How To Ruin The Original Work - Chapter 42

Allen only stopped crying after his eyes were completely swollen.

And he found a plain cream-colored box shoved into the corner of the tree. Fortunately, the pancakes had barely managed to maintain their shape.

With his face swollen and even more pouting, Allen held out the box to Nigel.

“This… I bought it for you. You said you wanted to eat the original Elypherum pancakes, right? So Noah and I worked hard to research and find it.”

Nigel slowly picked up the box. It was truly unknown why the small box felt so heavy.

“I… I’m not good at cooking, so I can’t make desserts directly like Charlotte, but I have plenty of money. I can buy you as many desserts like this as you want. So… so Nigel… let’s make up now with me and Noah.”

Pulling Noah’s hand and reaching out to Nigel, tears welled up in Allen’s eyes again.

Nigel wanted to grab that hand right away, but he still had something left to ask.

“Why… why do you guys want to be friends with me?”

“What…?”

“Nigel…?”

Allen and Noah’s eyes widened at Nigel’s tone, which seemed to have no idea what was going on.

“I’m not as kind-hearted as Noah, so if I don’t like something, I often ignore it and act however I want. On top of that, I don’t know how to swallow my pride, and I’m so damn stubborn that I couldn’t even talk to you guys. Also, unlike you Allen, I don’t know how to have fun and only know how to study. I don’t have any fun side to me. So… why do you insist on being friends with me?”

Moreover, if I get involved, I only end up hurting others. Nigel repeated the words he couldn’t bear to say out loud.

At that moment, Allen let out a hollow laugh.

“Do… do you really need me to say it out loud for you to understand? Then why did you go out of your way to save me and use your mana to fill up mine?”

“That’s…”

That was only natural. Allen had gotten caught up in the clown reed while trying to find him.

In the prolonged silence, Noah opened his mouth.

“I like Nigel because he’s kind.”

Kind?

Nigel’s brow furrowed at the word that felt so distant from himself.

Noah looked at Nigel and smiled softly, then continued.

“Nigel… doesn’t look down on others for being weak, and his attitude doesn’t change just because someone is strong. He knows how to casually accept an apology from someone who hurt him. And he cherishes the connections he’s made. I… that’s why I like Nigel. Isn’t this enough of a reason to be Nigel’s friend?”

The tips of Noah’s ears were red as he spoke calmly.

“…Me too! I like you, Nigel. When we first met, you knew I was weak but you didn’t look down on me or try to extort money from me like the other kids. I like that you find that natural. Can’t I be friends with someone like you?”

“…”

Nigel’s face burned hotly at the sudden praise, and instead of answering, he rummaged through his pocket.

Then he held out the gifts he had personally picked out at the souvenir store to Allen and Noah.

“Even if I don’t answer… you all get it, right?”

“Yeah!!”

Allen, who received the crumpled postcard, jumped at Nigel without caring.

Noah finally smiled happily as well.

Only after catching up on the long overdue conversation did the children’s surroundings come into view.

Like the huge hole that had been blasted through the thick stem of the clown reed by a single shot of Nigel’s mana.

“By the way, about this tree… could it be the tree from the Baleine legend where Baleine sealed the demon? It looks similar to the one on the postcard.”

“…”

“…”

When Allen brought up the story Nigel and Noah had barely been avoiding, their faces stiffened.

“N-no way… No matter how important the tree of Baleine is, it can’t be more important than human lives, right? Right?”

Allen tried to act like it was okay, but his voice trembled, unable to hide his emotions.

Rustle.

At that moment, Roneh, Cledian, and Heres emerged from the forest one after another.

“…Finally found them, these troublemakers!”

Roneh, whose neatly tied hair was a complete mess, roughly ruffled the children’s hair one by one as if seeking revenge.

“I don’t think… I need a separate explanation for what happened.”

Cledian alternated his gaze between the children and the tree with the hole, pushing up his glasses.

Heres muttered that he knew this would happen and laughed hollowly.

“By the way… destroying a precious historic site can be punishable by up to life imprisonment under imperial law. I hope you’re all prepared for that.”

At Cledian’s dry words, Nigel, Allen, and Noah froze.

“…However. Considering that you are not yet adults and there was no intentional malice, Allen Evans, Nigel Ars, and Noah Beselion will each be given 2 penalty points and we will conclude the matter at that.”

At those words, Noah and Allen’s faces brightened.

