Head Butler of the Fallen Villainess-Chapter 92 - 20th Days (4) | Time of Many Revelations (1)

The sun was slowly sinking into the horizon, casting long shadows over the walled region.

But... its golden light revealed the result of the hard labor that had gone into restoring the land—effort poured by its denizens, or more accurately, by the cleaning crew who had worked themselves to exhaustion.

The deep scars left by yesterday's deadly bout—the shattered ground, scattered debris, and gaping holes—had all been patched up.

Loose stones and rubble had been cleared away, and the uneven land had been flattened once more.

Though traces of destruction still remained... the area was no longer the chaotic battlefield it had been just a day prior.

Then... what about the ruined lodge house? It had been the starting point of the chaos, left in complete shambles...

But now, it had been mostly cleaned up.

Whatever could still be salvaged was carefully set aside—planks of wood, sturdy beams, anything that might be useful for rebuilding later.

Some furniture had also been rescued from the wreckage—beds, tables, chairs that hadn't been completely destroyed. Especially the beds—of all things inside, those were the most valuable.

"Phew... good thing these beds are practically untouched~," Sebas remarked cheerfully, balancing a stack of them effortlessly on top of his head as he carried them out of the wreckage.

And standing nearby were Anastasia and Martha. The two of them remained quiet for a moment, simply taking in the sight of a land that, while not fully restored, was at least no longer in shambles.

But then their attention shifted to the butler of theirs, with Anastasia greeting him with a soft smile.

"Ah, Sir Sebas, good work," the redheaded mistress acknowledged with a nod. "Is everything that can be saved accounted for?"

He gave a simple thumbs-up, a confident smile gracing his face. "Yup. All wrapped up, my lady~!"

However, not everyone was as pleased as the butler…

"Sigh... so annoying..."

With a tired sigh, another figure approached them…

And it was none other than the Sonic Thief, Vivi.

Dressed in a work outfit—an orange one lent to her by Bella—she dragged her feet across the dirt, a shovel slung lazily over her shoulder…

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Yet, despite all the labor, there wasn't a single trace of fatigue or sweat on the thief. What she was feeling right now was… boredom and frustration.

Sebas greeted the frowning adventurer-turned-temp-worker with an amused smile.

"Good work, Vivian."

Vivian shot a glare at the butler, clearly unamused by the forced labor she had been roped into.

"You…" her frown deepened into a pout. "I am a delicate woman, you know. Should I really be doing such menial labor?"

Sebas scoffed at her excuse.

"A delicate woman, huh?"

Martha interjected, giving the troublesome thief a pointed look. "If you're so delicate, then maybe you shouldn't have caused this mess in the first place—"

"Huh?"

"—!"

However, the Sonic Thief suddenly threw a sharp glare—a cold, piercing one that sent a shiver down Martha's spine—!

The knight instinctively tensed, a jolt of caution running through her. She almost forgot... This woman wasn't just some nuisance. She was still an S-Rank adventurer—a level far beyond Martha's own merit—!

Out of (knight) survival instinct, Martha immediately went for her sword on her hip—

"Vivian..."

But a simple disapproving look from the butler was enough to snap the thief out of it, her murderous glare subsiding instantly.

"Hmmph!"

And instead, she opted for another pout at Sebas.

On the other hand, Martha let go of the breath she had been holding—relieved, yet frustrated by the fact that she had been intimidated by this woman... feeling the irony that a knight of her caliber would get overwhelmed by a thief, of all people...

Sebas himself then turned his attention back to Anastasia, a more sincere expression for the redheaded mistress of his.

"So... was this satisfactory, Lady Ana?" he inquired, gesturing his head toward the cleaned-up land of hers.

Anastasia took one last look at the cleaned-up area that was her region before offering a small smile for her butler.

"Yes… it's more than enough." Then, glancing at the others, she added with a sincere voice, "Thank you all for your hard work... and even you too, Miss Vivi."

Vivi only huffed, looking away, though the corners of her lips twitched—whether in irritation or reluctant amusement was hard to tell.

And before anything else could be said, a voice called out from a distance.

"E-everyone! D-dinner is almost ready...!"

It was Bella, waving from the firepit in the center of the region.

Anastasia folded her arms, her gaze settling briefly on Sebas. "Hmm… let's get our fill for dinner first… and after that, we will begin our 'talk.'"

Her eyes lingered on him for a moment—subtle, yet pointed.

"Yes, my lady," both Sebas and Martha responded in unison, giving a respectful nod.

"Yeah, yeah," Vivi muttered, rolling her shoulders as she lazily trailed behind.

And with that, the group made their way back—the promise of food a welcome reward for their exhaustion.

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By the time dinner had ended, night had fully settled over the walled region, swallowing it in darkness...

The only source of light against the abyss was the lone firepit at the center, casting flickering shadows over the four denizens and the lone adventurer seated around it.

It was the same spot where they had gathered for dinner… and the only place where they could truly hold a discussion.

Had the lodge house not been destroyed, it would have served as the intended gathering place for moments like this.

But... this firepit itself was more than enough...

In fact, it might even hold a stronger meaning for the very topic they were about to discuss…

And now… it was time.

All eyes turned to the butler, who wore a rare, serious expression...

Sebas... no, Sebastian exhaled as his gaze swept over the four women seated around the firepit, taking in their tense expressions...

Except for Vivian, who remained as nonchalant as ever.

"...Let's start with the obvious," he said, his tone measured. "I'm... Sebastian, an S-Rank adventurer."