Reborn As Noble

Javier sighed, rubbing the back of his head as he looked at the two young girls. ”You both really stealing?”

The older girl lowered her head in shame, tears brimming in her eyes. ”We... we were hungry... and... we don’t have money,” she stammered.

Javier turned to the big man. ”How much is the meat they stole?”

The man crossed his arms, his stern gaze flickering between Javier and the girls. ”Around 5 silver,” he replied.

At this, Liana’s eyes widened slightly. She knew 5 silver wasn’t a fortune, but it was the equivalent of a month’s wages for a maid in the Armand household.

Javier nodded thoughtfully before reaching into his pocket. ”Can I pay for them?”

The big man hesitated. ”I’m sorry, young noble, but please understand—rules are rules. If we let this go, others might think it’s fine to steal too.”

”But aren’t we, as humans, supposed to help each other when we can?”

The man blinked, unsure how to respond. ”I-I mean, yes, Young Lord, but—”

Javier’s expression softened, and he stepped forward with a polite smile. ”Can you help me just this one time? I’ll pay 1 gold for that meat. Just this once. Please?”

The man blinked in surprise at the offer. One gold was far more than the cost of the stolen meat. He scratched the back of his head, glancing down at the girls before letting out a heavy sigh. ”Fine. Since you’re vouching for them, I’ll let them off this time. But only because of you, young lord.”

Javier smiled, handing the gold coin over with a flourish. ”Thank you, sir. I appreciate it.”

The two girls immediately dropped to their knees, their voices trembling with gratitude. ”Thank you, kind sir! Thank you so much!”

As the small crowd dispersed, Liana and Gloria dismounted from Pikko and walked over to their young master. The two girls remained kneeling before Javier, their heads bowed low.

Exhaling slowly, he watched the girls with an unreadable expression. For a moment, he seemed genuinely contemplative about what to do next. Then, suddenly, his lips curled into a mischievous grin.

He squatted down in front of them, resting his elbows on his knees, and gave them a mockingly serious look. ”Sorry, huh?”

The two girls flinched, unsure of what to expect.

Javier let out a long, exaggerated sigh. ”Haaah. You see, I could just let you go… but…”

His grin turned wicked, his eyes gleaming mischievously. ”You two owe me one gold.”

The girls froze, looking up at him with wide, terrified eyes.

Javier’s grin widened, his tone turning mockingly sinister. ”Now, how are you gonna pay me back, hmm?”

The older girl paled, stammering. ”W-we… we don’t…”

Javier leaned closer, his playful smirk making them tremble even more. ”I guess I could hand you over to the guards instead?”

”Young master, please…” Liana interrupted, her voice gentle but firm.

Javier shot her a sharp glance, pressing a finger to his lips. ”Shhhh! Liana!” He turned back to the girls, whose bodies trembled under his intense gaze.

”Now you two! From now on,you’re working for me! Pay off your debt while serving under me!”

The older girl finally found her voice, stammering, ”B-but…”

”Huh?!” Javier’s eyes widened dramatically as he leaned closer, staring directly into their terrified eyes. ”Did you just say ’but’?!”

The girls froze, quaking beneath his fierce stare.

Javier pointed a finger at them, his voice booming. ”You owe me one gold! One gold! From now on, you are serving me! The Evil Lord Javier!!! Gyahahahaha!!” His maniacal laughter echoed through the street, causing a few onlookers to glance over in confusion before hastily retreating.

The older girl, pale and panicked, quickly bowed her head. ”W-we’re sorry! We’ll serve you! Please don’t hurt us!”

The younger girl clung tightly to her sister, nodding frantically. ”Yes! We’ll do whatever you say, Evil Lord!”

”Ugh! Just look at these two!” Javier exclaimed, gesturing dramatically toward the trembling girls. ”My loyal maids!” He turned towards Liana and Gloria with mock horror. ”My eyes hurt!”

”What now, young master?” Liana asked with a weary sigh.

Javier pointed at the girls with exaggerated flair. ”Their clothes! Ohhh!! It hurts my eyes! Is this the look of someone who serves the mighty Evil Lord Javier?! Hmm?! Answer me!”

The two girls flinched, their faces pale, as they stammered incoherently.

Liana simply shook her head, clearly done with her young master’s theatrics, while Gloria tried to suppress her laughter behind her hand.

Javier continued, his voice booming. ”Now! My loyal companions!” He pointed dramatically at Liana and Gloria. ”I refuse to let my servants remain in such rags! Not only do they wound my eyes, but they also tarnish my pride as the Evil Lord!”

He stepped closer to the girls, narrowing his eyes with mock severity. ”New task for you both!” He turned back to Liana and Gloria. ”Clean my servants and find them better clothes immediately!”

