Chapter 103

Following my instructions, 5c3d24bb81 the carriage bypassed 28a43cdc8a the temple’s main 1d24b13740 entrance and headed a43d05ca65 to the opposite 7e21b82d55 side, near the 2a9cd1a9d8 orphanage.e76db0be32b1e5ef

Unless there was a major event, like the Goddess’s birthday celebration, there was no need to pass through the temple to reach the orphanage.27cece156a6c1b58

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This time, I ee35e1443f made sure to 5da7b4b001 bring Gomgomdori, which b00717cd5c I had forgotten 64878e8cd4 last time.e33b3a031c7a2f1e

Even though the place was 7c4438f4e2 full of children, there was 8d12e160f7 no telling what might happen.791048cfd27aade0

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‘Of course. Bodyguards are meant 1fe3686ee9 to stay with b7e68fcf53 you like your 4d9aa094e8 shadow.’522118ef5d540a6b

The carriage circled around the d58fd607bc temple and stopped in front 598f5e63b8 of the orphanage.f07452a46f3ef157

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As if they had been 3dd8489c6a informed in advance, a couple 8b4f92db25 of people were waiting at 23ec8cf253 the entrance.10e6ad0af05af1ab

“Hello, Belze.”ddeb8bf1d4d8ea60

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A young man greeted a456210b08 me warmly as I 6bb2d0a5f3 hopped off the carriage.a843d325aecf735e

“I’m Magnus, the newly appointed head priest of the orphanage. We met briefly 9b494c2ec4 during the volunteer 2ab7c0b9a4 event last time, afd9261008 remember?”b876595e3e357f0b

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“Ah…!”f2b1b2c4dde0d937

His familiar face jogged my 5ceb35adc8 memory.40dcc7be1374aaa3

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He was the priest who 6d364cbd89 had assisted the Pope during dcdb62cb9e the announcement of the Saintess 0af1e6ccb2 candidates.cde79826d421afe7

It seemed that 3b2cdbfb57 after the previous cdae16a1bb headmistress and the 6d0bab2b16 priestesses were removed, 64a1306c77 their positions had bc118a013f been filled by e7d60ecdd8 new people.e54bc7560595e211

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“This is Priestess Celine, who will be in charge of the Lion Class, your former group.”5680604c790e38cc

“Hello. Nice to meet you, Belze.”11c0bacda3e9b241

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Magnus introduced the ed2adbd6ec woman standing next 74da15a11c to him.561ac690e7dedd87

Her face was unfamiliar, but a2e10d44ac both of them seemed better 58b109505b than the previous administrators.9f3b29da6d7cf77d

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‘Still, I can’t let my guard down around anyone from the temple.’5f88c1f1244b9f1b

Hiding my rising wariness, I eccf26edba greeted them politely.569bdc07077c79d3

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“Hello!”780b38f5a190051d

“So, you came to see your friends after a long time? Let’s head inside; the 0b8ae15061 children are waiting for 620a3d823b you.”51422df71895241b

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“Oh! I brought snacks!”314c8c732886a200

“Snacks?”be93299952393266

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Just then, the coachman 7ca4da5470 and Tara opened the 425c7d5215 luggage compartment of the 8f098c14f1 carriage.9fb17d4f2af32f5e

The eyes of the 402af22051 head priest and the 2cfe9a2c02 priestess widened at the e08447593a sight of the neatly 2edef6abb0 wrapped boxes inside.ac63f8d4a12c369d

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“Oh my, you didn’t have to bring so much…”7099caeb11e0610a

“Thank you, Belze. The children are d6085a3b7d going to love 43832c1998 this.”ac1fc9117d6cf3b4

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“Hehe.”ea9f308e89f8eab6

Smiling proudly at 0ab1653a07 their praise, I 8ab0798eba helped carry the 14bc0b947f boxes inside.e3019ab2fd85f278

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“My lady, I’ll wait in the carriage! If anything happens, aa7a11bcab come get me 7308b7c82b immediately!”66cf0cdcd63dc134

After assisting with f50a22f6ea the heavy dessert 68eef5feab boxes, Tara left ff4ac8e280 the orphanage, casting 8f92b14b6f a few worried dddd6dc7cf glances back at 2d2dd62994 me.b4bc482ba1e26d71

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‘What’s there to worry about? I’m from the 348b3bf882 same background as 08f501434b these kids. Dragging a maid 6e5c79e3c8 along would be 2f697f43f6 ridiculous.’713b4fc298d10341

