SWNOVELXO Chapter 142
TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 142
Ruin is surrounded by a lot of hype.
He is revered by those around him.
And he was actually quite talented.
Above all, the Magic Tower’s backing inflated Ruin’s reputation to an absurd degree.
Although Ruin rises to the ranks of the strongest by the end of the novel, that was strictly a story for the later chapters.
As of now, Ruin was someone who couldn’t do anything. He created unnecessary conflicts, escalated situations, and his terrible personality made those around him tread carefully. If his exceptional skills had justified his hype, that would be one thing, but the Ruin I saw was nothing more and nothing less than a green-haired nuisance with a rotten personality.
He didn’t possess the mana to rain meteors down on the earth like the Master of the Magic Tower, nor did he command hundreds of summoned creatures like Darbav.
While he had enough talent to become an Archmage, he was severely lacking both in character and skill.
And to top it off, he even made the novel’s heroine cry…
He has now crossed a point of no return.
I, too, had my own standards.
I loved the novel.
As a reader who had followed the story of “The Strongest at the Academy Like Me” to its conclusion and as a possessor deeply invested in the story, I had clear boundaries.
Since my possession, I could count on one hand the times I interfered with the story.
Changing the future of someone destined to darken into a major antagonist, or, conversely, killing them—those were the extent of my actions.
The most memorable incident was probably when I took care of a girl who was fated to darken into an apostle.
It was all done for the sake of a peaceful and idle life. Their existence posed a significant threat to my tranquil lifestyle. And it was also out of consideration to ease the protagonists’ hardships.
As long as I didn’t cross three specific lines, I left the novel’s story as untouched as possible.
Because that was the only thing I could do as both a reader and a possessor.
The first was the Young Lady’s safety.
The second was anything that could threaten my peaceful life.
The third and final line was—
Making Yuria cry.
Today, Ruin crossed two of those lines.
From now on, Ruin’s existence seemed likely to threaten my peaceful, idle life.
Until now, Ruin had never truly felt the gap between himself and others. He had never encountered an opponent he couldn’t beat no matter what he did. Even when he met Ballack, the Archbishop of Despair, at Hamel Mountain last time, he must have deluded himself into thinking he could somehow manage.
In the novel, Ruin always harbored thoughts typical of someone with Eighth Grader Syndrome.
“If I fight properly, I can win.”
What an idiot. Claiming you lost because you didn’t fight properly is nothing more than an excuse to protect your pride.
However, the novel always sided with Ruin. Whenever he faced a defeated opponent again, he would awaken or learn new magic and emerge victorious.
Moreover, as a romance fantasy novel, the male protagonists had to stand out in strength, so Ruin was more accustomed to winning than losing. I thought it was understandable why he developed such a shallow mindset.
But now, even that understanding was wearing thin.
He made my friend cry.
And he disrupted my peaceful, idle life. I no longer wanted to show Ruin any consideration.
Ruin was weaker than I had thought. To exaggerate slightly, he was only marginally better than the students attending the Academy. There was no overwhelming difference in skill. To the point where I thought it might be better to give Ruin’s fortuitous encounters to someone else and nurture them instead.
What gave him the confidence to act so arrogantly was obvious without even looking. His thinking was just as simple.
So, I decided to shatter Ruin’s foundation.
If he could endure, he would continue to hold the position of the Sub Male Lead. If not, he would remain trapped in his own world, unable to grow.
I planned to destroy Ruin’s foundation with the truth—that he wasn’t as exceptional as he thought he was.
This was both a way to steer the novel in a better direction and a means of venting my frustration.
“What?”
Ruin let out an empty laugh, tilting his head in disbelief.
“Why wouldn’t I be capable? I could kill you right now.”
I nodded in response to Ruin’s cute provocation and replied.
“Go ahead.”
“Hey…”
“You can’t, can you?”
