The Butler of the Villainess Has Returned

1.

A lot has changed in three years.

Since the Imperial Castle Raid Incident, awareness of the Demon God Cult has heightened.

A large-scale subjugation was carried out, and thanks to that, Moonlight became more relaxed compared to my previous life.

That relaxation led to growth.

Except for the time spent serving the Young Lady, I invested everything into getting stronger.

Achieved 6th Circle Mage.

Achieved Intermediate Sword Expert.

And.

“There’s nothing more I can teach you now.”

I even learned all forms of Nightscape from Ian, who had come down to the Salvatore territory.

Ian adjusted his clothing arrangement and lamented.

“It’s an astonishing talent.”

“So what? Even at full power, I can’t touch the hem of your clothes.”

“Well, I am in my prime right now, aren’t I?”

I wasn’t the only one who had grown.

Ian had also regained the power of the Sword Saint and was now beginning to glimpse a realm beyond that.

“A sword that cuts through space itself—there’s no way I can keep up anymore.”

Just when I thought I had barely caught up, he went and grew even further, despite being past sixty.

Ian sheathed his sword and chuckled softly.

“It won’t be long.”

“What won’t?”

“For you to catch up to me.”

Not anytime soon.

A sword that cuts through space was a realm even my previous life couldn’t reach.

Suddenly, I felt regret.

If Ian had regressed instead of me, he would’ve slashed through the Demon God and everything else in one sweep.

Why did it have to be me who regressed?

“Yuri?”

As I grumbled to myself, Ian, now looking immaculate, opened his pocket watch to show me.

“Aren’t you running late?”

“Huh?”

The current time was 5:50 a.m.

There were only ten minutes left until work started.

“Didn’t you sneak out?”

Ian asked with a worried expression, but I didn’t even have time to answer.

“I’m off, old man!”

In one leap, I soared above the forest.

The faint dawn light was illuminating the Salvatore Lord’s Castle.

After setting my direction, I sprinted at full speed, stepping on branches and leaves.

The more I ran, the clearer it became.

I was going to be late at this rate.

The moment I realized that, I channeled the aura in my dantian down to my toes.

“Dussssssk!!!”

Nightscape – Dusk.

It was a footwork technique Ian had assured me even a dragon couldn’t follow.

To think I’d use the Sword Saint’s footwork technique just to clock in on time—if any swordsman saw this, they’d foam at the mouth and throw a fit.

But I had no other choice.

-What have you been sneaking out to do every night?

-Nothing at all.

-And yet you climb the wall every day?

-I aspire to be a righteous thief.

This time, I got caught earlier than in my previous life.

I was tense, wondering if Vasello would hear about it and misunderstand.

-At least don’t get caught.

-What?

-…Don’t get caught next time.

Even though I hadn’t explained anything, the Young Lady pretended not to know about my secret patrols.

Just in case, I asked.

-Will you report this to the Head of the Family?

-No.

-…Thank you.

The Young Lady kept her promise.

She didn’t tell anyone about my secret patrols, nor did she ask me about them.

Instead, she added just one thing.

-If you’re late, you’re dead.

I was never late. At least, not until I started learning Ian’s swordsmanship.

Ian had come down to the Salvatore territory, saying Asha had entered seclusion for a year, and during that year, I was late by two or three hours every day.

-…Don’t be late tomorrow.

-Yes!

That conversation repeated every morning.

Until now, she had only scolded me with words, but today, I had a bad feeling.

-Don’t be late tomorrow, seriously.

-Yes!

-Yuri.

-Yes?

The Young Lady, who always scolded me with an angry expression, seemed a little different yesterday.

-I told you not to be late.

She was smiling.

And it was a very benevolent smile.

I immediately realized.

“Dussssk!!!”

If I was late today, I’d really die.

I even skipped checking the time, focusing solely on reaching the mansion.

Swoosh!

I slipped into the guards’ blind spot, climbed over the city wall, and followed the designated route to jump over the mansion wall.

‘If I take the stairs, I’ll be late!’

The moment I made that judgment, I bent my knees.

Creak!

With all my strength, I leapt toward the Young Lady’s room window.

Crash!

I smashed through the window, performed a rolling fall technique, and stood up.

“Good morning, Young Lady!”

Catching my breath, I checked the small clock hanging on the wall.

Six o’clock sharp.

“W-What?!”

“It’s Yuri.”

Barely safe.

However, there was one thing I hadn’t anticipated. I asked as calmly as possible.

“…Do you usually sleep naked?”

