How To Ruin The Original Work (16 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 12
Nigel’s group, somehow now consisting of three, walked together toward the auditorium where the opening ceremony was being held.
“……?!”
Nigel glared at the golden dragon statue they encountered along the way as though it were a sworn enemy. Allen, noticing this, barely managed to suppress his laughter, while Noah alternated confused glances between the two acting so strangely.
“Ah, Miss Nigel and Lord Noah, please take the seats at the very front. Lord Noah, yours is the far left seat, and Miss Nigel, yours is the center one.”
An usher standing at the front of the auditorium addressed the group as they were about to enter.
“And me?”
Allen asked, his eyes sparkling brightly.
“Lord Allen, you may sit anywhere in the Magic Department section.”
“Okay… Guess it’s nice that you two get to sit together. See you later, Nigel, Noah.”
Allen gave a half-hearted wave, his shoulders drooping, and shuffled off slowly toward the Magic Department seats.
Yet the moment he met other students from his department, he greeted them cheerfully, as if he’d never been downtrodden at all.
“Sigh….”
Nigel and Noah exchanged exasperated looks at the sight before taking their seats in the front row.
Yesterday at the party, someone had mentioned that among the three front seats, the top student of the year sat in the center, and the others on either side.
It was almost laughable that all her grueling efforts—squeezing study time out of every spare moment—had earned her nothing more than this center chair. Still, once seated, it actually felt quite satisfying.
Although right beside her sat a walking pile of life-or-death assignments.
After much agonizing thought last night, Nigel had come to a decision.
For the next year and a half—until the monster invasion—it was her duty to raise Noah to a level nearly matching his original story counterpart while at Sienya.
And once she’d properly trained Noah Vessalion, she’d simply hand him over to the heroine.
Her resolve to avoid interfering with the original plot hadn’t changed—but when her life was on the line, this exception was justified.
Knowing the original story gave her a significant advantage toward her goal.
Yesterday’s incident had revealed a way for Noah to achieve rapid growth in a short time—and even provided a concrete, immediately applicable experimental method.
The only problem was that proposing such an experiment without established trust and a certain level of intimacy would likely get her branded as insane.
‘Stage One of my plan is clear: build trust with Noah Vessalion as quickly as possible.’
She was just about to drop the line she’d thought up this morning half-asleep to foster that trust.
“Are you feeling well?”
But Noah beat her to it.
Her embarrassing display yesterday had led him to regard her as a delicate lady.
Nigel instantly wanted—and needed—to refute that notion and prove just how physically healthy she was.
“Ah….”
…No.
Trust. She needed to build trust with him.
“…Thanks to you.”
At those words, Noah smiled gently.
‘Enduring really pays off!’
It was a refreshingly green light.
“I’m glad. Oh, by the way, imperial court mages regularly install and inspect protective barriers here at Sienya, so you needn’t worry about anything like what happened yesterday.”
I know that alr—
Just as the words reflexively tried to slip out, Nigel clamped a hand over her mouth in time.
Trust. Trust was crucial.
“…I see.”
While Nigel and Noah exchanged their slightly delayed conversation,
Thud.
Someone dropped down into the empty seat beside them.
It was a boy with dark blond hair, his very expression screaming: “I’m nobility.”
He crossed his legs elegantly the moment he sat and folded his arms.
‘Seriously… his actions match his face with zero margin of error.’
Nigel thought as she observed him.
He sharply turned his head to meet Nigel’s gaze directly. Nigel held his stare without blinking.
“Lady, from which house do you hail? I’ve never heard the surname ‘As’ before.”
Even his dialogue matched the stereotypical noble persona perfectly—right down to his appearance.
The sudden appearance of the male lead, Allen’s endless chatter, and this unexpected imperial-level sense of responsibility…
Nigel had endured all of it—but this arrogant boy’s single remark nearly shattered her patience.
Normally indifferent to whatever others said, Nigel had one sensitive spot: her family.
How could anyone, upon first meeting, demand to know another’s lineage without even introducing themselves? Was this acceptable behavior?
Even the youngest kids at the orphanage knew better than this without being told.
‘…Hold on. I’m next to Noah Vessalion. Trust. I must build trust.’
Nigel clenched her fists and parted her lips.
“It’s a surname I made up myself.”
Though her words were restrained, her body betrayed her—she mirrored the boy, crossing her legs and folding her arms as she replied.
The boy’s expression grew serious at Nigel’s answer. He slowly rubbed his fingers along his lips.
“…I’ve heard there are rare families who grant surnames separately due to succession issues… but this is the first time I’ve actually seen one.”
His expression relaxed noticeably more than before. A hint of strange sympathy even appeared on his face.
Regardless, Nigel was about ready to snap from his audacity—judging her surname without introducing himself—and his assumption that every student at Sienya must be nobility.
“Well, our start wasn’t great… but anyway, nice to meet you, As. And you too, Vessalion.”
The boy abruptly thrust out his hand.
Insisting on addressing people strictly by house despite knowing their given names—that was the complete noble package.
“…Yeah.”
Mentally repeating “trust,” Nigel gripped the nameless boy’s hand as firmly as possible.
“…Ah, right.”
