Ch.69Ruide’s Test (3)

# Ruide was confused about where things had gone wrong.

“W-wait a moment. That’s a dead end—”

CRASH!

“Nothing in this world can stop my stride.”

Damon had just smashed through a wall at a dead end.

Ruide was certain now.

Damon was the source of all problems…!

‘The real anomaly was Damon all along.’

Ruide had carefully crafted his instructions.

The goals were simple: keep the students safe, avoid overlapping routes, and most importantly, ensure the growth of “Justin,” the original protagonist.

But one person—Damon—had thrown everything off course.

“So, where exactly are we going?” Irina asked with confusion.

Ruide was curious about that too.

“The commoners are probably still obediently locked up in their classroom.”

“Wasn’t our goal to ensure the commoners never complain again?” Hersy asked, puzzled. Damon stopped walking and looked at her.

“Tell me. What method would you use?”

“Well… perhaps threatening that if they complain again, they’ll never be allowed to set foot on imperial soil again.”

‘Hersy was actually a scary person.’

Ruide remembered that Hersy was the original villainess.

“Or torture them!”

“T-that’s a bit…”

“…Sorry.”

“Ruling through fear isn’t a bad strategy. However, it sometimes backfires.”

Damon’s words sounded reasonable, but Ruide didn’t believe him. Fool me once, shame on you.

“Do you have a better method, Damon?”

“It’s simple. A true emperor doesn’t need to command obedience—he inspires it naturally—”

He spread his arms arrogantly and declared:

“When they witness my greatness, the commoners will bow down on their own.”

“……”

“……”

Irina and Hersy exchanged silent glances before speaking.

“Should we just bribe them with gold?”

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.”

“Foolish women. The imperial treasury has no funds to waste on peasants.”

Hersy, unable to hold back, said:

“How exactly do you plan to show your greatness? If they cared about such things, they wouldn’t have rebelled against Ruide’s policies in the first place. Do you know how much Ruide has done for them?”

“Hmph, if they knew the policies came from my rival, they wouldn’t have rebelled in the first place.”

“…What?”

“Only the nobles know that fact. The commoners think Headmaster Clifford implemented those policies.”

That was true. The merit-demerit system Ruide created was only whispered about among nobles; the commoners had no idea Ruide was behind it.

“Oh, then if we just tell them Ruide created it…”

“How foolish. If it were that simple, they wouldn’t have issued these orders under the guise of a test.”

Ruide had given up trying to understand.

‘We could just use a normal approach.’

Why take the difficult path when an easier one was available?

Naturally lazy, Ruide couldn’t comprehend it.

“What method are you planning to use? This won’t work, that won’t work. Honestly, I don’t understand your intentions.”

“We’ll become their benefactors.”

“…What?”

“Make them indebted to us. There’s no more certain way to ensure obedience. Look around.”

The unpleasant magical energy of black mages weighed heavily in the air.

Zombies wandered around making “grooooar” sounds.

With the light stolen, the interior was dark.

Darkness. And monsters. Nothing better stimulated basic human fears.

“Noble aristocrats like us aren’t fooled by black mages’ tricks—”

Nobles were like diamond spoon-fed children in modern terms.

However, in medieval times, birth alone couldn’t guarantee everything.

Responsibility. Noble children were taught responsibility from birth.

Courage to face danger rather than flee. The spirit to sacrifice for the weak.

Noblesse oblige.

All these were essential virtues for nobles who valued honor as much as life itself.

That’s why they could walk through this darkness without hesitation.

They’d been taught to handle any danger themselves.

“But commoners without responsibility are different. Those fellows are feeling excessive fear, desperately praying for someone to save them.”

Even the weak Justin and Catherine, who had strong magic but lacked stamina, could handle this level of difficulty.

This situation was easier than it appeared. It just felt scarier to the commoners because of their overwhelming fear.

“We’ll use that fear.”

“Use their fear…?”

“Gather monsters and drive them toward the classroom where the commoners are trapped. The more fear we can provoke, the better. Creating a panic would be ideal.”

“W-wouldn’t that cause even more rebellion?”

“How stupid. Obviously we’ll do it secretly. Then we appear as saviors and rescue them. We simply fulfill their expectations. It’s the easiest thing in the world.”

‘That’s actually clever?’

This rational solution seemed unlike the reckless Damon.

In the original story, Justin didn’t cower but resolved the situation, becoming the commoners’ savior and hero.

Commoners’ thinking was surprisingly simple—they felt grateful to those who helped them.

‘…But.’

Ruide looked at Damon with unease.

‘If that happens, Justin will lose his place.’

These insignificant zombies were merely walking targets for Hersy’s group.

But Justin was supposed to level up infinitely by defeating these meaningless zombies.

‘What is Justin even doing?’

**

“T-this is terrible! Monsters are gathering outside!”

Grooooar— Grooooar.

Monsters making ominous sounds gathered in the hallway outside the commoners’ lecture hall.

They were maintaining a barrier with all their might, but there were too many monsters.

“What are the professors doing?! They should be helping at a time like this!”

They were gripped by panic.

