The Top-Tier Butler of the Marquis Family

Chapter 015

My final duties at Rosetta ended smoothly. There were no major events, and no one who came to dine expressed any particular dissatisfaction.

The only thing that caused a little tension was the arrival of Knight Commander Varian. Knight Commander Varian and the knights under his command all expressed satisfaction with the food.

Thanks to that, all the ingredients brought over from Primera were exhausted, and only low-grade ingredients remained, but that was now a problem Chef Ramsay would have to handle on his own.

It would still take time to deal with the Arkain Merchant Company matter.

In the end, Chef Ramsay might have to go all the way to Primera and bow his head after all.

“You have truly worked hard all this time. I have worked in this mansion for over ten years now, but I have never seen a Butler Apprentice as diligent and capable as you. Apprentices may work hard, but they always have a clumsy side to them. You, however, are different.”

For the first time, praise came from Chef Ramsay’s mouth. Was this really the same sharp-tongued man I knew? Perhaps that was why it felt all the better.

“Thank you for thinking well of me. It was a valuable experience for me as well, being able to work with you, Chef.”

“Hahaha. Make sure you work hard and become a full butler.”

“That may be a little difficult.”

“Why?”

“It has already been decided that I will be leaving this place in a month.”

“What? That is absurd!”

Chef Ramsay looked utterly shocked. I put on an awkward expression. Of course, I had no intention of actually filling out the month and leaving. I meant to earn merit and keep enjoying the benefits here a little longer.

“If someone like you fails, then who in the world is supposed to become a butler?”

“There were some personal circumstances. There was also a gap in my work because of my injury. I do not know whether the decision will be reversed, but... in any case, I will stop by from time to time and pay my respects, Chef.”

“I do not know exactly what happened, but keep your spirits up. If you keep working diligently, something good is bound to come of it.”

“Thank you.”

“And it seems Knight Commander Varian has taken an interest in you, so if you ever need an introduction, speak to me.”

“Yes, Chef.”

In truth, I had a chance to exchange a few words with the knights today. That was thanks to Chef Ramsay speaking well of me when he introduced the food.

After all, if someone ended up eating a delicious meal thanks to you, who would not think favorably of you?

Knight Commander Varian had asked my name, and I had proudly told him.

In truth, that had also been an opportunity for me.

Ever since I reincarnated, I had wanted somehow to forge a connection with the knights and learn swordsmanship from them.

But I gave up on that idea.

The biggest reason was that there was not a single knight I could trust yet. If I carelessly drew their interest without knowing the situation properly, I would only end up dragged off to a battlefield and made to suffer like a dog.

As I said before, one trip through military life had been more than enough.

That was why I chose the path to the library.

I had heard that the mansion library stored a truly vast variety of books. Since the House had such deep history and tradition, the number of books preserved there was tremendous.

And since that information came from Rohan, the walking information broker, I could trust it to a certain degree.

My objective was simple.

To bury myself in the library and devour every martial arts book it held.

Of course, theory and practice were not the same thing. I knew that well.

But what I needed now was not practical swordsmanship. If I could just find a proper text that taught the fundamentals carefully, I was confident I could work out the applications on my own afterward.

There were also plenty of suitable sandbags like Beron scattered all around.

Rohan had thrown me that bit of information some time ago. Apparently, before long, the Butler Apprentices would begin their physical conditioning and martial training course.

Since butlers handled all kinds of major and minor affairs for the House, they had to learn at least enough protective techniques to guard important figures. Even if knights existed, the point was to establish a second and third layer of protection.

Naturally, there would be sparring as well, and when that time came, I intended to test the martial fundamentals I had learned.

And there was one more reason I wanted to work in the library.

“More than anything, I have to uncover the nature of the power flowing through my heart.”

Every phenomenon had a reason behind it.

I believed there had to be some explanation for this unprecedented force stirring in my heart, somewhere. I became certain of that when I fought Kalmond the other day.

At that time, when I infused my sword with power, the bastard had been visibly startled by the way the blade changed color.

That meant he knew the nature of my power.

If even a back-alley thug knew about it, then surely there had to be at least a few lines about it written in some book.

To tell the truth, I had already formed a rough guess about what this power was.

The source of magic: mana.

If it was a force that could be infused into the body or into weapons like a sword, then the first thing that came to mind was mana. Even if this world called it something else, it had to be some sort of similar energy source.

And if that was the case, then one highly interesting hypothesis emerged.

The existence of magic itself.

Was that not enough to make a man’s heart race? To think I might be able to use magic without having to live thirty years as a virgin.

And yet, after reincarnating, I had not sensed the existence of magic in the slightest. I had never seen anyone in the mansion use it.

Even when I went out to investigate the Arkain Merchant Company, I had found no clues regarding magic. I had never even heard anyone mention it.

Which meant that the fastest way to solve this curiosity was, of course, books.

They were the surest means of inheriting knowledge from ages long past.

With that, I returned to my quarters once more.

As soon as I entered, I locked the door and moved the bed aside. There was nothing visible on the floor, but I could see it.

A faint seam.

I slipped a sharp piece of metal into that narrow gap and used the principle of leverage to lift it upward.

Creeeak.

The panel opened, revealing a hidden compartment.

