The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

The Tower was dark.

The magical artifacts designed for restraint were shattered along with the Magestones, and the barriers meticulously fortified by the Tower Master had been erased due to someone's foolish mistake.

Such a foolish mistake. If they had a brain, if they were capable of thinking, they would not have committed a mistake whose traces were now scattered across the floor.

Under the flickering lights, the Tower's master, Heinrich, stood with a grim face, his long white beard trailing down.

His usual kind smile replaced by a cold gaze, Heinrich looked down at the corner of the room and spoke in a low, frosty voice.

"I hope you understand what you've done."

"I know what happened. It was a mess."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it."

The scene was chaotic.

Magic practitioners intended for guard duty lay fallen, and shattered flasks agitated Heinrich's temper.

But more infuriating than anything,

Was the absence of the prisoner who was supposed to be here.

An escape from the magical prison, accessible only to high officials, brought an incessant sneer to Heinrich's lips.

"It's fascinating. I'm at a loss for words since it's the first time I've ever encountered something like this."

Heinrich gazed down at his disciple, who was leaning against the wall, catching his breath.

Covered in blood, showing signs of a fierce battle, his disciple hung his head not out of guilt, but due to the emotion of defeat.

The humiliation of defeat in his disciple's eyes stirred a deep anger in Heinrich.

"Ruin."

Ruin, interrupting Heinrich, muttered irritably.

"Master. Hans… If that bastard hadn't blabbered, I could have won. He spoke up during the ranking battle…"

"All you do is whine about ‘miss' and compare me to that good-for-nothing."

Ruin clenched his fist.

"I'll win next time, right, master?"

Heinrich sighed deeply at the sight of his disciple, who showed no signs of reflection.

"You seem to underestimate the severity of the situation."

Had there been no foolish acts, the magic would not have been breached. The barrier he created could not be broken even by the Empire's Sword Master.

It was like a solid fortress.

Strong from the outside but fragile within.

The fortress crumbled powerlessly because of an internal betrayer. Heinrich's feelings were indescribable.

It was a situation brought upon by his own poor judgment.

-Master, could you grant me access to the basement?

-Ha, you must be joking.

-What?

He shouldn't have granted Ruin access to the underground prison just because he said he wanted to monitor Hans.

He thought that Ruin, who would one day take over the Tower, would be capable of making rational decisions.

Was his expectation for Ruin, whom he was grooming as a successor, too high? Realizing only now that his disciple had been shortsighted, Heinrich spoke with a bitter voice.

"Thirty."

"Thirty what?"

"The number of people Hans has killed. Perhaps even more."

"So what do you want me to do about it?"

"I'm saying the number could increase because of your foolish decision. Ruin."

"Ah, come on…!"

Ruin, as if tired of listening to the lecture, plugged his ears with his fingers and spoke to Heinrich.

"I didn't let him go, okay? I was just trying to ask why he did it when he hit me from behind."

"You're thinking too comfortably, Ruin."

Heinrich treated Ruin differently than he had before.

A caring teacher.

At times a father and friend to Ruin, who had no parents, now faced him with a stern voice, wiping away any trace of lightness.

"You've unleashed a demon. A demon that lives by consuming human souls."

Ruin responded with a hollow smile to Heinrich's scolding.

"Master… Don't you find it strange? Hans, I mean."

"…"

"How could Hans, who can't even kill a bug, kill people? He must have been threatened or been in some difficult situation."

"You're trying to prove it's not about the result."

"Stop exaggerating."

Ruin, dusting off his hair filled with dirt, said it was no big deal. They could just catch him again.

And Hans wasn't that kind of person.

Next time they fought, he would definitely win. Ruin, struggling to stand with his weary body, said,

"After all, you brought Hans here to protect him, didn't you?"

"…"

"You wanted to catch the real culprit."

It was a valid point.

Heinrich had placed a sliver of hope in Hans. That's why he had even incurred a debt to that red-haired man, if necessary, with an unreasonable request.

But not anymore.

Hans had slipped through his fingers.

Heinrich decided no longer to regard him as his disciple.

And Ruin had no guilt for his actions.

He wanted to derive strength from his delusions, showing no sincerity in his words.

Ruin, with a voice full of irritation, spoke to Heinrich,

"Why are you so worried? I don't get it."

"I don't understand you either."

"No… you don't believe your disciple's words? Just think a little, and you'll know. Why would he…"

-Smack!

Heinrich's fist struck Ruin's cheek. Though it was a weak punch from an untrained magician, the weight of the relationship and years felt heavier on Ruin's heart than any other punch.

Ruin stood still, wondering why he was hit, harboring anger towards his master who couldn't trust his disciple.

Heinrich, not looking at Ruin, said,

"Ruin."

"…"

"Shut up."

"…"

"You said I was a foolish master for not believing in his disciple?"

Heinrich suppressed the rising anger deep within and said,

"I've seen many disciples…"

In Heinrich's mind flashed the day he had a private talk with Hans.

The sight of his disciple, head bowed with magic-restraining cuffs on his hands.

The slumped shoulders of the disciple he considered a son lingered in Heinrich's mind.

-Hans. Did you really do it, learn black magic with your own hands?

That day, Hans's words brought a great shock.

-Yes.

-Why?

-They said I could become stronger. That I could surpass Ruin without being limited by magic power.

-So you turned to black magic?

-Yes. Anyway, master only cares about Ruin. I should have big dreams too, right?

-Who told you to…

-Ah…

Hans spoke openly with a defeated smile.

-Who would pass up such a great opportunity? I had to do it.

He was already a lost disciple.

He had raised numerous disciples.

Seen disciples stray from magic.

Even sent off disciples who, like Hans, dabbled in black magic.

Thus, Heinrich could reach a painful conclusion. The disciple he knew was no longer there.

"I've raised great disciples and also let go of ones controlled by desire like Hans."

It was all his responsibility.

Derived from the inadequacies of a teacher who couldn't care enough, he wanted to end it with his own hands.

Whether to hand him over to the Imperial Army or to abolish his magic himself.

But now.

He no longer had the capacity to protect Hans's end.

If.

If that red-haired guy encounters Hans again, he would kill him without a second thought.

Heinrich, leaving Ruin frozen in the cell, turned around.

"Reflect on your actions for a while."

Granting the best mercy he could offer, Heinrich thought it was time to capture Hans quickly.

*

"Ricardo, your laughter sounds sinister."

The lady, with a spoon in her mouth, said upon suddenly seeing me burst into laughter.

Why am I laughing?

"You look crazy."

"That's quite hurtful."

"Really? Then… it seems like you're insane."

"That's even more hurtful."

"Uh-huh…"

The lady, seeking a kinder word, placed the spoon on the certificate and fell deep into thought.

Apparently unable to think of a better alternative, she frowned and pondered.

I smiled at her, entertaining a pleasant thought.

Wondering how much I could squeeze out of the Tower Master.

It was obvious.

The reason Hans escaped from the Tower Master's grasp.

The idea that the Tower Master, a grand mage, would let Hans, drained of magic, go was absurd.

So, the list of fools who could misuse the Tower Master's authority narrowed down to a handful, none of whom were deputy tower masters or high-ranking magicians.

Thus, the conclusion was Ruin.

It was likely his doing.

So.

‘It's right to hold Ruin accountable.'

I plan to steal one of Ruin's magics.

One of the reasons Ruin could become the strongest in the latter part of the novel.

The White Magic.