However… Nigel’s face had become the sourest it had been in recent memory. Even more so than when he was fighting with the other two!

Noticing Nigel’s face, Cledian chuckled and spoke again.

“…In addition, I will give each of you who set out to save your friend 3 merit points.”

Only then did the tension leave Nigel’s face.

“Cledian is just not being honest. It would have been nice if he gave the merit points from the start.”

“Shut up. Don’t call me that way.”

Cledian naturally avoided Roneh’s arm as he spoke.

“Ah, don’t worry too much everyone. You may have forgotten, but I came here knowing this would happen.”

Heres, who seemed to have given up on everything, rolled up the sleeves of his striped shirt that had been specially saved for today, now terribly dirty.

“Heres, your specialty was restoration, right?”

Heres nodded to Cledian.

“No wonder! Your face looked familiar. I often saw you coming to fix the broken knight order buildings when you were a new imperial mage.”

“Yes. Those were truly enjoyable memories.”

Heres’ eyes, which lacked any hint of a smile despite his smiling mouth, only came to life when they turned to the students.

“Don’t worry too much everyone. Actually, my specialty is not artificial structures like buildings, but the restoration of natural objects. Unlike artificial objects, natural objects have the will to stick together, so it’s rather easier.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Heres’ blue mana spread out like a thin barrier, and the scattered debris of the clown reed returned to its original place. It was as if the debris had a self and was finding its own place.

And amazingly, the debris was restored to its original state as if nothing had happened.

As expected of a prodigy who became an imperial mage before the age of graduation from the academy.

“Well then… now that everything is taken care of, shall we return to the academy? Ah, before that, let’s use this magical tool for commemoration!”

Flash!

Heres’ magical tool sparkled, signaling that the incident had been safely concluded, and also that Allen’s bucket list item #14, making up with friends, was certain to be achieved, rather than #15.

Student council room.

Oliver fiddled with the green teleport stone and stared blankly at Nigel.

Nigel was intently looking at the photo Heres had taken.

In it, three people standing in front of a huge tree were all smiling stupidly and happily despite looking like beggars.

“…What, do you have something to say?”

Nigel noticed Oliver’s gaze and looked up.

“No, I was just thinking the photo of you three came out well.”

“Ah, yes. It really did.”

Nigel smiled brightly, unable to hide his joy.

“Well, thanks to this senior, you made up and all, so now will you positively consider the Sword Competition, junior?”

At Oliver’s words, Nigel’s face immediately soured.

“The roster also came out while you were out having fun. We just need your signature and it’s done.”

Nigel received the roster with a dissatisfied look.

As Nigel’s dull eyes scanned the list, he suddenly noticed a name that bothered him.

…Jaden Galloway.

Below that was the number 3, indicating the 3rd year swordsmanship department, and a sword-shaped symbol.

He knew Jaden was a student at Sienia, but due to the large campus and different grades, they had never encountered each other even once.

‘I really wanted to see with my own eyes what kind of bastard he is… I didn’t expect an opportunity like this to come.’

If he went straight up the empty spots on the tournament bracket, he could meet Jaden Galloway in the semifinals.

“…I’ll sign it. Give me the application form.”

“Hmm. I’m fine with it, but what’s gotten into you, freshman?”

Oliver handed over the application form he always carried with him.

The application stated that the student council would not be responsible for any personal disadvantages incurred by participating in the Sword Competition.

Normally, he would have read each item one by one, but today, it wasn’t important.

What was important was that in a few weeks, Nigel would have a legal opportunity to beat Jaden Galloway.

Nigel picked up Oliver’s fountain pen and quickly scribbled his signature.

“I just… suddenly thought it looked fun.”

“Don’t tell me there’s a family enemy among them? Is that it??”

Oliver brought his eyes, sparkling with interest, close to Nigel.

“No, it just suddenly seemed fun.”

“Ah, I see~”

Oliver chuckled meaningfully as he tossed the teleport stone up and down, playing with it.

“By the way, that teleport stone. When are you going to return it?”

“Ah, right! He’s also participating in the Sword Competition. You might end up fighting him.”

Oliver naturally changed the subject.

“Then which one of these is your senior’s friend…”

Bang bang bang!

At that moment, there was a fierce knocking on the student council room door.

“Ah, speaking of the devil, here comes the main character.”

Oliver said cheerfully, shaking the teleport stone left and right.