Re:Zero - Jobless Reincarnation: Succubus Sword God? I don't recognize it!

Chapter 580 Paul is being humorous again. Who shouldn't be the butler?

Unlike the snow-covered valley hundreds of kilometers away three days ago, which suddenly turned into a sky full of stars.

The snow over the Boreas mansion stopped that evening after Allen left.

Allen went to pick up his sister and go home, and also to see what the gods and humans were plotting, while Alsted stayed in the capital to 'guard the house'.

It's unclear whether it was Orstead's straightforwardness, his high regard for Allen as an ally, or some other unspoken reason.

He always did it so openly, so naturally, so as if it were perfectly natural.
They moved to the place next to Boreas, which they had long coveted.

—The noble mansion in the northwest corner of the Allen family's backyard, near the small hill on the edge of the noble district, is quiet and secluded.

Perfect for murder and hiding a body. Well, for calming the mind and cultivating one's character.

The house was bought outright; Boss Long is rich.

They don't have to cook their own meals; they just climb over the wall to eat in Boreas every day at mealtimes.

After finishing their meal, they would leave, leaving Seven Stars behind in the restaurant. They would awkwardly chat with Allen's harem members who preferred to clean up their own dishes, casually taking away the kitchen and bathroom trash. They were very polite and never faced the awkward situation of washing dishes.

At the next meal, he sat down right on time by the restaurant door. Although he was still silent and his expression was still fierce, his resolute eyes were full of the words "duty-bound".

Loki, Izoruti, and Hilfi all said he had a good appetite, but he was a bit of a loner.

That's true.

After all, it's Alsteed's own business to experience a warm family atmosphere, but Aisha, as the head butler, always has to use light and shadow magic to shield Alsteed's presence during this time in order to prevent him from being cursed by the world's hatred.

Oh? You mean wouldn't Alsteed be embarrassed?
That's definitely not the case, because he's not the only one who's freeloading.

"I didn't expect Aisha to be such a good cook! It's definitely better to have family cooking together; it creates a warm, family atmosphere, don't you think, Philip? Ah, it's a pity Allen isn't here, otherwise it would feel even more like family."

Dinner, at the Boreas Palace restaurant.

Alsted was engrossed in his favorite chicken and mushroom stew, his face blurred so much that you couldn't even see him chewing, and there was hardly any sound as he ate.

The invisible man usually sits by the door, eating and drinking as he pleases.

Paul, who had spent three days with Olsteed without knowing his identity and assumed he was a high-ranking Bereas staff member, sipped his red wine, his face flushed, and stood up to put his arm around Philip's neck.

The latter was already the most powerful nobleman in the capital's political arena, but even so, he couldn't remain calm under Paul's advances and helplessly pried Paul's hand away.
"You're drunk again, Paul. Besides, who's family with you?"

Paul laughed twice, his face beaming with pride.

—No other reason than that Rudy had told him in detail yesterday about Allen's speculations about the Son of Senis, and Paul, who had been secretly worried about Senis's condition, was completely relieved and smoothly returned to his unreliable self in Buena Village.

The reason for his overly intimate relationship with Philippe is quite simple. A few years ago, there was still some psychological distance between him and Philippe, but Paul suddenly realized something while drinking just now:

Although Allen isn't my... well, no, although I'm not Allen's father, we're closer than brothers, right?

How can this be considered an outsider to the Boreas family? This is definitely not an outsider!

"When Mr. Sauros returned yesterday to oversee the reconstruction of the territory of Fituia, he said that seeing you and me having dinner like this felt like going back to many years ago. He also told me to come to his house often and not to be shy."

Philip's eyes were still narrowed with a smile, but the corner of his mouth twitched unnaturally.

Father said not to be a stranger, but that was just a polite remark because of your current status as the head of the Notos family.

How could you actually take that seriously?
He looked at Paul's drunken state, but didn't embarrass him in public; he just smiled.

"Is it appropriate for you to be here every day instead of handling matters at Nottos Palace?"

"The Notos Mansion? What kind of Notos Mansion is this? It's full of outsiders. Those people don't treat me like the head of the family at all. They just keep talking about the family and such. It's so annoying."

Managing subordinates is an art; you need to learn it as early as possible.

"Philip, you bastard, are you telling me I'm not an outsider?"

".no."

Paul looked at Philip, who was being tormented by him, and a clear yet foolish smile appeared on his face. But then, as if he had thought of something, he was stunned.

