The Butler of the Villainess Has Returned

Chapter 34

The first to react was Kevin.

Clack!

When he opened the cigarette case made of magic stones, the tobacco he had stored appeared.

It wasn't ordinary tobacco.

Instead of cigarette ash, it was infused with aura condensed to the extreme, each embedded with its own magic stone.

Kevin took out the cigarette embedded with Dorothy's magic stone and lit its tip.

Sizzle....

The aura drawn from within his body intertwined with the aura flowing through the cigarette.

Crunch.

He then bit into and shattered the magic stone. The aura, which appeared as smoke, was overlaid with the barrier attribute stored within the magic stone.

Whooo....

The purple smoke exhaled from Kevin's mouth spread at an incredible speed.

In this way, the entire Forest Field was isolated.

Although a few bastards had already escaped, there was no time to be distracted now.

"[You're doing something bothersome.]"

Baalphegor waved his hand.

As if swatting away annoying gnats, he lightly swung toward the void.

Rippp!

The barrier, which had formed a dome in the sky, was instantly torn apart, revealing the heavens.

However, it was immediately regenerated.

"[Oh?]"

This time, he grabbed a nearby priest and hurled him toward the barrier.

Crash!

The part that collided was crushed, and the priest fell back inside the barrier, dead.

"[Impressive for a human.]"

Only then did he look at Kevin and ask.

"[Are you also Moonlight?]"

Moonlight.

Just uttering the word brought back the nightmare from earlier.

Defeated by Yuri, Baalphegor hurriedly returned to his true form.

-[I must have it!!]

After finding a suitable body to possess, he planned to sneak out and retrieve it without the Archbishop noticing.

However, he failed.

-It was the Moonlight Gentleman.

It was because of an unwanted gift.

-Now, please die.

The moment he faced him, he realized.

That he could never win alone.

-Let's see....

With deep blue radiant eyes flashing, he scanned the surroundings, then swung his sword in an iai motion.

Thud, crack, snap!

The heads of Baalphegor's subordinate priests fell to the floor without distinction of rank.

It wasn't combat.

It was a massacre carried out in silence.

Even Baalphegor didn't remain idle.

He summoned those engraved with markings and unleashed all possible attacks.

However, he failed again.

Only the number of dead increased with Ian's hand gestures, and there was no way to block it.

That wasn't all.

-[I have not yet permitted death.]

Clatter! Snap! Crack!

Those who had died resurrected and launched indiscriminate attacks on their own.

They were helplessly defeated.

There was no time to inform other bishops or escape the surrounding area.

In the end, he even awakened.

He stirred the blood of the Demonic Duke, received through baptism, and gained power close to that of a Quasi-Marquis.

Ian, who faced him, assessed him like this.

-You're slightly better than the small fry.

That was all.

He wasn't even a match.

That's why he fled in disgrace.

Since it was the body he had possessed until just moments ago, it contained more demonic energy than others.

Thanks to that, he was able to open the gate.

Throughout being beaten, he thought.

Was I deceived?

Although he was a bishop directly under the Archbishop, could it be that his power was actually insignificant?

And now, once again.

Looking down at the tense people without any response, he was convinced.

It wasn't that he was weak, but that the Moonlight Gentleman was absurdly strong.

"[So, you're not Moonlight.]"

Baalphegor's lips twisted.

After recovering what he had lost to Moonlight here, he would take the body he had marked.

Once he reestablished his position and expanded his faction, it would be enough to ascend to the Archbishop's seat.

By then, even those Moonlight individuals would be easy to crush.

Baalphegor lowered his head.

"[You seem decent enough.]"

Looking down at the four people crushed by the pressure, he whispered in a small voice.

"[I'll take it.]"

The moment the battle began.

2.

He hid his mask and robe.

After cautiously moving to avoid being caught on screen, he revealed himself in a suitable location.

He was definitely still on this island.

It was an intuition honed over a long time as a butler who served his master.

He screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Claudia!"

Wandering through the smoke-covered Forest Field, he called out for Claudia.

How long had he wandered like that?

"Yuri?!"

A voice he had longed to hear came through.

"Here! Over here!"

He had laid the young lady down in a suitable spot and was wiping away her cold sweat.

"The young lady won't open her eyes!"

He immediately placed his hand on the young lady's forehead. He channeled mana to thoroughly examine her body.

Baalphegor's trait,

was the Unfair Contract.

It was even a direct contract. Unlike the unilateral contracts given to the ordinary priests before, it was a contract that used the soul as collateral.

It read the greed of the other party and fulfilled it in the form of a dream.

The moment their desires were satisfied in the dream, their ego was consumed, leaving only an empty shell.

Even if the Black Magic Tower Lord came, it was clear it would take a long time.

There was no need to think deeply about it.

There was only one method to block it right now.

I placed my hand on the core of the heart where the demonic energy was rising and quietly activated the magic.

"[Devouring Greed.]"

It was to devour even the Soul Contract and replace the target with myself.

A pure white haze arose and seeped into the young lady's heart.

The thick demonic energy that had been in the young lady's heart flowed into mine and began to solidify.

It was an immense pain.

It felt like a massive hand had pierced my heart and was recklessly stirring it up.

To think I made the young lady feel something like this. I could only resent myself.

At the moment when I had almost devoured it all.

[Just let her die.]

A weird window appeared before me.

[That way, you'll live.]

