SWNOVELXO Chapter 155
TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 155
Ruin was glaring at Hanna.
“What did you just say?”
Ruin, infuriated by the arrogant junior standing with hands clasped behind her back and staring at him, felt his insides heat up.
-Such a comparison. Right?
The junior’s audacious remark comparing Ricardo to himself was not something Ruin could let slide.
Even though he had lost the foundation of his talent, he didn’t think he was lacking compared to that guy.
Not in terms of personality.
Not in terms of kindness.
Ruin, who believed he was better than Ricardo in those aspects, clenched his teeth and retorted to the arrogant junior’s response.
“Compare things that are actually comparable. This is disgusting.”
Hanna stared intently at Ruin.
After blankly looking at Ruin’s face, Hanna suddenly burst into laughter, causing Ruin to clench his fist.
“Puhaha! Ahahaha…! Ha… Senior, you’re seriously hilarious. You could be a comedian. ‘Compare things that are actually comparable’? I thought I was going to die laughing.”
Ruin’s expression, biting his lips tightly, was clearly visible to Hanna, who was a head shorter than him.
Suppressing his rising anger.
Hanna couldn’t stop herself from chuckling at the sight of her senior biting his lips, trying to hold back the rage that seemed ready to explode at any moment.
Hanna tilted her head with a sly smile.
“Don’t you think so?”
“…”
“I find it absolutely hilarious.”
“Shut up.”
“Oh my, are you telling your junior to shut up? How scary…”
Hanna covered her mouth with her hand, feigning a shocked expression. Behind her palm, however, a mocking smile was clearly forming.
Ruin, knowing full well the sneer hidden behind Hanna’s palm, ground his teeth as he glared at her.
Hanna met Ruin’s murderous gaze head-on and spoke.
“What? Are you going to try something?”
With those short but sharp words, a light brown aura began to emanate from Hanna’s fingertips, leaving Ruin speechless like a mute who had swallowed honey.
“See? You can’t do anything.”
Hanna spoke directly to Ruin, who was blocking the corridor.
“Move. You’re in the way.”
With a light bump to his shoulder as she passed, Hanna walked away, leaving Ruin to collapse against the corridor wall as if he had been struck.
Ruin, running a dry hand over his face, remained still in that spot for a long time.
*
Another peaceful day at the Young Lady’s estate.
“Hehe! Fetch!”
-Gooooom!
“Eeeek! Don’t bite me, fetch the ball!”
-Goom?
The Young Lady, playing in the yard with Gomtangi, who had grown to an intimidating size, was scolding her for trying to swallow her head instead of fetching the ball, thoroughly enjoying life.
“Eeeek! Ricardo, I’m being eaten!”
-Gooooom!
“Ugh…! Stop drooling on me!”
I couldn’t help but smile at the Young Lady’s eco-friendly approach to experiencing the laws of nature firsthand.
Thanks to Gomtangi’s presence, I had more free time and was leisurely watching the Young Lady from a rocking chair.
Is this what the life of a successful person looks like?
“Next time we go downtown, we should buy some toys for Gomtangi.”
The rubber ball, now riddled with deep teeth marks, had long since ceased to serve its purpose as a toy.
Looking at the barely intact rubber ball, I sipped the tea I had placed on the table with a smile.
As I savored the warm aroma of tea leaves spreading through my body, I looked at the swaying tree branches and spoke.
“Hans, why don’t you sit next to me? Isn’t it boring being alone?”
Hans, startled that his invisibility had been detected, flinched and dropped the pen he was holding, turning to look at me.
“Is my invisibility magic really that poor?”
Hans, with a surprised expression, spoke to me in a flustered voice, as if he hadn’t expected to be caught.
Invisibility magic.
Though it was a magic heavily influenced by one’s level of skill, Hans’s magic wasn’t clumsy.
It was just that I was more sensitive than others and had the advantage of Tirbing’s effect, which enhanced my detection abilities. Hans’s invisibility magic could actually be considered top-notch.
It was so advanced that it could potentially fool even an archbishop.
Shaking my head, I answered Hans’s question.
“No, it’s me who’s strange.”
“But still…”
“Yes?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Hans glanced at the Young Lady, shook his head, and brushed off his thoughts, muttering under his breath, “It must be a coincidence.”
As the sound of a chair creaking reached my ears, I turned to Hans and asked.
“What were you doing?”
“Oh, I was jotting down a list of necessary items.”
“Didn’t I already prepare a separate annex for you? It’s in the mountains, but it should have everything you need.”
Hans climbed down from the tree and sat beside me, openly handing me his pocket notebook.
“It’s not for me…”
Smiling, I leisurely read through the notebook Hans handed over.
[Errand List]
1. Chocolate.
2. Detergent.
3. Cleaning brush.
4. Replacing the burned-out light in the 3rd floor hallway.
5. Gomtangi’s toy.
Hans’s notebook was filled with items not for his personal use but for the estate’s needs.
When no one was around the estate, Hans had meticulously investigated and compiled a notebook so detailed it could be mistaken for that of a caretaker.
