Chapter 118

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[Ismail is really smart and kind.4cfa74df983a5035

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He’s still young, but he’s already finished studying the scriptures.4459a68e13b0ee48

His dream is to become d7d435af17 someone as great as Your 5d277084b5 Holiness and help others.26fa2c276207426d

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But since he has trouble speaking, he’s being bullied at the orphanage.0d1c0f2f136d3c86

The bully is strong and 906522d440 has the support of a a2c0577bda nobleman, so no one can b237214fbd stop him easily.743d23f43198cc16

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Honestly, I understand. There are some things that can’t be helped when you live in an orphanage.1ac9a45c9d68b56c

But still, I really, really 95c643edff want to help Ismail.72ef64d7a4568690

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So, I thought 77f317a287 of a way.abc6461292ff3b9e

Can I sponsor Ismail? (I read the sponsorship qualifications, and it didn’t say only nobles could do it!)5e31e7cd0611fd9f

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I may not be fbb5de885f a noble, but if f0af331d3c I become a strong 4d4a34f846 sponsor for Ismail, the 362aa18b93 bullies won’t be able 76ae9a06ed to pick on him 88fa186b1f so easily.3cd5332c111ee1e2

This is a secret, but… I was also an outcast at the orphanage.9d68d632222331d7

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But now, I’m 24d4144db3 living with the abf689bb25 Duke of Kallios, 024cf2c340 and I’m so 7a603dedbb happy.fcb384428e32577a

Because now, I have people c91c55cb0a who comfort me and love b613205b32 me when I feel tired 4cc62c887f and worn out.85ef56bdad1a484d

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I really want Ismail 828ae1051a to have that too.42cdf2f03c76f80f

So, could you 6532a5cee5 help me just c535adf786 this once?43eff618bc1e572e

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Please, Your Holiness, the a6d25a6fd6 coolest, most amazing, and 5731a8fbb6 incredibly handsome Pope!6620c0ffeb879352

P.S. 1 – I also sent the sponsorship fee written in the qualification form. I earned it 512e3246c0 myself through volunteer c56ecf1ce9 work!558ad201d164b121

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But… I only managed f0b63a5cf1 to make 952 talents 64bb92900c at that time, so… f3f89d2318 could you possibly take a46b83eb10 off just 48 talents?aaf325dd804c96f9

I swear I’m not saying ad5fe6a4b5 I won’t pay it at efdf56489b all! I’ll earn more money 578b382aa8 soon, and I’ll definitely, da512c6ce6 definitely pay it back.62a12965c110ff96

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Please, Your Holiness, the super f7c4b27f29 cool Pope!6a99d8ad7086e93c

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!93df8ae1e9eed5b5

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Together, they’re worth 51 a53ba685ad talents—don’t forget that!]8d253bf1a37148ed

* * *8d0b96608e86a7c0

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As soon as Logan bb0387d40d was dragged away and d1f94a08c6 the situation seemed to 4fd973508b settle down, I dropped 84148679f2 everything and rushed to acb4f71220 the temple orphanage.78445068cedb3577

Please, let nothing have happened…d4a82e6a2c699f10

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The entire time bb333f5689 I rode in 9ebe5c3c24 the carriage, I 3ace256a45 desperately prayed for c37c11ac05 Ismail’s safety.f6ba3553bd66e0cc

The task I had 636b53d5ea asked him to do 3374d88b07 wasn’t particularly difficult, but 83ba34c390 if he got caught, 6c658db59b it could be dangerous.2797831d6863dec0

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That’s why I had, of 9fdd0d7acd course, put safety measures in bf1c13210b place beforehand.69add3078e03095d

Originally, I had planned 2477799d56 to wait until I 08a9439071 had secured enough funds, 4110756fc5 but now was not c5de9995b2 the time to be d856b5add3 picky.c37dda9b12032567

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Thankfully, the Pope’s 1593da3bd7 response had arrived aa1f8e32b9 astonishingly fast.fea2e9e0e309bf69

