The Butler of the Villainess Has Returned

Chapter 27

It has been a week since Kali was brought in.

"Young Lady! Let's train together!"

"I told you to use formal speech."

"Oh, don't sweat the small stuff!"

"Why do you get to decide that...."

The Young Lady and Claudia were still getting along well.

"P-Please eat, Young Lady."

Kali also integrated well and worked diligently as the Young Lady's exclusive maid.

"Kali."

"Y-Yes! Young Lady!"

The Young Lady looked down at the plate.

"...You want me to eat this?"

Kali was startled and asked back.

"W-Why? What's wrong?!"

"The spoon turned black?"

The silver spoon in the Young Lady's hand had been tarnished with a dark color.

"W-What do we do!!"

Kali hurriedly bent her waist.

"I-I'm sorry, Young Lady!!"

The Young Lady, who had been silently staring at it, smiled kindly.

"It's okay. These things happen."

"Y-Young Lady...."

Kali's eyes sparkled as if she was moved.

As expected of our Young Lady.

Such a figure, embracing the mistakes of her subordinates, seemed to be the true image of a noble.

"Kali, up. Everyone else, down here."

Oh, never mind.

I hurriedly ran to the Young Lady.

"Did you call for me?"

"How's the butler life these days?"

"Not comfortable!"

"Then is this inside or outside?"

Huh?

Right after graduating from the Academy, I had only heard such words on the battlefield, yet they came from the Young Lady's mouth.

My answer came out reflexively.

"Did I hear that wrong?"

"You heard it correctly."

Smack!

It was a joint attack infused with a small amount of mana.

"Ack!"

Grabbing my shin, I collapsed onto the floor.

To think she could enhance her body with mana instead of aura.

The theory is simple, but only a handful of people can actually do it.

To think she has already grown this much.

This lowly butler is pleased.

As I grinned while clutching my shin, the Young Lady's expression became even more crumpled.

"You're laughing?"

"I'm not laughing, I'm crying."

Sob.

I quickly changed my tone to a whimper.

"Shut up."

"Yes, ma'am."

It didn't work, though.

I awkwardly lay down, only lifting my head.

"But isn't it fine?"

"What is?"

"Kali, of course."

The Young Lady nodded.

"She's perfect for dying. Whether from eating this and dying, or dying from frustration, she'll go quickly."

Then she sighed while looking at Kali.

It had been two days since Kali was appointed as the Young Lady's exclusive maid.

Using her mage-specific exceptional memorization skills, she finished the written tests in just five days.

If it had been the main house, it might have taken a little longer, but no more than a day or two.

However, the next part was the problem.

On her first assigned day, the prepared bath water was bubbling hot, and today, the silver spoon turned black.

I answered calmly.

"But she's pretty, isn't she?"

"What?"

"Since she's pretty, please go easy on her."

Honestly, she is pretty.

I'm in charge of being handsome, Claudia is the cute one, Kali is the timid beauty, and the Young Lady is the graceful villainess. There's no more perfect combination than this.

If I could, I'd like to bring Ian along, but that gentleman is a noble.

The Young Lady held her head and sighed.

"What good is being pretty! She can't do anything right! What am I supposed to do with her!"

"Eek!"

At the Young Lady's shout, Kali froze. I extended both hands to calm the Young Lady.

"Kali is still in training."

"So?"

"If you keep yelling and scolding her like that, it will only enhance your reputation as a villainess."

"...Really?"

That can't happen.

Muttering that, she looked at Kali.

Grin.

Perhaps disliking her epithet as a villainess, she forced a smile and spoke in a gentle tone.

"It happens."

However, it backfired.

"Ah, ah! S-So scary!!"

Seeing the Young Lady's smile, Kali flinched and stepped back.

"P-Please spare my life!!"

"?"

"I-I'll eat less food...."

"All of a sudden?"

"P-Please don't throw me out...."

Plop.

Like a tragic heroine, she collapsed and let large teardrops fall.

"What did I even do...?"

Next to the bewildered Young Lady, Claudia quickly passed by.

"I told you!"

Hugging Kali immediately, she looked up at the Young Lady and grumbled.

"Since you look like a nasty villain, you always have to be kind!"

"Are you angry at me right now?"

"No! I'm just raising my voice!"

She really was just raising her voice. Her expression was beaming like an excited puppy.

"...Let's not talk."

Muttering that, the Young Lady turned towards the mirror. She checked her face by turning it this way and that, then looked back at Claudia.

"Claudia. I'll say it again, you're a commoner, and I'm a noble."

"A noble!! So cool!! I'm jealous!!"

"No―!"

Flinch.

The Young Lady let out a sigh.

"...Fine, forget it."

"What did you say!?"

"I said thanks for calling me cool."

"You're welcome!"

Having finished her response, Claudia pulled the crying Kali into her arms.

"See! Even though our Young Lady looks like that, she's such a kind person!"

"R-Really...?"

