"You know, I no longer want to be a puppet of the main villain in a story tasked with slaughtering others, nor do I want to go mad with revenge. Honestly, I just want to be a kind person. So, I'll give you a chance. If you answer all my questions honestly, I'll let you go just like that."
You might be wondering why Lev is acting like an extra villain?
Threatening his servant, who had served him for years, and speaking in mysterious tones—these are all clichés of an extra villain.
To Lev, his behavior might seem very clichéd, but to his servant, it was different in the eyes of his servant.
"Young Master. Why are you suddenly doing this? Normally, you're a very calm person who upholds noble values. You would never threaten a lowly servant like me. But why are you doing this now?"
Gulp!
His servant was so nervous that he swallowed hard. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down. Cold sweat dripped from his temples. This wasn't normal, especially since the cold air was still seeping into the carriage. But the nervousness and fear that made his body tremble could still cause cold sweat to form.
The old Lev would never have suddenly interrogated his subordinates unless they insulted him or his family, but now things were different. What was the pride of a noble? It was nothing but useless garbage. Don't forget, he had once lived as someone else's puppet.
In this world, the only thing that matters is how strong you are. Period.
"First question. Why did you betray me?"
"What?"
"You still don't want to answer?"
Lev pressed the sword closer to his servant's neck until it touched the skin, drawing a small trickle of blood.
"Second question. What orders did Boris give you?"
When his servant heard Lev's second question, his eyes revealed that he now understood the situation he was in.
"S-So you already know everything, Young Master?!"
His servant seemed convinced that Lev was aware of everything.
His servant then told Lev everything.
The reason his servant had taken Lev to the bar and gotten him drunk was part of the plan and orders from Boris.
"And then?"
"He ordered me to take you to the Dreamhouse brothel and trap you there."
So, it seemed Boris wanted to ruin Lev's reputation before the Coming of Age Ceremony tomorrow.
"He must want to humiliate me in front of the guests."
'Just like what happened in my previous life.'
Would ruining Lev's reputation be enough? Of course not. There was more to it, but it seemed his servant didn't know the full extent of Boris's plan. Or perhaps he was deliberately hiding it.
His servant went on to explain the details of what would happen at the brothel.
Lev already knew about Boris's plan. He just wanted to test whether his servant would tell him the truth or not.
"Y-Young Master Boris only wanted to get you drunk and lost in pleasure at the brothel. That way, you wouldn't be able to attend your Coming of Age Ceremony tomorrow."
"Is that all?"
"Y-Yes?!"
When answering Lev's question, his servant avoided eye contact. His hand movements were also exaggerated: touching his face, scratching his arm, or tapping on the carriage floor. It was true that he wasn't entirely lying, but it was more disgusting to see him mix lies with the truth.
"Do you have a wife?"
"N-No."
"Do you have sick parents at home?"
"Both my parents are healthy. Why are you suddenly asking about that, Young Master? You're acting very strange."
"No. It's nothing. Last question. Did Boris force you to follow his orders?"
"Y-Y... Yes. That's right. Young Master Boris forced me to take you to the brothel while you were unconscious."
His servant waved his hands, trying to make his argument more persuasive.
Sigh...
When Lev heard his servant's defense, he let out a long sigh.
'At least I gave him a chance.'
If there had been any other reasonable explanation, Lev would have considered sparing his servant's life.
But, using the interrogation skills he had gained from his life on Earth, he could clearly see the lies his servant was telling.
Body language, eye movements, excessive sweating, changes in tone of voice... These were all clear signs of deception.
"Goodbye, and thank you."
Slash!
The space inside the carriage wasn't large, so Lev couldn't make a wide swing when finishing off his servant. He didn't cut his servant's neck clean off, so the servant wasn't killed instantly.
The servant's severed neck gushed fresh, thick blood as Lev slit his throat.
The blood threatened to splatter onto Lev, but the servant reflexively covered his wounded neck with both hands. It wasn't to protect his master, but likely due to the unbearable pain. He even thrashed around uncontrollably, rolling on the carriage floor.
Neigh!
The sound of a horse whinnying could be heard.
The coachman driving the carriage seemed to panic when he heard the servant's agonized groans. But it only lasted a moment. Once the servant breathed his last, the coachman calmed down and smoothly resumed driving the carriage.
Perhaps the coachman was used in situations like this?
"Do you still wish to proceed to the brothel as your servant previously instructed, Young Master?"
"Yes."
Lev answered the coachman's question briefly.
'For now, I'll play along with the game you've prepared, Boris.'
Boris was the name of Lev's younger brother.
The two of them, Lev and Boris, were known to have a warm relationship. However, Lev knew that Boris had long wanted to bring him down.
'If this were me in my previous life, I would have fallen right into his trap.'
***
"We've arrived, Young Master."
The coachman informed Lev.
Lev immediately stepped out of the carriage. He didn't forget to instruct the coachman to clean up the mess inside.
Without saying much, the coachman simply nodded.
Of course, Lev handed him a few Aurum gold coins. He took them from the Magic Pouch hanging at his waist.
"Hmm. You've arrived, Young Master!"
Not long after Lev stepped out, someone greeted him.
She was a middle-aged woman. She had an ordinary face, but her clothing immediately caught Lev's attention.
Her outfit was completely inappropriate for a snowstorm. It was freezing outside, but she managed to stay without shivering, wearing only thin fabric that barely covered her body.
Whether intentional or not, her stomach was exposed to the air, revealing a pierced navel. What stood out even more was the cleavage of her breasts, which spilled out of her outfit.
Any normal person would have swallowed hard just looking at her proportions.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Madam Fleur. I'm here as the manager of the brothel where you'll be enjoying yourself."
Even though her words were casual, Madam Fleur's initial response was one of surprise.
It seemed she was shocked that Lev hadn't arrived drunk and unconscious.
"No need to be so surprised. I'll still go in, even if I'm not in the condition you expected."
Lev moved his face closer to Madam Fleur's.
There was no avoidance of eye contact. Madam Fleur boldly met his gaze with a relaxed smile.
Lev placed his hand on Madam Fleur's shoulder. Her shoulder was also uncovered, so what he touched was her bare skin. From there, he could tell that she wasn't entirely unaffected. Her shoulder trembled from the cold.
"In that case, I'll escort you inside."
Strangely, she didn't pull away when Lev caressed her shoulder. She remained professional in welcoming him.
Lev quickly removed his hand from her shoulder, as he only wanted to test her reaction.
"What is this feeling?" he muttered softly.
Although Lev raised an eyebrow, he continued to follow Madam Fleur from behind, like a duckling following its mother.