The Top-Tier Butler of the Marquis Family Chapter 45 : Chapter 45

Chapter 045

I was startled. So much so that I opened my eyes wide and stared again, wondering whether this was truly the Young Lady Sapiela I knew.

One of my own people?

In the most literal sense, that is, in the aning the Young Lady had intended, she ant that I was one of her attendants. But if one were to translate that into the relationship between a man and a woman, it would take on a sowhat different aning.

Had she realized that only belatedly? Young Lady Sapiela turned her gaze elsewhere and lifted her teacup to her lips.

Smiling, I bowed my head.

“To hear you say that leaves at a loss for how to comport myself. It is an honor, my lady.”

The Young Lady did not answer, and I did not want to make the atmosphere awkward.

“But there is no reason at all for you to feel sorry, my lady. This is my affair. The matter grew larger because of my mistake. It is only right that I take responsibility.”

“If only I could speak more forcefully......”

“On the contrary, I think of this as an opportunity.”

Apparently that was not what she had expected to hear. Young Lady Sapiela lowered her teacup and looked up at .

“Did you just call this an opportunity?”

“A stage has been prepared outside. On the surface, it may look like nothing more than Young Master Hal’s trivial hobby, but if one looks at the people who are taking an interest in it, it becos clear that this is far more than a re pasti.”

“Explain it simply.”

“In other words, this duel can be seen as a contest between the Butler Corps and the Knight Order.”

The Young Lady nodded as though she understood. Certainly, if it were not so, neither the retainers nor Marquis Chronos, the head of the House, would have taken any interest in it.

I already had information that Marquis Chronos intended to attend today’s duel. Word had co from Rosetta that fine liquor and side dishes were being prepared.

If that was the case, then the other retainers would naturally be attending as well.

“It is a contest to see which group will catch the Master’s eye. They are rely competing through martial skill.”

“Even so, are you not at a disadvantage? Martial skill is......”

No matter that they were only apprentices, the knights still held the upper hand. Earlier, while I was receiving information from Rosetta, I had briefly had the chance to speak with Chef Ramsay. According to him, not once until now had a Butler Apprentice ever defeated an Apprentice Knight.

But the interesting thing was that the outco had never been decided by an overwhelming difference in force.

That was likely why the head of the House and the other nobles were showing such interest.

“Where I used to live, there is a word for this. Underdog.”

“Underdog?”

“It refers to the side in a match with the lower chance of winning. The relative weaker side, one might say. But interestingly enough, people take pleasure in Betting on the underdog. Not only because the Odds are higher, but because they feel exhilaration when the weak defeat the strong. And in this duel, I am the underdog.”

“That is sothing I cannot understand. To take pleasure in harming one another and wounding one another......”

“There are more things in this world that cannot be understood than things that can.”

At that mont, Young Lady Sapiela looked at with eyes full of admiration.

“I thought you were rely a smooth-tongued flatterer, but that is not so. You possess both the knowledge and the insight to see the world.”

“You flatter , my lady.”

“Then why did you not go on to the Academy? Considering the way you helped study before, if you possess that much knowledge and judgnt, you could surely have entered.”

The military was not the only place I never wanted to go near again.

The Academy was the sa.

I did not want to go anywhere near a university ever again.

“I am satisfied with the work I am doing now. I will work harder, beco a butler, and then surely......”

I left the rest unsaid and gazed at Sapiela aningfully. Her face flushed slightly, and she turned her eyes away.

“I will beco an excellent butler who serves you and this House, my lady.”

Sapiela gave a nod. Then she fell silent, as though lost in thought for a mont. When she finally spoke again, what she said was rather unexpected.

“Brother Hal...... was not always like this. He used to be kind, a good person who knew how to give to others.”

“Is that so? Even so, Young Master Hal spoke words to you, my lady, that should never have passed his lips.”

I was referring to that previous remark of his, when he had mocked her for being sold off to House Count Astria. But Sapiela shook her head.

“Brother rely spoke the truth. In any case, I do not know why he changed so much.”

“Is it not simple? It is n who carry on a House’s line. House Adeline has three young masters, does it not? Then surely they must compete with one another. Especially if all of them are outstanding.”

“......Why must it be that way?”

I could not answer that.

It was a custom older than mory itself, sothing that had existed since the ti human beings first used fire and began drawing on cave walls. It was simply taken for granted.

“Please do not hate the Third Young Master too much.”

“Is he not the one who drove you into this corner?”

“I told you already, my lady. I think of it as an opportunity. Earlier, I had the chance to exchange a few words with him. And sohow, it occurred to that he might actually be warm-hearted.”

I did not want to rationalize it by saying only that the world had made him what he was. Certainly there was truth in that, but there was also undeniably personal ambition in him.

The ambition to seize the Seat of Authority.

The sense of duty that he must inherit the House.

The instinct of a man who longs to stand at the summit.

And yet, perhaps the one who truly needed to be saved was not the Third Young Master but he himself. I could not help but pity him as a poor soul thrashing in the fires of reality’s hell.

If it was only that much, then perhaps there was nothing wrong with joining in his rhythm for a while.

“Dilen.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Sapiela rose from her seat. Her expression was solemn, and stubborn resolve could be felt in her tightly pressed lips.

