The Butler of the Villainess Has Returned

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 6

I am the Young Lady’s exclusive butler.

And a butler is always obligated to answer their master’s questions faithfully.

After thinking deeply, I responded.

“How hard do you intend to hit me?”

“This hard?”

The Young Lady gathered a bit of mana at her fingertip and flicked it at the table in front of her.

-Snap!

A crisp sound.

Chills ran down my entire body.

“That’s against the rules.”

“Is it?”

Where her finger had struck, a hole was left in the table.

I quickly nodded.

“Yes, it’s not just against the rules—it’s disqualification.”

“Disqualification?”

“Human disqualification.”

“What?”

“Never mind.”

Maintaining my composure, I stepped back.

I don’t know who the opponent is, but they should know they owe me a massive debt.

“Anyway, I’ll be taking my leave now.”

There’s no time left.

I had to hurry, get trained, and pass the butler’s exam to officially become the Young Lady’s exclusive butler.

“…Alright.”

However, the Young Lady’s expression was unusual.

She’s not great at hiding her emotions, but today it was especially obvious.

I thought about ignoring it and leaving, but that wasn’t an option.

In neither my first life nor my second life had the Young Lady ever made such an expression at this time of year.

Something was definitely wrong.

Reluctantly, I stood before the Young Lady again.

“What’s troubling you?”

“Aren’t you leaving?”

“I still have a bit of time left.”

“Really?”

“Yes, about ten minutes or so?”

Of course, that was a lie.

If I didn’t leave immediately, I’d barely make it on time without running.

“…Thank goodness.”

But what could I do?

Seeing her relieved like that, I’d hear her out even if it meant flying there later.

“Sigh…”

After hesitating for a moment, the Young Lady wore a sullen expression and opened her mouth.

“Do you know why we’re here?”

“Because we were invited to the banquet hosted by the Imperial Family?”

“…How do you know that?”

“Why are you upset that I know?”

The Young Lady was sharp in the strangest ways.

But I couldn’t pretend not to know.

The banquet held shortly after meeting the Young Lady was an unforgettable event.

I asked her again.

“Anyway, why does that matter?”

“…I’m worried about the friendly sparring happening that day.”

For a moment, I frowned without realizing it.

The friendly sparring organized by the Imperial Family.

This event was crucial for the Young Lady’s magical talent to blossom.

Her opponent was the third son of the Valentine Count Family, part of the Eastern Nobles.

Having just entered the level of Sword Expert, he initially overwhelmed the Young Lady.

-So, the eldest daughter of a Magic Noble Family isn’t as skilled in magic as one might think.

As she was gradually pushed out of the arena, the Young Lady gritted her teeth and muttered.

-What nonsense is that?

A child loved by mana.

Even when still, mana accumulated within her body, and the amount was beyond imagination.

-Try taking this.

The Young Lady focused her suppressed mana into a single point and aimed it at her opponent.

Up until then, it had been a curse.

Mana overflowed uncontrollably, spilling out of her body.

Mana, which is usually like air, takes form when processed within the body.

The overflowing mana exerted physical force, breaking objects and pushing people.

That was the basis of the rumors.

The blessing disguised as a curse that gave the Young Lady the epithet of Villainess.

-Die.

However, the moment the Young Lady succeeded in controlling it, it became a blessing.

-What is that…?

In everyone’s minds, the word “Villainess” was replaced with “Genius.”

-Come on, try again.

-F-Frey!

That lasted until the Young Lady, unconscious, began beating the Valentine Count’s third son again.

-Let go! I’m going to hit him for every time he provoked me!

-If you hit him any more, he’ll actually die!!

-Then should I hit him so he survives?!

In the end, it only enhanced her reputation as a Villainess, though she did grow stronger.

To sum it all up.

“Scared?”

“What did you just say?”

“Please let me finish, Young Lady. I was going to say you don’t need to be scared.”

It’s an easy challenge to overcome.

Rather, it was a great opportunity for the Young Lady to break through her stagnation in one go.

I waited for the Young Lady’s response.

By now, it was about time for her to angrily deny being scared.

But something was different. The Young Lady still looked gloomy.

“…How could I not be?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“How could I not be worried!!”

“You’re acting strange today. What’s got you so scared?”

The Young Lady asked irritably.

“Do you even know who my opponent is?”

“Isn’t it the third son of the Valentine Count Family?”

“It’s not the third son—it’s the first son.”

The first son?

For a moment, my mind went blank.

“That can’t be right…?”

The future had changed.

At this point, it should have been the Third Son, not the First Son, who appeared.

The Young Lady slowly nodded.

“Well, if he hadn’t gone missing, the Third Son might have been my opponent.”

“Missing?”

