The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen - Chapter 347



347 – The Overwhelmed Deathmunt Family -1-

A chill ran through Caliburn, draped over the chair. -Wooo…

As if to signal a shift in her emotions, the air around us grew heavy, and I stiffened my expression.

-What do you mean by that?

It was cold.

It felt starkly different from the voice I had heard until now. Caliburn, as if holding back a growl, spoke to me in a frigid tone, questioning whether she had heard correctly.

-I thought you were saying that you would bring me back to life. Did I hear that right?

“You heard correctly. I asked if you were interested in resurrection.”

-Do you even know what kind of person I am?

I placed my clasped hands on my knees and replied in a languid voice.

“That’s something we can take our time to discover.”

-Huh?

“Relationships between people are meant to be nurtured slowly over time. It would be ridiculous to claim you know everything about someone after just a few short exchanges.”

-Do you, the master who speaks like that, truly know me? What kind of person I am? What I have done?

Caliburn’s voice dripped with incredulity, revealing her emotions. While she harbored a positive sentiment towards resurrection, it seemed she couldn’t be easily swayed by a hastily concocted scheme.

-Just a moment ago, I told you that I am a terrifying person.

“…”

-Since you said you’ve looked into me, you must know what kind of alias I carry.

“The Lord of Iron and Blood…”

-That’s right. No matter how strong you are now, compared to my past self, it would be overwhelming.

“Umm…”

In response to Caliburn’s aggressive demeanor, I shrugged my shoulders.

“That’s right. It’s hard for me to bear.”

-…

“The Iron-Blooded Lord.”

-…

“A king brought down by the schemes of his vassals.”

-…Watch your words.

“How did a princess who couldn’t even kill an ant come to be known as the Iron-Blooded Lord…?”

I smiled faintly as I looked at Kalibun.

“I’m curious about that.”

I placed the documents Hans had organized on the table, casting a glance at Kalibun, hinting that this paperwork contained information about him.

“I can’t say I know you just from a few scraps of paper.”

-…

“But from what I’ve investigated, it seems you’re not such a bad person.”

-Click.

A heavy atmosphere began to emanate from Kalibun’s blade. He didn’t seem pleased. I had stirred up memories of the past.

-Do you know how many I’ve killed before saying that?

“Thousands… perhaps even millions.”

-And yet you want to resurrect me? In your time?

“Is there a problem with that?”

-Huh…?

“I’m being sincere.”

-…I can tell you’ve done your research on me.

“…”

-But you should have known this.

“What do you mean?”

-If you intend to put a leash on a lord, you must be prepared for death.

“A leash?”

-Aren’t you also trying to put a leash on me, coveting my power? Are you not trying to raise a fierce hound that you can control at your whim?

“Oh…”

I let out a laugh at Kalibun’s misunderstanding. Given my current appearance, I did look like a villain driven mad by power.

The demon sword. To speak of resurrecting a demon sword that was once called a lord in ancient times in this world, even I would feel a growl rising within me.

To talk of resurrection so soon after our meeting.

I would feel uneasy in her position too.

I shook my head and spoke in a low voice to dispel Caliburn’s doubts. I said that she seemed to be misunderstanding things quite seriously.

“That’s not it.”

– Huh?

“Swinging a sword with a consciousness weighs on my conscience…”

– I don’t quite understand what you mean.

“Um… shall I put it more simply?”

– …

“I’m not a madman. I lack the audacity to wield a power I cannot control.”

– So… you mean to resurrect me and then kill me? To eliminate any future troubles?

“No.”

– Then…

“It’s not a complete resurrection. Your power will remain in the sword, and you will be resurrected in a new body. You can think of it as preparing a new vessel for ease of understanding.”

I raised my hand and spread my fingers.

The left finger was Caliburn.

The opposite finger indicated the new body.

“For example, your power will stay in this hand, and your consciousness will be transferred to this hand.”

– …Then.

“You will lose your power in exchange for gaining a body.”

– Is such a thing possible?

“There is nothing impossible in my dictionary.”

– …It would be easier to use my power alongside you.

“That’s fine.”

– If that happens, wouldn’t you lose any benefit? It would be better to use me while I still have my ego…

I turned my gaze to Caliburn with an awkward smile. I was trying to distance her for reasons she wouldn’t understand.

“I told you…”

– Don’t hide it, just say it straight…!

“I feel guilty about wielding a lady.”

-Yes…!?