"Yes! Yesterday, she even read me a fairy tale book!"

While the two excitedly chatted, I slowly got up from my seat.

Then, I asked seriously.

"Why don't you read to me?"

"No, because she can't read!! And more importantly, 'even though she looks like that'? Can a maid describe her master like that?"

It was certainly a significant issue.

I opened my mouth with a serious expression.

"Please read me a fairy tale too."

She's never read to me even once, so why only Claudia?

"I feel like I'm going to cry from disappointment."

"No, forget disappointment or whatever, what about Claudia?!"

"Is that really important right now?"

"Of course it is, you bastard!!"

In the end, the Young Lady exploded.

"Aaaahhh!!"

As if frustrated, she pounded her chest and grabbed me by the collar.

"Get out! Take everyone and get out!"

"I can't do that!"

"I said get out, now!!"

Her enraged gentle voice filled the massive room. I guess there was no other choice. I glanced at Claudia and Kali.

Nod.

After a brief exchange of looks.

"You heard her!! We're leaving early today!!"

"Woohoo!! The Young Lady is the best!!"

"Th-Thank you!"

The two of them dashed out of the room.

I also gave a thumbs-up immediately.

"The Young Lady is the best!"

I tried to follow them out, but I failed as the Young Lady grabbed my collar.

The Young Lady smiled.

"Yuri."

It wasn't the sharp smile typical of a villainess, but a well-crafted smile befitting a noble Young Lady. Kali or Claudia might have felt reassured, but I couldn't.

"You really are hopeless."

Whenever the Young Lady made that kind of expression, it always heralded a storm of blood.

Just in case, I asked.

"Would you consider letting me off just this once?"

The Young Lady nodded.

"Of course not."

"I see there's no helping it."

This was inevitable.

I raised my guard and added.

"The grade evaluation exam is tomorrow."

"So?"

"Please hit me lightly."

"I'll think about it."

Whoosh!

Before the words were even finished, her fist flew at me.

Thud!

At the moment of impact, I realized.

It wasn't just me who was growing stronger faster than in my previous life.

That was fortunate.

Even if I couldn't win against the Demonic Tribe, I should be able to hold out until reinforcements arrived.

I dared to hope.

That in this life, I could achieve a more positive outcome than in my previous one.

The Young Lady smiled brightly.

"I'll leave you with two front teeth."

"T-Two is too few!"

"Then I'll generously leave you with two."

"Wow, I'll have two teeth left?"

Should I try living positively, starting with myself?

2.

Thud.

The cigarette fell from Kevin's mouth.

Without even having the time to care about that, he asked again to the person in front of him.

"You mean you'll observe the exam?"

"Exactly as you just heard."

It was Rania, the Emperor's bodyguard knight.

Clatter.

She took a sip of the tea Kevin had prepared and placed it back on the table.

"It's tomorrow, right?"

"Yes."

The grade evaluation exam.

At Sion, the grade evaluation exam was conducted for enrolled students.

Grades were divided from S to F.

Classes were also divided from S to F, and students were assigned to classes based on their grade.

Major classes were conducted according to the assigned grade, while other classes could be chosen based on individual weaknesses.

This exam was mandatory for everyone. Even special admission students were no exception.

Kevin's expression hardened.

Seeing that, Rania asked.

"Is there a reason I shouldn't observe?"

"There's no such reason, but...."

Kevin trailed off.

The grade evaluation exam allowed observers. Because of this, countless people applied to observe.

To oversee the growth of their kin.

To discover talent.

For seniors to confirm the freshmen.

Everyone applied for observation with their own reasons, but there was a bigger reason.

'To take them.'

The Five-Colored Magic Tower Masters.

Captains of various Knights' Orders.

Even the dean of Sion.

If there was someone useful, they proposed recruitment immediately after the entrance exam ended.

This had already become an important annual event, and even the freshmen of that year showed off to catch the eyes of the observers.

However, Rania was an exception.

She never accepted disciples.

She rejected the requests of nobles who offered a fortune, the requests of so-called geniuses, and even the requests of the previous emperor and the current emperor.

It was a famous anecdote widely spread among the public.

- It's useless anyway.

She declared that even if she taught them, they couldn't grow to her level and didn't even spare them a glance.

She made the declaration simultaneously with her refusal.

- If such a talent appears, I will make them my disciple no matter what.

Such a person applied for observation.

Because of this, public interest would be even more focused, and the empire would be greatly stirred.

That's why Kevin instinctively knew.

"Did you come because of Yuri?"

Who she was targeting.

"Who knows?"

Rania smirked and stood up.

"I'll come again tomorrow."

Kevin watched Rania leave and earnestly wished in his heart.

Please, don't let it be Yuri.

That guy is my personal slave to raise....

No, an excellent graduate student.

3.

The day of the grade evaluation exam.

"I'll take you as my disciple."

"...I don't want to."

A new legend was born in Sion.