Unlike Diana, I didn’t b86448a16b want to act like 7a9be4773d that.0b9ef0df3a40eb2b

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In my previous life, ca6a6815c2 Diana, who had been 4ca50474a4 adopted by a marquess 7c02ae8316 family early on, often 4b952049af visited the orphanage with 4779b1f203 plenty of delicious food.dc29f9310bf88a02

Since I lived in 38ef2f160c the temple rather than 4eb7e39b83 the orphanage, I hardly c165a1c260 ever got to eat d2d46362aa any of it.282a91c31526f212

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The priests, who disliked me, acb81248d5 often didn’t bother passing my e7bcd26c8e share along.ad7d14315d82471b

On the rare occasion 5979408e3b when scraps came my ac3882312d way, I’d lick the 9ac73fc087 plate clean like a 6e4699b0bd dog.2129b303c8b21088

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Ironically, those fleeting moments f8adf86e93 of eating were the f00bafbb29 only happy times I c58e7cd51d had at the temple.4934ff2448606382

‘What a cruel twist of fate.’0af034c772702a5b

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To think there were eeb3cacff7 moments when I felt 9ec9517de0 happiness thanks to the 46d82c90a4 food Diana brought, even 9d3c447750 though I despised and 3abbb3b480 envied her.e8cd1eaf32c4e5d9

And now, I had 1d91d71bb0 unintentionally stepped into Diana’s 51154472b1 shoes.6fbf6fc0f61a4f2e

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As I carried the 7502a2e730 boxes into the Lion cf29e3b6e5 Class room, I saw b19fe5bca0 the children sitting together 0205a35dc9 in clusters.aa2c620a0fa93897

“Everyone~ Look who’s here! It’s Belze, the Saintess candidate 0a5ec66ef9 from last time, and she’s 5c38ef9cae brought some delicious treats!”f03277efc89c2de7

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Celine, the new priestess in cb3febab1f charge, announced cheerfully to the 4fc6715701 children.9b423508c845e152

“Before we eat, how about we thank Belze first?”39d904bc5f3ca477

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“…Thank you, Belze!”9bb399c0e6576959

The children, who 873c176667 had been fidgeting c8590cc01b nervously, began to 2f85526f4d speak one by 0f5550dbbf one.c1c5fb39ef559a3e

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“Wow, Belze is amazing!”3b75fe54217f8cdf

“Belze must be way richer than Diana!”96319cd5ce37c1ef

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Their innocent exclamations and the 73352acc74 admiring looks they gave me 8319684b6d made my shoulders relax unexpectedly.4b3b57e68c31aeed

‘I thought being in Diana’s position would feel great…’ed7d1f04e3d0ca6d

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But it wasn’t as 3edabfc679 satisfying as I’d imagined.141bd40d24e6bedc

After all, they were 02abf8f3a3 just 4- or 5-year-olds, 694f0ae5d5 happy over a piece 4478b1ae42 of chocolate.1662428dac7b51f0

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Why did I 1dbd3e3881 envy Diana so 2275eedd76 much back then, 226d20eaab seeing how the 749482a67f children looked at 59213ed9d8 her?3cd985c6173f5180

Facing my old insecurities, 0aea0057a8 I felt a twinge 421d6bb9c5 of embarrassment and self-reproach.b6eb93bd978ff149

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“Thank you, Goddess, for providing us with our daily bread!”290cb077e13ad087

After a brief prayer, the b0172580af children tore into the packaging 595d034505 and devoured the desserts eagerly.a1d61921337bf00b

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Watching them, my hardened heart f955e7b2a5 began to soften.b53422334cdb2635

‘…At least I don’t regret bringing these.’116008b730da2cd3

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Despite being tied to the 8bf0febe51 temple, the orphanage wasn’t better 82be3f4ce7 off than others.ed1b48fd1d527ca0

Donations were limited to cb0852fae8 talents, and the budget 7a636102f4 was entirely at the 687bcbf425 discretion of the headmistress.98b4849efc7c33b6

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Even so-called volunteer work was 2bfa60d0a1 often just an excuse to 3cc9da24e5 sell goods to nobles, like 7f22b1be54 at the last event.122c003997356952

No one cared about providing 7b014e2a5d what the children truly needed.45af56d93064fcea

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“Hey! That’s mine! Don’t take it!”6fbe01fcd60ef031

