Unintended Encounter

I looked back.

A man walked toward me with his familiar smile, hands in his pockets, swaggering.

The esteemed village chief of Algae Village.

It was Ruin.

Seeing him made me think.

'Why is Ruin here?'

While it was pleasant to encounter an academy peer unexpectedly, Ruin wasn't supposed to be here yet.

About a week should have passed before the news spread in the capital about the dungeon, attracting adventurers and Ruin's participation in the unfolding story, but why was he here now?

He wasn't here for a hike.

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

"Excuse me… Algae Magician?"

"…It's Ruin."

"I see. Algae Knight."

"Not a knight, a mage. And just call me Ruin."

Ruin clenched his fist.

Seems like he's disliked me since the past.

Despite remembering his name and giving him honorifics, was he always angry whenever he saw me? Ruin's psychology was more irritating than a lady whose magical powers bloomed.

What have I done wrong?

Even with Hanna, who would give her liver and gallbladder, he broke into a fit on me only, which I found extremely upsetting.

We weren't close at the academy, but we used to greet each other when passing by.

-Good morning~

-Are you mocking me?

-No? It's just, our lady boasts about being the top student.

-Fuck you.

-Sorry, I don't swing that way.

I cherished the memories of cheerfully greeting each other, congratulating on successes, and lightly bantering, but it was frustrating that Ruin was the only one who seemed resentful.

It was supposed to be a good memory.

-Uh… Ruin, I heard you burned up the lady's dress in the recent duel. It was quite expensive; are you okay with that? If it's tough, we could…

-I can pay it back. Do I look like I can't compensate for a mere dress?

-It's 300,000 gold.

-Oh…?

-The lady said not to repay her, but should we send the bill to the tower then?

-Wait a second…!

I vaguely remembered comforting Ruin, who was beaten by Michail and collapsed in the training ground daily.

-Lady, you have moss stuck on the floor.

-Oh…! It's huge!

-You dogs, stop it!

-It talks too.

-Eek…!

I was pleased to see Ruin, but why did he react like that?

Ruin licked his lips as he looked at me. As if I was something to eat, he excitedly clenched and unclenched his fist like a dog in heat.

[Ruin Lv. 35]

[Profession: Royal Academy Student]

[Favorability: -77]

[Likes: Olivia's expulsion/Magic Recognition/Dating]

[Dislikes: Inferiority about Magic/Blonde Hair/Red Hair/Being Defeated by a Junior/Ricardo]

Not even a mortal enemy, why is our affinity so low?

It hurt.

But he's still a friend. I reached out to Ruin with a handshake, full of my joy of meeting him.

"Anyway, glad to see you, Ruin."

"Glad, huh?"

Ruin snorted in disdain. Either he found me funny or the situation amusing.

Either way, I knew that the laughter wasn't coming from a place of positivity.

Ruin sneakily glanced behind my back, searching for something. He looked around a bit more, then said sarcastically,

"Hey. Where did Olivia go?"

"She's at home."

"Home?"

Ruin, the chief of Algae Village, swelled up with bravado, hearing the lady wasn't around.

He looked like a bulldog standing in front of a Chihuahua, whereas, at the Friends of Forest, he resembled a wet puppy.

Ruin strode toward me.

He came too close for comfort.

I feared I might instinctively slam his head on the ground, so I stepped back to maintain a safe distance.

'Don't come closer. You'll pass out again.'

If I were to knock him out, it would be best after I heard Ruin's last words. If there were other students around, they needed to be knocked out too.

Ruin spoke to me.

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

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

"Yeah?"

Ruin spat next to my shoe.

His white spit dangerously touched the worn leather of my shoes.

"Pfft. What's with those shoes?"

Ruin chuckled, looking at the shoes, seemingly enjoying marking his territory like a dog, which I didn't appreciate at all.

"Even a goblin wouldn't wear such shoes."

"Is that so? Guess I'll have to steal a pair from a goblin then."

Ruin's taunts had no effect.

It would be strange if I were swayed by such provocations. If one were swayed by such simple provocations,

That wouldn't be possession, but rather an anger disorder.

A true person should be patient and tolerant. Anyone charging at the slightest bait is immature.

No matter the provocation, to endure and silently go about one's business is that of a true victor, a magnanimous person.

I looked around.

It was silent.

No one else was in sight.

'This place is too dangerous.'

All that was present were elite orcs napping nearby and the bothersome elite goblins in this place.

A place where a person could disappear without anyone noticing.

Really, my friend had no sense of caution. Was he aware of how dangerous it was to come to such a gloomy place on his own?

I pondered over choosing Ruin's grave site.

If the presence had been Rowen instead of me, Ruin might have ended up as a work of art rather than a person.

With concern, I spoke to Ruin.

"Mr. Ruin."

"Talk comfortably. We did at the academy. Why have you been like this since the last time?"

"Just a habit, I guess."

I was genuinely worried for Ruin.

I wanted to share some wisdom with him.

He should have had at least one reliable person by his side if he were to come to such a dangerous place.

