The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 35

“Radiant…! Sparkle. Sparkle.”

The Young Lady, whose job was lounging idly on the bed, had discovered a new hobby.

A luxurious pastime of reflecting sunlight on her necklace streaming through the window. The Young Lady’s complexion grew brighter by the day, boasting the radiant sheen of the necklace.

A gentle smile graced her lips.

Her wallet was full.

“100,000 gold… If I sell this, 100,000 gold!”

Watching the Young Lady flash a materialistic smile, I thought to myself.

‘Good thing I gave it to her as a gift.’

If I had said, ‘There’s no gift for you, Young Lady,’ I would’ve had to endure a week of seeing her sulking like a wilted spinach…

Three months ago, I had been caught secretly eating fried chicken at the marketplace without her knowing, and I still vividly remember how she turned into a sulking spinach for an entire day, making my life miserable.

-I’m not taking a bath. If I’m going to be a beggar anyway, I’ll go from being a clean unemployed person to a dirty homeless one.

I still can’t recall exactly how much chocolate and bath bombs I had to offer to appease her anger, but it was quite a lot.

The Young Lady, who had become one with the bed, wriggled like a caterpillar. As if she had given up on being human, she was enjoying the life of the unemployed, so I asked her.

“Do you like it that much?”

“Yeah. It sparkles so much.”

“Are you planning to sell it later?”

“Ah… no… I’m not selling it yet.”

The Young Lady nestled the necklace between her chest. With a big heart, she hugged the necklace tightly.

I looked at the necklace and thought.

‘I’m so damn jealous.’

Lately, I’ve found myself feeling jealous of objects more often. It made me angry that mere items were enjoying privileges even the butler couldn’t have. It’s definitely not because I’m some pervert who likes chests—no, it’s about welfare… welfare.

“Hehe… 100,000 gold. Ten years’ worth of meat.”

Hugging the necklace tightly, the Young Lady chuckled. Like a miser hanging a dried fish on the dining table and eating rice with it as a side dish, she patted her belly and smiled contentedly, grinning foolishly.

Just watching her seemed to fill her up.

Leaving the Young Lady in her room, I grabbed the sword that had been propped up in the corner.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to practice swordsmanship. My body’s been stiff lately.”

“Practice?”

The Young Lady tilted her head.

She looked at me with an expression that said, “The guy who used to skip swordsmanship classes at the Academy is suddenly practicing?” It was hard to come up with an excuse since I really had lived like a delinquent.

I used to skip because the swordsmanship instructor discriminated against commoners, and I could count on one hand the number of times I’d wielded a sword in front of the Young Lady.

The Young Lady, being a brilliant wizard, had no interest in swordsmanship, and showing her my plain, unremarkable swordsmanship felt a bit embarrassing.

Unlike Mikhail’s awe-inspiring Honest Swordsmanship or the dazzling Histania’s Swordsmanship, my swordsmanship was crude and monotonous, making it a bit awkward to display.

“Where are you going to practice?”

“I’m planning to do it in the yard.”

I pointed to the estate yard outside the window, bathed in sunlight.

A place visible directly from the Young Lady’s spot on the second floor.

The Young Lady stared at me intently.

Her face was full of annoyance.

She seemed displeased, thinking I might take her outside with me just because I was going out.

Seeing her frown at the bright sunlight streaming through the window, openly expressing her dislike, made me chuckle.

I asked the Young Lady.

“Would you like to come with me?”

The Young Lady shook her head vehemently.

“No. The sun is angry, so going out would be a disaster.”

“Just say you don’t want to go out.”

“…Was it that obvious?”

“Yes.”

Having her true feelings exposed, the Young Lady flopped onto the bed and lazily waved her hand.

“Shoo─shoo─”

***

The estate yard, basking in the bright sunlight.

I rotated my right shoulder like a windmill to loosen it up.

After the battle with Ballack, I had felt inadequate when facing swordsmen wielding greatswords, so I stood here to address the gaps in my swordsmanship.

I lifted my head to see the Young Lady watching me from the second floor, crunching on chocolate.

I gave her a light wave.

“Young Lady, where did you get that chocolate?”

“Chocolate?”

The Young Lady puffed out her chest confidently. Then, pointing to her chest with her finger, she declared proudly.

“Here.”

For some reason, I found myself envying the chocolate today.

I quickly warmed up my body.

Twirling the sword in a figure-eight motion, I loosened my wrist.

I stretched my legs thoroughly.

Softening my stiffened body, I gripped the sword with my right hand.

