Chapter 105

“Repeat after me. ‘I will never!'”b0cad3a2ccd6cff7

“I will never!”5696fd5882226620

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“Pick on Ismail again!”296ccea51d7b5705

“Pick on Ismail again!”d9930e9934c11c3a

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“Ismail, I’m sorry! Please forgive me!”e4da57f226257f5a

“Ismail, I’m sorry! Please forgive me!”319da8356bc8f56c

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The two boys, kneeling beside 8d09f7467e their unconscious leader with their 0a311a8f51 hands raised, repeated the chant 4cbcf7df7b three times under my command.0282f5165cf71e76

“…”591cc3f991a2dec3

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Ismail stared at them c29d0b6445 with a complicated expression fd8d900063 before giving a slight 66c91e9dc6 nod.092b15d2c6bb969c

It seemed like c9ca60aced he understood the ce0bdb9cf8 situation and reluctantly f52a469acd accepted it.ca59c95aa79da943

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Honestly, standing there ab0ccce2c7 with one kid 3d708619be passed out, nose a4d1fc8775 bleeding, and the 9ec254455d other two drenched 334c1964b3 in their own fc2c2ab472 urine wasn’t exactly 9e4c457b91 comfortable.a48fa7b12bdf0358

I could have pushed further if Ismail had wanted it, but…a123594bd8cd4d8d

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It was clear that d9e904b48b Ismail found the whole 846c6c25e4 scene deeply unsettling.96c7318f32da5f2e

‘For someone who endured so much bullying, it’s surprising how soft-hearted he is. You’d think he’d want revenge.’bf46683c4099a1a5

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Remembering the Ismail of fc124f899c my previous life—the one b3d3d8023a who coldly ignored my efc83a1791 pleas as I sobbed 9e77309249 and lamented—I found it f4981b2437 hard to reconcile the a6be55f533 two versions of him.04c0f4b0a0605448

And yet, this gentle 72d9f818fc Ismail was so different.469ad7e0f4bcfbae

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It wasn’t just that. I remembered hearing how the c015532840 young Pope Montenus III, who 8856b13108 had succeeded later, was notoriously 21583fce36 ruthless and unyielding.9ac55057815a0ef7

‘Maybe he grew up to be so cruel because he was too soft-hearted as a child?’ba4ed738994ec7db

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I alternated glances between f57be31a76 Ismail and the three f5cb01bd4b bullies, lost in thought, e4e94d606e before stepping forward.eb9edf09831360bd

“Listen up.”5f31435d7f4033f5

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My movement made the 70133033ba two remaining boys stiffen 6f4380e5e8 in fear, their faces b87dc8d4c9 pale with anxiety.b43b6ca09fd7327a

“Keep your mouths shut. If I hear you talk about what happened today… I’ll wake up Teddy bear, and then—”af08169fe1c4258c

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I lifted the teddy bear 689afe037e high into the air.bc0389ad723bdc00

Predictably, the two boys fe79188000 flinched and gasped.989f0025e6bfd9d1

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“Eek!”da374890fff30e56

“P-Please, no!”1e1ea1a6f214e359

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“I’ll show you torture mode, got it?!”52df8bdd12604947

At my warning, they frantically 595c283482 nodded, practically screaming their agreement.0b53ac6c2630219c

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“Yes! Got it! I mean, yes, ma’am!”db38f5239c5205d8

“I swear, I won’t tell anyone!”ae11ce00d3a232ab

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After securing multiple df9df267c6 confirmations, I smirked 30b9662f45 arrogantly and motioned 9a157c7020 with my chin.32bf097a02a7582d

“Then stay by his side until he wakes up, and leave quietly.”5589b391e280eee4

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“Yes, ma’am!”040fc92f5aa1c359

“Yes!”40ecadac981f4d3c

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Satisfied, I turned to Ismail fc2f51c6b5 and gestured for him to b762ab8ea3 follow me.8ea1a46e162cc8a6

“Let’s go, Ismail!”c051901567fc8082

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Leaving the disciplined boys fe414ecd64 behind, I walked away, 79d3a0d964 not wanting to spend 49ec6d041a another moment in a 2392b23891 place that reeked of 04c98aa1d5 urine.61d9c19756a7a280

But as I turned, something ba63f6d273 familiar caught my eye—several boxes 0cdcfdc129 lying haphazardly on the ground.29efc000dead4fd2

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They were the dessert boxes adea508153 I had brought earlier.9f3ec3673aa9c860