Should he meet an untimely end, at least the news of his demise could be conveyed.

I slowly approached Ruin.

Upon closer look, something seemed to smear on the left cheek of Ruin, a dislikeable stain that was hard to remove. I should clean it off for him.

"Ah… by the way, Ruin."

"What?"

"What brings you here? Shouldn't you be at the academy?"

"Ah… It's for a project."

"A project?"

Ruin nodded.

And, he didn't miss the chance to hurl more insults at me, saying, 'What's it to you, dropout?' which made me wonder how he'd survive after graduating from the academy.

After being turned down by the female lead, he'll be living like a shut-in, although that's putting it lightly.

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

Ruin is a character in the novel who crushes sweet potatoes like a refreshing cider.

In the parts of the story where the female lead is ostracized by the villainesses, other male leads would step back, saying, "Yuria will handle it!" or "I can't interfere with Yuria's friend troubles. I might not be the physical type but,"

But Ruin, whose attention spins wildly at anything related to the female lead, would swoop in like a knight on a white horse to say a word to the villainesses.

Despite everything, he was a character you couldn't help but grow fond of.

I didn't like his appearance, it wasn't to my taste. However, other readers liked his rude demeanor and even made Ruin their favorite character.

Ruin is consistent.

Speaks informally to someone he's just met.

Spew informal speech incessantly toward people he dislikes.

And even toward those he likes, he keeps spewing informal speech.

Even to the master of the magic tower who took him in, he speaks informally, calling him an "old man," a consistency that makes me genuinely wish he'd meet his match and get brushed off.

Ruin said to me.

"Ah, speaking of which, you asked Hanna to appeal for the annulment of your expulsion? Bringing up expulsion annulment out of the blue. I seriously thought you were crazy."

"I was not expelled, I'm on a break…"

"Whether expulsion or break, it's all the same to you two. Aren't you ashamed to ask a junior for a favor?"

Could it be that he'll die if he speaks nicely? Ruin, who speaks like he wants to part ways with the world.

I approached Ruin with a step.

Ruin flinches, trembling at the shoulders.

Why so afraid, I won't do anything.

I laughed awkwardly.

"I just wanted to ask because I want to return to the Academy. Haha."

"Bullshit."

"So, how's school life for you, Ruin?"

"Better without you guys."

"Hmm, really? That can't be true."

The Royal Academy is special.

If you graduate, you can get a job in a well-known business or family within the empire, and even surpass the limits of a commoner to receive a title.

The educational policy was also specialized to discover prodigies.

With a system that allows students to select their own assignments, higher grades are given for more difficult tasks, and lower grades for easier ones.

At the Royal Academy, your grade dictates your rank.

A system designed to allow passionate students to bear fruit.

But considering Ruin, who did not care about grades, came to this far place just for an assignment made me believe there was an ulterior motive.

That's why he didn't take the bait.

I asked Ruin.

"Ah. Are you like that because you were stepped on by Hanna?"

"Shut your mouth."

Ruin reacts violently with a flinch. Apparently, my thoughtless throw has struck a nerve in Ruin's mental state.

I said, almost as if making excuses, wanting to inflict a little more pain on the wounded Ruin, hoping the sore wound would open further.

"No, if not for that, it wouldn't make sense for a prodigy like you, Ruin, to come to a far-flung town like Hamel. Could it be… you were knocked out in the recent ranking match…?"

"Shut up, I said."

I struck Ruin's sore spot again.

Ruin glared at me.

His shattered mental state didn't seem to recover, staring silently with eye contact.

Unable to think of anything to say, I simply gave a thumbs-up and spoke.

"Good choice."

"Shut up!"

Red orbs lashed out furiously.

Last time there were three, but today, ten were flying at me.

The growing Ruin.

Given his growth rate, I thought he could hold his own against a mantis for about 10 seconds.

I naturally reached out to pin Ruin's head to the ground, trying to calm his excited state so we could go our separate ways.

But then.

Just as my hand was about to touch Ruin's head, a familiar voice stopped me.

"Ruin! What are you doing?"

A woman's voice behind me.

A crisp voice, as if filled with fresh fruit, echoed in my ears.

"I'm so sorry─! My friend here gets angry quickly."

The woman behind me apologized immediately upon arrival, speaking to me in a friendly, country-girl tone, unlike the haughty nobility.

With the woman's arrival, Ruin's face, which had turned fierce, relaxed as if nothing had happened.

Ruin, who smiled like an idiot.

I withdrew the hand I had raised.

"Ruin, what are you doing! Apologize!"

"No, it's nothing."

"Don't lie!"

I thought to myself.

'This is trouble.'

I slowly turned around.

This was not how I wanted us to meet.

Gradually, her smiling figure came into view,

pink hair,

cherry-like lips,

and a refreshing beauty.

As our eyes met,

she began to hide her sunny smile.

"It's been a long time."

With an awkward smile, I said.

"Yuria."

There stood Yuria, the protagonist of this novel, looking at me.

Yuria dislikes me.

