The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 197

-Bang..!

Ruin, standing alone in the training grounds again today, wiped away the sweat dripping like rain and ground his teeth.

“Haah… Damn.”

Nothing was going right.

Ever since he failed to recognize Yuria at the ball, nothing had gone his way.

Ruin clenched his fist at the rapidly deteriorating state of his circumstances.

“Just hit it, damn it!”

There was no sign of improvement. With only three days left until the Ranking Battle, his magic hadn’t changed at all.

Despite practicing harder than ever in his life, the fact that all he could manage was barely hitting a scarecrow was utterly ridiculous.

Time was running out.

Meeting others’ expectations.

Blocking the flood of criticism. He had far too little time for either.

“Damn… Damn…!”

Comparison was inevitable. His peers had achieved so much.

Mikhail had gained an aura weapon within a year, the Crown Prince had reached a level of mastery in both sword and magic, and Yuria was growing rapidly as she learned holy magic. Meanwhile, he was stuck in place—or rather, sinking into a deep abyss.

To say there was no comparison would be a lie. Among those once called rookies, he was the worst.

-Hey, don’t you think Senior Ruin’s been acting strange lately? He seems really on edge and can’t even use basic magic.

-Nah~ He’s probably just not in good condition. Senior Ruin’s super strong, you know. He’s a disciple taught by the Tower Master!

-Really?

-Yeah! I think Senior Ruin is the strongest among the third-year students! He’s definitely going to show something amazing in this Ranking Battle.

There was nothing prepared to meet the expectations he had built up until now.

Ruin couldn’t shake off his urgent mind.

He was afraid of being criticized by everyone. He thought he had to do something.

He desperately needed a way to grow rapidly, no matter what it took.

To repay the admiring gazes he had received, the only way was to prove himself through skill.

“Damn it!”

-Sizzle….

“Damn it…!”

-A chuckle…

“Damn!”

-Pfft.

The only thing that increased with his efforts was his swearing.

Time passed.

A day.

Two days.

Having achieved no results, Ruin stood motionless in the training grounds, clenching his fists.

“This isn’t working. What am I supposed to do?”

Ruin had so many things he wanted to do.

He wanted to apologize to Yuria and be forgiven for the mistake he made that day. He wanted to be friends with her again. Because he wanted to feel that emotion he always felt—the joy of simply being with her—Ruin wanted to feel it again.

But appearing before Yuria in his current pathetic state brought up too many concerns, and there was no chance she would accept him.

No exceptional magic.

No shining future.

No admiring gazes. Approaching the radiant Yuria as his dull self would surely make him look pitiful. The way others would see him, and his fragile pride, wouldn’t allow it, so Ruin hesitated.

Unaware that Yuria had no intention of accepting his apology.

-Drip…

With a restless mind, Ruin bit his nails to calm his tangled thoughts.

‘Isn’t there some way…?’

-Drip…

‘Isn’t there a way to become stronger, even just for one day?’

-Drip!

‘If I could just be strong for one day, I think I could manage the rest by asking the old man for help. That way, it’d be good for me, and the old man could protect the Magic Tower’s honor…’

Ruin bit his nails as he searched for alternatives, grinding his teeth at the impulsive thoughts forming in his mind and shaking his head.

‘Are you crazy? That’s absolutely not an option.’

He didn’t want to follow the same path as his friend. No matter how desperate he was, that wasn’t something a person should do. It was also humiliating.

After all the disdain he’d shown, resorting to dark magic would be laughable. He had even mocked those without talent for using cowardly methods.

Ruin let out an empty laugh at his impulsive thoughts and shook his head, his fingers trembling as no conclusion came to him, even as time passed.

‘…’

And then, at the peak of his desperation.

With the plodding sound of footsteps, a woman in a white robe began walking into the training grounds.

She appeared to be in her thirties, wearing glasses and exuding a warm impression.

The woman looked at Ruin with a bright smile and called out.

“Oh my! Ruin, what are you doing here?”

It was a forced smile. She didn’t seem genuinely happy, nor did she appear genuinely surprised, though she acted as if she was.

At the sight of the woman, Ruin hid his bitten nails behind his back and spoke with a cold expression.

“Professor Shulia.”

Riven Shulia. A professor in the Magic Department and an instructor in mental magic.

Known for her kind tone, she was popular and well-regarded among students, but Ruin disliked her.

What Ruin pursued in magic was explosive power and strength, not the cunning nature of mental magic. Moreover, he didn’t like Professor Shulia’s meaningless compliments.

Ruin looked at the professor with wariness.

“What brings you here at this hour? It’s well past your working hours.”

“I left something behind. But what about you, Ruin? You’ve been here for quite a while, haven’t you?”

“I wasn’t doing anything…”

“Could it be that you’re reviewing?”

Shulia clapped her hands, cutting off Ruin’s words. Glancing at the sweat-drenched Ruin, she smiled with her eyes and spoke to him in a small voice.

“Impressive, Ruin.”

Feeling irritated by the condescending gaze Shulia directed at him, Ruin clicked his tongue and rejected her praise.

“Just go on your way.”

Shulia hugged the book tucked under her arm tightly and replied to Ruin.

“How could I leave when there’s such a dedicated student here? I never knew you were so passionate about magic, Ruin!”

Praise from anyone other than Yuria didn’t make Ruin happy. It felt like they were mocking his talent, and since Shulia wasn’t even better at magic than him, her compliments didn’t sit well with him. Ruin wore an unwelcoming expression and sighed.