[The ‘Genius of Weaponry’ detects the weapon ‘Sword.’]

-Proficiency increases dramatically.

-Understanding of the sword increases dramatically.

-You become a genius in swordsmanship.

An alert sounded. I recalled the previous battle in my mind.

-Can a young swordsman even block this?

A heavily descending sword.

-Impressive.

I barely managed to block it.

My hands trembled, and I remembered the moment when the greatsword had almost reached my face. Each time Ballack struck, I was pushed back.

Visualizing Ballack’s image before me.

I gripped the sword firmly.

Swordsmen wielding greatswords are fundamentally strong in physical power.

Each strike felt as heavy as a hammer blow, and a single misstep in blocking could snap the blade.

The last battle was no exception.

I envisioned Ballack holding his greatsword.

Ballack, exuding a wide range of attacks and explosive aura.

Facing Ballack’s purely offensive stance, I swallowed dryly.

‘He really was a monster.’

If it weren’t for Yuria, I would’ve run away without looking back. But seeing Ballack again, even more monstrous, stirred my desire to compete.

‘Alright, let’s do this.’

I lack skill.

Meeting a master was difficult because my body was ingrained with bad habits, and it was hard to fix them all from scratch due to the many traces of experience embedded in me.

My only talent was the ability called ‘Genius of Weaponry’ and the capacity to absorb knowledge like a wide canvas.

Though my canvas was already filled with many drawings, there was still plenty of blank space left to fill.

A canvas that would be completed through numerous experiences and encounters with powerful opponents.

I gripped the sword.

‘Let’s go.’

In this moment, filled with tension.

I focused all my senses on the sword.

Resolving not to be pushed back like last time, I gathered strength from my core.

I swung the sword explosively.

Whoosh. The sword slicing through the wind envisioned a future where it would cut down Ballack, as I swung it with force.

The illusion of Ballack in my mind also swung his greatsword just as he had back then.

The moment the swords clashed.

-Clang!

At the same time as the sword slipped powerlessly from my grasp, Ballack’s illusion slashed my neck.

Oh.

An awkward silence passed.

The sword that had slipped from my hand.

And my trembling right hand.

I alternated my gaze between the sword on the ground and my right hand.

“Why… is this happening?”

I picked up the sword from the ground and adjusted my stance. Resolving not to drop the sword this time, I gripped the handle tightly with a creaking sound.

I swung the sword again with all my might.

-Clang.

Once again, the sword fell powerlessly to the ground.

Bent over, I swallowed dryly. Cold sweat dripped down, and my fingertips trembled with an inexplicable sense of unease.

This is strange.

Why can’t I muster strength in my right hand?

Just this morning, I ate well and everything seemed fine. Why is my right hand not responding? I forced an awkward smile and glanced at the Young Lady on the second floor.

Fortunately, the Young Lady didn’t notice anything unusual and was happily enjoying her chocolate.

I let out a sigh of relief.

The Young Lady shouted at me to come up quickly, saying that if I wasn’t going to practice, I should join her in looking at necklaces.

I straightened my back.

After staring at the fallen sword for a while, I let out a deep sigh and headed back to the estate.

My right hand was trembling uncontrollably.

***

After waiting for the trembling to subside, I stood in front of the Young Lady’s room.

-The wardrobe?

-Yes. Chocolate cake and… prepare those for me.

Jingle…

-Here’s the money.

-No, Young Miss! You shouldn’t take money out from there…

-It’s fine. I have plenty of money.

-It’s not about the money… And you’ve given far too much.

-It’s a tip. But in return, you must fulfill my request.

The Young Lady was having a meaningful conversation with the maid.

Their hushed whispers made it hard to catch exactly what they were discussing, but piecing together the bits I overheard, it seemed the Young Lady was assigning the maid an errand.

The Young Lady assigning an errand…

I had always wondered where she got all that chocolate, and it turned out the maid was her supplier. Discovering this secret trade of hers, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘How mischievous.’

I didn’t want to interfere with the Young Lady’s small happiness.

Learning about economics through errands and letting the maid earn tips—it was a win-win for both. I decided to observe a little longer.

The conversation between the Young Lady and the maid continued for about three minutes, and then I heard the maid politely bidding farewell to attend to other matters.

-I’ll have it ready by the date you mentioned.

-Alright. I’m counting on you.

-Creak.

As the door opened, the middle-aged maid and I made eye contact.

“Butler…!”

“Shh. Please keep quiet.”

I placed a finger on my lips and silenced the maid.

And so, time passed quickly, and three days went by.