Head Butler of the Fallen Villainess

Morning arrived once more, casting its golden light over the walled region belonging to the redheaded upstart lord. The land itself still somewhat bore scars from a deathly bout, but... they had all been patched and cleared—evidence of the denizens' efforts to restore what had been lost.

But... soon, this healed ground might have to suffer once again.

On the northernmost part of the walled region, two figures stood face to face, mere meters apart.

Martha, the knight of Lady Anastasia, and...

Sebas, the butler of Lady Anastasia... and also a (former) S-Rank Adventurer.

Martha had donned her knight armor that gleamed under the sunlight, her sword already drawn and held in a firm grip.

Her stance was solid, her breathing controlled, but... the pounding of her heart betrayed her anticipation.

Every muscle in her body was braced—ready, her eyes sharp and unwavering as they locked onto the man before her.

On the other side, though...

Sebas, in contrast, was far more composed and unfazed than the brunette knight.

His usual butler coat had been forgone for the occasion, leaving him in only his white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

His expression was indeed calm—relaxed, even—as if he were merely indulging her rather than treating this as an actual match.

Yet despite that, he held his longsword in his hand—a clear sign that he was not making light of this challenge.

"Motivated much, Miss Knight?" the butler mused, a somewhat teasing tone lacing his voice.

"...Yeah," 'Miss Knight' responded, the grip on her sword's handle tightening as she narrowed her eyes at the butler in cautious determination. "So you better not go easy on me, Sir Butler..."

Her challenge only elicited a small smile from the butler as he let out a light chuckle. "Haha~, I'll try."

Indeed, just a few minutes before, Martha had issued a challenge—a duel—to the butler in hopes of receiving more of his training.

The knight of Lady Anastasia had been restless since last night after learning that their eccentric and somewhat enigmatic butler was, in fact, an S-Rank Adventurer—

Alpha Knight Sebastian. A swordsman said to be the strongest adventurer in history.

Martha had always suspected from the very beginning that Sebas must have been someone with quite significant skill... but to think that he was that much of a legend...

She was baffled; frightened even, but also... excited, because right now she was truly facing off against someone who had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

And she was delighted—honored—to be graced with the opportunity to train under him.

On the side, in between these two swordsmen, their self-appointed referee leaned lazily, idly twirling a dagger between her fingers... a mischievous smile curling on her lips.

"Heh~. Now this is a sight I never thought I'd see," she purred, her amber eyes gleaming with amusement. "Someone actually bold enough to ask Sebastian for a duel… and him actually entertaining it? Oh, this is gonna be fun~."

Her gaze then flicked to Martha, sizing her up with casual interest.

"Not that it's a fair fight or anything," she added, lips curling into an amused grin. "A hundred years too early, Miss Knight~."

For a moment, the knight flinched at the sudden attention—especially when this female adventurer had so casually dismissed her abilities.

However, her focus remained solely on the man before her. She couldn't afford to let distractions shake her resolve, not when the head butler had generously granted her this opportunity to train against him.

And then... further back, beyond Vivian, two more figures stood watching on the sidelines—Lady Anastasia and her maid, Bella.

Anastasia observed the duel with a calm, assessing gaze. Though she had no personal stake in the outcome, she placed her silent hopes in her loyal knight—a quiet prayer for Martha to grow stronger, not just for her sake, but for the knight herself.

Beside her, though, Bella was far less composed.

The blonde maid fidgeted, her uneasy gaze flickering between the two combatants. She had already witnessed their overwhelming power once before, back on that Windy Plateau… yet even now, the thought of them clashing again sent a nervous shiver down her spine.

And returning to the two combatants once more...

Sebas, ever the composed butler, merely tilted his head slightly, gesturing toward Martha.

"Shall we begin, Miss Knight?"

At that, Martha tightened her grip on her sword, her eyes sharpening with unwavering resolve.

"Yes...!"

And as that word left her lips, the air grew thick with tension, with everyone standing still in anticipation...

But the Sonic Thief took the initiative.

"Well then, you two—" she raised her dagger between them, holding it at eye level, marking the official start of their bout... before suddenly lifting it high into the air—!

