The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

Chapter 14: Birthday Gift (1)

The Empire's Knight Commander.

Histania Rowen

In the novel, he appeared as Michail's mentor. His affection for Michail overflowed to such an extent it was impossible to imagine him as an indifferent father who couldn’t even celebrate a single birthday, and he was introduced as a tender character who cherished and adored the female protagonist like his own daughter.

Although he was taciturn and not one for many words, I remember him to be a solid support for the female lead. In the novel, it was said that he cherished the female lead because she reminded him of his youngest daughter who had died.

He was a character I quite liked as well.

The story of the strongest knight who lost his beloved daughter was pitiful and, at the same time, I could understand just how much he cared for the female protagonist.

There was no mention of Hanna in the story. He only occasionally referred to his youngest daughter when saying, "It was my fault…" and receiving comfort from the female lead.

I had thought of him as a fairly doting father, but in hindsight, he was no more than a man who regretted it all too late.

He was like an alcoholic.

When drunk, he would behave like a dog, and upon sobering up, he would ask for forgiveness while looking at the mess he'd made, no different from an alcoholic. I believe everyone can feel remorse, but perhaps because he was directly responsible for Hanna's death, his actions weren’t comforting to me.

Honestly, it's a frivolous complaint.

No matter what judgment I cast on him, it won't change anything.

I can't exactly go and stomp on the Knight Commander myself, nor can I say to him, "If you act like that, your youngest daughter will die."

But something felt lacking.

The father who ignored her daughter's birthday.

The daughter who came to the wicked woman's house through the pouring rain.

Seeing her cry over a plate of tteokbokki made it impossible to view the Knight Commander in a good light.

What could I do to give a good kick to that old man? I wondered what could be the greatest gift and what Hanna would love the most when I thought of one.

"From now on, Miss Hanna will train at our estate until school starts again."

"What?"

"You have to beat Michail.”

Achieving growth shocking enough for the Knight Commander.

And bluntly rejecting her father with, "I don't need your help," which might just be the best kick in the Knight Commander’s chest. Hanna has been a dutiful daughter so far, so a little bit of disobedience will be forgiven. If she gets kicked out of her home, we can employ her as a maid at our estate.

Of course, the salary would be saltier than salt itself.

It's an extreme conclusion, but I was certain that there could be no better gift than this.

A week passed quickly.

During my week at the estate, I fought a lot with the young lady, bickered and tussled, but we grew close and advanced to a friendship.

"Beggar!"

"Who's calling me a beggar!"

"If you’re not a beggar, then what are you? You don’t even go home!"

"I..I have a home!"

"Then go to your home!"

"…Sob"

Despite the young lady’s fierce resistance, it was a meaningful time in the end.

To Hanna, a week would have usually been spent honing her swordsmanship alone, but a week with us offered her time to grow both mentally and technically.

"Birthday present?"

"I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so for now I brought what I could think of."

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Strength Elixir [A]

◈ When consumed by a target whose ‘strength attribute' is ‘+30' or under, it increases the ‘strength attribute' by ‘+10'.

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“This precious thing… for me? You can’t even buy this with money. It’s an elixir that can't be bought on the black market.”

"Think of it as an investment."

"I can't accept this. It's too much for me. I have some shame. How am I supposed to repay this kindness? I absolutely cannot accept it."

"Please take it."

It was a potion I had created countless times using my knowledge from the original work. I had given it to the young lady to drink, and I had consumed it myself, a kind of restorative tonic.

Easy to make, but, fearing my life could be in danger if I started selling it on the black market, I never did. This opportunity allowed me to conduct human experimentation and cheaply resolve the birthday present, which actually suited me well.

Of course, Hanna held my hand and cried her eyes out at that moment.

"Why are you so good to me? I've always been mean to the butler and thought badly of you in my heart."

"You thought badly of me in your heart?"

"…No."

"Well, that's natural. I do have an unlucky aura."

"The butler really knows how to break a mood."

"That's also one of my talents."

It was pleasant to see a smile mixed with happiness, which was different from the sorry one she had shown at the estate.

Hanna grew stronger.

The potion helped a lot, but the efforts and time she displayed at the estate gave her ample opportunity to grow on her own.

And today, a week later.

Hanna and I were preparing for the final stage.

‘Quest.'

