The Top-Tier Butler of the Marquis Family

Chapter 007

After following Rohan for a short while, a shabby workshop that looked almost like a thatched hut came into view. It was full of the sound of metal and the sting of acrid smoke. Anyone could see at a glance that it was a forge.

Was he trying to get me a weapon?

What a thoughtful fellow. It honestly made me feel that if I ever struck it big later, he should be the first person I took care of.

That said, the fact that I was only now feeling something like this after coming to another world made my previous life seem suddenly pathetic. It left a bitter taste in my mouth. I should have studied a little less.

In any case, I had absolutely no memory of who owned the forge, or whether there was someone there I knew.

In that case, the wisest course was to follow along quietly.

The quality of the weapon did not matter much.

All I had to do was wrap it in the mysterious power I possessed. No matter how cracked or worn the weapon was, once it held that power, it would become a famous blade.

I had not used it in real combat yet, but I had tested it well enough at the Training Ground to have a rough sense of it.

“Mister Smith!”

Smith? That was an awfully straightforward name. Whoever he was, it suited him perfectly.

The hammering was so loud that Rohan’s voice was hard to hear. Only after calling several times did a rugged middle-aged man with a red beard stop swinging his hammer.

He seemed to be Smith. He turned this way with an irritable expression.

“Rohan? What brings you here?”

“Am I not allowed to come? I am still a Butler Apprentice, you know. That is a bit harsh.”

“What I mean is, why is a mere apprentice hanging around here? You are not even a full butler. What a nuisance. Do not tell me you caused some trouble.”

But he did not actually sound displeased. The two of them seemed fairly close. The man had the prickly charm of someone who was bad at being honest.

Rohan stepped closer and explained the situation.

“Could you spare us a weapon you are not using? It would be fine even if it is just a loan.”

“A weapon? What for?”

Fair enough. Butlers mostly handled administrative work, so there probably were not many occasions for them to carry weapons. At most, I had seen some of them wear daggers for self-defense.

And even that seemed to be limited to regular butlers and above. Apprentices did not go around armed.

“My friend here was given an important assignment. He has to go out and investigate something, and I barely managed to stop him from going empty-handed. Is there anything usable?”

“No.”

“There are so many weapons right there, though.”

I followed the direction Rohan pointed and saw countless weapons hanging there. Smith crossed his arms and snorted.

“Hmph! Those are for knights and soldiers. You butler types should be pushing pens around, not carrying weapons.”

“That is a bit much. Are we not all working together for the Adeline Marquis House?”

“Did you come all the way here just to run your mouth?”

“No, not that. Is there really no way?”

Smith fell into thought. Certainly, iron weapons were probably not as common here as they had been in the world I used to live in. They would be treated as valuable things. In other words, they were assets of the territory.

If he handed them out carelessly, his head probably would not remain attached for very long.

“If it is something low-grade or damaged, I could lend it to you.”

“Oh! That would be enough. It is better than sending him out empty-handed. Even just wearing it would serve as a certain amount of deterrence.”

“What sort of assignment has you making such a fuss?”

“Not me. Him.”

The red-bearded man, Smith, looked me over openly. I did not especially enjoy it, but seeing how hard Rohan was trying, I let it pass.

“Your name?”

“Dilen.”

“Ah! You are that poor apprentice who fell from the balcony and injured his head.”

So I was unexpectedly famous.

“Have you ever handled a weapon before?”

“A little.”

I lied just enough to sound convincing. The atmosphere made it seem likely he would not hand me one if I admitted I had never touched one in my life.

“Very well. Shall I let you choose one yourself?”

“I would appreciate that.”

I looked over the finished weapons hanging on the wall.

On appearances alone, I had no way of telling which one was any good. If I had really been Dilen, perhaps that would have been another matter, but as a modern man, I had never had any reason to pick up iron weapons.

After taking a rough look around, I chose a weapon that was as light as possible while still having a decent length.