Ever since the day we first met at the Royal Academy, Yuria has disliked me.

– Ricardo.

– Yes?

– There's a pervert staring at you.

– A pervert?

– That pink-haired girl over there has been watching you for a while now.

– Ah… Really now?

The moment our eyes meet, the pink-haired girl quickly turns her head away.

– It's actually true.

The 'pervert' the lady was talking about was none other than Yuria, the protagonist of this novel.

Perhaps she found it curious that I came dressed as a butler to the entrance ceremony, or maybe she didn't like the way I looked, but Yuria kept stealing glances at me until the chancellor's lengthy speech ended.

With a flushed face.

Muttering 'crazy, crazy'.

I was afraid she had seen through my madness.

Who wouldn't be nervous when the female lead, who becomes one of the strongest in the universe by the second half of the story, calls you crazy?

But I'm not actually mad.

Indeed, I do have hobbies like eating poisonous mushroom soup to build immunity or diving into Salamander's breath to gain fire resistance, but I'm not mad.

I thought that I had started off on the wrong foot with the female lead.

The female lead who has a romance with the strongest characters.

And to be targeted by the heroine who could wipe out undead with a simple gesture at the end of the story, I sensed doom on the day of the entrance ceremony.

After that, strangely, Yuria began to follow me secretly. Some days, she even left mysterious letters in my shoe cabinet.

[Today at 6 PM. Meet at the fountain.]

Expecting to be lynched, I wore thick clothes despite the summer heat and went to the meeting spot, but no one ever showed up – a memory that still lingers.

It happened around three times.

The fountain.

The girls' dormitory.

The rooftop of the school.

I never once arrived late to these rendezvous points, but all I got in return were fruitless journeys. Despite the unwelcome feeling from the wasted effort, I was relieved not to have been lynched.

A fourth letter did arrive, but due to some circumstances, I could not make it to the meeting spot that day.

Regardless, during my time at the Academy, I followed the lady's commands to harass Yuria.

– Oh dear, I am so sorry. I meant to water the flowers, but I accidentally spilled wine on your dress.

– Are you calling me a flower…?

– Oh my! The flower is talking!

I committed these acts ensuring Yuria was least hurt.

– It's okay. After all, I am a flower!

– I'm truly sorry. I have a particular fondness for cosmos.

– Do I resemble a cosmos to you?

– Yes~ If you would be so kind as to give me your name, I would like to offer compensation…

– Instead of that, may I ask you for a dance later? I don't have a partner.

Yuria would accept with a happy smile, like a person without a care in the world.

Indeed, Yuria had the kind nature as was described in the novel.

Even if she faced unbearable harassment, she just smiled at me. She was a good person who would even share a meal.

Perhaps because she was the protagonist of the novel?

She had a lot of virtues and was very considerate.

Still, I pushed Yuria away.

Although initially we had a good relationship,

Cracks started to form in our rapport after the lady was rejected by Michail.

– Ricardo. Do you see that vulgar wench?

– No, I don't see her.

– Just shut up and look properly.

– …

– Lock her up in the wardrobe until the party is over.

– Is that really necessary?

– It's better than killing her, isn't it?

– I will do as you say.

Back then, the lady was a villainess.

I knew the lady couldn't harm an ant, so she wouldn't actually do it, but there are always unforeseen events. So, I took the role of a mediator between the lady and Yuria.

When the lady came back after hearing strange rumors from other ladies, I would assure her it's a misunderstanding. If other ladies provoked her into plotting something reckless, I intervened.

I hoped to make Yuria hate the lady even a little less.

Possibly knowing what I was thinking, the lady would secretly inform me about the other ladies' schemes.

– May 12th.

– Yes?

– Check out the dungeon.

In the novel, Yuria was subjected to many life-threatening dangers.

Not just from our lady,

But also because of the young ladies who fancied Michail,

The young ladies who fancied Ruin,

And due to the jealousy of high-ranking nobles secretly enamored with the crown prince.

She was poisoned with tea.

Kidnapped in alleys. And left behind in the dungeon by bribed students.

I saved Yuria without letting matters escalate, but she misunderstood me.

– How long will this continue? Just tell me to die. Tea with poison, failure in the dungeon, and now confinement?

– That's not it…

– Not it? But you were present whenever something happened. You expect me to believe that? Are you saying you came to my rescue again this time?

– Listen to me, Yuria.

– No. I can't trust you anymore. I must be insane for thinking well of you.

I wanted to clear up the misunderstanding, but Yuria refused to listen to me. She had experienced numerous threats, and they all seemed to involve me somehow.

I could understand why Yuria disliked me.

Nevertheless, we continued to harass Yuria.

If it was not our lady, then other young ladies seemed genuinely intent on killing Yuria.

Without endangering her life, we kept harassing Yuria continuously.

In the end, Yuria, true to her role as the tragic heroine, energetically overcame all adversities, and the lady and I ended with the same fate as in the original work.

And Yuria,

She hated us.

And never again did she smile at me.