“Just die, Yuri!!”

Whoosh!

A fireball the size of a human torso was hurled toward the spot where I stood.

Boom!

Watching the wall near the shattered window, I couldn’t help but smile.

‘I’ll just say the Young Lady did that too.’

My salary is precious, after all.

2.

“Aren’t you going to fix your expression?”

“I can’t.”

“Oh? Are you rebelling against me now?”

“No, it’s not that…”

Trailing off, I added,

“It’s swollen because the Young Lady kept hitting only my face.”

It wasn’t that I was scowling, but rather that my face was bruised from being hit.

“Ah, I see.”

The Young Lady, now convinced it was unavoidable, picked up the prepared refreshments.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

“I’m fine. Just on the verge of death, that’s all.”

“You seem fine enough, judging by how you’re talking.”

Crunch.

The Young Lady took a bite of a cookie made of wheat and handed one to me.

“…Did you see it?”

“See what?”

“…My body.”

Apparently, she had been training.

She said her growth had slowed recently, so she was trying to enhance her mana sensitivity.

Accepting the cookie, I replied,

“I only saw your back.”

“…That’s a relief.”

The Young Lady murmured with a bashful smile.

“I won’t have to gouge your eyes out, then.”

“Phew, what a relief indeed.”

Secretly patting my chest in relief, I asked the question I had been holding back.

“But why did you call me in early?”

“Isn’t it obvious…?”

“Ah, right!”

Work was supposed to start at the usual time!

After being worked to the bone by Ian for nearly a year, sleeping only two or three hours a day, I had forgotten.

The Young Lady let out a sigh.

“You can be about ten minutes late, but don’t come in through the window anymore.”

“Got it!”

“You sound way too cheerful.”

“Huh?”

“You’re not planning to be ten minutes late every day, are you?”

She caught me.

“How did I end up with such a crazy bastard…”

“Me?”

The Young Lady’s face turned slightly red.

Her crimson eyes, glistening with moisture, scanned me from head to toe before looking away.

“Enough of that!”

Avoiding my gaze with forced determination, she handed me a piece of paper she had been holding.

“Take this!”

It was a familiar document.

I took it and read it slowly.

“An Imperial Academy admission form?”

“Father told me to give it to you.”

“To me?”

I feigned ignorance.

While anyone with skill could enroll, for a commoner like me, it was a pipe dream.

The reason was the tuition fee.

Unless you were someone exceptional like a Saintess or a Hero, you had to pay the full tuition.

Even just submitting the application form cost 10 gold.

The monthly living expenses for a middle-class family of four in the Empire were about 35 gold.

Even if a genius among geniuses appeared, without money, admission was impossible.

Of course, there were ways to get an exemption.

The top 10 scorers in the entrance exam had their admission fees waived, and the top three—first, second, and third seats—had their tuition for the semester waived as well.

The tuition fee per semester was 100 gold.

If you fell out of the top rankings midway, the tuition fee would be charged again, and failure to pay meant expulsion.

In my previous life, I had been a scholarship student for all five years.

Not just any scholarship student, but the top scholarship student.

As I was reminiscing about what had happened back then,

“Don’t worry.”

The Young Lady snatched the paper away.

“You’re part of the House of Salvatore too.”

Her tone was cold, but it carried warmth.

Without mentioning money, lest it hurt my pride, she even filled out the admission form for me to avoid burdening me.

In my first life, my second life, and now in this final life.

She had always extended her warm heart to her butler, who had failed her countless times.

“Here, Yuri.”

“…Young Lady.”

“Check if there’s anything wrong with it.”

I felt like crying.

“…I don’t know if I deserve to accept this.”

Suppressing my emotions, I hesitated.

I didn’t feel worthy of receiving it.

As her exclusive butler, I had failed to protect my master twice.

If only she had remembered her past lives and resented me for it.

If only she had acted as cruelly as the epithet attached to her name, it would have been easier on my conscience.

Even as I thought that, I already knew.

“Yuri.”

“Yes, Young Lady.”

That even if she regained her memories, she would never do such a thing.

“I am your master, aren’t I?”

“Yes, you are.”

“Then just focus on protecting me. Leave everything else to me.”

I knew I couldn’t help but serve her.

And I knew that deep down, I wanted to.

As I tried to suppress the lump in my throat, the Young Lady broke the silence and asked again.

“Understood?”

I bowed my head.

Placing my right hand over my chest, I slowly leaned forward to show the utmost respect.

“I will accept it gratefully.”

And I will never lose it.

