NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 5
TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 5
Uncomfortable.
“You’re not harboring any impure thoughts about my daughter, are you?”
“No, I’m not.”
That too was extremely uncomfortable.
The reason was simple.
“Hmmm…”
It was because a man who looked exactly like the Young Lady was glaring at me as if he wanted to kill me.
He asked another question.
“Do you want to die?”
“Pardon?”
“Why don’t you have impure thoughts?”
“Pardon…?”
“Isn’t my daughter beautiful and adorable?”
Vasselo Salvatore.
He was the current head of the House of Salvatore and the father of Young Lady Frey.
After a brief moment of deliberation, I answered.
“Are you telling me to have impure thoughts, then?”
“Is that your last will?”
“This is driving me crazy.”
The killing intent was overwhelming.
I hastily changed my words.
“Then I won’t have any.”
“So, my daughter isn’t good enough for you?”
What am I supposed to say to that?
I had expected this, but the extent was extreme.
Count Salvatore was famously known as a doting father even in my previous life.
However, he had never been like this from the very first meeting.
In my first life, I was sent straight to the Butler Division and never even met him. In my second life, he merely left me with vague instructions to do as I pleased after a quick introduction.
This time, things started differently.
-Follow me.
After suggesting we go together, the Young Lady headed straight toward the center of the Imperial Capital.
-This is our villa.
The villa of the House of Salvatore.
It was a gift from the Emperor.
Such a thing was possible because the House of Salvatore had enjoyed the Emperor’s favor for generations.
-You’re not surprised?
-Well, no.
Most people would be awestruck by the splendor upon seeing it for the first time, but this was already my third time.
During my time as a butler, I occasionally accompanied the Young Lady here. I even stayed for several years while attending and graduating from the Academy.
-Boring.
-Should I act surprised now?
-Yes.
I immediately stood on my hands.
-So surprised I flipped over.
The Young Lady nodded.
-Now that’s a proper butler.
-Thank you.
That was the kind of banter we were having.
-Come here, Frey!
-Father?
He appeared out of nowhere, separating me and the Young Lady before retreating.
-Who’s that boy next to you?
-I picked him up.
-What?
-I’m making him my exclusive butler.
-Suddenly?
He looked at me.
I bowed politely and greeted him.
-I am Yuri.
He continued to regard me with suspicion.
Young Lady Frey grabbed Count Vasselo’s sleeve with a bright smile.
-Even beggars introduce themselves. Shouldn’t the head of a noble family say something, too?
It was an unspoken demand for him to introduce himself.
He finally opened his mouth.
-…Vasselo Salvatore.
After the introductions, he summoned a butler and quietly gave some instructions.
Then he dragged me to his office.
“Dieeeeee!!”
“This is driving me insane.”
He kept acting like that.
At this point, there was no other choice.
Swoosh.
I subtly turned my gaze toward the silent Young Lady Frey.
‘Please help me, Young Lady.’
I conveyed my plea with my eyes.
The Young Lady casually retorted.
“What are you staring at?”
Like father, like daughter.
Thinking my signal might have been too weak, I even tried winking.
“Are you asking to be stabbed?”
A cold glare was her response. Still, thank you for the kind reply, Young Lady!
I sincerely spoke to the two of them.
“I feel like I’m going to faint from fear.”
It wasn’t a joke—I was genuinely terrified.
The members of the House of Salvatore had appearances more suited to villains than heroes.
Even the casual curses they threw out sounded like villainous lines when spoken by them.
I was recalling old memories and trying to remember the location of the villa’s restroom.
“Daughter.”
“What?”
Before I knew it, Vasselo had calmed down and was smiling lovingly.
He held Frey’s hand.
“Could you step outside for a moment?”
“No.”
Of course, it didn’t work.
After a moment of thought, he added.
“I won’t kill him.”
Oh.
So you were planning to kill me?
The Young Lady finally nodded.
“…Keep your promise.”
I thought they brought me here just to abandon me, but it was quite the opposite.
If it weren’t for the Young Lady, I might have been killed by this man long ago.
I bowed my head quietly in gratitude.
“Let’s meet again, alive.”
For a Young Lady, those were warm words. Just as my savior was about to leave—
Something suddenly came to Vasello’s mind, and he quickly added.
“Ah, by the way, a schedule for a friendly sparring match has been set. Let’s talk more later.”
“…Understood.”
Right after the Young Lady left—
“You’re Yuri, correct?”
Vasello, now serious, opened the conversation.
“Yes, that is correct.”
“You look quite young.”
“I am twelve this year.”
He seemed like a completely different person from just moments ago.
Running a hand through his hair, he asked,
“How do I look to you?”
I observed him more closely.
Long, flowing blonde hair, crimson eyes deeper than the Young Lady’s, and flawless skin.
He had the sharp appearance of a young man, making it hard to believe he was the father of two children.
I couldn’t help but admire him.
“You are very handsome.”
A moment of silence followed.
Vasello covered his mouth with his hand and simply stared at me for a while.
“You want to serve as my daughter’s butler, correct?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Why?”
There were many reasons.
Because the Young Lady had saved my life, because we had built a bond over a long period, and because I never wanted to lose her again.
But I couldn’t say any of that.
Revealing my previous life to Ian had been enough. Though I knew Count Vasello was a good person, this was a separate matter.
After a brief moment of thought, I answered.
“For the money.”
“Money?”
Now was the time.
I delivered the response I had prepared in advance.
“I assume you are aware of the rumors calling the Young Lady a villainess. Because of that, it must have been difficult to hire even a personal maid, let alone a butler, until now.”
There is a villainess in the House of Salvatore.
It was a well-known saying even in my previous life.
The maids or butlers assigned to the Young Lady never lasted more than a week.