“Too bad! Eat faster next time!”f54f6c0ba32d9983

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‘See what I mean?’1b431f46828a6a3b

A stronger child was already e8ed6d3719 taking food from a weaker 45ab67925d one.27c5e547ec83789c

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The priestess, too busy attending e0337d6348 to the younger children, didn’t 023b4fb465 notice.3d71ca2ab0e9bd6c

With the head priest and a18933ad59 other staff delivering desserts to 041a64f8ea other groups, the Lion Class ea18da515c had been left unsupervised.d57d20d02e2b27e9

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Sighing, I braced a35a9565ed myself and shouted, 70dfeba3b3 “Hey!”6ea81484c83aca29

The children froze, turning 3ff8986b3d to look at me de1c0ffc11 in shock.211094bb87a93a12

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Scowling, I continued, “There’s a657ac10fa plenty for everyone, so eca4e2e93e stop stealing! Anyone who takes someone 88dcf7ff55 else’s snack won’t even 4edcc59976 get soup! Got it?!”3e2eef1e0b0adff7

My glare seemed to work; ba931d392b the offending child reluctantly returned 6f4c59a018 the stolen treat.d0659d9244f06621

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From then on, 728e2ef177 the children shared fc1f3787ef the desserts peacefully.21a4661a9816ed55

“Ha-ha, thanks to Belze, I’m getting some rare rest today. Isn’t that right, kids?”5a20ee4d891f242d

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Perhaps to lighten the mood, 738b24c56b Priestess Celine made a lighthearted 9bb6feec7b joke.8e6649fd9108d313

“Yeah! It’s all thanks to Belze!”d8262e766bf0c738

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“She used to be a little scary, but she’s really nice now!”b3a8191defdde11c

“So Belze is richer than Diana for real, right?”82aaa90dd7fe07ad

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The tension eased, and the caec37a788 children began chattering excitedly again.f4f3e084c1f96814

Even though I had 48f694224b scolded them, most of 6e6b0fbabe their comments were about 2f2edc3b1e how great I was.e637e5c2006c2bc8

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But that didn’t mean my 099e220e81 old grudge was entirely gone.2dd6b8433705bd27

They might forget 154d15f834 these moments quickly, 0f7f8ab160 leaving them as 52422e910d just another fleeting ca48ebd21a memory.fb9da15661048093

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But for me, the scars 7c441e0b7f of those times had lasted cdbe2ad3dd a lifetime.8eaad57532c45776

“Diana! Come play with me! Belze, go away! Bleh!”5322ea0170519dd5

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“Diana! Let’s race to see who 56f04f1f5d can climb up first!”daf148a14633d8c1

Even in my past c08e79f787 life and now in 69d082d900 this one, the children 9831d752ce who once idolized Diana 8251595a64 and helped ostracize me 6cfb8b0f05 hadn’t changed.fabe9018fc4d5864

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And yet.1c161fe7d554599f

Even so, I decided a7bcda785f to forgive the orphanage 1349068bb2 children.b9ecc75a6126159c

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‘It wasn’t the children’s fault.’3ccb391050b916c8

It was the 72934f183b headmistress and the 545747cfb3 priests who manipulated e6f5a35c71 them that were 1977afecc3 to blame.a9f4595e66613916

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Children, as easily influenced as 9cd7e496a2 they are, could have their 0ca50dfd7c minds changed with just a faf7b7987f few words from an adult, 0ed18f0ac8 as Priestess Celine had just d0272ddfc0 demonstrated.03b20b1aa9ebef18

I knew that now.960e47eb17ce1993

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After visiting the Lion Class, ab0cf712b0 I continued to make rounds 7105504d15 to the other groups, receiving 1386a1da85 their thanks.2130a79319d3204b

Hearing stories about Diana ead8c83159 during my time at 605a5a11ca the temple, I’d always 1144c45e56 thought she was so bd4a93c553 impressive and amazing.c5941c67bfaa553d

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But now, after 858e9de0a8 finishing with even ff3b5e12d8 the Giraffe Class, 74fb160758 where the older 319e31deec kids aged 14 f480d666d0 and above were, 7fca1d7380 all I felt 155938de85 was embarrassment and 7ad1f3e8fc exhaustion.68f26584777614c1

‘How did Diana manage to do this every single time she visited?’0e92989535e36ce4

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Apparently, being a e8ca63f503 heroine wasn’t for 4b645a69d5 everyone.ac284d84d35df999