He glanced around, his eyes blurry with drunkenness, at Aisha sitting at the table, looking at him helplessly; Senis eating with a blank expression; Noren, the picky eater who was secretly eating his favorite dishes; and Lilia, who kept trying to drag Paul away from the table but could only behave like a quail because of Hilda's enthusiasm.

Suddenly his face tightened, and he looked at Philip with a serious expression:
"Although we're not outsiders, we do lack a proper status. Don't you think our two families should do something to strengthen our ties?"

The whispering Silphie, Loki, and Izoruti all fell silent and glanced at him sideways.

Aisha, who was sitting opposite Hilfi, looked shocked and bent the silver spoon in her hand.

Rudy, sitting next to Aisha, was overjoyed. Looking at Paul, he was impressed that Paul, who was usually unreliable, had such quick wit in a critical moment.

Opposite Philip, Hilda, in the mistress's seat, glanced at her daughters-in-law's expressions with a half-smile.

Lilia couldn't sit still any longer and quickly got up and walked towards Paul's seat, wanting to drag this shameful thing away as soon as possible. When you've been drinking, you should do what you're supposed to do when you're drinking. Why do you always talk nonsense in front of Boreas?

"master"

Paul suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, "Got it!", stunning everyone!
Philip glanced at him sideways: "Oh?"

Paul downed the wine he had already drunk more than ten glasses of in one gulp, swallowed it down with a loud thud, and declared in a resounding voice:
“Noren! Look, I see that Allen is getting married soon, and when he gets married, he should have children. Noren is still young, how about we arrange a marriage between our children? I once heard my father say that Notos and Boreas had such a marriage alliance several generations ago.”

He smacked his lips, finding it perfectly reasonable: "Look, this way, it's like doubling the family ties! Haha, I'm actually a bit older than you, you should call me 'father-in-law,' wait, no, it should be Allen calling me 'father-in-law,' right? That doesn't seem right either."

Alsteed paused in his eating.

Aisha/Silufie/Lokishi/Izoruti/Rudy/Seven Stars:
Hilda, who was enjoying the show, couldn't help but burst out laughing when she heard Paul's words.

Philip, a seasoned politician, had never seen such a drunkard before. He glanced at his wife, then stared wide-eyed at the still-drunk Paul, who was counting on his fingers.

Who wants to be whose father?

Your daughter is marrying my grandson, so you should call me your father-in-law!

And Norman married Allen's child?

Absurd, utterly absurd.

Who do you think you are? Are you Allen's elder? Do you really treat him like a brother?

Noren raised his head and asked timidly, "Father, what is marriage?"

Upon hearing his beloved daughter's words, Paul abandoned his dazed thoughts and simply said, "Marriage is it."

"Sir! You're drunk! Let's go and rest!"

"I'm not drunk, Lilia. Just let me finish explaining to Norn, okay?"

"master!!"

Lilia panicked and rushed over, grabbing Paul under his armpits and trying to drag him away.

Even though Paul was a high-ranking swordsman, he was now completely drunk and limp, still waving his hands haphazardly: "What are you doing? I'm not drunk. Put me down."

Philip beckoned to Lil and arranged for the group to stay overnight at the Bereas Palace.

—For the past three days, Paul has been staying in Boreas, feeling extremely uncomfortable in his current role as head of the Notos family. He hasn't made any moves or taken any steps to consolidate the family's position, much to Philip's dismay, who is at a loss for what to do. He's hopeless; there's nothing he can do.

The noise fades away, and tranquility returns to the dining table.

Aisha quickly stood up: "I'm sorry, sir, Father is drunk."

When Philip saw that Aisha had spoken, his expression suddenly changed, becoming as warm and gentle as a spring breeze:

“It’s okay, that’s just how Paul is. I’ve known him for a long time. You don’t need to worry about him. He’ll feel embarrassed about it tomorrow, and after that, he’ll act like it never happened.”

Aisha:
She secretly glanced at Sylphie across from her.

The latter was whispering something to Izuru, and their attention had been diverted by this little incident during the meal.

Hilfi suddenly looked up at Aisha, tilted her head and smiled.

Aisha looked away.

-

"I heard that the new 'butler,' Lil, is highly respected?"

"Hehe, she has a prestigious status. I heard she is the eldest daughter of the Nottos family."

"Ah? Someone of such high status has come to work as a butler at the Bereas manor?"

