The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen - Chapter 142
Chapter 142 – The One Who Sees the Inner Self (4)
Ruin is overly inflated.
Surrounded by adulation,
And truly skilled, indeed.
But above all, the Magician’s Tower as a backdrop has created an unjustifiable bubble around the existence that is Ruin.
Though Ruin ascends to the ranks of the strongest in the latter part of the novel, that’s a story for the later chapters.
The current Ruin is a man of no substantial skill. A creator of useless conflicts, his nasty temperament makes everyone around him tread on eggshells. If his supposed remarkable abilities were to form the foundation of his bubble, maybe, but the Ruin I see is nothing more than a pea-brained algae, both literally and figuratively.
He possesses no power to rain meteors upon the earth like the Tower Master, nor does he command hundreds of summons like Darbav.
While he certainly has the talent to become a great mage, he is significantly lacking, both in character and skill.
To make matters worse, he made the novel’s heroine cry…
He’s gone down an irreversible path.
I do have standards.
As a lover of novels,
And as a reader who followed “The Strongest Love Me at the Academy” to its completion, I have significant interest in the story but maintain clear boundaries.
The instances where I interfered with the story, post-possession, are few.
Changing the future of a character destined to become a grand villain, or on the contrary, ending them.
One memorable occasion was when I cared for a girl who was on the brink of turning into a heretic.
It was all done in pursuit of a comfortable, jobless life. Their existence posed a potential threat to my peace. Moreover, it was out of consideration to ease the protagonists’ hardships.
As long as I do not cross three lines, I have left the story of the novel undisturbed.
Because that’s what a reader and a possessor can do.
One, the wellbeing of the lady.
Two, potential threats to a peaceful life.
And three,
Making Yuria cry.
Today, Ruin has crossed two of those lines.
Henceforth, Ruin’s existence seems likely to threaten my peaceful jobless life.
Until now, Ruin has never felt a proper disparity. He has never encountered an opponent so strong that no matter what he does, victory is impossible. Even when he met Balak, the Archbishop of Despair, on Mount Hamel last time, he must have deluded himself into thinking he could compete.
In the novel, Ruin always harbored such adolescent fantasies.
“I could win if I fought seriously.”
Foolishness. Not fighting seriously as an excuse for losing is nothing but a way to protect one’s pride.
However, the novel always sided with Ruin. When facing a defeated opponent in a rematch, awakening or learning a new magic to win was the norm.
Moreover, as a romance fantasy novel demanded the male leads’ strength to be unparalleled, Ruin’s victories over defeats were a given. It seemed reasonable for Ruin to harbor such flimsy thoughts.
But now, my patience for understanding has worn thin.
He made my friend cry.
I no longer wanted to be considerate toward Ruin, who disrupted my happy jobless life.
Ruin was weaker than I knew. Exaggerating a bit, he was only slightly better than the students at the academy. There was no overwhelming difference in ability. I thought it might have been better to give the opportunities meant for Ruin to someone new, thinking how lacking Ruin was.
His arrogance was apparent even without looking. His thinking was simple.
Thus, I planned to undermine Ruin’s foundation.
If he withstands, he’ll keep his place as the sub-male lead. If not, he’ll be trapped in his own world, unable to progress.
I intend to shatter Ruin’s foundation with the reality that he’s not as great as he thinks.
This was how I intended to direct the novel towards a better path, and my way of venting my frustration.
“What?”
Ruin scoffed incredulously, tilting his head.
“What can’t I do? I could kill you right now.”
I nodded at Ruin’s cute provocation and responded.
“Go ahead.”
“Hey…”
“Can’t do it, can you?”
“…”
“Honestly, you’re not confident, are you? You’ve never beaten me before, and you’re scared to be utterly defeated in front of all these people.”
“You… you’re quite insolent today.”
“Isn’t that the truth? You’re still assessing whether you can beat me.”
Ruin ground his teeth, glaring at me.
“Shut up.”
“I’d rather not.”
“Stop spouting nonsense with that hole in your face.”
“Oh, how scary.”
Ruin’s pride was like a towering wall.
The background of the Magician’s Tower played a significant role in that pride.
He was indeed talented, but it was always against a backdrop that could be relied upon.
The disciple of the Tower Master, a wizard with extraordinary talent. Everyone lauded and elevated him, so it was natural for his self-assessment to be high.
Honestly, Ruin and I needed to be humble.
From an orphan of the slums,
To living a life of luxury thanks to being picked up by a wealthy benefactor, we had no right to look down on others.
I began to prod at Ruin’s sore spot.
“But, am I not right? Ruin, you really don’t know how to do anything, do you?”
“And you think you’re better?”
“Yes, I am better. That’s why the academy sent a letter asking me to re-enroll, right? Ruin, who came to deliver it, should know.”
“Bullshit, it’s just because they pity you.”
“Being pitiable is also a talent.”
Unyielding to Ruin’s response, he sighed deeply.
It must be frustrating.
But, what can I do?
Ruin’s feelings are not my concern. I couldn’t care less about the feelings of a sub-male lead.
“Ah… Now that I think about it, the Magician’s Tower is similar to Ruin. Doing nothing but nurturing rebels against the empire, sheltering murderers, creating mages with foul personalities. Just causing shitty problems.”
“…”
“One fell into dark magic and became irredeemable, while another released such a criminal… is it because the Magician’s Tower is messed up?”