Inside were the pieces of evidence I had gathered so far, along with the mysterious box I had taken from the merchant warehouse. The moment I gripped the box in my hand, I remembered the conversation I had overheard in secret that morning.

“They are frantic to recover this box. What in the world is inside it?”

I had already wasted hours trying to open it, but I did not give up and set to work on it again.

There was no slot for a key, nor was there any lock attached to the outside. It was decorated with ornate embellishments, but none of those decorations gave any clue.

I tried pulling, pressing, and all manner of other things, but the box showed no intention of opening.

“Hah. How irritating.”

At this point, it would almost have been better if it had some sort of puzzle-lock. Then at least I would have had something to work my brain against.

Just how was I supposed to open this thing?

Then, at that moment, I heard movement outside.

The sound of footsteps was drawing closer. I hastily returned the box to its place, shut the cover, and pushed the bed back into position.

Knock knock.

I opened the door myself.

A pretty young girl looked up at me with a smile.

It was Arwen.

“I am sorry to disturb your rest.”

“It is all right. Come in.”

I had been waiting for her, so her timing was perfect.

After raiding Training Officer Cornel’s office and then the merchant warehouse to gather evidence, I had asked Arwen for a favor. I wanted her to quietly pass word of this matter to Young Lady Sapiela and arrange a chance for me to meet her.

Since Young Lady Sapiela was already aware of my existence, if she only took an interest in this matter, there would be plenty of room to work.

The strategy I had built was simple.

I had already grasped Young Lady Sapiela’s disposition.

In a word, she was proud. Like all nobles, naturally.

And in her case, that pride was reinforced by the vanity of a beautiful woman and the imposing weight of the prestige surrounding her House.

If that was the case, then the method was simple.

I only had to put a deep scratch across that pride.

If she learned that a middling merchant company had thrown its weight around and nearly ruined her banquet, she would be furious.

Up until now, it seemed Cornel had been blocking that information appropriately, but if I went directly to her and stuck concrete physical evidence under her nose, then even she would be forced to reconsider.

And for that, I had to gain some way of meeting her alone.

“How did it go?”

“I am sorry. I still have not been able to tell the Young Lady. It is rather difficult to catch her alone.”

Young Lady Sapiela was always accompanied by several maids. So if Arwen was going to catch her when she was alone, it would naturally take some time.

That was exactly what I had expected.

After all, I had been the one who asked her to bring it up only when Young Lady Sapiela was by herself.

“It is fine. Just handle it properly in one stroke when the opportunity comes.”

“All right. I will. Nothing happened today, did it?”

“What would happen?”

“It is just... it feels like you are doing something very dangerous....”

Arwen looked genuinely worried.

She was this pretty, and innocent on top of that. The original owner of this body really had been a fortunate man.

But I was not especially envious.

She was on my side now. I did not know how I had come to inhabit this body, nor what kind of circumstances lay behind it, but I had no intention of letting go of what I already held in my hand.

“Do not worry. Somehow, it will all work out.”

“What if....”

Arwen trailed off for a moment.

I waited calmly until she continued.

“This is just a hypothetical question, but... what are you planning to do if you end up leaving the mansion?”

“I have not thought about it.”

“Why not?”

“Because I am not leaving this place.”

It seemed my spirited answer shocked her quite a bit. Her clear, transparent eyes widened and reflected my image.

“Just wait. I am going to distinguish myself so thoroughly that I become a butler in front of everyone’s eyes.”

“Yes. I hope you do.”

Arwen smiled brightly.

Whether she was smiling like that as a friend, or because of some other feeling, I could not tell, but it did not feel bad.

“Still, Dilen, you really have changed so much. Was it after you got hurt?”

“I think so too.”

I could hardly have remained the same. The shell was identical, but the contents were different.

But I could not tell her that.

I had no desire to, and even if I did, she would never believe it. She would only tell me I was talking nonsense because I had injured my head too badly.

Hm?

Something about the atmosphere was strange.

For some reason, Arwen’s face had turned red. Did she perhaps want to stay?

“It is late. I should go now. Sleep well.”

“You too.”

So it had been my imagination.

Waving her small, lovely hand, Arwen disappeared down the end of the corridor. I locked the door again and lay down on the bed. A strange emptiness seeped through my heart.

***

The next day, I headed for the library in high spirits.

Of course, before going there, I stopped by Training Officer Cornel’s office to see him. It seemed Roy still had no good news, because Cornel’s complexion looked no better than before.

Only natural. If he had gotten good news, there was no way I would have been able to show up here in one piece.

In any case, the closer I drew to the library, the lighter my steps became. Just what would I be able to learn there?

“Good morning. My name is Dilen, and starting today I will be assisting with the work here.”

“So you are that apprentice everyone has been talking about.”

That apprentice everyone had been talking about? Just what sort of rumors were going around about me?

Seeing the curious look on my face, the senior butler burst into hearty laughter.

“Hahaha! I heard all about what happened at Rosetta, my friend. They say you helped Ramsay? Ramsay is a close friend of mine.”

“In that case, I see. It is not that I helped him. I merely did what a Butler Apprentice ought to do.”

“You little brat. I like you.”

Nodding broadly, the senior butler puffed out his chest and introduced himself.

“My name is Stewart. I am the Supervising Butler here.”

I do not care about your name.

Would you hurry up and show me to the library?