The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

Chapter 20: Fining (2)

The eldest son of Histania.

Histania Malik is a perfectionist.

The child who most resembles his father.

The son who bears all of his father's expectations.

And indeed, he himself wanted to be like his father.

Malik never missed taking the top honors at the academy and, after graduating, he followed in his father’s footsteps and entered the Royal Knights.

Acknowledged by all and satisfied with life, he now stands at a crucial juncture, with aura within his grasp.

For Malik, this is the most critical time. He must master aura quickly before he loses the knack for it.

Aura at 27.

Given that the youngest aura user in the empire was 25, he wasn’t late. Rather, it was quite early.

The average age of aura users in the empire is early thirties. He thought he had entered the vanguard, but now that distinction had lost its meaning.

Since the youngest aura user had emerged from Histania.

The younger sibling he had disregarded became a supernova overnight, dealing a heavy blow to Malik.

Furthermore, since the transportation mission of the notorious ‘Adventurer Hunter' Pascal, which bore his name, had failed disastrously, all the achievements he had amassed were now in jeopardy.

"Dammit. Damn it all… Dammit…!"

"Master, why are you so angry? Shall I massage your shoulders?"

"…Shut up."

Malik lifted his head.

A red-haired man smiles radiantly at him. The man, who held a grave posture as if he had encountered a deity, was a mercenary hired out of necessity to rectify this mishap.

He had been employed because of his undeniable expertise and the promise of anonymity, but facing him now was quite disagreeable.

"If you command it, Master, I could even pretend to be dead."

At Ricardo’s words, Malik’s lips sealed shut.

***

The carriage was silent.

A carriage worth easily 500,000 gold.

Plush seats.

A far cry from the one-shilling carriage that felt like it would trigger a herniated disk after just an hour's ride.

My purpose for being here was singular.

To meet with the client.

●I commission you to track down a criminal who escaped during transport.

└Thank you for your request, esteemed customer. Please leave the location and date for our rendezvous. ^.^

└Tomorrow. 11:30 PM in front of the black carriage by the fountain.

└Appreciate your request application, 🙂

As soon as I climbed aboard the carriage, Malik, with hair the same color as Hanna's, was already seated inside.

Cross-legged and not even pretending to look at me, I bowed my head at him.

"Greetings!"

Malik furrowed his brow, displeased.

He was the person who had embarrassed his father, and the very one with whom he had recently quarreled.

It was clear that requesting service from such an individual didn't sit well with him, so his expression was complex.

"Allow me to formally introduce myself."

I pulled out a neatly-crafted business card from inside my chest.

[Name: Ricardo]

[House chores, cooking, odd jobs, I’ll handle it all! The prettiest lady in the world, Olivia Desmond's butler, at your service.]

The business card written in sleek lettering.

And an introduction with a strange adjective attached.

Custom-made after bartering chocolates with the lady.

A handmade business card reluctantly made after convincing the lady who detested having to write such words. It contained the lady's artistic value, adamant about including ‘the prettiest lady in the world'.

Receiving the business card, Malik perused it with evident distaste.

Perhaps he envied the phrase, ‘the prettiest lady in the world's butler'. I knew it.

Despite her slightly eccentric character and unwillingness to heed others' words – a stubborn general in her own right – the lady's beauty was unmatched, even the heroine would need to take a step back.

"A commoner?"

However, Malik seemed irritated by something else.

"A nameless commoner… and Olivia Desmond?"

"Yes, that’s correct. I am Ricardo, the direct butler to Miss Olivia Desmond."

I offered my hand carefully for a handshake.

But Malik did not accept it.

Awkward, I scratched the back of my head with my free hand.

"Ahaha…"

‘Well, that’s embarrassing.'

"Now I understand why you didn't reveal your affiliations to my father."

"Well, it's such a prestigious name, I was hesitant to flaunt it."

"No, it’s because your household is ruined, isn’t it?"

I wonder why Ruin, and now Malik, think our house is ruined.

We're still prospering, after all.

"We're not ruined. Precisely speaking, it’s Miss Olivia who’s ruined, not our Desmond family, which is as sound as a mage tower, I assure you."

"Looking at it another way, you're the ruined one, right?"

"Then that's how it is."

I wanted to argue with him, but I couldn’t muster the courage to talk back to the lord who had saved us from the streets.

Who else could so easily offer to make 700 million won? Instead of groveling at his feet, I should be thankful.

To him, the moneyed man is the brother.

The sister. That's just how it is.

"Do you need quick cash?"

Malik teased me.

"Do you need money?"

"Yes, I required some."

"Hmm…"

Malik stroked his chin.

A sharp jawline in a black uniform.

Just as described in the novel, he was good-looking.

But also just as depicted, he had a horrible temper.

Malik asked me again.

"Because of the fine, right?"

"…What?"

"You, taking on this job. It’s because of the fine, isn't it?"

I didn't answer.

I didn’t want to be swept away by his provocation.

In the novel, Malik appears as a supporting character who harbors unrequited love for Chartia.

Between the attention stolen by Michail and his own diminishing prestige, Malik had fallen for Chartia, who consoled his wounded heart.

It was a love triangle.

