The Villain Family’s Strongest Butler
Chapter 21
The interior of the Temple was largely quiet.
Even as we followed the High Priest, hardly any other priests were to be seen.
‘At this rate, isn’t this practically the High Priest’s private villa?’
I thought to myself as I watched the High Priest’s back.
His silver hair, falling all the way to his waist, shimmered like holy water inside a sacred chalice.
‘Do all High Priests give off an aura like that?’
Mysterious and profound. Even so, well, I didn’t feel any desire to get close to him.
In truth, I had never met a High Priest even back in the Tenasis Empire.
No, saying I was never even able to go near a Temple would be more accurate.
Normally, when an expedition was scheduled, the Imperial Knights would stop by the Temple before departing to receive a blessing.
Yet I had never done so, not even once.
‘Out of all the knights in the Tenasis Empire, I’m probably the only one who has never set foot in a Temple.’
Part of it was that I was not the pious type, but the bigger reason was that Serhin utterly despised the Temple.
-“The priests of the Temple hate people like us who live drenched in blood. Especially you, Sia. If you don’t want to be branded a heretic and witch-hunted, don’t even go near them.”
Heretic, witch hunt. They were terrible words just to hear.
-“Sia, did you really think I didn’t know the burn mark on your face wasn’t just from an accident? It’s only because it’s me that I’m letting it slide. Even if the blood of rebels runs in your veins, you are already my close friend. ……But do you think the Temple would see it that way?”
-“…….”
I had told him that was enough. That I understood, that I wouldn’t even step foot near the Temple or its priests, so he should drop it.
‘Come to think of it, he really had a twisted personality.’
He could have phrased it nicely, but no, he had to threaten me so bluntly.
Recalling Serhin’s narrowed gaze and chilly voice, I gave an involuntary shudder. “Ugh.”
How long had we been walking? Before I knew it, we had arrived at the entrance of the Temple’s Grand Auditorium.
The doors to the Grand Auditorium appeared to be made of pure white marble, and because the ceiling was so high, the doors were towering as well.
Perhaps because of that, the sound of the doors opening was incredibly heavy.
“Butler.”
Before stepping inside the Grand Auditorium, the Grand Duke looked back at me. At that, the High Priest also paused and turned around.
The Grand Duke said he had something to discuss with the High Priest.
“Wait here. If you find yourself terribly bored, you may run around and play in the garden we passed on the way.”
“…….”
Who does he take me for, some senseless pony?
I put on a picture-perfect smile and merely bowed my head slightly instead of answering.
When I lifted my head again, my eyes met the High Priest’s. I also gave him a brief nod in place of a greeting.
As the two walked into the Grand Auditorium, the doors closed automatically.
Ruuuuumble—. The sound of the doors closing was loud enough to shake the quiet Temple.
‘…….’
I straightened my back and decided to stand beside the doors to wait for the Grand Duke.
One minute, five minutes, ten minutes…….
‘Looks like their conversation is going to take a while.’
I glanced at the ornate Grand Auditorium doors, then casually shifted my feet.
‘The garden. Let’s head over to the garden.’
This was my first outing in two years.
The Grand Duke wasn’t around to monitor me, and I’d even received permission to run around and play, so what was there to hesitate about?
Recalling the entrance to the Temple’s garden that I had seen on the way here, I walked with brisk steps.
Heheh.
<God’s Garden>
‘Now that’s a plain name for a garden.’
As if anyone needed a reminder it was inside a Temple.
I gazed at the sign with the garden’s name for a moment.
It looked as if someone had cut a reasonably clean piece of wood, written the name on it, hastily punched a hole, tied a string, and hung it at the entrance.
‘Normally, wouldn’t they add fancy gold trim or carve some intricate crest into it?’
With that thought, I pictured the High Priest.
That benevolent smiling face of someone without a single worldly desire.
Somehow, I got the feeling the High Priest had made the sign himself.
Tearing my eyes away from the sign, I walked into the garden.
“Oh.”
I let out a brief exclamation of awe. Passing through the entrance of the garden had shifted the season in a single instant.
Just a moment ago I was in the middle of a prolonged winter, but now the warm energy of spring was in full bloom.
‘I’d believe it if someone told me this was another world.’
They probably installed temperature-regulating devices.
The wine cellar and tea storage at the Grand Duke’s Residence had similar temperature and humidity regulators.
I strolled leisurely through the colorful, fragrant flowers.
How long had it been since I last felt nature like this?
I took a deep breath in and out, savoring the fleeting taste of freedom.
Then, all of a sudden.
‘Wait.’
I stopped in my tracks and grew solemn with thought.
‘Isn’t this… perhaps an escape opportunity that might never come again?’
