The Butler of the Villainess Has Returned

Chapter 38

Illina Church.

A religion devoted to the Goddess of Creation and Protection, Illina, with immense influence.

It was selected as the state religion of most countries, including the Hyperion Empire, and was the largest religion in the world, with one-fifth of the global population as its followers.

"So I left it alone for now."

He sighed and pressed his forehead.

After encountering Adora, the King of Nightmares, he entrusted several requests to the Beggar King.

One of them was an investigation into the Illina Church.

He asked for investigations into the Capital Region Branch, where High Priest Douglas resided, and other suspicious branches.

The Beggar King, who brought back the results, was startled.

-...It was all the Demon God Cult.

-Damn bastards, those guys.

-Isn't it shocking? It's the Illina Church, the largest religion on the continent, and its High Priest was a Demon Cultist?

-You should be the one surprised, old man.

There was nothing to be surprised about anymore.

In his previous life, even the Pope of the Illina Church had followed the Demon God Cult.

The Beggar King sighed and asked.

-So what are you planning to do now?

-For now, I'll let it be.

-Let it be?

The Beggar King couldn't understand.

He ranted that such people should be killed immediately and offered to help.

So he bluntly retorted.

-You're such an idiot.

-What?

-Don't you know the Illina Church, old man?

If the Hyperion Empire was the greatest nation on the continent, the Illina Church was the greatest religion in the world.

It had countless powerful figures and strong individuals as followers, and the financial and military power of the Illina Church itself was great enough to rival a nation.

-You need solid evidence that those bastards are part of the Demon God Cult before you can decide to kill them or not.

If they launched a raid with the current sparse information, it could backfire and make them side with the church instead.

The Holy Knights' Order of the Illina Church.

Priests who had received the Goddess's Baptism.

Beyond that, countless strong individuals and the financial power to hire and command them.

If they were determined to capture Moonlight, it was clear that there would be many restrictions on their activities.

So they left it alone.

While secretly blocking the Capital Region Branch from gathering beastmen, they focused solely on that.

After regaining the power of Moonlight later, they planned to deal with them one by one, but someone destroyed it.

Just in case, he asked Ian.

"It wasn't you who destroyed it, was it?"

"Do I look like such a ruffian to you?"

"A little?"

After all, this was the man who had even beaten the Dean of Sion.

Ian shook his head.

"...I'm not that kind of person."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

He decided to trust him for now.

Then who could it be?

He closed his eyes and quietly thought.

A faction simple enough to raid the Illina Church's Main Branch without considering the consequences.

Or a faction with that much grudge.

A faction with strong individuals capable of completely erasing the Main Branch without a trace in a single night.

The Beggar King?

That couldn't be it.

Ananta might be simple, but he wasn't stupid.

Could it be Rania?

That couldn't be it either.

Rania wouldn't leave the Emperor's side if she judged there was even a slight danger.

As his worries deepened, Ian smiled and spoke.

"Come to think of it, yesterday was a full moon. Asha is causing a commotion, saying she'll catch the Captain."

At that moment, something came to mind.

"Say that again."

"Asha knocked the Captain down—"

"Not that."

"Then..."

After some thought, Ian corrected himself.

"Yesterday was a full moon?"

Full Moon.

The day when the fullest full moon rises.

He quickly asked.

"Those bastards were kidnapping beastmen, right?"

"Yes, that's correct."

Why had he forgotten until now?

He asked one last question.

"They were beastmen from the Moon Tribe?"

Ian nodded. He organized his thoughts and quietly muttered.

"I've got the answer."

Someone with a grudge against the Demon God Cult.

Someone connected to the Moon Tribe.

Someone who was already powerful but became as strong as a faction under the full moon.

All the pieces fit together.

"Luna Fenrir."

There was no time to waste. As he stood up, he made a request.

"Ian, prepare one more uniform for me."

"A uniform, sir...?"

He gave a short reply.

"It needs to have a tail."

You'll need to pay attention to the details.

2.

"What...?"

High Priest Douglas Harper opened his eyes in a dark cave.

It was a deep cave with no light at all, not even allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness.

"Ugh...!"

He wriggled his body, but it was useless.

He was clearly either tied to some kind of pillar or his limbs were paralyzed.