After being expelled, a letter arrived at the manor proclaiming 'I no longer like you.'

'It's the first time I've ever met someone as evil as you.' that's what it said.

She was right, and so I couldn't reply.

She was right, I am the lowliest of villains.

***

Yuria is looking at me.

Seems like a multitude of emotions are crossing her face.

Yuria is gazing at me with a rigid face. The beaming smiles that she once offered so generously at the Academy were nowhere to be seen, only a cold expression remained.

"Did you say it's been a long time?"

Yuria's voice is sharp.

I chuckled awkwardly in response.

"Haha… It's good to see you."

Perpetrator and victim.

I couldn't grasp what to say. No matter what I would say, it didn't seem like Yuria would take it the right way.

All I wanted right now was to get out of this place as quickly as possible.

'Should I run away?'

It would just be a moment of being the bad guy and then it would be over. Perhaps leaving without a fuss would be the best thing for Ruin, Yuria, and me.

I was thinking of waking up an elite orc to create a distraction to escape.

Just when Yuria, who had been clenching and unclenching her fists, finally said to me,

"I'm not pleased to see you at all. We're not exactly in a position to exchange pleasantries with a smile."

"I'm sorry. Perhaps the long time apart made me misunderstood."

Yuria sighed.

She seemed to have built up a lot of frustration.

"It's the first time we've met since Olivia was expelled, isn't it?"

Expulsion.

That's not a pleasant memory.

– What did I do wrong that I have to leave? Is liking someone a crime? You cling to her because you like her too, so why can't I do the same?

The lady, clenching her fists, shouted these words. The faculty, who ignored such a lady, and the supporting male lead along with the Royal Academy students hurled insults at us as we were being dragged away.

The Crown Prince, who immediately silenced the lady's outburst with his gaze as if looking at bugs, said to her disparagingly,

– Shut up, Olivia.

Ruin, delighted to have secured the top spot, said with a look as refreshed as if a deep thorn had been extracted,

– Moron, serves you right.

Michail, speaking proudly of his own purity, declared,

– I will never forgive you.

I didn't like the bastard talking about forgiveness, but I held back because Yuria was next to me.

To Yuria, we were indeed in the wrong. I didn't want to show our ugliest side to the very end.

– Let's never see each other again.

The scene of us leaving, sent off without any affection or friendship from them, played in my mind.

The Crown Prince. Michail. Ruin. Yuria.

A connection that could never be bridged. A malevolent fate filled with mutual hatred and repulsion.

Yuria, standing in the center of this adverse fate, said to me,

"Why, did you run away?"

"Run away?"

"Yes. You should have at least explained before you left."

Yuria looked at me straight on.

Despite Ruin standing beside her, she gazed directly at me. I didn't understand what she meant by running away.

Why was she, who said we should not see each other again, using the word 'run away'? I asked her.

"What are you talking about…"

"Why didn't you come back to the Academy? You have no idea how much…"

Yuria halted her words.

"Huh… What am I even saying now."

Shaking her head slightly, she continued,

"Ricardo, you weren't expelled. You should have come back."

"Wasn't the lady expelled?"

"What's that got to do with you?"

"No."

I said to Yuria.

With a hint of firmness.

"In my homeland, there's this culture called collective responsibility. If one person errs, the entire group pays the price…"

"That culture isn't something I should care about. You should have resolved it and left. You ruined my school life. You're supposed to take responsibility and make it right."

Yuria scoffed with a hollow laugh.

As if astounded.

As if she found the utterance of responsibility from me reprehensible.

"Didn't you read the letters?"

"I read all of them."

"Then shouldn't you have come back to say something? If you have any conscience… The collective responsibility you speak of. It's just a nice phrase you tidied up. To me, it looks like you both ran away."

She was calm, suggesting that I should take responsibility.

I had nothing to say.

Yuria shouted at me with a voice even more emotionally charged than before.

Initially feigning indifference, her emotions were now surfacing.

"Why? You're saying you did nothing wrong? That Olivia told you to do it, and you're blameless?

"No."

Yuria fundamentally misunderstood from the beginning.

"Yuria, why would I not be at fault?"

Personally, I don't like hiding my wrongdoing.

Already branded as the bad guy, I knew she wouldn't listen to anything I'd say.

If I couldn't fabricate a perfect lie, it was better to come clean outright – at least my conscience would be clear.

I was ready to be honest.

"Remember when you were left behind in the dungeon? I was there too."

"…What?"

"I was secretly watching."

Yuria's expression progressively hardened.

"And the inscriptions scrawled on your desk every morning. The one that said 'Get lost from the Academy.'"

"…"

"I did that too."

Yuria asked me,

"Why did you do that?"

"Well…"

Because the lady told me to?

No.

I resorted to the excuse all school bullies use.

"Because it was amusing."

However, in truth, it was all done for the sake of Yuria.

Seeing Yuria's level of favor, I figured I should say it like this.

