Chapter 39 - As a Butler, I Became the Academy’s Heartthrob (1)
“By the way, is this ‘Heavenly Demon’ truly someone we must be so wary of, Lord Silvanos? Enough to abandon our plans with the Crown Prince?”
Alkemis, the fallen deity wearing Professor Plentina’s guise, asked with evident dissatisfaction.
“You seem quite regretful about losing him.”
“Of course I am. He’s the imperial successor, after all. Had he fully submitted to us, we could have plunged the empire into chaos—perhaps even brought about its complete downfall.”
“What’s done is done. Let it go. Besides, I believe it would have taken considerable time to fully dominate the Crown Prince’s emotions.”
Yet Alkemis puffed her cheeks, still displeased.
“What exactly happened to Vertus that forced us to abruptly alter our meticulously laid plans?”
“…He vanished.”
“I know Vertus is gone.”
“No, the issue isn’t merely that he was defeated and his physical form destroyed. His very soul has been completely erased.”
“…!”
Silvanos, the fallen deity possessing Beltane’s body, raised an eyebrow as if to say, Now you understand?
“As you know, the souls of fallen deities are immortal—indestructible by mortal means. That’s why, during the previous invasion of the mortal realm, humans opposing us could only banish our souls back to the demon realm or seal them within artifacts imbued with powerful magic.”
“So the demons who scouted the area where Vertus descended found nothing? Neither his soul nor any artifact that might have contained it?”
Silvanos nodded.
“One demon risked infiltrating the Radain Church, but even they knew nothing of Vertus’s whereabouts.”
“…That is dangerous. If this Heavenly Demon possesses some means to annihilate or freely manipulate our souls…”
“I appreciate your understanding of the gravity, Alkemis.”
“I suppose I have no choice but to cooperate fully.”
“How are preparations progressing?”
“Exceedingly well.”
Alkemis slowly traced her finger along the rim of her teacup.
“The flames of jealousy burning in the young lady’s heart are steadily growing fiercer. Whenever she notices other women eyeing her butler, the venomous expressions she makes have become my latest amusement. Just a little more prodding…”
Her eyes gleamed with delight.
“…and I can make her wholly mine. Unlike with the Crown Prince, this time I can fully take over her body.”
“Excellent.”
Silvanos rose from his seat.
“Leaving already? Don’t—”
As Alkemis clung to him, urgently stroking his nape, Silvanos gently pried her away.
“Students and professors shouldn’t engage in improper relations.”
“How cruel.”
“And we mustn’t lose sight of our purpose.”
Grasping the door handle, Silvanos murmured softly.
“To overthrow the fabricated god, Juten…”
“…and establish our own deity.”
Alkemis smiled in agreement.
“Any notable movements from Beltane’s side?”
“Nothing worth mentioning. Occasionally, he clashes with the young lady, but that’s all. Otherwise, he maintains an impeccably exemplary routine as a professor.”
Today’s Magical Engineering class for A-Class was held outdoors.
While students gathered in the courtyard to listen to the professor’s instructions on golem control, Elina and I stood slightly apart from the other servants, keeping our voices low.
“Five days in, and still no action…”
“How has the young lady been?”
“Much the same—attending classes, having tea with noble ladies. Though lately, she’s been noticeably more… prickly.”
At that moment, Elina and I turned to each other as if synchronized.
Our exchanged glances spoke volumes.
-Isn’t that because of you?
-How is this my fault? The young lady keeps dropping hints but refuses to make a move!
-Do something.
-Should I get rejected before even confessing? And if I get kicked out of the ducal house and blacklisted by the empire, will you take responsibility for my retirement and safety?
After a brief silent battle, we both looked away.
For Lady Parmela’s honor, of course.
“…Regardless, stay vigilant in guarding her. We never know when Beltane might strike.”
“Understood. Please continue monitoring Beltane’s movements as well.”
