The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 55

A person’s resolve is not easily broken.

“Bath!”

“…I must!”

I tried to ignore the Quest Window that appeared before my eyes.

It had been a week since I decided not to assist Mikhail in his trials anymore. I wanted to allow Mikhail room to grow, both mentally and physically.

Because seeing the novel’s ending with the current Mikhail was not an option.

I thought that after experiencing this incident, Mikhail, who spoke of justice every day, would finally understand the concept of moderation.

It was absolutely not because I wanted to bathe with the Young Lady. It was just that today’s underwear color… No, that’s not it.

I looked at the Young Lady with eyes full of anticipation.

The Young Lady in her bathrobe.

The faintly visible black underwear of the Young Lady felt strangely alluring.

The Young Lady stretched and said,

“Let’s go!”

The chest gathered menacingly.

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

I awkwardly smiled and turned my back to the Young Lady.

“Please climb on.”

While deliberately ignoring the Blue Window floating in the air.

[Q. Save Yuria.]

Yuria is exploring “Hamel’s Dungeon” for the Academy’s final exam.

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

A man covered in wounds and gasping for breath.

With her warm heart, Yuria couldn’t just walk past him and decided to treat him. Mikhail, who was in the same group, agreed to Yuria’s decision.

Unaware that the man was a remnant of the Heretics.

Yuria is in danger.

To the Heretics in need of a healer, Yuria appeared like a gem. The remnants of the Heretics ambushed Yuria and began taking her to the depths of the dungeon.

Originally, Mikhail was supposed to rescue Yuria, but Mikhail seems to lack both the mental and physical capacity.

(!) Save Yuria, who is in danger.

○ Probability of Mikhail rescuing Yuria without the User’s help: (70%)

Reward: Dark Magic Resistance LV. 4

Mikhail: Beginner Aura (C)

Yuria: Favorability +40

Failure: Favorability of all Academy students except Histania Hanna -30, Yuria injured, Mikhail injured

The quest is not mandatory.

Although the quests appeared suddenly and without warning, there was no compulsion to complete them.

The novel would progress normally.

It was just that my existence had been added to it.

It would have been strange if there were any mandatory elements.

Occasionally, there were penalties like reduced stats or decreased favorability, but they weren’t life-altering enough to worry about.

The quests depended on my choices.

Like Hanna’s Quest, they offered a wide range of free choices, from saving someone’s life to taking it.

This time was no different.

Dark Magic Resistance. It was certainly a good reward, but not attractive enough to break my resolve not to help Mikhail.

If the reward had been an increase in swordsmanship level or an additional skill, I might have reconsidered my decision. But bathing with the Young Lady… No, enduring the stress of getting involved with Mikhail wasn’t worth it.

Dark Magic Resistance would naturally increase over time, and it wasn’t inconvenient for daily life.

And the penalty for failure was minimal.

Even if the already low favorability dropped further, nothing would change. At worst, it would escalate from frowning expressions to asking about my parents’ well-being.

We weren’t going to see each other for long anyway.

And I didn’t want to see them for long either.

The high probability of 70% was also hard to ignore.

I believed Mikhail could handle it. Though he was frustratingly dense, his skills were solid.

I trusted them.

But when I saw the changes in the Quest Window,

The anticipation I had turned cold and hardened.

‘Hah… This is seriously messed up.’

[Yuria’s feelings have changed.]

[Mikhail’s feelings have changed.]

Probability of Mikhail rescuing Yuria without the User’s help: (70% > 57%)

The quest reward has been updated.

[Rehabilitation’s Touch (B)]

Allows you to weakly heal targets with physical restrictions using the User’s health as a medium.

“Ah…?”

I exhaled through my nose as I watched the Young Lady slowly take off her bathrobe. She seemed intent on demonstrating her wholesome philosophy that baths should be taken naked.

Black bra.

Fierce chest.

‘F*ck.’

I clenched my fist and said to the Young Lady,

“Shall we… do it next time?”

The Young Lady cried.

***

“F*ck.”

A dark dungeon.

I looked at the terrified Yuria and the unconscious Mikhail.

A deep sigh escaped from the pit of my stomach.

Since becoming a butler, I had tried to avoid using bad words, but Mikhail’s performance, far below my expectations, was testing my patience.

Not much had changed from the novel.

They encountered the remnants of the Heretics.

Treated the Heretic.

Got ambushed.

Mikhail got taken down.

The only difference from the scene in the novel was that Mikhail had fainted.

‘But why is it still like this?’

Holding my sword, I glared at Mikhail with irritation.

‘Why is the guy who’s supposed to fight passed out?’

The Heretic in front of me wasn’t someone with overwhelming power like Ballack or Pascal. To put it in perspective, it was like the blue golem that often appeared in the jungles of the games I played in my previous life.

