Chapter 29

I looked back.

A man walking leisurely with his hands in his pockets, wearing a familiar smile.

The great village chief of the green-haired village.

It was Ruin.

Seeing him, I thought.

'Why is Ruin here?'

While I was happy to meet an academy classmate in such an unexpected place, Ruin shouldn't be here right now.

It should be about a week before news about the dungeon spreads to the capital, and only then would adventurers flock here with Ruin joining the story. So why was he here?

It wasn't like he came for hiking.

Unable to contain my curiosity, I asked Ruin why he came here.

"Excuse me... green-haired mage?"

"...It's Ruin."

"I see. Green-haired knight."

"I'm not a knight, I'm a mage. And it's Ruin."

Ruin clenched his fist tightly.

It seemed he disliked me, just like before.

I had properly memorized his name and was even using honorifics, yet he seemed angry every time he saw me. Ruin's psychology, more incomprehensible than a young lady on her magical days, had a worse personality.

What did I even do wrong?

While he acted like he'd give his liver and gallbladder to Yuria, he only threw tantrums at me, which was quite disappointing.

We weren't close at the academy, but we were at least on greeting terms when passing by.

- Hello, second place~

- Are you mocking me?

- No? Our young lady is just bragging about being first place.

- You bastard.

- Woof

We used to greet each other cheerfully when meeting in the hallways, congratulate each other on good news, and brightly smile while rubbing salt in wounds when there was something to tease about. Seeing Ruin always angry made me feel regretful.

Those were good memories.

- Oh... Ruin, I heard you burned our young lady's dress during the recent sparring match. It was quite expensive, will you be okay? If it's difficult for you, we could...

- I can pay it back. Do you think I don't have money to compensate for just one dress?

- It's 300,000 gold though?

- Huh...?

- Our young lady said not to pay it back, but should I send the bill to the Magic Tower then?

- Wait...!

I vaguely remembered comforting Ruin when he was defeated by Mikhail daily and collapsed in the training grounds.

- Young lady, there's moss stuck to the floor.

- Oh...! It's huge!

- You bastards, stop teasing!

- It even talks.

- Hiiiek...!

I was happy to see him, but why was he acting like that?

Ruin looked at me and smacked his lips.

Even though I wasn't something to eat, he clenched and unclenched his fists in excitement. He looked like a dog in heat.

[Ruin Lv. 35]

[Occupation: Academy Student]

[Favorability: -77]

[Favorite conversation topics: Yuria/Recognition for magic/Dates]

[Disliked conversation topics: Inferiority complex about magic/White hair/Red hair/Loser who lost to an underclassman]

Even though I wasn't his family's enemy, why was his favorability so low?

My heart ached.

Still, we were friends.

I offered Ruin a handshake with genuine happiness.

"Anyway, it's good to see you, Ruin."

"Good to see me?"

Ruin snorted.

Whether I seemed funny to him.

Or whether this situation seemed funny to him.

Either way, I could tell it wasn't laughter born from positive feelings.

Ruin glanced behind me. He seemed to be looking for something. After looking around a bit more, he spoke to me in a sarcastic tone.

"Hey. Where did Olivia go?"

"She's at home."

"Home?"

The village chief of the green-haired village became spirited upon hearing that the young lady wasn't here.

When we met at Forest Friend, he was like a puppy soaked in rain, but now Ruin was like a bulldog standing before a Chihuahua.

Ruin walked toward me with big strides.

He shouldn't come too close.

I was afraid I might habitually slam Ruin's head into the ground.

I stepped back one step to maintain a safe distance.

'Don't come closer. You'll faint again.'

If I was going to knock him out, it would be better to do it after hearing Ruin's last words. Just in case there were other students besides Ruin, I'd have to knock them out too.

Ruin said to me.

"Ricardo, I'm not happy to see you."

"I see. What should I do? I'm really happy to see you, Ruin."

"Really?"

Ptui. Ruin spat next to my shoe.

Ruin's white spit was precariously close to my worn leather shoes.

"Pfft. What are those shoes supposed to be?"

Ruin chuckled at my shoes.

He was like a dog marking territory, which made me feel quite unpleasant.

"Even goblins wouldn't wear something like that."

"Is that so? Then I should steal some goblin shoes."

Ruin's provocation didn't work.

It would be strange to fall for such provocation when I'm not even a child. If someone fell for such simple provocation.

That wouldn't be a possessor.

That would be anger management disorder.

People should know how to endure and be patient. Someone who charges at small provocations isn't a mature person.

Enduring any provocation with 'that could happen' and silently doing what needs to be done is what makes a true winner and a magnanimous person.

I looked around.

It was quiet.

And there was no one around.

'This is quite a dangerous place.'

This place had only Elite orcs napping nearby and troublesome Elite goblins.

It was a place where burying one person wouldn't be strange.

Really. He doesn't know what caution means. Does he know how dangerous it is to come to such a gloomy place alone?

I thought while choosing Ruin's burial site.

If the person in front of me was Pascal instead of me, Ruin might have ended up living as an art piece rather than a person.

I said with concern.

"Ruin."

"Speak casually. That's how we talked at the academy. Why have you been acting like this lately?"

"Just. It became a habit."

I was genuinely worried about Ruin.

Enough to want to share some life wisdom with him.