[Q. The Short-Lived Misfortune of the Extra ‘Hanna']

Ignored by her father and disregarded by servants, she always resented her pathetic talent.

She is parched for praise.

·

·

·

1. Give her praise to boost her self-esteem.

(9/10)

2. Increase ‘affection' to over 40.

[Affection: 51]

3. Defeat the ‘Elite Orc Swordsman.'

(0/1)

Reward: Swordsmanship LV. 6. Strength +3

Hanna: Swordsmanship Lv. 4, Beginner Aura (C)

Failure: Histania Hanna dies.

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The quest is now in its final stages.

I worked hard to raise Hanna's self-esteem with praise and, over the course of a week, built a lot of affection with her.

An affection of 51.

It isn't quite a guarantee, but it's like being able to lend 3 million won from the wallet of a young newcomer to society without a word.

An affection of 60 is like being best friends.

Maybe with over 60 affection, you could lend about 10 million won? Not many have raised the affection to over 60, so I wouldn't really know.

Over 70 affection is… Nobody has managed that, so I don't know. What’s clear is that the affection of 51 between Hanna and me is by no means a small figure. If anything, it’s high.

Having confirmed the high affection, I bowed to the young lady who looked at me with a pouty expression.

"I'll be off."

"I'll be going."

Both of us bowed politely. Hanna and myself.

And the young lady who nodded from the bed like a queen, with her chin held high, said haughtily.

"Don’t come back. Play with me."

The bewitching voice of the young lady, tempting me to become jobless like her. The momentary contemplation to cast aside my sword and consider the path of unemployment was resisted by the weight of being a provider.

Is this the power of a professional jobless? The alluring voice was frightening.

Watching us, Hanna let out a deep sigh.

"Please stop playing along with those jokes, Butler. If you keep doing this, the young lady will keep throwing tantrums at you."

"I'm allowed to."

Olivia crossed her arms arrogantly. Hanna clenched her fist tightly at the provocative smile of a true villainess.

"Why are you allowed? Are you the young lady’s property?"

"Right. Ricardo is mine."

"What?"

Hanna looked at me. I nodded slightly in response to her question.

"The truth is, 13 years ago, I signed a slave contract that disregarded human rights. Of course, it's been 12 months that I haven't received any salary, but you know."

I was bluffing. There wasn't even a contract for a salary, let alone a slave contract. The verbal contract based on trust between the young lady and me was everything. But I could tell Olivia’s pride was wounded.

"Yikes…!"

Predictably, an odd scream escaped from the young lady.

"Pfft."

Hanna laughed victoriously, mocking Olivia.

"A boss who can't even pay."

"A homeless beggar!"

The two were oddly incompatible but somehow got along well in weird ways. They seemed unlikely to become close, but at times they were surprisingly attached. Perhaps because they liked the same person.

I would really like for us to become closer. After all, there might be an opportunity to attend the Academy…

In fact, I have a somewhat selfish request to make of Hanna.

If the female protagonist graduates and Hanna takes over the presidency at the Academy, I was hoping she'd create a chance for us to re-enroll. That's also one of the reasons I want to treat her even better.

I do feel bad for making such a request, but after she defeats the Elite Orc Swordsman and beats Michail, I plan to carefully ask her.

It would be a pity if she refuses, but I won't think badly of her for it. We'll just have to look for other ways.

Hanna and the young lady are still quarreling intensely. Their ability to insult each other without crossing the line is quite extraordinary.

Especially Olivia.

"Does the young lady not know how great the butler is!?"

"I know! He makes tteokbokki and chicken!"

"Not that part!"

"Then what else is so great about him!"

"Grrr…"

Hanna glanced at me.

"He's kind and strong, and just… impressive in many ways!"

"I know!"

The fact that the young lady's mouth, which would have normally spewed nothing but swearing, had become gentle in such a short period of time was moving. Otherwise, Hanna would probably not have a single hair left on her head.

Hanna had improved a lot as well.

Recently, the atmosphere of the mansion has lightened. The late rainy season has ended, and now, we are just before the final barrier.

Taking in the chattering pair, I extended my farewell.

"I’ll be off."

***

Inside the grand mansion.

A middle-aged man sitting in a dining room, lined with ornamental swords on the walls, said with a relaxed smile.

"How close is the eldest to mastering the aura?"

"In about three months, I think I can use a beginner aura."