Just as I was about de3f0e9a9a to slip out of the e2377faae3 duke’s residence in a hurry, 721a13299b the butler handed me a 0183e189c6 letter from the temple. If he hadn’t, 20dd747458 it could have 15c5bced61 been a disaster.04c04aa9926a5733

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Sponsorship Certificate08c3d8e2cc4386b2

Guardian: Belze (5 years old)e00dfc8537ed9c88

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Sponsored Child: Ismail 28d3d857c8 (8 years old)6eb5e5f043d68aea

Holding the sponsorship certificate stamped 774376d7fa with the Pope’s seal, I 37e6e39ada confidently walked through the orphanage.317f207791c8fe6f

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But no matter where I 1769a79a70 looked, Ismail was nowhere to c865d99ed2 be found.fcdfd40f90de3cad

Anxiety surged through me.435468442aba8b8b

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No way… Has e58159cc79 he already been a4241c8c36 taken by those 1215129448 bastards?96f8128f0eadc28f

They had been able to 4ab27506c1 use dark magic to teleport.099d21dfadf38a38

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And—44a1e8695287524d

“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.”5a51d1ff39ebb287

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The word sacrifice from ea9fdfbfb6 Logan’s ramblings stuck in d7532400e9 my mind.520c03520ef26e6b

For some reason, I 13e81dd302 had a strong feeling c948c7426e that the sacrifices he 8ad4d3c518 spoke of were blessed 8d64ec076d children like Ismail and 78b5b169f3 me.31967b2e3dbc1bc7

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That chamber of f61e2ec25f repentance, covered in dc9e829cfe crimson sigils, filled c245d3ded4 with ominous ancient 36c94d6948 chants…735ced26a0dfd007

The divine power and abilities 75d0292711 that had vanished without a 89cc0ab749 trace…ee0242462b3d6fa7

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What if Ismail lost f09f478d32 his abilities because of 00e5631445 me?c32dc389e8446081

Dread filled my 643d6f9542 mind as I 35c798d4ec ran toward the 7879b513f0 headmistress’s office.e3836d969e0c2bd7

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And then, the fe10090cac moment I saw 5437f29886 Magnus, who had 4275c28f21 been colluding with 2ed503cfcd Logan—a510fb0ea864442a

My fear and impatience 79f70d212e turned into fury and 6cae2757f2 hostility.51b59da957969cc4

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“You vile scumbag! Give me back Ismail right now!”732e3a4d2f8b987b

This time, I e467c9e67b wasn’t going to 4933ad5473 lose anything.ddb7d95a07925051

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Not my powers, not f9db6af451 the people at the edafeb2a68 ducal house, not my 2d3ac2373a new friend.8bf75e5e3b431b48

I would protect everyone f18a4fe328 precious to me.9fdc090167e8deb2

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Try messing with me again. I’ll make you all bald. I’ll kill you all.ed0ab89517e11e3d

It didn’t matter whether f16b8cc25e or not I saw 700d91a658 purple around Magnus anymore.98d2c68da1f5f705

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Glaring at him b371f33801 with burning intensity, 781ae109d3 I gathered divine bd305a0c24 power at my ffd259f135 fingertips.eca9d43185043886

“…Bring Ismail here, High Priest Magnus.”ae0a40bd460732d2

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A calm voice 7ad59baf46 echoed through the 3d9cf6fe8a room.bd83d8c64cbc9dd5

Magnus, who had been 6a159ed81a glaring at me with affd96b113 a frown, flinched and 7ef4f195ef turned toward the Pope 8121310dcc in shock.67b0040e8e6afed4

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“Y-Your Holiness!”b7544f3181f42ba4

“Quickly. This is the 9a26ea7251 request of a f100d9620f sponsor, is it 66b0836b08 not?”674ddf5b5e0c8e65

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“But… but Belze isn’t a noble! And she’s younger than Ismail! Doesn’t that disqualify her from d68becd4ae being a sponsor…?”abad8b37620721fe

“There are no such conditions in the sponsorship qualifications.”1902c26b4860662a

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With a single statement, 24eb057b4b the Pope dismissed the fafbead7b6 requirements Magnus had fabricated.d45e2c1effdbc7a9