Though it must have hurt quite a bit, he pretended nothing was wrong as he shook her hand, then used his now-red hand to shake Noah’s as well.
[This is the timeline separator]Only after the opening ceremony began did Nigel finally learn the identity of the ill-mannered boy beside her—from someone else’s mouth.
“Sid Cromwell, representative of the Political Science freshmen, please come up to the stage.”
The boy—no, Sid Cromwell—rose from his seat and strode confidently forward with perfect posture.
‘Sid Cromwell…’
The Cromwells were a comital house famed for producing distinguished scholars and ministers across generations.
Nigel herself owned two books authored by someone with the surname Cromwell.
One was a philosophical treatise that regarded humility as humanity’s highest virtue; the other, a historical compilation of noble deeds exemplifying noblesse oblige.
‘…As expected, books and reality are worlds apart.’
Nigel gave Sid, who was bowing humbly to the dean on stage, only lukewarm applause.
Perhaps bored by the lengthy ceremony, Sid leaned slightly toward Nigel and whispered,
“As, who taught you while preparing for the entrance exam? Teller? Olend? Or both? No wonder they’ve been so unresponsive every time I tried contacting them.”
“By myself.”
The boy tilted his head, as if doubting Nigel’s sanity.
“I did it alone.”
“What?”
“Isn’t it said that true learning is like being alone in a pitch-black tunnel? Just as light always awaits at the tunnel’s end, learning is a process one must explore independently.”
“As, are you seriously…?!”
“That’s a famous line from Manel Cromwell’s ‘The True Beauty of Humanity: On Humility.’ I was deeply moved by this book as a child and still read it often, trying my best to live by it.”
Nigel gave a small, amused smile.
Sid’s habitual raised chin dropped. Now, finally, his face looked pleasant to her.
[This is the timeline separator]Ding. Ding.
The tedious opening ceremony ended, and it was finally lunchtime.
“Huh? Where’s Noah?”
Allen, who’d happily approached Nigel, paused upon noticing the empty spot behind her.
“Summoned by the dean. He said not to wait and to go ahead and eat.”
After the ceremony ended, Noah had naturally followed Nigel as she stood—but was stopped by the voice of a red-haired professor.
The professor’s voice was so booming that everyone nearby instantly knew why he’d called for Noah.
“Ah, I see. Then Nigel, let’s use your Teleport Stone!”
Nigel, feeling rather hungry herself, nodded agreeably.
She pulled out her Teleport Stone from her pocket, gripping it in one hand and Allen’s soft hand in the other.
“Teleport, cafeteria.”
The stone glowed, and their surroundings changed instantly.
Anyone in direct contact with the Teleport Stone’s owner would also teleport.
This was yet another fact she’d discovered only after being persuaded by Allen last night into casting over thirty teleportations.
“Thanks, Nigel.”
“You’re very welcome.”
Nigel piled her plate high while Allen took only a minimal amount before sitting down.
“…Nigel? Are you sick? Why are you eating so slowly?”
“I’m in a staring contest with Sid Cromwell.”
Nigel answered, tearing into her sausage aggressively.
“What?”
Allen tilted his head, then turned around to look.
“…Seriously? Nigel, did you murder Sid Cromwell’s whole family while you were unconscious or something? He looks ready to kill you any second!”
“Of course not. I just happened to mention I’d read Manel Cromwell’s book carefully—and he suddenly had an allergic reaction or something.”
Remembering how Sid’s face had instantly flushed red-and-purple upon hearing that remark earlier, her appetite abruptly returned.
Nigel finally dropped her fixed gaze on Sid and began cheerfully wielding her cutlery again.
“Hmm… coming from Sid, I kinda get it.”
Allen, who hadn’t touched his fork in a while, spoke up.
“Why?”
Nigel swallowed her sausage whole and asked.
Male lead fell into her trap — and shattered when she walked away
This is also on my reread list!
This one is a slow burn, but when it burns, it burns hard.
Definitely worth a read, y’all!
The story follows a thousand-year-old seductive spirit who, on a bet, sets out to charm the male lead—a once-promising but unfortunate cultivator.
But just when she succeeds in making him fall for her, she heartlessly leaves, driving him to madness.
Determined to find her at all costs, he captures her, keeping her by his side no matter what, even if she hates him.
I love this kind of trope—I enjoy watching the male lead suffer in agony.
The ending drags a bit with unnecessary filler, but that’s fine.
As long as I enjoy the beginning, I’m good.
Intro
As an enchantress, Su Heng possesses captivating eyes and charming beauty, easily manipulating the joys and sorrows of living beings at her fingertips.
But to enchant a god, making him taste the bitterness of love’s separation, long-lasting resentment, unattainable desires, and inability to let go…
Do you dare?
Su Heng assists a divine lord in his cultivation, aiming to make him experience all the sufferings of love, so that he can attain the Great Dao.
Only after being chased down from the heavens by the divine lord, confined and completely possessed by him, does she realize how successful she has been.
The once gentle and polite youth has transformed into someone she no longer recognizes.
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Chapter Comments (1)
The praise for Nigel is growing at the academy; let’s see how this highly talented girl fares there and develops a good relationship with Noah.
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