The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

Chapter 55: Irresistible Reward (2)

People's determinations aren't easily broken.

"Bathing!"

"…is a must!"

I tried to ignore the quest window that appeared before my eyes.

It was only a week ago that I determined not to assist Michail with his trials anymore. I wanted him to grow actively, both mentally and physically, to give him room to develop.

With the current Michail, it was hopeless to try and see the end of the novel.

I felt that Michail, who talks about justice every day, would learn moderation after going through this incident.

It definitely wasn't because I wanted to bathe with the lady that I gave up. It was just the color of today's underwear that… No, that's not it.

I looked at the young lady with anticipation-filled eyes.

The lady in her bathrobe.

The faint sight of her black undergarments seemed tantalizingly mysterious.

The lady said, stretching,

"Let's go!"

Her bosom gathering ferociously.

I thought it was a good decision to give up on the quest.

I gave her an awkward smile and offered her my back.

"Piggyback, please."

While deliberately ignoring the floating blue window.

[Q. Rescue Yuria.]

Yuria is exploring "Hamel's Dungeon" for the Royal Academy's final evaluation.

While taking the test, Yuria discovers a man bleeding in a corner of the dungeon.

A man full of wounds and gasping for breath.

Kind-hearted Yuria, unable to just pass by, decides to treat him, and Michail, who is in the same group, agrees to follow her decision.

Unaware that the man is a remnant of the heretics.

Yuria is in danger.

To the heretics who need a healer, Yuria appeared like a jewel, and the remnants of the heretics ambushed her and began to take her to the depths of the dungeon.

Normally, Michail should have been the one to rescue Yuria, but he seems to be lacking both mentally and physically.

(!) Please rescue the endangered Yuria.

○ Probability of Michail rescuring her without the user's help (70%)

Reward: Resistance to Black Magic LV. 4

Michail: Beginner Aura (C)

Yuria: Affection +40

Failure: Affection of all Royal Academy students except Hanna Histania -30, Yuria injured, Michail injured

The quest isn't compulsory.

These quests appear abruptly and without warning, but there's no obligation to undertake them by necessity.

The novel continues to roll along normally.

It's just that my existence has been added.

An obligation would be the real anomaly.

Sometimes, there were penalties like decreased stats or affection, but they weren't significant enough to alter one's life, so it was alright to ignore them.

The quest depended on my choice.

Like Hanna's quest, it had the free range of options to either save someone's life or conversely, to end it.

That was the case now as well.

Resistance to black magic. It was indeed a fine reward, yet not charming enough to break my resolve to not help Michail.

Had it been an increase in my swordsmanship level or an additional skill as a reward, I might have considered setting aside my determination and given it a try, but not for a bath with the lady… No, not for the stress of being involved with Michail.

Resistance to black magic would increase over time, and I wasn't inconvenienced in my daily life anyway.

And the penalty for failure was also minor.

Even if the already low affection were to drop further, there wouldn't be a difference. The worst it would get is just worsening expressions or deteriorating to the point of asking about one's parents' well-being.

I wasn't planning on maintaining a long-term relationship.

Nor did I want to.

And the 70% probability couldn't be ignored either.

I believed Michail was entirely capable, even with his dense nature, because his skills were certain.

I trusted them.

However, when the quest window changed…

The hope I held began to solidify into disappointment.

"Ugh… This is really shitty."

[Yuria's feelings have changed.]

[Michail's feelings have changed.]

Probability of Michail rescuring her without the user's help (70% > 57%)

A new quest reward is added.

[Healing Touch (B)]

You will be able to weakly treat someone with physical constraints using your health as the medium.

"Ah…?"

I huffed as I watched the lady stealthily slipping off her bathrobe. The lady, intent on showing a healthy philosophy that baths should indeed be taken naked, revealed her black bra.

Her atrocious chest.

"Dammit."

I clenched my fist and spoke to the lady.

"Shall we… do it another time?"

The lady cried.

***

"Dammit."

In the dark dungeon.

I saw Yuria, terrified, and Michail, unconscious.

A deep sigh escaped from my inner core.

Since becoming a butler, I'd tried not to use foul language, but at the sight of Michail, falling far short of expectations, the itch began in my mouth.

There was hardly any change in the novel.

Encountered a remnant of the heretics.

Treated the heretic.

Got ambushed.

Michail got overwhelmed.

Besides Michail being unconscious, there was nothing different from the scene in the novel.

‘But why is this still happening?'

I, holding my sword, glared at Michail with annoyance in my eyes.

‘Why is the one who should be fighting unconscious?'

The heretic before me didn't possess the strength of figures such as Balak and Pascal. To make a comparison, it was like the blue golems that lived in the jungle in a game I often played in a previous life.

