Chapter 119

I turned to Ismail c9cd662422 with wide eyes.460300f70ff6c66e

‘Come to think of it… he’s not pretending to be mute anymore, is he?’fa11f5663a552dc6

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Since we met earlier, 81de9ff52d he had been responding f081897519 to me with his ed28325bac voice, but I hadn’t 44d4677b98 noticed.a8ce50426d2f1dec

And yet, he had 72bafb8f07 been just as wary 9f7a4bff6a of Magnus as I 6ac00602fc was.5506b17e1e3fb308

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Why was he d0d8903d9e speaking as if 6562a63cc1 he was defending 7b722e909f him?0873688f2452ca8f

‘Could it be… mind control magic?!’3dc14f10e1b50ea4

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These were people b158c54fde who used dark 32ccdbdb04 magic—I couldn’t rule be111bd310 out the possibility 63ab316f0a that they had ef59393e5d done something to 00dd3c94e3 him.c269f786c058fedd

As I watched him with 085f061246 a worried expression, he continued 672e4aef9a speaking.1361adafba88a985

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“The one who often hit and locked up Belze and me… was actually High Priest Dunkeski.”4471a7a658da5c52

At those words, 4525ebcc6f the Pope’s face 64028c8379 darkened instantly.c5d9130d1c22937a

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And so did mine.a1a993f2f71837c5

The fact that Ismail 6c0dcb520c was placing all the 8547a10c14 blame on Dunkeski, who 999e0effbf had already fallen from ef80141320 power, only made me d12559ad8d more suspicious that he 6ace6c864d had been brainwashed.5f5f05ecc6ced3ed

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Just as my doubts deepened—a80a6899cbee2f01

“But.”8ec8a962a64acb80

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“……”95d982a5bc76b301

“When I tried to explain why I pretended to be mute, the Headmaster got mad at me for lying.”1f9315cb01a37a50

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“……”3da84132cc016f23

“Even when I told him that I had been bullied by the other kids all this time… he didn’t seem to care.”7ed1709686ccd1b7

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With clear, unblinking 9babee896e eyes, Ismail stared a8d52c45cf straight at Magnus.5d717ef32b1f7f92

“Ismail, that’s…!”9fde77ebdc6e247a

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Magnus flinched, his shoulders trembling f2c7208544 as he tried to come d8eb911f88 up with an excuse.9bd700cc0605e4bb

But his lips only moved dd0c9183a4 soundlessly—he had nothing to say.ccbd991ac37082a5

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Because everything Ismail had just f046ce454d said was true.0db388b5e2d5f16d

“I-It’s a misunderstanding, Headmaster! It’s true that I asked Belze to write a letter to the Duke of Kallios for help, but I never told her to bring him here!”660fffe6d1b096db

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Back when his control 7f674df275 ability had been discovered, 8d0173eff2 Ismail had prepared this 871e59adff excuse in advance, clinging 263a96f109 to it desperately as 449831fbd7 he pleaded.8e9a975cb19b7e08

Since those under 7904704cb4 his control wouldn’t d73190b6ec remember the moment ea17efc4b6 they were influenced, 88fd652a3e he could get ce26980ba0 away with such a388ab8cea a claim.9c4bb7b0ead388d7

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Just as expected, b011b6f041 Magnus didn’t take 1908b30576 that part too 508bd73ef1 seriously.9d52b931114dcea2

But then—7851c00a2e857bd2

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“I see. Putting that aside… why did you pretend to be mute and hide your ability?”9554248192eb23f5

“T-That’s… I was scared that High Priest Dunkeski would hit me again.”069ea646cea288f0

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“High Priest Dunkeski was dismissed quite some time ago, Ismail.”4c7ffbaf9e89cdf1

“B-But before I could tell the truth… Tommy and the other kids started teasing me for being mute, and I never got a chance to speak up….”51b656fc7e12b469

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“Your explanation doesn’t add up. If they started teasing you, wouldn’t that have been more reason for you to speak up and prove you weren’t mute?”d03fdf679f4004ea

Ismail fell silent 4de7f06fce at Magnus’s words.f19e723e00b9afae

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The High Priest, watching 9c89adde45 the hesitant boy with 6902695289 an expressionless face, eventually dddd726510 dragged him back to 4983ce439b the temple.f9dac2388c7b30ab

Fortunately, unlike Dunkeski’s methods, he 25bfdfd252 wasn’t beaten or locked away 26942f14fa in a dark room like 0ad94d0211 the Chamber of Repentance.979116e230573e98

