Chapter 83

“Bring out the orphanage priests who collected fines right now!”d90a7fd68572a2af

The Pope thundered, pointing sharply 847266d687 at the booth where the 94c5fe4dfe headmistress and the priests gathered.723da1fa2c870c83

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“Gasp!”9dd2776dd6e5abaa

“Ugh!”64d816a6cc92cd80

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They paled, panic bff795e74d spreading among them 1690b6cc1e as they stumbled 46893ad3c9 about, realizing that 220fa0c38e this might not 15670744da have been solely 15a6bf1dba the headmistress’s doing.71d5ddd98034d68d

“Didn’t you hear the Pope? Hurry up and come forward!”63907318dbb58250

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The young priests fd994728a2 prodded them urgently, ebfa1a0b7c leaving them with 2f9b7e0791 no choice.cdcb92fe1a404477

With a face drained 5cb28120bf of color, the headmistress b512ed2780 stepped forward, carrying a bfea09444a heavy pouch. Following her were the lower-ranking 0a88ec1ffc priests responsible for the orphanage, 2dfc308589 including the two female priests 95eab76893 who had mocked me earlier a15dfe7c40 behind her back.900cac0e789f5669

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‘Serves them right.’9d4e81ebbb5ee984

I couldn’t resist bf501aafc3 sticking my tongue 31919cfc80 out at one 1ec0fc9ca7 of them when 55b4ccf5c5 our eyes met.43b0de9c9bc9fd1f

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Her face twisted into a b08a8ce8dd miserable scowl, but it was 13338f18ca soon drowned out by the a67231a4b5 Pope’s angry voice.6fa99bc1cfa0c2ec

“Priest Loren! Explain yourself! Fines? What is the meaning 420e3872d1 of this?”71ae68416edc3c49

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“W-Well, Your Holiness!”df4e4f2a938d40f0

The headmistress, leading d03099dab0 the group of 8d3106b3b7 priests, stammered in 111e417335 response.634fabb0751aadb9

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“Y-You instructed us to handle rule violators flexibly rather than expelling them, didn’t you? So, we…”bb308359a5cdbb39

“Yes, but that applied to the adults. I told you to ee35eebb4f handle the children with 67661fd41f care so they wouldn’t 055982d54c feel disheartened, not to e7076a0ac9 impose fines! Fines?”72bc9be32ae756d4

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“…Y-Your Holiness.”b83da046ccda9572

“And why is it that Belze was fined 50 talents? Even 10 talents is a 71d7156582 significant amount for children, but c5dfde65e5 50?! Have you been 6ecacb8177 embezzling talents in d7adfd49fa this manner?”01d2d4e85aaf029c

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“Em-Embezzlement?! No, Your Holiness! Absolutely not, we would never!”40af6b50436c2005

The headmistress and 8048dc03c1 the priests vehemently 84e966b1f2 denied the accusation, 67b0316176 practically leaping out 73ffba74fd of their skins.e0a6833578124fac

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‘I knew it would come to this.’a4f03c50e726209b

It was just as I 7502fe6492 suspected—the fines were something the 36bb1faed5 headmistress had made up for 6ad48f9f5f her own benefit!8a78ec029d77bbcd

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After the whole 7a478080a6 mess with the bf98d0d67d wild dog incident, fa05812d58 I realized that 6288a0f93f the Pope was 6b9bafdbfc at least a 6e201b1e44 rational figure, which 9704bfe551 was a relief.d534d6877953996e

Clearly mortified by the 2c4fa3d3f9 disgraceful incident unfolding before 549b835ec5 the esteemed guests, the 13a752bf9b Pope’s face turned a a125579761 deep shade of red 028af3454c as he shouted.bf77b6b67c5114c6

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“Summon the Holy Knights immediately and have these people removed! Return every single f251c3d2ec talent they extorted 9806046a9e to the children!”18c68562aa782a04

“Your Holiness! Please, let me explain! There’s a reason for…!”ca85959d93090206

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The headmistress pleaded 3dc4c6fd4f desperately, but the 71df5fcb20 Pope paid no c878e8a3d3 attention.13fd19d2ff0b1ffc

