Unintended Encounter -1-

I turned around. A man sauntering over with his hands in his pockets and that familiar smirk on his face. The esteemed village head of Nokjo Village. It was Ruin.

Seeing him, a thought crossed my mind. 'What the hell is Ruin doing here?'

It was a pleasant surprise running into an academy classmate in such an unexpected place, but Ruin shouldn't be here right now. In the story, it took about a week for news of the dungeon to spread to the capital, drawing adventurers—and Ruin along with them. So why was he here already? He sure as hell wasn't out for a hike.

Unable to contain my curiosity, I asked him straight up. Why he'd come here.

"Um... Mr. Nokjo Mage?"

"...It's Ruin."

"Got it. Sir Nokjo Knight, then."

"Not a knight. A mage. And it's Ruin."

Ruin clenched his fist tight. Same as always—he couldn't stand me. I'd memorized his name properly and was even using polite speech, but every time we met, he looked pissed. Ruin's psyche was harder to figure out than the girl from that fairy tale who got sliced by the magic blade. What the hell had I ever done to him?

He acted like he'd hand his liver and gall bladder to Yuria on a platter, but with me, he flew off the handle every time. It hurt my feelings, honestly. We weren't close at the academy, but we'd at least exchange greetings in the halls.

"Hey, Vice-Rank. How's it going~?"

"You mocking me?"

"No? Our lady brags about being top rank."

"You little shit."

We'd bump into each other in the corridors, greet warmly, congratulate each other on wins, and when it was time to rub salt in the wounds, I'd do it with a bright smile. But now, seeing only this angry side of Ruin, I felt a pang of regret. Those were good memories.

"Uh... Ruin, I heard you burned our lady's dress in the sparring match. It was pretty pricey—are you okay covering it? If it's tough, we could..."

"I can pay it back. You think I can't afford one damn dress?"

"300,000 gold."

"...Huh?"

"Our lady said not to make you pay, but should I send the bill to the Magic Tower, then?"

"Wait just a sec...!"

I vaguely remembered consoling Ruin after he lost to Mikhail day after day and collapsed in the training grounds.

"Lady, there's moss on the floor."

"Oh...! It's huge!"

"You assholes, quit mocking me!"

"It talks."

"Hieeek...!"

I was thrilled to see him, but why was he acting like this? Ruin smacked his lips as he eyed me, clenching and unclenching his fists in excitement. Like a dog in heat.

Not like he was my sworn enemy or anything—why was his favorability this low? It stung. But hey, friends are friends. Putting on my best welcoming smile, I offered Ruin a handshake.

"Anyway, good to see you, Ruin."

"Good to see me?"

Ruin snorted. Guess I was a joke to him. Or maybe the situation was. Either way, it wasn't the friendly kind of laugh.

He glanced back over his shoulder, peering around like he was searching for something. After scanning a bit more, he turned to me with a mocking sneer.

"Hey. Where's Olivia?"

"At home."

"Home?"

Hearing the lady wasn't around perked up our Nokjo Village head. Last time at Forest Friend, he'd been like a wet puppy. Now? A bulldog staring down a Chihuahua.

Ruin strode right up to me. Too close—back off. I was scared I'd reflexively slam his head into the ground out of habit. I took a step back to keep a safe distance.

'Don't come closer. You'll pass out again.'

If I was gonna knock him out, better to hear his last words first. And if there were other students around, I'd have to deal with them too.

Ruin said to me, "Ricardo, I'm not glad to see you."

"I see. What can we do? I'm really glad to see you, Ruin."

"Yeah?"

Ptooey. Ruin spat right next to my shoe. His white spit landed perilously close to my beat-up leather boots.

"Pfft. What the hell's with those shoes?"

He chuckled at my footwear. Marking his territory like some mutt—pissed me right off.

"Even a goblin wouldn't wear those."

"Is that so? Guess I'll have to snag some goblin shoes, then."

His taunt bounced right off. I wasn't a kid anymore—what kind of idiot falls for cheap provocation like that? If you flip out over something so basic, you're not possessed—you've got anger issues.

True maturity means enduring. Charging at every little jab? That's immature. Brushing it off with a 'fair enough' and quietly doing your job—that's the real winner, the big-hearted one.

I glanced around. Dead silent. Not a soul in sight.

'This place is way too dangerous.'

Just elite orcs napping nearby and tricky elite goblins. Perfect spot to bury a body—no one would bat an eye.

Really, this guy had no sense of caution. Wandering into a creepy hellhole like this alone? I pondered Ruin's gravesite while eyeing him.

