Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: The Butler and the Lady
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Drakun Marquisate conquest... no, inspection, two months in.
When the sun set and everyone had fallen asleep, the squinting tax officer Hailudin reverted to being Dark Elf Company Commander Hedonius.
The Dark Elf pulled out his cherished fountain pen and began drafting his report, as if he were simply writing a letter.
While Dominique and Jane liberated the city by force and took a well-deserved rest, it was now time for him to truly shine.
First, he compiled a list of administrative personnel the city desperately needed.
If they were still within the territory, his liege Rex would have automatically analyzed the city's status and dispatched the right people.
Even from afar, the administrator's thoughts would convert straight into text for an effortless report.
But the place he was now was a barren frontier beyond the reach of that grace.
He was experiencing firsthand why bureaucrats' loyalty rose automatically the longer they served under Rex.
'This fountain pen does have its own charm.'
He savored the scratching sensation of the pen on paper, filling the report with elegant handwriting.
This district lacked education and welfare, so they needed to dispatch such personnel.
That district's sewage system was a disaster, requiring specialized civil engineering experts.
Hedonius meticulously packed the reports with every detail about the cities' conditions that Rex had yet to grasp.
After spending a week buried in reports, he switched back to squinting tax officer mode and joined the frontline forces to liberate the next city.
It was a grueling march that chewed through manpower.
In contrast, Duke—the root of all this chaos and Jane's elven companion—devoted himself entirely to raising her.
But Hedonius harbored no resentment toward Duke.
- "What can you achieve from the ashes of revenge?"
It was because Duke had once saved him in the very same way.
Hedonius was an elf exiled from the forest.
The reason? For daring to equate himself with high elves as a mere third-class dark elf.
Chase away by them, sold to a lab, and after a series of twists, he met Rex.
Until then, Hedonius's heart burned with rage—he would one day burn the World Tree to the ground.
But during those nights reporting to Duke while liberating slaves in the barony, Duke counseled him every evening.
- "I won't deny your revenge. But when the World Tree burns, do you really need to be the spark?"
Duke never spouted empty platitudes like revenge was wrong or that it would destroy him.
He affirmed that the thirst for vengeance was part of Hedonius's life.
He simply showed him things he'd been too consumed by revenge to see.
From that moment, Hedonius's life changed dramatically.
Liberating slaves taught him pride.
Working tirelessly under Duke brought the joy of being recognized by others.
As the barony transformed day by day under Rex's rule, precious things began piling up one by one.
Revenge had become something utterly trivial.
Or so he thought.
But early in this journey with that woman named Jane, he realized he hadn't truly let go of his vengeful heart.
Back then, he saw Jane as a vigilante obsessed with filthy hero games, defying the solemn laws Rex had established—so he was reluctant to help her.
But looking back now, he simply despised her for being an elf.
Those pale-skinned pointy-ears who had driven him from the forest.
His resentment toward them had seeped into his attitude.
'I'm no different from those humans.'
He paused his writing and gave a wry smile.
It was because he could picture himself degenerating into the same ugly pointy-ear as them, had he pursued revenge without Duke's intervention.
Once his thoughts reached that point, he couldn't resent Duke for helping her now.
As the journey continued and Duke saved her, Hedonius himself was being saved.
'He must have seen that from our first meeting and factored it in.'
He didn't think Duke had joined her journey just to save him—that would be too self-important.
But it made sense that he couldn't ignore her plight and thus embarked on this path.
"Goodness. In his presence, even the title of sage feels shameful."
Hedonius resumed writing and finished the report.
Then he summoned an eagle and strapped the report-laden pouch to its back.
"Deliver this to Rex."
The eagle nodded and soared into the night sky.
And a few days later, early in the morning.
A lone eagle perched on the window of Rex's office.
The count, with dark circles under his eyes, locked gazes with the eagle.
"You're kidding."
"Krrk?"
He wasn't seriously expecting a proper answer from the eagle.
He didn't even know what he was asking.
Rex fed the eagle some meat and pulled the bundle of reports from its back.
Scanning the contents, Rex grimaced and turned to his maid.
"Ari."
"Yes, Master."
"Is liberating one city per week even reasonable?"
"As expected of Duke!"
"..."
He clearly remembered her swearing unwavering loyalty, yet this maid never quite understood his heart.