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But that didn’t 8b6629491c mean he was e69853131b set free either.88c9f65ce244bf8f

Ismail had been 890b81c027 confined to Magnus’s 87d2afb3c9 quarters the entire 70e8c7bce7 time and had 367ac34055 only just returned 9050d03509 to the orphanage.9f298101f0085a9c

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“…What if revealing that I can talk doesn’t change anything?”aec4d824ba5b79a2

After recounting his experiences 5a64519f8e with Magnus, Ismail finally c177fa969d voiced the thoughts he bad4d2c4d8 hadn’t been able to f9bfa49a05 say before.bfbae0db0e3ec18d

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“What if the bullying doesn’t stop?”44ead9db86ca6cee

“……”64516c0d13c6c955

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“Then what am I supposed to do?”14dd5a76757504f4

His voice was quiet, 98e55baafb almost emotionless, but it ed0b5fc670 struck me like a 5a480706d0 thunderclap.0d938d10fe3a2df7

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It was the first 83b1da6010 time I had heard d941eb139a him speak like this.317a5278c6c40dc4

I had assumed he 193b051519 continued pretending to be 53a1e99bb2 mute even after Dunkeski’s 6658a1ecbc downfall because he was afc4b252c7 wary of those trying 46be52d69a to exploit his ability.39e22d4bce0602ac

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…Now that I think about it, he did keep pretending even after Dunkeski was gone, didn’t he?181beb34fa099fe5

I had never given 8e8b42ba04 it much thought.ebd1696ed330c9f5

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Until I asked 2fb6b09694 him to control 3f86cd6a8c Magnus, Ismail had e0cfc0e1bb been little more 8778b9bbe5 than an afterthought 92e132ded1 to me.a9172f56bc547315

I had helped 1307e7637c him escape the 9b47a9f931 orphanage out of 05bd469b98 a vague sense 508292604b of camaraderie—nothing more.74093ef06c7ab4c3

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After all, in the original 647820dc12 story, he was just another d4d225be3e male lead candidate who would baed5f1d15 eventually fall for the heroine f2b5300459 and despise me.9c28328b9c5831d8

But I had been 127e1f57f1 so fixated on the 4be334b09d novel’s plot that I 139512047c overlooked something important—de1258a87eefdf42

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Ismail was still 706c4493af just a child.89f0ff854868722e

Even though he could 113de60739 speak, he feared the a5c75a0a2f bullying wouldn’t stop.065433cfe6e624c7

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And strangely, I 85db36bc6d understood that fear 7a5857171a all too well.add8e85770165212

When I first lost my fde0318ccd Healing Eye, what I dreaded 1ecc6a5a7f most was being seen as dd51a44de1 useless.253ec7939d7e6c4e

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It was almost laughable.44cc97d1989e5b8c

By then, my abilities and 2f1fd81faf reputation had already hit rock 144e165edf bottom.87a52ed983da95d4

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Even so, I had 8ad4020234 clung to that fear—260cc6e92ccafa0c

Even though hardly anyone 93e09e75a5 truly understood what my 0493875645 Healing Eye could do.31b74fff510443f2

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For someone like Ismail, who a363985432 was far more intelligent and 0d0ac75f22 had a more obviously useful 999dbee438 ability, the fear must have c7042369fd been unbearable.2f49045bfec2af79

Even if he started 3db18109f2 speaking again, he knew dd39fedef7 the way the other b82e5e80bc children and priests saw 9ed33e0fae him would never be 4196c9a239 the same.395c3f65b48e5c99

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Because even if he stopped f506e62939 pretending to be mute—he couldn’t 303e6b9f4f stop pretending that he had ae25f1f69d lost his ability.c96f0da45020fa4c

To protect it 119555a6ab from being taken 8b1af46b07 away.6346e7bf82ae0ee5

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“…So High Priest Magnus didn’t harm you, but at the same time, he did nothing to stop the bullying you suffered.”969595bb033cc2aa

After a brief silence, 07e1016d27 the Pope finally spoke.7066c11d61fb4f8b

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“Did I hear you correctly, Ismail?”3db60a0410fe5e99

“Your Holiness!”c23df5e1110508c6

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Magnus’s face twisted in f90d952f9e panic as he hastily a07f9edb2a interrupted.c12225af70c7fcdb

“E-Even so, what Ismail did was still wrong! He shouldn’t have used his ability on me—he should have spoken to me and asked for help instead…!”fb82dc0944cea867

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“High Priest Magnus.”d66f26a892d1c357

“……”e79438bd3ee80884

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“It seems I overestimated you. You begged for this position so earnestly that I expected you to take your duties seriously.”447fba04e76099b2

