TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 31
Silence flowed through the air.
With Yuria looking at me with moist eyes and Ruin glaring at me as if he wanted to kill me, I found myself at a loss under the burdensome gazes of the Heroine and Sub Male Lead from the novel.
Especially Ruin.
Ruin glared at me fiercely.
Clenching and unclenching his fist repeatedly, Ruin looked ready to fire Magic at my face at any moment.
It seemed like he wanted to take this opportunity to score points with Yuria, but I wasn’t inclined to play along with the Village Chief of Green Algae Village’s plans.
I asked Ruin sincerely, wondering if he wanted to flirt with me or if he just kept trying to make eye contact.
“What are you looking at? You stayed silent when we bullied Yuria.”
“What?”
“Why? Are you going to say it was because you weren’t close to her back then?”
“…Shut up. I didn’t know Yuria was struggling back then…!”
“Bullshit.”
As expected, Ruin formed a Red Sphere in his hand. Just as he stomped the ground and prepared to charge at me.
“Ruin!”
Yuria shouted.
Ruin glared at Yuria.
He sent her a gaze protesting why she was stopping him, and I sent her the same look.
I could’ve turned Ruin’s head into a flower arrangement, so why was she stopping me?
“Yuria.”
Ruin called her name in a serious voice.
“That bastard said he bullied you because it was fun.”
“Not ‘that bastard.’ His name is Ricardo, Village Chief of Green Algae Village.”
“This bastard.”
“And don’t sugarcoat it. It wasn’t because of Yuria; it’s probably because you felt guilty. I don’t recall seeing you when Yuria was bullied at the Academy.”
What I said was true.
At that time, Ruin was slowly building up his feelings for Yuria.
Back then, to Ruin, Yuria was just a rather pretty woman. Nothing more, nothing less.
The bullying bothered him.
But he wasn’t someone who would go out of his way to intervene.
“I told you to shut up!”
“Shh.”
I pressed a finger to my lips.
“Quiet down. The Orcs might wake up. Even if Mr. Ruin might be mistaken for one of them, Yuria and I wouldn’t be.”
“I’ll kill you….”
“Feel free to try if you can handle it. I can handle it, but I don’t think you can.”
Ruin flinched.
Even as a master of Fire Magic, he knew he’d be turned into minced meat if he fought several Elite Orcs.
Seeing Ruin quiet down, I smiled faintly.
“Let’s talk quietly.”
Yuria, who had been silently watching, spoke to me.
“Ricardo.”
“Yes.”
“Is this fun for you?”
A clumsy, lowered voice.
She tried to look me straight in the eye, but her pupils wavered whenever our gazes met.
Yuria, unused to expressing anger, clutched her skirt tightly and spoke.
“Do you find this situation funny?”
“….”
“When someone’s asking you seriously, you start fighting with Ruin, and I don’t even exist to you?”
At some point, her eyes began to fill with tears.
I clenched my fist at her tearful eyes that looked like they’d overflow at the slightest touch.
“Am I a joke to you?”
“No.”
“Then why are you doing this?”
“….”
“I’m asking you! Why are you acting like this? Why!”
Yuria spoke accusingly.
Her resentment-filled question left me unable to speak.
No excuse I made here would change anything.
We were the bad guys, simply trying to be less bad.
To Yuria, we were no different from elementary school kids whining, “But others bullied you worse, so why are you picking on me?”
I answered with silence.
“Speak.”
“…”
“I’m asking you. Did you hate seeing me that much? Or was it because I’m a commoner hanging out with nobles?”
It was the phrase Yuria heard the most at the Academy.
In the early part of the novel, Yuria was described not as someone who was beautiful.
Not as someone who was lovely.
Not as someone amazing.
But as a mere commoner.
Someone disgusting to look at.
Someone who seemed vulgar. Those were the words she often heard.
What Yuria heard at the Academy was also what I heard most often.
Unlike Yuria, who enrolled because of her overwhelming Divine Power, I was a commoner who got into the Academy solely because of my status as a Young Lady’s follower.
Perhaps because I faced even harsher discrimination than Yuria, I understood better than anyone the struggles of being a commoner at the Academy.
That’s why Yuria was saying this to me now.
As a fellow commoner, why did I discriminate against her? Maybe it was venting anger over my own experiences, or maybe I genuinely disliked her.
A fellow commoner.
Someone who could share hardships.
Someone who could endure the nobles’ disdain together, yet found amusement in bullying her.
If I were Yuria, I’d probably lose all affection too.
I spoke honestly. Forgetting what I initially said, this time, I was truthful.
“It’s not neglect. I’m a commoner too. How could I neglect you?”
“Then what? Are you saying it’s just like you said earlier, that you did it because it was fun?”