[Yuria Lv. 29]

[Occupation: Academy Student/Saint Candidate]

[Favorability: -81]

[Likes: Friendship/Service/Justice/Handsome Men/First Love/Life Saviors/Father]

[Dislikes: Olivia/Selfish People/Two-Faced People/Liars/Ended First Love/Financial Struggles/Red Hair]

If I'm going to be the bad guy, I should do it with conviction.

I wanted to return to the lady quickly

*** ***

A silence lingered in the air.

Yuria looked on with moist eyes, while Ruin glared as if he wanted to kill. I was at a loss, with the burden of the gazes from the female protagonist and the secondary male protagonist of the novel upon me.

Especially Ruin.

Ruin glared fiercely at me. Clenching and unclenching his fist, it seemed he was ready to shoot a spell into my face at any moment.

It seemed like he was trying to score points with Yuria on this occasion, but I did not want to play along with the plan of the village chief of the Algae Town so easily.

I sincerely asked Ruin, who kept trying to make eye contact as if he wanted to flirt with me, "What are you looking at? You just stood by when we were tormenting Yuria."

"What did you say?"

"Why? Are you going to say you didn't step in because you weren't close back then?"

"…Shut up. I didn't know Yuria was having a hard time back then…!"

"Bullshit."

As expected, Ruin formed a red sphere in his hand. Just as he was about to dash towards me with a forceful step,

"Ruin!"

Yuria shouted.

Ruin glared at her. His eyes protested her interference, and I too sent the same kind of look towards Yuria.

I could have had a chance to make Ruin's head into a flower arrangement, so why interfere?

"Yuria."

Ruin called her name with a serious tone.

"That bastard says he tormented you just for fun."

"It's not 'that bastard.' It's Ricardo. Village chief of Algae Town."

"This bastard."

"And don't sugarcoat it. It's not because of Yuria, is it? You're just stabbed by guilt, aren't you? It seems you never witnessed the bullying Yuria endured at the Royal Academy."

My words were right. Back then, Ruin slowly began to develop feelings for Yuria. To Ruin those days, Yuria was nothing more than a fairly pretty girl, no more, no less.

Although the torment bothered him.

He never stood up against it.

"I told you to shut up!"

"Shh."

Quietly, I brought a finger to my lips.

"Be quiet. The orcs will wake up. You might mistake yourself for one of them, Ruin, but Yuria and I are not."

"I'll kill you…."

"Talk back if you think you can handle it. I can, but it seems impossible for you."

Ruin hesitated.

Even he, a prodigy of flame magic, would be minced meat if he fought several elite orcs.

The now silent Ruin was met with my sly smile.

"Let's talk quietly."

Watching the scene in silence, Yuria spoke to me.

"Ricardo."

"Yes."

"It's fun?"

Her voice was falteringly soft. She tried to look me squarely in the eyes, but her pupils quivered as soon as our eyes met.

Yuria, unused to anger, grasped the hem of her dress tightly and said,

"Do you find this situation fun?"

"…"

"Do I not exist to you when you make a serious inquiry? You try to fight with Ruin, but I become invisible?"

Tears were welling up in her eyes. At the slightest touch, it looked as if she would burst into tears. I clenched my fist tightly.

"Do I amuse you?"

"No."

"Then why do you act like this?"

"…"

"I'm asking you! Did you dislike me that much? Or is it because you couldn't stand that a commoner mixed with nobles?"

That was what Yuria had heard the most at the Royal Academy.

In the early part of the novel, Yuria wasn't…

Pretty.

Lovable.

Amazing.

But rather, she heard things like:

Being common-born.

Disgusting to look at.

Appearing vulgar.

Because Yuria heard them so much while attending the Academy, as did I.

I, too, was a commoner, and unlike Yuria, who was admitted based on her overwhelming divine power, I was admitted by riding on the coattails of a lady's status.

Perhaps Yuria experienced even worse discrimination than I did, and she knew all too well the difficulties of attending the Academy as a commoner.

So now, she was asking me.

We were both commoners, so why did I discriminate against her? It might have been a vent for the past treatment, or perhaps it was a genuine inquiry because she truly disliked me.

Because we were commoners.

We could have shared our hardships.

Even if disparaged by the nobles, we could have overcome together, yet I tormented her for fun.

If I were Yuria, I might have lost affection too.

I spoke honestly. Forgetting the words I first said, this time I was frank.

"I wasn't ignoring you. I'm also a commoner, how could I ignore?"

"Then what is it? Are you saying you just did it for fun as you mentioned earlier?"

"No. Earlier I just…"

'No matter what I say, you won't believe me. It's my last plea.'

I pressed down the frustration in my heart and presented a more plausible explanation.

"Uh… Just, you know…"

Yuria let out a hollow laugh. I knew all too well how frustrating this must be for her.

I'm such a fool.

That's why I felt even more apologetic to Yuria.

I offered the best answer I could think of.

"It's because I'm mean."

"Ha."

-Slap-

Yuria hit my cheek.

***

Two days later, after completing the assignment and heading down to return to the Academy…

"…"

Yuria's expression as she descended the mountain was not good.