It was like a blue transparent panel, different in texture from the windows I saw at the academy.

Was it a system error in the exam?

If so, it left behind excessively unsettling words and disappeared.

However, I couldn't think deeply about it.

"No...!"

"Young lady! Yuri! The young lady is!"

"Press down on her legs!"

The young lady's seizure began.

3.

Frey had a dream.

No, it might not have been a dream.

Because it was too vivid to be a dream.

'Cold and hard.'

Frey was lying somewhere.

Rain was pouring down, and behind her back, which was laid on the floor, was a soggy mire.

She couldn't even blink an eye. Her frozen body felt only severe pain.

-Young lady.

That time, Yuri's voice was heard.

-Please wake up, young lady.

The raindrops that were falling on her face were blocked by something and stopped.

-If you sleep on the floor, you'll catch a cold.

The damp hair sticking to her face was tidied up by gentle hands.

-Look.

Afterward, warmth was felt from the hands. It was definitely Yuri holding her.

-Your hands are this cold.

It was unmistakably Yuri's voice.

It was the saddest voice of Yuri's she had ever heard.

Are you crying?

She wanted to make a joke to lighten the mood, but her mouth wouldn't open.

-Please sleep, young lady.

What?

-I hope you rest peacefully, as you wished.

I'm not sleepy at all.

Still, she couldn't answer. Her body was frozen like a stone, unable to even twitch.

No, that bastard is crying.

I have to comfort him.

She struggled to move her frozen body, summoning all her strength.

Damn it, really!

At the moment she shouted inwardly.

Clunk!

Her eyes opened.

At the same time, severe pain surged in.

"Ugh...."

It was an incomparable pain, felt from the heart.

"Huh...?"

A sword was embedded in her heart.

"Why... is this...?"

It was a ritual dagger that matched the ominous altar-like surroundings.

She was terrified.

The situation of being isolated with no one around, while grotesque figures roamed and screamed, was terrifying.

It was then.

-Young lady!!

Yuri was seen in the distance.

She was so, so glad.

Yuri, who was approaching, was so welcome that she unknowingly shed tears.

However, something was strange.

"Yuri...?"

Because Yuri's neck was half-severed, dangling.

"Ahhh!!"

Was it the me in the dream who despaired, or the me now who despaired?

She couldn't tell, but it felt like her chest was tearing apart. It was so sorrowful and painful.

When she was crying uncontrollably.

Thud.

Yuri collapsed right in front of her.

"Yuri...! Yuri!!"

As she held him in her arms and sobbed. Yuri's face appeared before her eyes.

To be exact, his face had separated from his body and was floating before her eyes.

-[Why are you so sad?]

Because you died. As if reading her thoughts, Yuri laughed madly.

-[Even though you're the one who killed me?]

Frey shook her head. Yuri opened his mouth wide and spat out.

-[Didn't you wish for me to die?!]

"No."

-[No?]

Yuri's expression hardened.

-[I've died twice because of you.]

4.

"No!!"

Frey raised her upper body.

Her whole body was trembling.

She couldn't open her eyes at all.

"No, that's not true...!"

She felt as if Yuri, with his severed neck and resentful expression, was still there.

It was then.

Thud.

Something grabbed her.

"Let go of me...!! It's really not true!"

Frey struggled.

Thud! Thud!

Screech.

She swung her fists recklessly and scratched at her opponent's skin with her nails.

The opponent did not budge.

They simply held Frey closer in their embrace, waiting for her trembling to subside.

After a short while.

"I'm telling you, it's really not true...."

As Frey's trembling began to subside, he whispered quietly into her ear.

"We're outside."

It was a calm and gentle voice.

Even in this situation, he was joking.

Only then could Frey finally open her eyes.

She looked up at Yuri and muttered.

"I'm really not lying...."

She wanted to hear someone say it wasn't true.

The ominous dream, the mysterious voice blaming her, all of it.

Yuri nodded once again.

"No matter how much you insist, we are outside."

"Just say it isn't true...."

"No, we are outside."

"...Are you seriously a crazy bastard?"

"You're only realizing that now?"

Heh heh.

Laughter escaped her unintentionally.

The vivid afterimage of the nightmare that had been so clear just moments ago shattered and scattered in an instant.

-[Wasn't it you who wished for my death?]

Just as she unconsciously tried to recall those fragments, Yuri whispered once more.

"Anyway, we're outside."

"...Shut up, Yuri."

"Typical 'shut up if you have nothing to say' response."

"Just shut up already!!"

Only then did Yuri smirk. As he tidied up Frey's clothing arrangement, he firmly declared.

"It's absolutely not because of you, Young Lady."

"How do you know?"

"I don't know what it is, but I'm certain it's not that."

Frey lowered her head.

"...Outside."

"You're absolutely right, Young Lady."

He even wiped away the single tear that had formed at the corner of her eye before looking at Claudia.

"Take good care of the Young Lady."

"Where are you going, Yuri?!"

There was no need to answer.

"Damn it, how are we supposed to beat that?!"

"Shut up and focus, Tania."

"You shut up, Bluey!!"

The people who had been pushed back by Baalphegor were closing in on them.

Yuri looked at Claudia.

'You understand without me saying anything, right?'

That was the expression he wore.

Claudia nodded.

"You're handsome!!"

"?"

"So where are you going?!"

She seemed even dumber than in her previous life.

Yuri sighed and answered.

"To land the final blow."