I Reincarnated As A Villainess, But Why Did I Become A Cat Butler Instead? - Chapter 321

Chapter 161.1

Herman had been keeping an eye on the Blois townhouse when he saw Dimitri leaving.

At first, he assumed Dimitri was just stepping out for a brief errand. But when he noticed the carriage heading toward the teleportation circle, he immediately realized that Dimitri was on his way to Blois territory.

‘Is he going there himself to fetch the white wolf shapeshifter?’

Iris had told him about the agreement between Dimitri and the Emperor, and that Dimitri intended to enter the white wolf shapeshifter into the tournament.

‘He’s plotting something around the tournament.’

Even though he wasn’t sure what they were up to, it was definitely suspicious. Right after their battle, Dimitri had gone straight to the Emperor and struck a deal. While he didn’t know what Elaine, Rowaine, and Dimitri were plotting, he couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.

A sense of unease crept over Herman.

At that moment, his aide arrived with a piece of valuable information.

“During my investigation into the mercenary guild, I came across a story about a cat shapeshifter raised by the Duchess of Blois.”

“A shapeshifter under Rowaine’s care?”

Herman was already aware, as he had seen it with his own eyes. During a past visit to Blois, he had seen Rowaine carrying two young cat shapeshifters in her arms. He had assumed they were just new playthings.

“Apparently, one of them formed a contract with a demon. They summoned a battle demon and protected the Blois estate from a rebellious faction.”

“Another cat shapeshifter has formed a contract with a demon?”

He was well aware of just how powerful Dimitri was after forming a contract with a demon. On top of that, Dimitri had extensive combat experience, making him far more formidable than someone with just physical abilities. He knew firsthand how effortlessly Dimitri had overpowered him in their encounter.

‘Another combat-skilled cat shapeshifter? Looks like they’ve been keeping an intriguing little toy. No wonder they were so protective of those shapeshifters.’

Herman smirked as he looked up at Rowaine, who was gazing down from the fourth floor.

He readied himself to cast another spell.

His initial spell had been completely blocked by the protective barrier around the mansion. Still, his attack managed to shatter the barrier entirely.

A magic barrier created by humans, rather than by dog shapeshifters, was hardly an obstacle for Herman. Dimitri must have known that. The barrier was probably just a precautionary measure, meant to alert them to intrusions. As soon as the barrier shattered, the knights of Blois rushed in, forming a defensive formation as though they had anticipated this very situation.

‘I figured the Duke of Blois wouldn’t leave Rowaine unprotected, but…’

Just as Herman was preparing his next spell, the Blois knight commander yelled out.

“Count Heres! What is the meaning of this?!”

“You knew I was going to come anyway, so why pretend to be surprised?”

“If you cease your attack and withdraw now, we’ll treat this as a mere incident.”

“As if I’d believe that.”

With a smug expression, Herman deliberately shot a magic arrow straight at the fourth-floor window where Rowaine stood.

Whooosh!

The magic arrow whistled through the air, cutting through the wind as it shot forward. At that moment, a woman standing beside Rowaine swiftly intercepted the attack.

Boooom!

A powerful blast echoed as their magic clashed and detonated in the air.

‘They actually brought a mage for protection as well?’

Not that it changed much.

The mage seemed drained just from blocking a single one of his attacks. Rowaine could be seen helping the mage as they retreated from the window, seemingly trying to find a safer place to hide.

“Attack! Protect the Duchess!”

The moment Herman cast his spell, the knight commander gave the order, and the knights rushed at him.

With knights positioned inside the mansion as well, Herman, a long-range specialist, had no way to approach Rowaine directly. He taunted them, staying near the mansion while skillfully using teleportation magic to stay just out of the knights’ reach.

That was when it happened.

“Uwooooo!“

A deep, menacing growl—reminiscent of a dog’s howl but far more threatening—resonated behind Herman.

“Kyaagh!“

From the shadows, Sasha sprang forward and lunged at Herman.

To be exact, it was Abaddon, the demon under her control. The knight commander had deliberately driven Herman toward where Sasha was.

‘I was wondering where that cat shapeshifter who made a contract with a demon was hiding.’

Herman let out a frustrated click of his tongue as he conjured magic to fend off the unseen demon’s strike.

Vwoooom!

Booom!

A deafening crash echoed as the demon slammed into his magical barrier.

‘So this is a battle demon? Looks like it’s a pretty strong one.’