The Pope’s voice 3ba42da59c was calm, yet aa0b198082 carried a chilling 86128a0b78 weight.a2b2ebf0cad270e4

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Magnus quickly forced a smile, 35e3436971 trying to salvage the situation.999d0c527c34b7e0

“Your Holiness, I have only been in this role for two weeks! That’s hardly enough time to fully grasp the orphanage’s situation—”b5e80ebda54f0e20

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“If you truly intended to understand the situation, you should have listened to the children who were being neglected first.”f44cb99d5478e0f6

At the Pope’s 1b6420eaa0 sharp rebuke, Magnus 15bd8d5deb finally shut his 7cb1385d3d mouth.f27416bcfdb35ec6

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Somehow, the discussion 3c5cf07c1d had shifted from e861d7aa8e Ismail’s hidden ability 23207ef64a to Magnus’s incompetence.e141b13cf417260b

That hadn’t been my original f32cf32427 goal—I had intended to expose d279203428 him as a heretic.3ecab8bebce19182

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But either way, 4a53d1be3a with the Pope’s 43a11ad911 involvement, things were f58a42200b progressing much more 9c4b5bd055 smoothly than I 490af05a96 had expected.421a199ca36dbe57

“What exactly have you done today? While a child from the temple orphanage was forced to seek outside help, what were you doing?”f2fa3065269a02ca

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“Y-Your Holiness, that is….”fd06d91b6585ad7d

“You downplayed the situation to me, saying it was nothing serious, and now all you can say is that you lacked time?”3063f70b97cdf0c8

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The Pope had already been on edge since the noble guests had witnessed the previous orphanage priests’ misdeeds during the volunteer day.acea902c6a24e7df

And now, seeing that 00123f6c3b even the newly appointed 0423c538c9 priest had failed to 626927d228 meet expectations, he couldn’t 5aa79bace7 hide his disappointment.2edd4ac3dd57bf69

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“Since, as you say, it’s only been two weeks, you probably haven’t even had time to form attachments with the children. I’ll find a new replacement, so you may step down now.”ea27ddcc4e1bcd68

“Your Holiness!”91d4c44dbf4abe2a

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Magnus’s head snapped up at 711ac2b356 the Pope’s unwavering decision, which 37c98e8834 left no room for negotiation.24c257fb32922ee7

“I-I was foolish! Please, just give me one more chance…!”fda9547e31b47063

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“I don’t wish to see you for a while. Go to the Saint Arkia Monastery and spend time reflecting in prayer. And while you’re there, study again why the temple operates an orphanage in the first place.”e2607636016e22dd

Even as Magnus 0ddf4afa2f hastily bowed and ead6a1e8b9 pleaded for mercy, c24756219a the Pope remained 976913dcaf unmoved.b01483a47d4d6076

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As he had 50978c9ebe said, it was 77f07b3c46 fortunate that Magnus de4036fd92 had only been f5e1b0742b in his position de9f96da19 for a short 745e36fc41 time.bb17377f75fbe51b

At least this way, there 2b5c243e55 hadn’t been too many more ea400398c5 victims like Ismail and me.c4a8e02a2cc496d5

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To be honest, I wanted 5908cd6296 to expose Magnus right then 75e29d71eb and there—c8a90f856e0a43e9

To reveal that he had 696a19cd31 colluded with Logan.49a497427dc8a7a9

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To declare him a dangerous 786a586654 heretic who deserved immediate punishment.260cc6692d51002a

But…1f3f88e40eabbaa8

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Ismail had told me 71fa551567 that he justified controlling 8fb8d7bb7a Magnus as a way 79b74379c2 to ask for my f880163692 help.52da04634e0d76a7

I recalled his explanation 3aae2fdd35 and bit my lip.fdb1219b8a2944f8

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Unlike Logan, who 3a81561e1d had been caught fcb16a0993 using dark magic 0283fdff35 and reciting ancient 8b22a24e63 heretical texts, there 07443d042e was no solid 36b1f8bb31 proof against Magnus 021a007d3b yet.4981669e3bf22d82

If I acted ae99326fba recklessly and made 0068d1a91e it obvious that 5b78fd30f8 Ismail knew something, e11cb2821d we could end f7df655b6b up in even 8f0c42328b greater danger.1cdd15446d7838fb

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…Either way, he’s been sent far from the temple. I can deal 36629adbd9 with him later.295c8932f4d94bd3

Morbid thoughts of assassination and 567aeb89e0 accidental death floated through my 4e177f70c2 mind.a79a40979ae5c46e