“…”
“Honestly, you’re not confident, are you? You’ve never beaten me before, and you’re scared of being utterly humiliated in front of so many people.”
“You… You’re being incredibly arrogant today.”
“But isn’t it true? Even now, you’re calculating whether you can beat me or not.”
Ruin gritted his teeth and glared at me.
“Shut up.”
“No, I won’t.”
“Stop running your mouth.”
“Oh, how scary.”
Ruin’s pride was like a towering fortress.
And at the core of that pride was the backing of the Magic Tower.
Sure, he was talented, but only because he had a solid foundation to rely on.
As the Tower Master’s disciple with outstanding magical talent, everyone praised and revered him. Naturally, evaluations of him were bound to be generous.
Frankly, both Ruin and I needed to be more humble.
An orphan of the slum.
We were lucky to have been picked up by wealthy benefactors and to live prosperous lives. We had no right to look down on others.
I began to prod at Ruin’s reverse scale.
“But isn’t what I’m saying true? Mr. Ruin can’t do anything, can he?”
“And what about you? Are you so great?”
“Yes, I must be. Otherwise, the Academy wouldn’t have sent me a letter asking me to reenroll. You, who delivered it, should know that well.”
“Bullshit. They just feel sorry for you.”
“Even being pitied is a talent.”
At my unyielding response, Ruin let out a deep sigh.
He must have been frustrated.
But so what?
How Ruin felt wasn’t my concern. I had no interest in the feelings of a Sub Male Lead.
“Ah… Now that I think about it, the Magic Tower is quite similar to Ruin. They don’t do anything except raise traitors to the Empire, shelter murderers, and produce wizards with rotten personalities. They just keep causing shitty problems.”
“…”
“One of them fell into dark magic and went down a path of no return, and another released such a criminal. Wow… Is the Magic Tower this pathetic because it’s full of idiots?”
“Shut your mouth before I kill you.”
“I’m not insulting the Magic Tower. I’m just stating the facts as they are.”
“Shut up…”
“I’m talking. Shut up and listen, will you?”
When I treated him politely, he became cocky. He was incredibly arrogant.
Ruin spat out a retort boiling up from his core.
“Then Desmond is…!”
“I admit that the Young Lady of the House of Desmond is lacking. But isn’t the Magic Tower the same?”
“Don’t spout nonsense. How can the Magic Tower and a small noble household be the same?”
“If the House of Desmond is a small noble household, then is the Imperial Family just a house with a big yard?”
“…”
“Think before you speak.”
Personally, I didn’t have a bad opinion of the Magic Tower. It was a place that produced outstanding wizards and continuously worked to advance magic—a massive research institution.
However, I held significant negative feelings toward the wizards living within the Magic Tower.
A sense of superiority.
They deluded themselves into thinking they were chosen, ceasing to grow and perpetuating the toxic cycle of elitism.
This was just my personal opinion, so I didn’t want to dwell on it too much.
The Magic Tower was great, but Ruin wasn’t. I spoke without filtering my thoughts.
“What exactly are you capable of?”
“Stop picking a fight.”
“Let’s think rationally.”
I tapped my head lightly, trying to instill the concept of thinking into Ruin.
“The only thing you’re somewhat good at is magic. Do you have overwhelming skill? Not really, do you?”
“Then what else is there? Your personality is trash, you constantly irritate the Tower Master, and you only cause incidents that tarnish the Magic Tower’s image. You’re basically just a barking dog.”
“Shut up.”
“Oh, and.”
I looked toward the veranda where Yuria had left and pointed out the most critical flaw.
“Isn’t it ridiculous for Ruin to lose his temper at that person? Who does Ruin think he is to tell someone else to take off or not wear their dress?”
“…”
“Are you close with that person?”
There was no response from Ruin.
“I asked if you’re close.”
“…”
“You’re not even close, so why are you acting like this? I have sharp ears, so I heard everything, and wow… it was incredibly disgusting.”
