The Butler of the Villainess Has Returned

Chapter 37

Shortly after exchanging simple greetings.

"Alright! Then let's lie down again."

Arista lay back on the bed and patted the spot next to her.

I sighed and asked.

"Are you planning to kill me?"

"I just plan to make you lie down?"

"No, you definitely plan to kill me."

Saying so, I stepped aside slightly.

"Ugh..."

It was the Emperor making a dumbfounded sound.

The reason was simple.

Beyond the door of the single room, a menacing aura was flooding in.

"...."

It was Rania.

Through the gap in the door, she was glaring at me as if she wanted to kill me.

Swoosh.

Arista stood up from her seat.

"Let's just have a conversation."

"Are you scared?"

"H-how dare you!!"

Showing off her dignity magnificently, she scurried to my side and whispered.

"...To be honest, I'm a bit scared."

"Are you scared of the bodyguard knight?"

"Ugh! Rania and I are not in that kind of relationship! She's like an older sister—!"

"Ah, yes."

"Don't respond so half-heartedly! If I go back, she'll lecture me for hours about propriety between men and women and proper spouses! Isn't that scary?"

"Oh, how scary."

"...Forget it, I won't say anything more."

Muttering this and that, Arista trudged back to the bed.

I checked the clock.

Half a day had passed.

I had intended to pretend to faint and take a short nap, but I seemed to have fallen into a deeper sleep than expected.

"I'll take my leave now."

I had no belongings to pack.

After bowing politely, I turned to leave.

"Listen to the Full Moon of Moonlight."

It was not the youthful voice from before, but a voice imbued with the dignity of an Emperor.

"Once again, the Empire owes you a debt."

Sararack.

The sound of clothes brushing against the bed could be heard. It seemed she was getting up and approaching me.

"However, you are both a benefactor and a top-class fugitive. I cannot give you a reward that is publicly visible."

That was true.

Even though I was moving to annihilate the Demon God Cult, committing murders based on independent judgment was clearly a criminal act.

It was an act that disregarded the laws of the Empire, and thus, a special wanted order had been issued.

Then why did she call me here?

As I was pondering for a moment.

Grab.

I felt warmth from behind. Arista had hugged me from behind.

Following the presence, I turned my head and met her silver pupils beyond her red hair.

She took out a pouch from her embrace and placed it in my hand.

"So this is not a reward from the Sun of the Empire."

"Then who is giving it to me?"

"...Your friend, Arista."

I accepted the pouch and examined it.

It was a somewhat clumsy handmade pouch with silver teddy bear embroidery on red fabric.

Pfft.

I couldn't help but laugh. In contrast, Arista's face turned red.

"Don't laugh! If you use imperial goods, you have to disclose their origin! So I made it myself to avoid tracking!"

"Are you trying to give me a reward?"

"Yes! I reduced my sleeping time to make it by hand, so you should be grateful!"

She was truly a kind person.

Come to think of it, she was like that in my previous life too.

Even knowing my identity, Arista didn't sell me out to the Noble Alliance.

She was called an incompetent Emperor who allowed a criminal group to run rampant, and later, she fell into the schemes of the Northeastern Nobles' Alliance, saving children and dying.

If she had lived longer, Moonlight would have been able to operate more freely.

I even went to the battlefield belatedly to save her.

-...In the end, we were torn apart.

Of course, I couldn't protect her and only watched her final moments.

That's why I resolved.

"Thank you."

"You should be!"

"And you should be grateful too."

"Yes, of course.... Huh?"

In this life, I decided to include Arista within my fence and protect her.

I took out a magic stone from my pocket.

"Please accept this."

"What is this?"

"It's a Lucky Stone."

"A Lucky Stone?"

It was a miniature coordinate stone, secretly modified after stealing it from the testing ground.

The moment mana flows into the magic stone, the coordinates of the current location are transmitted to me.

"When you're in real danger or trouble, just flow mana into that stone."

"Then what happens?"

"Luck will come your way."

Saying it out loud felt a bit awkward.

