Chapter 118

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[Ismail is really smart and kind.6244a57c9c7e3f86

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He’s still young, but he’s already finished studying the scriptures.f5f874cbb2814f5c

His dream is to 593a4367d4 become someone as great 6894da1001 as Your Holiness and 3e8d164950 help others.985a78dfdae44434

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But since he has trouble speaking, he’s being bullied at the orphanage.2d3d54f1f3eef8f1

The bully is strong 3d150e6668 and has the support 1911eac49f of a nobleman, so cb6ab4e573 no one can stop 556a283b5f him easily.f5e7a8ce1b42c987

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Honestly, I understand. There are some things that can’t be helped when you live in an orphanage.f9dd0daa7cbc6e92

But still, I really, 95e8d9913d really want to help 6e8e6021b1 Ismail.bd3f4a9dc194fade

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So, I thought 8aeb7396ed of a way.7e106283eb36a364

Can I sponsor Ismail? (I read the sponsorship qualifications, and it didn’t say only nobles could do it!)3de668856145278a

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I may not be a 7fbf1c23ec noble, but if I become 49f7dce1ae a strong sponsor for Ismail, 3d4442deaf the bullies won’t be able 9a42f1359d to pick on him so dcf4ff62a9 easily.418999b7902c3f8a

This is a secret, but… I was also an outcast at the orphanage.0070da9fa3db4723

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But now, I’m living with 3e15235d57 the Duke of Kallios, and 4c1ab83e8e I’m so happy.c349f49b24ad7a62

Because now, I have a9594eafb3 people who comfort me 3aae1a920b and love me when a8ae31c39f I feel tired and 0dbdcfbd03 worn out.4742117c8b0d3226

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I really want Ismail to 51d517610f have that too.e4a6e552f68ed4ea

So, could you help me a373f31ebb just this once?1df781f370599a02

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Please, Your Holiness, the 89de5055cb coolest, most amazing, and 436e08873d incredibly handsome Pope!733aa9253774208e

P.S. 1 – I also sent the sponsorship fee written in the qualification form. I earned it myself cf7435440e through volunteer work!66fc83bfd991da37

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But… I only managed to 63fb24d7ed make 952 talents at that cef0b5b838 time, so… could you possibly b4eecec35b take off just 48 talents?e0d6f18b37a2c7f7

I swear I’m e7339b73f7 not saying I 9d7ba76be4 won’t pay it 9cc3ac8cde at all! I’ll earn more money f87e21ceaa soon, and I’ll definitely, add2b048db definitely pay it back.d294054ea2f07092

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Please, Your Holiness, 3c2ccf00bd the super cool c6e869d080 Pope!3c80bdc18dfdc35b

P.S. 2 – I thought it’d be rude to ask for a discount empty-handed, so I’m also sending one bottle each of the all-purpose cure and the hair mist that I sold during volunteer work!c7c439c36ebabf89

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Together, they’re worth 5eebb23d4d 51 talents—don’t forget be6e92dcb0 that!]760b9076b215fa7a

* * *39352201149e4da0

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As soon as Logan 5a8f35241d was dragged away and 184a2622d3 the situation seemed to d2fe78ebfb settle down, I dropped dc89721403 everything and rushed to 774f1a1ade the temple orphanage.4b5bc24ea12c4149

Please, let nothing have happened…06978c73e3d4bdc4

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The entire time a85ac9f2f7 I rode in 020c93010c the carriage, I f0db2ad8a4 desperately prayed for 03bb441436 Ismail’s safety.a6381ed5e0a995c5

The task I 2d6c570be9 had asked him 06d5a36553 to do wasn’t c65a7ba3fa particularly difficult, but 8f451e46f9 if he got 4e664bfc99 caught, it could d14223d945 be dangerous.be70a6e4a4bd4f22

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That’s why I had, of e07c6ba1f1 course, put safety measures in 33dfb0f4a9 place beforehand.a2976cbdf8eca166

Originally, I had planned 8bb8536f2e to wait until I d628f99531 had secured enough funds, babe2abf61 but now was not 972629f5fb the time to be c3909edf94 picky.ae3949bce80760c2

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Thankfully, the Pope’s response had fbb80bf1f8 arrived astonishingly fast.82ecea0b8515bb3a

