I Raised the Villain’s Daughter Too Well

“When you say ‘peculiar’…”

“Think about it. Has there ever been anyone around the Young Lady who was her age?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Exactly. All her tutors were seasoned elders. She had no friends to play with. The children of our house feared her, and those of other families kept their distance, overwhelmed by her presence. You’re the first person she’s perceived as her own—someone her age.”

“So, you’re saying I’m a toy.”
Maclaine frowned at my blunt words, but he didn’t deny them.
“That may be true—or not. But even if you are a toy, isn’t that better? You only have to last ten years, and then you’re free. Wouldn’t you say it’s a better life than being born a commoner and suffering for eighty years? All you have to do is survive her whims in the meantime.”

It hit hard—but it was true. No matter how much I was dragged through the mud here, I was still a noble. This level of hardship was a small price to pay.
More than anything, I was already getting used to it.
The despair and frustration I’d felt when I was first ordered to learn magic had long faded.
Now, I found myself in a state of acceptance—What ridiculous thing is she going to demand next?
“How long will the recovery take?”

“According to the physician, three weeks. Two cracked ribs, a fractured arm, and some internal bruising. Honestly, trying to punch out a lion… what did you expect?”
“Did I actually beat the lion?”
“…Somehow, yes. The lion was knocked out, and you were completely wrecked. Try to hold back next time.”

“It was the Young Lady’s order.”
Maclaine let out a long sigh.
“I’ll start intervening from now on. I’ll speak to the master so you can refuse if the orders are too dangerous.”

“That won’t be necessary.”
I answered firmly. Maclaine gave me a puzzled look.
“Won’t be necessary? You nearly died.”

“I consider this training. I can’t stay a pampered greenhouse flower under the Young Lady’s wing forever.”
To be honest, it was stubborn pride.
I wanted to prove something—to Firnea, who’d looked down on me, and maybe even to myself.
That I wasn’t just some obedient servant, but a capable butler who could fulfill any command.
Maclaine seemed caught off guard by my response. He stared at me for a moment, then let out a faint smile.
“You’re tougher than you look. The blood of Serbus really does run deep.”

He stood and added:
“Get some rest. The Young Lady will be off finding another toy in the meantime.”
But his prediction was beautifully wrong.

Just as I was barely managing to sit up in bed, there was a loud clatter of footsteps, and Firnea burst through the infirmary door.
“Virdem!”
“My lady? What brings you here…”

Firnea rushed to my bedside, face full of excitement. She held a thick book in her hands.
“[Explorers of the Ancient Ruins]?”
“Yeah! It’s so good! They dodge traps, find treasure—it’s amazing!”

“…And?”
A sense of dread began to creep over me.
And then Firnea dropped the line that turned dread into certainty.
“Let’s go too!”

“…Pardon?”
“To the ancient ruins! There’s an old dwarven mine in the mountains nearby. Let’s go check it out!”
Maclaine’s voice echoed in my mind:

“I’ll start intervening from now on.”
Yeah. About time for that intervention.
“My lady, an abandoned mine is dangerous. A small disturbance could cause a collapse, and we have no idea what threats may lurk within.”

“It’s fine! I’ll be there!”
Firnea puffed out her chest and declared with confidence.
A blue flame ignited on her palm—larger than before.
“And you’ll be there too, right? The butler who punches lions!”

“…It wasn’t barehanded.”
I snuck in a lie. If she thought it was barehanded, she might ask me to wrestle a dragon next.
Firnea, paying me little mind, flipped open the book.

“Look! There’s even a map here! Says there’s tons of hidden treasure!”
Her eyes sparkled with pure childhood curiosity and wonder—
the kind that was hard to say no to.
“…Please allow me some time to prepare.”

In the end, I surrendered.
“I’ll need at least a week to gather the necessary gear and information.”
“That’s too long!”

Firnea pouted.
“Three days! Be ready in three days!”
“My lady, that’s simply unrealistic—”

“Don’t care! Three days!”
Firnea was adamant. I sighed deeply and nodded.
“As you command.”

Damn this ten-year military service. Now I had to become a survival expert, too?
As soon as I was discharged from the infirmary, I locked myself in the library.
To my surprise, there was quite a bit of information on the abandoned mine Firnea had mentioned—the Blackfang Mine.
Centuries ago, it was a dwarven mining site known for silver and mithril.
Then, for unknown reasons, it was suddenly abandoned.
Several explorers had attempted to investigate, but most returned empty-handed.