“Do you, a kid picked up off the street, really know nothing?”

The Young Lady let out a sigh.

“Was it the day before I met you? Early that morning, a maid from the Valentine Family went into the Third Son’s room, but he was gone. Turns out he had gone out the day before.”

“The Valentine Family doesn’t even know the geography of the Capital City properly, yet they’re so bold.”

“Not really. They’ve been quietly expanding their business into the metropolitan area for a while now.”

That was something I hadn’t known.

The family that served as the foundation for the Young Lady’s growth, and the one Asha inexplicably avoided.

That was my memory of the Valentine Count Family.

“Have they still not found him?”

“They did find someone, but it wasn’t the Third Son. They only found the corpses of the four knights who had accompanied him.”

“Corpses? Four people died in the Capital City, and it’s this quiet? Shouldn’t they be conducting a large-scale search for the missing?”

“They didn’t even file a report, so what investigation could there be? Seems like they’re hiding something.”

The Young Lady looked pleased.

No matter what, four people had died, yet she spoke so casually about it.

As a butler, I had to say something.

“Is it amusing to you that people died?”

“Yes. Not just amusing—it’s exhilarating.”

“Young Lady!”

I shouted without realizing it.

Regardless, the Young Lady walked away with a playful smile.

“I heard they all died with their necks broken. Oh! One of them died in an unusual way, though.”

“Young Lady, life is precious—”

“I think they said his tongue was ripped out, and he fell to his death?”

What?

For a moment, something caught in my throat.

“Serves them right. They strutted around with their heads held high just because they passed through the remnants of a Swordsmanship Noble Family, all the while backing Underworld businesses.”

“The Underworld?”

“You didn’t know? Drugs, slaves, brothels—they’ve been backing all of it. Lately, I heard they’ve even been targeting orphans. Seriously, the Northeastern Nobles’ Union is a real problem.”

The blockage I had felt began to dissipate. I voiced the question that came to mind.

“Does the Head of the Family not know about this yet?”

“He knows. He’s the one who found the bodies.”

Everything clicked into place.

I quickly prepared to leave.

“Young Lady.”

“What now?”

“I’m postponing your lessons until tomorrow.”

“What!? Why all of a sudden?”

After a brief moment of thought, I replied.

“There’s something I left at home.”

Then I leapt out the window.

“Gasp!”

The Young Lady reached out to me in a hurry.

“You don’t even have a home, you beggar!”

Of course, she wasn’t worried about me.

2.

After running for a while, I arrived at my destination.

It was the Deep Blue Forest.

Not far from where I had created the Mana Heart, there was something I had left behind.

Click.

I put on the mask I had taken the other day and pushed through the thickets.

When I uncovered an unnatural-looking spot, a deep pit was revealed.

“Did you sleep well?”

“…Moonlight.”

“It’s Full Moon.”

It was the assailant who had been identified as the leader of the group I captured while rescuing Asha.

“What’s your connection to the Demon God’s Cultists?”

“What’s that?”

“Don’t play dumb.”

“Just kill me.”

Hahaha.

He laughed like a madman. I spoke to him again.

“Then Count Valentine will be sad.”

“…Who’s that?”

“The family that will be annihilated by Moonlight tomorrow.”

For a moment, his mouth shut tight.

After pondering something, he slowly opened his mouth.

“…Hey.”

He glared at me, veins bulging.

“You came here knowing who I am, didn’t you?”

I smiled at him.

“Nice to meet you, Vernon Valentine.”

3.

The Valentine Family was on the verge of collapse.

They said that those people had approached the family when it was on the brink of bankruptcy.

-All you need to do is support the Underworld in the Empire’s capital from behind the scenes.

They refused several times, but with the Countess’s life at stake, they eventually agreed.

The family was revived almost instantly.

It was thanks to the Demon God’s Cultists, who had deeply rooted themselves within the Empire.

From then on, it was a tragic drama.

The wife they had barely saved died, and Count Valentine was drawn into the Underworld.

The sons were no different.

The Third Son, grieving his mother’s loss; the Second Son, burdened by guilt for losing his father; and the First Son, overwhelmed by the responsibility of protecting the family.

Each had their reasons for stepping into the shadows, and the shadows refused to let them go.

-If only someone had helped me back then….

-If only someone had reached out before those damned Demon God’s Cultists approached….

-If only someone had helped me save my wife….

Living like trash, they blamed everything on the world.

-The Demon God will grant us peace.

It was persistent brainwashing.

-What you have now means nothing. Just prepare for the next life and assist with the plan.

They were already Demon God’s Cultists. This was the current state of the Valentine Family.

Because I had saved Asha from them, the future had changed.

“Did you order the kidnapping of children?”