"Damn it, what the hell is this!!"

As he struggled and thrashed, golden glowing eyes flickered before him.

"...You're awake."

Vertically split pupils, surrounded by deep yellow eyes.

The moment he saw them, he realized.

"Are you from the Moon Tribe?"

That the opponent was from the Moon Tribe.

He immediately felt relieved.

To Douglas Harper, beastmen were closer to objects than humans.

He didn't know how they managed to kidnap him, but as long as the opponent was a beastman, there was nothing to worry about.

Douglas growled lowly.

"I don't know what kind of prank you pulled, but you'd better untie this right now."

"...Why should I?"

"Don't you know who I am? I'm Douglas Harper, the High Priest of the Iliana Church Branch!"

Touching him was the same as touching the Iliana Church.

"The moment something happens to me, you'll be hunted by the Holy Knights' Order for the rest of your life."

Of course, even if they obediently untied him now, he'd find a way to kill them anyway.

"...Is that so?"

However, the opponent was indifferent.

Saaaak.

They simply threw a dry gaze while slowly slicing and cutting something.

"...Douglas Harper?"

"Yes!! Even if you're a beastman, you must have heard my name at least once, right?!"

"...I've heard it."

Saak.

Seoguk.

They sliced something again.

Douglas became angry.

How dare a lowly beastman ignore a human speaking!

"If you've heard it, then you should know, you bastard!! Don't you know who I am?!"

At that moment, as he shouted in anger.

"...I do."

Hwaak!

A Wolf Spirit imbued with moonlight appeared, brightening the dark cave.

"...Everyone said they knew you."

It was the moment when Douglas Harper adjusted to the sudden light.

"Huh...?"

He realized his situation.

"Huhhh...?!"

A beastman, covered in blood, refining a crimson buckle, and countless corpses piled on the floor.

And―

"Why is my leg like this...?"

His leg, thinly sliced like ham, severed by a sharpened buckle.

"Hey... don't, don't do this...."

He squirmed and reached out his hand.

And he realized once again.

"My..., my arm too...?"

That his arm had already been cut off up to the shoulder.

The beastman gave a faint smile.

"...I was bored because you wouldn't wake up."

Only then did he understand everything.

That his limbs weren't paralyzed but had been severed and disappeared, and that the reason they knew his name was because his subordinates had called out his name.

"Grrrk...!"

Douglas's eyes rolled back.

Overwhelmed by excessive shock, it was clear he would die if left alone.

He unconsciously felt relieved.

Talking to this beastman and surviving might be worse than dying like this.

However, even that failed.

"...[Blessing of the Forest.]"

A part of the glowing wolf's light seeped into Douglas's wounds.

While his limbs didn't regenerate as before, the sliced parts of his wounds healed cleanly.

"D-Damn it.... Damn it all!!"

"...You're noisy."

"Kill me! Just kill me already!!"

"...Depending on your answer."

The beastman approached Douglas, who was hanging in the void, and slowly extended their right hand.

Kwaaak...!

Grabbing his hair slowly, they pulled his face forward and whispered into his ear.

"...Where are the kids?"

Douglas racked his brain.

The opponent was a Moon Wolf.

So the beastman must be referring to the children of the Moon Wolves.

"T-The Moon Wolf kids, F-Floria! That wench Floria took them!!"

"...Floria?"

"Floria, the 7th Bishop of the Demon God Cult―"

At that moment, Douglas laughed.

"Academy, Sion, r-raid..., th-the...."

Zuuuk.

It was a grotesque laugh, as if he was experiencing momentary pleasure from having all his vitality drained.

And then, it twisted in an instant.

"Kahak!!"

Squeezed excessively, he withered as if trying to clutch his abdomen.

Basrak.

The beastman pulled out a cigarette from their pocket. Lighting it with a spirit, they muttered.

"...Sion."

After taking a few more puffs, they flicked the cigarette butt toward the pile of corpses.

Hwareureureuk!

The ash-haired beastman walked away, leaving the blazing flames behind.

"...Things just got annoying."

They never looked back.

A life of moving forward, doing only as commanded, without thinking about anything.

That was the life she was living.

3.

Peaceful lunchtime in Sion.