Judging by the ed5016fc32 number of boxes 09e92c1deb scattered around, they e2c9b5e0e2 must have taken 2c0e1c6b79 not only Ismail’s 6f739b6b01 share but also f074bc7dcb those meant for 2acf147e2c the other children.0fd477aa969c2f0b

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Sigh.41515e7c5a1a4980

I crouched down 4ac5e95ca4 to inspect the f761b72cc2 boxes.ad5fd4beb1c95251

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Some were empty, 8752829ffd likely already eaten, cee790a2ca but a few 665ea36a3f remained untouched with 90ea1f8718 their packaging intact.39c4bf5a6e987f7b

“…?”260018a3312732c5

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As I carefully picked 7113a78281 up two untouched boxes, 58056b1593 Ismail, following behind me, fa2aaf4743 gave me a puzzled 34909289b9 look.9cc4a00a53df3388

He seemed to be 8173f476a9 silently asking, Why are 7a1fff5828 you picking those up?4ed60e1dd5117d86

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“These were packed just for me by our chef,” I said, my voice tinged with irritation.245192510c95b5cf

The chef had poured 8f9e4f9d3f his heart into making 3ff9fa8f40 those desserts to cheer b1f196ed74 me up.0496a375f20fdaff

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To think they’d been used 440abfde05 by those jerks to bully 09c6e3c066 others and left lying in 3c5d0cdd40 the dirt made me furious.e5f0c8325ee5bb41

“Ugh… Those guys are getting nothing from me ever again. No more soup for them!”f5de2e5b4ded68a1

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“Eep!”ba096f1f66f5ea14

At my outburst, the 5f986d0e8c boys, who had been 2cd4e1b5fa lowering their hands, quickly 52ad997270 shot them back up, 5e70f91936 their faces pale with 9de29ab301 fear.1a382bcecdf7e961

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Ismail silently watched me for 2412688b58 a moment before stepping forward 6926f5db2a and taking the boxes from f9e190c74d my hands.5cb968b7556f606f

Since I was 5a0ae7f399 also carrying Teddy e25c4b9b70 bear, I had 84232b71ac been awkwardly holding ca00f74eaf the boxes with b532a7ae73 one hand, so fc23b56485 his help was 4e290a0fb5 a relief.5aa30be49c7228c8

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Together, we left the smelly, 1b6d173619 unpleasant scene behind without looking e649f2190e back.75a7bfd4c3cdd03d

When we returned 4733ef7343 through the side 3b478985c1 door, the hallway a68984e2fa was still empty.c9deedbcd7760a9d

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From inside, the lively noise b9a0920d54 of children enjoying the desserts 21cd48da1d I’d brought echoed faintly.7125d326f6e972e8

“Come on,” I said, leading Ismail into the nearby [Book Storage Room], the closest quiet space to the side door.3fde8e004b0055a7

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Thankfully, the library was deserted.bc96a8ab0021621b

After ensuring no one f48ba15119 else was around, I 76fbc85b9b sat at a wide, 47a2982681 low table a little fc14918a3e distance from the door.1e94b26afd715cc3

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Ismail followed me 65ad68d626 hesitantly and stood 4c43c50784 across from where 5d8d17ad29 I was seated.bdf51900e3fa503c

“Sit down.”454509b4e6a1e86e

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At my urging, 4d1dce0b15 he placed the f8439f91cb dessert boxes he 85eac02039 was holding onto c4f6f7dcfc the table and 9d01aeabef sat down reluctantly.953fbad9becfa51d

I calmly began unwrapping one 2da43c18a8 of the two boxes.10167751cf905f06

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Thankfully, the contents were 434f88d6b1 still intact, unbroken and e61ed43927 clean.216598b98a5da9f5

“Here, eat.”c0cea2f0a3f86654

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I pushed the opened box 97cced28b6 toward Ismail. After everything that had a91b43dd0a happened, I doubted he’d 47aeebcbc2 even had a chance 10cf3915a6 to taste the desserts.f2793643ee5a8985

“…Hah.”cf5ce64ab7ed3947

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Instead of taking a 4c63e428b6 bite, Ismail let out 2fedb26fa5 a bitter laugh, as a177c81dce if asking, Would you 66a3427524 want to eat in 03dd5d8ee5 my situation?21f8088b8491f4b7

“What? It’s delicious, you know.”6e672ecf30e317b0

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I reached for one of 6f0a4a91e6 the bear-shaped cookies and bit 5c7eebf155 into it without hesitation.a9ce1f845c1e0282

