The Butler in Action (1)

ROOOAAARRRRR!!!

The four of them promptly turned their sights toward the source of the deafening roar... and there it was, in the distance, high up in the sky...

"... Wyverns...!" Martha gasped, her voice trembling with shock as her eyes widened.

Wyverns. Winged, bipedal, scaled monstrosities—the lesser cousins of the legendary dragon. Even from afar, their massive forms could be compared to the size of Lady Anastasia's coach...!

And it was not just a single wyvern...

It was an entire flock—nearly a dozen of them—flying in unison, their wingbeats growing louder as they rapidly approached their location.

ROOOAAARRRRR!!!

One of them—the largest among the flock—let out another thunderous roar, its deep, guttural cry echoing across the skies, as if to announce its presence and assert dominance...!

"This is bad...!" Martha exclaimed, her face slowly turning pale as the gravity of the situation sank in.

The knight understood the threat these creatures posed all too well. She had participated in the subjugation of a few stray wyverns in the past. These were B-Rank monsters, with strength and tenacity equivalent to nearly ten of the kingdom's knights combined.

What made them even more dangerous was their nature as group predators...!

Rarely found alone, they possessed a frightening ability to coordinate their movements and strategies, working together as a pack to hunt down prey...!

This trait alone elevated their threat level exponentially. A solitary wyvern might be a formidable B-Rank foe, but as a coordinated flock, their danger could escalate to the level of an S-Rank calamity...!

And what they were witnessing now was exactly that—a flock of S-Rank wyverns, likely led by the Alpha of their species...!

ROOOAAAARRRRRR!!!!

The appearance of these wyverns greatly affected the three women...!

Martha's hand hovered over the hilt of her sword, but it trembled—her fear was slowly consuming her.

The maid Bella stood frozen in place, her eyes wide with horror as tears silently escaped down her cheeks.

And lastly... Lady Anastasia.

She too was stricken with fear and dread.

The red-haired, fallen noblewoman had thought she was prepared to accept her fate—to meet her end in this harsh, godforsaken land.

But now...? She was standing before the embodiment of that fate, and she realized... she was not ready.

She had never expected fear to consume her so deeply, and it was all because...

Anastasia... did not want to die.

Her acceptance of death had begun to waver.

And it was all because of one man—!

"That's right... Sebas!"

She realized... that the mysterious-but-powerful butler Sebas was now at her side!

'If anyone can defeat these wyverns... then it would be him!'

She turned her gaze toward him, and there he was, standing calmly beside her, overlooking the approaching flock of wyverns.

His expression was neutral, though faint irritation crept into his features.

"Hmm... well, this is troublesome," he commented nonchalantly. His tone was calm, almost casual. Despite the irritation visible on his face...

There was not a hint of fear in his voice... and his casual demeanor was a beacon of hope for Anastasia!

"Sebas!" She called out, her voice trembling slightly as she tried to grab his attention.

"Hmm? What is it, Lady Ana?" he asked, his nonchalant attitude startling her for a moment.

"... How should we deal with these wyverns?" she finally inquired, fighting her fear as best as she could.

"Hmm..."

However, he did not immediately answer her inquiry. Instead, he opted to look back toward the incoming wyverns, contemplating their situation.

"Maybe we should let them take these monsters' meat."

"What...? What are you saying, Sir Sebas?"

"Well, my lady... I gotta admit: I made a blunder thinking we could eat all of this meat by ourselves," he replied with a sheepish smile on his face, "so maybe we should let these wyverns clean it up for us."

"... I can see the logic behind your reasoning," Anastasia replied hesitantly, her expression softening as she mulled over his words.

This flock of wyverns was definitely attracted to the pile of monsters' carcasses and they were directing their attention solely to it.

When they finally reached it, some of them quickly descended from the sky and flocked around the pile—feasting on the remains as if they were some kind of delicacy.

"They are certainly hungry," Sebas commented casually.

"Indeed..." Anastasia muttered, a somewhat morbid curiosity welling up within her, "... should we fall back, Sir Sebas?"

"Sure~. Let's give these flying lizards some privacy—"

ROOOAAARRRR!!!

Suddenly, one of the wyverns—the Alpha of the group—roared! It had spotted the four of them, directing its vicious eyes toward them...!

ROAARRR!!

ROAARRR!!

Its roar simultaneously induced a chorus of roars from the other wyverns around it...!

"Never mind, they noticed us now," the butler said, letting out a tired sigh.

"Cursed it...!" Martha exclaimed.

The knight fought back her fear and finally pulled out her sword, quickly rushing toward her mistress's position. She immediately took a protective stance in front of Anastasia, facing the frenzied wyverns...!

"My Lady, please stand behind me!"

"Martha...!"

"M-Miss Martha...!"

Bella also hurried behind the knight in fear, crouching low and clutching onto Martha's armor as if seeking shelter from the looming threat.

Anastasia quickly looked back at the contemplative butler. "S-Sebas...! What should we do here...?!"

"Well, my lady, we can't really back away from them anymore, so..." he said, a small smile appearing on his face, "let's just kill them."

"What...?!" she gasped in disbelief.

She couldn't believe his attitude—witnessing and hearing his surreal calmness against such a threat...! But she had to remind herself once more that this was the person who had supposedly cleaned up part of this region solely for her...

"... Are you certain that you are able to... kill all of these wyverns?"

"Certainly, my lady," he answered without hesitation, slightly bowing his head in acknowledgment. "Your wish is my command."

The butler then turned around, casually walking toward his campsite...! Anastasia was initially surprised by his casual behavior, confused as to what he was trying to do... only to realize that he was actually picking up a long sword resting at his campsite...!

Sebas then casually returned to them—walking past them...! Martha and Bella were startled by the butler's unexpected calmness and determination.

"O-oi, butler...! What are you—"

"Miss Knight, please keep Lady Ana and Miss Maid safe," he said, his tone... serious. "I'll deal with the wyverns."