After asking Ian for a uniform, she had just returned from gathering information from the Beggar King.

"Kihit."

She was a young lady who had a production ticket for a customized weapon as a reward for the Most Suppressions.

I smiled contentedly and asked.

"Does it make you that happy?"

"Of course! They say it's an Imperial Master Craftsman!"

"Wow, I'm really jealous of that."

"Right?"

Her crimson eyes sparkled like rubies, and she laughed incessantly with a clear giggle.

Lately, her expression had darkened whenever she looked at me, so I had been worried.

Seeing her cheerful appearance after a long time made me happy.

The young lady, holding the golden ticket in her hand, looked up at me and asked.

"Father said that even finding a well-matched weapon could lead to a step in growth."

I wholeheartedly agreed.

It was the same when I fought Baalphegor.

Didn't I activate Mutual Destruction, which I couldn't use before, to finish it?

I nodded.

"Even just properly matching an artifact, achieving the 6th Circle level should be easy."

"Right?"

The young lady laughed brightly.

"Hmm...."

After pouting her lips like a baby duck and pondering, she threw a question at me.

"Achieving the 6th Circle at our age would really be a remarkable achievement, right?"

"Of course, even if you searched the entire continent, not just Sion, it would be rare."

"Exactly, exactly."

The young lady nodded.

"So, if I achieve the 6th Circle, how about we go out together to celebrate?"

"Oh, that's a great idea."

I immediately agreed.

Besides, Claudia and Kali had been clamoring to go sightseeing outside.

Yeah, this time, we could include Asha, and even Angel Aurora, and have fun together...!

For a moment, the young lady's expression hardened.

"Not together."

"Ah, why?!"

It was a great opportunity to solve the bothersome task of entertaining the members!

My happy imagination collapsed all at once.

No, I thought it would collapse.

The young lady asked me again.

"Do you really want to go together?"

"Of course!!"

"More than going on a date with me?"

The young lady blurted out and turned her head.

At the same time, my brain froze.

However, I was a seasoned butler.

Having lived three lives as a butler, I recalled all the words stored in my head.

And I asked.

"Will you cover all the date expenses?"

Oh, idiot.

I wasn't the only one who thought so.

"What the! Are you seriously insane?!"

"Y-Yuri, you're a fool.... A-And slightly idiotic...."

I also had to endure the laughter of Claudia, who burst out, and Kali, who had come to observe.

The young lady was furious.

"You...!"

Just as she was about to dash at me with her usual fierce villainess expression.

Thud!

Someone snatched the golden ticket the young lady was holding.

"Run! Run quickly!!"

"Is this a weapon?!"

"Idiot, it's a ticket to exchange for a weapon! We need to replace Luna's buckle!!"

It was the Beastman Trio, scruffy in appearance but capable of swift movements.

However, they messed with the wrong person.

"How did you get in here?"

Villainess Frey.

"Could it be like Kali, here for observation?"

Clown Claudia.

"N-No. Th-They didn't have an entry permit on their necks...!"

Witch Kali.

And then.

"Catch those sons of dogs."

Even Angel Yuri.

"Okay!"

"Y-Yes!!"

As soon as the command was given, Claudia and Kali dashed out at incredible speed.

Had they grown already?

Just as I was about to analyze their growth while watching the two members, the young lady approached me.

Then she furrowed her forehead.

"They aren't sons of dogs, but wolf cubs, though?"

"Pardon?"

"The ones who took my ticket. They look more like wolves than dogs."

For a moment, something came to mind.

I hurriedly checked the compiled materials.

These were documents regarding the Demon God Cult branches that had disappeared without a trace, like the Illina Church incident.

+

The culprit is a Moon Wolf Beastman.

As a result of restoring the remaining memories of the deceased, it was revealed they were asking the same question.

[...Where are the kids?]

It seems they were referring to the kidnapped beastmen, especially the Moon Wolf Beastman children.

Currently searching for the whereabouts of the children, but nothing has been found except that they headed to the capital city.

+

I immediately closed the paper and shouted.

"Hit them gently, gently!!"

"G-Gently?"

"Yes! Just enough to make them feel bad!!"

"They already have two lumps on their heads?!"

Oh, this was bad.

It was the time when Luna's temper was at its worst.