Page 324 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

June 3, 3rd year of the Gregorian calendar.

The Daily Life of Gomtan

Gomtan, the second “freeloader” of the Desmond family, started his morning as usual, awakened by the loud voice of his mistress echoing through the estate.

“Air raid alert!!!”

“Bear?!”

“Eeeeeek!!!”

Gomtan stretched, lifting his backside into the air as he listened to his mistress’s always energetic shouts. One day, he aspired to be just as great a “freeloader” as her.

“Bear.”

And so, his day began.

Gomtan looked at the dim ceiling as he trudged forward. He was currently under the doghouse his master had built for him. To greet the master, he needed to go up and wait.

“Bear,”

- Thud.

“Bear?”

As he moved forward, something squishy stopped him in his tracks. Judging by the texture, it wasn’t a rock. It felt... like a human face.

“Bear.”

Cautiously, Gomtan lifted his paw to see what he had stepped on. With wide eyes, he found himself looking at a man’s face, with a huge bear paw print on his forehead.

“Bear?”

“Ah, good morning, Divine Beast.”

“Bear?”

“Wishing you a pleasant morning.”

“Bear.”

Who was this guy anyway, lying here asleep? Gomtan had long been curious about the black-haired man and his secrets.

The man had a strange knack for digging.

“Please rest above, Divine Beast! I’ll let you know once construction is complete!”

“Bear?”

“Just 10 more meters and...”

“Bear?!”

And although he had his own house, he insisted on sleeping in Gomtan’s.

“Ah, this is the best. The Saint told me to return home for just one day. Haha...!”

“Bear?”

“I promise not to disturb your lifestyle here. Oh, and here’s my bribe...”

“B-B-Bear!!!”

“I’m glad you like it.”

This man knew Gomtan’s preferences all too well.

Gomtan didn’t mind living with Hans. Sometimes, it was scary when Hans laughed to himself, but he didn’t seem like a bad person.

“Off to eat, are you?”

“Bear.”

“I stayed up late with some extra construction work, so I’ll just sleep a bit longer...”

“Bear-bear.”

He could tell Hans was a kind person at heart. After all, there were no hunters or poachers here seeking bear gallbladders.

Well, aside from one person.

“Ricardo, let’s make some bear stew.”

One person indeed.

Gomtan gave Hans’s head another stomp as he made his way up the stairs to the surface.

“Oof...!”

“Bear.”

“Enjoy your meal...!”

“Bear-bear.”

The view from the doghouse was beautiful.

“Wake up, miss.”

“Eek?”

“You need to open your eyes to brush your teeth.”

“Uh-huh? Guh...”

“Miss!”

The sight of the master and mistress bickering was beautiful, and the birds flying around looked delicious. Gomtan liked the Desmond estate.

“Eeeeeek! I hate brushing my teeth!”

“Sigh... open up.”

“Eeeeeek!”

Listening to the noisy exchanges echoing from the estate’s windows, Gomtan thought to himself:

“Bear. (Mating.)”

They’re probably mating, right?

“Bear.”

The main purpose of life is mating, after all. Preserving the species is the most important thing. He understood his master and mistress’s bickering quite well.

Gomtan nodded, ambling through the yard, his tiny bear tail swishing behind him. His stomach was growling, but he knew his mistress and master wouldn’t be done with their ruckus anytime soon, so he decided to take a walk.

“Bear. (Butterfly.)”

“Bear. (Nom.)”

“Bear. (Gulp.)”

It didn’t taste good. Bugs weren’t suitable for a proud bear. Digging around for snacks was much better.

Gomtan snuffled the ground and unearthed a hidden snack, taking a large bite as he waited for his master to bring food.

Time passed.

Finally, it was time for his master and mistress to come out to eat.

His master was holding a bag of food, while his mistress was rolling down the yard in her wheeled chair.

- Gulp.

The moment Gomtan saw his mistress’s white hair, he took off running.

“Bear!”

Rice cake.

Sticky rice cake.

“Bear-bear...!”

Her hair tasted like sticky rice cake. Chewy, with a nice texture.

Olivia looked up at the massive shadow falling over her.

“Eek?”

- Swish.

“Eek?!”

- Swish...!

“Eeeeek?! Ricardo, it’s a meteor!”

“Bear-bear.”

“Eeeeeek! You stupid bear!!!”

“Bear-bear-bear.”

“Ricardo!!!!”

Gomtan liked Olivia. Even though she spoke roughly, she never turned him away. Sometimes, she’d even sneak him sweets when her master wasn’t looking.

“Hehe, want some?”

“Bear?”

“But don’t tell Ricardo.”

“Bear.”

She sometimes sulked, but she was fun. He hadn’t met many other animals, but surely they all thought their own masters were the best too.

“Ricardo, rub some miso on this bear!”

“Where did you learn to say things like that, miss?”

“In my dreams.”

“Heh...”

“Eek! My head... it’s breaking! Feels like blood’s pouring out...!”