Though unspoken, our roles had naturally divided—Elina handled investigations, while I attended to Parmela.
Silence fell as we watched the class.
Today’s lesson involved hands-on golem operation.
Human-sized bipedal golems, constructed of iron and wood, stood before the students.
“—Additionally, if the golem’s circuits malfunction or the user experiences instability during mana synchronization, the golem may go berserk. In such cases, remain calm, immediately cease mana transfer, and call for me.”
As the professor finished, students placed their hands on the blue cores embedded in the golems’ chests.
A faint glow pulsed as mana flowed into the cores.
“Activation initiated.”
With mechanical voices, the golems stirred to life.
“P-Professor! My golem’s acting strange!”
One student cried out.
Her golem moved with oddly feminine gestures, as if sweeping back long hair.
“Haha! The new models are functioning splendidly. Unlike older versions that merely followed commands, these can synchronize with the user’s mana, interpreting subconscious intent without verbal input.”
The professor affectionately patted the golem.
“A marvelous creation—responsive without delay.”
Huh. Like remote-controlled robots from sci-fi stories.
Then what about Parmela’s golem?
“Hmph.”
The moment Parmela channeled mana, her golem crossed its arms and sharply turned its head away.
A signature Parmela pose.
“…Tch.”
I gritted my teeth to suppress laughter.
“…”
Elina remained stoic, but her faint trembling betrayed her own struggle not to mock her mistress.
Parmela shot us a glare before refocusing on the golem.
“Fine. So it’s synchronized? Raise your right arm.”
Whirr—
The golem obeyed, drawing a satisfied nod from Parmela.
“Not bad. Next task was… walking, right?”
The golem took a step toward her.
“Useful.”
Another step.
“…? That’s enough. Stop.”
Instead, it raised its arm—and swung down.
“My lady!”
Elina and I lunged forward simultaneously.
Parmela dodged, but the golem pivoted, its other arm arcing toward her head.
Thwack!
I kicked the arm to pieces, while Elina stepped in front of Parmela, twin daggers drawn.
“Are you unharmed?”
“I’m fine. Just startled—I could’ve handled it alone.”
“Unacceptable. Please stay back. Theodor will deal with the golem.”
…No bonus pay for this, huh?
As Elina said, the situation wasn’t dire. The golem moved sluggishly, its attacks feeble.
I glanced at the professor.
“Wh-what? This shouldn’t—I checked everything! What do I—?”
Clearly, no help from him.
“Just destroy the core.”
I punched straight for it.
No demonic energy—just raw force. Enough to shatter it.
But upon impact—
Squelch.
“!?”
Instead of hardness, the core yielded like gelatin.
Then—a pulling sensation, as if my veins were being drained toward the point of contact.
[Warning! Demonic Qi leakage detected in the dantian!]
“Tch!”
I yanked my hand back.
Damn… It stole some of my energy.
The core, previously glowing red with Parmela’s mana, now pulsed black.
Kiiing—
The golem’s gemstone eyes flashed.
“Yoooou!!!”
“??”
“How dare you stand tall before your sovereign!”
The hell—?
The golem raised one leg high.
“Divine punishment! Heavenly Demon’s Descent!!!”
BOOM!
The stomp quaked the ground.
“Bastard! What kind of move is that?!”
Ignoring me, the golem scanned the area—then charged at a blue-haired girl knocked over by the shockwave.
“Eek!”
“You little—!”
I intercepted it, this time avoiding the core. Instead, I plunged my hand into its chest.
The core—strangely firm yet pliant—came free in my grip.
The golem collapsed instantly.
“…”
Amid the chaos, only three things remained:
The golem’s wreckage.
The trembling girl on the ground.
And me, holding the core, utterly bewildered.
“L-Lady Parmela!”
“…What is it, Lady Klien?”
“I-I wanted to thank your butler for saving me earlier!”
The girl I’d rescued clutched a small gift box.
Parmela’s forced smile twitched imperceptibly.