“Ugh, ugh! Don’t come any closer!”

In the midst of the sudden situation, Gined approached the Pope in a flash.

“Are you alright, Your Holiness!”

“Roengreen, save me!”

“What on earth are you talking about—”

“Save me…”

Clinging to Gined as if reuniting with a long-lost lover, the Pope soon fainted without even finishing his words. Even while unconscious, he breathed heavily and trembled.

Gined, though startled, calmly examined the Pope’s condition and quickly infused him with holy power.

The Pope’s labored breathing, which seemed like it could stop at any moment, calmed down a bit. But he was still far from being okay.

‘This is fxcked.’

I quickly picked up the coal that had fallen on the floor.

I didn’t know exactly what was going on, but it was clear that the coal had done something to the Pope.

Even though I believed that his personality was the gentlest among the male lead candidates, I felt a sense of betrayal.

“What, what happened…?”

I lowered my voice as much as possible and whispered quickly. Since the coal didn’t have ears, I had to bring my lips close to it and ask.

But this time, the coal started trembling.

‘Why is it doing this? Could it be?’

Maybe there was a problem with the coal as well.

The Pope and the King of the Underworld were not a good combination, and the coal had been almost thrown away.

As I examined the surface to see if there were any scratches, a chilling voice pierced my ear.

“Explain yourself, what did you do to His Holiness?”

It wasn’t the first time I’d seen Gined angry.

He was someone who would get angry even at a slight touch.

But now, I could tell he was much more furious than before. I wouldn’t be surprised if he pointed his sword at me right now.

“Well, you see…”

I opened my mouth, feeling like I had to say something, but I had no idea what was going on.

As I anxiously looked down at the coal, it responded in an emotionless voice.

“Don’t worry. It didn’t cause any physical harm, so he’ll be fine in a few days.”

‘Please, give me an explanation that can clear this misunderstanding!’

“That’s not what I’m asking. Confess immediately what you did to His Holiness.”

“I just showed him the path he must take.”

The coal completely betrayed my expectations. Its explanation only caused more confusion.

Unable to contain my frustration, I pressed the coal.

“So what is that path?”

“The place that all living beings inevitably reach.”

As soon as I heard that answer, a cold sweat ran down my spine.

There was only one place in the world that all living beings must reach.

“Are you talking about the afterlife?”

Gined’s face also turned pale, as if he had thought of the same thing.

Soon, he reached for his sword with a furious expression.

“Unforgivable!”

A dazzling white blade emerged from the scabbard.

Frightened, I hugged the coal tightly and shouted.

“Wait a minute! It said it showed him, not sent him!”

“Step aside, lady. That evil stone must be destroyed immediately.”

“Are you threatening my mate, priest!”

Even in this situation, the coal only spouted unhelpful words.

I was seriously starting to suspect that it intended to send me to the afterlife after the Pope.

I quickly shoved the coal into my pocket and raised my hands, showing my palms. Then I slowly backed away.

“Let’s calm down, Sir Roengreen. His Holiness hasn’t passed away yet, has he? Look, he’s still breathing.”

The half-drawn sword hesitated.

I tried not to show too much relief and glanced at the unconscious Pope.

“You made a wise decision. First, let’s call a healing priest. We can’t leave His Holiness like this. We can decide what to do with my mate stone later.”

Ah, my life…

***

Through the window, I could see the clouds drifting leisurely. Unlike me, the clouds looked very free.

I reached out towards the clouds and then let my hand drop weakly.

Where did it all go wrong?

In my past life and present life, I didn’t think I had committed any major sins.

Of course, I almost committed a big sin, but that was a now-vanished future.

‘Did I sell out my country in a previous life? Is that why I’m being punished for three lifetimes?’

“If not, how could this be happening!”

Unable to contain my anger, I hit the pillow hard.

Ever since I was suddenly thrust into the role of the female protagonist, I had moments of existential crisis.

Today was particularly severe.

Everything around me felt exhausting, and even my values were being shaken.

“What’s the use of a pretty face if you’re not practical!”

The thrilling shock I felt when I first met the male leads was gradually fading, replaced by growing dissatisfaction.

Pinion, who wasn’t worth talking about, the rigid Gined, the ill-mannered minor Iscallion, and the coal that was of no help at all.

‘How can there not be a single useful guy?’

“Mate, what has upset you?”

The coal asked cautiously.

It was probably trying to comfort me, but the timing was bad.

“Don’t talk to me.”

‘Does it really not know?’

“……”

Even without seeing its expression, I could tell the coal was feeling down.

Of course, my mood didn’t improve at all.

“This is all because of you.”

“…I was wrong.”

The Pope hadn’t regained consciousness for a whole day, and even after a round of questioning, the coal kept repeating the same explanation like a parrot.

Even if it didn’t intend to cause harm, the fact that the Pope collapsed because of the coal was undeniable, so both the coal and I were currently detained.

At least, being a high-ranking noble, I was confined in a somewhat decent solitary cell. If I had been thrown into a dungeon or a torture chamber at the top of a tower, I might have dealt with the coal myself before Gined could.

“I know you find this place stifling. If you want, we can leave right now.”

“Is it a legal method by human standards?”

“……”

“Forget it, then. If we sneak out, we’ll just become fugitives.”

The coal clammed up when I snapped at it.

I turned my back on the coal and pulled the blanket over my head. Then I suddenly remembered how the coal had trembled earlier.

‘I was too out of it to check properly.’

But what did it matter? It was all its own doing, after all.

Forcing myself to stop thinking about it, I tried to sleep, even though sleep wouldn’t come.

“……”

Even though the coal didn’t have eyes, my face felt strangely hot.

“Ow!”

In the end, I got up after less than five minutes.

I roughly swept my hair back and picked up the coal, examining it closely. Fortunately, there were no cracks or chips.

There was a bit of dust on the surface, so I absentmindedly wiped it off with my clothes, and the coal started vibrating again. It didn’t seem to be trembling from pain.

I put the coal down, looking somewhat exasperated.

“……”

“……”

Neither of us spoke after that.

Time passed in silence.

In the evening, a priest brought food into the room.

The menu was boiled potatoes, greens, and clear soup.

I only had a few spoonfuls of the soup and didn’t touch the rest.

It wasn’t that the food tasted bad. My mouth was too dry to swallow anything.

I put down the spoon and glanced at the coal.

“Hey. You’re not asleep, right?”

“I do not sleep.”

The coal responded immediately, as if it had been waiting.

“Right. That was a silly question.”

Since it was an inanimate object that didn’t undergo metabolism, it didn’t need rest.

I poked the coal with my finger out of boredom.

Though my mood hadn’t improved, being cooped up in the room was making me restless.

Since this was a solitary cell in a temple, there was nothing to entertain myself with. There were a few books on a makeshift bookshelf, but they were all scriptures.

“Have you forgiven me now, mate?”

“No, not really… Just don’t cause any more trouble next time.”

“I will remember that.”

“But about what you said to Gined earlier. When you said you showed the Pope the path he must take, did you really take him to the afterlife?”

“What I showed him was merely an illusion. But to the one who sees it, it would feel vividly real.”