The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 174

The unpaid money is a heavy law.

Even if it was just 1 gold, the difference between not receiving it and being unable to receive it was significant.

It wasn’t about feeling good or bad; it was simply absurd to do work for free.

Considering my reality of working for the Young Lady without charge, I wasn’t in a position to nitpick. But since the Young Lady was beautiful, I could forgive her.

Upon arriving in the capital city, I handed the Young Lady over to Darbav and headed toward the Academy.

-You’re here, Olivia.

-Father, give me some allowance.

-Is money more welcome than me?

-Yes.

-How honest of you.

Leaving behind the Young Lady’s allowance negotiations, I departed for the Academy, wearing an awkward smile at the unwelcome memories of the place.

-Get lost, you filth of the Academy!

-Don’t ever come back here!

-I never liked him from the beginning.

The memories of the Academy brought a bitter smile to my face. They had started with anticipation but ended in cold criticism, making them far from pleasant.

I didn’t think it was unfair. Since it was something I could understand, I could let it go lightly. But still, those unpleasant memories left me with a bitter smile.

“I should’ve stripped away all the fortuitous encounters and left.”

It was a slightly misguided regret, though.

How long had I been walking, lost in memories? By the time I realized I’d forgotten my original purpose and wandered around the Academy, night had fallen.

Here and there, I ran into familiar faces and played a bit of hide-and-seek.

-Isn’t that Ricardo?

-Why would he come here? No, actually… I wish he would. I’d love to curse him out properly.

-What are you talking about? Oh, but did you hear that rumor? The one about Ricardo fighting a heretic at the banquet hall.

-That was Princess Chartia and Mikhail, wasn’t it? The Student Council officially announced it ages ago.

-Was it?

While dodging people, time flew by. Since it was already late, I decided to leave it for another time and wandered leisurely around the training grounds. That’s when I started hearing familiar voices.

-How long… how long are you going to keep doing this?

Hanna’s voice reached my ears.

-I cannot acknowledge your talent.

A stubborn man’s voice followed. I didn’t know why he was here, but I could tell the atmosphere was tense.

Holding my breath, I approached the training grounds and witnessed a rare sight: three people standing together.

Mikhail.

Hanna.

Rowen.

I thought I’d never see this combination again, especially not Hanna and Rowen together.

I had assumed Rowen’s spirit had been broken after the last incident, but seeing his unyielding demeanor, I let out a faint sigh and shook my head.

The conversation was taking a serious turn.

-Malik said he wouldn’t accept the Head of the Family position.

There were even rumors that the boss had gone mad.

-I still haven’t acknowledged your sword.

It became clear that the stubbornness of the older man hadn’t changed. And neither had Hanna’s clumsy challenges.

-Let’s try it. A duel between me and the disciple Father trained.

I unintentionally learned of it.

*

The Sword of the Empire didn’t bother to hide his displeasure.

Perhaps it was because I hadn’t seen such a handsome man in a while, but I couldn’t help smiling as I looked at Rowen, envious of the wrinkles forming on his forehead.

“Why aren’t you answering?”

Taking a reckless gamble on a duel he was bound to lose, I spoke up.

Hanna might be able to defeat Mikhail, but the gap between me and Rowen was vast. Still, as a mentor, I had to uphold my dignity in front of a disciple, so I didn’t back down.

That way, Hanna could take shelter under my shadow. Smiling, I said,

“Is it because the Sword of the Empire sees me as a swordsman overflowing with talent?”

“What a crude provocation.”

“I’ve learned a lot of crude things, you see.”

A cold current swept through the air.

The atmosphere was tense between the man who had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship and the possessor who knew his weaknesses all too well.

I was certain.

This man wouldn’t respond to my provocation.

It was a fight with nothing to gain, and if by some chance he lost to me, he had far more to lose. He had no reason to accept.

As a swordsman, his instincts assured him of victory, but as the Head of the Family, his thoughts were far more complex.

I stared at Rowen with a small smile, confident in my provocation, and Rowen, in turn, looked at me without saying a word.

Hanna looked at me with wide, astonished eyes, as if she had seen her savior in a place she never expected me to be.

“Butler…?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

With a small smile, I organized the overheard conversation in my mind and spoke to Hanna.