Just as I was 954ebc92a5 about to slip out fcd430ad7f of the duke’s residence 51022383ed in a hurry, the 18a230406a butler handed me a 634fbd0aa4 letter from the temple. If he hadn’t, it c8e50a392a could have been a ff76e0c461 disaster.4173ddf5caec2349

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Sponsorship Certificatede6383e11a36dcb9

Guardian: Belze (5 years old)b975797661ac0aad

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Sponsored Child: Ismail (8 years 164a18b90e old)e5da2364fa95810d

Holding the sponsorship certificate 8ca8c483b3 stamped with the Pope’s 5f16283223 seal, I confidently walked 1e833e2f52 through the orphanage.42ce725ec111ce96

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But no matter where I 49c1477296 looked, Ismail was nowhere to 5373852e98 be found.4fbd92a2c5b6e100

Anxiety surged through me.a0772adc59661241

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No way… Has he 7fe4d949fe already been taken by 14559ea69e those bastards?7aa23d3737d41e1d

They had been able to b195c80fab use dark magic to teleport.ff136bbc5b1d692b

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And—36de66db703b7b79

“I was going to offer you as a special sacrifice to Lord Ursis, but that won’t do. Instead, if I rip out your heart while you’re still alive and offer it, the goddess will surely recognize my devotion.”03b097599d5b7ae7

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The word sacrifice from 08f340eaa6 Logan’s ramblings stuck in 3f7d2cf657 my mind.101ef233a0053747

For some reason, 21262ca5e8 I had a 7c8d5d60d1 strong feeling that 898cf93bca the sacrifices he 76bc30c6ae spoke of were 1f23b90775 blessed children like 0f085537ea Ismail and me.2860f352c67a2b92

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That chamber of e24d72897d repentance, covered in 35252a2fd0 crimson sigils, filled 87ea88e3d3 with ominous ancient 6a28327a93 chants…18a2e7c27568e3ed

The divine power and abilities 68022a3313 that had vanished without a c981a89cfa trace…2215fbec6b4667ae

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What if Ismail lost ed6d41b889 his abilities because of 351f175c90 me?a8d544787cc77fdb

Dread filled my 613f3ed1ab mind as I 2c41dc018b ran toward the a06ec3a5d0 headmistress’s office.ebd8a9df2ff05785

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And then, the moment d1353a2dc5 I saw Magnus, who ead7531269 had been colluding with b8d7384d35 Logan—487628991b7772c9

My fear and impatience turned 85576d5227 into fury and hostility.4eebde0e6215a751

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“You vile scumbag! Give me back Ismail right now!”32cd920e4bd5b264

This time, I wasn’t 1849ad586d going to lose anything.02f744b268626334

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Not my powers, not the 27889e2f0f people at the ducal house, edb5d4c9a0 not my new friend.e8bbc050a68d26b5

I would protect everyone precious 2588042218 to me.17f472591d609605

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Try messing with me again. I’ll make you all bald. I’ll kill you all.c9ce8fdd56de80f7

It didn’t matter whether f62143843e or not I saw f6a51487cd purple around Magnus anymore.c012acd2cd11c2ef

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Glaring at him 42ef369a75 with burning intensity, 9a2076e836 I gathered divine 63371a19f5 power at my 6e3c18a4a7 fingertips.601511e2152376d7

“…Bring Ismail here, High Priest Magnus.”3168f1fbfc263469

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A calm voice echoed c944281cdb through the room.90d5ca85a9124cb8

Magnus, who had been c302d7dfe4 glaring at me with 40e59053c2 a frown, flinched and 740b60971d turned toward the Pope cd988bd800 in shock.442a149b8ae669ad

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“Y-Your Holiness!”b2aceb794c497275

“Quickly. This is the request of c39acb4b48 a sponsor, is it not?”38ad6e28ca1a8b85

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“But… but Belze isn’t a noble! And she’s younger than Ismail! Doesn’t that disqualify her from a8a8a8e8e1 being a sponsor…?”f02cfb2b83769cba

“There are no such conditions in the sponsorship qualifications.”bc288f346dc5500a