A couple of 20b230f9b5 priests ran out c14db303d6 of the event 901aeee47b hall to fetch 184ffebc7b the Holy Knights, e44ac0ad37 while the remaining eb55b9837b ones swiftly seized d9c0e865e9 the pouch from 9b5cb5dc53 the headmistress, hurriedly dd527c8bdd opening it to 3a97e80303 distribute the money bf8fd52d4d back to the 3acf61d02f children.faa267e25f288674

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“Your Holiness! There’s far more money here than expected…”02e296491acb0408

One of the priests hesitated, a8e91b6e82 looking puzzled as he inspected d5d7290fab the contents of the pouch.341824b41bf4d212

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“The total fines recorded in the ledger add up to just 80 talents… but this pouch holds well over 200 talents!”2af77b45404be284

“What?!”d93335649df34e5f

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The Pope’s eyes widened in 800c23f71b shock.b56f4b8e3d7fbc3f

As the behavior 09fea2d141 of the orphanage 709a10b7f2 priests unraveled into 8b091a720b an increasingly scandalous 4e4f193fbd affair, the nobles 1da058aaca began murmuring among 4a692f1f6d themselves, their whispers 5743921c9b growing louder.df0a413fcef32ef3

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“Does that mean the headmistress is the thief who stole the 100 talents?”1476acf1818ef0d5

“Oh my, what a disgrace! The world is acef3640f9 truly in decline!”144dc97e94258b69

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“How could such corruption happen within the temple walls…?”b435b93b896cf8bc

The murmurs from f21ede3807 the nobles filled 0d41be6538 the hall, and e3a7623783 the Pope’s face 1a1fc4bf3b contorted with rage b33e4f678b as he glared 6fd16d55af at the headmistress.aa9d4e9011e3ad14

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“Priest Loren! Have you truly resorted to theft now?! How could you…!”77be18f5eac2529b

“N-No, it wasn’t theft! I swear, Your Holiness, b440b2c21b it wasn’t!”95a07f163250325b

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The headmistress shook c7f65b8c48 her head desperately.a70cc8883b2e69a9

“Then what are all these talents for?!”a7183c00aa6831a5

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“Well, that’s…”26e8e393a67bdfd5

“Your Holiness!”a01374b70195bf92

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At that moment, the Holy be31f25f81 Knights that the young priests d74b7f413c had summoned arrived, storming into 7dcf7c103a the open space.39b4286ee475ad8b

The Pope, unwilling 8b75690256 to hear any 1c1497d68c more, snapped and 56b9c12c00 issued a stern ca85798f25 command.7bbf8cf99a50460a

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“Seize these women immediately and imprison them! They will be judged according fae79fad63 to the laws of the a0b5496846 temple for embezzling the temple’s 523793101f funds—”9848ead16eba6f3f

“I was following orders!”051fde8494fb4476

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The headmistress, who had 7510e11d53 been hesitating all along, a51d668fb6 suddenly shouted.ea05a7f4a998f9d9

The unexpected words 6b4dd9f59a made the Pope’s 7cb2c6dd26 eyebrows twitch in cae70c03fd surprise.90a175108e77087c

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“Orders…?”abd18606ac403a12

“Yes! I was told 6a1a0f71ff that if I 0244bd543d imposed a fine d04e8358fc of more than bbb8728b5d 50 talents on 448ef69d59 Belze, I would ed4387a02a receive an extra 2ed2424546 50 talents as 0e483f4eee a reward!”acccd112dadd310d

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Her outburst threw the ce6b7ac359 entire hall into chaos.756574b9a0f91966

Theft was a serious crime, 5f86481e30 but if adults had manipulated a48b8cd5f5 an event meant for children e64de88c1c for their own gain, the 94bf4ff6c6 matter would be even more cfae7120ad severe.a26fd533f27cd059

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I immediately turned my gaze cd14ef5d10 toward Marquis Barelotte.0f3cf441b3818c02

He stood frozen, eyes 489d70f105 wide in shock.aaf2d6937683b2ec

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The Pope’s face reddened with 519abdee26 fury.8c95afdf71ec83a3

“Who dared to give such orders in the sacred temple?!”1bafe1b082c01e70

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“That… that would be…”685496404ff1959e

