On the morning of the second day...
Sam woke up... unfortunately. Because if he had remained asleep, or died in his sleep, or even woken up to find that everything that happened yesterday was just a dream, then he wouldn't be facing this now:
Three terse messages from the rude System.
They stood out because they were insulting and cursing him, even though he hadn't done anything worth mentioning.
In the small room he occupied, he was holding his head, sitting on the bed with his feet covered by the blanket.
It was as if he had just committed the worst decisions of his life.
Then he heard the sound of movement and shouting outside... outside his room.
He was too much of a fledgling to face the Bulldozer outside.
"What else do you want? Is this what you think makes you right? How about taking my underwear too? I suppose you'll even install cameras in the bathrooms!"
"This anger is useless. These are the Duke's orders!"
"I don't care! You are simply caging me! I won't accept this, even on pain of death!"
"Young Mistress... this is all because of your conduct. If you hadn't done what you did, none of this would be happening."
"Conduct? Do you see me pulling my hair or cursing, for example?"
"This is a final, irreversible decision."
Sam, the ambitious young man, stood behind the door, listening to the fight happening outside.
He felt that he ought to go out now, intervene, and try to calm these two mountains .
For a better operational life, of course.
But he was too cowardly to exit. You must learn from life not to interfere in the problems of those stronger than you.
From the words of the two, Sam was surprised. It seemed his actions yesterday had caused the Duke not only to impose a financial and spatial siege on Clara but also to assign her twenty male and female staff whose sole purpose was to monitor her every second and serve her as a secondary task—all to ensure she causes no trouble.
Everywhere: morning, evening, afternoon, noon.
They had to monitor her. He had actually anticipated this in his plan.
But the sheer sound of the Villainess's screaming and her current rage...
It seemed as though a volcano had erupted within her brain cells.
He hadn't expected such a violent reaction.
He looked at the System's messages, feeling utterly helpless.
The most important points were:
The plotline has changed... the Villainess resents the world... and she will become stronger than the Protagonist.
Noooooooooo!
This must not happen! If the main Villainess becomes stronger and the Hero dies, the world will be destroyed, and his quiet retirement story will be completely over. At that point, none of his actions will have been for any benefit.
He had simply traded a peaceful working life for an apocalyptic ending... and not a quiet one, by the way.
And that was the absolute worst.
Therefore, he must prevent anything from happening.
Sam then looked closely at the second and third messages, and his eyes darkened.
From now on... the happy life of the loyal servant, Sam, was over.
Sam gritted his teeth when he read that he had to save the Villainess and the plot for no reward whatsoever. But wait, where was his reward for the previous day?
[Good that you remembered, Host. Please wait until the exact time you transmigrated yesterday.]
Sam felt betrayed and decided to go out anyway to save what he could.
When he went out and slowly opened the door, Clara was crying on her bed, and the elderly Monart stood before her with a cold expression.
"Look who decided to emerge now. Why are you coming out? Doesn't the sound travel well enough into the room?"
He knew this powerful old man had the ability to know he was eavesdropping.
"Sir, I—"
The old man did not allow him to finish his sentence and cut him off:
"I don't want your words. Prepare yourself because you are returning to the Duchy today. Hurry..."
No... I do not accept this! Are you telling me to go and accept my fate in the eternal void? It is better to die while trying than to accept your destiny without will, at least.
"And does the Mistress approve of this?"
"What do you mean?"
"Sir Monart, I serve the Young Mistress at her request, and I am not forced to do so."
"But this is an order from the Duke himself... you are a servant under the Duke's jurisdiction."
"No... I do not acknowledge the right of Duke Louth Smorgoth to rule the Duchy, and I recognize Mistress Clara as the true Duke here. And I serve the current Duke, not the former one."
Sam's words shook the entire room.
The enraged Clara, face glowing and eyes wide open, looked at Sam, who was standing there confronting Monart with trembling knees.
On Monart's side, the pressure intensified overwhelmingly, as if he intended to shrink Sam down and can him in a sardine tin.
Rage dominated his face... But after a second, he smiled. He looked into Sam's eyes, his own shining with a strange golden glint.
"Wow... By what authority or opinion do you possess to appoint Clara as the Duke? Who are you? I see you possess an excessive amount of audacity!"
"Simply because it is the truth! Clara was born to rule Smorgoth, not to be influenced by its rulers. She is the one who should make the decisions and enact them with the stroke of a pen. She is a ruler by nature. You are simply—pardon my words—blind for not seeing her true potential.
Monart raised his sword as if he were truly threatening him.
"You are utterly insignificant. I do not know your intentions, but I dislike you. Therefore, I command you one last time: Obey!"
Sam smiled and turned toward Clara on the bed.
"Mistress, you are the authority here, and the final word is yours. You are the true Duke here, the one who holds power even over this old man. With your order alone, you can decide your fate."
Clara stopped crying and looked into Sam's confident eyes.
And at Monart's enraged body, which had fully drawn its sword.
"You are useless! Die now!"
But Clara did not allow this to happen in front of her.
"Stop! Monart, you are fired!"
Monart's sword paused, suspended by shock.
"Young Mistress, what are you saying?"
"Exactly as you heard! You are dismissed by order of the Duchess herself! Get out of my sight!"
Monart stood there, frozen, but then he smiled... and laughed—a hearty, long laugh.
"Hahahaha... You truly have grown up! Very well, I'm leaving."
And Monart actually exited Clara's wing.
At that moment, Clara stood up... completely silent. She looked at Sam, who was standing beside her, and sighed.
"You're lying, right?"
Sam quickly shook his hands and head.
"No... I am truthful in every word."
Clara waved her hand dismissively at Sam.
"I know your loyalty is fake. No one would possess such extreme loyalty after all the humiliation you endured from me. But I am certain of one thing..."
She continued,
"That I am the true Duchess! And I am the one who holds authority here! Thank you for reminding me."
"You are welcome."
[The time for daily reward distribution has arrived. The Master feels *somewhat* satisfied with the Servant. Status Window unlocked: Twenty Free Stat Points, and the technique book: [The Optimal Servant] of an Ancient Emperor's Head Butler.]
Name: Sam Wells
Race: Ordinary Human (Male)
Age: 23
Profession: Servant (Smorgoth Duchy)
Height: 163 cm
Master: Clara Smorgoth (SSS+)
Stats:
Strength: 2
Dexterity: 3
Adaptability: 30
Endurance: 6
Intelligence: 155
Free Points: 20
Core Skills:
(Cooking): Does not meet requirements for Level 1
(Etiquette): Does not meet requirements for Level 1
(Cleaning): Level 1 (somewhat)
(Tea Ceremony): Does not meet requirements for Level 1
(Flattery/Sycophancy): Level 6 (Talented)
(Creativity): Level 10 (Talented)
Items in System Storage:
Technique Book: The Optimal Servant: Original Limited Edition