Though it may have been overwhelming for Michail…

He was definitely capable of handling it.

If there was no surprise or negligence, it would've been an easy enemy to defeat…

Could it be…

I skeptically reviewed Michail, the knife-wound on his abdomen faintly visible.

Michail's school uniform was drenched in freshly drawn blood, and the smooth skin peeping through his torn clothes hinted at what had happened.

"…Hopeless bastard."

This event was meant to be the episode where Michail first commits a murder.

Michail, who would awaken his aura to protect Yuria being dragged away, now seemed like he wouldn't even make it out alive, much less awakened.

Feeling conflicted, I looked at the heretic holding Yuria by the hair.

[Biggney Lv. 34]

[Profession: Apprentice Priest]

[Affinity: -60]

[Preferred topics of conversation: Twisted justice, faith, murder, women, torture, the future of heresy, blood, screams]

[Unfavorite topics of conversation: The Church of the Goddess, love, charity, patience, children, peace]

The heretic gave me a hard stare.

The appearance of an unexpected outsider seemed to irk him, but he quickly managed a grotesque smile to control his expression.

"Who might you be?"

"Your mother."

"What?"

I was not in good spirits.

The sight of Michail, splendidly defeated, irritated me profoundly. It was more… unpleasant than receiving a text message telling me to come into work on the weekend.

I spoke while looking at the heretic's hand gripping Yuria's hair, the heretic oblivious to the preciousness of hair.

The fool didn't know the horrors of hair loss.

"You'd better let go of that hand right now."

"What did you say?"

The heretic clutched Yuria's hair more forcefully, and her delicate scream echoed.

I swung my sword effortlessly.

With the sound of a swish, the heretic's arm was severed. The heretic's eyes shook wildly, and he instantly showed a bewildered expression as he stared in disbelief at his severed limb.

"Aaaargh!! My arm! My arm!!"

The heretic rolled on the ground, clutching where his arm had been severed, writhing in pain.

"That's why I told you to let go."

My words didn't reach the heretic writhing in pain. It was not a pleasant sight; the bleeding heretic and the shocked expression of Yuria made me feel like the villain.

Whatever happened, I just wanted to go home quickly.

I kicked the fallen heretic's abdomen, sending him rolling into a corner with the sound of a thud.

I moved my hand towards my waist to pull out a dagger, but even that was not permitted by me.

"Who are you…!"

"You don't need to know."

I stepped over the remaining arm of the heretic and approached Michail.

Sighing came naturally upon seeing Michail, who was leaning against the wall, catching his breath—a man lacking willpower. If it were me, I would have tried everything to wake up by now.

To me, Michail still lying unconscious looked utterly pathetic.

I nudged Michail lightly with the tip of my boot.

"Wake up."

"…"

"Wake up, I said."

I really wished he would get up before I got annoyed…

The end of the matter had to be handled by Michail himself. If I finished it alone, it would be an episode where Michail gained nothing. I was trying to wake Michail.

I nudged Michail with irritation in my tone.

"Wake up. Are you just going to lie there while Yuria is being dragged away?"

"…"

"Really."

Thwack.

After kicking Michail forcefully, he let out a pained groan and opened his eyes.

"Yuria!"

As soon as he opened his eyes, Michail looked for Yuria. It was impossible not to applaud the pose of the impressive male protagonist.

Michail's eyes took in what had happened so far.

The heretic writhing on the floor with a severed arm, Yuria struggling to catch her breath, and me, looking down at him with an emotionless face.

Michail's eyes trembled with the shock of the rapid events, but I informed him of what he must do now.

Clang.

I tossed the sword that had fallen from Michail's hand onto the floor.

Michail's sword, battered and stained with wear.

He looked up at me, unable to comprehend the situation, but I ignored him and slowly walked towards the fallen heretic.

There was a red potion on the ground, fallen from Yuria's pocket.

A top-grade potion supplied by the Royal Family.

Part of me wanted to pocket it slyly, but the situation being what it was, I sighed deeply and opened the potion's cap.

I began to sprinkle it over the heretic's severed hand, lying on the ground.

With the hiss, the heretic's severed arm began to heal.

It was a makeshift measure to make him able to fight.

The heretic glared at me.

Looking at me with an expression that couldn't comprehend the turnaround of events.

The notion that the one who severed his arm was now helping him heal was ridiculous even to me.

I addressed him and Michail.

"From now on, I am not going to do anything. Whether you kill that guy or run away, I won't intervene."

"…"

The heretic stared at me.

"Really…?"

He was a quick judge of the situation.

I nodded in response.

"But see that man over there?"

I pointed at Michail.

Michail stood there, numbly holding a sword, seemingly half out of his senses.

