TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 141
A chilly atmosphere began to fill the banquet hall.
The gaze of the crying Girl and the dumb Green-haired Head staring at me was ruining the ball that had been filled with laughter.
I ignored Ruin and kept repeating the act of stroking the Girl’s head.
[This is a space where the Affinity Window cannot be used.]
-Find Yuria.
-You can only make one choice.
-Once the choice is completed, the use of the Affinity Window will become available.
The Affinity Window had been unresponsive since the moment I entered the banquet hall.
There was no guarantee that the Yuria in front of me was the real one.
The absence of the Affinity Window was somewhat expected, so I had prepared insurance in the form of a Pure White Dress, but no one in the banquet hall was wearing the dress I had bought.
In the novel, Yuria had come wearing a Worn-out Dress.
Not the dress Ruin had bought, but a secondhand dress, and she had been subjected to much neglect at the ball, as I recalled from the story.
Just like now, Ruin did not recognize Yuria, and ultimately, near the end of the ball, Ruin, who had been searching for Yuria, saw her crying on the veranda and realized that her face had changed—this was the episode.
It was quite a touching story.
The illustration of Ruin grabbing the wrist of the crying Yuria and apologizing for not recognizing her was truly captivating, but now… it’s all a mess.
The difference between reality and the novel was this very moment. In the novel, there was no conflict between Ruin and the changed-faced Yuria.
In the novel, Ruin had neglected Yuria and there had been no conversation.
It was like the Little Mermaid, who had lost her voice, hiding behind a rock and wistfully watching the Prince—a heart-wrenching and tender scene.
Hmm.
I feel like everything has gotten thoroughly tangled.
I smiled as I looked at the crying Girl in front of me.
“Don’t cry.”
“Sniff… I’m not crying.”
“Liar. You’re bawling your eyes out.”
“I’m not…”
“Hmm. I’d like to scold you for not wearing the dress I bought, but seeing you cry like this, I can’t bring myself to do it.”
A Quest where the Possessor’s Privilege is sealed.
I had thought it would be a difficult Quest. Missing the one chance would lead directly to failure.
I had imagined it would be as hard as finding Mr. Kim Cheolsu in Alaska, but this… this Quest was absurdly easy.
Looking at the Girl in front of me, crying so sorrowfully without even being able to defend herself, I couldn’t help but laugh.
Who wouldn’t know?
That this person was Yuria.
I couldn’t deny that the number of hints made it easy to find her, but even without the hints, I believed I could have found her easily.
Someone who couldn’t speak up to others.
Someone who, whenever something happened, would hide in a corner and brood alone, making a tearful face—there was only one person I remembered like that, and it was Yuria.
Even in the novel.
Even during our Academy days.
I had remembered and stored away the image of Yuria.
Because I was Yuria’s Friend.
And the Possessor who had possessed the novel.
It wouldn’t be wrong to say I couldn’t not know.
I smiled as I looked at Yuria, who was shaking her head vigorously.
“No… I’m not the person you’re thinking of.”
See? If this isn’t Yuria, then who is it? Shaking her head when flustered, covering her face with her hands when sad—these were all habits of Yuria.
“Is that so?”
With a small “hup,” I knelt down in front of Yuria.
Matching her eye level, I calmly looked into Yuria’s face, slightly curling up the corners of my mouth as I held her hand.
Yuria’s hand, trembling slightly, was delicate and cold. Holding her slender wrist, which looked as if it might break at any moment, I slowly began to pull her hand away from her face.
“Don’t…”
Yuria, resisting and trying not to show her face, shook her head vigorously again.
“What are you hiding?”
“It’s not hiding… I’m not the person you think I am. I’m terribly ugly and hideous. You’ve mistaken me for someone else.”
“Is that so? But I have an eye for recognizing beautiful people, and you don’t look like that to me.”
“No, I’m not. I’m really not.”
“Then perhaps your heart is beautiful.”
“Please stop. I’m begging you…”
Yuria muttered to me in a voice that was barely audible. Her trembling voice carried a Vehement Denial, but at the same time, it sounded so sorrowful that it felt like a desperate plea for someone to hold onto her.
I applied a little more strength and slowly lowered Yuria’s wrist.
When I saw Yuria’s hand covered in Bandage Tape, I gave a bitter smile.
“It must hurt.”
“…”
“Instead of telling me to heal you, I think you should take better care of your own body.”