“…Yes. I was told they’d be sold to brothels, but when I went to check, they had been taken elsewhere.”

The assailant whose tongue I had ripped out came to mind.

He was someone who deserved to die.

As my expression hardened, Vernon grew flustered.

“You said you’d spare me if I talked! You promised not to touch my family, you f*cking bastard!”

“…I did.”

“Th-then why the hell do you look like that?!”

I pulled out Vernon’s long sword, which I had set aside. It was a weapon far too good for him.

“Let me ask you one last thing.”

I placed my hand on the sword’s hilt.

“You said you sold the children to the brothel.”

“So what!”

Hoping desperately that his answer wouldn’t confirm my suspicions, I asked without hesitation.

“Why did you go back there?”

“That’s—!!”

Vernon twisted his body in panic.

“Th-that’s…!!”

He struggled for a long while.

I didn’t need to hear it to know.

He had gone there to prey on the children. Though rage surged within me, there was still one thing left to confirm.

“Your whole family was involved, weren’t they?”

“Except for that bastard Clark——”

Snap.

Vernon shut his mouth.

He gave a self-deprecating smile, as if exhausted or disgusted with himself.

“…Just kill me, you son of a b*tch.”

For the first time, I found him likable.

4.

Why hadn’t I met Vasselo Salvatore in my first life?

Why had he hurried off after merely ordering me to wash up in my second life?

It must have been an interrogation.

Unlike me, who killed everyone but one, he would have tried to extract information from them.

As the Wizard of Truth, he must have uncovered something, which was why he couldn’t smile.

Why had the Young Lady’s partner changed?

Because I had kidnapped the Third Son.

‘Butterfly Effect.’

Even a small action, like the flap of a butterfly’s wings, can drastically alter events.

But I had no regrets.

If Asha had been captured by them, she would have lived a horrifying life for years to come.

Whenever you gain something, there’s always something you lose in return.

What I gained was Asha.

What I lost was Vasselo’s vigilance against the Demon God’s Cultists and the Young Lady’s complete awakening.

I needed a concrete plan to resolve these two issues.

“It can’t be helped.”

I sighed and stood up.

I immediately sought out Ian. He stroked his white beard, deep in thought.

“Things have become complicated.”

“Even so, I have no regrets.”

“I imagine I would have done the same.”

“That aside….”

I sighed and asked.

“Are you going to keep speaking formally?”

“Yes, I am.”

Ian had begun speaking formally.

-Even in a Secret Society, there are ranks.

-I’m truly fine with it.

-I find this more comfortable. Ah! Why don’t you drop the formalities as well?

In my previous life, it had taken me a long time to stop speaking formally.

-I’ll do so when I feel comfortable.

For now, it still felt awkward.

“Understood for now. Let’s continue the meeting.”

We deliberated for a long time. However, we kept going in circles.

Just as the meeting was sinking into a quagmire, Asha, who had woken up, appeared.

“Grandpa!”

“Oh, the Princess is awake.”

While the old man stalled for time, I quickly hid and observed them.

“Show me that again!”

“Hoho, do you like my sword that much?”

“Yes! It’s pretty!”

She seemed to be referring to swordsmanship or the nightscape.

“Ah, right.”

Ian glanced at where I was hiding and lightly swung his sword.

“It seems I can wield a sword again.”

“What?”

“Huh, that sounded like Yuri’s voice.”

I quickly hid myself again and watched him.

“Focus your Aura into your eyes.”

Following Ian’s words, I concentrated my Aura.

It was true.

The Aura I hadn’t been able to sense before now surged as if it would overflow.

“Since you’ve confirmed it, I’ll take my leave.”

Ian concealed his energy once more.

He was still far from being a Sword Saint, but at this rate, he would surely regain that title someday.

For some reason, the Sword Saint Ian Estevan had returned.

‘He could’ve told me earlier.’

With this, a plan began to take shape.

A method of certain victory that Moonlight had often used in my previous life.

5.

While Asha went to bathe, I firmly grasped Ian’s hands.

“I’ve come up with a plan.”

“Please share it.”

“We’ll break through head-on.”

Ian looked concerned.

He checked my heart and dantian one by one, then scratched his head.

“Your Aura is still at a low level, and your Mana Heart appears to lack a Circle.”

“That’s correct.”

“And yet, you’re proposing a frontal assault? The security will be tight since it’s hosted by the Imperial Family.”

“I’m truly fine with it.”

“No, but still—”

“Ian. I. Am. Fine.”

I cut him off.

I met his gaze and spoke sincerely.

“I’m not going to do anything.”

“What?”

With a bright smile, I revealed the plan.

“Because Ian will be the one attacking the Imperial Palace alone.”

.

.

.

After a long pause, Ian asked again.

“What?”