"That man, you will fight him."

The heretic glared at me as if telling me to speak sense. Fighting Michail in a one-armed state was impossible, he argued.

I offered the heretic a stinging retort to see the reality.

"Then die."

The heretic took the sword.

And asked me again.

"Really… if I fight that guy, will you let me go?"

"Of course."

The heretic struggled to hold the sword.

As tainted magical power began to emanate from his body, I stepped aside and helped the fallen Yuria to her feet.

"Are you alright?"

"Mi…Michail…"

"Ah… It'll be fine. If things get tough, I'll step in."

I glanced over at Michail.

Michail, with trembling eyes, watched the approaching heretic.

I wondered how far this fool would go.

I didn't even expect him to kill the heretic.

Even if he displayed determination, like inflicting permanent damage or crippling him, I'd consider it progress.

After all, this was the guy who had been dragging the lady he liked by her hair; he wouldn't just stand there.

In the novel, Michail killed that man. To rescue Yuria being dragged away, for the first time, he shed blood and acquired a cold-hearted emotion.

Then there was that scene in the novel, where Michail, trembling uncontrollably, held Yuria tightly, assuring her everything was okay. This time, I was curious to see how it would play out.

As the clash of Michail and the heretic's swords chimed, I prepared to leave work.

*

The battle was over.

Naturally, the one who lay on the floor was the heretic.

The heretic had fought remarkably well for a one-handed fight, but even so, it wasn't enough to face Michail, who had exceptional swordfighting talent.

Michail gasped for breath.

Michail, struggling for breath, held his sword to the throat of the heretic collapsed on the floor.

"Don't move."

It was a fearsome warning from Michail.

Michail's hands trembled.

Because he did not know what to do.

How to deal with the heretic who had killed numerous knights and threatened Yuria, he could not come to a decision.

The heretic, looking up at Michail, spoke with a trembling voice.

"Please spare me…"

"…"

"Please… I beg you to spare my life… I'll live right from now on."

"…Really?"

Wow…

I clapped inside my mind.

Thinking he would let him go here, of all places.

Even if he did nothing and let him go, I would have taken care of it discreetly, but if Michail truly let him go without doing anything, it would be no less than the second coming of Buddha.

I decided to give Michail a little push.

"Come on…"

"You label some as killers, bad guys, and yet you'd just let this one go?"

Michail's shoulders twitched.

"Isn't that right, Miss Yuria?"

"Y…Yes?"

Yuria, taken aback, looked at me.

"It would be too unfair to just send him off after he nearly hurt Miss Yuria."

I alternated between sighing and swearing as if watching a national soccer match, tearing apart Michail's actions.

"Come on now."

Yuria looked at me.

With eyes that could not comprehend.

At the same time, she also looked at Michail.

It was surely the same for her.

To take a life.

Who would like to do such a thing?

I hated it too.

But sometimes, in unavoidable situations, one must make bold decisions. That’s why we, as swordsmen, learn to wield our swords.

The choice was Michail's to make.

I said one last thing and then shut my mouth tightly.

"You should only meddle so much."

With those final words, Michail swung his sword.

*

Everything was over.

Michail threw his sword on the ground, gasping for breath, while the heretic exhaled a sigh of relief, having survived.

"I never thought you would actually spare me."

Michail said with mercy in his voice.

"I'll give you one more chance. Don't do bad things ever again…"

That idiot.

Are you fooled again?

The heretic, sobbing, spoke to Michail.

"Thank you! I truly thank you…!"

As I saw the heretic's quick hand gesture, trying to insert a dagger into Michail's embrace, I swung my sword once more.

With the clash of metal, the breath of the heretic ceased.

A deep sigh escaped me.

I looked down at Michail, who was staring at the heretic with trembling eyes, and brought my fist down on his face.

Thwump…!

"Ugh… Idiot."

[The quest has been completed.]

I never wanted to be involved with that again.

***

On the way back to the mansion.

I exited the dungeon quickly, not wanting to get tangled up in any more troublesome matters.

I looked down at my hand.

My right hand, from which the black scar had disappeared.

I wanted to show it off to the lady.

As I trudged down the mountain, a strange sound caught my ear.

– Creak…

"Huh?"

A cute puppy hid in the bushes, whimpering in pain.

The puppy, with black fur and round paws, at the same time had paws as large as those of a beast.

Thinking it was a cute creature Miss Olivia would like, I crouched down and beckoned to the puppy.

"Come here."

The puppy hobbled over and rubbed its head against my legs.

"Should I take you with me?"

I carefully reached out my hand.

At the same time, I used the skill I had just acquired.

[Healing Touch is activated.]

– Drip.

Blood dripped down my nose onto the back of my hand.