11. Heinkel

Heinkel

A butler is the caretaker of their master's daily life—food, clothing, shelter, and so on.

They exist independently of the entire servant system, and their status depends on the status of their master.

They do not need to do the work typical of servants; they only need to take good care of their master.

On the fifth day working for the Reinhild family, I, Subaru Natsuki, became the butler for Lady Felt, the candidate for the throne.

On my first day as a butler, the biggest realization I had was just how true the saying "clothes make the man" really is.

Felt was undergoing training to become queen.

She was calmly walking alongside a maid on the red carpet of a huge room.

The hem of her formal dress swayed gently as she advanced with grace.

Every movement she made already bore the semblance of a noble daughter.

The raw gem named Felt, honed by the power of the Reinhild family's heritage, was gradually beginning to shine with her own light.

Under Subaru's shocked gaze, Felt gradually approached him and then stopped.

The butler and the noble daughter stared at each other, and then...

"—Hey, young master, what's with that apocalypse-level look on your face? And Rom, shut your mouth! You two are making me a bit embarrassed!"

Felt lifted her skirt's hem and kicked straight at Subaru's chin with a slender leg, then picked up the completely unprepared Subaru and placed him onto Rom's lap.

"You scared me. That's not good for my heart. But your true nature really doesn't change that easily, huh?"

"Yeah, I thought you'd changed completely. Glad it's just the outside. That's a relief—human nature doesn't change deep down, I'm not alone!"

Subaru responded to Rom's lament.

Indeed, Felt was still that stubborn girl from the slums, wearing ragged, dirty clothes, with dull blonde hair and fierce eyes.

"If you keep talking like that, get out! Between this place, these clothes, and you two, I've reached my limit!"

Felt shouted angrily at the duo who had come to add to their friendship.

"Hahaha, occasionally noble-looking Lady Felt and occasionally butler-like Subaru—I really feel this master-servant pair suits each other well, don't you think! Winston, the butler?"

"It's my fault for the poor training. Quickly recover your mana, then keep boosting Lady Felt's morale. Time won't wait."

"I know. I don't want Lady Reinhild to lose face in that kind of situation either."

The old butler watched the scene with a headache.

Meanwhile, Eileen took a potion for mana recovery from a nearby knight and drank it.

Rom was trying to pull apart the noisy two.

Today, the Astrea mansion was still joyful and warm. It was supposed to be like this—until the appearance of that intruder.

Bang!

The room's door was violently thrown open.

A man, about forty years old, with red hair walked in.

He smelled heavily of alcohol, his beard growing wildly on his cheeks, and a lecherous smile was on his face.

His demeanor screamed "ruffian."

Even though he wore the distinctive royal guard uniform, he looked utterly out of place here.

Subaru never thought a knight's uniform could look so uncomfortable to the eye.

The uniform was covered with several patches and dust.

While Subaru could tolerate those, the creases all over the clothing and the stains left by what looked like coffee or some other brown liquid were things he couldn't bear.

The man's slender appearance also caused a deep-seated revulsion in those around him.

The reason for such a strong sense of disgust was that the man's face was actually quite handsome, which made it feel like something beautiful was being soiled and defiled.

"You really went behind my back and made such a big deal out of it! But Reinhild's judgment is really awful if they want to support such a slum brat to become king. You really are pitiful, being thrown into a battle you can't win."

The man stood before Felt, looking down at her as he spoke, then suddenly clapped his hands as if he'd just realized something.

"Ah, could it be she wants to prop up a puppet king?

Just like how they hollowed me out to gain full control of the territory, hollow out the king to gain the country.

Looking at it this way, choosing slum trash really is the most fitting…"

"…Who the hell are you!?"

Unable to tolerate the man insulting Lady Reinhild's noble character any longer, Subaru finally roared.

"Huh? Do the servants of this mansion no longer recognize their true master? Servants who don't recognize their master have no reason to exist anymore."

The man's eyes gradually filled with a fierce light as he spoke.

"My apologies, Lord Heinkel. Subaru hasn't even been a servant here for a week, and he hasn't even mastered the basic servant skills yet, let alone the more complicated interpersonal relationships."

The old butler straightened his posture and stepped between Subaru and the man.

Subaru clearly noticed that the man called Heinkel gradually lowered his right hand and showed a flicker of hesitation in his eyes.

Subaru realized that this man was truly someone on the level of the ruffians he had defeated before.

"Is that so? Then you'd better take good responsibility.

This time, I'll make up for your mistake… You're just a brat with a hostile glare.

Do you know who you're picking a fight with?"

The man seemed to notice his own hesitation and stepped forward again, looking down at Subaru as he spoke.

"Don't make me laugh. You're the one picking fights; I'm just accepting it."

Subaru's long-suppressed anger exploded at the man's provocation.

But when he tried to step forward to confront him, the butler firmly blocked him.

The man looked down at Subaru, who was held back, and with a displeased expression scratched his head hard.

"What a troublesome brat. Hey, Eileen, Winston—take care of that rude brat for me."

The man suddenly pointed at Subaru, casually ordering Winston and the others Subaru respected.

"Though you say that, my lord, you were the one who refused our request to join the Astrea family's service back then.

Also, the deputy captain of the knights doesn't have the authority to casually command the court magicians.

So, I'm no longer obligated to take orders from you."

Eileen, who had been recovering her mana in the corner, gave a very proper court bow, but her words were filled with coldness and anger.

At that moment, Subaru didn't even notice because his attention was caught by the title "deputy captain."

To Subaru, the kingdom's knights were undoubtedly the greatest force in his heart.

Whether it was the passerby knight who saved a child when Subaru first arrived in this world, Reinhild, or Julius, they all gave Subaru a very good impression.

Subaru's feelings at that moment were like going to a Michelin three-star restaurant, ordering a delicious soup, but when he was almost done, he found a huge cockroach carcass at the bottom of the pot.