Not understanding what he was getting at, I could only blink. The Pope smiled gently.

“Isn’t your concern that not only beast-folk but also those classified as heretics are suffering?”

Since that was correct, I nodded. The Pope explained in a calm voice.

“As it happens, the priests have been complaining about their excessive healing duties. If the Holy Maiden personally takes the lead in treatment, it would be a great help.”

I was happy to provide healing. After all, the provincial pilgrimage was also about treating people who couldn’t come to the capital.

However, what concerned me was something else.

“Does this mean you’ll cancel the practice of designating people as heretics and excluding them from treatment just for speaking with beast-folk?”

“Cioranne.”

The Pope spoke with a slightly hardened tone.

“How could I stop something the Holy Maiden does with pure intentions? But I hope you understand that I have my dignity as Pope to maintain. For today, please be satisfied with permission to treat heretics directly.”

“Does this mean that even if it’s not possible immediately, you’ll soon withdraw that statement?”

The Pope paused for a beat, then answered slowly.

“Yes, I will.”

“Thank you, Your Holiness.”

He wouldn’t lie. Believing this, I didn’t press him further but bowed my head and withdrew.

* * *

Tap.

As soon as Cioranne closed the door and turned away, the Pope’s face hardened coldly. His long fingers tapped the teacup rhythmically.

After momentarily mumbling to himself, organizing his thoughts, the Pope asked the empty air.

“…What did the Holy Maiden do today?”

At that, what had appeared to be a wall opened from both sides, and a priest who had been secretly eavesdropping on the conversation with Cioranne appeared and bowed his head.

“She went out with Sir Richard.”

“Richard Ferol.”

The Pope twisted his lips. The Pope disliked the Emperor. And he disliked Marquis Noel Ferol, who served at the Emperor’s side, even more than the Emperor. The reason was clear.

If not for Marquis Noel Ferol, Kailas would have remained a nameless illegitimate child who had never lived in the capital, let alone become Emperor.

‘Moreover, it was that man who gave practical feasibility to the Emperor’s beast-folk liberation policy. How vexing.’

If the Emperor had simply ordered the release of beast-folk slaves on his own, it would have ended as nonsense, but Marquis Ferol used his exceptional skills to persuade the nobles—even though they were suddenly losing slaves they had comfortably controlled.

And Richard was that Marquis Ferol’s brother. Though he had been entrusted to the temple from childhood and raised as a holy knight, the Pope couldn’t help but be irritated by the Ferol name.

“Could he be the one whispering strange ideas to the Holy Maiden?”

“I don’t think Sir Richard is that kind of person. He fought at the forefront in Olzen, didn’t he? He was even severely wounded.”

“Yes, that’s right. And because of that, the Holy Maiden participated in Olzen, ending the fighting early.”

The Pope’s eyes darkened.

“I was suspicious even then.”

‘Cioranne Letus’ had only recently transformed from a compliant, will-less tool into a human with irritating independence. But thinking about it, there had been signs of this change in various places before.

‘Olzen was a conflict I took special care to create.’

The Pope had disliked beast-folk since long ago. But simply saying they should be driven out because the doctrine supposedly said so wouldn’t attract followers. People and beast-folk had already been living together harmoniously.

To change the status quo, he needed a catalyst. The Pope had chosen Olzen as that catalyst.

‘But that intense conflict ended quickly when Cioranne appeared.’

The low number of casualties due to her immense holy power was also unwelcome to the Pope. After all, people’s hatred tends to be proportional to the amount of blood shed.

‘Perhaps she was sympathetic to beast-folk even back then.’

The Pope twisted his lips. It was truly unpleasant to have someone who had always done whatever he commanded suddenly rebel.

The Pope, who had been tapping the teacup with his finger, ordered the waiting priest in a cold voice.

“Investigate thoroughly what happened and where the two of them went.”

“Yes.”

Something must have happened to make her suddenly seek out the Pope after staying quietly in the temple. The Pope rubbed his face with his dry hands. The words Cioranne had just uttered came vividly to mind.

[Whether beast-folk are slaves or free people, that’s not a matter for me to intervene in.]