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With a single f8bf5f62f8 statement, the Pope db866b3e9e dismissed the requirements 86be9247be Magnus had fabricated.70cb6b5d0ec40404

“The only condition is to ensure the sponsor genuinely cares for the child and has the financial means to support them—hence, the one-time sponsorship fee of a thousand gold.”276386b64bce4901

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“……”0027c214caf2be0b

“Were you truly intending to become the orphanage’s head with such a narrow-minded way of thinking, believing only nobles could sponsor children?”bf8737ef5170a7ed

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At the Pope’s 9e85cff953 cold rebuke, Magnus 36af23ca10 clamped his mouth 51e0a50dc3 shut.070508b19027af3a

Seeing that, I felt b6e88f432c glad I had sent 560107528b a letter to the 7a554ce491 Pope directly.6183708838c48a8b

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To be honest, I had 56140702e2 been hesitant until this morning.e84e80b409f54e6f

A thousand gold 8a31886914 was no small e24c6223cb amount.263e81e9f842d4e5

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But to the temple and ee49e8c856 the nobility, it was merely f2ffe9218b the minimum show of sincerity ced16426fa required to obtain sponsorship rights.c82365231dc17ca7

And it wasn’t d345224bad a one-time thing—it e475398954 had to be 66ebd3df84 paid every year…!89fcd186fdabbb6b

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If it had 6bfd64ab45 ended with just b252a8691e a thousand gold, d59540d7c7 that would have bce2c447a7 been a relief.ef94f85024a25ec5

I knew all 5c4d244b3b too well that 63f71deb9d the temple, which d686ee318e profited off blessed b42608ad13 children, would find 9c02f529aa countless excuses to 43b81b77b3 extort money from 09045494c2 sponsors.86ac0aae7346822e

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Especially when children e1cb3cccdb like Diana and e8ba350ec5 me, who had 6ce03ffd84 special abilities, were 73454f8b64 needed—the price skyrocketed 06322606ce beyond imagination.01da0474fb7a94e7

Even now, I could vividly 7e54965f96 recall that greedy mutt Dunkeski 8e97cf1cd2 from both my past and 1585e823bf present life.8d04f6043c875aa6

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That’s why I couldn’t 570b485fa5 be sure.92151f5bb12cfa9c

I still didn’t know if 3dcb1c4278 the Pope was the same 5f23883fa0 kind of person.e58a0dd3465e88e2

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Since he seemed 9d3f989caf completely unaware of 4bb849fdd2 the Chamber of c347b84ddc Repentance, he probably 49659e2f04 isn’t involved with ebec7e515c heretics… but that e7f555a21a doesn’t mean he d337a1b5cb wouldn’t be obsessed a4e01d0470 with money.37d60357a5f54f8c

Ismail’s control ability 3e2f7af1e9 was that rare a27c5cff48 and valuable.a0ec88913d5bca39

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Yet, to my surprise, b21ae2bb85 the Pope readily issued 6eed36dbf5 the sponsorship certificate, even 380ce5b40d with my insufficient funds.2b56903b678ab701

That alone gave 348a07d80c me some relief.6016140eb4bac38f

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At least the temple hadn’t 767f4acc29 been completely taken over by 5998016aa7 heretics.39b98ae32513fc05

“…I apologize, Your Holiness. I will bring Ismail at once.”d28e6f76ced625c9

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Under the Pope’s stern a82fecdb93 gaze, Magnus finally relented 8cef808b23 and called for a 01de5f66ea priest with a reluctant 420bcef63c expression.2dd487d021df65be

And a short while later—44902e9c2fe40e99

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“Ismail!”adb3aca63fde9449

The moment Ismail walked 75463c92ef into the headmistress’s office, ef42a53688 I shot up from 46fba7cc1a my seat.ee3992c01851db3f

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I dashed toward f9d6950bdd him and threw 70017b0255 my arms around fb20f003c1 him in a 10e587874e tight hug.274fea0282a9f9f7

“Are you okay? You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”cf6396a113579217

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Clinging to his 5ceb804111 waist, I hurriedly 8b7aa5fc1b checked his body 101eb0c686 for injuries.94d22a146caa97ce