As I was shaking f4b9dd71d8 my head in disbelief, a5c35d8c4b Magnus, the new head 86f204fec1 priest, smiled kindly and a356035a3f asked, “Belze, would you 97458bb4a1 like to stay and 03a882acc0 play with the Lion 823225f567 Class some more?”43aea559018b5a78

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I shook my head.baf03d378e4dc328

“No.”0aa1b26744ae127d

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“Then are you leaving already?”f919a942cfd9e52d

“Not exactly… There’s someone I’m looking for.”ed2ffae42a27b169

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I hadn’t trudged 2bb1879bd5 through all the 99e490ed19 groups just for f0ec6c4edd show—I was looking 2723f8c695 for Ismail.efe54e452a5526ce

Of course, if I 8cd992cda5 asked the head priest 3a91c5f22a or one of the 6e2d5f684f staff, they’d bring him f9f82aee63 to me immediately.140b354960e0e00e

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But knowing that he a276fee2bd was pretending to be 9688870dcf powerless and mute, I ceeb4309f8 didn’t want to openly 1da4a3f002 reveal my connection to 891dcd1c0e him to these temple ecdc72d03f people.b3115e3db9026dd8

‘And I wanted to make a grand entrance when I found him…’e2fbcf7e7821eb22

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I pouted in frustration.27f44af2bbcfb30f

Magnus tilted his 16f6d05e2e head curiously and f4d574ebcd asked, “Who? I’ve already told the teachers 4026f62276 to gather all the children 4d6a2ba6f8 in their groups to eat c34a178b52 the desserts…”4644784f4fecd2a7

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As expected, the newly appointed 27db82b96e head priest hadn’t yet noticed ed81694417 the bullying and violence happening 06a415887f within the orphanage.0e39ab8368bc58b8

‘Or maybe, like the former headmistress, he’s just choosing to ignore it.’11ff7c0759809420

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Smiling faintly, I replied, “I’ll e683788355 find him myself! I think I 498a44be5d know where he 79559da8fb is!”237ee72084a52a1f

“Is that so?”55a640ed0c3a2fd3

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Fortunately, Magnus didn’t f8021ecaee press the issue 5a0dbb62c1 further and let 82db441943 it go easily.8e37461a2fc261fe

As soon as cc7b60626b he left, I 761395946a dropped the smile a17701379e and dashed through eaa31a9381 the hallway.628e300cc82a0ad7

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[Book Storage Area]9935616a2587c4cc

I ran past the aaf97f998c library to the far 8dbb3e07b5 end of the hallway, 56f076024c arriving at a side 124b19add7 door.13613a2d6162c78d

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Creak.77b431384fb6e486

Thankfully, it wasn’t locked.4d95d19406bd946d

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After checking that no fee2b89273 one was around, I 6c5a41f64b slipped outside without hesitation.55af0fa78052c482

I sprinted down the narrow 8bdec1a120 path leading to the garbage d8a074745a dump and arrived at the c3c5723a6c incinerator, where I finally found ccd6eff41a them.10a740f171f115d3

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“See? I told you, 212c31565a stealing Ismail’s stuff 48231d2b17 always tastes the 3e211f2201 best.”cf370b849ff65b05

“Hey, Tommy. Doesn’t your Baron send you b5d0fdd6a5 anything like this?”1af34fec51511c06

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“Are you kidding? He dumped me bb226fed24 in this orphanage, 685349ec63 didn’t he?”48e9ec3b14a64e39

The three burly boys d1fa467c02 I’d seen on the adaf9fa185 volunteer day were laughing 0ffe2620da and joking loudly.5858f31e708c1458

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In the middle of them 8e4d02a5e1 was a small, dirtied figure ac190c005e lying crumpled on the ground 52189cb648 like a discarded piece of 11423638a3 trash.e56027e79d09eb9b

“Hey, I wonder—can a mute even taste food? Yo, Ismail, do you even 677351b4be know how this stuff tastes?”4da9f2465922b197

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The bullies, stuffing themselves with 56e655b169 the desserts I had brought, bdd9ad789d suddenly dropped a tart they b0687187a6 were holding.bec67f3c37217c55

Splat.9e907e0faaacc8b7

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The tart landed cream-side 944ad06cb7 down on Ismail’s ash-brown 74457ea9c2 hair.72c51cf0adb1f221

My vision went white with b09e189884 fury as I screamed,c273fa6336e9b982

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“Teddy-teddy bear! Activate rage mode—NOW!”f57302038a92262f