The squabble to win Chartia’s favor was quite entertaining.

Malik is a reasonably significant supporting character.

Perhaps that’s why he’s the kind-hearted sub male lead.

Arrogant and prideful, yet, unexpectedly, he took great care of those in his circle.

His personality may be a mess, but he ensured the utmost safety and care for his people.

If I were one of his, maybe the treatment I received would be different.

One thing was certain: he knew how to look after his own.

Which is why he entrusted the job to me.

The request was likely to capture Pascal alive. There wouldn't be any other job fitting for Malik to ask me to handle than that one.

In the story, Pascal was a genius at escaping prison. Captured one moment and then escaping to pop up in front of the protagonist with a ‘tada'.

I've seen the scars on the faces of the knights guarding the carriage door. There must have been some friction during the escort.

Normally, the knights would have been dismissed, and the responsibility for the fiasco would have been questioned. But the fact that he trusted me with the task probably meant he wanted to quietly settle matters.

He had such a strong sense of loyalty when it came to these matters, though his manner of speaking left much to be desired.

Holding back any provocations, I suggested to Malik with intent to resolve the situation quickly.

"It's a bit of a sensitive question, haha. Shall we quickly talk about the request?"

"Pretending to have dignity, are we?"

"Haha… I have my own dignity to maintain, so please overlook any rudeness."

"Hmm."

Malik mulled it over, thumbing his fingers.

Wondering whether he found me trustworthy or was simply irritated by me, he started to ruminate.

"How much is it?"

"Pardon?"

"How much is the fine? The empire is strict about black magic usage."

Why was he asking about this?

It's not like he's going to pay it for me.

Foreseeing his possible anger, I answered him.

"It’s 1 million gold."

"1 million gold…"

Malik pondered again.

It would be nice if he shared what was on his mind. Keeping it to himself seemed petty.

Is he trying to belittle me?

Or is he considering terminating the request?

But the one thing that was clear was that I wasn't the inferior party in this negotiation.

Only I could nullify black magic.

And I'm the only one who can catch Pascal without anyone else knowing.

If he asks other aura users, Histania's reputation would drop, and if he commissions an information guild, it might cost more than what he's offering me, not to mention the information about this incident getting leaked.

Even at a higher price, employing me was in Malik's best interest.

"One week."

"What do you mean?"

"You must've had an idea about the kind of request it is. Pascal, that is. Do you think you can catch him in a week?"

"The mantis, or should I say, the ‘Adventurer Hunter'?"

Malik nodded.

I couldn't give him a sure answer. Catching him would be easy, but I have no clue where this guy is hiding.

"I'll try my best, but the location isn’t clear…"

"What if you knew exactly where to find him?"

"It wouldn’t take me 30 minutes."

After a moment of consideration, Malik spoke.

"Here's the thing. I still doubt your abilities. I'm not sure if you can really capture Pascal."

He was right.

Everything was already handled by the time he had arrived.

"I can't get involved personally, though. I might be able to catch him, but…"

"No, Sir. If you go, it’s guaranteed you'll die."

Malik gave me a harsh look.

He seemed annoyed by my dismissal, but what could I do when I was right?

If Malik, who has not yet awakened his aura, fought Pascal, not only would he be on the receiving end of a performance art tragedy, but his body might not even be recoverable.

"Don't be presumptuous."

"Then go alone, Sir. It's not my concern anymore."

"Is there another job with such a high income?"

"If Sir fails, then I can catch him later. The bounty is quite substantial."

"So it was you after all."

Malik relinquished his stubbornness.

"Fine, I'll admit it. It's impossible for me right now."

He had the insight to know it.

He had seen real combat in the Royal Knights.

He possessed extraordinary skill in swordsmanship.

Perhaps he's around Lv. 5 in terms of skills.

In swordsmanship, Malik was indeed superior to Hanna. It was only his aura that had yet to emerge. As an elite among elites, he knew full well who he could handle.

"Three knights sustained critical injuries, two were severely wounded in the operation transporting Pascal. They were all outstanding knights."

Malik looked at me squarely as he spoke.

"The fact that those guys failed means, it would have been impossible for me too, and even more so for Hanna. So that means you alone suppressed Pascal at that moment."

"That’s correct. It was me."

I plainly divulged the truth.

Seeking humility at this moment would likely result in even greater folly.

Now was the optimal time to showcase the weapons at my disposal.

Malik appeared to have been waiting for my confession and said,

"Let's add one condition while entrusting this request to you."

"A condition?"

"Yes, a condition. When you go to catch Pascal. Take me with you."

"I refuse."

"I'll round up the 1 million gold for you."

Malik gripped the handle of his sword firmly as he spoke.

"Shouldn’t the owner of a dog take personal revenge?"

I sensed Malik's confident smile and had an intuition.

‘This guy is going to be terribly crushed by Pascal.'

But I didn’t want to trample on the courage of a sandbag that pays to learn life's wisdom.

He should pay for his lack of manners, after all.

"Alright. However, Sir, you must also keep what you learn about me confidential."

"Agreed."

After drafting a simple contract,

Malik and I arrived at a dilapidated cathedral on the outskirts of the village.