Righteous Thief [1]

Frey Salvatore's room.

She sat lightly on the edge of the bed, leaving her underlings stationed outside the door.

"How insolent."

Frey's cheeks puffed out slightly.

It was because she was thinking of Yuri, who had recently become her exclusive butler.

-May I make one request?

-What is it?

-I would like a private audience with Lord Clark.

For a mere butler to request a private audience with a noble—how utterly insolent.

-Fine.

Even so, Frey nodded her head.

-You're the best, Young Lady!

Because she liked seeing him smile.

"…Am I losing my mind?"

Frey hastily opened her eyes.

Whenever she closed them, even for a moment, the events from a few days ago at the Clock Tower would resurface.

The moonlight that blanketed the night sky.

The scent of flowers drifting in from the garden.

The cool touch of the Clock Tower and Yuri, smiling brightly as he handed her a rose.

Every moment was etched into her memory, but above all, his voice stood out vividly.

-Because I like you so much, Young Lady.

Whoosh.

Her pale face flushed instantly. She flapped her right hand to cool her heated face.

"O-Of course, that's how it should be."

Yuri is a butler, and not just any butler, but one who willingly chose to serve as my exclusive butler!

It's only natural for an exclusive butler to like the master they serve!

"…So, isn't it only natural for me to like Yuri too?"

Grin.

A shy smile spread across the villainess's face.

While she was grinning to herself for a while,

"Ah!"

She belatedly checked the time. The 15 minutes she had promised Yuri were almost up.

"I guess it's about time to head back."

She quickly got up from the bed and smoothed out the crumpled dress with her palms.

As the master, she couldn't afford to show a disheveled appearance.

"Still, it's truly fascinating."

How did someone who was a beggar until recently manage to connect with the eldest son of a Count's family?

"Could he be from a fallen noble family?"

His refined tone, his clean appearance after being washed, and his knowledge of all the duties of a noble.

Yuri felt more like a noble from some family than a mere beggar.

Frey thought to herself.

If Yuri really was of noble origin, wouldn't it somehow be possible to marry him?

"Hehe."

The mere thought made her laugh. Suddenly, a conversation she'd had with Yuri came to mind.

-Yuri, why did the Frog Prince fall for the Stinky Princess?

-Well, everyone has their own tastes.

-…What's your taste?

-I like strong women.

His answer had been without the slightest hesitation. She found it immensely reassuring.

After all, being strong was a specialty of villainesses.

Frey's lips curled into a smirk.

"A duel like that? I'll win it easily."

And after that, Yuri would…

She stopped mid-thought and shook her head.

"First, let's win and think about it later."

Frey Salvatore now had a reason to defeat Clark, no matter what.

***

Madness.

What Clark glimpsed in Yuri was a madness rarely seen even on the battlefield.

"First, the shin."

A fist imbued with red energy struck down toward Clark's right leg.

Crack…!

It was a blow delivered with no wasted force, aimed solely at breaking the shin bone.

"Ugh!"

Clark bit down on his lip.

Even though the killing intent pressing down on him made it hard to move a single finger, he was still a knight. It was unthinkable to groan disgracefully in front of an enemy.

He used a minimal amount of aura to inspect his right leg. It wasn't a fracture, just a hairline crack.

However, Yuri's punches didn't stop.

"You're holding up well."

With a chilling smile, he clenched his fist again.

"You're right-handed, aren't you?"

"…I'm left-handed."

"But you drink tea with your right hand."

Clark remained silent. That silence led to a crack forming in his right arm.

He gritted his teeth, clutching his arm.

"The last one."

"W-Wait! You said just two hits…!"

"That was a broken clock."

"What?"

"And you're a broken Clark."

"You son of a b*tch, that's the same damn thing—!"

Crack! Thud! Crunch!

The brutal sounds continued for a while.

This guy's insane.

He wasn't just crazy—he was completely unhinged.

"Don't worry. You'll look fine on the outside."

No, this went far beyond that. Even demonic nobles would lament such a wicked personality.

"Phew, now I feel refreshed."

The one-sided beating ended roughly five minutes later.

"Ugh…"

Only then did Yuri release the mount. He slowly stood up and extended a hand.

"Get up."

It was an utterly unreasonable demand.

Even a Sword Master wouldn't be able to move for a while after taking such a beating.

"Don't you want to see your younger brother?"

Those words made Clark force himself to rise.

"Grrgh…!"

Flailing pathetically, he pushed himself off the ground, using his arms to lift himself up.

"…Where is Vernon?"

"You got up without even using aura?"

Yuri was impressed.

Those who had manifested Mana and Aura were inherently much sturdier than those who hadn't.

Even with broken and torn bodies, as long as they could wield Mana or Aura, they could still move.

Conversely, it meant that without the use of Mana or Aura, even standing upright would be difficult.

It wasn't exactly appropriate to say after beating him senseless, but Clark's condition was severe.

Nearly every bone in his body had hairline fractures.

In particular, the key areas needed for wielding a sword were on the verge of full fractures.

"I asked where my brother is."

And yet, he had stood up.

Had he not joined hands with the Demon God Cult, he could have become an excellent knight someday.

What a pity.

At the very least, he had the potential to cut down a noble or two. Yuri sighed and took a seat.

"He's in the Deep Blue Forest."

"The Deep Blue Forest…?"

"There, he was beheaded by Moonlight."

Clark's face stiffened.