Liana pinched the bridge of her nose, muttering under her breath, ”Young master, I believe it’s better if we do that after we reach the house.”

Javier paused, blinking before waving his hand dismissively. ”Hmph, fine! You’ve convinced me. But don’t delay! The Evil Lord’s pride is at stake!”

The older girl timidly tugged at her sister’s sleeve. ”Is he... serious?” she whispered.

Gloria leaned toward them with a mischievous grin. ”Oh, very serious. Welcome to the service of the Evil Lord.”

Liana sighed again, ushering everyone toward the road. ”Let’s get to the house before he comes up with more brilliant ideas.”

Javier proudly mounted Buddy, his Pekko, who strutted forward with a showy gait, matching the wide grin on Javier’s face. Behind them, Liana and Gloria walked calmly, while the two new girls trailed nervously behind. Pikko trotted obediently beside Liana, moving gracefully. Explore more stories with freewebnovel

Liana leaned closer to Gloria and whispered, ”Our young master thinks everything is fun. Even hiring these two girls is just another game to him. We better follow what he wants.” She glanced quickly at the girls. ”And never tell them that our young master is actually a good person.”

Gloria chuckled softly, covering her mouth with her hand. ”Don’t worry. I know how to play along.”

They shared a knowing look, trying to keep their amusement in check as Buddy and Javier led the way, the so-called ”Evil Lord” enjoying his self-proclaimed glory.

When they arrived at the house, Javier dismounted Buddy with an exaggerated sense of pride. He struck a noble yet smug pose, as if he were royalty, and glanced arrogantly at the two nervous girls, who froze under his stare.

”Now, my minions!” Javier declared dramatically, pointing at them. ”You better not run, or I’ll let my One and Only, the strongest Pekko in existence, eat you alive!”

Buddy seemed to understand, leaning towards the girls with a low squawk that sounded almost scary. His large beak opened a little, as if he were seriously considering the threat.

The two girls screamed softly and clutched each other. ”We won’t run! We promise!”

Behind him, Liana shook her head while Gloria covered her mouth, barely able to hold in her laughter.

”Young Master,” Liana sighed, stepping forward. ”Let’s not scare them more than necessary.”

”Tch! Fine, fine!” Javier waved her off, his grin showing he was truly enjoying himself. ”But remember, minions, loyalty is your only option!”

Javier struck another dramatic pose, pointing with authority at the trembling girls.

”Now, my minions!!!” he bellowed, his voice filled with mock villainy.

”Y-Yes, Lord-sama!!!” the girls replied together, their voices shaky with fear.

Javier pointed toward Gloria, who stood composed but clearly amused. ”Go with my loyal companions here!” he commanded. ”And clean yourselves up! Ugh, you both stink! I can’t have my minions looking like that. And don’t even think about running away!”

”Y-Yes, Lord-sama!” the girls stammered, clutching each other for support as they hurried to follow Gloria, their heads lowered.

Liana sighed, placing her hands on her hips. ”Young Master, you really know how to make a drama.”

”It’s all about appearances, Liana,” Javier replied with a smirk. ”They need to understand the honor of serving the great me!”

Liana chuckled softly and shook her head. ”You really knows how to keep things interesting,young master.”

Javier dramatically swept his arm toward the mess in the courtyard, wrinkling his nose.

”Ugh! Look at all this pekko shit!” he exclaimed. ”Liana!”

Liana pinched the bridge of her nose, already sensing where this conversation was headed. ”Yes, Young Master?”

Javier tilted his head, grinning mischievously. ”Do you think I can hire more people like those kids? You know, to handle this mess?”

Liana folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. ”Young Master, you do realize we only have two more weeks here, right? After the blessing ceremony, what do you plan to do with them?”

Javier scoffed and waved his hand dismissively. ”Huh? They’ll follow us to Armand Region, of course! If it’s about money, you know how much i got in my magic storage, right? I’ve got A LOT in there! Ehehehe!”

Liana sighed, already feeling the headache coming. ”And if you keep hiring every homeless child you find?”

Javier’s grin widened, his tone filled with mock seriousness. ”Easy! First, I’ll ask them if they want to serve me. If they say yes, we’ll get Father to give them temporary resident IDs. Then, we’ll train them, check their talents, and make them loyal to only ME! Kekekeke!”

Gloria, who had been listening quietly, burst into soft laughter. ”Young Master, you really have a knack for turning everything into your own little empire, don’t you?”

Javier leaned back proudly. ”Of course! The Evil Lord Javier needs his loyal minions. It’s all part of the plan, Gloria. You’ll see.”

Liana shook her head, muttering under her breath. ”Only you would call this a plan...”

( End of Chapter )