How to ruin the original

Episode 10

In the original story, Noah Veselion played a significant role.

This novel, which was a romance fantasy in disguise, was actually a story of suffering.

The relationship between the two main characters, which had been simmering, changed drastically after the female protagonist’s coming-of-age ceremony.

From that day on, monsters, which had been passed down as mere tools to scare children due to the efforts of previous generations, invaded the empire.

The reason why the chaotic situation could be quickly resolved was thanks to the Blue Hawk Knights directly under the royal family, to which Noah belonged.

The one who played the most significant role was, of course, Noah. Thanks to Noah quickly grasping the situation and slaying the monsters during their first attack, the situation was resolved swiftly with minimal casualties.

Thanks to Noah’s continued efforts, the empire could defeat the monsters faster than expected.

In the story, Nigel was the one who caused the monsters to run rampant, earning him the nickname “Mad Dog of the Temple.” Noah eventually defeated Nigel, and the novel concluded.

All of this was credited to his joining the Blue Hawk Knights, undergoing rigorous training after confirming his love with the female protagonist.

However, not at Xienia, which was only at the academy level.

‘…Why?’

Why didn’t he join the Blue Hawk Knights like in the original story and come to Xienia instead?

Why?

Nigel thought that everything would go well if he, the variable and villain, just stepped back.

Questions that he couldn’t answer alone started to dominate Nigel’s mind.

“Are you alright?”

A gentle voice came from above.

It was overly cautious and warm for someone who would slay thousands of monsters.

“No… I’m not alright.”

Where did it go wrong?

What is this…? What could it be…?

Should he have stayed hidden in Tilin instead of being dragged to the temple, trying to avoid the temple’s eyes for 17 years?

Was it the dream of wanting to attend the royal academy despite being an orphan?

Or… was it being born into a novel?

“Don’t tremble. It’s alright; there are no signs of anything around here.”

He mistook Nigel’s fear for being afraid of animals around.

He didn’t know that Nigel was afraid of his very presence.

“Why are you here…?”

“I like the forest.”

A coat, still warm, was draped over Nigel’s shoulders.

Just like he said he liked the forest, the coat faintly smelled of the cool forest.

It smelled like Tilin… like Tilin.

…Blink, blink.

Nigel’s eyes regained focus with the familiar and nostalgic scent.

“I’m glad you seem to have regained some energy. Don’t worry; nothing happened.”

Noah slightly narrowed his eyes, meeting Nigel’s gaze.

Noah was right.

Nothing had happened yet.

The monsters hadn’t invaded the empire, and the empire hadn’t been ravaged. Nothing had happened yet.

There was still time.

Nigel, who had come to his senses, quickly put his high heels back on, despite the throbbing pain.

‘…Allen!’

He finally remembered Allen’s promise.

Allen would be waiting for him at the Golden Dragon statue.

Ding. Ding.

The clock tower chimed seven times in the distance. He had already missed the meeting time by 30 minutes.

Feeling anxious, Nigel spoke to Noah.

“Are you a new student?”

“…Yes? Yes.”

Noah widened his eyes at Nigel’s sudden change in attitude.

“Then, do you know where the banquet hall is? If it’s on the way, let’s go together. Unless you’re here because you don’t want to go to the party.”

“No, I’ll go with you.”

“Good. By the way, thanks for the coat.”

Nigel took off the coat and handed it back to Noah.

“And keep what happened just now a secret.”

Without realizing it, Nigel extended his right pinky finger.

It was a habit from the orphanage.

Noah hesitated for a moment but then hooked his finger around Nigel’s with a serious expression.

“…?!”

“…?!”

And simultaneously, they both withdrew their hands.

Noah’s eyes were filled with wonder, while Nigel’s eyes flashed with fear and realization.

***

“Where on earth is Nigel?”

Allen looked around near the Golden Dragon statue.

It had been more than 10 minutes since the clock tower had chimed seven times, but there was no sign of Nigel.

“I should have listened to Sebastian. I should have suggested meeting at the gate, not the statue…”

Allen knew from their first meeting that Nigel had no sense of direction, but he didn’t expect it to be this bad.

