The Butler of the Villainess Has Returned

1.

A moment of silence followed.

Everyone simply watched the gentleman without making any particular objections.

“Haha… Well, this is…”

Perhaps because he had done nothing after his grand entrance, the gentleman looked embarrassed.

“Could he have passed away…?”

He awkwardly climbed down from the pile of debris and peered inside.

The neatly severed Imperial Castle ceiling lay scattered like shards of broken glass.

“Can you not hea―”

Just as he was about to shout again.

Bang!

The piled-up debris exploded, scattering black aura in all directions.

“Ugh!”

“W-What is that?!”

“Uweeegh!!”

Just the release of demonic energy caused some nobles to start vomiting.

Crack, crackle…

As the dust settled, someone emerged.

“…Hah, kuhuh!”

With purple hair and fancy attire torn in multiple places, it was Goofy Valentine.

His half-destroyed head, body pierced with building fragments, and dark red blood soaking his entire body.

At a glance, his appearance was utterly wretched.

“Grrr…! Gaaah!”

His broken bones regrew, torn flesh regenerated, and his blood was restored.

Even as his body healed with the debris still embedded, Goofy did not remove them.

To be precise, he had no time to pull them out.

“What are you looking at…!”

It was because countless nobles were staring at him as if they had seen something horrifying.

“I said, what are you looking at!!”

Goofy shouted at them.

“Don’t look at me with those eyes!!”

This had happened before.

Back when his family had fallen to the point of ruin, Goofy had picked up decent clothes and attended a banquet.

-I need money.

He begged every noble he could find.

He didn’t need much, just enough to call for a healer.

Back then, it was the same as now. Everyone looked at Goofy with that same expression.

“Don’t…”

Crackle, crackle…

Black tears streamed down Goofy’s face.

“Don’t look at me like that.”

It wasn’t tears but flames. They spread across Goofy’s entire body in an instant.

Demonic energy of an incomparable magnitude erupted like a storm.

Some began to recognize what it was.

“Karmic Flame…?”

A phenomenon that occurred when demonic energy fused with a human body under specific conditions.

It brought the person closer to the demonic tribe, granting them powers that varied depending on the conditions.

“Eyes…”

Consumed by the power, Goofy swiftly turned his head, scanning his surroundings.

“I’ll… rip them all… out.”

The gentleman placed his hand on his sword.

Ready to draw it at any moment, he shifted his gaze to the boy standing beside the Emperor.

The boy nodded.

“Hoo…”

Just as the gentleman steadied his breath and lowered his stance to draw his sword.

“I’ll be back.”

“I leave it to you.”

Rania, acting under the Emperor’s command, leapt toward the transformed Goofy.

At the same time, she invoked a word spirit.

[Stop.]

Goofy’s body froze instantly.

Taking advantage of the moment, Rania assessed her surroundings.

Except for a few nobles, the rest were ordinary nobles with no combat ability.

Rania landed near a man with blond hair.

“Count Vasello.”

“Understood.”

The two had collaborated a few times when the demonic tribe invaded the Eastern Front.

Quickly grasping Rania’s intent, Vasello rotated seven circles with force.

Vasello extended his right hand toward Goofy, releasing the mana he had gathered.

“Illusion.”

A transparent wall formed around Goofy. Rania immediately jumped inside.

Clap.

As Vasello clapped his hands together, a square barrier was completed.

“Count Goofy Valentine. From this moment, I will deliver His Imperial Majesty’s decree to you.”

“…Again with those… eyes…!!”

“For the crime of colluding with the demonic tribe.”

Rania lowered her stance.

With her hand on her sword, she fixed her gaze on Goofy.

“You deserve to die.”

In an instant, she vanished.

Those watching could only blink, yet so much had changed in that brief moment.

Goofy was the first to notice the change.

“Huh…?”

Goofy’s body had been vertically bisected. As his body split, Rania appeared behind him.

She quietly sheathed her sword.

Leaving the fallen Goofy behind, Rania signaled to Vasello. As soon as the illusion barrier dissipated, she approached him and bowed.

“Thanks to Count Vasello, I was able to give my all.”

“Not at all. Without the Sword Emperor, the damage would have been far greater.”

It was a clean ending. Everyone present applauded and cheered.

“Good.”

Except for one person.

“That’s supposed to be the Sword Emperor? The strongest on the continent?”

Flinch.

Rania’s gaze shifted toward the Emperor.

“Back in my day, the real… Ugh, never mind.”

More precisely, it was directed at the boy behind the Emperor, who was grimacing.

…Did I hear that wrong?

Rania furrowed her brow.

The boy hiding behind the Emperor covered his mouth with both hands, ensuring only she could see.

Then, he mouthed something silently.

“What are you staring at like you did something right?”

“…Did I see that wrong?”

Rania found herself constantly doubting her own senses.

However, there was no time to question the boy further.

Shrook, Sararack.

The bisected Goofy had returned to his original form. Taking shape, he exhaled deeply.

[Haaa….]

The overwhelming demonic energy mixed with his breath spread into the atmosphere, making even Rania feel dizzy.

Goofy smiled as if satisfied.

[To think this much power comes from the blood of a mere viscount of the Demonic Tribe… It seems I made an excellent choice.]

Each word sent chills down their spines.

Among the ordinary people, the weaker ones had long since fainted and collapsed.

Goofy’s appearance began to change.

Horns sprouted from his head, and his skin took on a dark, ashen hue.

He turned his body toward the Emperor.

[Your Imperial Majesty.]

Stroking the black tattoo streaking down his face like tear marks, he flashed a sinister grin.

[Why do you look at me with such eyes?]

Rania hurled herself forward in haste.