"Then I'll be off."

I avoided Rania, who was guarding the main door, opened the window, and leapt out.

Just when I thought I had barely escaped, the Emperor's sly voice reached me.

"Your name isn't Luck, is it?"

As expected, those silver eyes are unsettling.

2.

I had the same dream again today.

-Young Lady....

A sorrowful dream of a black-haired idiot man hugging her and weeping.

Frey knew.

The black-haired man was Yuri, and she herself in the dream was dying.

Please live, Yuri.

The dream version of herself kept pleading.

Pleading for the foolish servant who knew only his master to leave her and survive.

The ending was always the same.

-Sleep well, Young Lady.

Yuri stayed by her side until the very end,

-May you rest peacefully, as you wished.

The world met its end.

At such times, a voice could be heard.

[This is the last time.]

It was her own voice, sometimes mimicking Yuri, Claudia, or Kali—a strange and alien voice.

The ending was always the same.

[Die for everyone, Frey.]

It was now time to wake up.

.

.

.

Right after waking up.

"...Move your head, Yuri."

Frey faced the butler.

He was looking down at her with an expression full of worry and concern.

"Doesn't this feel like a prince?"

His face was so close, as if to wake the sleeping princess with a kiss.

Frey pushed him away.

"No, so move."

"You're so cold."

Yuri's face moved away. Only then could she confirm the scenery of the room.

It was late dawn.

It was the time when Yuri would have finished work, and even Claudia and Kali would have returned to their lodgings.

Frey asked Yuri.

"Why aren't you off work?"

"I was working overtime."

"There's nothing to do, is there?"

"There is."

"What is it?"

Swoosh.

Yuri took off his gloves. His callus-filled hand touched Frey's forehead.

"I was nursing you."

"I'm not sick."

"For someone who's not sick, you were suffering quite a bit, though?"

"That's...."

She couldn't say it was because of a nightmare.

The moment she spoke it out loud, it felt like it would truly become real.

Frey forced a smile.

"Go home, Yuri."

"I hate it."

"I won't pay you."

"I still hate it."

Yuri was different from usual.

Even when she said she wouldn't pay him, he refused to leave without a moment of hesitation.

"Instead, I'll rest here for a bit."

Saying so, he lay down on the floor next to the bed. Frey looked down at him.

"What are you doing?"

"You said you wouldn't pay me."

"So go home."

"I'll leave after the Young Lady falls asleep."

"Why, though?"

"If you sleep alone, you might have a nightmare."

Squeeze.

Frey clenched her hand tightly.

"Yuri."

"Yes, Young Lady."

"You won't leave me, will you?"

It was an old memory.

Even her mother, who claimed to love her, her nanny, who smiled and said she was the prettiest in the world, and the butler, who promised to always stay by her side, all left her.

Frey knew.

They wanted to stay by her side, but the situation didn't allow it.

It was literally something unavoidable, but ultimately, she was left alone.

"No matter what the situation is, you'll stay by my side until the end, right?"

The villainess's lips trembled. It seemed like she might cry at any moment.

Yuri thought seriously.

Unlike others who had given immediate answers, he thought very slowly.

And then he asked.

"Even when you go to the bathroom?"

"...What?"

"Okay. Then I'll exclude the bathroom. What about when you go to take a bath?"

"...Idiot."

"Ah! What about when you enter the dressing room—!"

"Haa...."

Frey let out a sigh.

"Just go home."

"I still have more questions to ask."

"Ugh, just get lost."

I'm the idiot for expecting anything.

Frey turned her body.

She found Yuri, who usually liked to joke around, a bit annoying today.

No, she almost found him annoying.

"Young Lady."

A deep shadow was cast over Frey. It was a faint shadow softly illuminated by moonlight.

"No matter what happens, even if the Young Lady pushes me away, I will stay by your side until the end."

She believed him.

Whenever she told people to get lost to avoid the situation, everyone except Yuri truly disappeared.

But Yuri was different.

Regardless of status or rank, he looked at her as she was and treated her that way.

