The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 34

A week has passed since Yuria left.

Currently, the Empire is bustling with adventurers due to the Unidentified Dungeon discovered in Hamel.

Adventurers who heard about the dungeon in Hamel started flocking there with dreams of striking it rich.

To prepare for their explorations, adventurers heading to the marketplace passed between the estate’s walls, and we watched them absentmindedly.

-It’s definitely an Unidentified Dungeon, right? Just let me find one solid artifact. Please.

-Nonsense. Do you think it’ll just appear? You should’ve prayed at the cathedral like I did.

-Idiot. Just quit gambling already.

Watching the backs of adventurers leaving with hope, I muttered softly.

“Pfft.”

***

The quiet second-floor Young Lady’s room.

The Young Lady frowned at the old bundle placed on the bed.

“Is this the 4D Pouch Ricardo mentioned?”

“Yes.”

An old bundle with stitched marks here and there.

When the Young Lady poked it with her finger, a clear jingling sound rang out.

“Oh…!”

The Young Lady nodded in approval.

“A pouch that grants wishes!”

“That’s correct. This is a 4D Pouch that can grant any wish.”

The Young Lady, her eyes wide with curiosity, focused all her attention on the old bundle. As if handling a sacred relic, she seemed afraid to touch it recklessly and cast a pleading glance at me.

“Can I conquer the world with this?”

“…Do you want to?”

“Yes.”

At the completely unexpected response, I quickly averted my gaze.

The Young Lady asked me again.

“Is it possible?”

“…That’s a bit much.”

“What? Then.”

Losing interest, the Young Lady exclaimed, “Ugh,” and shoved the bundle aside. With a rumbling sound, gold coins of dazzling brilliance spilled out of the bundle.

The Young Lady pointed at the gold coins with her finger, her expression asking what on earth this was.

“Treasure?”

I nodded.

“Treasure.”

The treasures inside the bundle were obtained a week ago during a dusty three-day, two-night dungeon exploration.

The treasures sought by adventurers dreaming of striking it rich were now inside this old bundle.

The Young Lady, unable to close her mouth in astonishment, trembled as she reached out her hand.

“A wish… I can make it come true.”

“Not even close with this.”

“…Is it not enough?”

“No.”

“Still, it’s fine.”

Smiling, the Young Lady began stuffing the gold coins into her chest. Her hands moved quickly, like a bank robber sweeping money into a bag, prompting me to speak.

“What are you doing?”

“Saving.”

“There?”

The Young Lady nodded.

Watching the strange habit the Young Lady had developed, I felt oddly pleased to witness her antics today.

‘Maybe… this isn’t so bad.’

I started pulling out the items we had brought back from the dungeon onto the bed.

“Oh…!”

As the sparkling items were laid out one by one on the bed, the Young Lady’s eyes widened, and she clapped her hands.

“Do you see this?”

A golden bracelet, a golden water cup, and so on. The dazzling display of treasures was so overwhelming that the Young Lady, feeling dizzy, placed a hand on her forehead and staggered.

“Ah… It feels like I’m going blind.”

I shrugged nonchalantly.

“This is the extent of our wealth.”

“We’re not beggars anymore?”

“No.”

“Really?”

The Young Lady looked at me with an expression of disbelief.

For today, she gazed at me with pride, a rare occurrence, and my face flushed from the unfamiliar attention.

The Young Lady gave me a thumbs-up.

With a refreshing smile, she showered me with high praise.

“I’m proud of you!”

Scratching the back of my head, my face turned even redder.

“I know.”

Humming at the Young Lady’s praise, I continued pulling out the remaining items.

────────────────

Potion of Mana [A]

◈ When consumed by someone with a Magic Stat of ‘+30’ or lower, it increases the Magic Stat by ‘+10.’

────────────────

This is a gift for Malik.

I had brought this treasure from the dungeon, thinking it was about time for Malik to awaken his aura.

Aura is notorious for its inefficiency.

For a swordsman, mana was initially used for auxiliary magic like body enhancement, which consumed relatively little mana. But after awakening aura, increasing the Total Mana Capacity became as crucial as competing with wizards.

For Malik, having a high Magic Stat wasn’t just beneficial; it was an essential stat that needed to be increased.

Even a slight increase in Total Mana Capacity could allow him to unleash one more sword energy, potentially securing victory in battle. Malik was likely searching for an elixir like this to boost his mana.

If the elixir, sent by mail, safely reached Malik, he might visit the estate.

That’s how valuable this elixir was.

It was an item whose worth couldn’t be measured in money.

If Malik came to visit, I’d have to ask him for a few Friends of Forest Meal Vouchers.

Setting the elixir aside, I grabbed the sword sticking out of the bundle.

A sword encased in a pure white sheath.

────────────────

Beginner’s Sword [A+]

◈ A sword designed for beginners who have just awakened their aura. Made from a special ‘material,’ it allows for more efficient mana consumption when using aura.

[Cost of Efficiency]

Reduces aura mana consumption by 10%.

[Beginner’s Blessing]

Allows one use of a sword energy imbued with aura when mana is depleted. (Once per day)

────────────────

This sword is a gift for Hanna.

It’s the sword I had promised to give her in my heart when we parted last time, the one Mikhail uses until the middle of the novel.

I lifted the sword.

It was too light for me to use, and the blade was shorter than I preferred.

Although it felt wasteful to gift such a refined sword with two additional abilities, it didn’t suit me, and more importantly, it was better suited for a woman like Hanna.

Mikhail was so talented that he would grow just fine without something like this. There was no need to worry.