“That’s how it should be.”

Only then did the Young Lady smile brightly.

It was the captivating smile of the Villainess, the one I was determined to protect at all costs.

3.

In the end, both the Young Lady’s and my applications were submitted.

There was one month left until the entrance exam.

Vasello began personally tutoring the Young Lady.

“It’s a decent attack, but let’s discard it.”

“Why?”

“It takes too long to activate, and if someone gets close, you’ll be defeated without a chance to react. It could also lead to bad habits.”

“Is that so?”

The Young Lady grew rapidly.

She had surpassed the 3rd Circle and the 4th Circle, and now the 5th Circle was within reach.

“Yuri, come to my office for a moment.”

“Yes.”

He called me aside and asked.

“What do you think about learning from Lloyd?”

“I’m fine, thank you.”

“Then should I find you another teacher?”

I let out a sigh.

“Both of you know I don’t need one, don’t you?”

Vasello’s expression stiffened slightly. Lloyd, standing behind him, was no different.

I had known for a while that Vasello had assigned Lloyd to keep an eye on me.

So, I deceived him.

It was thanks to the Word Spirit I had mimicked from Rania.

-[After work today, I trained alone at the training grounds and fell asleep there.]

-…After work today, I trained alone at the training grounds and fell asleep there.

Every time I evaded his surveillance, I implanted false information into his ears and sent him back.

-[Yuri has exceptional talent with the sword, and leaving him to figure things out on his own is the best way to help him.]

…Yuri has exceptional talent with the sword, and leaving him to figure things out on his own is the best way to help him.

For the first year, he followed me every day, but lately, it had dwindled to once a month.

Lloyd asked with a serious expression.

“Since when did you know?”

“Since the beginning of the year. From then on, you’ve been tailing me once a month, haven’t you?”

I feigned ignorance as if I had only realized it late.

To them, it was best to appear as nothing more than a child with genius talent.

“…You’re not lying.”

“Of course not. How could a mere butler lie in front of the Head of the Family?”

At the same time, I didn’t forget to break through Vasello’s magic.

After all, the Word Spirit wasn’t the only thing I had stolen from Rania during that banquet.

The traits of lies and truth were intricate.

Even if I couldn’t wield them as freely as Vasello, I could at least reveal only the truth.

After some deliberation, Vasello asked.

“Are you sure there’s nothing you need help with?”

I nodded.

“I still prefer being alone. I want to start learning at the Imperial Academy.”

“Are you confident you’ll pass the entrance exam?”

“Of course.”

“Alright, do as you wish.”

After all, it wasn’t as if I could display my abilities in front of others.

In the end, my days alternated between serving the Young Lady during the day and sneaking out at night.

Three more weeks passed like that.

4.

That evening was no different.

As usual, I climbed over the wall and headed toward Ian’s hideout.

“What’s this?”

While passing through the underworld of the Salvatore territory, a flyer drifted toward me.

I was about to ignore it and walk past.

Flap.

My gaze was drawn to it involuntarily.

It was a faded advertisement flyer announcing a circus performance, filled with a mix of vibrant colors.

“How peculiar.”

Curiosity got the better of me, and I picked it up.

Against the backdrop of red and white tents, the members were depicted in a comical manner.

Unlike other circuses, they wore crying masks instead of smiling ones.

“Huh…?”

One character caught my eye. They were wearing a smiling mask, standing alone.

But that wasn’t all.

Their hunched figure was trembling as if in fear.

In that moment, memories of my previous life resurfaced.

-Do you know what’s even more miserable?

It was a conversation with Clown Claudia, the second member I recruited after Asha.

-I thought that was happiness.

She had always worn a mask to cover the scars from being beaten.

-Even though I was beaten, cried, and trembled every day, I wished that moment would last forever.

-Where was that?

-Why do you want to know?

-…Just in case.

-Just in case? Captain, you’re so funny!

She laughed for a long time.

That laughter was a form of self-defense, a way to release her trauma.

Eventually, she opened her mouth.

Her lips, which had moved for a long time, finally closed with a sob.

-Why didn’t you come to save me sooner!!

-I’m sorry.

-Why is the Captain apologizing!!

-…I’m sorry for that too.

After calming down, she slipped off her mask and joked with me.

-Next time, come a little faster.

I hurriedly flipped the flyer over.

Unlike the side with the illustration, the name of the circus troupe was written in bold letters.

[Happiness Circus Troupe]

It was the place Claudia had mentioned.

“I’ll be there soon.”

It was time to recruit a new member.