Episode 105

“Repeat after me. ‘I will never!'”

“I will never!”

“Pick on Ismail again!”

“Pick on Ismail again!”

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

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

The two boys, kneeling beside their unconscious leader with their hands raised, repeated the chant three times under my command.

“…”

Ismail stared at them with a complicated expression before giving a slight nod.

It seemed like he understood the situation and reluctantly accepted it.

Honestly, standing there with one kid passed out, nose bleeding, and the other two drenched in their own urine wasn’t exactly comfortable.

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

It was clear that Ismail found the whole scene deeply unsettling.

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

Remembering the Ismail of my previous life—the one who coldly ignored my pleas as I sobbed and lamented—I found it hard to reconcile the two versions of him.

And yet, this gentle Ismail was so different.

It wasn’t just that. I remembered hearing how the young Pope Montenus III, who had succeeded later, was notoriously ruthless and unyielding.

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

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

“Listen up.”

My movement made the two remaining boys stiffen in fear, their faces pale with anxiety.

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

I lifted the teddy bear high into the air.

Predictably, the two boys flinched and gasped.

“Eek!”

“P-Please, no!”

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

At my warning, they frantically nodded, practically screaming their agreement.

“Yes! Got it! I mean, yes, ma’am!”

“I swear, I won’t tell anyone!”

After securing multiple confirmations, I smirked arrogantly and motioned with my chin.

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

“Yes, ma’am!”

“Yes!”

Satisfied, I turned to Ismail and gestured for him to follow me.

“Let’s go, Ismail!”

Leaving the disciplined boys behind, I walked away, not wanting to spend another moment in a place that reeked of urine.

But as I turned, something familiar caught my eye—several boxes lying haphazardly on the ground.

They were the dessert boxes I had brought earlier.

Judging by the number of boxes scattered around, they must have taken not only Ismail’s share but also those meant for the other children.

Sigh.

I crouched down to inspect the boxes.

Some were empty, likely already eaten, but a few remained untouched with their packaging intact.

“…?”

As I carefully picked up two untouched boxes, Ismail, following behind me, gave me a puzzled look.

He seemed to be silently asking, Why are you picking those up?

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

The chef had poured his heart into making those desserts to cheer me up.

To think they’d been used by those jerks to bully others and left lying in the dirt made me furious.

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

“Eep!”

At my outburst, the boys, who had been lowering their hands, quickly shot them back up, their faces pale with fear.

Ismail silently watched me for a moment before stepping forward and taking the boxes from my hands.

Since I was also carrying Teddy bear, I had been awkwardly holding the boxes with one hand, so his help was a relief.

Together, we left the smelly, unpleasant scene behind without looking back.

When we returned through the side door, the hallway was still empty.

From inside, the lively noise of children enjoying the desserts I’d brought echoed faintly.

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

Thankfully, the library was deserted.

After ensuring no one else was around, I sat at a wide, low table a little distance from the door.

Ismail followed me hesitantly and stood across from where I was seated.

“Sit down.”

At my urging, he placed the dessert boxes he was holding onto the table and sat down reluctantly.

I calmly began unwrapping one of the two boxes.

Thankfully, the contents were still intact, unbroken and clean.

“Here, eat.”

I pushed the opened box toward Ismail. After everything that had happened, I doubted he’d even had a chance to taste the desserts.

“…Hah.”

Instead of taking a bite, Ismail let out a bitter laugh, as if asking, Would you want to eat in my situation?

“What? It’s delicious, you know.”

I reached for one of the bear-shaped cookies and bit into it without hesitation.

Crunch.

I chewed nonchalantly, demonstrating that the food was neither poisoned nor dirty.

But Ismail just frowned as he watched me eat and didn’t touch the box. Instead, he glanced around cautiously before leaning forward to whisper,

“What are you planning to do?”

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

“What do you mean?”

“Those kids. What if they tell the teachers?”

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

“What about Tommy?”

Ismail quickly added, as if certain I hadn’t thought of this.

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

“Ah…”

He was right—Tommy wasn’t going to keep his mouth shut. Once he woke up, he’d remember everything.

I pondered for a moment before turning to Ismail.

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

“Ha! Do I look like a magician to you? And even then, I can only control someone for about an hour, tops.”

Ismail responded, visibly annoyed.

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

Maybe it was because he was still young.

As I clicked my tongue in disappointment, Ismail sighed deeply.

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

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

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

“Financial support…?”

If the baron was funding the orphanage, it meant he was donating a significant amount to the temple.

The idea of someone leaving a child at an orphanage while simultaneously supporting it seemed odd, but it didn’t frighten me in the slightest.

Unbothered, I replied,

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

In other words, I had the stronger backer.

But despite my confidence, Ismail’s face darkened.

“Of course, you’ll be fine.”

“…”

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

“Uh…”

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

It was clear he was afraid of retaliation. Opposing a noble’s child could easily lead to worse consequences for him.

But what surprised me most wasn’t his fear—it was what he’d said earlier.

‘I have to keep living here…’

 

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

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

 

The last time I had promised to find a way to help Ismail escape, he didn’t seem to take it to heart.

His lack of even the smallest glimmer of hope stung deeply.

It also made me feel guilty for charging ahead recklessly without having a proper plan in place.

No wonder he didn’t take my words seriously.

“Well then…”

After a moment of contemplation, I came up with the most realistic compromise I could think of.

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

“…What?”

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

“Ha. You’re really…”

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

For a brief moment, his reddish-brown eyes wavered.

After holding my gaze for a while, Ismail lowered his eyes, settling on the teddy bear in my arms.

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

“Yep! It’s got a spirit inside!”

“What kind of spirit acts so insane…”

Muttering under his breath, Ismail shook his head and changed the subject.

“Anyway, why did you come here today?”

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

“What are you looking for?”

Ismail looked at me curiously as I hesitated.

Though he would grow up to become a brilliant and knowledgeable Pope, right now, he was still just a child.

On top of that, I wasn’t sure if it was wise to mention the strange purple light to a male lead who would one day fall for the female lead.

‘But then again, why not? It’s not like I’m going to reveal that Diana used a strange purple light to heal anyone right now.’

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

“Purple light? What purple light?”

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

I mumbled vaguely, avoiding a direct explanation.

Now that I thought about it, even the orphanage, with its bright and colorful decorations for the children, lacked any trace of purple.

As I paused, struck by the peculiarity of this absence, Ismail responded with an incredulous expression.

“Haven’t you studied the scriptures?”

“…No, why?”

He sighed, as if exasperated by my ignorance.

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

 

 

 

 

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