Despite Ruin’s reaction, Shulia paid no mind and began talking about herself.

“I never thought Ruin, who never misses being second place, would actually review. Other professors said the same thing. ‘Ruin doesn’t need to do anything and still ranks above average.’ Especially since you always sleep during my classes, we thought you’d never bother with reviewing.”

“…”

“I guess I underestimated you. You’re amazing, Ruin.”

“If you’re done mocking me, just leave already.”

Ruin spoke to Shulia in a sharp tone. Listening to her whiny complaints about him not paying attention in class didn’t feel great.

Annoyed by Shulia’s sugary words hiding a bitter blade, Ruin wanted to drive her out of this space.

But Shulia, unfazed by Ruin’s cold demeanor, smiled calmly and took a step toward the scarecrow Ruin had been targeting.

“Oh my…”

Looking at the scarecrow Ruin had hit with his magic, Shulia let out a faint voice and turned to Ruin with a pitying smile.

“Your magic skills are truly pathetic. It looks like a Fireball, but it didn’t even burn the target.”

“…”

“Such an easy spell, yet there’s a student at our Academy who can’t even manage this basic magic? I thought only prodigies attended our Academy…”

“…”

“How fascinating.”

“Oh, for f*ck’s sake…”

“Oh my! That wasn’t directed at you, Ruin. I was talking to the student who hit this target. You’re far too exceptional for that.”

Shulia spoke in a small voice, just loud enough for Ruin to hear, hiding a thorn in her words with a sly “Surely not…”

“Ruin, you’re talented. You’re a disciple of the Tower Master and have remarkable talent. This should be simple for you, shouldn’t it?”

Shulia rolled up her sleeves as she spoke.

“Let me take this opportunity to observe you, or rather, I should say learn from you. After all, I need to study Ruin’s fire magic myself. I’m not very skilled with offensive magic, you see. Don’t you agree, Ruin? Hoho…”

“You’re really pissing me off.”

A cold current flowed between them.

Between Ruin, who looked ready to unleash magic at any moment, and Shulia, who wore a mocking smile, a cold current was palpable.

In an atmosphere as volatile as a haystack ready to catch fire, about ten minutes passed. Shulia began waving a book she had tucked under her arm in front of Ruin’s eyes.

“Hey, Ruin. Do you want to get stronger quickly?”

“…”

“I know how. You’re familiar with Hobbes from Class 1 of the 2nd Year, right?”

Ruin stopped his trembling fist and recalled the rumors surrounding the student named Hobbes.

It was a name he had heard before—a student who had rapidly risen to fame with remarkable growth.

At the mention of the rookie’s name, who had grown as if blessed by a fortuitous encounter, Ruin swallowed the curses that had risen to his throat and clenched his fist.

Shulia, noticing Ruin’s hesitant expression, began to wear a sinister smile.

“Actually, I personally mentored Hobbes. I guided his magic, gave him private lessons outside of class… Of course, Hobbes was naturally talented, which led to great results, but you know, Ruin. Things might change if you learn from me too, don’t you think? Hoho, am I boasting too much?”

“…”

With a chilling smile, Shulia slowly began to reveal her malice.

“Don’t you want to become stronger, Ruin?”

Ruin silently lowered his head, staring at the book Shulia held out.

Ruin was gradually being drawn in.

Even though he instinctively knew what that book was, he couldn’t look away.

‘I know.’

It would have been strange not to notice unless one was a fool. The sudden suggestion, the suspicious book—it was clear what that book signified. Ruin swallowed a bitter breath.

‘Damn, it’s dark magic…’

The path his close friend had once taken. The very worst magic he had dismissed now stood before him as a solution.

He knew he shouldn’t touch it. He knew he shouldn’t be tempted. Yet, Ruin couldn’t hold onto his reason.

‘Just once.’

If it’s just once, no one would know. If he kept his mouth shut, everything he worried about would be resolved. If he abandoned his conscience just this once, he could solve his deep-seated troubles. The temptation gnawed at Ruin’s impatient heart.

Shulia raised the corners of her mouth and spoke.

“Once is enough.”

In a soft whisper.

“If you learn it just once… you can become strong again, like before.”

Ruin reached out toward the black magic book.

As Ruin’s fingers slowly moved toward the book, Shulia’s lips curled further upward.

The moment Ruin touched the book.

-Fsssh…

The book began to turn ashen gray.

Shulia let out a dumbfounded laugh as she stared at Ruin.

“Huh…? This isn’t supposed to happen.”

In the midst of Ruin’s confusion, Shulia’s cold voice began to echo in his ears.

“Oh dear, Ruin. How unfortunate. It seems this magic tome, which forcibly awakens latent potential… doesn’t work on you. I guess you have no talent in this field at all.”

Ruin couldn’t process the words spilling from Shulia’s mouth.

The heart that had been pounding with tension.

The pride he had abandoned along with his conscience.

Everything had been denied.

Everything felt like a lie.

“Pathetic.”

***

A quiet young lady’s room.

“A fairy tale book!”

“Just a moment.”

“Eeeek…”

I looked at the young lady, who was clutching her blanket in frustration, and gave a small smile.

“Could you wait just a moment? Something interesting has come up.”

I burst into laughter as I felt the ancient magic I had engraved on Ruin begin to activate.

‘Foolish brat.’

It seemed something truly entertaining was about to unfold.