A longsword seemed as though it would be too heavy, so I picked a sword about a handspan shorter than that. It had a bit of heft to it, but I did not think it would be a problem.

Whoosh! Whooosh!

I gave it a few light swings. My physical strength had improved so much that swinging it was easy.

“I like it. I will take this one.”

“It is low-grade, but it seems to fit your hand well enough. Wait here a moment. I shall prepare a recovery gift.”

A little later, Smith returned carrying a shabby scabbard made of leather. It was stained with so much old grime that I could not begin to guess whose it had once belonged to, but that did not matter.

With Rohan’s help, I fastened it at my waist and left the forge.

“Take care of yourself. If there is anything else I can do to help, say so.”

“I will be back.”

I waved once in a cool manner and parted ways with Rohan.

But at that moment, I unexpectedly met eyes with someone else.

It was Beron, the man I had disciplined not long ago. He had been staring right at me, but after his lips twitched, he suddenly turned on his heel.

That bastard looked as though he was plotting something.

Just as I was about to leave the mansion, I ran into someone even more unexpected.

It was Sapiela, the daughter of the marquis house.

To think I would meet her this closely.

She seemed to have been out for a short walk, accompanied by several maids. Since we were walking on a path that brought us directly face-to-face, I stepped to the side to let her pass comfortably.

“Why are you carrying a weapon?”

It was a sharp and haughty voice.

And yet, somehow, it also carried dignity and beauty.

Perhaps that was why I nearly made the mistake of lifting my head to look at her. The customs of this other world were still difficult for me.

She smelled nice, too.

I wanted to casually take her hand and check her stats, but if I did that, my head would probably come off.

“I am carrying out an assignment, Young Lady.”

“An assignment? What is your name? I do not think I have seen this butler before.”

“My name is Dilen. I am not yet a full butler, only an apprentice.”

I heard a sigh.

No, was that a laugh of scorn?

“What sort of assignment requires a Butler Apprentice to wear a weapon?”

“I was assigned an inspection duty by Training Officer Cornel, and I am carrying it out now. It is merely a weapon for self-defense, so I ask that you not concern yourself too much over it.”

To be honest, I really wanted to raise my head and see her face. If she had looked that beautiful from a distance, then she would surely be even more impressive up close.

There was no reply, and when I heard footsteps, only then did I realize that the Young Lady had already lost interest in me and was walking away.

So this was what the difference in status felt like.

For some reason, the fact that this world was not all that different from the one I used to live in made me sigh. I left the mansion at once, but the image of her beauty lingered stubbornly in my mind.

It might not be a bad idea to change career paths and become the Young Lady’s personal butler instead.

***

Finding the Village Hall was easy. The large building with the red roof was visible even from far away. I headed down the hill in its direction, and before long the building appeared.

I found the Arkain Merchant Company just as quickly. I asked one of the local children playing nearby for directions, and learned it immediately.

“You are a butler from the Adeline Marquis House, right? How do I become a butler?”

All you have to do is get hit by the Reincarnation Truck, kid.

But there was no point in saying something like that, so I merely smiled and patted him on the head.

Once I came outside, I realized that people were looking at me with admiration.

Was being a butler really such a popular profession?

And so I continued on, until I found myself standing before the building of the Arkain Merchant Company.

I straightened my shoulders and drew in a breath.

When I had been making plans back at the mansion, I had not felt much of anything, but now that I was at the scene, I was a little tense after all. I brushed a hand over the sword hanging at my waist, then approached the gatekeeper.

“What business do you have here?”

The man standing guard at the front asked the question.

How should I respond? It would probably be best to act imposing. My hands were already itching, which was a problem. Part of me wanted to charge straight into the warehouse, but that would not be a very good idea.

Everything had its procedure.

And just as everything had its procedure, this needed to follow one too.

“I have come from the Adeline Marquis House. I would like to see the man in charge.”

At that, the man’s eyes widened slightly.