“I give you an order.”

My head bowed of its own accord.

“Return safely. Do not be injured...... and if you fail to obey this order, I will not forgive you.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Unlike usual, I clenched my fist and tapped the side of my chest where my heart lay. It was the military salute that knights often used. For today alone, I would beco her knight.

From there, I returned straight to my quarters.

By the ti I had finished preparing, a ssenger ca and told that it was about ti to go out. Taking up my weapon, I left the mansion and made my way toward the Rear Courtyard.

***

When did they manage to build all this?

That thought rose of its own accord, the scale of it was so large.

Though it had been made only temporarily, the arena had been built well enough that one could have used it for a long ti without issue.

And on top of that, it was surrounded on all sides by spectators. Directly in front, in the best seats, luxurious chairs and rugs had been laid out. There seed to be around twenty of them. It looked as though the nobles attending today would sit there.

“Hey, Dilen.”

I turned my head. Arthas, clad in armor that looked heavy enough to weigh him down, was grinning.

“So in the end, it really ca to this.”

“How is your condition?”

“At its best.”

Arthas jerked his chin toward one side. There, weapons and armor that could be put on quickly had been laid out in simple order.

Arthas slipped a thick gauntlet onto his right hand, then repeatedly opened and closed his fist.

I could not choose imdiately what to wear. Then a leather cuirass and gloves caught my eye. When I selected the armor, an Apprentice Knight standing nearby helped put it on.

“We ought to have settled this back then at the Training Ground.”

I said that while putting on the armor, but Arthas tilted his head and shook it.

“I do not know about that. Is it not more interesting this way, as our first true duel? It is more fun to cross swords when neither side fully knows the other’s ability.”

“Go looking for thrills twice, and you will end up in the Afterlife.”

“Hahaha. So you are nervous. Do not worry. I am not going to kill you.”

Ordinarily, it would have sounded like a joke.

Not now.

The rest of his aning had been omitted. He was not planning to kill , but I might still be badly injured.

He too understood his position well, and he too was thinking of this as an opportunity.

Neither of us would be able to avoid injury.

“Thank you for saying what I would have said myself.”

“Are you serious? Not once until now has an Apprentice Knight ever lost to a Butler Apprentice.”

“Then let congratulate you in advance. You are about to beco the first man in the history of the Adeline Knight Order to lose to a Butler Apprentice.”

We exchanged barbs, each carefully keeping just to the edge. I was tense, but I was not afraid. After all, I possessed the mysterious power called mana.

Once my preparations were complete, I nodded to the knight. By then Arthas had also finished equipping himself.

“Check once more. Are your preparations complete? Once you step onto the sparring platform, no further adjustnts will be possible.”

“There is no problem.”

“I am prepared as well.”

“Good. Co.”

The knight beckoned with one hand and led us toward the Sparring Platform.

Before stepping onto it, we were given a short ti to wait. We stood side by side and looked toward the place where the nobles had gathered.

Before long, Marquis Chronos and the other nobles had all taken their seats. They looked like gamblers gathered around a fighting pit. Two butlers were moving among them and collecting the Stakes.

One of the butlers was probably collecting money on , and the other on Arthas.

I watched quietly and noticed that when the butlers held out a pouch before Sapiela, she shook her head and dismissed them.

Thanks to that, I was able to confirm that what Sapiela had said earlier had been sincere.

That felt rather good in its own way.

By the way, neither the First Young Master nor the Second Young Master was in sight. Next, the turn ca to Young Master Hal, the very man who had arranged this event. Without hesitation, he filled one pouch.

Last of all, the turn passed to Marquis Chronos. The Marquis, without the slightest hesitation, placed his money into one of the pouches.

Watching that, Arthas made an unexpectedly thoughtful remark.

“Our lord has placed his bet on you.”

“How can you tell?”

“The other nobles all went All-In on a single pouch. It reflects the instincts of retainers choosing stability. If so, then the pouch they all filled would naturally be the one for . But the Master chose the other pouch. In other words, he wagered on the side with the higher payout. Otherwise, the betting would not even hold.”

It was a perfectly reasonable deduction.

But did he have so much composure that he could stand there counting things like that? Then again, if it were discussing sothing with undergraduates back in my old life, I might have been the sa.

“But sothing is strange.”

“What could possibly be stranger than the fact that we are about to fight in front of all these people?”

“I do not understand...... why Young Master Hal bet on your side. Naturally, he should have bet on mine. It is strange.”

I knew the reason very well.

Young Master Hal wanted to win.

That was why he had created this spectacle on such a grand scale in the first place.

“All rise!”

A mighty voice rang out, and every knight and soldier present snapped into position. The knight standing at the front then walked forward respectfully and gave a military salute to Marquis Chronos.

“All preparations are complete, my lord. Thank you for your patience.”

“Good. Begin.”

Turning back, the knight crooked both hands toward us.

It was a signal to co forward.

Arthas and I stepped onto the Sparring Platform at the sa ti. Keeping a suitable distance between us, we faced one another.

“The rules are simple. The goal is to render your opponent unable to fight. Blood is permitted, so fight as freely as you wish.”

Shing!

Arthas and I drew our swords at the sa ti.