The Butler of the Villainess Has Returned

Chapter 26

Kali's dream was sweet.

Even though it was just endlessly repeating past happiness, it was indescribably sweet.

That's why she was always afraid to wake up.

Because once she woke up, there was nothing.

No warmth from her mother, no sunlight streaming into the room, no sound of the village people outside the window.

As if it had never happened, it all disappeared, and she had to wake up alone in an empty room.

But today was different.

"Mother...?"

Beyond her blurry sight, a black figure resembling a human flickered faintly.

"Is it really you, Mother...?"

Kali stretched out her hand.

What she met in her dream was surely her mother.

If that dream were real, then something would touch her outstretched fingertips.

"...No."

That couldn't be possible.

Her reaching hand stopped.

This was reality, not a dream.

Sometimes, the residual scent of dreams lingered like this, and each time, Kali despaired anew.

The end of this dream was so sweet.

That's why, if she couldn't hold onto anything this time either, it felt like she couldn't endure any longer.

Kali steadied her mind.

Wait.

Just as she had endured for years until now, she would endure for a few more years again.

Someday, if her mother fully recovered, all the accumulated sorrow would disappear.

At that moment when her hand was about to fall.

Thump.

Her hand was grabbed by someone. Kali unconsciously raised her head.

"Sleeping in late is a bad habit."

It was a man she had never seen before, wearing a mask engraved with a crescent moon.

He pulled Kali's hand.

With a force that was neither too much nor too little, he guided her to the place she couldn't quite reach.

"See, your mother is worried too."

Thump.

Her hand touched something.

Drip, drop.

Tears fell onto that hand. Kali shifted her gaze to where the tears had fallen.

"Did you sleep well?"

It was Connie.

Exactly as she appeared in her dreams every day, looking down at her, crying.

"Mother!"

Kali finally burst into tears.

As if all the sorrow she had held back was being washed away, tears poured out uncontrollably.

"Mother... Mother...!"

"Don't cry, okay? My good girl."

"It's me. It's really me, your mother...."

Fearing she might disappear again, Kali clung to her so tightly that her clothes nearly tore, crying her heart out.

"I was scared...!"

Afraid that they might never meet again.

"It was hard...."

Waiting alone for this moment.

"And...."

Kali closed her mouth.

Without finishing her sentence, she buried herself in Connie's embrace.

And she worried.

Could she really say these words?

If she said them, would everything disappear again?

The worry didn't last long.

In the end, Kali opened her mouth.

"I missed you."

It was something she had held back for so long.

In truth, she already knew everything.

That she could no longer meet her mother or the village people.

That no magic could bring the dead back to life.

That she had lost her mother when she left the village, and that the undead by her side was a false hope.

That's why she had held back her words even more.

Saying "I missed you" was like admitting her loss.

She wasn't waiting for hope.

She had been deeply intoxicated by sweet dreams, turning away from reality, and merely wishing for miracles.

Even though it was undoubtedly the wrong choice, she had deceived herself with the excuse that there was no other method.

"I missed you so much."

That's why she couldn't say it.

But once she said it, she felt relieved.

It was as if she had woken up from a terrible nightmare and met her loved one, feeling light-hearted.

Kali forced a smile.

She wiped away her flowing tears, took a deep breath, and barely managed to hold Connie's hand.

"You must never disappear again, okay?"

Got it, Mother?

2.

Quietly, he turned his body and stepped away from the two of them. Then he murmured softly.

"Damn...."

In the end, he was late this time too.

After revealing herself to Connie, she made three requests of me.

First, Kali's escape.

Second, delivering her last will and keepsake.

Third, a happy farewell.

The first would soon be fulfilled.

As soon as Ian annihilated the Demon God Cult and brought the survivors, they would escape.

The second was also easy.

I had received the location of the hidden items and all the words to deliver.

And the third, the happy farewell.

I had no idea how to achieve it.

Connie had already become an undead two years before I regressed.

Even maintaining her sanity like this was only possible because Kali was the caster.

Turning an already dead undead back into a human was an impossible task.

In the end, I asked directly.

What can I do to help you?

- Connie smiled and replied.

Please... lend me... your mana.

- I had to refuse.

Borrowing someone else's mana was something that could only be done on the battlefield.

Mana before absorption was harmless, but mana absorbed and converted by a human was different.

It was like blood, incapable of mixing no matter what.

Even if magic could be used immediately, the recoil would destroy the body afterward.

Moreover, Connie was a crude low-rank undead created by an inexperienced Kali.

A fragile body that had died five years ago and had not been maintained at all. It had weakened to the point that it would stop functioning in just a few days without doing anything.

That's why I warned her.

- Your body won't withstand it. I'm not even sure if lending it is possible, and even if it succeeds, your body will collapse after casting just a couple of spells.

- I... know... that.

- If you know, then why are you doing this?

Connie smiled and replied.

- Because... I'm your mother.

Right after she uttered those words.

Crunch!

Connie pulled out the remaining half of the contract document from within her body.

- Why are you taking that out!

- I... need to awaken... Kali.

She was right.

If the contract document wasn't completed, Kali would have to wander in a dream forever.

Whether that document was Connie's core or not, as soon as she pulled it out, her body began to crumble.

- Then what about you!!

- I... was already a body destined to die... anyway.

With trembling hands, she held out the contract document.

- Please... I'm asking you.

What followed was inevitable.