“You’ve stirred up something interesting, haven’t you?”

“I’m sorry… I was just so angry.”

“It’s fine.”

The discord between Rowen and Hanna.

The new disciple, Mikhail.

And the duel involving Mikhail and Hanna.

It was an absurd story.

Especially the final challenge.

In the novel, Mikhail becomes Rowen’s disciple. Not as Malik’s substitute, but as a way for Yuria to fill the void of a grieving father who had lost his daughter. The story naturally flowed into Mikhail’s training.

In a way, it was a story that ended well, but when you looked deeper, it was hard not to laugh.

Because he was using a disciple as an excuse to make his child feel deprived.

While Mikhail certainly needed a mentor, this wasn’t the right way to go about it.

There was no guarantee it would last until the end. It would be better for me to teach him as a mentor wearing a mysterious mask.

For these reasons, I thought making Mikhail’s mentor this way was unreasonable.

I glanced at Mikhail briefly before turning my gaze to Rowen.

“Didn’t I tell you last time not to meddle with my beloved disciple?”

“I don’t recall answering that.”

“How petty of you.”

Rowen frowned as he looked at the black sword blade at my waist.

He didn’t seem pleased that one of his collection pieces was in my possession.

Startled by the gaze of its original owner, I instinctively hid the sword behind my back. I’d grown too attached to it to return it now.

Thinking it over, I realized I had obtained the sword through legitimate means. Calming my startled heart, I moved Tirbing back to my waist.

Rowen let out an empty laugh, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“It’s amazing. That you’re holding that sword without losing your mind… Or perhaps you’ve already gone mad.”

Rowen spoke, exuding chilling mana.

“How strange.”

The weight of the mana rising from him felt different. It was denser and purer than the mana of the Archbishop.

Rowen’s aura began to press down on my shoulders.

I brushed off Rowen’s aura lightly and said, wasn’t he ashamed as an adult?

“Don’t release killing intent. You’ll scare the disciple.”

A red aura began to seep out from the sword ominously.

The heavy aura settled, gently enveloping the sword and dispelling Rowen’s pressure.

Aura, the ultimate turning point for a swordsman. The foundation of a swordsman and the symbol of nothingness, it spread like a cool shadow.

It was my answer, the proof I could give as a swordsman.

And as Rowen’s sword began to tremble faintly at my aura, it became my greatest advantage.

“I believe I’m fully qualified to teach.”

“…”

“I also believe my eye for spotting the seed of talent surpasses the Sword of the Empire.”

Rowen ground his teeth and glared at me.

“You never back down, do you?”

“That’s because I belong to the Desmond household.”

“…”

Rowen let out a sigh and held back his words.

The answer to the question I had posed was clear, and it had become an undeniable reality.

Rowen was the first to withdraw his momentum, releasing his grip from the sword hilt. In the cold air of the training grounds, Mikhail and Hanna shivered.

Among them, Mikhail stared at me with disbelief. His silent scream seemed to say, ‘Is there still this much of a gap?’ Breathing heavily, Mikhail collapsed to the ground.

I let out a small smile and released my grip from the sword. At that moment, Rowen spoke to me.

“My eyes were not wrong.”

As if clinging to his pride.

“I’ve nurtured and discovered many knights by recognizing and cultivating the seed of talent.”

“…”

“This time is no different. As always, there are no exceptions.”

Before Rowen’s words had even fully settled, I turned to look at Hanna.

“Do you think it’s possible?”

“What do you mean?”

“Mikhail. Do you think you can defeat him?”

“I…”

Hanna stopped mid-sentence and looked at me, as if searching for an answer.

“What about you, Butler?”

I gave Hanna a small smile and replied.

“My eyes are special.”

Smiling, I looked at Hanna, and without hesitation, she drew her sword with a sharp “Sreung” and slashed horizontally through the empty space.

“If the Butler says so, then it must be true…!”

Mikhail also drew his sword, releasing his aura.

The bright aura coiled around Mikhail’s hand, signaling the start of the battle. Taking a calm breath, Mikhail spoke.

“I surrender. As I am now, I cannot defeat Hanna.”

I turned to Rowen and smiled.

“I’ve won, haven’t I?”