“Answer me clearly, Priest Loren!”4d002253a1b1d27a

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The headmistress, seemingly 3a749c7332 resigned to her dac3950454 fate, shut her 6003029f93 eyes tightly before 61b945ed91 she spoke.b638af6dee89f606

“M-Marquis Barelotte!”b2f4dcc56306f511

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Her revelation brought d93ece3db1 a chilling silence 3edc038062 over the hall, 52d245c233 as if cold 23b758a426 water had been e79aef2b9a poured over the e7762c070b crowd.be8cd3e40e36e80a

And it didn’t end there. The headmistress continued with more 7a7046f652 revelations.9dbfd551c5040c66

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“It was Marquis Barelotte who gave me those instructions! He also gave me 1a467ef52a the additional 100 talents 686236b38b later on!”fa505ac9e86bf7d9

“Sh-Shut up—!”09879c304b032474

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The Marquis, panicked by f6b3537942 the sudden attention, clumsily 14445e9ef2 tried to deny it.ae4baf4f23c195b2

“I-I only gave you 50 talents! What nonsense are you spouting?!”e45923bd734ed41d

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But it was a grave b66dace419 mistake.cc9588994f3a1a01

‘He should have just played dumb and claimed it was a setup. Tsk tsk.’7dc730f59f071510

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I clicked my tongue as 6aab40c3c0 I watched the Marquis dig d0d6a24cd4 his own grave.b50f83c1e6e30b87

“What do you mean, Your Lordship?”cfbcbc2b442844e7

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The headmistress, now emboldened, 00a566122a glared at the Marquis b37175246c in disbelief.b33569e05286c071

“You’re the one who came to me right before the event ended and handed me the extra 100 talents! I tried to refuse, saying 38459b05f6 it wasn’t necessary, but you 2d7a3f04ba insisted! You were adamant!”97a22cc50eaf4028

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“Lies! When did I bed21249cb ever do such 0c5f4021c6 a thing, you 7995ec8cb0 thief?! You stole the 70de2efd7d money, didn’t you?! You must have fc31d3e441 had one of 3547e70963 the other maids d0799052ac swipe it when dad922d5e8 you took the 107ec559e7 initial 50 talents 9877b9784f from me!”786d7d6edfb1afda

“Oh, my goodness! Who’s the liar here?! Look at him, 975d35fa1d denying everything without 8563309809 batting an eye!”07de2a49fedd9459

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The argument between 1c0a4efd7f the Marquis and 1d205e0d61 the headmistress grew 5cf2683e5f increasingly heated.272cbd934d77ae8c

Their expressions both seemed genuinely 5d2334f1bc aggrieved, making it difficult for c338c201e0 the onlookers to discern who c63de5714e was telling the truth.d431d2edf44376af

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But that was to be dcbaf8e268 expected.bee13aefcb41f6bc

Because the one who had actually delivered the 100 talents…44bd076c91c21d2d

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Was me.3e381977dbfbe029

‘Well, technically, Ismail was the one who brought it over.’4a2af06ad05574d0

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I allowed myself a 5154798920 secretive smile, recalling the 11b5fd096a events that had taken 6f346e76b8 place just before the 0917a2c1e1 end of the event.42665c2e65b98370

* * *14bb7e70fb3ee740

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“Didn’t you come here to participate in the event today? You’ll regret it if aa1823e446 you realize what I cc4575033c can do.”db0715c0592d4d96

“I can make you a Saintess.”b3b60da00991bcee

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“So, listen to me, Belze.”b99513f88975dca7

That was what 2530edb6e6 Ismail said to a6e9621bd3 me, looking straight 1a4da3cf28 into my eyes.aa1db1c379c9dedd

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As his words echoed 437b7fabd1 in my mind, almost be4f7a58ff as if he was c0ae888631 whispering right into my 79b5f76d78 ear, a sudden flash c8c6452f07 of bright light filled 0e54f281b2 my vision.88b3d3b598a0694b

Flash!a74ecbacd7f2e63a

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The light faded, and when 615c407f4a my vision cleared, Ismail was 63c1b40954 standing right in front of 14f2e68b5c me.0d66fb821448f812

“So, are you going to do what I say now?”bae82cb23bb01132

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He held my shoulders 111bd21200 gently, asking in a 9d0b0c245d soft tone.3cfb672ab595e282