It would be tough for Mikhail to handle.

But he was more than capable of defeating it.

As long as he wasn’t ambushed or careless, he could easily win.

No way…

I looked at Mikhail with disbelief, scanning him. His abdomen, where a sword wound was visible, faintly came into view.

Mikhail’s school uniform was soaked with blood, as if he had just been stabbed. The torn fabric revealed smooth skin, hinting at what had happened.

‘…Hopeless idiot.’

This event was supposed to be the episode where Mikhail killed for the first time.

To protect Yuria, who was being dragged away, Mikhail was supposed to awaken his aura. But judging by his state, it seemed he wouldn’t awaken, let alone make it out alive.

With a heavy heart, I turned my gaze to the Heretic gripping Yuria’s hair.

[Vigny Lv. 34]

[Job: Apprentice Priest]

[Favorability: -60]

[Favorite conversation topics: Twisted Justice, Faith, Murder, Women, Torture, Future of Heretics, Blood, Screams]

[Disliked conversation topics: Goddess Cult, Love, Mercy, Patience, Children, Peace]

A heretic staring at me with a stern expression.

He seemed displeased by the unexpected appearance of an outsider, but soon managed his expression with a bizarre smile.

“Who are you?”

“Your mother.”

“What?”

I wasn’t in a good mood.

Mikhail’s pathetic defeat had significantly soured my mood. It was even more unpleasant than receiving a text to come into work on the weekend.

Looking at the heretic’s hand gripping Yuria’s hair, I spoke. A heretic who didn’t understand the value of hair.

He was someone who didn’t know the fear of baldness.

“You’d better let go of that hand right now.”

“What did you say?”

The heretic roughly grabbed Yuria’s hair. When Yuria let out a thin scream—

I lightly swung my sword.

Swish. Along with the sound, the heretic’s arm was severed. His pupils shook violently.

As he looked at his severed arm with a bewildered expression, wondering what had just happened, his face twisted in immediate panic.

“Aaaaagh!! My arm! My arm!!”

The heretic rolled on the ground, clutching his severed limb.

“See? I told you to let go.”

My words didn’t reach the heretic writhing in pain. It wasn’t a pleasant sight. The bleeding heretic and Yuria’s shocked expression made me feel like I was the villain here.

Whatever the case, I just wanted to go home quickly.

I kicked the fallen heretic in the abdomen. With a thud, he was sent sprawling into a corner.

He reached for his waist to pull out a dagger, but I didn’t allow even that.

“Who are you…!”

“You don’t need to know.”

I stomped on his remaining arm and approached Mikhail.

Seeing Mikhail leaning against the wall, panting heavily, I let out a sigh. He was someone lacking in willpower. If it were me, I would’ve done everything to wake up.

Looking at the still-unconscious Mikhail, I could only feel disappointment.

I nudged Mikhail lightly with my foot and spoke.

“Get up.”

“…”

“I said, get up.”

I’d appreciate it if he woke up before I lost my temper.

Mikhail had to finish this himself. If I ended it alone, it would become an episode where Mikhail gained nothing. So, I was waking him up.

I nudged Mikhail with irritation.

“Get up. Are you just going to sit there while Yuria gets dragged away?”

“…”

“…Seriously.”

Thud.

When I kicked Mikhail hard, he groaned and opened his eyes.

“Yuria!”

The moment he opened his eyes, Mikhail called out for Yuria. I couldn’t help but applaud his posture as a proper hero.

Mikhail’s gaze took in the scene before him.

The heretic writhing on the ground with a severed arm, Yuria catching her breath with a startled expression, and me, looking down at him with an impassive gaze.

Though his eyes trembled at the situation that had unfolded in such a short time, I kindly told Mikhail what he needed to do now.

Clang.

I threw Mikhail’s sword, which had fallen from his hand, onto the ground.

Mikhail’s sword, with its worn blade and handle stained from use.

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

A red potion had fallen from Yuria’s pocket onto the ground.

The highest-grade potion distributed by the Imperial Family.

Though I was tempted to pocket it, given the situation, I sighed deeply and opened the potion’s cap.

Then, I began pouring it onto the heretic’s severed arm.

Sizzle. The sound of the wound healing filled the air.

It was enough to temporarily allow him to fight.

The heretic glared at me.

With an expression that said he couldn’t understand what was happening, he stared at me.

Even I found it absurd that the one who had severed his arm was now healing him.

Looking at both him and Mikhail, I spoke.

“From now on, I won’t do anything. Whether you kill him or run away, I won’t interfere.”

“…”

The heretic’s eyes were fixed on me.

“Seriously…?”

He was quick to assess the situation.

I answered with a nod.

“But you see that man over there, right?”

I pointed at Mikhail with my finger.