A moment later, his gaze shifted to the badge pinned to the left side of my chest. When he saw the Adeline family crest, his surprise deepened.

I had heard that it would not have been difficult to forge such a badge, but that no one dared to try. If they did, their head would come off on the spot.

If I had been the real Dilen, I would probably have lowered myself by introducing myself as an apprentice.

But I was not that foolish.

After all, no one out here could tell whether I was an apprentice or not. The badge merely proved that I belonged to the House.

A suitable bluff was good for one’s health.

“What business brings someone from the noble Adeline Marquis House here?”

“I have something to discuss concerning the ingredient deliveries. Summon the person in charge at once.”

In my previous life, I had lived thoroughly as the subordinate party, but perhaps that experience had only made it easier for me to slip naturally into the role of the superior. I tucked in my chin and squared my shoulders.

But this bastard’s reaction was not especially satisfying.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No, not at all. Forgive me. Might I ask for the name of the person you seek? There are quite a few people here in charge of ingredients.”

What was the name again?

“Roy. The name of the man responsible for the ingredient deliveries to Adeline’s Rosetta.”

“Please wait a moment.”

The gatekeeper quickly hurried inside. I stood with my hands behind my back and looked around.

Beyond the shabby alley behind the merchant company stood a row of large buildings with high-set windows. They were probably being used as the Arkain Merchant Company’s warehouses.

If I could get inside there, I would be able to learn what was really going on.

While I was turning the matter over in my head, the man came back outside. Judging from his expression, it did not seem to be good news.

“I am sorry, but the man in charge is absent at the moment. I am afraid you will have to come back another day.”

“Is there no other person in charge? This is important.”

“I do not believe it will be possible to see anyone today.”

He bowed politely.

It was exactly what I had expected.

And if I were to make one more prediction, it would be this: the bastard called Roy was almost certainly somewhere inside this building right now. He had probably told them to send me away quietly. He would not want things getting noisy.

After giving the surroundings one more glance, I asked,

“Then when should I return?”

“He has gone out on business, so I cannot say for certain. If you leave a message, I will make sure it is passed on.”

“Tell him Dilen of House Adeline came looking for him.”

After leaving those words behind, I turned and walked away at once. If he asked about my rank, it would only be embarrassing.

***

On my way back to the quarters, I happened to run into Training Officer Cornel.

More accurately, I noticed him speaking with someone.

The moment I recognized the other man’s face, suspicion exploded in my mind.

That other man was none other than Beron Yogheim, the bastard who had been beaten half to death by me not long ago, and the one whose father was said to be a high-ranking executive in the Arkain Merchant Company.

Why were they speaking so secretly out in the corridor like that?

Curious, I walked over toward him. At that moment, Beron spotted me, frowned, and immediately left the spot.

So they were talking about me, were they?

“Well? Did you manage to accomplish anything?”

Training Officer Cornel asked.

I lowered my head and addressed him with proper respect.

“There was no real gain today. It felt as though the merchant company was deliberately avoiding me. I am thinking of continuing the matter tomorrow.”

“Your assignment to Rosetta lasts for three days. Do not forget that.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

In other words, he wanted me to finish this quickly. He had been all concern before, and now he was pressing me?

The moment Training Officer Cornel turned his body away, I knew this was my chance.

I reached out and touched his shoulder.

“What is this?”

“There was an insect on your shoulder. I removed it, so there is no need to worry.”

“This is the mansion of House Adeline, where honor and discipline still live. Do not carelessly lay hands on the body of a superior. Unless, of course, you happen to have two heads.”

I lowered my head and was unable to raise it again for a long while.

It was not because of his stern rebuke.

It was because the information mixed into the Status Window was impossible to ignore.

○ Cornel Eirahim

Rank: ★★★

Level: 47

Traits: Embezzlement A, Fraud A, Breach of Trust A, Document Falsification B, Information Gathering B, ???, ???

Status: Loathing

[Not Unlocked]

[Not Unlocked]

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