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“…Understood.”dcd7d45af23bda6a

Magnus, who had been 42c4df4cff glancing back and forth 346e35d16d between the Pope, Ismail, 25163119a1 and me with a c087d699e7 deeply resentful expression, finally 5ff4fbd44d lowered his head.787e6f2c1ec6e4bc

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“I will prepare to leave immediately.”694542d3627db092

With that, he rose 76950b9ba8 and trudged out of e3226a718c the headmistress’s office.88b1296964c13204

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Saint Arkia Monastery was 005664de1e located far in the b7e15d3637 southern regions, far from f150e710d6 the capital.eda59f0bb1e494ea

Unless he was summoned by a6628eacad the Pope or accomplished some 854193c953 extraordinary feat, he was unlikely ed219f59de to return.3921470dba35e7e2

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It was, for 9c4308439e all intents and ca07b1d01f purposes, an exile.4d76fb704dc55ceb

For failing to a7588a8185 listen to a e912fb71a2 neglected child, it 3183961fef was a rather b27afd0272 severe punishment.ba655f08a55a21e1

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But it seemed 1113796225 the Pope wanted 463f7ce1c1 to set an dbc5355001 example—not just for fecc637fb9 the orphanage, but 6209f3bf57 for me as 2ffb97447c well.5563928853cddcfd

Honestly, I didn’t mind.5d4931ef05b6688e

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As I watched f0e9228263 Magnus’s retreating figure d6d8ebb6a6 disappear beyond the fcb2f0f5b3 door, I felt 989d0834c3 an odd sense 3f2aed8739 of satisfaction.5c12a0ea6d92f651

First Dunkeski, and now 4937e5eb4b Magnus—I’m the one identifying 1ccfbe3827 these villains and casting db458c9b20 them out.a0c0e881d72a3430

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If I hadn’t 788de30b84 asked Ismail to c7f869d35a control him, none 5802ab6dcb of this would 728712a45a have happened.c1b7856c0d44dd99

I’m changing the 8253c45482 original story, bit bc407a48fe by bit.6bf438eea9c0f5bf

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And finally, I admitted it.75d88ef4eef8494a

That because of bba8a63a54 me, the events 48195c5838 of the novel e578e651cb were shifting in 6ec9bcd546 countless ways.e372676e33197c95

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Diana was still the 0366fbd83d protagonist, so I might 60d199994b not be able to 3359e16f16 alter the main plotline.4c59754f276b5266

But if I 35c3457cba kept making these 830fc41882 small changes, then 448f010bd3 maybe…7e39c2d8e6c51608

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Maybe I could remove Edwin 3e18c6d704 from the list of male eca89b1d8b lead candidates altogether.78df2272b76c0a8c

At the very bottom of 9195ffc4b1 my heart, a small, secret 699c899345 hope began to bloom.1455fd6021fdabdd

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Just then—ab3a1a93324f7260

“…It must have been quite a surprise to suddenly have a sponsor.”473f7233ff9c30fc

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The Pope’s voice echoed 9c9b220eb5 through the now-empty headmistress’s 798e2b843e office.402c6a6ce61b4a12

At his words, Ismail cast 9f55859172 a wary glance in my 424a9f0fa3 direction, looking rather unsettled.426bf11e39778161

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“…She’s my sponsor?”cb0800ea05cd01ce

“Yep! I’m your sponsor!”bea5aa970dfca4ab

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I declared proudly, watching his e9120467f3 dark amber eyes flicker.478c8b281cbb0dd8

For some reason, he 2cf430d30e looked troubled.e52a9b25842c2508

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This entire plan 416da82273 had been something f02b243e99 he knew nothing e3ceb963ab about.68b673fbd76bfacb

And honestly, I ec2da99de4 had only thought 6e7b8924b2 of it in 039893a060 passing before—only deciding d5e0658bfc to act on 60e7994e92 it just yesterday.1ea0b7b46056a2bd

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Maybe he’s just shocked?bf0b014db5f8198b

As I rationalized f8d391fefe his reaction, I 068a285d1d suddenly remembered something.b79ff7661c4da903

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Feeling the weight still hanging 9781cbf2f7 at my waist, I gasped.c8e174e401fb3c16

“Ah!”7b8dcbf8293984a7

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With a short exclamation, I aa28f75182 quickly untied the heavy pouch e75277639c strapped tightly to my belt 46560deadf and handed it to the e8041bce15 Pope.63cf8dbaf39654f1

“Here, the remaining 48 gold!”b885088e0186a1c2

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