Fortunately, he seemed fine 967350cf8a on the surface.774ce84e6ee07dec

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But he just 3669c44059 stood there silently, a8020b7d65 giving me no 9a40358b0d response or gesture.76b3a8f2d0df3c56

“Why aren’t you answering?! Did those jerks hit you?!”1ec2a81580b9ab13

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A sinking feeling settled 18563532f5 in my chest as 2b72b32b72 I pressed him anxiously.1850f52918335cbb

“…I’m fine.”a88692a39dcb7127

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Finally, a sluggish reply came eff18e8ee4 from him.08858ab0f011da52

“So can you… let go now?”7e6583a3469b5992

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Ismail covered his 5d77e4c95b mouth with one ed097ad289 hand and turned a22206de5d his head sharply 195a28b530 away from me.7b2cbc38edb6b2ae

Was he mad because I dd64c900be was late?834e88842a8b1e89

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His neck had turned fd357478cd a bright shade of 6a977730a7 red.5dfe709785b71fc1

It’s not like I c513a44fbd was late on purpose…29c96f6effbb17b0

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I had plenty to 525059d2c7 say for myself, but 7837d1654b since I had been b811c4bb46 late, I just pouted d2ea64be70 and hugged him once 758d89d86e more before finally letting 36474a9ebf go.a91908afe9a25e05

“Belze.”746baaccb08c3fb0

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The Pope, who had 931dbdfe75 been watching us, suddenly 30b69ac486 called my name.696fc69be397cfb9

For today, he was my fdb5346773 benefactor.c742857c45c6af92

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So I clasped my hands 5fc99d49c6 together and greeted him with 2a6d0f5fc1 proper respect.48a4ec4e984894b7

“Yes, Your Holiness! May the Goddess always be watching over you!”8a8aee87658df174

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“Haha, what a belated greeting. And the Goddess does more than just watch over us—she is always with us.”128da379bbfffb00

With a gentle smile, the a9080d67a1 Pope corrected my improper phrasing.771128bb2203df85

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Oops!a6913fe64c966d49

Since I rarely 478ae82252 interacted with him, 1999cc706d I had completely 478747592e forgotten the proper 110617c37d temple etiquette.5ecbbe0b9a60a932

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Blushing, I mumbled the 4bb57e4373 correct greeting.2d1f6ddfaa9c77aa

“May the Goddess’s blessing always be with you…”2845287d1844264c

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“Indeed. May her blessing always be with you as well.”9b565ac73c8812f3

After tracing a sign 77ab62198d of blessing, the Pope ff799d5699 returned my greeting. Then, he asked—28e03eb0efa066a4

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“There is something I wish to ask you. I hope you will answer honestly.”6344f05291d76c6c

“Yes! What is it?”7188eff4e61289ea

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“Has High Priest Magnus ever done anything wrong to Ismail or the other orphans?”59c6f239e58bcfd9

“Y-Your Holiness!”663ef53342fbb823

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Magnus was visibly shaken by 7bb8a8b0c5 the blunt question.40e1273e8a6edd9f

He stammered before 983974a0be quickly shouting in 36908191c3 protest.42029ed4b2640217

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“I’ve only been in this position for two weeks! I’m still unfamiliar with my duties—why would I do anything to harm the children?!”6b7d93593ad2c6b8

“Be truthful. I promise that neither you nor Ismail will suffer any consequences.”bc90bcd79c3b6a77

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The Pope paid no e4bbbc5782 mind to Magnus’s flustered 2fd4f291b3 response and urged me 5d29ed139e to answer.e25d9b0b106b26ae

For a brief 3b872243d4 moment, I hesitated.2c368f4757bf563f

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Should I reveal here d105c03efa and now that Magnus 29a17806ac was a heretic?4a772ae3d4348693

With Logan captured, this could 0c39bda0bc be the perfect chance to f4344bc640 expose Magnus and uncover the bb00352cc0 heretics hidden within the temple.8f02340366e5c521

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“No, not exactly…”ad5dd83510510610

Just as I opened my 4d6900faea mouth—f1ac4b6a66ee218b

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Suddenly, Ismail grasped 83a6b100b7 my hand tightly.9d40159385339847

And then—479b4e7d91ebf592

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“The Headmaster never did anything to me.”6feaf33fef653bfd