By lending mana, I helped her remaining time flow gradually.

Perhaps because she had been a mage before becoming an undead, lending mana succeeded easily.

It wasn't much.

It was a small amount of mana, enough to maintain two 3rd Circle spells for just five minutes.

Connie chose two spells.

One was an illusion magic to return to her original form and have a final conversation with Kali.

And the other....

3.

"You mustn't disappear again, okay?"

Squeeze.

Connie unintentionally put strength into her grip.

Now, she had to say it.

That only a few minutes of life remained, and after that, she would have to leave forever.

"Kali."

At the moment her name was called, Kali hugged Connie even tighter.

"No."

"...You already know, don't you?"

"No, I don't know anything."

"Kali. Just listen to what Mom has to say―"

"I said no!"

In truth, Kali already knew.

"I just want to stay like this."

That this moment would soon come to an end.

The paper the Salvation Church had given her to use as a medium had disappeared from Connie's body.

Instead, pure white mana had filled her, but it was scattering rapidly. At most, it wouldn't last more than a few minutes before vanishing completely.

Time flowed in the silence.

Kali, in the end, couldn't hold back and spoke again after just a few seconds.

"...Mom."

She raised her head to meet Connie's gaze.

"Can't you not go?"

Only foolish words came out.

Even though she knew it wasn't possible, even though she knew it would trouble her mother, all she could do was beg.

On the other hand, Connie felt relieved.

Because the child who had suppressed her emotions over the past five years was now expressing them so clearly.

"Alone...."

Kali barely managed to complete her sentence.

"Being alone is scary...."

This time, it was clear that this was a complete farewell, one that even a miracle couldn't reverse.

There was no way left to avoid it, no hope for a miracle to occur.

"Don't worry, Kali."

Connie embraced Kali.

Before, she could hold her with just one hand, but now it took both hands to fit her in her arms.

When did she grow so much?

Carrying her on her shoulders like a child had felt as vivid as yesterday.

She reached out and placed her hand on Kali's head.

"I'll leave everything I have to you."

Connie's hand shone brightly. The second spell she had chosen was Transmission.

A 5th Circle magic that conveyed all the memories she wished to pass on to the recipient.

The more information she wanted to pass on, the longer the magic would take—sometimes days, even years.

What Connie wanted to pass on were her memories with Kali, the magic she had researched, and the magic she had created independently.

With a body that would scatter in just a few minutes, there wasn't much she could pass on.

Connie added a restriction to the magic.

It was a unique magic of witches that could turn impossibilities into possibilities depending on the price.

'In exchange for passing on everything I wish to convey, my life ends here.'

The result was a success.

The memories were passed on to Kali.

At the same time, her body began to disintegrate.

It started from her toes, and then slowly climbed upward.

"Ahhh...!"

Kali hugged Connie. Her hands reached out to stop the disintegrating body, but then she hugged her again, realizing there wasn't much time left.

"What do I do.... What do I do, Mom...!"

Connie gazed at her daughter.

No matter how much she looked, she still wanted to see her more. She almost shed tears.

Connie lifted her head.

What she wanted to say was left to Yuri, what she desired was in her memories, and what she wanted to give was in the information.

The moment of farewell had been prepared for over five years, so there was no need to grieve too much.

Squeeze.

Connie hugged Kali.

"Crybaby Kali, my lovely daughter."

With her fading hand, she wiped away Kali's tears and showed her the brightest smile she could.

"Now, stop crying and try smiling, okay?"

Kali instinctively knew.

That even this moment was about to end.

Countless words floated through her mind.

Words like the complaints she had made until now, words about how much she had missed her, words asking her not to go.

However, she did not speak them out loud.

Kali now understood.

Farewells always come suddenly and do not give time to prepare.

It was the same five years ago.

Ignoring her mother's request for her to be happy, she revived her as a low-rank undead.

From that time until now, she had been unhappy, ultimately causing her mother to die twice.

Pull yourself together.

This time, it has to be different.

"Yes, Mother."

Resolving herself, Kali smiled as Connie had requested.

"Don't worry. I will live properly."

"...Really?"

"Of course!"

Though she couldn't stop the tears, she continued to smile as she spoke.

She delved into the memories passed down by Connie and recalled her wishes.

"I won't live alone. I'll make friends, meet someone I love, and even get married. So, go ahead and wait for me."

Someday, on that day when we meet again, I'll chatter away in your arms.

She couldn't bring herself to say the final words.

The moment she spoke those words, even the smile she was barely holding would crumble.

Connie felt the same.

"My daughter has grown up."

Even as silent tears flowed, she maintained a bright smile.

The two shared a final hug.

"I will always love you."

"I love you too, Mother."

"I love you, Kali...."

As their warmth seeped into each other, Connie's form completely scattered.

Only then did Kali burst into tears.

The mature demeanor from earlier was nowhere to be found; she looked like a child.

Yuri silently approached her side.

He took off his robe, wrapped it around Kali, and sat down beside her, offering his back.

Wearing the robe marked with the symbol of moonlight, Kali leaned on Yuri.

"...Thank you."

"I didn't do anything."

"I'll stop soon, so please take me with you."

"That's why I came."

Hearing his answer, she began to cry again.

The third member of Moonlight.

It was the moment Kali returned.

4.

"Do you happen to need a maid?"

"Do you really want to die, Yuri?"

No, this isn't working.