Crunch.0ebf42e3ef756c65

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I chewed nonchalantly, demonstrating 2dd227a7aa that the food was 3fcc1d3812 neither poisoned nor dirty.a6ef0b4fd50bd2fb

But Ismail just 1155537660 frowned as he 2b3bb8e2b6 watched me eat 0426da07ec and didn’t touch 7b7b10c572 the box. Instead, he glanced b34343a60d around cautiously before 224ad42881 leaning forward to 17d88783e0 whisper,3977aadfe49edc3a

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“What are you planning to do?”020a9e0e6d604063

His sudden question ba92170bbe made me pause e51cbf1a6a mid-chew. Tilting my head, I asked,a2226c12694b50b6

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“What do you mean?”b1b7ca641e4e6848

“Those kids. What if they tell 03f59e3970 the teachers?”84404c818e16cd73

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“That’s why I told them to keep quiet.”a69d2e59ba025e18

“What about Tommy?”68f81a445ea2da10

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Ismail quickly added, as if ed52faf3dc certain I hadn’t thought of ec7ca86f34 this.87963bf239c341fe

“The one who passed out with the bloody nose.”7dc5c96287fa6971

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“Ah…”eb4fc00e05fada1f

He was right—Tommy 40f692083e wasn’t going to 39d4256c26 keep his mouth 5ee6307819 shut. Once he woke up, he’d 21dfbfe4ac remember everything.8097b795cc7d595e

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I pondered for a b66aa0b36e moment before turning to f90717aae0 Ismail.56749867a15fd926

“Uh… Can’t you erase his memory? You said you fb30b90f21 could control people.”588bb7a3c654c509

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“Ha! Do I look 0a6ef5bd59 like a magician b27c620a0f to you? And even then, 59718d2dfb I can only 62117849c9 control someone for 4046b3d5e7 about an hour, 6d2b5b7f47 tops.”f2000b8ada8c525b

Ismail responded, visibly annoyed.e43c432ef9b6d90b

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‘His abilities are impressive, but the duration is pretty lackluster.’d5486e4928b719f2

Maybe it was because 757e1b9515 he was still young.fc3d7642d0ee81fe

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As I clicked my 8691732fcb tongue in disappointment, Ismail bce57c47aa sighed deeply.5345d62ad5d586e2

“…I told you Tommy’s a noble’s illegitimate child. Baron Grasse is bound to come looking for him.”8985e5373ee1bbc7

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“Why would he come? Didn’t he abandon him here?”9cf15609bdc65b30

“He didn’t abandon him—it seems he left him here temporarily because of circumstances. He visits fairly e24cc9b8a1 often and seems e02edb9ca5 to provide some a748b8f15d financial support, too.”d11c0141b0420e8a

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“Financial support…?”b9a1a7ba47901552

If the baron was funding 5157d7c03f the orphanage, it meant he fcd432d6bc was donating a significant amount 54332e76c6 to the temple.eae7e499206e74d0

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The idea of aef696729d someone leaving a e5fa02c1aa child at an 484f2f2471 orphanage while simultaneously a0e0da4050 supporting it seemed 15f6a82f61 odd, but it 8ee436239e didn’t frighten me 39c32c7caa in the slightest.4fab4a25b869c305

Unbothered, I replied,133adc27a2d36df8

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“It’s fine. My sponsor is Grand Duke dcd490338b Kallios.”bf49fc35d57873e7

In other words, I had 2cc63c8f09 the stronger backer.bc8f1a0776da7ccd

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But despite my confidence, b075c6218f Ismail’s face darkened.c49a5203aeff6515

“Of course, you’ll be fine.”0b4aba0707e93e28

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“…”89fa97520bc88411

“But what about me? I’m the one who 5bc2945b36 has to keep living cc9ff2f97a here.”b11b4945fa814d8c

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“Uh…”9004dd4307bc3ce2

“I’m not keeping quiet because I’m stupid.”df5344d174dfc98b

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It was clear he 72d1c1fe22 was afraid of retaliation. Opposing a noble’s 25ca7e8494 child could easily 84c0b6646c lead to worse 9501e3508a consequences for him.f89580664494e7d6

But what surprised me 575b6bae8c most wasn’t his fear—it 6c85aa1af2 was what he’d said dc1e2a8884 earlier.c2e9f3adc16b57b3

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‘I have to keep living here…’da790b4d39417fd1