"Hmm…"

The middle-aged man, wearing a satisfied smile, was Rowen.

His name was synonymous with the Empire's sword.

The proud head of the Histania family.

He was Histania Rowen.

Rowen, with his light brown hair, even kept a sword strapped to his waist during meals, a sign of his obsession with the blade.

Rowen surveyed his children with his dark eyes. They were proper offspring, inheriting their parents' good looks and loving features.

They had talents that were envied even among their peers, and Rowen wouldn't be ashamed to call them his offspring.

They still had a long way to go before satisfying his eyes, but it wasn't like they wouldn't be able to follow in his footsteps.

Surely, his son would take over him and become the Knight Commander of the Royal Knights, eventually earning the title of the Empire's sword.

And his daughter would take over the family Knights and exalt the name of Histania. He had only foreseen such a future for her.

However, the only concern that nagged at him was his youngest daughter, who was not at this gathering. Among his three children, she was the least talented.

Hanna, the only blemish in a family devoted to the sword who refused to give it up, was Rowen’s biggest worry.

Rowen was always discontent with his youngest daughter handling the sword, fearing she would one day tarnish the Histania name with her inadequate talent.

A week ago her final image haunted him.

"It’s my birthday today, Father. If it’s not too much trouble, may I request a sparring session with you?"

"I’m busy right now."

"It'll only take a moment."

"Didn't you hear me say I'm busy?"

Rowen wished Hanna would put down the sword.

It wasn't warm paternal love since dealing with a sword meant facing dangers. He just wanted his daughter, who had no talent for the sword, to realize this fact, which is why he had been harsh on her.

He had ridiculed her in front of her friends and ignored her among family.

Others might call this cruel, but Rowen believed he wasn't wrong.

His own siblings had been neglected and compared by their father, yet they came to their senses and found success on their own. Since Rowen himself had succeeded thanks to his father's teachings, he was sure that Hanna would succeed if taught the same way.

He believed that wounds make a person stronger.

But strangely, Hanna’s last appearance lingered in his mind.

"Why to me only! Did I ever say I would take over as head of the family? Or did I ask Father to teach me the family’s swordsmanship? It’s not an unreasonable favor… please, just once, only once, can't you treat me like you do to my sister and brother?"

Her desperate and exasperated voice echoed in his mind.

‘I should look for her.'

He had heard from a servant that she had left the house, so he considered sending someone to look for her, especially since this time she had been gone for a whole week.

‘When she returns, I must have a stern word with her.'

That was when it happened.

"Father, did you come because of Hanna's birthday?"

The eldest son broke the silence with his careful inquiry. His proud and talented son.

The arrogance was worrying, but he thought such self-assuredness was better than the timid youngest daughter.

Rowen shook his head.

"No."

"Then what brings you here?"

"I received a report that people have gone missing in the Hamel Mountains. The Royal Court has instructed me to investigate and then report back."

"The Hamel Mountains?"

The eldest son's usually expressionless face cracked at the mention. Rowen disliked that response. A knight should be able to control his expressions. Does the news of a missing person scare him? Such a lack of basic composure was unacceptable.

‘He still has a long way to go.'

Rowen internally clicked his tongue and continued answering the firstborn’s question.

"People are disappearing in the Hamel Mountains, including A-Class adventurers. The Emperor told me to enjoy my vacation and to stop by on my way back."

"I see."

"Especially the adventurers’ bodies found near the Orc territories were grotesquely… What's wrong?"

At the mention of the adventurers’ corpses, the eldest's expression twisted, and Rowen set his fork down momentarily.

Creases formed in his brow.

This was the second time. The display of a lack of discipline was quite irksome. However, the words spoken by the eldest son left Rowen speechless.

"The fact is, recent reports suggest the youngest has been working as an adventurer, specifically… there have been reports that she's been active around the Hamel Mountains…"

-Ding.

Suddenly, a clear and crisp sound pierced through Rowen's thoughts.

He couldn't gather his wits.

The strange blue screen before him was saying things he couldn’t and mustn't believe, which caused Rowen's body to stiffen completely.

[Today marks the death anniversary of Histania ‘Hanna'.]

[Quest ‘Sinner' achieved.]

◎You have earned the right to access ‘certain parts' of the original work.

◎You may now view the death of ‘Histania Hanna'.

Chills ran down Rowen’s spine.

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