"Begin!"

Martha lunged forward the instant the duel began, closing the distance in a heartbeat!

Her sword then came down in a sharp arc—!

CLANG!

—only to be caught by Sebas's longsword, steel meeting steel with a sharp clash!

A burst of wind rippled outward from the impact, rustling the dirt beneath their feet.

Without hesitation, she pressed forward, her blade becoming a relentless storm against his calm, unwavering defense.

CLANG—! CLANG—! CLANG—!

Strike after strike, their swords clashed—each impact of steel against steel ringing through the air like a steady drumbeat of battle...!

But as their deadly bout continued, the butler noticed something...

'She's improving…'

Sebas's eyes flickered with interest as he deflected another strike.

Unlike before, Martha wasn't just relying on brute force—her movements were sharper, her footwork more precise...

And instead of blindly trying to overpower him, she was studying him, seeking openings, adapting mid-fight... as if...

She was... imitating his sword style.

This genuinely surprised him. He had never taught her his style of swordsmanship. Previously, she had relied on the Knight's Royal Sword Style, a discipline used by the Kingdom of Florentia's Knight Army.

And in his opinion, she was already quite skilled with it.

But his own technique—his way of the sword—was something else entirely. It was self-taught, honed through years of battle and refined by studying and adapting the best of Florentia's many sword schools.

Yet somehow... she had nearly replicated that style—melding it into her own.

And thus... a faint smirk played on his lips.

'Not bad… but—'

CLANG—!

Martha's blade struck again, aimed at what she thought was a vulnerability—only for Sebas to parry it with ease.

She winced in annoyance, having thought that she'd managed to get a grasp of his defensive rhythm, only for the butler to effortlessly deflect her attack.

She knew that she was still far behind in terms of skill and precision compared to Sebas.

She had seen what he was truly capable of when facing someone with an almost similar level of mastery, such as the acting referee—the Sonic Thief, Vivian.

The female adventurer had used her superior speed and trickery against the butler, and at certain points, had managed to break through his ultimate defensive style through sheer unpredictability.

But the result had been obvious: brute force alone would not work against him. He would still overpower you with his sheer strength and mana.

And thus... the brunette knight was at a clear disadvantage.

However, Martha didn't falter.

If anything, his effortless defense only spurred her forward. Her grip tightened. She knew she couldn't match his strength… so she had to be better against his timing...!

Then, in a bold move—

CLANG!

Sebas's sword was pushed aside—!

"—!"

His eyes widened—she had parried him—!

And in just a split-second opening—!

Martha lunged, her sword flashing toward him in a decisive counter—!

But this time, she wasn't done yet.

Mana surged through her body, flowing into her blade like a roaring tide... and then—she lifted her sword high before he could recover his guard.

"Blade Art—Sunder Fang!"

The knight shouted; a radiant arc of energy flared to life as her sword carved through the air—!

For the first time, Sebas's expression shifted—not in alarm, but in approval.

'Good. That's more like it.'

And then—

His blade moved—faster than she could track—!

CLANG—!!!

A sharp tremor rippled outward as their swords met, mana clashing in a brief but fierce struggle—!

For a moment, it seemed like Martha might push through—!

But then—

Sebas shifted his body.

With precise, almost effortless motion, he turned his block into a parry—redirecting her strike just enough to destabilize her balance—!

In that same instant—

Martha's sword was wrenched from her grip, spinning through the air before embedding itself in the dirt several meters away.

The battlefield fell silent.

She froze, wide-eyed, her breath caught in her throat.

'Again...?! He disarmed me... effortlessly...!'

But before she could process what had just happened—

A hand hovered over her head... and flicked her forehead.

"—Ow?!"

Martha's head reeled back from the sudden sting of pain, and she immediately clutched her forehead.

"Much better than before… but still not quite there."

"H-huh...?"

She was still trying to process everything, especially his strange, sudden forehead flick.

She was about to protest, but—

"And that's the match!"

Vivian's voice rang out, clear and firm as she declared the duel's end.

"The winner—Sebastian~!"