My eyes fluttered open slowly. I thought I would die as punishment for casting a curse, but quest? Servant?
‘Are you trying to forgive me for taking care of a helpless creature?’
But doesn’t that mean Emperor Kailas is alive too since the curse is lifted?
It was all so new and confusing. I rubbed my throbbing head with my palm.
In any case, there was no choice. I shook my head after choosing to accept.
‘So where is this helpless creature I’m supposed to take care of?’
[“The Dragon Trample” asks you to look around you.]
I turned my head at the divine message.
I was still sitting on the pedestal where the Pope had created the curse.
Nothing had changed. The desolate surroundings and the chilling breeze.
And a black kitten with gleaming golden eyes.
…A kitten?
My eyes widened.
The kitten’s large eyes stared at me as if in reproach.
“What is a cat doing here?”
I’m sure it wasn’t there before.
I had never raised an animal in my life. This is because only sacrificial lambs and doves are allowed to enter the temple.
‘Especially a kitten.’
I was frozen, unsure of how to react to this strange feline creature.
Ding dong, an alert sounded.
[“Kyle” is very cold now and is in a bad mood.]
“Kyle?”
That must be the cat’s name. I blinked.
‘Don’t tell me, this cat is the helpless creature?’
As I hesitated, a warning popped up.
[*Warning
“Kyle’s” body temperature has dropped to a dangerous level.
If “Kyle” dies, the quest will automatically fail.]
‘Oh, no, that won’t do.’
I hurriedly picked up the cat with both hands. Its warm, fluffy touch seemed to tickle my heart.
The moment I held it, I realized why the quest was called “You, Be My Servant.”
‘Oh my goodness! It’s so fuzzy! It feels like I’m holding onto a cloud.’
In an instant, all my guard and everything else melted away, and I felt my heart become mushy. As I was giggling and babbling, a big voice echoed from behind me.
“Cioranne! Are you alright?!”
“Richard.”
It was Richard, the paladin. Seeing Richard, I reflexively tried to get up, but then I slumped back down again. My stomach felt like it was being ripped apart by a knife. I frowned and replied.
“Ugh, I can’t get up.”
“Oh my goodness! It would be more surprising if you could get up after bleeding like that.”
Richard clicked his tongue and approached me, taking off his mantle. Only then did I realize that my front was soaked with blood, just as Richard had said.
‘I thought it was just trickling down, but I’ve lost so much blood.’
When he wrapped the mantle around me, I felt much warmer. Richard ruffled his hair in annoyance and grumbled.
“What on earth did that sinister Pope do?”
Sinister Pope. I burst into laughter at the raw, unfiltered words.
“Haha.”
“This is no laughing matter, you idiot. Do you know how scared I was? The whole world stopped for a moment as a blinding light flashed. No matter how much you boast about being able to blast your strength, this time I thought something really big was up…”
That’s right. Even I felt a chill down my spine at the thought of the curse mark that appears when I infuse my strength.
‘What on earth was I thinking?’
I had always believed that the temple should be moved with one heart and one mind, and I had always given strength to the Pope.
‘But the Pope cursed me?’
Did I misjudge the person? I thought he was sincere in his heart for the world of Encenino.
‘Let’s go find him and talk.’
I sighed. There was no answer to be found sitting here lost in thought.
“Thank you, Richard.”
In response to my greeting, Richard turned his head nonchalantly.
“The Emperor?”
“I don’t know. He disappeared from there.”
“I see.”
“What on earth happened?”
“I don’t know either. I just want to rest for now…”
The kitten in my palm meowed softly. The trembling felt like a vibration through my palm.
‘I guess it’s still cold!’
The soft touch of the cloud-like cat was followed by the kitten’s breath, which was so clear that it felt cold.The kitten’s breath was so shallow that it seemed like it would stop if I pressed down on it.
‘What should I do?’
I looked up at Richard, who was standing in front of me, not knowing what to do.
“Richard, can you help me?”
“Should I hold you?”
“No, that’s not it.”
I raised my hands and asked.
“Have you ever raised a kitten before?”
* * *
Kailas was an atheist.
‘If there were a god, the country would not have turned into such a mess.’
If there were a god, how would he explain the children who are born in the gutter from the moment they are born?
Those who are born slaves and never taste freedom?
The idiots who live by simply kicking down and using those who are stronger and more capable than them with just their position?
‘So I’m going to change it. God doesn’t do anything, so I will.’
The emperor turned away from his son because he was born as a black panther beastman. And years later, the son led his subordinates to capture the capital and drove out the emperor. And he himself ascended to the throne.
He was Emperor Kailas.
The first thing he did after becoming emperor was to abolish the slave system.
“All sentient beings shall be their own masters and shall not be enslaved by anyone else.”
In fact, the ones who should have been most opposed were the nobles who had a lot of slaves, but they were quiet after tasting Kailas’s cruelty. However, an unexpected figure spoke out against Kailas’s policy.
“That’s not right. Do you think giving freedom to those who don’t know freedom is really for their own good?”
It was Pope Encenino, who had as much power as the emperor.
Thanks to the foolish previous emperor who had raised the power of the Temple too much, the pope had been expressing his opinions on the country’s policies without hesitation.
“Dare you question my opinion?”
“I am just preaching the teachings of God.”
That non-existent god!
Kailas’ eyes burned fiercely. To him, the Pope smiled softly and said.
“It is absolutely against the Temple. This empire is an empire of humans.”
As the Pope came out so strongly, there were whispers in the empire to quietly withdraw the policy. But Kailas could not give in. His reign had just begun. If he was tied up by the Pope from the very first policy, he would continue to oppose him in the future!
The confrontation continued to intensify, eventually escalating into an armed conflict involving the mobilization of troops. When the conflict between the pope and the emperor reached its peak, the pope made a request to the emperor.
“Since the damage of the war is growing, how about we have a duel with a small number of people, led only by elite knights?”
Noel Ferol, Marquis, a young chancellor and Kailas’s right-hand man, raised a ruckus upon hearing the story.
“It must be a trap! There’s no way they would have picked a fight without any ulterior motive!”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Kailas replied confidently.
“Don’t you know? A few humans are no match for me.”
As a pantherman, he was far stronger than an ordinary human even when he was humanized, and magic and divine power did not work on him.
‘I’ll make the Pope kneel before me.’
And as if his arrogance was not enough, the duel turned out to be in Kailas’s favor. His black hair whipped around like a burning flame.
He easily knocked the Pope off his horse and trampled on his body. The Pope’s face remained calm even in the midst of this.
“As I thought, you were no ordinary person. Someone like you should not rule this world.”
“Who decides that?”
Kailas raised his sword-wielding hand. He raised his arms, his lips curled into a wicked smile.
“Go away, lackey of a non-existent god.”
It was the moment he was about to kill the Pope.
A blinding light erupted from the tip of Kailas’s foot as if a bomb had gone off.
“Wh, what is this?!”
Kailas turned pale in the light that was slowly devouring him. It was an overwhelming power he had never felt before. As if mocking his confusion, the Pope lying under his feet explained in a soft voice.
“I know that neither magic nor divine power works on you. That’s why I prepared this specially for you. The Curse of Existence. No matter how strong you are, you cannot overcome the curse.”
“You, you Pope, are you allowed to cast a curse?!”
It was unbelievable that someone as high as the Pope would have prepared a curse that was only used by those who had made contracts with demons. Even to Kailas’s accusations, the Pope replied without any hesitation.
“It doesn’t matter. If I alone fall to hell, everyone can be happy.”
“Lunatic!”
That’s why I shouldn’t have exchanged a single word with this crazy bastard.
* * * *
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