Yuri was the only person Frey could comfortably tell to get lost.

Yuri's shadow disappeared.

To be precise, he walked toward where she was looking and crouched down.

"So tell me."

Moonlight settled on Yuri's face.

-You have nightmares every night, Yuri.

Frey's lips quivered.

-If I stay by your side, you'll end up dying. In the dream, the dead you appears and resents me, saying you wanted to leave.

She wanted to say it immediately.

But she held back.

A dream is just a dream.

"Young Lady?"

The you who is smiling at me under the moonlight in reality could never be such a person. In the end, Frey brought up another concern.

"Are you frustrated because you can't reach the 6th Circle?"

If I can't even overcome something as trivial as this nightmare, I won't be able to do anything. Yuri's worried expression brightened considerably.

"Oh, you know about the 6th Circle? That's re-al-ly tough. Actually, starting from the 6th Circle, you have to start integrating your magical traits, and deciding what kind of magical trait to choose..."

...I should have just said I had a nightmare.

Watching Yuri pour out words like a rapid-fire cannon, Frey momentarily regretted it.

"Get lost, Yuri."

"No. This is the really important part... Can't we talk a bit closer?"

"...Do as you please."

"Yes! Okay, then let's start again!"

But it wasn't that unpleasant.

"Aren't you getting too close?"

"Ah, please don't push me!"

"...?"

"Focus! You need to focus, Young Lady!"

"Oh, oh... okay..."

Even if she pushed Yuri away, he would just come closer.

Before she knew it, Frey felt reassured, forgetting even the nightmare.

3.

The hidden underground of the Illina Church.

On an altar, starkly different from the Goddess's altar and drenched in blood, a beastman was tied up.

Plod, plod, plod.

Someone wearing a pure white robe approached the altar.

Then reached out toward the table.

A crown adorned with thorns, a grotesquely twisted dagger in the shape of a human, a dark red goblet overflowing with poison, and so on.

Tools that were closer to Rare Creatures than sacred items were scattered all around.

"Oh, that must hurt."

The man who walked in reached out toward the Rare Creatures and began preparing for torture.

"I told you, you should have just talked when I asked. Anyway, your clan can't be killed, right?"

The corner of the man's mouth twisted into a sinister smirk.

"They're too expensive, after all."

Just as the torture was about to resume, the beastman opened their mouth for the first time.

"...What day is it today?"

"What? Can't hold out anymore?"

"...What day is it today?"

The man became excited.

It had already been a full moon's cycle.

Digging into a lifeless corpse that didn't even flinch wasn't exactly enjoyable. He felt thrilled at the thought that this dreadful mission was finally over.

"Alright, it's about time you gave an answer, huh?"

Despair was inevitable.

Knowing that only a full moon's time had passed would shatter their body and spirit.

Taking advantage of that moment, he would find out where the Moon Wolf Clan was staying and report it to the Upper Echelon.

And so, he answered.

"It's been a full moon."

But the man's expectations were wrong.

"...Finally, it's the full moon."

Grin.

The corner of the beastman's mouth lifted. At the same time, their body began to glow.

Snap..., crackle....

The numerous Rare Creatures constricting their body fell away like pieces of paper.

"Wha...?"

The man was flustered.

These were Rare Creatures said to be able to restrain even a Sage or a Sword Master, owned by the Demonic Nobles.

Slice.

The beastman cut through the wall. As the thick wall was sliced, a small portion of the exterior was revealed.

Faint moonlight began to seep into the basement, which had been lit only by torches.

The moment the beastman stepped onto that spot, all the wounds on their body healed instantly.

Even their gouged-out eye was restored, and as they tore off the bandages, they glared at the man.

"...What kind of bastards are you?"

The heretic of the Moon Wolf Clan and the last member of Moonlight in their previous life.

It was Luna Fenrir.

4.

The next day.

"What happened, Ian...?"

"Well... the Capital Region Branch of the Illina Church has completely disappeared without a trace."

The future Yuri knew had gone astray.