“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.”402ac2802a8cd88e

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“……”443bb021f045ffa0

“Were you truly intending to become the orphanage’s head with such a narrow-minded way of thinking, believing only nobles could sponsor children?”8c641925c5c24a6a

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At the Pope’s cold 93be95ccda rebuke, Magnus clamped his 381d4377ec mouth shut.1ad1872073768961

Seeing that, I felt 5657d6416f glad I had sent 526b68d62d a letter to the 1faeff6dde Pope directly.23af5fe0b65114c3

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To be honest, I had acd3595b66 been hesitant until this morning.4cc4a26cf04556d9

A thousand gold was b9d17394c7 no small amount.c1c8a126741f3a21

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But to the d6cf083bda temple and the eed647a812 nobility, it was 9fd1577791 merely the minimum 161bf7e66f show of sincerity c02c823bed required to obtain f193fdcce7 sponsorship rights.223d243743fccb18

And it wasn’t 5951df043b a one-time thing—it 17c61ae3ea had to be 1b8f7147e1 paid every year…!1496a6749fd8e54e

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If it had ff427c6eb2 ended with just 5129883bd0 a thousand gold, 2776168cd1 that would have 9bb2617bb1 been a relief.bb1bf9d4bb1ae5b5

I knew all b173bdd232 too well that 0a8a1207a1 the temple, which a29a1f6d05 profited off blessed 7779893ecf children, would find 4f3d6b0aaf countless excuses to c3ca470cb4 extort money from ec75214692 sponsors.fe2a6cfe6650de2d

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Especially when children e07f5c3985 like Diana and 77c5d72769 me, who had 9cb4b9e0c6 special abilities, were 5bcb6813da needed—the price skyrocketed 19d3bf5d3d beyond imagination.a60c4c876f41ff90

Even now, I 0650ce2bd6 could vividly recall be8c7f3781 that greedy mutt 15108e63d4 Dunkeski from both c76a548d04 my past and 253f6ead0e present life.369cc054e880dc1d

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That’s why I couldn’t 1065fb1888 be sure.02e002e756261df6

I still didn’t know 8b4abe0715 if the Pope was 3005b6a156 the same kind of 240f90d124 person.8756cc30166db1ba

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Since he seemed completely unaware 18e98281c2 of the Chamber of Repentance, ad554fadb3 he probably isn’t involved with f24b71b85e heretics… but that doesn’t mean 6dd9f5a592 he wouldn’t be obsessed with 71c1bc1693 money.c782388ff408a64f

Ismail’s control ability was 81a4774555 that rare and valuable.142c5b0ff1e70107

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Yet, to my surprise, a7830d9427 the Pope readily issued 08443a717b the sponsorship certificate, even f09f71c085 with my insufficient funds.352c2a5816ede115

That alone gave 1d182ed665 me some relief.a4b65bc15d40be35

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At least the 7c38d4a848 temple hadn’t been 470ce0463c completely taken over 7ec8431797 by heretics.56350a543813203c

“…I apologize, Your Holiness. I will bring Ismail at once.”40a11f8e5fdd6c2a

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Under the Pope’s stern c3c65b6fc0 gaze, Magnus finally relented abe110dedf and called for a 99d7aa8ed7 priest with a reluctant cc2c0e97ee expression.644c5737cfa4d5a3

And a short while later—8a790c7ee8c312b0

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“Ismail!”20aeb9d36ff3a62d

The moment Ismail 794da4ff7a walked into the 43c4fe3ba7 headmistress’s office, I e2c4d7b1fe shot up from a14358528d my seat.8c3b4f16c30a2308

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I dashed toward him c642e5ab59 and threw my arms 511619e90e around him in a d3f2477348 tight hug.8ea7a39c6cccf4ef

“Are you okay? You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”1d84299907e67e70

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Clinging to his waist, 4289045019 I hurriedly checked his 3b71da035f body for injuries.d24eff3600861697