She finished the assignment perfectly, and once back at the Academy, she could return to her high ranking.

Having lost early to Hanna in the ranking match, Yuria fell to the lowest tiers, yet there was still a chance to recover her position.

Yuria exhaled a deep sigh, struggling to find any energy.

"Haah…"

Ever since meeting Ricardo, she remained in this state—feeling uneasy and unrefreshed.

'It's all my fault.'

His face was unforgettable: even after getting slapped, he smiled brightly.

-Finally, I feel a bit better.

-Are you insane?

-I thought I deserved at least one hit.

She resented him, yet his face, grateful and bowed, weighed on her mind.

She clearly detested him.

Extremely loathed him.

She didn't want to see him again, even by chance.

Yet, she hated herself for screaming inside that she wanted to see him once more.

Because she had truly liked him.

Always showing up like a knight in shining armor, vanquishing the villains.

-Miss Yuria, I'm asking you.

-I am not a dog, you know?

-I'll bring you a mint chocolate bath bomb.

-I bark quite well!

When she had collapsed after drinking tea laced with poison.

-Who is the bastard that did this!?

-…

-You better start talking now. Otherwise, you're really going to die.

In front of high-ranking nobles, even a mere commoner stood grinding his teeth in anger; she couldn't help but fall for him.

It was all in the past now, however.

"Haah… Yuria, get a grip."

She needed to get her act together.

Yuria had no intention of forgiving Ricardo.

It irritated her that he hadn't returned despite being able to resume his studies. She had heard Olivia was ill, but Yuria didn't believe the inflated rumors of nobles, known for their lies and exaggerations.

"Hey, Yuria."

Ruin, seeing her lack of energy, spoke to her softly. Yuria's mood lifted at having such a supportive friend.

"Your expression looks really down, do you want to go see the Forest Friend on our way?"

"The Forest Friend? We've already been there before."

Ruin replied with a smile.

"We could go again."

Yuria shook her head.

She didn't want to bother Ruin who had taken time out for her.

"No, it's okay. I've got my spirits back now."

"I'll pay for it."

"No, really, I'm fine."

With a rueful smile, Ruin continued walking with her for a bit longer.

"Uh… what's that?"

Ruin, who was leading the way, saw something and abruptly pulled on Yuria's clothes.

"Kyah!"

Yuria lost her balance and fell.

She quickly tried to get back up. Since Ruin was acting like that, it must be because of either monsters or thieves.

As she swiftly prepared to take up a battle stance and stand.

"Yuria. Stay still."

Ruin pulled her to her feet.

With an ominous expression, Ruin began casting a spell. Yuria shut her mouth tightly.

Ruin murmured softly.

"Shit."

Something was definitely very wrong.

Yuria slowly lifted her head.

A giant man stood before them.

Holding a massive sword.

A man looking at her with a deranged expression.

"You seem to be quite lucky."

Thud. A droplet of blood fell onto Yuria's forehead.

"Uh…um…?"

Stuttering, Yuria tried to speak.

Ruin also stood silent.

Frozen by the enormous presence before them.

Dressed in black priest's robes.

A man with many scars, wielding a large sword.

He held a black scripture in his hand and said.

"Ah… Let's ask for directions. Saint."

-Gulp.

"Do you know the way to salvation?"

It all happened in an instant.

The cold blade of the great sword approached Yuria's face. Just as she thought she could do nothing.

"What are you doing?"

Boom. There was a loud, explosive noise, and the ground rumbled tremendously.

***

As the dust settled,

Yuria, who had tightly shut her eyes, gently opened them.

Not a scratch on her, completely unharmed.

She exhaled a breath of relief.

"What is this? Do you really want to die?"

A voice, cold and hard, reverberated in her ear.

Polite yet cheeky in tone.

Familiar with the sound, Yuria lifted her head.

A red-haired man, intercepting the great sword with both hands, stood there.

The man said.

"Close your eyes for a moment Yuria, This is going to be quick."

Ricardo's voice was heard once again.

"Did you close your eyes?"

At his word, seeking confirmation, Yuria's heart pounded furiously.

A gentle voice.

Yuria pressed her lips tightly shut as the soft and quiet sound caressed her ears.

"Yuria? Did you close your eyes?"

His voice questioned once more.

Knowing her own curiosity, Ricardo checked repeatedly while she gave no reply.

After all, she couldn't find her voice.

Her lips remained sealed, knowing she could have died had she been even a moment later.

-Thump. Thump.

And her heart continued to race wildly.

She wasn't sure if it was due to the near-death threat or from seeing Ricardo again, but one thing was certain—her heart was pounding like mad.

Ricardo spoke again, in a calm voice.

Feeling the concern faintly edging his words, Yuria felt her resolve wavering.

"You need to close them. It's a bit gruesome to look at."

***

The situation was dire.

With people to protect behind her, and an ignorant moth that knows nothing but to cause trouble beside her, full concentration on the fight was impossible.

I looked at Ruin, who was fiddling with his fingers, as I blocked the heavy greatsword strike.

