, so why can’t I?
The Young Lady yelled, clenching her fists tightly.
The Faculty ignored her, and the Supporting Male Lead and the Academy students cursed at us as we were dragged out.
The Crown Prince, who silenced the Young Lady in an instant, looked at us as if we were bugs.
-Shut up, Olivia.
Ruin, who was delighted to take the Top Ranker position, looked refreshed, as if a deeply embedded thorn had been removed.
-Idiot, serves you right.
Mikhail, proudly claiming his purity, spoke without hesitation.
-I will never forgive you.
I didn’t like that That Guy was talking about forgiveness, but I held back because Yuria was there.
After all, what we did wrong to Yuria was true. I didn’t want to show an ugly side until the end.
-Don’t ever show yourself to me again.
The scene of her sending us off without any affection or friendship replayed in my mind.
Crown Prince. Mikhail. Ruin. Yuria.
They were ties that could never truly be close. An Accursed Karma where we hated and pushed each other away.
Standing at the center of this Accursed Karma, Yuria spoke to me.
“Why did you run away?”
“Run away?”
“Yes. You should have at least given an explanation before leaving.”
Yuria looked directly at me.
Even with Ruin next to her, she looked straight at me. I didn’t know what she meant by running away.
Why would someone who told me not to show myself again talk about running away? I asked her.
“What are you talking about…”
“Why didn’t you re-enroll at the Academy? How much I…”
Yuria stopped speaking.
“Sigh… What am I even saying now.”
She shook her head and spoke again.
“You weren’t expelled, Ricardo. You should have come back.”
“The Young Lady was the one expelled, wasn’t she?”
“What does Olivia have to do with you?”
“That’s not it.”
I spoke to Yuria.
A bit Firmly.
“In my hometown, there’s this culture. It’s called collective responsibility—if one person makes a mistake, the entire group gets punished…”
“That kind of culture isn’t my concern, is it? You should have resolved it and returned. You ruined my school life. You should have taken responsibility.”
Yuria let out an Empty Laugh.
As if she found it absurd.
Yuria spoke as if disgusted by me for uttering the word responsibility.
“Didn’t you read the letters?”
“I read them all.”
“Then shouldn’t you have come back and said something? If you had any conscience at all… That so-called collective responsibility you mentioned—it’s just a fancy excuse, isn’t it? From my perspective, it looks like you just ran away together.”
She calmly demanded that I take responsibility.
I had nothing to say.
Yuria raised her Voice, more emotional than before.
A little while ago, she seemed like she didn’t care about me at all. But gradually, her Emotions began to surface.
“Why? Are you saying you did nothing wrong? That Olivia made you do it? Are you going to say you’re innocent?”
“No.”
Yuria fundamentally misunderstood something.
“Miss Yuria. Why would I be innocent?”
Personally, I don’t like hiding my faults.
Since I’m already seen as a bad guy, I know she won’t listen to me no matter what I say.
If I can’t completely fabricate a Lie, it’s easier and more comfortable to just be straightforward.
So I decided to be straightforward.
“Remember that time you got left behind in the Dungeon? I was there too.”
“…What?”
“I was secretly watching you.”
Yuria’s expression hardened further.
“And the Graffiti written on your desk every morning, you know, ‘Get out of the Academy’?”
“…”
“I did that too.”
Yuria asked me.
“Why did you do it?”
“Well…”
Because the Young Lady ordered me to?
No.
I gave the kind of excuse all school violence Perpetrators give.
“Because it was fun.”
In truth, everything I did was for Yuria.
But seeing her Favorability, I thought this was the right thing to say.
[Yuria Lv. 29]
[Job: Academy Student/Saintess Candidate]
[Favorability: -81]
[Favorite Conversation Topics: Friend/Volunteer Work/Justice/Handsome The Man/First Love/Savior of Life/Father]
[Disliked Conversation Topics: Olivia/Selfish People/Two-Faced People/Liars/Ended First Love/Financial Struggles/Red Hair]
If I’m going to be a bad guy, I might as well go all the way.
I wanted to return to the Young Lady as soon as possible.