"Butler, do you think that girl would have come to her senses by now?"

Sir Ridley swirled the wine in his glass as he looked out of the window. His office overlooked the open garden quite well, but he still could not see where Iris had gone.

It was a little frustrating for him, but just the thought of humbling an arrogant woman made his blood sing with joy.

"I am sure that she must be regretting saying no to you, Young Master. After all, even a Sword Master cannot win against monsters if they have no mana."

The butler agreed with his young master in an attempt to curry more favor. His words made Sir Ridley let out a laugh.

"You are right. But Iris looked strong enough to last a while...Hmm, why don’t we go and pay her a visit? I want to see her groveling at my feet. Who knows? Maybe I will even spare her life if I like the way she begs."

Sir Ridley stood up and threw his wine glass, shattering it.

The butler mourned the expensive wine that had been wasted due to his master’s habits, but he could not point out that his master had made a mistake.

Instead, he kept his head down and followed after the other man.

"So, can you check where Iris is? I want to see her as soon as possible."

Sir Ridley asked his butler, and the butler nodded before taking out the orb that was supposed to pinpoint anyone’s location within the mansion.

He looked at the orb but instantly flinched once he noticed where the location was being pointed.

"T-There must be something wrong with this orb. It’s pointing near us. But that cannot be right! Those beasts are trained not to let an intruder approach-"

The butler did not get to finish speaking when he felt something being thrown his way. He did not even get a chance to dodge before the beast he was so proud of collided with the mansion wall.

"Oh! These beasts were trained? That must have been expensive. Not that I am sorry for putting them out of their suffering."

Iris walked out from behind the bushes with another beast in her hand. This one was dead as well, which made both the butler and Sir Ridley panic.

"Y-You...! Did you kill those beasts? H-How did you-! Your mana should be bound-!"

"I don’t feel like telling you my secret. Not that I needed mana in the first place to beat your pathetic plan. So, what will you do now? I feel like I should demand compensation for the stress I went through."

Iris kept walking toward them, and the terrified pair finally found the courage to move.

"W-Wait a minute-! I-I only did this to scare you. I always knew that you would be able to overcome it because of your love for me. Now, should we-"

Iris threw the beast toward Sir Ridley, and he let out a high-pitched scream as soon as the body collided with him.

He fell back, causing the butler to reach out and grab him.

"H-Hey! Stop-! Stay back-!"

"You both seem far too terrified of me. What did I even do to deserve this? Or maybe you are feeling guilty because of what you did to me?"

Iris asked, causing Sir Ridley to almost let out a sob.

"W-What I did to you? What did I even do? W-We didn’t even get to reach first base. L-Let me go, and your reputation won’t be affected-"

"Reputation? I don’t care about things like that. Did you forget who I used to be? I was an ex-slave, and I will always remain one, even if my past is removed from official records. Thank you for making me come to terms with that."

Iris was sincere in her appreciation, and even Sir Ridley heard it. It sparked hope inside him that he could survive if he played his cards right.

"O-Oh! Then that means-"

One second, he was still speaking, and the next, his head went flying.

His butler, who had been supporting him, could not say anything out of fear for a whole moment. But Iris showed him no mercy. To her, this man was just as much at fault as his "young master."

"Now it’s your turn. Would you like an easy death or a messy one?"

Iris asked, and the butler quickly thought of a strategy he could use to survive.

"M-Miss Iris, I would think twice about killing me. N-Now that my master is gone, I am the sole witness to the atrocities he committed and the things the council overlooked. If you give me a chance, I am willing to testify in your favor."

The butler was cunning, and he was willing to do anything in order to survive.

His master was already dead, so he quickly latched onto the next best person he could serve.

The reason he decided to plead rather than run away was simple—he knew he would not be able to outrun a Sword Master, and he also knew that Iris was soft-hearted.

’Let’s bring that topic up. I bet she won’t be able to say no to me after that.’

"Miss, think of Grand Master Kael in this situation. You might not care about your reputation at the moment, but what about his reputation? People will criticize him for not stopping you. But if you allow me to live, I can clear both your names."

The butler promised, and Iris genuinely seemed to be listening to him. She walked over to him with a relaxed expression, and the butler let out a sigh of relief.

Then Iris raised her fist and knocked him out.

The butler did not even get a chance to speak in his defense before he was rendered unconscious.

"Ugh, I forgot all about Kael’s reputation. I hope this does not come back to bite me in the ass." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Iris complained with a concerned look on her face.

’Don’t worry. If the worst comes to pass, then we can just kill everyone before the word spreads. That way, people will be too afraid to gossip.’

’Of course, we will have to move discreetly so that we don’t get caught by anyone. That includes Kael as well. What do you say? Want to do it?’

"Let’s...save that as a last option."

Iris was worried because she was not opposed to that idea. In fact, it was starting to sound more and more tempting by the second.

"Shit! I better find Kael fast, or else I am going to do something I might regret."