I Reincarnated As A Villainess, But Why Did I Become A Cat Butler Instead? - Chapter 198

Chapter 99.2

“I’ll do my best.”

In any case, since the topic had come up, I instructed Agaliaept to find a way to oppose Count Schdental and Cayetana. Then, all of a sudden, the contents of a Western history book I had read in high school flashed in my mind.

‘Oh, now that I think about it, something like this has happened on Earth before!’

During the outbreak of the Black Plague in medieval Europe, Pope Gregory IX attributed the blame for the plague to cats.

Under the leadership of the Catholic Church, malicious rumors about cats spread throughout Europe.

The content of these rumors was that ‘cats, the minions of the devil, along with witches, were spreading the Black Plague.’ As a result of that, there was a period when, along with misguided cat hunting, there was a trend of witch hunts against women who were unfairly accused.

History repeated itself. People were similar wherever they lived.

‘Then, the solution is…’

I knew very well what had happened to Europe when it lost its cats. With their natural predator gone, the rat population exploded, causing the Black Plague to spread uncontrollably. As a result, countless people lost their lives.

As I contemplated what actions I should take now based on this historical knowledge, a very bold idea came to mind.

“There’s a better way, Dimitri.”

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Dimitri and I summoned Viscount Villefranc and Baron Placen to the study and begin the meeting.

I took the initiative and gave instructions to them.

“Viscount Villefranc and Baron Placen, please investigate the territories and find out if there has been any interaction between the cat shapeshifters and the most affected areas. Also, check if there has been any rejection or extermination of the cat shapeshifters.”

In this human society, I knew that there were quite a few cat shapeshifters living among humans, just like Sasha.

They were somewhat different from the cat shapeshifters and shapeshifter slaves. One significant difference was that they were much more aggressive and had a strong survival instinct. However, the most notable distinction was that they didn’t possess the flashy appearance of Sasha or Coco.

‘Because cat lovers prefer unique and pretty cat shapeshifters.’

Unlike dog shapeshifters, cat shapeshifters were valued primarily for their aesthetics, and if they weren’t beautiful, they were considered useless. That’s why slave traders didn’t pursue cat shapeshifters with the same eagerness they did dog shapeshifters.

As a result, some street cat shapeshifters lived hidden within human society, pretending to be ordinary cats.

If we could gather evidence that, after the street cat shapeshifters disappeared from territories where they were harassed and driven away, the rat shapeshifters became even more active, it might sway the elder council’s opposition to my work in the future.

Then, I looked at Dimitri.

“Is it possible to locate and bring in all the cat shapeshifters in a particular area?”

“All of them?”

“Well, excluding those who don’t want to come.”

“Cat shifters are shapeshifters, so it won’t be easy, but it’s not impossible. After all, they have intelligence and instincts.”

“Okay.”

I smiled meaningfully.

“We’re going to open a very large shelter for shapeshifters, one that could turn the Empire upside down.”

I looked at Viscount Villefranc and Baron Placen, whose expressions were tense and stern.

“I won’t accept dissent because Dimitri has supported my plans.”

At my words, both of them looked at Dimitri as if wondering what he was thinking, but he just shrugged in response and whispered to me instead.

“It would be better if I stop evaluating you as timid from now on.”

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Elaine must have undoubtedly noticed that the atmosphere in Blois was unusual. She suddenly mentioned that she would return to the imperial palace even though it wasn’t even halfway through the originally scheduled date. Then, saying that she wanted to talk to me before she left, she called me to the stable where we had shared our first drink together.

As she sat on a haystack, she talked about trivial matters for a while before finally opening up about her concerns with a troubled expression.

“To be honest, I was very curious about Rowaine.”

I had a hunch that she was trying to bring up the topic of Count Bilbao’s slave traders.

Subsequently, as expected, the story about slave traders came out of her mouth.

“Actually, I’ve been hearing stories about the slave traders through the Emperor’s hounds, and I’ve been investigating the incident related to Count Bilbao for a long time.”

I pretended not to know and raised my eyebrows.

“Is that so?”

“Yes. But then I heard that Rowaine had solved this matter before me… that’s why I became curious about what kind of person Rowaine was.”

“So, to Blois…”

“That’s right. I’m only saying this because we’ve gotten this far, Rowaine.”

Then, she discreetly lowered her voice.

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