Page 372 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

With large, round eyes—

“Octopuuuus...”

And pink hair—

“Octopus...”

The monstrous beast of the western seas, wearing a pink octopus head, sat in the ocean, crying loudly.

“Octooooopuuuuuus...! Huu huu huu... Octopuuuuuus...”

This was troublesome.

Never in my life had I imagined encountering an octopus capable of understanding human speech. Certainly not today.

“Well, uh...”

This was the beast of the western seas.

The one that had once killed a Sword Master and ruled the western coast in fear... was now just a tearful girl.

“Octopuuus...”

It was quite the dilemma.

The beast’s head was covered in lumps, as if it had been struck by Darbav’s Meteor spell. Small mounds were scattered across it, protruding unevenly.

As her tears continued to flow, her pink hair trembled violently, and I noticed strands that had been severed by Kaliburn.

“Octopus?”

The beast extended a tentacle, offering me a fish, seemingly asking for a truce.

“Well, um...”

When I didn’t accept the offering, she acted as if her world had collapsed, tears pouring anew as she made the whirlpool grow larger.

“Octopuuuuus...”

I had to make a decision.

Before the whirlpool consumed everyone above, I needed to decide the fate of the beast. And before the whirlpool could engulf me, I’d have to escape while the chance remained—I wasn’t particularly interested in drowning.

Stay focused.

“Octopuuus...”

The creature before me was a beast.

“Octopuuuuuus...”

One that had threatened the western seas, taken countless lives, and killed the Duke of Belian.

“Heeuuuuuung...”

Sigh. Releasing a deep breath, I lowered my sword and spoke to the beast.

“Listen... How about this?”

“Octopus?”

“How about we do it this way?”

The subjugation force was returning to land.

The whirlpool the beast had created had vanished as though it had never been there, leaving the western sea tranquil, aside from chunks of broken ice floating on the surface.

Everyone looked like a mess.

“Ugh...”

The Crown Prince had seaweed draped over his head. Soldiers were limping with injuries, and Wolfgang had a broken arm.

I sighed and clicked my tongue as I stepped onto the shore, wondering how Wolfgang had managed to get injured when he hadn’t even done much.

“He’s back!”

“What about the beast? What happened to the beast?”

All eyes turned to me. I could tell they were eager to ask how I had dealt with the creature.

“...”

Among them, the one most sensitive to the beast’s survival approached me.

“Huff... Huff... What happened to the beast?”

His face was full of questions he wanted to ask.

“...”

“Answer me, Ricardo!”

“Well...”

The Crown Prince.

Dragging out my response, I made him wait, fully intent on letting him stew in frustration.

“We’ll see.”

“Are you seriously joking in this situation?!”

He was going to lose his mind. After all, I was the only one who had entered the whirlpool created by the beast, and the only one who knew its fate.

I could tell from the faint look on the Crown Prince’s face that he was secretly hoping I’d failed. If the subjugation succeeded, Desmont would regain its former power, which was the opposite of his goal.

The Crown Prince’s schemes to weaken Desmont would have backfired, unintentionally strengthening the family. His plan to shatter the blunt sword of Desmont had, ironically, resulted in it being sharpened instead.

“Here.”

Contrary to his hopes, I had successfully completed the subjugation. With a shrug, I presented the proof.

Thud!

From my pocket space, I produced a massive, white tooth that fell before the Crown Prince’s eyes. It was far too large to belong to any ordinary fish.

Clenching his fists tightly, the Crown Prince muttered as his pupils trembled.

“...The Kraken’s tooth?”

His expression shifted rapidly—despair, frustration, relief.

The conflicting emotions were so visible on his face that I nearly laughed, but I refrained. Instead, I gave him a faint smile, placing my hand on his shoulder.

“The subjugation was a success.”

“...You’ve done well.”

“It wasn’t difficult.”

“... ...”

“And...”

“... ...”

“If the royal family ever needs me again, feel free to call for me. But next time, it won’t come cheap. Be careful.”

Even without further explanation, the Crown Prince likely understood my words. It was a veiled threat: don’t use my status as a Sword Master to throw me into troublesome tasks, or the consequences won’t be pleasant.

Wolfgang, drenched and bedraggled, stood next to the Crown Prince, swallowing hard as he gazed at the beast’s tooth.

“You truly... succeeded in subjugating it.”

“... ...”

“Ricardo, butler of Desmont, is it? I’ll invite you to the Wolfgang estate soon—”

“I serve Lady Olivia of Desmont. I cannot leave her side. Please save your invitation.”

Clench.

I cut Wolfgang off, raising a hand dismissively. I had no interest in wasting time talking to someone I didn’t like.