“…I.”
“Enough.”
I smiled as I looked at Yuria’s face.
“Alright. Stop crying. It pains me.”
Her eyes were swollen.
Her cheeks, shiny and smeared with a Runny Nose, made me stifle a laugh.
“Finally, I can see your face.”
“…”
“Why were you hiding it? What do you lack?”
“Because I’m ugly…”
“You’re not.”
“Liar.”
Yuria sniffled and shook her head. Biting her lower lip, her trembling shoulders quivered uncontrollably.
“If anyone calls you ugly, tell me.”
“…There’s no one.”
“Liar.”
“It’s true.”
I could roughly guess, though…
With a Gentle Smile, I began to glance around the banquet hall.
First, the girl standing next to Mikhail.
The girl hesitating near Ruin.
And lastly, the one with Brown Hair talking beside the Crown Prince.
The girls who met my gaze began to pale.
They were people I was somewhat acquainted with.
I remembered warning them in the past not to cross the line. I had told them that if they did it again, they wouldn’t like the consequences.
“I’ve got a pretty good idea.”
“Huh?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just talking to myself.”
I wiped away the tears from Yuria’s eyes and roughly tousled her hair.
As the soft pink Hair spread through my hand, a faint lavender scent lingered on my palm.
‘You could recognize her just by the scent of her shampoo.’
There seem to be more idiots in the novel than I expected.
Especially the Green-haired Head glaring at me with displeasure right now.
Yuria slowly pulled away from my touch, rubbed her sniffling eyes, and hurriedly began to run away.
“I’m sorry. You’re mistaken. I’m not the person you think I am…”
“I understand.”
“Please believe me.”
“I only believe my own eyes.”
“…”
Yuria, realizing that words would not get through, ran toward the Veranda as if fleeing.
It must be complicated.
She must have noticed the truth, yet at the same time, she wouldn’t want to show her broken self.
Was I lacking in consideration?
It might have been better to quietly approach her when she was alone, but I was too angry to do that.
As Yuria glanced back while running, I waved my hand slightly and smiled at her.
“Don’t cry.”
Reading the movement of my lips, Yuria began to shed even more tears as she ran toward the Veranda.
As I inhaled the lingering Scent of Shampoo, I placed my hands on my knees and slowly stood up.
It was about time to get started.
Before going to Yuria, I needed a place to Vent my Anger.
After all, I couldn’t just leave the ones who nearly caused the Heroine to Darken alone.
I, too, am a Reader.
As someone who is exceptionally sensitive about the Story of a Novel and someone whose peaceful unemployed life has been disturbed, wouldn’t it be proper to leave an appropriate Gift for these Noteworthy Persons?
To do so, it would be right to first hold accountable the person who inflicted the greatest Wound on Yuria.
Looking at Ruin, who had his hands in his Pocket, I smiled.
“You’ve done quite the deed.”
Ruin let out a Deep Sigh and said.
“What a pathetic display.”
The sound of his tongue clicking echoed through the Silence of the Banquet Hall.
“Ugly bastards causing a scene.”
It seemed Ruin was displeased with the current situation. He still hadn’t noticed Yuria’s presence.
Ruin approached me until he was right in front of me, looking up at me with a cold gaze.
“Who are you, and why are you here?”
With a Small Smile, I stayed silent and listened to Ruin. Let’s see how far he’s willing to go with his words.
“Why don’t you just stay cleaning up after that Ruined Olivia? What on earth brought you back to the Academy?”
“I wasn’t longing for it, though?”
“Look at you talking back again. Annoying as hell. Get lost if you don’t want to hear nonsense.”
As Ruin headed toward the Veranda, I asked in a calm voice.
“Are you finished?”
“What?”
Ruin raised an eyebrow and questioned me with an expression that seemed to find my words absurd. To Ruin, who responded as if my words were ridiculous, I kindly explained.
“I asked if you were done talking.”
“What’s the point of talking to you? It’s useless.”
“Haha, is that so? Then it’s my turn to speak now.”
With a Cruel Smile, I opened my mouth.
“Mr. Ruin.”
There are several ways to torment Ruin.
Kill him with Violence.
Break him with Inferiority Complex and Talent, or kill him with words.
No matter how I think about it, this seems to be the most effective method for Ruin.
“What is it that you can actually do?”
Breaking his Foundation.
Ruin, you are disqualified as the Supporting Male Lead.