At the voices that were close to shouts, Johanna tightly closed her eyes.

Michael let out a deep sigh as he looked at Johanna.

[Eat this, I can’t eat it because it tastes bad to me.]

Johanna was the cardinal Michael had served before Molech.

Unlike other cardinals or priests, Johanna didn’t discriminate based on status.

She shared her food and didn’t beat others.

She was talkative and had a boisterous personality, but she was the warmest person in the Grand Temple.

So much so that Michael had even prayed to God that such a person should become Pope.

[What has this child done wrong? When did God tell you to persecute this child? God clearly said that everyone is equal. If you’re going to divide people by titles given by the imperial family, why don’t you serve the emperor instead of God!]

It was an incident that occurred when she tried to stop Molech from harassing him.

If it hadn’t been for him, he wouldn’t have had to endure torture that made him cough up blood.

“I understand the old affection, but this is not right.”

Bael stared at Michael.

“What.”

Michael clenched his fist.

“Even so, a divine oracle?”

Tsk.

Bael clicked his tongue as if it was nonsense. The cardinals agreed with him.

“A divine oracle to bring back a cardinal whose qualifications were revoked? How does that make sense?”

“Indeed. I’d sooner believe it if it were compensation money.”

“Are you suggesting that I’m speaking of a false oracle?!”

Finally, Michael couldn’t hold back and stood up abruptly.

“Who said it was a false oracle?”

“No one said such a thing.”

“That’s right.”

Instead, the cardinals glared at Michael and sneered as if he had shot himself in the foot.

“A divine oracle came to a disqualified cardinal saying ‘Go to the Grand Temple’? And they said to accept him back?!”

“Tomorrow, the sun will rise in the west.”

Snicker–

Laughter erupted from here and there.

It was then.

“If the sun rises in the west, that too is God’s will.”

In an instant, the room fell silent as if doused with ice water.

All eyes turned to Daniel at once.

“Wouldn’t following that be the duty of those who serve God?”

It wasn’t the usual light-hearted Daniel.

His face, devoid of any hint of a smile, was stern to the point of being overbearing.

“Cardinal Daniel, now……”

As Bael’s expression twisted and he was about to turn to Daniel,

“He’s right.”

A cardinal from the neutral faction added his opinion.

“I’m not sure if there’s any need for dissent regarding God forgiving Cardinal Johanna and calling her back to the Grand Temple.”

“Unless you intend to go against the divine oracle.”

The neutral faction cardinals began to add their voices one by one.

The expressions of the imperial faction cardinals hardened in an instant.

The Pope is in conflict with the Emperor.

But the neutral faction is supporting the Pope? This meant war with the imperial family.

In fact, Daniel was prepared for that.

Daniel gazed steadily at Michael. Then he slowly turned his gaze to Johanna and smiled faintly.

“Cardinal Johanna. Welcome back to the Grand Temple.”

* * *

Espenon Temple.

Charlie, who had overslept again today, was in the middle of cramming three prayers into one session.

“Aaaaah!”

“Oh my god!”

“What’s wrong?!”

“Ugh!!”

Suddenly, four screams intertwined and entered the high-ceilinged prayer room.

Charlie’s scream upon seeing Johanna, whom Michael had brought to introduce.

Johanna’s scream sounds even more surprised by her.

And then Michael’s and Rapha’s, who had followed behind.

“Th-th-this…!”

Unable to continue speaking, Charlie pointed at Johanna and stammered.

Charlie remembered clearly.

No, it was a face impossible to forget even if she wanted to.

And it was also someone she wanted to meet again if possible.

“Fortune teller!”

“……”

At that moment, silence fell over the prayer room.

“How far have you advanced?”

Michael sighed softly as he looked at Johanna.

“I told you I was pretty good.”

Even in this situation, Johanna shrugged nonchalantly.

Charlie grasped Johanna’s hands.

“You know, don’t you?”

Johanna hesitated at Charlie’s sudden question.

“You know everything, right?”

* * *

How much time had passed since then?

Inside the prayer room.

Charlie collapsed, sitting down as if overcome by a sense of futility.

“Sister.”

Michael supported Charlie.

Johanna didn’t remember Charlie. The same was true for the content of the fortune-telling she had heard.

“That’s a lie.”

“I see dozens of people for fortune-telling every day… If I remembered all their fortunes, my head would explode. Saintess.”

Johanna scratched the back of her head sheepishly.

“And strangely enough, after repenting, I really can’t remember.”

A statement that seemed to indicate she knew she was possessed. And oddly enough, things were unfolding just as the fortune had predicted.

It wasn’t exactly spot on, but just looking at Noel was proof enough.

How should she proceed from here?

No, it would be fine just to know what was going to happen.