Those words were Cioranne’s true feelings. No, she had never once spoken words that weren’t genuine.

The Pope twisted his lips.

“If God exists in this world, He would be like her.”

Though Cioranne didn’t realize it, the Pope often felt twisted inside when facing her. Because she treated beggars on the street and the exalted Pope exactly the same way. To the Pope, who had clawed his way to this position, it seemed like a denial of his entire life.

‘The fact that even these thoughts are meaningless makes it all the more irritating.’

Even if he revealed his true feelings, she wouldn’t change. With those clear blue eyes that seemed incapable of negative emotions, she would just look at him dryly, like someone looking at a stone.

I see, she would say.

The Pope’s face contorted. He clenched his fist tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hand.

“She doesn’t understand. How disgusting and repulsive beast-folk are. And she never will. She has nothing precious to her.”

Her understanding wasn’t necessary. No matter how much he explained, she could never comprehend this fear and revulsion.

‘Until now, she was a useful tool, but if she won’t listen to me, I can’t leave her be.’

The Pope muttered, glaring at the teacup with murderous eyes.

“Beast-folk must be eliminated from this world.”

Just as he was reaffirming his resolve—

Knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the Pope’s office door from outside. The Pope quickly resumed his gentle expression. Putting on a mask was as easy as breathing for him.

“Come in.”

A group of senior priests entered when the door opened. Seeing their somewhat troubled expressions, the Pope tilted his head.

“What is it?”

“Your Holiness, we have something that must be reported to you.”

Despite beginning, they glanced at each other nervously, trying to pass the burden like a hot potato. Realizing they had caused some trouble, the Pope narrowed his eyes.

The senior priest standing at the front bowed his graying head and spoke loudly.

“We received a reply to the letter we sent to the Imperial Palace last week. But its contents are extremely disrespectful…!”

“Imperial Palace? Reply? Are you saying you sent a letter to the Imperial Palace without my permission?”

“W-well, that…”

The Pope’s gaze turned cold for a moment before becoming calm again. Inwardly, he couldn’t help but click his tongue.

‘Because Cioranne treats them too gently, they’ve forgotten their place and are overstepping their bounds.’

No matter how rudely they behaved, Cioranne never got angry. So the subordinates had become confused.

Since Cioranne treated the Pope and senior priests equally, they thought they were of the same rank.

‘I need to restore discipline sometime. When the Holy Maiden is away on her provincial pilgrimage would be good.’

With these thoughts, the Pope received the letter. Upon reading its contents, his expression froze, unable to maintain his composure.

<Compensation, eat sh*t.

—Emperor Kailas>

The content was bad enough, but what was worse was the signature below, longer than the message itself.

Illegible handwriting that no one could imitate.

‘The Emperor!’

It was proof that Kailas was still alive despite the curse!

* * *

While Cioranne went to see the Pope at the temple, Kyle, who was left alone in the room, was busily licking his fur with his tongue.

‘Ugh, it feels gross.’

The part where Noel had touched him couldn’t feel more uncomfortable.

‘It wasn’t like this when I was with Ran.’

Why did Cioranne’s touch and Noel’s feel so different?

Even feeling uncomfortable was strange, and while Kyle was being irritable, the deity took the opportunity to mock him thoroughly.

[‘The Dragon Trampler says in technical terms, you’ve been imprinted,’ he informs you.]

[He says, ‘You’ve been imprinted on my baby.’]

[He babbles, ‘Isn’t my baby cute? Isn’t my baby the cutest in the universe?’]

Shut up!

This deity always became excessively talkative when it came to Cioranne.

Pouting, Kyle looked down at his claws. The sensation of scratching the back of Noel’s hand was still vivid.

Of course, he wasn’t looking at them out of remorse for scratching.

‘That Noel doesn’t know how to judge people.’

How could he say such things to Cioranne?

‘Well, I also thought she was a terrible person when I didn’t know her.’

When he heard she had participated in Olzen, he thought she had led the massacre there and kept his distance from her.

But the more he learned, the more he realized that was a misunderstanding.

‘Ran doesn’t have it in her to hurt anyone.’

The idea that she would harbor ill will and harm someone—that was absolutely impossible.