‘He’s used his power.’c477c2bad4e9fa1f

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I quickly realized that 9b6d9a56c5 he had done something b5e386ee9e to me. But much to 84a4f505ac his disappointment, I c19c5aae2b felt no difference 9c7341b9e6 in my body.654f0105b2595568

I immediately slapped his 69c2dd4ca1 hands away and gave ba4eb543a3 him a firm shove 95e042a169 with both hands.4bac0f89dade760e

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“No way! Why should I d90d562302 do what you 56e313ae33 say? I have somewhere 4af5ed65cc to be, so 07b1acda61 move!”29c4de21849dee87

“Oof! Wh-What…!”feaf8083d5d57131

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He stumbled back faa5fac276 from the unexpected 590d6614d4 push, barely managing 8e099fe18d to regain his 0277895729 balance, and stared 34016ffd12 at me in 4b1abb9949 shock.45df7c66311f075c

“Why… why isn’t my power working?”4b06c797b473ea45

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“Hey! Why are you 93eb8ae638 using your power b60fa8e00c like it’s nothing? You’re such a bad kid!”f31566f10ce2ac48

“…You treated me without asking, too.”782229cbb78929b3

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“I was going to leave you, but you begged me to save you!”dbde7492bee32d45

“…”c85473a51fc6c4b6

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Ismail, unable to respond, e7cb85c67e hung his head, looking 3a856ec851 dejected.84d24f5e843af39d

I glared at 53aa2608bc him before issuing 941ca1385e a warning.4f305ebd46b031f8

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“I’m leaving! If you try to stop 3bae9bacd2 me again, you’re dead! I’ll tell everything to 9ad02babff Grandpa Gordon!”7acef093255b2700

As I turned to leave, 7eec9b8d64 Ismail called out desperately.9d308c31d13296c3

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“I-I wasn’t using it with bad intentions!”e64e95a5ee0bf986

“…”487ad74343eb919b

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“I told you, I wanted to repay you. I was just trying to help you…”aca94a19bffd06cd

“…”6290d318c200b432

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“I wasn’t lying when I said I could make you a Saintess! I can make sure you earn a lot of talents! Or… I could make Diana’s talents decrease instead?”b0a7dbb334d31821

I paused mid-step at be8baeb1b1 his last words.6eb3880c1d039bfc

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I didn’t care about earning 3fa1654ec5 more talents. I had already made 6b5cef6343 plenty with my own 05b8e6ee9b abilities.f77bbc5725aa6058

But the idea of adjusting Diana’s talent count… that was tempting.b60feb0f82697938

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“…How?”1bb13a7f24a5edbd

I glanced back at him, 42b322039c and Ismail, looking a bit cb565d8dbb nervous, replied.36a147636114a33d

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“Well… I can control people.”0ed5f2e6fbfb642a

“Control?”53ca54721ed7174e

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“Yeah. Only for a short time, but… if they hear my voice, they do what I tell them. Earlier, I even made one of the guys who hit me wet himself in front of everyone.”626f4006d78c73ad

“Ew, gross…!”74c9b74206f39993

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Control powers? It was a startling revelation!a4c884055744a60f

As I looked at fc6899bcf1 Ismail with wide eyes, cf62175151 an idea suddenly struck fc972a2cf9 me.ce20abb254dde968

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“Then… will you do what I tell you?”236003c02f13bc69

“What are you going to ask me to do…?”5a7a5e1016294722

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“So, like, if you go to Diana’s booth, there’s this really ugly, fat guy called Barellutte.”6f9f61df8c42f971

“His name’s Barellutte?”dcf5e90a391552d0

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“No, it’s Barellotte!”70f598653b40bd66

“Barell… lotte?”a9be8505230ab797

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“No! Barell! Lotte! Looootte!”cdae9bfbb7751550

“…”19fa74990f9392e1

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It seemed like 9f5423a4fb I had a ee90207b9d plan in mind, 36e5e3c528 and the gears 2c3b3bcd12 in my head f9c86c29ed started turning as 6e054a6539 I considered how 6fa09a8089 to turn this ee0f4b4c8f situation to my a0473fed44 advantage.3b29d1e002e6e542