Rex sighed and opened his interface.
A celebratory message floated up from the golden window, as if mocking him.
Rex leaned back in his chair and pressed his eyelids.
"Why can't I have a Hambocal..."
As Rex wailed in his office, in the corner of his vision, Duke's skill window twinkled like a wink.
While Rex was happily dying in his office, Duke was enjoying his own happy time.
'The protagonist is growing nicely.'
For the final boss to shine, the protagonist must grow.
Crucially, it wasn't about raw strength—it was conviction.
Combat power was merely a tool to highlight the clash between final boss and protagonist; the final boss's role was to stand against the protagonist's convictions or goals.
'At first, Jane was sorely lacking as a protagonist.'
She harbored vengeance in her heart, but nothing resembling true conviction.
So he awakened something conviction-like within her.
'Looks like it's taken shape now.'
The woman who once burned herself with revenge had now grasped the notion of a greater cause.
Even as she exacted vengeance, a noble ideal blossomed: to ensure no child in this territory suffered like her.
Proof lay in how, after liberating a city, she no longer ignored it and moved on—she now handled the aftermath.
She even checked on previously liberated cities, inquiring about the people's welfare.
With her convictions blooming, all that remained was the clash.
'What story should it be?'
Duke mentally listed a few scenarios.
First up: the betrayal route.
Like a twist revealing him as the mafia puppet master lurking in the shadows.
Not hard to pull off.
Just eliminate the mafia alliance boss she's targeting, then take his seat.
The dead can't speak, and history belongs to the victor.
He'd done it before, so no big deal.
But on second thought, it was impossible.
Because he had a comrade who knew Dominique was Duke.
That would complete Dominique's arc but ruin Duke's.
'Then a clash between public authority and vigilantes it is.'
Convictions don't just pit good against evil.
There's a reason they say every villain is the hero of their own story.
After everything ends, a conflict where her methods aren't acknowledged seemed fitting.
'Alright. First, I need to hear her story.'
With his thoughts sorted, Dominique headed to her room.
"Milady. Tea time."
"Thank you."
Jane set down her newspaper and naturally took the cup.
As if she truly saw Dominique as her butler.
Dominique didn't call her out on it.
The more attached she grew to her butler Dominique, the greater the dramatic irony when their convictions clashed.
As always, he stood by her side in perfect posture, waiting until she finished her tea.
"Hm. Delicious as ever. Where'd you learn to brew it?"
"Butler basics."
Of course, it was a lie. Tea was part of a final boss's essential accomplishments.
Duke had no interest in culture or etiquette, but if it tied to a final boss's dignity, he practiced in his spare time.
Like elegant handwriting,
graceful walking,
or a commanding voice that bent people to his will.
Tea was an extension of that.
Meetings often involved tea or alcohol; lacking that knowledge would shatter his character.
'Thanks, old man Peter.'
Recalling the old trader who bartered in booze and tea, Dominique stared at Jane's cup.
"Shall I clear it?"
"Thanks as always."
She flashed a warm smile.
Hard to believe this was the same woman who'd relentlessly roasted him when they first met.
'She's regained her composure.'
He understood.
She'd smoothly taken out five of the nine vengeance targets and gained the citizens' support—no wonder she felt at ease.
In other words, now was the perfect time to dig into her past.
As he cleared the teacup, Dominique pointed at her chest as if noticing it for the first time.
"That necklace. Might I ask where you got it?"
The metal pendant he pointed to bore scorch marks.
He'd known about the pendant since early in the journey, but she always kept it hidden in her inner pocket, unwilling to show it.
Lately, she only revealed it in front of Dominique.
It wasn't hard to guess it was deeply tied to her vengeance.
She glanced down at her pendant and her face fell into sorrow.
Dominique quickly bowed, reading the mood.
"My apologies."
"No. I always meant to tell you someday. Since it came up, I'll explain."
She opened the pendant and showed him the inside.
One side held a photo of a man and woman who looked like her parents,
and the other was adorned with a small magic stone.
Dominique instantly recognized the stone's nature.
'Hm? A barrier stone?'
It had lost function now, but it was undoubtedly a barrier stone.
He filed that away in a corner of his mind and focused on her.
Just then, having gathered herself, she began recounting her past.
"Our family was part of the 'Children Abandoned by the World Tree'."