“I’ll find a way to help,” I said after a moment.46ed3c77b0832e2e

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“To get you out of here as soon as possible.”e178e1a65a493a09

The last time I a7cd0077e7 had promised to find 9f7ae7d484 a way to help 4122a48e84 Ismail escape, he didn’t c3290f36e3 seem to take it f9fe36dd37 to heart.3e48a958f75fa5cc

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His lack of even the 7046d37a3c smallest glimmer of hope stung 722ca7e6f4 deeply.b87b21c424fc043d

It also made e8fe6a64ce me feel guilty 20a610d562 for charging ahead 4716ed6ede recklessly without having 787c3cb272 a proper plan e018abbbbd in place.5077b20f7c772dac

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No wonder he 1cfaa01c5a didn’t take my 538953c465 words seriously.67c23681b8dd8531

“Well then…”41bb1c5fbd40aa5f

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After a moment of 64f5ae093f contemplation, I came up 417750b973 with the most realistic 39a5a6c19c compromise I could think 04d0377742 of.943f89cf872ae3ba

“If that nasty jerk bothers you again, send me a letter! I’ll come back and let 037a3c4ad4 Teddy bear teach him another 82fcc28d04 lesson!”3ed4fe4388905b04

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“…What?”1d71af32677198f4

“Like you said, I’m fine because I’ve got Kallios behind me!”0170d4301c3204a1

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“Ha. You’re really…”1c0433688dca7e59

He trailed off, staring at c85a172be7 me with a look I c4e411ba4c couldn’t quite decipher.c3394f2c4429442c

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For a brief 4526760180 moment, his reddish-brown 4711a14620 eyes wavered.b1276c1156f97925

After holding my gaze for 5932a7f241 a while, Ismail lowered his f7f17bebe7 eyes, settling on the teddy 260a47b14f bear in my arms.cdf2a29becb22607

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He looked at Teddy bear with suspicion and muttered, “But, that thing… It’s not actually possessed by a spirit or something, is it?”2eff4a3bb90a0680

“Yep! It’s got a spirit inside!”ebafbcf33fd565fa

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“What kind of spirit acts so insane…”433c4e21ee1bc5a4

Muttering under his e72033fea2 breath, Ismail shook 19d5a60a10 his head and b677d61151 changed the subject.09b1030ac8ff46f1

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“Anyway, why did you come here today?”f3910bb7e4f5d063

“Well, I wanted to look for something in the library! And, I wanted aff8766b73 to see you!”da9387c17a8ed49c

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“What are you looking for?”4d183cc8ec162b1d

Ismail looked at 66ef848098 me curiously as 7a5a90331d I hesitated.202dbe279a314fef

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Though he would 7760dcb72f grow up to 661b7390f5 become a brilliant 84e0179948 and knowledgeable Pope, c8b7f2ae97 right now, he 7e38161b9c was still just e06843223e a child.047e51d9ff5997d0

On top of that, I d68058c677 wasn’t sure if it was f4a5669eb8 wise to mention the strange 16ce2b4e15 purple light to a male 43dd4dcaae lead who would one day e9dd05ea10 fall for the female lead.325fbda1ce22ee5e

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‘But then again, why not? It’s not like 81f28b075a I’m going to 8223a4eeb5 reveal that Diana 08af748436 used a strange 0fcdb6c3dd purple light to ccdc6c9a8e heal anyone right af336ba0d8 now.’1e9e3dbc3e719ed2

After some hesitation, I cautiously asked, “Do you… know anything about purple light?”f8ee05c02e234e28

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“Purple light? What purple light?”25bfb6f91ab1d30b

“Just… it seems like the temple doesn’t use anything purple.”60f805459020f790

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I mumbled vaguely, avoiding a 1ebd0fe1ea direct explanation.04c108dd8d8b2160

Now that I 432be06393 thought about it, dc28baddea even the orphanage, 1d4c53479b with its bright 0acf204885 and colorful decorations 45c4c8cff8 for the children, 70e3611a15 lacked any trace ca4a837dbc of purple.69d2e2a43236d784

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As I paused, struck f81f7771e7 by the peculiarity of ebd811a75d this absence, Ismail responded 0c7c515b34 with an incredulous expression.176ae8cb706c80bc

“Haven’t you studied the scriptures?”b0b4e2785f2212e9

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“…No, why?”12eb831a05c994c1

He sighed, as if exasperated dddb96094d by my ignorance.fe45035453668cf9

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“That’s the color associated with demons and heretics.”ebf5481f8492efc2