The Villain Wants to Live a Quiet Life

After calming down the people at the scene and successfully returning with them to Federbarn, Ludwig guided them straight to the mansion.

“Thank you sincerely. Thanks to you, nothing happened to the young lady.”

“It’s nothing. Don’t mention it.”

Ludwig waved his hand as Rel bowed deeply in gratitude.

His timely presence there was purely coincidental. It was a place he occasionally visited recently because it was suitable for training due to the high concentration of mana in the air.

Originally, this was known to almost no one except the Sword Saint Rebecca, but he knew it through the original work.

It was a kind of small trick he used to gain strength.

Amidst this, he noticed a commotion at the foot of the mountain and rushed down to find the situation unfolding.

If he had arrived any later, Tanya probably wouldn’t be in this world anymore. If that had happened, he wouldn’t have been able to face Emilia later on.

“Is Lady Ansberg uninjured?”

“Yes. Apart from a slight scratch from hurriedly exiting the carriage, she’s unharmed.”

“That’s a relief.”

Ludwig didn’t expect their first encounter to happen like this.

On the way to the mansion, he had personally brought Tanya back by horse, but after expressing her gratitude, she remained silent.

The fear of facing the Squale Wolf and the memories from the scene must still be fresh in her mind.

If only they could have first met under better circumstances, it would have been better for both of them, but things had already gone awry.

As Ludwig was conversing with Rel, the door to the reception room opened, and Carl and Tanya appeared together.

Tanya, who had borrowed simple clothes having had her dress torn and tattered, exuded a charm that was more demure than glamorous.

“Father, what about the Ansberg family’s guards…?”

“Yes, I hear there’s no major problem. The bodies of those who unfortunately lost their lives at the scene will be retrieved by our family’s guards tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Father.”

The bodies at the scene were buried in the ground with markers left to prevent wild animals from consuming them.

When the family’s soldiers arrive at the scene tomorrow, they should be able to identify them quickly.

Just as Ludwig let out a sigh of relief at the thought that the incident was resolved, Tanya, who had been watching him, suddenly stepped forward.

“On behalf of the Ansberg family, I thank you. I will never forget this kindness shown today.”

And just as Rel had done to Ludwig, she bowed deeply, showing the highest courtesy in expressing her gratitude.

Although she usually seemed carefree and reckless, she was still a member of the Ansberg family.

It was a greeting she had to give as a representative to the one who had saved her and her family members.

“No, it’s nothing. If only I had been a little faster, others wouldn’t have had to sacrifice… I’m sorry I was late.”

“Please don’t think that way. Everyone feels deeply grateful towards you.”

The most important thing at that moment was whether Tanya Ansberg, the girl, could survive or not.

If something had happened to her, even if the remaining soldiers had succeeded in dealing with the Squale Wolf, the effort itself would have failed.

The deep gratitude the survivors felt towards Ludwig stemmed from this point.

“I’ll go talk with Hans. Make yourselves comfortable and chat.”

“Ah, if it’s about that, I should also…”

Talking with Hans meant having a general conversation about this incident.

Ludwig tried to follow him, not wanting to idle in the reception room while leaving everything to his father, but Carl smiled and stopped him.

“You stay here with that child. Remember, it’s a man’s duty to comfort an injured woman.”

It was truly a splendid statement, but somehow that smile seemed to have a hint of slyness.

Ludwig hesitated, certain that his father was up to something again, but he couldn’t refuse his words stubbornly in this situation.

“Ah! Thank you, Lord Aiphretz.”

“Give your thanks to my son, though it seems you’ve already given him plenty.”

Tanya hurriedly bowed her head to Carl as he was leaving, expressing her gratitude for what must have been the umpteenth time today.

Carl waved his hand, looking back and forth between Ludwig and Tanya, and then left the reception room with that enigmatic smile once again.

A quiet stillness settled in the reception room after the door closed with a soft thud.

“It’s already late, wouldn’t it be better for the lady to retire to bed? You must be very tired.”

Ludwig, feeling uncomfortable with the silence despite not having done anything wrong, chose to mention bedtime as a way to escape this situation.

He thought that any conversation they couldn’t have today could be had tomorrow, and believed that Tanya’s mind was not yet settled.

Rel seemed to agree with his opinion, nodding slightly beside him.

But the response from Tanya herself was quite unexpected.

“Rel, could you leave us alone for a moment?”

“…Pardon?”

This was none other than a request for her maid, Rel, to leave them alone for a while.

Rel inadvertently blurted out a surprised response to this sudden request. If she left here, it would create a situation where the two were alone.

There wasn’t a single servant here either, as she had told the staff to withdraw.

“Rel?”

“Ah, I understand, my lady. Then, if you’ll excuse me…”

Tanya called her name again in a low voice as if to reconfirm.

Rel, finally coming to her senses, hurriedly nodded, stood up, greeted Ludwig, and left the reception room.

With even Rel, who could have helped continue the conversation, gone, an even heavier silence descended.

He could only hope that she would say something, anything, as he had no way of guessing her intentions.

“Lord Aiphretz.”

“Yes, please speak.”