-Muttering.

"Ruin."

"Why?"

I called out to Ruin.

Ruin, muttering to himself as he prepared a large-scale magic, was reciting a complex spell. However, his trembling hands made the execution of the spell anything but helpful.

"If you don't want to die, stop with the clumsy magic."

Ruin bristled at the mention of his uselessness.

"What?"

It must be frustrating, considering the enormous foe before us and the need to prove usefulness. I know. He wants to look impressive in front of the girl he likes.

But Ruin is not only weak, but also scared right now. He had to put aside petty desires for the moment.

Otherwise, he would really die.

The killer intent emanating from the man before us was overwhelming.

The intimidatingly rogue aura,

The bloodstained greatsword,

And the dark aura surrounding it.

Just looking at it made my skin tingle.

Moreover, the man was a heretic, called a lunatic by the world.

A fanatic group known for their creed: 'Disbelieve, and you die,' creating countless victims.

The black clerical robe.

The Black Bible.

Upon seeing the notorious heretic for the first time, Ruin, unable to control his emotions, would find it hard to unleash his true power.

Ruin, fiercely casting spells with a grave face, saw me effortlessly deflect the man's blade.

"Kehehe… You can catch this? Young swordsman?"

"I'm quite versatile."

"Puhaha…!"

Ruin thought if I could do it, so could he.

I kindly spoke to the mentally challenged Ruin.

"Listen to me, Ruin. If your arms falls off, Yuria can't just fix them back on."

Ruin wouldn't understand me.

Because he's not as strong as me.

"Just keep quiet, Ricardo."

Thus, to Ruin, my actions seemed like bravado, and he wondered what right I had to give orders when I had been expelled from the Royal Academy.

We were, after all, just peers from the academy.

Ruin didn't really know me.

He had no idea about the unofficial event where I single-handedly could have killed Michail after thoroughly defeating him, or how dangerous aura could be. It was beyond the comprehension of a magician like himself.

Believing to be on par with Hanna or Michail, Ruin retorted.

"Don't be cocky. There's no way you're on my level."

I responded to Ruin.

"Oh. Then take care of it yourself."

Ruin completed his magic.

The strongest magic he could conjure.

'Explosion'

As a hot breeze signaling the successful completion of the spell brushed through his hair, Ruin smiled.

"Watch closely. I'm not who I used to be…"

The moment a red flame rose over Ruin's hand, Bang!—a thunderous noise as the bloodied greatsword swiftly moved to sever Ruin's arm.

Ruin didn't notice.

Not until the greatsword was about to touch his arm.

"See? I told you, you're going to die."

With all my might, I kicked Ruin in the abdomen.

Crash. Ramming into a tree, Ruin's head drooped down.

He seemed to have lost consciousness due to the intense impact. Such an unhelpful fellow.

"Yuria, keep your eyes well shut."

"It's going to get ugly from here."

Swish. A line of scarlet blood rose before Yuria's eyes.

***

Taking a vacation always leads to all sorts of events.

It's as if the whole world is against me.

As irritating as it might be for the person possessed by the spirit consuming their destiny, the incidents just keep coming, causing my head to throb in pain.

Attempting to loot a dungeon covertly without the protagonist knowing, yet I bump into her on the way.

After emptying the dungeon, I meet the protagonist who nearly died at the hands of a heretic.

No matter how much the protagonist is known for attracting incidents, there should be times of respite.

Yuria, who never seems to have a break from troubles, is bothersome in many ways. But what can I do? I can't just pass by without getting involved.

Moreover, this man before me might just be the biggest adversary I've encountered this time.

I looked at the man before me.

A man drenched in blood.

[Balak Lv. 71]

[Profession: Archbishop of Despair]

[Favorability: -50]

[Likes: Daughter/Health/Confrontations with the Powerful/Greatsword Techniques/Anything Black and Big]

[Dislikes: Illness/Nobility/Toothpick-like Swords/Murder]

Balak is one of the villains in the novel.

He has a story to tell, which makes it hard to label him as a villain, but he has also committed many evil deeds, making it hard to say he's not one.

We are the same kind of beings.

Balak was affiliated with the heretics because of his daughter's illness.

In the past, Balak was an S-class adventurer, and he has a daughter.

The only daughter left behind by his deceased wife.

The doctors told him to give up, and even the papacy advised him to give up on his sick daughter, who was Balak's one and only treasure.

Balak was scammed by doctors dozens of times, he knelt and prayed to the Goddess religion that promised healing through prayer, but to no avail.

When the money he'd gathered as an adventurer was nearly gone.

One day, he heard the preaching of a religion in the streets that claimed incurable diseases could be cured simply by believing, and that was the beginning of Balak's downfall.

At first, he was reluctant to swing his sword out of guilt, but as his daughter's condition gradually improved over time, the weight of Balak's conscience lightened.

His daughter tried to stop him.

But Balak, who gave up on being a good father, silently raised his sword.

At the end of the novel, as his daughter dies, he realizes the heretics had lied, but by then, it was after his defeat by the protagonist's group.