Mikhail, standing blankly with a sword in his hand.

He seemed half out of his mind.

“Fight him.”

The heretic glared at me, as if telling me to say something that made sense. He protested that it was impossible to face Mikhail in his one-armed state.

I gave the heretic a sharp dose of reality.

“Then die.”

The heretic gripped his sword.

And he asked me again.

“If I fight him… will you really let me go?”

“Of course.”

The heretic struggled to lift his sword.

As corrupted mana began to flow from his body, I stepped aside and supported the fallen Yuria.

“Are you alright?”

“Mi…Mikhail…”

“Ah… He’ll be fine. If things go south, I’ll step in.”

I glanced at Mikhail.

Mikhail was staring at the approaching heretic with trembling eyes.

I wondered how far that pushover would go.

I didn’t expect him to kill.

Even if he could maim or leave an indelible scar, I’d consider it a significant improvement.

After all, the heretic had grabbed the hair of the woman he liked and dragged her away. He wouldn’t just stand by.

In the novel, Mikhail had killed that man. To rescue Yuria, he’d stained his hands with blood for the first time and developed cold-blooded emotions.

At that time, the novel described him trembling as he tightly embraced Yuria, saying it was alright. I was curious how it would play out this time.

As the sound of clashing swords rang out between Mikhail and the heretic, I prepared to clock out.

*

The battle was over.

As expected, the one lying on the ground was the heretic.

For someone fighting with one arm, the heretic had fought admirably, but he was no match for Mikhail’s exceptional talent in swordsmanship.

Mikhail was breathing heavily.

With his sword pressed against the heretic’s neck, Mikhail struggled to catch his breath.

“Don’t move.”

Mikhail issued a chilling warning.

His hand trembled.

He didn’t know what to do.

After killing countless knights,

Mikhail still couldn’t decide what to do with the heretic who had threatened Yuria.

The heretic, trembling, spoke to Mikhail in a shaky voice.

“Save me…”

“…”

“Please… Please save me… I promise to live a good life from now on.”

“…Really…”

Wow…

I applauded inwardly.

I wondered if he was really going to let them go again.

Even if Mikhail let them go without doing anything, I would handle it discreetly. But if he truly let them go without lifting a finger, it would be no different from the reincarnation of Buddha.

I decided to give Mikhail a little push.

“Oh, come on…”

“You call me a bad guy, a scoundrel, and yet you’re just going to let this person go?”

Flinch. Mikhail’s shoulders trembled.

“Isn’t that right, Miss Yuria?”

“Y-Yes?”

A flustered Yuria looked at me.

“Miss Yuria almost got hurt. Isn’t it unfair to just let them go?”

Like watching a national soccer match, I alternated between sighing and cursing as I criticized Mikhail.

“Oh, come on.”

Yuria looked at me.

Her eyes were filled with confusion.

At the same time, she looked at Mikhail.

Yuria probably felt the same way.

Someone who had killed people.

Who would like such a person?

I didn’t like it either.

But sometimes, in unavoidable situations, one had to make bold decisions. That’s why people like us learn the sword.

The choice was Mikhail’s to make.

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

“There’s a limit to unnecessary interference.”

With those words, Mikhail swung his sword.

*

Everything was over.

Mikhail threw his sword to the ground and was breathing heavily, while the heretic sighed in relief, thinking they had been spared.

“I didn’t think you’d actually let me live.”

Mikhail spoke with mercy in his voice.

“I’ll give you one more chance. From now on, no more bad deeds…”

That idiot.

Falling for it again.

The heretic, on the verge of tears, spoke to Mikhail.

“Thank you! Truly, thank you so mu…ch!”

As the heretic’s hand moved swiftly to stab a dagger into Mikhail’s chest, I swung my sword once more.

With a clanging sound, the heretic’s breath came to an abrupt halt.

A deep sigh escaped me.

I looked down at Mikhail, whose trembling eyes were fixed on the heretic, and punched him in the face.

Thud…!

“Ugh… Idiot.”

[The quest has been completed.]

I never wanted to get involved again.

*

On the way back to the estate.

I quickly left the dungeon, not wanting to get tangled up in any more trouble.

I looked down at my hand.

The black scar on my right hand was gone.

I wanted to boast about it to the Young Lady.

As I plodded down the mountain.

A strange sound reached my ears.

-Whimper…

“Huh?”

A small puppy was hiding in the thicket, letting out pained whimpers.

Its black fur and round body made it look adorable, but its large paws were like those of a beast.

Thinking the Young Lady might like such a cute creature, I crouched down and gestured to the puppy.

“Come here.”

The puppy limped over and rubbed its head against my leg.

“Should I take you with me?”

I carefully reached out my hand.

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

[Hand of Rehabilitation has been activated.]

-Drip.

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