“That’s just Gomtan’s drool, miss.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Nom...”

“...Bear.”

Gomtan slobbered all over Olivia’s hair, biting down with a big smile.

“Eeeeeek!”

And his master?

“Pfft.”

Was laughing.

Upon reflection, Gomtan figured his master was the meanest one. He’d laugh when Olivia was getting chewed on and sometimes refused to give him snacks, saying he was too fat.

When he first arrived here, they called him a dog, which was surprising.

“Now listen, from today, you’re a dog.”

“Bear?”

“As a dog, you should bark.”

“Bear.”

His master had eventually given up on trying to change him.

If anyone asked who Gomtan liked best at the estate, it was obviously his master.

He was thoughtful.

“Gomtan, come here.”

“Bear?”

“Miss doesn’t have much in her head, so she needs to eat other things.”

“Eeeeeek!”

“See?”

“Bear.”

And he fed him.

“Eat it slowly; it’s top-quality food.”

“Bear.”

He’d saved him, too.

Gomtan was just a lowly beast, but his master had rescued him, brought him to the estate, and called him cute, even though he wasn’t.

Seeing that no other pets had joined the estate since then, Gomtan was quite touched. His master seemed content with just him, and Gomtan was grateful. Out of everyone, his master was the best.

As he ate, he smiled.

“Bear.”

He was happy. Living at the estate was nice. And he felt sleepy.

- Bear.-

End of Gomtan’s day.

“What are you doing?”

Hans looked down at Gomtan, who was scratching at the ground with a pen in his paw. There was an air of reverence about him that made Hans bow his head.

“...”

Reading Gomtan’s diary, Hans nodded to himself.

“Truly wise.”

“Bear.”

“An ordinary human like me could never comprehend the bear language... I’d like to study it.”

“Bear.”

Gomtan bit Hans’s head.

It tasted like bland rice cake.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t bitten his master’s head yet. He bet it would taste divine.

- Kwarararararara!!!

“Hm... looks like the Saint is training today as well.”

“Bear.”

Gomtan decided he’d try next time.

The frigid air filled Elicia’s sanctuary.

Seated on her throne, Elicia looked down at the intruder with an indifferent gaze.

“What brings you here?”

She addressed the visitor who had come to see her. The man’s face twisted with discomfort, likely because he was uneasy being looked down upon. Elicia’s lips curled into a smile.

The visitor’s name was Temperance.

“What brings the Apostle of Temperance to such a humble place as this?”

Temperance, one of the Apostles from the Cult, frowned as he met Elicia’s cold gaze. Her demeanor was quite different today, something that made him uneasy.

Thoughts swirled in Temperance’s mind. What if losing the watch was Ohn-yu’s doing? Could it be that Ohn-yu’s Apostle had the Cursed Watch?

“Impossible.”

It was unthinkable. ? NоvеIight ? (Original source) The Apostle of Ohn-yu never left the sanctuary, so it was beyond imagination that they could have orchestrated anything.

Suppressing his discomfort, Temperance addressed Ohn-yu’s Apostle.

“I came because I have something to say.”

“Something to say to me? It’s strange to hear you call it a ‘conversation’ rather than a command.”

“...Cursed Watch.”

Temperance felt a thrill as Elicia’s eyebrow twitched at the mention of the Cursed Watch.

He had worried for no reason, he thought. Feeling more confident, Temperance spoke to her with an authoritative tone.

“Don’t you want to get the watch back?”

“...Show it to me.”

“What?”

Temperance frowned at her quiet mumble.

“Show it to me.”

“...!”

“I need to confirm that you still have it.”

- Grit.

Temperance narrowed his eyes.

“Something feels different.”

There was an ominous vibe. Unlike the submissive Apostle of Ohn-yu who spent her days in prayer, Elicia now gazed down at him with a chilling hostility.

“It’s nothing.”

“Show it to me.”

“...”

“You’re probably unwilling to hand it over to anyone else. I need to see that you have it.”

“Don’t waver, Temperance.”

Temperance offered a small smile, reaching into his pocket to pull out the fake watch and held it up for Elicia to see.

“Is this what you mean?”

“...”

“Why so distrustful?”

“...”

Temperance smiled.

He then began explaining the real reason he had come to see Elicia.

“I’ve located the Holy Sword.”

“The Holy Sword?”

“Yes. I’m ordering you to come with me to retrieve it. If you handle this well, I might just—”

“Pfft...”

“What are you doing?”

“Bwahahahaha!!!!”

“...Ohn-yu.”

Temperance’s hand shook as he held the watch, glaring at Elicia.

“Do you have a death wish?”

“Ah... Hahaha!!!”

The Apostle of Ohn-yu, wearing a bright smile, shook her head with a crescent-eyed grin.

“Sorry, I think I’m just so stressed I’ve gone mad.”

“...”

“The Holy Sword, you say? Alright then.”

As Temperance walked away, Elicia watched his retreating figure with a smile.

“Liar.”

In her hand, she held the real Cursed Watch.