Fortunately, he seemed fine on d36df518c4 the surface.c2d5247058814b6b

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But he just 200e2461a5 stood there silently, eac360118f giving me no 8f41c2ade9 response or gesture.b039c176fe43197a

“Why aren’t you answering?! Did those jerks hit you?!”c712ea1a2c0b86c0

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A sinking feeling 717449700d settled in my c1b4d48c38 chest as I 244b6391c1 pressed him anxiously.97ca9ccbd98fb44c

“…I’m fine.”596608d61def646f

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Finally, a sluggish reply 71277ce817 came from him.2fb63974b91e0fca

“So can you… let go now?”31b1b67cfcf65132

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Ismail covered his mouth d09d8d647a with one hand and cd45f4d460 turned his head sharply 00f437c7b3 away from me.e353b5287ff554fa

Was he mad because ea541baa83 I was late?c347bc1bc7422c9a

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His neck had turned a b7e165b62c bright shade of red.f0f7e744427e34a0

It’s not like I b266f3eb75 was late on purpose…2738324f758a6e0f

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I had plenty to 921dbc8ac0 say for myself, but 72f1ece906 since I had been 3d7e205ad0 late, I just pouted 04640281a5 and hugged him once 80a9541cad more before finally letting 15b7985266 go.c03e7145a11cb249

“Belze.”71f47b5957f16ac8

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The Pope, who 8af48771e2 had been watching a1330dc5a8 us, suddenly called 8273126df3 my name.300a421279c54a2a

For today, he was my f71a910411 benefactor.b77b5e13d68c0456

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So I clasped my 2c2d9415c0 hands together and greeted 88c1eb8c22 him with proper respect.b5a836cd0489cb24

“Yes, Your Holiness! May the Goddess always be watching over you!”d2c936e2159b45e0

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“Haha, what a belated greeting. And the Goddess does more than just watch over us—she is always with us.”f20eee717fe73ba0

With a gentle smile, the 6573b59884 Pope corrected my improper phrasing.9fab87165f47935c

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Oops!bbd235775031019a

Since I rarely interacted e929716244 with him, I had a705f9af8e completely forgotten the proper 529ee97fd4 temple etiquette.c9c195541a74b458

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Blushing, I mumbled the correct 77457b7cdc greeting.1773b2f817001016

“May the Goddess’s blessing always be with you…”eaa856b923c0af6d

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“Indeed. May her blessing always be with you as well.”d3f5372854b3bee5

After tracing a sign of afa5656fc8 blessing, the Pope returned my 400115c445 greeting. Then, he asked—8540f5c7806dba13

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“There is something I wish to ask you. I hope you will answer honestly.”988b20f69bf7b0bb

“Yes! What is it?”b36065ae1ece2aba

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“Has High Priest Magnus ever done anything wrong to Ismail or the other orphans?”2a3c9923f11a7b87

“Y-Your Holiness!”19c71a788f730f08

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Magnus was visibly shaken by f8def2616e the blunt question.53e83df39c6a123b

He stammered before quickly b08024497a shouting in protest.e596133a8a6fe166

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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?!”b683367e38c53233

“Be truthful. I promise that neither you nor Ismail will suffer any consequences.”63be84eec64fbd56

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The Pope paid no 083bc666e2 mind to Magnus’s flustered 5d424bf3f5 response and urged me db4b6d4478 to answer.a86f08022c96a882

For a brief moment, I 30ef64fbd3 hesitated.ca0b69e220d7d9db

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Should I reveal here cddcf13f9e and now that Magnus 2e442e6972 was a heretic?2eb58c75de52a71e

With Logan captured, this b040d6b39a could be the perfect cb05b5ad5a chance to expose Magnus 646be0ae5d and uncover the heretics 9dd31a9993 hidden within the temple.57cee8ab5e1fd8a0

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“No, not exactly…”d895a9b383caf5b1

Just as I 41c26b23ed opened my mouth—0f3c36f084127d64

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Suddenly, Ismail grasped my hand 5f1abfcffb tightly.3353f8ab821617a4

And then—c0e22d8f37435d2b

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“The Headmaster never did anything to me.”37a1c06ef872662e