That’s when Justin raised his wand with a determined face.

“Let’s fight. That’s all we can do.”

“Y-you’re crazy!”

“Let me out. It’s not right to just wait for someone’s help.”

Justin expressed the thought he’d been having all along.

Seeing Justin’s determination, Catherine decided to follow him.

“Alright. I’ll go with you, Justin.”

“…Catherine doesn’t need to come.”

“What are you saying? Do you think someone as weak as you can handle those monsters alone?”

Catherine said proudly. This actually made her feel better.

‘Yes, no matter what happens, we should at least try to fight.’

Honestly, Catherine was scared. But with Justin, she felt they could overcome this danger together.

“N-no, you can’t.”

But Hannah blocked the doorway.

“Would you move aside?”

Catherine asked nicely.

“If we open the door, we’ll have to drop the barrier. Then the monsters will get in.”

“…It would only be for a moment. Most of them would probably follow us.”

“How can you be sure? We’ve never seen these monsters before. Unpredictable things could happen.”

Justin stepped forward.

“I’ll make sure you don’t get hurt. Trust me.”

“How can you guarantee that? What if something unexpected happens? What if these monsters are actually intelligent and target us because there are more people here?”

“……”

Justin’s lips moved, but no words came out. Tears welled up in Hannah’s eyes.

Justin was suddenly caught in a deep conflict.

He wanted to go out. Sitting still and waiting for fate wasn’t his style.

But what about the people here…?

“……”

Justin regretted his decision.

Earlier, when the nobles left, he should have followed them regardless of how shameless it seemed.

But that moment had passed.

After much deliberation, Justin said:

“Alright. Let’s wait together.”

He decided to be considerate of Hannah.

Meanwhile, Ruide, who had been watching everything while invisible:

‘Ugh, this is so frustrating.’

Ruide pounded his small chest.

It felt like he’d eaten a hundred sweet potatoes.

He understood the butterfly effect had thrown things off course, but this was too much.

How could someone be so frustratingly indecisive?

‘This is troublesome.’

But Justin just sat there helplessly.

Ruide bit his lip.

‘This makes the whole episode meaningless.’

To Ruide, Justin was like a free part-timer.

A part-timer who handled annoying tasks for him.

If Damon’s plan succeeded, it would certainly benefit the nobles.

But Justin would lose his momentum.

‘…This is depressing.’

Damon was doing whatever he wanted.

Justin was sitting there helplessly.

Nothing was going according to plan.

Honestly, it was irritating.

Ruide’s lips gradually protruded in a pout.

Getting upset when things don’t go your way is childish behavior.

The dignity of a reincarnated person…

‘But I am a child.’

Come to think of it, reincarnation aside, he was currently 12 years old.

Children naturally get irritated and throw tantrums when things don’t go their way.

Ruide closed his eyes and channeled his magical power.

He sensed every living presence in the school.

He cast the strongest barrier he could on them.

RUMBLE—

The elements collided violently and spread through the air.

“W-what is that?”

“Suddenly…”

“I can feel tremendous magical power.”

Ruide slowly opened his eyes and clenched one hand tightly.

KABOOM!

In the end—

It was an explosive finale.

**

“T-ten million gold?”

“Well, you blew up the entire main building.”

Ruide sipped his orange juice.

Amelia trembled while holding the bill.

Ruide avoided her gaze and made excuses.

“Our family has plenty of money, so it’s fine.”

“T-this… the amount is too much. Mom will definitely be angry.”

The Windsor Duchy’s wealth was unfathomable.

‘I should have held back.’

Still, ten million gold in cash was regrettable.

Ruide was regretting his impulsive action.

Brrrr—

Just then, the crystal ball rang.

Ruide flicked his wand with an “as expected” expression.

“Hi, Mom.”

[…What’s this about ten million gold?]

“I destroyed the Academy’s main building.”

[Why?]

“Failed to control my power.”

[I see.]

‘She’s letting it slide?’

Ruide looked at Victoria in the crystal ball with suspicious eyes.

[…Where did the divine artifacts from the storehouse go?]

“Divine artifacts?”

Ruide blinked.

‘Oh.’

He immediately realized his mistake. He thought he’d connected to the imperial treasury, but he’d actually raided his family’s storehouse.

“Just borrowing them.”

[Borrowing?]

“There were complicated circumstances.”

[So, you’re saying you distributed divine artifacts to your students?]

“Yeah. But I’ll get them back.”

[I see.]

It’s always calm before a volcano erupts.

Sensing danger, Ruide quickly said:

“That’s okay, right? I’m hanging up now. I’m sleepy.”

[Ruide Christopher.]

Victoria called Ruide by his full name.

The crystal ball showed Victoria’s stern face.

Having never seen such an expression before, Ruide flinched.

[I’ve raised you poorly. You have absolutely no sense of economy.]

“…!”

[Ruide Christopher. Amelia. Both of you.]

Victoria’s eyes blazed.

[Your allowances are suspended. Until the divine artifacts are recovered. And the ten million gold will be added to your debt.]

It was the moment Ruide’s world collapsed.