The approaching bandits didn't hesitate in their steps. Whatever Iris had done to them had angered them enough to act recklessly.
Basic magic existed in the Knownworld, even for those who were not butlers. However, these bandits were regular humans.
Azaleth sighed.
One second... that is all it will take.
Iris' sword grew brighter, and she whispered a phrase heard only by Azaleth.
"Blade that tears through all."
In an instant, a white arc of sword magic burst forward, too fast for the untrained eye to see. The five bandits' bodies were all severed from the waist up, falling to the ground with a thud.
Blood flooded the scene, and even the trees in the distance were cut and marked by the strike.
Iris let out a breath and allowed her blade to disappear. Behind them, Azaleth heard King Green gasp in fear.
The Samurai. One of the most powerful sword classes of the butlers, owned by Iris, the 11th butler.
She should still be F-rank, or E at best, since they were all summoned only weeks ago. No one should have been able to progress their cores far enough yet.
Hm, I remember when she was S-rank, before the first war, and the great restart.
The heart-eyed woman turned back to Azaleth, a smile plastered across her face once again.
"Sorry about that babe. Now, what were you saying?" She asked in her loving tone.
Azaleth hesitated even more now, but it was hardly the first time he had seen dead bodies.
He stuck to his motives.
"Iris, I'm looking for Athena."
He didn't need to say anything else, Iris knew where his mind was currently at. For a moment, she froze. Then, she palmed her face and chuckled.
"Azaleth, when will you understand? You and Athena cannot be together. The God Emperor forbade it." She responded with surprising calm.
"The God Emperor is no longer here."
"The God Emperor is always here, whether we can see him or not. He is immortal. You of all people should know that." Iris responded sharply.
Azaleth stayed silent. He knew she was right, but chose not to accept it. The blonde woman placed her delicate hand on his shoulder and showed him a soft smile.
"Athena has changed, anyway. She might just try and kill you now. Who even knows if she still loves you?"
"Changed how? In fact, never mind. I will find out for myself."
Iris lost her smile and folded her arms beneath her breasts. Her face went grumpy.
"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you."
Her body then suddenly became a blur, as she prepared to dart off. She stopped, however, and turned back towards Azaleth once more.
"When you want a woman who loves you and knows how to make you feel good, you know how to call me." Then, her heart-shaped eyes flashed him a wink. "The God Emperor never forbade our relationship."
And with that, Iris, the 11th butler vanished from sight.
Azaleth stood there with the severed corpses of her victims. He let out a sigh to himself and relaxed.
"A thousand years and she still hasn't changed." He muttered.
As he made his way back to the chariot, he found King Green cowering in his seat, eyes darting around in fear. As he spotted Azaleth, his face lit up.
"Is she gone, butler? That woman's crazy, I tell you! Just what did you do to make her so hell bent on you?"
Azaleth took his seat and the chariot started moving again. His mind wandered back to times of the past.
"We were lovers, long ago."
Green looked at Azaleth, confused. "But you're married, no?"
Azaleth let out a small laugh. "Please, King Green. You of all men should understand the art of taking on multiple lovers at a time."
The King's cheeks flushed red. He had never expected his butler to be such a man.
He cleared his throat and turned his gaze to the window. "Ahem. I suppose you're right."
———
After a few more hours of the journey, the landscape began to change. Green was the King of a small country located in the south called Vashen.
Just to the north, the green fields would give way to red fields, signalling that you were near the border of Lavenia, one of the three countries within the Founded Kingdoms.
In the distance, they could see large groups of knights stationed along the path.
Green cursed beneath his breath as he spotted them "Border Patrol. They'll never let us pass with the ongoing war. We should turn back."
But Azaleth shook his head defiantly. "No. We have come all this way. We'll be seeing this journey through."
King Green bit at his nail nervously. He had never been on good terms with the King of Lavenia, so he had a bad feeling about this.
Azaleth also had a bad feeling in his gut. There were a lot of guards patrolling the border. There was a high chance that they wouldn't be allowed through.
He contemplated drawing out his holy sword Radvakar, before changing his mind. An idea suddenly floated to him.
Let's try out something different.
He closed his eyes and focused on the core in his stomach. It existed only within the bodies of butlers and certain humans who pushed their magical capabilities to the limit.
This core determined a butler's class. Every one of them had a unique class, different from the others. It determined the abilities and artefacts available to them, and could not be changed.
Those rules did not apply to Azaleth. He was an exception.
He focused on his core and shifted it. It was as simple as a language expert switching which dialect they wished to speak in.
He flicked through his options before settling on one that suited him.
This will work.
He activated the change and felt his core shifting inside of him.
King Green's eyes fell on him, caught off guard by his butler's sudden calmness.
Then, Azalath opened his eyes.
—Azaleth Godknight—
「1st Butler」
「Butler Type: The Origin」
「Current class: Gladiator」
「Class Rank: F」
—Attributes—
For every enemy watching nearby, the gladiators' combat efficiency is increased.
—Ultimate Skill—
Crimson Theatre - Blood spilt from the intended enemy decreases the morale of all their allies.
—Artefacts—
Helmet of Hades - A spiked helmet forged in the depths of hell by Chrollos, guardian of the fourth gate. Strikes fear in all enemies.
Hell's Point - A spear forged in the depths of hell by Chrollos, guardian of the fourth gate. Strikes fear in all enemies, especially those cut by its point.
—Awakening—
N/A
———
Azaleth smiled to himself, satisfied with the feeling with his new class.
"Good." He said calmly to himself. "This is good."