The novel's tragic villain.

He is Balak, right before my eyes.

Fortunately, it's still early in the novel, so he hasn't committed any major wicked deeds yet.

He must have tried to scare Yuria away by now.

At this point in time, Balak must be wrestling between his conscience and his daughter.

I had always wanted to meet him, but meeting this way felt somewhat pleasant.

I looked down at the Black Knight.

He glared at me with shaky arms, his greatsword thrust into the ground, and as his fierce gaze pierced through, I let out an awkward laugh.

Balak said to me.

"Are you a monster?"

"Eh, hardly."

"Ha-ha… Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense."

Balak spoke to me sincerely. He was a monster among men himself, but he shook his head, saying he couldn't keep up with me.

I said to him.

"Look at me. I'm torn up too."

"Make a sensible comparison."

I was also in bad shape, similar to Balak. My trembling right arm had been severely slashed by Balak's greatsword, and blood was dripping from it.

Balak was no different.

Covered in blood and minor scars, he knelt on one knee, gasping for breath.

After hundreds of exchanges, having emerged victoriously, I spoke modestly.

"I am a monster, indeed."

"Heh… you're crazy. Crazy. Using aura at that age."

Balak stood up heavily.

He walked slowly towards me with his shaking greatsword, and I shook my head, telling him.

"Let's stop."

"Why?"

"There's more behind you."

I looked behind Balak.

Many figures visible through the dense bushes, likely heretics who had come to explore the dungeon.

They must be the elite, handpicked ones.

In the novel, the heretics were the first to raid the dungeon and leave. It was after that Ruin awakened fighting the remaining remnants.

Balak must have come here to raid the dungeon with those shadows behind him.

I looked at Balak.

Balak, with his eyes brimming with fighting spirit.

If I killed Balak here, the latter part of the novel would surely be easier, but I was certain I couldn't take them on while ensuring Yuria's and Ruin's safety.

Deciding to leave the fight behind and go our separate ways, I said.

"We'll be going our way, so you should go back to yours."

"Why? If we fought now, you could probably take my head with you."

I waved my hands at his words.

What an exaggeration.

If I fought with this knight, who would try anything to take even one of Michail's arms, I doubt I'd return unscathed myself.

Plus, Balak is a monster that gains explosive power the more he bleeds.

His current weak appearance could also be an act.

"Being on good terms is always best, isn't it?"

"That's true. It was an interesting fight, though. What a shame."

Balak laughed awkwardly.

Since it was too regrettable to leave just like that, I drew a piece of paper and a pen from my pocket. Swiftly, I scribbled something on the paper and handed it to Balak.

"Take it."

"What's this?"

"My signature."

Balak, smiling faintly, tucked the paper I had written into his pocket.

"Check it when no one's around. It's hard to come by."

Leaving Balak behind with a small smile, I felt my legs weaken and crumpled under me as I hoisted Yuria on my back.

"We'll be off. Don't forget about me."

And with that, we parted ways.

***

As we descended the hill,

Yuria was silent.

Awkwardly being carried down the mountain on my back, not saying a word, it felt like I was going to die of awkwardness.

Yuria asked me.

"Did you plan this whole thing as well?"

"Hardly."

Our silent descent continued.

I had no clue what to say.

Breaking the silence, Yuria spoke to me.

"But, Ricardo. Do you always do that?"

"Do what?"

"Always show up when it's dangerous, save me, and leave like it's nothing. Why do you do that?"

"Umm… who knows?."

I couldn't say that it's because those were the only times that were written to be dangerous in the novel.

I was worried whether Yuria could handle herself, so I watched from the sidelines, but then I'd be labeled a stalker, which made it uncomfortable to speak.

Ah, am I really a stalker?

Now that I think about it, it seems about right.

I started to feel sorry in multiple ways.

Yuria addressed me again.

"Hey, Ricardo."

"Yes?"

"Every time you do that, I have a misconception, you know?"

"About what?"

Yuria lowered her head deeply.

"Are you actually impotent?"

Yuria muttered softly.

***

The mansion came into view.

A mansion that looked like haunted ghosts might appear any minute.

Yuria, who had been dozing on my back, said to me.

"Uh… why are we here?"

"We have to eat before we leave."

"What?"

I glanced at Ruin, whom I had dragged along the ground.

'If this guy hadn't passed out, I would have left him behind.'

Ruin, seemingly unable to stand up.

I had no choice but to bring Yuria to the mansion because the inns in Hamel had poor security.

Standing in front of the mansion, I looked at the window.

-Peek.

A silhouette of a person on the second floor.

Peering out, it seemed like we were hard to see because the sun had set, and the lady kept sticking her head out over and over.

I dropped Ruin on the ground and waved my hand.

"Lady!"

Finally realizing I had arrived, the lady exclaimed.

"Oh my goodness!!! Ricardo!"

And then, seeing Yuria come down from my back.

"Heh…?"

It was Olivia, wrapped in a blanket, looking like an adorable chipmunk.