The Golden Dragon statue was prominently located in a plaza just a short walk from the entrance. It was harder to miss than to find.

By now, he wondered if something had happened to Nigel on the way, or if he was lost and wandering around.

“Well… it shouldn’t be anything serious!”

Allen smiled, thinking of his friend who, despite carrying heavy luggage, would always speak his mind.

Besides, Xienia was said to be even safer than the royal palace, thanks to the protective shield of the royal magicians surrounding the place.

“…Hey, isn’t that Allen?”

“I think it is.”

At that moment, a group of four boys approached Allen. Allen vaguely remembered greeting them about a month ago.

“We met at the New Year’s party, right? It’s nice to see you here.”

“How’s your father doing?”

“Hey, why are you asking that? Of course, he’s doing well. Everything he touches turns to gold.”

“True. Send our regards to your father.”

They didn’t seem to notice Allen’s stiff face and continued chatting among themselves.

“So why are you here… waiting for someone?”

“Wow, Allen, you’re actually waiting for someone. Amazing.”

“Hey, why don’t you join us instead? The party is about to start anyway.”

“Great idea. We have so much to catch up on from the New Year’s party!”

“No, I…”

Without asking for his opinion, they grabbed Allen’s shoulders and led him to the banquet hall.

‘I should have listened to Sebastian and exercised more…!’

Allen found himself surrounded by people. Everyone was busy asking about his parents.

The party, supposedly for fostering camaraderie among students, wasn’t much different from a social gathering. People gravitated towards those who could benefit them.

‘Nigel, where are you…!’

In the grand and beautiful banquet hall, under the chandelier’s colorful lights, Allen, who usually loved being the center of attention, found the party boring today.

He missed Nigel, who treated him the same regardless of his appearance or wealth.

As people continued to talk about recent successful ventures and social events, Allen sipped on a few glasses of tart fruit punch.

Just as he was getting lost in thought, the banquet hall fell silent.

The cause of the silence was the man who appeared in the middle of the hall.

He had long hair that reached his waist and was known as the sage of the continent, the headmaster of Xienia Academy, Widrun.

“Welcome, new students, and returning students who have graced this occasion. I sincerely bless and welcome you all.”

Snap!

Widrun snapped his fingers, and a refreshing scent of roses filled the hall.

“Look up!”

At someone’s shout, everyone raised their heads.

White rose petals were fluttering down from the ceiling, scattering everywhere.

“Wow, it’s so beautiful…”

“Is this real?”

A tall boy reached up to touch the petals.

“…No, they disappear when you touch them!”

“It’s a large magic array. For something of this scale, it would have required draining almost all of someone’s magic power or using a fist-sized magic stone.”

A girl standing next to the boy explained seriously.

As the magical petals vanished, sighs of disappointment echoed around the hall. Widrun spoke again.

“White roses symbolize new beginnings. I hope all our students start this term with a fresh mindset every day. And… normally, this is when the old man would step aside, but we have some extraordinary news to celebrate.”

Widrun smiled as he looked at the students’ faces.

“We have a perfect scorer in the entrance exam for the first time in a long while.”

The atmosphere in the banquet hall changed once more.

“It must be a new student from the politics department, right?”

“Of course. Our department is on a different level from those who are nothing without magic and swords. We’re different here.”

A girl tapped her head with her finger.

“Wow~ Empty vessels make the most noise. Just because you can’t use magic, you think it’s easy. Do you even know how delicate magic control is?”

“Would you understand? They probably think it’s easy because they only use magical tools. Typical politics department, thinking only of themselves.”

“Wow, I guess the magic department is so great that they won silver at the magic tool thesis competition last year?”

Simultaneously, debates erupted all over the hall. The new students stood bewildered, while those with swords watched the situation silently with dissatisfied expressions.

“Everyone, please be quiet. Can the new student with the perfect score please come forward?”

A minute passed, but no one stepped forward.

“Am I putting too much pressure on you? It’s alright, don’t be shy and come forward.”

Bang!!

At that moment, there was a loud noise from the banquet hall door.