Ah, there was one last thing to say.

As I turned to leave the subjugation force, I glanced back at Wolfgang and whispered.

“You’ve built quite a reputation.”

“... ...”

“Be careful it doesn’t crumble.”

Wolfgang’s face paled.

I didn’t think Desmont’s rise would necessarily lead to Wolfgang’s fall. After all, Wolfgang Rui was a quick thinker, someone who could adapt to shifting circumstances.

However, the confident man I’d seen in the novel was unlikely to return. Like his ancestors, he might have to start again from the bottom. The person who had once tried to kill Mikhail for power might now find himself groveling before him.

I had no intention of dealing with Wolfgang myself. His punishment was Mikhail’s to deliver. Whether Mikhail chose to forgive or kill him, that wasn’t my concern.

With a light smile, I walked away with Darbav toward the estate. Turning slightly, I joked with him.

“Did you enjoy the show?”

“It was fantastic.”

“...Pfft. I enjoyed it too.”

Far from the subjugation force, Darbav looked at me and asked.

“So, what happened to the beast?”

Glancing at him, I hesitated before answering, somewhat troubled.

“Well, the truth is... you’ll have to come see for yourself.”

"Eeeeek..."

"..."

"Eeeeeeeek."

Lady Olivia was currently having a staring contest.

Her opponent? A peculiar new guest to the mansion—one she didn’t seem thrilled about.

Round eyes and a pink octopus head.

The beast, shaped like a human but wearing what looked like an octopus cap, sat across from Olivia, mirroring her gaze.

"Octopus..."

It had an unusual appearance. How should I describe it?

Its hair was similar to that of a human, yet it moved on its own like tentacles. The octopus cap on its head pouted its lips as if alive.

One thing I could say for sure: it wasn’t grotesque. In fact, it was... cute.

"Octoooooo..."

The beast gazed at Olivia with innocent eyes, creating soap bubbles with its octopus cap.

Pop...

"Octopuuuuus...?"

Pop...

Bubbles floated gently up to the ceiling of the mansion. Olivia, captivated by the sight of the bubbles, watched with wide eyes.

Pop!

A bubble burst just above her head, startling her. She jumped back, only to smile as laughter escaped her lips.

"Wow! Haha!"

"Eeek!"

"Do it again! Do it again!"

"Octoooooo..."

When Olivia leaned in close, the beast began to tremble, looking like it might burst into tears at any moment.

"Octoooo..."

"Stop it! Don’t cry!!!"

"Octooooooo..."

"Eeeek!!! I’ll roast you alive if you keep this up!"

"Octooooooo!!!!"

Well, they seemed to be getting along... in their own way.

"So,"

Darbav, having changed into fresh clothes, buttoned up his shirt and asked me a question.

"You’ve decided to keep the beast."

"Haha."

"So after the subjugation, you brought me to the shore for this."

"..."

"And then you asked me to teleport it here with magic."

"That’s correct."

Darbav shook his head and muttered.

"You always manage to exceed my expectations in the most absurd ways."

"Thank you for the compliment."

"Sigh..."

"..."

"Everything you collect ends up being a weapon of war. An ancient cursed sword, the legendary mercenary king Balak, and even an apostle of the cult... and now this beast."

"Haha."

"If you felt like it, you could probably change the royal family’s surname. And now you’ve added a monster to your collection."

Darbav sighed as he looked at the sniffling beast.

"...What a headache."

The beast’s hair writhed slightly. From a distance, it seemed like ordinary pink hair, but up close, it moved like tentacles.

Was this some form of polymorph?

Given its ancient lineage, the beast had executed a perfect transformation. That alone seemed to help Darbav suppress any lingering hostility toward it.

"But I do have one concern," Darbav said, narrowing his eyes at the beast.

"How can we be sure a beast that killed a Sword Master isn’t inherently violent?"

"Hmm..."

I recalled what had happened earlier.

"Octoooooooopuuuuuuus!!!"

"Ah, please don’t cry."

"Waaaaaaaahhhh!!!"

Shrugging, I answered Darbav’s question.

"I don’t think the beast killed the Duke of Belian. In fact, it might have helped him."

"Hmm?"

"There seems to have been an incident involving a third party."

"The cultists, perhaps."

I glanced at the beast and smiled faintly.

"Can ? Nоvеl?g?t ? (Official version) we discuss this later?"

It wasn’t the time for heavy topics; I was too tired. Resting a hand on the beast’s head, I turned toward the showers.

And then—

"Eeeek..."

"Octopus..."

"How old are you?"

Wriggle, wriggle...

"Eeeeeeeeeek!!!"

Olivia was happily playing with the beast.

"Father...!!! Its hair is moving!"