“Shut up before I kill you.”
“I’m not insulting the tower, just stating the facts.”
“Shut up…”
“I’m talking. Listen for once. Please.”
Being treated respectfully seems to have emboldened him.
Ruin spat back a boiling retort.
“What about Desmond…!”
“I admit our lady is flawed. But isn’t the Magician’s Tower the same?”
“Don’t spout nonsense. How can the Magician’s Tower be compared to a minor noble house?”
“If Desmond is a minor noble house, is the imperial family just a house with a big yard?”
“…”
“Think before you speak.”
Personally, I don’t have a negative view of the Magician’s Tower. It’s a place that produces excellent mages and is a giant research institute continuously striving for the advancement of magic.
However, I have a rather antagonistic feeling towards the mages living within the space of the Magician’s Tower.
A sense of elitism.
Self-comforting with the thought of being the chosen ones, halting progress, and only knowing how to exert local influence, I’ve been critical of this repetitive bad practice.
This is just my personal opinion, and I don’t want to dwell on it deeply.
The Magician’s Tower may be commendable, but Ruin is not. I spoke my mind without filtering.
“What exactly can you do?”
“Don’t start with me.”
“Let’s think about this logically.”
I tapped my head, introducing the concept of thought to Ruin.
“All you can do is use magic somewhat well. Do you have overwhelming skills? That’s not the case, is it?”
“What else is there? Your personality is the pits, you agitate the Tower Master, create incidents, tarnishing the Magician’s Tower’s image. You’re just like a barking dog.”
“Shut up.”
“Oh, and…”
I looked towards the balcony Yuria had left for, highlighting the most critical blemish.
“Isn’t it funny that Ruin is getting mad at that person? What right does Ruin have to tell someone what dress to wear?”
“…”
Ruin’s response was silent.
“Are you close to her?”
“…”
“Why throw a fit over someone you’re not even close with? My ears are sharp; I heard everything, and wow… it was truly shitty.”
“…”
“If I were wearing the same shirt as Ruin and it looked shitty, would you be happy if I told you to change?”
“There was a reason for that, fucker.”
“Then take it off. I have a reason too.”
I looked at Ruin with a cruel smile.
“Just kidding.”
Ruin’s complexion was about to burst red.
The flow of magic emanating from Ruin quickened, and unable to contain his boiling rage, he clenched and unclenched his fists.
‘That should be enough for today.’
I wanted to continue, but I didn’t want to leave the person waiting on the terrace alone.
Before heading to the balcony, I gave Ruin a hint, suggesting he deeply contemplate his actions.
“What if the person who ran to the balcony was Yuria?”
“What?”
“Would be disgusting, right? If I were her, any affection would disappear… I’m just curious about Ruin’s thoughts.”
“That kind of nonsense won’t happen. Shut your trap.”
I cut off Ruin and smiled.
“It would be too interesting.”
I have a bad personality.
Maybe even worse than Ruin’s.
Once I make a decision, I rarely change it, and I enjoy tormenting others in a sinister way.
Is it because I serve a villainess?
Even without dropping tasty bait, Ruin, who openly bites the lure, made me smile.
“I won’t do anything.”
“Not solving misunderstandings, nor assisting Ruin with future troubles.”
“What are you talking about? What have you ever done for me?”
“Ha! Right. To Ruin, it must seem that way.”
I casually walked away, hands behind my back.
“Many things will change soon. Easy solutions and lucky opportunities might become hard to find.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Just spouting nonsense.”
“Ha.”
“But, I’m really curious about how the relationship between Yuria and Ruin will change.”
I stepped closer to Ruin and asked.
“Didn’t you feel anything strange?”
“What?”
“The voice, behavior, scent of perfume, and the color of the hair of the person who fled to the balcony. Didn’t you find anything odd?”
“…”
“Think carefully about what you missed and savor the moments of what’s to come.”
A sharp voice came from behind me.
-Shut up! Don’t insult Ruin while you’re just a butler serving a villainess!
A woman, apparently a devoted follower of Ruin, was clenching her dress and yelling at me.
Her face turned red with anger, and as she screamed, I gave her a gentle smile and replied.
“Be quiet.”
“…Gasp.”
“I’m not in a very good mood right now.”
Silence followed, and mediators began to approach us one by one.
Student Council President Chartia, Michail, the Crown Prince, and other significant supporting characters were grabbing Ruin’s shoulders. I shrugged and smiled.
“It’s too early to get angry. It’s just the beginning, and it would be unfortunate to collapse from hypertension.”
“Let go. I’m going to kill that bastard today.”
“Hmm…”
As I was about to speak again, a chilly voice came from behind. A boy’s clear voice said,
“Stop it.”
Michail stood behind me, his eyes sharp as if he might draw his sword at any moment, his hand resting on the hilt.
Michail, having brought his sword under the authority of the disciplinary committee, threatened a pitiful civilian. I raised my hands in a gesture of surrender.
Michail sighed deeply and shook his head.
“Just go. I don’t want to see your face for a long time.”
“I’d rather not see yours either, but if I leave now, I’ll miss something quite unfortunate.”
“What?”
I gazed at the grand clock hanging on the wall of the ballroom, smiling enigmatically.
6:30 PM
Thirty minutes before the heretics’ attack begins.
I didn’t want to miss an entertaining spectacle.
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