"Who knows? Maybe they came for the young master."

"They're after the young master? Is this some kind of method? Do you think we have a chance?"

"What are you thinking? The other party is Notos. Although I have heard from friends of the Notos family that the current Notos in the capital is not recognized by the main family of Milpotz, and even the current so-called head of the family is supported by Boreas, he still has Notos in his name. How can you compare to him?"

Putting everything else aside, the fact that she, as a housekeeper, has such well-off maids is something you and I can't compare to."

"Oh, can't I just think about it?"

Night fell upon the mansion, mingling with the thick fog rising from the mountains in early winter.

In Bereas, some people are drunk, some can't sleep, and some simply can't sleep at all.

The maids were well-behaved and proper during the day, and only in the evening did they have a little more free time to rest, so naturally they had countless things to talk about.

Since the host family is all asleep, it's okay to talk about it privately.

For example, the two maids who stand guard in the second-floor corridor at night, waiting for the ladies of the house to call them.

They whispered and giggled, their faces displaying expressions that ranged from shyness to gossip to jealousy.

"Keep your voice down. The butler is taking a bath in the room, just a door away."

"She can't hear you. You said she and her maid have such great figures, like they were made from the same mold, only a little smaller than yours. Let me touch them."

What are you doing?

"What are you talking about? You seem very happy."

Suddenly, a voice from behind interrupted their conversation. The two maids froze, their necks stiff as they turned around.

In the line of sight, on the spiral staircase of the corridor, at the edge of the shadow illuminated by candlelight, a figure slowly emerged.

The interplay of light and darkness slowly moved upwards along the hem of the other woman's maid outfit, passing over her waist, chest, neck, chin, and lips, finally revealing her face completely to the eye.

blonde hair, blue eyes, maid outfit.

Melna glanced at the two maids, her eyes crinkling with a broad smile.

The two maids dared not speak again.

Melna raised her eyebrows like Ellen, a gesture that seemed to possess a certain charm, before silently walking over.
Why did you suddenly stop talking?

The maids lowered their heads and glanced at each other sideways.

Snapped.

Melna stopped in front of the two women, still smiling, and slowly reached out her hand as if to touch their faces.

Closer and closer.
"—Melna, what are you doing? Come in."

The "Listening" magic, a summoning and communication magic originating from the core of magic, brings forth a voice that shouldn't be outside the door.

Melna withdrew her hand, glanced deeply at the two maids, turned around, brushed past them, and stepped forward to open Aisha's door.

Click, the door closed, and the figure disappeared.

The maids exchanged a glance and fled in panic.

Inside the door, Melna turned around. Unlike the cold winter night outside, the room was filled with scalding hot steam, enveloping the entire bedroom in warmth.

Directly in front, a lone bathtub lies quietly by the window, steaming.

No one was around.

Melna walked up to the bathtub, stopped, and lowered her eyes.

In the bathtub, ripples spread across the water's surface, and red hair, submerged in the seemingly real yet ethereal steam, resembled a beautiful seaweed that could only be imagined in a dream, flowing, soft, enveloping, and surrounding the perfect curves of the human body.

'The scar on Master's face is gone now. The faint, unruly expression she used to have has also vanished. Her body is so beautiful, it's hard to look away. It's a pity that the person who should see her can't see her.' Melna thought to herself as she looked at Aisha, who still retained her habits from her previous life, immersing herself completely in the bathtub.

Then, she clasped her hands in front of her in a maid's salute and remained still.

The next moment, as if sensing her approaching, the seaweed began to sway and break the surface of the water.

Aisha stretched out her hands and swept her long, wine-red hair behind her head, casually resting it on the edge of the bathtub before opening her eyes.

Her eyelashes fluttered with warm moisture, but she lacked her usual charm. Her features were fully revealed, and her eyebrows, usually hidden by her bangs, were sharp and pointed, like a drawn dagger.

What were you trying to do just now?

“Punish them, Master.”

Aisha glanced sideways at Melna: "Who's your master?"

Melna paused: "They're gossiping about Miss Aisha."

Aisha smiled and said, "Punishing the maid is Lil's business. What does it have to do with you? Your master is your brother now. Understand your place and do what you're supposed to do."

Melna remained silent.

She seemed hesitant for a moment, then glanced at Aisha's face, took a deep breath, and said:

"I think Miss Aisha shouldn't be a housekeeper."

(End of this chapter)