From noting which lights were out to what was needed, and even jotting down offhand remarks muttered in passing, Hans’s planned flattery made me laugh as I spoke.
“Why did you write all this down?”
“I was getting restless doing nothing.”
“You don’t need to do this. It’s my job, so I should handle it.”
“No, if it really bothers you, I’ll stop, but I just wanted to be of some help…”
Seeing Hans lower his head in regret, I waved my hand to calm him down.
“No, it’s fine. If you do it, it makes things much easier for me, but it also makes me feel guilty…”
Hans, smiling brightly at the mention of being helpful, tucked the notebook into his pocket and said, “Then I’ll keep doing it,” sounding like a fresh-faced rookie.
Somehow, I felt like a cruel employer who wasn’t paying him, which left me feeling uneasy.
Seeing Hans’s enthusiasm, which was second to none, I forced an awkward smile and shifted the topic to something more productive.
“By the way, how’s the Academy doing?”
“Ah…”
Hans scratched his head awkwardly, giving a sheepish smile.
“It’s the worst.”
“What?”
“Public sentiment at the Academy is terrible, and trust in the Student Council is hitting rock bottom.”
“Is that so?”
I had asked Hans for a difficult favor.
Since I was guarding the estate, I had asked him to leave for a while and gather information on the Academy’s current state.
With Ruin’s downfall, this was a critical time to pay attention to the story, and I needed someone to act as my eyes.
Nodding as I listened to Hans’s report, I asked.
“So, has the scheduled ‘Orc Subjugation’ assignment been canceled?”
“That’s not the case. Recently, the number of orcs in Hamel has increased significantly, so they plan to proceed by raising security since it serves both as field training and subjugation.”
“Hmm…”
There’s no major change to the story.
I thought Ruin’s absence would damage the story, but seeing how things are progressing, it doesn’t seem like there’s much to worry about. While it’s still too early to tell, there haven’t been any major incidents yet, and this wasn’t an event where Ruin played a central role.
Besides, Hans is set to fill Ruin’s vacancy.
Nodding at Hans’s words, I uttered a brief acknowledgment of his effort.
After reporting for quite some time, Hans brought up a matter regarding the Academy’s security.
“Also, there’s one proposal from the Student Council regarding this assignment.”
“A proposal…?”
“Yes.”
Having a rather capable errand-runner, I nodded in admiration.
Hans spoke in a calm voice.
“Princess Chartia made a suggestion…”
“A suggestion?”
“That’s right.”
Hans hesitated, carefully opening his mouth as if the words were hard to say. What he said next was something I hadn’t anticipated.
“There’s a proposal to appoint Histania Malik as the guide.”
“What?”
“I was surprised when I heard it too, but it’s something both Hanna and Princess Chartia advocated for.”
“Hmm… Is that really necessary?”
Hans shrugged, indicating he didn’t know either.
“As you know, the atmosphere at the Academy isn’t great right now. There’s talk about needing someone reliable and skilled.”
“But why Malik? He’s already a busy man.”
“It seems it’s because Histania Malik is a knight who has handled incidents before and is from the Histania Family, making him trustworthy. Though it’s not my place to say, I suppose my own case serves as an example.”
“Ah… That’s true.”
Hans gave an awkward laugh and lowered his head.
“Well, it’s something to think about later, so there’s no need to worry about it now.”
If it’s Malik, he’s skilled enough to serve as a guide without any shortcomings.
As I was finishing my teacup around that time…
Hans, gauging my reaction, pulled out a burning orb from his pocket.
With an awkward expression, Hans cautiously brought up the difficulty of handling it.
“What should we do with this?”
Hans’s hand, offering me the magic plundered from Ruin, moved with the ease of a loyal subject.
“Wouldn’t it be better to deal with this quickly?”
When Hans asked whether to return it to Ruin or let me absorb it, I shrugged and decided to put it on hold.
“Let’s leave it alone for now.”
“What?”
Hans responded with a reluctant expression.
“What if Ruin ends up learning dark magic like me? What will you do then?”
I chuckled and waved my hand dismissively.
“Do you think that’s likely?”
“Honestly… yes.”
“Hmm, I don’t think so.”
Thinking of the green-haired head sulking at the Academy, I smiled.
“Let’s leave him to struggle for a while.”
“Even if he learns dark magic, it won’t be much of a problem.”
“What do you mean by that…?”
I looked at Hans and asked.
In this field, Hans was an expert. He should be able to grasp my thoughts.
“As a dark magic expert, what do you think of Ruin’s talent?”
“…”
“See?”
Smiling, I let out a lazy yawn.
“Even if he darkens, Hans can handle him.”
“…Are you a devil?”
“Hmm. I’m a villain.”
I smiled at Hans.
“Does it sound boring to you?”
“…”
Hans didn’t hide his smile as he replied.
“No, not at all.”
*
And then I…
“It’s been a while, Butler!”
…was sent here in Malik’s stead.
‘Damn.’