Head Butler of the Fallen Villainess-Chapter 84 : 19th Days (6) | The Butler and The Thief (1)

A streak of silver—!

The dagger sliced through the air.

In that very second—

Vivi had lunged herself across the dining table, her body surging with mana and a manic grin stretched across her face, her flushed expression alight with exhilaration—!

Time itself seemed to stop.

No one could react.

Not Anastasia. Not Bella. Not even Martha.

The speed of the Sonic Thief was beyond human common sense and even capability. It was the speed that had earned her that very same title.

Even the head butler Sebas appeared caught within that suspended moment. He himself was unmoving—frozen in place, as if he was not aware of the very danger that was solely focused toward him...!

And in that fleeting instant—before anyone could even gasp, her dagger had already swung... Aimed straight for his throat—!

CLANG!

A sharp, ringing impact shattered the silence—!

Metal met metal! Sparks flew!

Sebas, still seated, had raised a single steak knife into the air—!

A mere iron utensil—it should have been nothing against the razor-sharp dagger of the Sonic Thief—

And yet, it blocked it anyway—because of the mana surging through the butler's hand, coating the knife and hardening it like mithril!

It was only then that the world caught up, the intense clash between the thief and the butler erupting into a small shockwave that rippled through the lodge!

A rush of sound. A jolt of movement.

Eyes widened. Mouths parted.

Chairs scraped as the other three immediately stood up from their seats—some even toppled over!

"Gasp—!?!"

"W-what—?!?"

"Kyaah—!?!"

Shock. Disbelief. Horror.

Anastasia gasped in stunned disbelief, Martha's hand flew to her sword, and Bella's scream tore through the lodge.

But neither the thief nor the butler paid them any mind.

Still airborne, Vivi pressed her dagger forward, pushing harder against the butler's unwavering knife—trying to behead him with all her might!

You'd think she'd be insulted—clashing evenly against a mere steak knife with her prized dagger. But no, it was the opposite. It excited her.

Because this alone proved her suspicions—this man was exactly who she thought he was.

"Hehehe~! It is really YOU, Sebastian~!"

S-Rank Adventurer—The Alpha Knight, Sebastian.

"I've been looking all over for you, you know~? And to think this is what you look like underneath all that~!"

The one and only—in the flesh. Without his iconic armor. Without the heavy steel that had kept his true form hidden from the world…!

Sebas—no, Sebastian—was simply unfazed. Holding firm, the mana-coated knife gripped tightly in his hand, inches from his neck. His gaze locked onto hers.

A bloodlust-crazed grin clashed against calm, narrowed eyes that held an unmistakable danger.

Then—Sebastian began to rise from his seat, pushing back against Vivi's dagger—!

"Oh wow~!"

This chapter is updated by freēwēbnovel.com.

A sudden force sent Vivi skidding backward midair! But she was quick—twisting her body, flipping back in an instant—

And landed—gracefully—across the hall of the lodge house, feet planted firm against the wooden boards.

The space between them now stretched wide… but the intensity in her eyes had not faded.

No—it only sharpened.

"Hah... hah... hehehe~..."

…a breathless chuckle escaped her lips, her grin widening—face still flushed with exhilaration, eyes gleaming with untamed bloodlust.

And Sebastian himself... simply let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

Because not only did he have to deal with the bloodlust-fueled Sonic Thief... but also—

"Sebas! What's going on?! Why is Vivi attacking you all of a sudden?!"

...he had a whole lot of explaining to do to Anastasia and her two female aides.

"...I'll explain later, my lady," he muttered, placing the chipped steak knife back onto the table.

"W-what...?" Anastasia stammered, shifting her gaze back and forth between her butler and their crazed guest of honor. "S-Sebas! Please! What is happening?!"

"Like I said... later, my lady. I'll explain... everything. But right now..."

He rose from his seat, nonchalantly striding past the battle-readied Martha, the frightened Bella, and of course, Anastasia herself—

Pausing only to retrieve a longsword hanging from one of the lodge house's many support beams... as if he had prepared for this from the very beginning.

Then, he turned toward the trembling Vivi, who was practically vibrating with excitement—her gaze locked onto the butler... no, the Alpha Knight she had been searching for all this time.

"Hehehe~, Sebastian~, you're such a tease, you know that~?" Vivi cooed, her dagger hand twitching with barely restrained anticipation.

"Sigh... What are you talking about, Vivian?" Sebastian muttered, raising an eyebrow at the thief's shaking form. "How am I a tease here?"

"Hehe~, don't you get it? All this time you've been missing, and now..." She raised her dagger—not just toward the butler, but even to the startled Anastasia. "...I find you here—playing house with some noble brat. What gives~?"

Sebastian exhaled through his nose, gripping the hilt of his longsword as he met Vivi's gaze with calm resolve.

"I'm on an important quest," he stated plainly. "One directly assigned to me by the Guild Master, mind you. It entails a ton of secrecy and all of that stuff… so really, I can't elaborate on it."

He shrugged his shoulders, his expression nonchalant.

"And even if I could, I don't have any obligation to tell you, Vivian."

Vivian merely blinked, absorbing his explanation—before her expression shifted. Then—

"Pfft—Hahaha~! A quest of being a butler?!" she cackled, throwing her head back in laughter. "Oh, that's rich! That's real rich, Sebastian~!"

"Laugh all you want, Vivian, but I have my orders," the butler replied, unshaken… though a flicker of annoyance crossed his face at the laughing thief.

Vivian wiped the corner of her eye, still chuckling—still clutching her stomach like she might keel over from all the laughing.

But eventually, she let out a long exhale and straightened up, her smirk returning as she eyed the now mildly-irritated butler.

"Oh, I knew you were on some mission—could smell it from a mile away, Sebastian. But I didn't know what kind," she mused, though another small chuckle slipped out. "And trust me, I tried to squeeze it out of the Madam Guild Master too~."