“It seems like you’re going to be involved in some rough business, and it wouldn’t be polite to wield a lady around as you please, would it? That’s been weighing on my conscience.”

-No… I mean… what are you saying right now…

“I’m saying exactly what I heard. I feel guilty, so I’m saying I want to keep my distance.”

-No… that’s not it… I’m a sword, you know? Well, I have an ego, but still, I’m just an ordinary sword.

“That’s the problem.”

-How many swords in the world have a sense of self? Like the holy sword, or those imbued with a warrior’s spirit…

“Still, I don’t like it.”

-Ah…

Caliburn was malfunctioning.

It was emanating a strange energy from its blade.

It felt as if it was twisting and writhing, and I couldn’t shake the impression that Caliburn was feeling shy.

I wondered if my words were that embarrassing, yet at the same time, I felt relieved that it seemed to like them. Honestly, I thought it would dislike them.

“To be honest, I thought you would dislike it. That you would scheme to monopolize power.”

-That may be true, but… if you put it that way… even I would find it strange.

“Huh?”

-No, never mind.

It’s confusing, to say the least.

I looked at Caliburn and asked seriously. I wanted it to give me an answer regarding my proposal.

Caliburn shyly replied.

-I don’t know…

“Huh?”

-I’m embarrassed.

…?

*

Another peaceful day at the lady’s mansion.

“Ricardo…”

The lady, lounging on her bed, was looking at me, pleading for me to play with her.

In one hand, she held some jerky.

“Chew… chew…”

The young lady holding a chocolate in one hand shouted at me as I was sweeping.

“Stop cleaning and come play with me.”

“I’ll play with you in a little while.”

“Eeeek…”

“I’m busy today…”

“Eeeeeeek…”

“I’ll give you one more chocolate instead. A palm-sized one.”

“Palm-sized…?!”

“Yes.”

“Hmm. Then you have to finish cleaning before you play with me.”

“Understood.”

The reason I was cleaning since early morning was simple. Today was the day an important guest was coming to the mansion.

– I’ll help you clean. Biki… ‘Black Dayfall…’

“If you clean like that, it’ll be a disaster.”

– …What a pity.

Caliburn, who had postponed his resurrection, was living as a sword. He had said that it wasn’t the right time yet, but when I was ready in my heart, he would give me a positive answer.

And the guests visiting the mansion today were.

[I’m going today.]

– Desmunt Darvab

[I’m going too.]

– Desmunt Kyle

[Is there anything you want?]

– Desmunt Rosanna

The Desmunt family.

So, I had been thoroughly cleaning the mansion since early morning. It seemed too tight to do it alone, so I was working with Hans and Gomtang as well.

“Saint! I’ve finished cleaning the third floor!”

“Then please take care of the dining table on the first floor.”

“Glory to the Lord…!”

“That’s a bit…”

Gomtang was running around energetically with a wet mop attached to his foot. The place where Gomtang passed sparkled with a bright shine.

– Bear!

“Yeah, could you do a bit on the first floor too?”

– Goom? Bear.

Thanks to Hans, who uses magic, the cleaning of the mansion seemed to be going much more smoothly.

Now, all that was left was to prepare the food.

With plenty of time to spare, I thought I could take my time getting ready, and welcoming the guests wouldn’t be too difficult.

But.

“Ricardo.”

“Yes.”

“Abby’s here.”

As always, I dropped the broom I had been holding at the unexpected arrival of guests who exceeded the host’s expectations.

I turned my stiff neck to look at the young lady, who was staring out the window. I wondered if I had heard correctly.

“She’s already here?”

“Yep.”

“Weren’t they supposed to arrive around seven? Why so early…”

“I don’t know.”

“You must have misread the time.”

“No.”

The young lady pointed her finger out the window, her expression sulky.

“Abby brought a carriage.”

“What?”

Startled, I dashed to the window to check the front gate. Seeing nothing there, I let out a sigh of relief.

“You must have seen it wrong.”

“Nope.”

“What?”

“Look over there.”

The young lady’s finger was pointing upwards.

Not towards the ground, but towards the sky.

‘Oh… no way. How could a carriage…’

I trembled as I followed her gaze upward. And then, I let out a hollow laugh at the sight that lay before me.

From noble mtl dot com

“Uh… uh…?”

The carriage is flying.

And it’s flying fast.

“Not even Superman….”

Darvab was holding the carriage with one hand and rushing toward the mansion.

“Sniff… Olivia!!!!”

With tears welling in his eyes.