If he's going to come to dangerous places like this, he should at least have one trustworthy person by his side.

That way, even if he dies a tragic death, someone could at least deliver the news of his passing.

I slowly approached Ruin.

Looking closer, it seemed like something was stuck to Ruin's left cheek. Something that said 'unlikable.'

It was a stubborn stain that wouldn't come off easily, but I'd have to wipe it away for him.

"Ah... come to think of it. Mr. Ruin."

"What."

"What brings you here? You should be at the academy."

"Ah... because of an assignment."

"An assignment?"

Ruin nodded.

And he didn't forget to spit out nasty words at me either. He said, 'Why would someone who got expelled be curious about that,' and I wondered how this guy would survive after graduating from the academy.

He'd probably live like a shut-in after getting dumped by the heroine.

I was worried about Ruin's future after the story's completion.

Ruin is like a refreshing soda that crushes sweet potatoes in the novel.

In the parts where the heroine gets bullied by the villainesses, while other male protagonists stepped back saying 'Yuria will handle it herself!' or 'I can't interfere with Yuria's friend problems. Unless it's something physical....'

When it came to anything related to the heroine, Ruin's eyes would sharply turn and he'd appear like a prince on a white horse. He'd say something to the villainesses.

He was a character I grew fond of despite myself.

He wasn't my type because I didn't like how he looked. But other readers made Ruin their favorite character, saying they liked his bratty attitude.

Ruin is consistent.

He speaks casually to people he meets for the first time.

He spits out casual speech to people he dislikes.

He spits out casual speech to people he likes too.

He even shows consistency by spitting out casual speech to the Tower Master who took him in, calling him 'old man,' and honestly, I hoped he'd meet his match someday and get beaten up.

Ruin said to me.

"Ah, come to think of it, didn't you ask Hannah to correct your expulsion? She suddenly started talking about correcting expulsions. I really thought she'd gone crazy."

"I'm not expelled, I'm on leave..."

"For you two, expulsion and leave of absence are the same thing. Aren't you embarrassed asking a junior for help?"

Does he have some disease where he'd die if he spoke kindly? Ruin, who seems to want to bid farewell to the world.

I took a step closer to Ruin.

Ruin flinched and trembled his shoulders.

Why is he so timid? I'm not going to do anything.

I smiled awkwardly.

"I wanted to go to the academy, so I tried asking for a favor. Haha."

"Bullshit."

"So how is your school life, Mr. Ruin?"

"It's good because you guys aren't there."

"Hmm, is that so? That can't be true."

The Imperial Academy is special.

Just by graduating, you could get a job at a successful company or family in the Empire, and as a commoner, you could even receive a title beyond your station.

The educational policy was also specialized to discover talent.

They implemented a grading system where students directly chose their assignments, giving high grades for high difficulty and low grades for low difficulty assignments.

Since you could rise to higher rankings with better grades at the Imperial Academy.

It was a system designed to let passionate students bear fruit.

But I thought there was some other scheme behind Ruin, who doesn't care about grades at all, coming all the way to this distant place just for an assignment.

That's why I wasn't falling for his provocation.

I asked Ruin.

"Ah. Did you perhaps get stepped on by Miss Hannah. Is that why?"

"Shut that mouth."

Ruin flinched and showed an intense reaction. It seems the stone I threw without thinking hit Ruin's mental state.

I said as if making an excuse.

So that Ruin's wounded heart might hurt just a little more. And with the hope that his painful wounds would tear open further.

"No, if that's not it, then it doesn't make sense for a genius like Mr. Ruin to come to Hamel, so far from the capital. Don't tell me you got completely crushed in the ranking tournament that just opened...."

"I told you to shut up."

I touched Ruin's painful wounds even more.

Ruin glared at me.

His thoroughly beaten mental state wasn't recovering. Ruin just made eye contact with me without saying anything.

Since I couldn't think of anything particular to say. I raised my thumb and said.

"That's a good choice."

"Shut up!"

Red spheres shot out fiercely.

The spheres that were 3 last time had become 10 today and were flying toward me.

Ruin had grown.

With this level of growth, I thought he could last about 10 seconds against a mantis.

I naturally reached out my hand to plant Ruin's head into the ground. I was going to calm his excited mind a bit and suggest we each go our separate ways.

But.

The moment my hand was about to touch Ruin's head. A familiar voice stopped me.

"Ruin! What are you doing right now!"

A woman's voice from behind me.

A clear voice like fresh fruit rang in my ears.

"I'm sorry─! My friend has a bad temper."

The woman behind me apologized as soon as she arrived. Unlike the haughty speech of nobles, she approached me with a friendly tone like a country girl.

With the woman's appearance, Ruin's grimly hardened expression relaxed as if nothing had happened.

Ruin's foolish grinning smile.

I lowered my outstretched hand.

"Ruin, what are you doing! You should apologize!"

"No, it's nothing."

"Don't lie!"

I thought to myself.

'This is trouble.'

I slowly turned around.

I didn't want to meet like this.

Her smiling face gradually came into view.

Pink hair.

Cherry-like lips.

She, with her fresh beauty.

When our eyes met.

She began to hide her fresh smile.

"It's been a while."

I said with an awkward smile.

"Miss Yuria."

Yuria, the protagonist of this novel, was standing there looking at me.