He wasn’t one to rely on equipment, and his outstanding talent meant he could start with this kind of handicap.

After setting aside the gifts for the Histania Siblings, I felt an unusual gaze directed at me.

-Softly.

The blatant gaze of a Young Lady pretending not to care, while waiting for her gift from the bundle.

“…”

Eyes filled with anticipation.

When I playfully avoided her gaze, I heard the sorrowful sound of the Young Lady letting out a Deep Sigh.

‘It would’ve been a disaster if I hadn’t prepared something for her separately.’

Anticipating this, I had set aside a special gift for the Young Lady. With an awkward smile, I pulled out a necklace from the worn bundle.

I wonder if she’ll like it.

“This is your gift, Young Lady.”

A Gold-Framed Necklace with a Red Jewel.

The Young Lady’s eyes widened with delight as soon as she saw the necklace.

“It… it… it looks expensive.”

“It is expensive.”

“Ooooh…”

The Young Lady held the necklace up to the sunlight, admiring its radiant beauty.

She turned it left, flipped it upside down, and even inspected it from every angle.

When she went as far as to bite it, I spoke up.

“That’s dirty.”

“Gold isn’t dirty.”

“What kind of nonsense are you saying?”

“Ricardo, my mother once said, ‘Shiny things are always right.’”

Indeed.

I nodded. Shiny things are always right, after all. Gold coins, gold itself, and even the chocolate-covered Young Lady’s…

Anyway.

While the Young Lady’s words were true, biting a necklace retrieved from a dust-filled dungeon was far from hygienic.

Monsters might have played with it, or its original owner could have used it filthily.

I quickly snatched the necklace from the Young Lady’s hands and wiped off the dust with a white handkerchief.

“Anyway, it’s dirty.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Here, look.”

I showed her the blackened grime on the handkerchief.

“Ew.”

The Young Lady scrunched her brows in disgust.

After rinsing her mouth with water, she fixed her gaze on the necklace and spoke.

“How much would this sell for?”

“The necklace, you mean?”

As soon as she received it, she asked about its price—how admirable. Truly a Noble who loved material things.

I pondered her question. Wanting to show off a little, I mixed a bit of truth with exaggeration.

‘Since it’s an Artifact from a dungeon, it’s probably…’

“About 100,000 gold, wouldn’t you say?”

“Gasp…! That much?”

“Probably.”

Hearing the price, the Young Lady looked at the necklace with affection.

“I like it.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

The Young Lady hesitated.

“Is it really okay to give me something this expensive?”

“You’ve worn even pricier things before.”

“Still… this is expensive. It feels like it could buy ten years’ worth of beef.”

Ever since she became a beggar once, the Young Lady had developed a proper sense of economy. Admirable, but from the moment I saw the necklace in the dungeon, I had already decided it was hers.

“It’s fine. As long as it suits you.”

“Really? Does it suit me?”

“Yes. I thought you were a Goddess.”

“Hehe…”

The Young Lady laughed happily.

After thoroughly cleaning off the grime, I placed the necklace around the Young Lady’s neck.

The ornate necklace on her fair neck suited her perfectly. Of course, it was only natural, given how beautiful she was to begin with, but seeing how well it complemented her made me smile with pride.

‘I’m glad I brought it after all.’

────────────────

[Promise Necklace] [A+]

◈A necklace gifted by a man conscripted for war to his beloved wife as they parted ways.

[Let’s meet again.]

If the necklace’s chain breaks, it swaps locations with its contractor. (One-time use)

────────────────

Though it had never appeared in the novel, it was a decent Artifact, so I brought it along.

Since the Young Lady liked it, I couldn’t help but feel happy as well.

While I was momentarily distracted.

-Rustle… rustle.

The Young Lady was already rummaging through the bundle.

Was the gift I gave her not enough?

She buried her face into the dusty bundle, and feeling annoyed, I closed its opening.

“Uuuugh…!”

“Ricardo…! The bundle is trying to eat me!”

The Young Lady flailed about.

“Eeeek.”

Before any harsh curses could escape her mouth, I reopened the bundle’s opening.

Covered in dust, the Young Lady glared at me with sharp eyes.

“Ugh…”

Her hair was caked with dust. I whistled as I looked out the window.

“It seems the Bundle Monster found you quite tasty, Young Lady.”

“Liar. You did it.”

“Was it that obvious?”

“Yes.”

After a brief silence, the Young Lady reached out energetically toward me. She seemed ready to throw a gold coin she had taken from the bundle.

“Such a weak attack won’t…”

I turned my head to dodge, but.

Instead of throwing the gold coin, the Young Lady grabbed my wrist. Then, she pulled out a gold bracelet from the bundle.

With a bright smile, she held it out to me.

“This is for you, Ricardo.”

“For me?”

“Yes.”

The Young Lady smiled brightly. With her hair still covered in dust and her innocent smile, I felt an inexplicable warmth in my chest.

She grabbed my right wrist.

As she tried to personally put the bracelet on me.

The Young Lady suddenly froze and stiffened.

“Ricardo.”

“Yes?”

She looked at my right sleeve and spoke.

With a questioning look and eyes full of reproach, I couldn’t understand her reason.

“You’re wearing a bandage on your hand?”

“Ah…”

I gave an awkward smile and spoke to the Young Lady.

“Because the Young Lady dislikes tattoos.”

The Young Lady spoke firmly.

“I like them now.”

“I am embarrassed.”

The Young Lady addressed me.

“You’re bad.”

Once again, I was the object of her disdain today.