Neither Sir Allen nor Ed, sent by the Grand Duke, was here, nor was the Grand Duke himself watching me.
Right now, I was completely free, untroubled by anyone’s surveillance.
Mmm…….
Then, I quickly shelved the thought of running away.
‘The Grand Duke isn’t stupid.’
He must have prepared for the contingency of my escape.
Especially this dog collar.
Flicking the blue gem of the dog collar with my fingertips—ting, ting—I resumed my stroll through the garden.
‘He’s the bastard who can lock me down and release me with a snap of his fingers.’
I shouldn’t underestimate him.
In fact, there was no need to be impatient.
I had already spent two years at the Grand Duke’s Residence. It was such a vast estate that I hadn’t particularly felt confined.
‘Even when I was in Tenasis, I never really went anywhere besides the Imperial Palace and the battlefield anyway.’
Besides, if we were talking about confinement, Serhin was far worse.
Serhin never tolerated me disappearing from his sight.
He tried to keep me within his field of vision to the point that I wondered how he’d ever survived without me.
‘……I wonder if he’s doing well.’
Having me die right before his eyes must have been quite a shock.
Then again, could his shock compare to mine, the one who actually died?
Maybe it was because I finally had some free time after so long, but thoughts I normally wouldn’t dwell on cluttered my mind.
Just then.
[It hurts so daaamn much…….]
Huh?
At the voice that suddenly rang out, I looked around.
‘Was I not alone?’
Yet there was neither a human silhouette to be seen nor the slightest human presence to be felt.
Did I mishear? Am I hallucinating now on top of everything else?
Unable to find the source of the voice I had just heard, I began walking through the garden again.
And then, once more.
[Rotten, wicked humans……. I’ll curse you. Even if I die and only my soul remains, I’ll curse you to be miserable.]
The voice came again. Cursing them even in death—it was quite chilling.
‘Who in the world is that?’
Goosebumps prickled on my arms. Of all places, I was in a Temple. The very Temple said to stand on the boundary between the dead and the living.
‘Don’t tell me……, am I hearing the voice of the dead right now?’
The back of my neck grew cold for no reason.
Still, being scared was one thing.
‘I have to find out where that sound is coming from.’
Unable to stand leaving a mystery unsolved, I walked briskly through the garden to locate the source of the voice.
[Ah, it hurts…….]
“…….”
[Am I really going to die like this? ……I don’t want to. I want to live.]
“…….”
[I thought I could survive if I came to the Temple, but who knew there’d be lunatics among the priests too…….]
“…….”
A very tiny voice chattered on without end.
The voice sounded like a child’s, but the way of speaking sounded like an adult full of grievances against the world.
[How merciless the heavens are……. I don’t want to die yet……. Ugh, it feels like it’s getting hard to breathe tooo…….]
Strength gradually drained from the voice. Like a dying candle flame.
‘It kept saying it hurt.’
Is it injured somewhere?
Just then, I spotted something in the corner of the garden and stopped in my tracks.
Beneath the shadow of a large tree, there was something that could barely be seen unless one looked closely.
‘Charcoal?’
Round and pitch-black, from a slight distance it looked just like a lump of charcoal.
Upon stepping a bit closer, however, I could tell it was an animal with pitch-black fur.
‘A beast……?’
I looked around again in disbelief.
‘Could the owner of that beast be nearby?’
It’s not like that fist-sized furball could have spoken.
I walked toward the furball.
Then.
[Footsteps? ……What is that now.]
The furball, which had been curled into a round lump, instantly lifted its head and looked at me.
Our eyes met squarely.
[Doesn’t look like a priest bastard either.]
Upon spotting me, the furball puffed out its fur, putting up a fierce guard.
It was an animal with all-black fur, pointed ears, and blue eyes.
What was peculiar was the pattern on its forehead: white fur grew there alone, forming the shape of a star.
And it wasn’t just vaguely resembling a star, either—it was an unmistakable, vivid star shape.
I stared at the star marking for a moment before inspecting the rest of its body.
‘It’s hurt.’
Patches of fur were missing here and there across its body, and torn skin was clearly visible.
I took another step closer to check its condition. At once, it bared its sharp white fangs with a fierce "Kksshhhh!" and hissed aggressively.
“…….”
What a nasty temper.
When I ignored the threat and stepped closer, a ferocious beast’s warning flew at me right away.
[Stay back, human! I’m not dead yet. See these? My claws?]
Come any closer and I’ll tear you open! Got it?! It’s gonna hurt so daaamn much!
It spread out its round, cotton-ball paws to reveal sharp claws as it yelled.
“Myang! Meoow! Myaaaang!”
It was a cat.