Misfortunes constantly befell those who stayed by her side.
Of course, all of it was false.
The Young Lady’s unique circumstances and mere coincidences had made it appear that way.
The House of Salvatore’s fierce demeanor and blunt personality also played a role.
In the Empire, there’s a saying: even a worm can become a dragon if rumors spread.
That was exactly the case here.
“The rumors say that serving Young Lady Frey will get you torn limb from limb within months.”
That was what the beggars I had chased off just before meeting the Young Lady had said as they fled.
Vasello’s brow furrowed slightly.
“Finish answering my question.”
Wetting my lips, I added,
“I don’t care if I die.”
“What?”
“I’m just a beggar from the streets, am I not? Rather than dying a miserable death on the roadside, I’d rather serve someone noble and earn some money before I go.”
Of course, that was a lie.
I had no intention of dying until I saved the Young Lady and everyone else.
However, lies always leave a trail. This time, it was time to speak the truth.
“To put it another way, I’m saying I’m prepared to die for the Young Lady.”
I added it like a self-deprecating joke.
It was a wish I had prayed for countless times in my previous life. For them to take me instead of the Young Lady.
That was how I concluded my words.
If I came across as a money-hungry beggar, it would make me easier to use. They would casually approve and move on, showing no further interest. This was how I became the Young Lady’s butler in my second life.
But the Count’s reaction was unexpected.
“Pfft!”
He burst into laughter.
After laughing for quite a while, he removed his gloves and extended his right hand.
“You win.”
“Win? What do you mean?”
“It means I’ll pretend not to know.”
“Pardon?”
While I stood there confused, he quickly grabbed my hand and pulled me forward.
“I look forward to working with you, Yuri.”
“…Yes, Head of the Family.”
“Head of the Family! You’re already calling me that? It’s as if you’ve already received butler training!”
Of course, I have, you old man.
If I go through it again in this life, it’ll be my third time.
“I like you! I really like you!”
“Thank you.”
Though something felt off, I decided not to dwell on it.
As long as the results were good, that was all that mattered.
“Alright, while we’re at it, call me Father!”
“Yes! Father!”
In the end, I was able to become the Young Lady’s exclusive butler in this life as well.
“Are you insane?”
“Pardon?”
“You actually did it just because I told you to?”
Please, let this be the last time.
2.
“I don’t understand.”
In the now-empty office, where even Yuri had left—
A man who had been hiding his presence stepped out from behind the curtain.
“It was all lies, wasn’t it?”
It was Vasello’s bodyguard knight, Lloyd.
As someone who had reached the advanced level of Sword Expert, he could see through everything about the beggar boy.
The altered breathing.
The sweat that seeped out.
The trembling gaze.
Even when the boy said his reason for becoming a butler was money, or when he claimed he didn’t mind dying.
The boy’s entire body revealed that he was lying.
Vasello let out a small chuckle.
“You’re lacking training, Lloyd.”
“Lacking training?”
“Are you saying I might have seen it wrong?”
Lloyd asked, just in case.
“May I ask what you mean by that?”
“Of course, naturally.”
Vasello’s eyes gleamed red.
“Not everything was a lie.”
“Are you saying there was truth in it?”
“Correct.”
Still leaning against the sofa, Vasello turned his body to face Lloyd, who looked dissatisfied.
“There were exactly two times it wasn’t a lie.”
Vasello raised his right hand, extending his index and middle fingers, then folded the middle finger first.
“You said you were prepared to die for Frey. That part was genuine.”
Lloyd was taken aback.
“Couldn’t you have misunderstood?”
Being prepared to face death was not something one could decide so easily.
Let alone for someone else, it was even more unthinkable.
Vasello asked leisurely.
“What’s my nickname, Lloyd?”
“…The Wizard of Truth.”
“Then why act like this when you know?”
The Wizard of Truth, Vasello.
The reason he could surpass the 7th Circle was because he wove truth and lies into his magic.
He could effortlessly discern even the lies of spies trained under harsh conditions.
“Well, even I found it hard to believe.”
A mere twelve-year-old child, prepared to die for someone else, and for his daughter, no less.
“That’s why it’s all the more intriguing.”
A hint of madness flickered in Vasello’s smile.
It was the intense curiosity unique to wizards flaring up.
Lloyd’s voice interrupted that curiosity.
“Doesn’t it worry you?”
“Not really.”
Surprisingly, it didn’t feel worrisome. Somehow, he felt he could trust that boy.
Yuri was a decent fellow.
It was the intuition of a 7th Circle Archmage.
If he had asked to become his butler instead of Frey’s, he would’ve accepted without hesitation.
He thought his daughter was fortunate to have such a connection.
“Anyway, from the moment Yuri finishes his butler training and returns, keep an eye on him for a while. Don’t delegate it to others; you do it personally, Lloyd.”
“Yes, Head of the Family.”
Lloyd bowed deeply to receive the order. When he straightened his back again—
Lloyd hesitated about something.
“Um… Head of the Family?”
“What is it?”
He tried to suppress his curiosity but failed.
In the end, he cautiously asked Vasello.
“What was the other one?”
“The other what?”
“You mentioned there were two things that weren’t lies.”
“Ah, that?”
Vasello pressed his remaining index finger against his cheek.
“He said I’m handsome.”
“…”
Meanwhile, in Frey Salvatore’s room.
“Yuri.”
“Yes, Young Lady.”
“I’m going to have to beat someone up soon.”
“Pardon?”
This was a farewell moment before Yuri left for a few days of butler training.
Frey asked with a serious expression.
“Is it against the rules to hit someone in the crotch during a fight?”
Yuri, who had served her three times already, thought once again how she always managed to surprise him.