Episode 117

Magnus walked briskly.

Truthfully, he wanted to speak with Ismail further—have a proper, in-depth conversation.

But since he had only recently taken up the position of headmaster, his responsibilities were piling up.

With no other choice, he promised himself that he would return to the discussion tonight and made his way back to the orphanage.

The moment he stepped into his office—

He found an unexpected guest.

“High Priest Magnus.”

“…Your Holiness?”

Magnus stiffened at the sudden appearance of the Pope himself.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Just thought I’d stop by. It’s been a while.”

“Would you care for some tea…?”

“No need. I’ve already had some on my way here.”

“…I see.”

‘Why now, of all times?’

Magnus barely kept his expression from twisting.

Closing the door behind him, he walked in, calmly taking a seat across from the Pope.

“Since you’re here, would you like to visit the classrooms? It’s still lesson time, but—”

The Pope shook his head.

“No need. I must return soon to prepare for the mass.”

“Ah. Then…”

“Has everything been well at the orphanage?”

Magnus had been subtly probing for the reason behind the Pope’s visit—

But the Pope simply observed him, expression unreadable, before abruptly changing the topic.

“It’s been nearly two weeks since you became headmaster.”

For a brief moment, the gentle smile on Magnus’s face twitched.

But he recovered quickly, nodding smoothly.

“Yes. There have been no issues. The orphanage is the same as always.”

“I heard that Baron Grasse made quite a scene this morning.”

At the Pope’s words, Magnus’s expression shifted into one of mild discomfort.

‘The news has already reached him… There must be some loose-lipped priests.’

Due to the incident at the last volunteer event, all of the newly appointed priests at the orphanage had been hand-selected by the Pope himself.

As a result—

Dunkeski and the previous headmaster’s network of influence had completely crumbled.

And with it, all the privileges they once held.

With his authority reduced to an empty title, Magnus was already struggling to move undetected—

Now, with the Pope meddling as well, irritation boiled inside him.

But he didn’t let it show.

“Yes. A minor dispute between the children. The Baron was simply… overly concerned. You know how dearly he cherishes Tommy, the child he sponsors…”

“Regardless, it was an internal matter of the orphanage. You’ve mediated things well, I trust?”

“Of course, Your Holiness.”

Magnus’s mind briefly drifted back to the events of the morning.

Baron Grasse had stormed into the orphanage, likely summoned by Tommy.

The man had demanded to see Belze—

Furious over the absurd claim that a five-year-old had beaten up his illegitimate son.

“That wretched girl! A mere commoner orphan dares to strike my son?! Where is she?! Bring her to me at once!”

The Baron had sat in the main hall, legs spread wide, barking orders at Magnus and the other priests.

But the moment he heard that the girl was sponsored by House Kallios,

He shut his mouth and quietly left.

To assess the situation, Magnus had called in Tommy and the children he often played with—

But their accounts had been… wildly contradictory.

“It’s true! That girl just showed up out of nowhere and yelled ‘Beatdown Mode!’”

“And then—that cursed teddy bear started growling weird things and attacked us!”

“W-We don’t know anything! Really, we don’t!”

The claim that Belze had attacked him with her stuffed bear came from Tommy.

The other children, meanwhile, looked utterly terrified, shaking their heads as if they knew nothing at all.

There was, however, one commonality in their stories—

Ismail had been there.

‘A stuffed bear went on a rampage?’

Magnus clicked his tongue.

What nonsense.

Had they been reading horror magazines or something?

After spending a few days overseeing the orphanage, he had already noticed—

Children were natural liars.

They exaggerated, twisted facts, and embellished reality to suit their whims.

Tommy’s claims were ridiculous.

But one thing was clear—

Belze and Ismail had an unusually close relationship.

‘I need to report this.’

Of course, his report wouldn’t be to the Pope.

“I spoke to the children, and it was nothing,” Magnus said, brushing off the incident with a casual smile.

“They must’ve read a scary book before bed—kept talking about a stuffed bear coming to life. Probably just had similar nightmares.”

“Was Ismail present during this?”

“…What?”

Magnus’s eyes widened at the Pope’s unexpected question.

“H-How do you…?”

“I may have been preoccupied lately, but I know Tommy has a reputation for trouble.”

The Pope’s voice was calm, but pointed.

“And I know Ismail lost his ability to speak not long ago.”

“……”

“With those two involved, it’s not hard to imagine what might have happened.”

Magnus’s jaw clenched.

‘Why is he suddenly so involved?’

The Pope had never paid much attention to the orphanage before.

Yet now—

Now, he was personally investigating.

Magnus’s mind raced for a solution.

Before he could come up with one—

“I need to see Ismail.”

The Pope dropped a bombshell.

“Y-Your Holiness, you mean… personally?”

“Yes.”

Magnus’s face twisted strangely.

“High Priest Magnus.”

The Pope was watching him.

Under the weight of his gaze, Magnus had no choice but to speak.

“…Actually, due to yesterday’s incident, Ismail was injured and has temporarily been moved to the temple.”

“You just said it was nothing serious.”

“I-It was, ah…”

The Pope’s voice hardened.

Sweat trickled down Magnus’s back.

Think. Think.

“…Forgive my intrusion, but… may I ask why you wish to meet him?”

“Why do you ask?”

“His condition is a bit… unstable. It may be best to ask his consent before forcing a meeting.”

“…That is a fair point.”

The Pope seemed to accept this reasoning—for now.

Still, his sharp eyes studied Magnus.

Finally, he spoke.

“A noble has stepped forward to sponsor Ismail.”

“…A sponsor?”

The words caught Magnus off guard.

Ismail had been pretending to be a mute, hiding his abilities.

Even Magnus himself had nearly been fooled until their meeting today.

What kind of foolish noble would waste their wealth sponsoring a useless child?

“…May I ask which family?”

“I cannot disclose that. The sponsor has requested anonymity.”

The Pope’s tone left no room for argument.

Magnus gritted his teeth in frustration.

“…Did the sponsor reach out to you directly, Your Holiness?”

“Yes. And it made me curious enough to want to meet the child myself.”

Some arrogant noble had bypassed Magnus and gone straight to the Pope?

Unacceptable.

But…

This wasn’t all bad.

If the Pope had come first instead of the sponsor, that meant time.

‘Tonight—I’ll get rid of Ismail.’

Magnus quickly masked his thoughts, lowering his gaze with a feigned sigh of regret.

“…I’m afraid meeting him today may be difficult.”

“Why?”

“He still needs treatment, and after yesterday’s ordeal, he is in no condition—”

BANG!

The door burst open with a thunderous crash.

And—

“You filthy bastard! Hand over Ismail right now!”

A tiny girl, dressed in a yellow dress, stormed into the office—

Fuming.

“Belze…?”

The sudden intrusion left both the Pope and Magnus stunned.

“Belze, what is the meaning of this? You may be under the Kallios family’s protection, but such rudeness—”

“Sponsors can meet their sponsored child whenever they want!”

Magnus barely had time to scold her before—

She shoved a document in his face.

His face contorted.

“This! The sponsorship certificate!”

“……”

“Starting today—I’m Ismail’s sponsor!”

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