She inhaled deeply to invoke the Word Spirit and twisted her waist to swing her sword.

Bang!

But she failed. Struck by Goofy’s blow, she was sent crashing deep into the Imperial Castle.

“Protect His Imperial Majesty!!”

Just as Vasello and a few strong ones were preparing to attack—

[Go ahead, try to move.]

Goofy, who had somehow positioned himself behind the Emperor, pulled out the fragments lodged in his body. He aimed them at the Emperor’s eyes.

[If you want to live under an Emperor without eyes, that is.]

His movements were overwhelming.

‘Of all people, why His Imperial Majesty…!’

Vasello’s forehead furrowed deeply.

Currently, Goofy exuded the energy of a Junior Baron of the Demonic Tribe.

If they had faced him alone on the battlefield, they could have captured him, even at the cost of injuries.

But now, there were too many hostages.

With just a flick of Goofy’s hand, most of the ordinary people would die a gruesome death.

Even the Emperor would be no exception.

In this unexpected situation, they had also lost Rania, their greatest asset.

‘I need to think of a way.’

Vasello racked his brain endlessly, but every outcome led to annihilation.

Then, suddenly, he thought of Yuri.

He didn’t know why the boy came to mind, but he instinctively turned his gaze in that direction.

He was gone.

Yuri, who had been closest to the Emperor, had disappeared somewhere.

The same was true for the Gentleman.

As if he had never raided the Imperial Family, he vanished without a trace.

Vasello shook his head.

They were useless anyway. Saving the Emperor was more important now.

Looking down at them, Goofy sneered.

[Does no one have any courage?]

Swoosh.

He withdrew the fragments that had been hovering near the Emperor’s eyes.

[What about now?]

Goofy was intoxicated.

With the demonic energy coursing through every corner of his body, and the overwhelming sense of superiority he felt for the first time in his life.

He planned to toy with them a little longer, kill everyone, and then return to the Demon God Cult.

After that, he would kill the Leader of the Demon God Cult and rise to the highest position.

He would assist in the Demon God’s descent into the present world, amass merit, and ascend from the blood of a viscount to that of a count, marquis, duke, and eventually even the Demon God’s blood! When that time came, no one would dare look down on him!

Yes!

He would lose nothing ever again!

Suddenly, Goofy’s expression froze.

[…What do I even have left?]

It was in that moment of introspection.

“Is carelessness trending these days? Seriously, kids these days lack the basics.”

A black shadow appeared out of nowhere and darted straight into his chest.

[Who are you!!]

“Moonlight Captain, Full Moon.”

The man, who introduced himself as Full Moon, swiftly rescued the Emperor and held him securely in his arms.

He then leapt toward Vasello and gently placed the Emperor down.

“This time, guard him properly, will you?”

“…Who are you to help us?”

“Didn’t you hear me?”

Moonlight Captain, Full Moon.

The man wore a mask similar to that of the Gentleman. He had the build of a robust adult male, and his voice was deep.

“…In any case, thank you——”

Just as Vasello was about to express his gratitude,

Goofy, who had regained his senses, spoke.

[So, you pulled off a cheap trick.]

“Too bad, you’re wrong.”

[What did you say…?]

“That’s what I’m about to do now.”

The man placed his hand on Goofy’s body. Then, in a familiar manner, he infused power into his words.

[Follow me to the rooftop.]

He had mimicked Rania’s Word Spirit.

Swoosh.

With that, both Goofy and the man vanished.

2.

I feel like I’m going to die.

Out of breath, as if I had been running endlessly. My parched mouth tasted faintly of blood.

Every time I moved my muscles, they spasmed, and the inside of the mask was filled with hot breaths.

But I couldn’t show it.

[Is this your grave?]

The enemy was still alive and breathing.

For now, I replied nonchalantly.

“No, I have acrophobia, you know.”

[Then I’ll throw your head to the ground.]

“Oh, how thoughtful of you.”

A sly smile crept onto the corner of Goofy’s mouth.

[Did you charge in without a plan?]

“I have one.”

[Ha! That bluff ends here!]

He immediately prepared to attack.

However, it was not yet time.

A little more time was still needed.

I acted naturally and asked a question.

“Aren’t you curious about my face?”

“[Why bother? You’re just a dead man walking. No need for pointless interest.]”

“Well, once you see it, your mind might change a bit.”

There was a risk of my identity being exposed, but I had no choice.

Click.

I slowly removed the mask.

The mask was called Whisper of the Devil.

While wearing the mask, it allowed me to show the opponent whatever appearance I wanted them to see.

I didn’t like the name at all, but it was an Artifact with exceptional effects.

“[…You bastard!!]”

As the effect that had enveloped my whole body disappeared, Goofy immediately recognized me.

Grabbing his arm, he shouted.

“[Because of you, I―!!]”

“There you go again.”

“[What did you say!!]”

“Blaming someone else again.”

I let out a sigh and sat down.

I finally let out the words I had been holding back.

“Your family ended up like that—because of who? You joined the Demon God Cult—because of who? You’re in this state now—because of who? Must be an easy life, huh?”

Goofy’s mouth shut tight.

He trembled as if trying to recall something, but in the end, instead of speaking, he charged at me.

“[Die, you bastard―!!]”

Goofy came flying straight at me, without any pretense.

I looked at his attack and smiled.

“I’ve already died twice, you know?”

I tilted my head slightly.

“[That won’t make my attack miss!!]”

“I didn’t lower my head to dodge.”

I lowered it to attack.

“Ian.”

The moment I called his name.

Comet.

The strike of the man who was once a Sword Saint came flying in.

Watching the flustered Goofy, I raised my middle finger.

“This is our plan, you bastard.”