Had his wish reached the heavens? Her lips, which had been tightly closed and only mumbling until now, opened not long after.

Perhaps due to his recent familiarity with Emilia, he found the formal address a bit awkward, but he tried not to show it.

“I heard from Lord Stefan. About your relationship with Emilia…”

“Ah, you mean that story.”

He had wondered what she was going to say, hesitating to bring it up, but fortunately, it was within the expected range.

If she had heard directly from Stefan, she probably knew well that he and Emilia had become friends.

From now on, she would likely try to confirm whether he was worthy as her friend. He had to answer as best he could.

“I’m not sure what Lord Stefan said… but most of it is probably true.”

“Then, your relationship with Emilia…?”

“…Yes. Although I’m lacking…”

There’s no such thing as being lacking or not in a friendship, but compared to the star that is Emilia, any existence would pale in comparison.

Tanya nodded slightly, fixing her gaze on Ludwig, who was taking quite a humble stance.

‘So it was true…’

Until she came here, she had doubts concerning the relationship between the two.

After all, she had never imagined the possibility of the noble Emilia falling for someone.

Moreover, before coming here, she had people investigate. According to their findings, Ludwig Aiphretz was known only as a weak man who liked growing flowers.

This meant he was far from the standard of a man worthy of first love in her still-innocent mind.

“Are you disappointed?”

“Pardon?”

As if he had seen through her thoughts, Ludwig casually threw out this question, causing Tanya to ask back with her eyes wide open.

“I heard you’re Emilia’s longtime friend. I thought you might have come to see me, feeling resentful that an unremarkable man was standing by her side.”

“That, that’s…”

“If I’m wrong, I’ll apologize. But if it’s true, you can be honest with me.”

It wasn’t just a probing question.

He had nothing to gain by being disliked by her, and if anything, it would be more beneficial to build trust by pretending not to know and showing a good image.

Nevertheless, the reason he brought this up and tried to expose it was to treat Tanya Ansberg with sincerity.

Although they had Emilia as a common subject, paradoxically, this made their relationship more awkward and uncomfortable.

That’s why he took this bold step.

If he could get a positive response from Tanya here, Ludwig could appeal to her sincerity, showing that he never treats Emilia with a careless heart. That he truly considers her a precious friend.

If she, being no fool, could recognize that his sincerity was not misplaced, the two of them could become more comfortable with each other.

“…It’s true that I came to observe you. But I’m not disappointed. Rather…”

“Rather?”

“…It’s nothing. Anyway, I apologize for trying to test you.”

Unable to finish her sentence, swallowing the words down her throat, she then offered an apology rather than thanks.

He’s a more perceptive man than expected. Moreover, she liked the fact that even though he was aware of it, he mentioned it instead of keeping silent and pretending to be oblivious.

‘At least it means he won’t put on airs. You’ve found a good person, Emilia.’

Tanya inwardly congratulated her friend who was too far away to receive the message.

Her friend seemed so distant that she felt she couldn’t even dare to look at her.

Nevertheless, the reason Tanya always stayed by her friend’s side was that she thought by maintaining this distance, she might be able to see the path her friend would take, even if from afar.

But as they say, nothing in this world goes as planned.

Until now, she thought that no matter how far away her friend was, at least being able to watch her was possible.

But now, she realized it might be difficult.

She didn’t know the reason herself. Even if her friend had found a lover, she should always be able to watch Emilia from her position as a friend.

Maybe her head was malfunctioning. With such thoughts unconsciously in her mind, Tanya smiled brightly and spoke to him.

“Lord Aiphretz, shall we be friends too?”

“Friends… you say?”

“Yes. If you’re important to Emilia, you’re the same to me. It’s awkward to keep addressing you as Lord Aiphretz and being formal, isn’t it?”

This was an action that the usual Tanya Ansberg would never have taken.

She is quite clumsy when it comes to approaching people. In some ways, as much as Emilia.

The reason the two could become close was also because they felt this strange sense of kinship in each other.

On the other hand, Ludwig seemed to ponder her suggestion for a moment before smiling and nodding.

There was no need to think deeply; he could simply consider that Tanya had opened her heart to him.

“By all means. I look forward to our friendship, Tanya.”

He readily extended his hand first, but Tanya stared at the outstretched hand with a look that suggested something was not to her liking.

Had he done something wrong? Was she uncomfortable with having to hold hands for a handshake?

Various thoughts flashed through Ludwig’s mind in that brief moment, but as her lips opened, the misunderstanding was cleared up.

“Since we’re friends, speak to me casually too.”

“Um… you mean…?”

“Pfft.”

Ludwig stood there frozen, his hand still extended.

Seemingly frustrated by his lack of understanding, Tanya strode over, grasped his hand, and said with a radiant smile:

“I mean like this. Looking forward to our friendship, Ludwig.”

While casually shaking their joined hands up and down, Tanya inwardly began to mutter the fact born from misunderstanding repeatedly.

He is Emilia’s man.

He is Emilia’s lover.

He is Emilia’s other half.

As if writing it down in her mind to not forget, over and over again.

translator’s corner

better not be snatching up your friend’s lover now :TT