“Unknown reasons.”
That was the most worrying part.
I compiled a list of supplies for the expedition: ropes, climbing gear, lanterns, food, water, medical supplies, basic weapons just in case, and gas masks—there was a chance the mine might still contain toxic fumes.
When I handed the list to Maclaine, he looked horrified.

“You’re actually going?”
“It’s the Young Lady’s command. And weren’t you the one who said it was safe?”
“I did. The moment she declared the expedition, I sent hundreds of staff to sweep the entire area for danger. No monsters remain. But… perhaps I should speak to the master once more—”

“No need. You won’t be able to stop her anyway.”
Seeing the resignation on my face, Maclaine said nothing further.
Instead, he quietly arranged for everything on the list—at the highest quality.
He even added a gas detector and a portable barrier generator # Nоvеlight # that weren’t on the list.

“These are my personal items. You never know what might happen, so be cautious.
Of course, there’ll be thirty invisible shadow guards following along—but they won’t intervene to save you.”
“Thank you, Chief Butler.”
A small warmth bloomed in my chest.
It was reassuring to know someone cared.

The three days flew by. I stayed up nights to make all the necessary preparations.
By the end, I had two heavy expedition packs ready.
One for me.
And one for Firnea—
Which, of course, I’d end up carrying as well.
On the morning of departure, I stood in front of the mansion, waiting for the Young Lady.

She arrived not in her usual extravagant dress, but in trousers and a tunic fit for movement.
She had a small backpack slung over her shoulders—no doubt filled with nothing but snacks.
“All set?”
“Yes, my lady. We’re ready to depart at your command.”

“Great! Let’s go, Virdem! Let’s find that treasure!”
Firnea, brimming with excitement, charged ahead.
Seeing her so eager made me sigh involuntarily, but there was nothing I could do.
I silently shouldered both heavy backpacks and followed after her.
The Blackfang Mine was located halfway up a mountain range, about half a day's ride from the mansion.

The entrance was overgrown with vines and weeds, easy to miss without careful attention.
As soon as we arrived, Firnea could barely contain her excitement and tried to run straight inside.
"My lady, please wait!"
I hurriedly grabbed her arm.

"We must confirm the safety of the entrance first."
I pulled out the mana detector and scanned the surrounding area.
Fortunately, there were no dangerous mana reactions.
Next, I collected an air sample and checked it with a portable analyzer.
The levels of toxic gases were also within safe limits.
"The interior is very dark, and the ground may be slippery. Please do not stray from my side."

"Yeah, yeah. Enough nagging! Let’s go in already!"
Firnea brushed off my hand and switched on her lantern.
I activated the portable barrier generator and followed behind her.
It created a weak protective field with a five-meter radius—better than nothing.

The interior of the mine was as dark and damp as expected.
Water dripped from the walls, and the floor was muddy and uneven.
We cautiously advanced by the light of our lanterns.
Old pickaxes and minecarts, likely used by dwarves, were scattered about.
"Wow… it really looks ancient."

Firnea looked around in wonder.
"Be careful, my lady. The ground is uneven."
Following the map Firnea had brought, we made our way deeper inside.
The map was surprisingly detailed, but much had changed with time—
we ran into dead ends and had to detour around collapsed tunnels.

After about an hour, we reached a wide cavern.
In the center was an underground lake, and faintly glowing ores were embedded in the walls.
"Look, Virdem! Shiny stones!"
Firnea tried to dash toward the lake.

"My lady, it’s dangerous!"
I stopped her and approached the lakeshore first.
The water looked clear, but I couldn't gauge its depth.
I refrained from touching it, wary of hidden dangers.
The ores embedded in the walls appeared to be a type of mana stone, but their purity was low—probably not worth much.
"It’s nothing special, my lady. Just fragments of common mana stones."

"Boo, boring."
Firnea quickly lost interest and looked around the cavern.
"Where’s the treasure?"

"We’ll need to study the map more carefully."
I unfolded the map and held it up to the lantern light.
It indicated that somewhere within this cavern, there should be a hidden passage.
"Here, behind this mural. There might be something."

At the marked spot, there was a faded dwarven mural.
We inspected it carefully, searching for any mechanisms or parts that could be pressed or moved.
"Found it!"
Firnea pointed to a spot on the mural.
Upon closer inspection, there was a stone with a slightly different texture from the others.
When I pressed it firmly, with a grinding noise, part of the wall slid aside, revealing a hidden passage.

"It’s real! Just like you said, Virdem!"
Firnea’s face lit up with excitement.
Of course, I could only stare in horror at the clumsy workmanship.

…It was obvious.
The butlers had set this up.