I blinked slowly. I thought I would die from divine punishment for casting a curse, but a quest? Butler?

‘Does this mean I’ll be forgiven if I take care of a helpless creature?’

But if the curse is lifted, doesn’t that mean Emperor Kailas will survive too?

Everything was so unfamiliar that I felt bewildered. I pressed my palm against my throbbing head.

Either way, I had no choice. After accepting, I shook my head.

‘So where is this helpless creature I need to take care of?’

[‘The Dragon Trampler’ tells you to look around.]

Following the deity’s message, I turned my head. I was still sitting on the curse formation created by the Pope.

Nothing had changed. The desolate surroundings, the chilly wind blowing. And the black-furred baby kitten with gleaming golden eyes.

…A baby kitten?

My eyes widened. The kitten’s large eyes seemed to glare at me reproachfully.

“Why is there a cat here?”

It definitely wasn’t here before.

I had never raised an animal in my life. The only animals allowed in the temple were sacrificial lambs and doves.

‘And a baby kitten, no less.’

I was frozen, not knowing how to deal with this unfamiliar creature, when—

Ding dong, an alert sounded.

[‘Kyle’ is currently very cold and in a bad mood.]

‘Kyle?’

That seemed to be the cat’s name. I blinked.

‘Could this cat be the helpless creature?’

While I was hesitating—

[*WARNING

‘Kyle’s’ body temperature has dropped to dangerous levels.

If ‘Kyle’ dies, the quest automatically fails.]

‘Oh no, that can’t happen.’

I hurriedly picked up the kitten with both hands. The warm, fluffy sensation seemed to tickle my heart.

The moment I held it, I understood why the quest was called “Become My Butler.”

‘Goodness! It’s so fluffy! Like holding a cloud.’

In an instant, all wariness melted away, leaving my heart feeling soft and mushy. As I was grinning foolishly, a loud voice boomed from behind me.

“Cioranne! Are you okay?!”

“Richard.”

It was the holy knight, Richard. Upon seeing him, I reflexively tried to stand up but slumped back down. My stomach ached like it was being sliced with a knife. I frowned and replied.

“Ugh, I can’t get up.”

“Good heavens! After losing that much blood, it would be more surprising if you could stand.”

Richard clicked his tongue and approached me, taking off his cloak and giving it to me. Only then did I realize that, just as Richard said, my front was soaked with blood.

‘I thought it was just a trickle, but I’ve lost so much blood.’

With the cloak wrapped around me, I felt much warmer. Richard irritably swept back his hair and grumbled.

“What on earth did that sinister Pope do?”

Sinister Pope, he said. His raw, unfiltered words made me burst into laughter.

“Haha.”

“This isn’t funny, you idiot. Do you know how scared I was? There was a blinding light, and time seemed to stop for a moment. Even for you who uses holy power like breathing, I thought something terrible had happened…”

He was right. I too felt a chill down my spine when I saw the curse mark appear as I infused my holy power.

‘What was he thinking?’

All this time, I believed the temple should move with one heart and mind, so I always supported the Pope.

‘But for the Pope to use a curse…’

Did I misjudge him? I thought Incensino’s heart for the world was genuine.

‘Let’s find him and talk about this.’

I sighed. Sitting here lost in thought wouldn’t provide any answers.

“Thank you, Richard.”

At my gratitude, Richard turned his head away dismissively.

“What about the Emperor?”

“I don’t know. He disappeared from that spot.”

“I see.”

“What exactly happened?”

“I’m not sure either. For now, I just want to rest…”

The baby kitten in my palm squirmed slightly. Its trembling tickled my palm like a vibration.

‘It must still be cold!’

After the cloud-like texture of the kitten, the next most distinct sensation was its breath. The baby kitten’s breathing was very shallow, feeling like it might stop if I pressed too hard.

‘What should I do?’

Not knowing what to do, I looked up at Richard standing in front of me.

“Richard, can you help me?”

“Want me to hold you?”

“No, that’s not it.”

I raised my hands to show him and asked, “Have you ever raised a baby kitten?”

* * *

Kailas was an atheist.

‘If God existed, the country wouldn’t be in such a mess.’

If God truly existed, how would one explain children born in gutters from birth?

What about those born into slavery, never tasting freedom?

What about the idiots who suppress those stronger and more capable than themselves, simply because of their status?

‘That’s why I’ll change things. Since God won’t do anything.’

The Emperor rejected his son because he was born a black panther beast-folk. Years later, that son led his subordinates to occupy the imperial city, overthrew the Emperor, and claimed the throne himself.

That was Emperor Kailas.

The first thing he did upon becoming Emperor was abolish slavery.

“All beings with consciousness shall be their own masters and shall not be bound to anyone else.”

The nobles who owned many slaves should have been the most resistant, but having tasted Kailas’s cruelty, they remained quiet. However, an unexpected figure opposed Kailas’s policy.

“That is not right. Do you truly believe suddenly giving freedom to those who know nothing of it is really for their benefit?”

It was Pope Incensino, who held power equal to the Emperor’s.

Because the foolish previous Emperor had elevated the church’s authority too much, the Pope freely expressed opinions on national policies.

“Do you dare challenge my decision?”

“I merely convey the teachings of God.”

That nonexistent God!

Kailas’s eyes blazed fiercely. The Pope smiled gently at him and said.

“The temple absolutely opposes this. This empire belongs to humans.”

With the Pope taking such a hard line, opinions began to circulate within the empire suggesting the policy should be withdrawn. But Kailas couldn’t yield. His reign had just begun. If his first policy was blocked by the Pope, the Pope would continue to oppose him in the future!

The continued sharp confrontation eventually escalated into an armed conflict. When the tension between the Pope and the Emperor reached its peak, the Pope proposed to the Emperor.

“Since war causes great damage, how about leading only elite knights for a duel with fewer people?”

Upon hearing this, Marquis Noel Ferol, Kailas’s right-hand man and young chancellor, made a fuss.

“It must be a trap! There’s no way they challenged us to a fight without ulterior motives!”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Kailas replied confidently, “You know that no matter how many humans come at me, they’re no match.”

As a black panther beast-folk, he was much stronger than ordinary humans even in human form, and magic and holy power didn’t affect him.

‘I’ll make that Pope kneel before me.’

And proving his confidence wasn’t mere recklessness, the duel turned overwhelmingly in Kailas’s favor. His black hair swirled like raging flames.

He easily knocked the Pope off his horse and trampled his body. Even in this situation, the Pope’s face remained incredibly serene.

“Indeed, you are no ordinary person. Someone like you should not rule this world.”

“Who decides that?”

Kailas raised his sword high. With a smile so wicked it seemed to tear at the corners of his mouth, he swung his arm.

“Farewell, servant of a nonexistent God.”

It was at that very moment, when he was about to kill the Pope.

A blinding light exploded from Kailas’s feet like a bomb.

“W-what is this?!”

Kailas turned pale at the light slowly consuming him. It was an overwhelming power he had never felt before. Mocking his confusion, the Pope lying beneath his feet explained in a calm tone.

“I know that neither magic nor holy power works on you. So I prepared something special. A curse of existence. Even you won’t be able to overcome this curse.”

“You, a Pope, using curses? Is that allowed?!”

It was absurd that someone of the Pope’s stature would personally prepare a curse typically used by those who contract with demons. Despite Kailas’s criticism, the Pope answered without the slightest hesitation.

“It doesn’t matter. If I alone fall to hell, and everyone else can be happy.”

“You’re insane!”

This is why one should never exchange even a single word with such a madman.