If it were Pascal standing here instead of me, Ruin might've ended up as a work of art rather than a person.

With genuine concern, I said, "Ruin."

"Drop the formal crap. We were casual at the academy. Why the sudden honorifics?"

"Just habit."

I was honestly worried about him. Wanted to impart some life wisdom. You need at least one reliable person tagging along in a dangerous spot like this. That way, even if you scream your last breath, someone can spread the news.

I edged closer to Ruin. Up close, something looked stuck to his left cheek. A smudge of dislike. The kind that doesn't wipe off easy—I'd have to help with that.

"Oh, yeah... ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Ruin."

"What."

"What brings you here? Shouldn't you be at the academy?"

"Ah... homework."

"Homework?"

Ruin nodded. And didn't forget to hurl an insult my way. 'Why's a dropout like you so curious?' I wondered how this guy would survive after graduating. After getting dumped by the heroine, he'd probably turn into a shut-in. His post-finale future worried me.

Ruin was the sweet relief who smashed the frustration apples in the novel. When the heroine got bullied by the villainesses, the other male leads hung back: 'Yuria can handle it!' or 'Can't meddle in her friend drama. Not my place to get physical...' But Ruin? His eyes would spin at anything involving her, charging in like a prince on a white horse to give the villainesses a piece of his mind.

Hard not to like the guy, even if his looks weren't my type. Other readers loved his asshole vibe and made him their fave.

Ruin was consistent. Casual speech to strangers. Spat it at people he hated. Even at the ones he liked. Hell, he called the Magic Tower lord "old man" to his face. My honest wish? For him to meet someone who puts him in his place.

Ruin said to me, "Oh, right—you begged Hanna to fix your expulsion? When she suddenly brought it up, I thought that bitch was nuts."

"I wasn't expelled, I was on..."

"Expulsion, leave—same difference to you two. Aren't you embarrassed begging a junior?"

Did he have a disease that killed him if he said anything nice? Ruin spat words like he was bidding the world farewell. I took another step toward him. He flinched, shoulders jumping.

Why so jumpy? I wasn't gonna do anything. I gave an awkward smile.

"Wanted back in the academy, so I asked. Haha."

"Bullshit."

"So, how's school life treating you, Ruin?"

"Better without you assholes."

"Oof, really? Somehow I doubt that."

The Imperial Academy was special. Graduate, and you'd land a top job in the empire or a noble house. Even commoners could snag a title, breaking their limits. Its curriculum was tailored to unearth geniuses: students picked their own assignments, high difficulty yielding high scores, low ones low scores.

Higher scores meant higher ranks. A system rewarding passion. But Ruin—who didn't give a damn about grades—trekking all the way to remote Hamel for "homework"? Yeah, right. Something smelled off. That's why I wasn't biting at his bait.

I asked, "Oh. Did Hanna kick your ass or something?"

"Shut your damn mouth."

Ruin flinched hard, reacting fiercely. Guess my random shot hit his mental weak spot.

I pressed on, feigning innocence to twist the knife deeper into his wounded ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pride. Hoping the gash would tear wider.

"Nah, but otherwise it doesn't make sense for a genius ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like you to come all the way to Hamel, far from the capital. Don't tell me you bombed out in the latest rankings..."

"I said shut it."

I poked at his raw nerve again. Ruin glared daggers. His shredded mentality wasn't recovering—he just locked eyes with me, silent.

Nothing clever came to mind, so I gave him a thumbs-up.

"Smart choice."

"Shut up!"

Red orbs shot out viciously. Last time there were three; today, ten hurtled my way. Ruin had grown.

At this rate, he'd last maybe ten seconds against a wart monster. I casually reached out to plant his head in the dirt, planning to calm his ass down and go our separate ways.

But just as my hand neared his head—

A familiar voice halted me.

"Ruin! What the hell are you doing?!"

The clear, refreshing voice—like fresh fruit—rang in my ears from behind.

"Sorry—! My friend's got a short fuse."

The girl behind me apologized immediately. No haughty noble tone; she approached like a friendly country girl. At her arrival, Ruin's ugly scowl melted away. He grinned like an idiot.

I lowered my hand.

"Ruin, what're you doing? Apologize!"

"Nah, it's nothing."

"Don't lie!"

I thought to myself, 'This is bad.'

Slowly, I turned ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠around. This was the last way I wanted to meet her.

Her smiling face came into view. Pink hair. Cherry lips. Fresh, vibrant beauty.

Our eyes met, and her bright smile faded.

"Long time no see."

I forced an awkward smile.

"Yuria."

The heroine of this novel, Yuria, stood before me.