“Please read my fortune again.”

Yes, if she had forgotten, she could just do it again.

Charlie grasped Johanna’s hands.

“That’s not allowed, Sister.”

At Michael’s words, Charlie squinted her eyes.

“Why not!”

“Priests are not allowed to engage in fortune-telling.”

“Wait, just once would be fine.”

Just once.

Let’s do it just once.

“I won’t tell anyone. It can be just between us.”

“God is watching.”

“Since God caused this, She’ll turn a blind eye. She should forgive this much. She dropped me here after all.”

“Pardon?”

Gently ignoring Michael’s words, Charlie grabbed Johanna’s hands and shook them.

“Just once, please. I’m the Saintess. I’m God’s child!”

Charlie’s eyes were wide and desperate.

“Well… that…”

Johanna took a step back.

“Even if I wanted to, I can’t do it.”

“Why not!”

“I burned all my fortune-telling tools.”

Why did you burn them!

“We can buy new ones!”

“And since I’ve already received the cardinal’s oracle… Even if I tried, nothing would come of it.”

“……”

* * *

“It’s all over.”

Afterwards, Charlie, drooping like a drenched cat, shut herself in her room and didn’t budge.

She didn’t even meet the Hunt Knights who had brought food supplies.

She stopped her eight daily prayers.

Michael didn’t force her either. Charlie’s complexion had turned ashen, and her once sparkling eyes had become dull.

The meals provided to Charlie were returned almost untouched.

“It’s all over.”

For some reason, Charlie felt this way.

She had no strength left.

Bael, the temple, being a saintess… The whole world felt bothersome.

More precisely, the fact that this was inside a book and she was an outsider suddenly became clear, bringing a wave of helplessness.

Yes, she felt helpless.

She thought she had changed things. She was happy about it. But things kept getting complicated.

And the moment she met Johanna, she felt completely drained.

“God has abandoned me.”

Charlie buried her face in her pillow.

“Why isn’t that person showing his face?”

Suddenly, her anger was directed at Hector.

“He was all over me before, but now he’s nowhere to be seen. I bet he’s feeling refreshed.”

Even though she knew it wasn’t true, the words spilled out involuntarily.

“Why, I’m sure he’d be thrilled to run off and meet Liliana, abandoning me completely.”

That bastard.

Only after uttering this curse did Charlie’s angry heart begin to calm down a bit.

Kieran and Leon came to see her.

Even Noel came, so why wasn’t Hector coming?

Let’s say, for argument’s sake, that he’s on terrible terms with the temple.

Couldn’t he at least send a letter?

“I’m doing all this to save him.”

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Charlie’s fists, having lost all reason, pounded the pillow in a fit of emotion.

Once it started, her feelings of resentment and dissatisfaction grew uncontrollably.

She dredged up things she had understood before and twisted memories that had been fine.

“I’m not going. Even if they tell me to come, I’m not going back.”

Thump! Thump!

Just try and go.

“Let’s break up!”

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

It was then.

Knock knock knock-

At the sound of knocking, her eyes, blazing with anger, fixed on the door.

“I won’t do it!”

“……”

There was silence following her sharp, high-pitched voice.

“God, my as$.”

It must be a demon.

As she was grumbling like this, the door sounded again.

Knock knock knock-

“I said I won’t pray! No, I don’t care if I’m a saintess or whatever, I won’t do it!”

Charlie sprang up from her seat.

“What sin did I commit? Getting my hair pulled, almost dying, it’s really f*cking… Saintess or whatever…!”

Muttering curses to herself, she was about to open the door when…

Charlie froze at the sight of a dazzling golden light.

“……”

Kaisis’s lips twitched slightly as he looked down at Charlie.

* * *

Kaisis’s lips twisted as he looked at Michael, who was sitting squarely in the middle.

Michael calmly savored his tea.

“……”

Charlie, suddenly caught between the two, swallowed hard.

The embarrassment of her first encounter with Kaisis also played a part.

How much time had passed…

Kaisis gazed at Charlie with a remarkably gentle expression.

“Eat.”

“……”

“It was made by the imperial patissier himself.”

Following Kaisis’s gaze, Charlie looked down at the strawberry macaron placed in front of her.

Somehow, all the desserts Kaisis had brought were her favorites.

But who knows what might be inside. No matter how much she liked them, she wasn’t foolish enough to just eat them without caution.

Magic couldn’t be used in the temple.

The same was true for his ability. And most importantly, Kaisis couldn’t read her thoughts.

[I sense God’s protection on you, Sister.]

She had expected this.

Last time too, Kaisis had been startled when his eyes flashed like a camera flash going off.

But just in case, Charlie tried not to think of anything in her mind.