“No. Earlier was just…”
‘Because no matter what I say, you won’t believe me. That was my final plea.’
Hiding my frustrating thoughts for a moment.
I offered a plausible alternative.
“Well… it’s just….”
Yuria let out an empty laugh.
I knew all too well how frustrating I must seem to her.
I really was a fool.
Which is why I felt even more sorry toward Yuria.
I gave the best answer I could think of.
“Because I’m a bad person.”
“Ha.”
-Slap.
Yuria slapped my cheek.
***
Two days later, after finishing the task, I was on my way back to the Academy.
“…”
Yuria’s expression as she descended the mountain was not good.
Even though she had perfectly completed the task and could now return to the Academy and restore her position in the rankings.
Even though she could recover her ranking, which had fallen to the lower ranks after losing to Hanna early in the Ranking Tournament.
Yuria, who couldn’t quite shake off her gloom, let out a deep sigh.
“Haa…”
Ever since meeting Ricardo, she had been this way. This feeling of something being unsettling and unresolved.
‘It’s because I’m bad, isn’t it?’
She still couldn’t forget that face. The face that smiled brightly even after being slapped.
-Now I feel a little relieved.
-Are you crazy?
-I thought I deserved at least one hit.
She hated him, yet the sight of him bowing his head and thanking her weighed on her mind.
She definitely disliked him.
She really disliked him.
She didn’t even want to run into him by chance.
Yet she hated herself for secretly wishing to see him again.
Because she had liked him so much.
He always appeared like a Knight on a White Horse to defeat the villains.
-Young Lady, bite.
-I’m not a puppy, though?
-I’ll go buy a mint chocolate bath bomb.
-I’m good at barking!
When she drank Poisoned Black Tea and collapsed.
-Who the hell is it?
-…
-You better speak now. Otherwise, you’re really dead.
In front of High Nobles, The Man, who was just a Commoner, was gritting his teeth and standing there. It was impossible not to fall for him.
Though all of that was in the past now.
“Haa… Yuria, get a grip.”
She had to get a grip.
Yuria had no intention of forgiving Ricardo.
She found it infuriating that he didn’t return when he could have re-enrolled. Even though she had heard that Olivia was sick, she didn’t believe the exaggerated Rumors spread by the Nobles, and that was the conclusion she had come to.
“Hey, Yuria.”
Perhaps worried about her downcast appearance, Ruin quietly spoke to her. Having a good Friend like Ruin made Yuria feel a little better.
“You don’t look so good. How about we go to the Friends of Forest on the way back?”
“Friends of Forest? We went there last time, didn’t we?”
Ruin smiled and said.
“We can go again.”
Yuria shook her head.
She didn’t want to burden Ruin, who had already taken the time to be with her.
“No, it’s fine. I’m feeling better now.”
“I’ll pay, though.”
“No, really, I’m fine.”
Ruin gave a regretful smile.
After walking a little further.
“Uh… What’s that?”
Ruin, who was walking ahead, suddenly grabbed Yuria’s clothes in alarm.
“Kyaa!”
Losing her balance, Yuria fell.
Yuria quickly tried to get up. If Ruin was acting like this, it meant Monsters or bandits had appeared.
As she moved to quickly assume a combat stance and get up.
“Yuria. Stay still.”
Ruin held her down.
Ruin, who was casting Magic with a grave expression, caused Yuria to shut her mouth tightly.
Ruin muttered under his breath.
“Damn.”
Something was clearly very wrong.
Yuria slowly lifted her head.
A towering The Man stood there.
Holding a massive Greatsword.
With a deranged expression, The Man was staring at them.
“You seem very fortunate.”
Drip. A drop of blood fell on Yuria’s forehead.
“Uh… Uh…?”
Yuria stammered.
Ruin, too, couldn’t say a word.
Because of the immense presence before them.
Dressed in Black Priest Robes.
Wielding a massive Greatsword, covered in countless scars, The Man.
Holding a Black Scripture, he spoke.
“Ah… Let me ask for directions, Saints.”
-Gulp.
“Do you know the path to Salvation?”
It happened in an instant.
The cold blade of the Greatsword approached Yuria’s face, and just as she thought she couldn’t do anything.
“What are you doing?”
Bang. With a powerful explosion, the ground shook violently.
***
The Dust Cloud cleared.
Yuria, who had tightly shut her eyes, cautiously opened them.
Her body was unharmed.
Yuria let out a sigh of relief.
“What are you doing? Do you really have a death wish?”
A cold, hardened voice echoed in her ears.
Polite yet arrogant in tone.
Recognizing the familiar tone, Yuria lifted her head.
Standing there was the Red-Haired Man, holding back the Greatsword with both hands.
The Man spoke.
“Close your eyes for now.”