“…”
“I also hate wearing the same shirt as Ruin, but if someone told me to change, would I feel good about it?”
“That was for a reason, you damn bastard.”
“Then take it off. I have my reasons too.”
I looked at Ruin with a cruel smile.
“Just kidding.”
Ruin’s face turned red, as if it were about to explode.
The flow of mana emanating from Ruin quickened, and he clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly, seemingly unable to contain his boiling anger.
‘I think I should stop here for today.’
As much as I wanted to continue, I didn’t want to leave the person waiting on the terrace alone.
Before leaving for the veranda, I looked at Ruin and asked a question, offering a subtle hint to make him reflect on his actions.
“Just hypothetically, what if the person who ran to the veranda was Yuria? How would you feel?”
“What?”
“It would feel awful, wouldn’t it? If I were that person, any favorability I had for you would disappear. I’m just curious about what you think, Mr. Ruin.”
“That would never happen, so shut your damn mouth.”
I cut off Ruin’s words and smiled.
“It sounds like it would be so much fun.”
I have a bad personality.
Perhaps even worse than Ruin’s.
Once I made a decision, I rarely changed it, and I enjoyed tormenting others in a subtle, insidious way.
Maybe it’s because I serve a villainess.
Watching Ruin, who took the bait without me even offering any tasty morsels, I smiled.
“I won’t do anything.”
“I won’t help clear up misunderstandings, nor will I assist with whatever happens to Ruin in the future.”
“What are you even talking about? What have you ever done for me anyway?”
“Puhaha! That’s true. From Ruin’s perspective, it must seem that way.”
I clasped my hands behind my back and strolled leisurely.
“A lot of things are going to change from now on. Those matters that resolved themselves so easily, those fortuitous encounters you stumbled upon thanks to sheer luck—you might not see them anymore.”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
“I’m just talking nonsense.”
“Ha.”
“But I’m really curious about how the relationship between Yuria and Ruin will change.”
I took a step closer to Ruin and asked.
“Haven’t you noticed anything strange?”
“What?”
“The voice of the person who ran to the veranda. Their actions. The scent of their perfume. The color of their hair. Didn’t you find anything odd about them?”
“…”
“Think carefully. About what you missed and about what will happen from now on. I hope you’ll savor it slowly.”
At that moment, a sharp voice rang out from behind me.
-Shut up! How dare a mere butler serving a villainess insult Ruin!
A female student, who seemed to be one of Ruin’s devoted admirers, clutched the hem of her dress tightly and shouted at me.
Looking at the student, her face flushed red with anger, I smiled faintly and replied.
“Shut your mouth.”
“…Hic.”
“I’m in a very bad mood right now.”
With silence descending, people who had come to mediate began to approach us one by one.
The Student Council President, Chartia. Mikhail. The Crown Prince. And other significant supporting characters were now holding onto Ruin’s shoulders. I shrugged and smiled at the situation.
“It’s too early to get angry. Things are just getting started, and we can’t have you collapsing from hypertension now, can we?”
“Let go. I’m going to kill that bastard today.”
“Hmm…”
Just as I was about to say more, a chilling voice came from behind me. It was the high-pitched voice of a boy.
“Stop it.”
Mikhail stood behind me, his sharp eyes glaring. He had his hand on the hilt of his sword, as if ready to draw it at any moment.
In a situation where Mikhail, wielding the authority of the Disciplinary Committee, was threatening a poor civilian with his sword, I raised my hands to signal surrender.
Mikhail let out a deep sigh and shook his head.
“Get out of here quickly. I don’t want to see your face any longer.”
“I don’t want to see your face either, but if I leave now, something quite regrettable might happen.”
“What?”
I looked at the large clock hanging on the banquet hall wall and smiled enigmatically.
6:30 PM.
Thirty minutes before the Cultists’ Raid begins.
I didn’t want to miss the entertaining spectacle.