“Judging by his appearance, it seems he can’t go to heaven. But why did you show him that?”

“…At first, I intended to measure the threshold at which the human body and mind feel pain through him. The Pope is a special human blessed by the gods. Even if my power reaches him, he can recover quickly.”

“Oh.”

I couldn’t help but let out a vague exclamation at the audacity of the coal, who chose none other than the Pope as a test subject.

‘No wonder he followed so obediently.’

“Still, showing him the afterlife is a bit too much, don’t you think?”

“He dared to mock my mate. Not only that, but as the head of the religion, he betrayed his vows to the gods and fell into corruption, a sin so grave that even the flames of Tartarus can’t cleanse it.”

The coal’s voice grew more agitated, as if his anger was rising again.

‘What the… It turns out this is a scary stone.’

Tartarus.

The deepest abyss of hell, where those who have committed irredeemable sins are sent.

Having tasted the flames of hell, it was no wonder the Pope was so terrified. I even felt a slight twinge of pity for him for a moment.

‘Wait, what about me?’

The thought struck me like lightning.

“If that guy repents now, could he… move to a higher level?”

“If he sincerely repents and accumulates good deeds, his sins might be slightly reduced, but the sins he has already committed cannot be undone, so it’s unlikely.”

Well, considering that he didn’t hesitate to harass me, the only daughter of the Duke of Dronay, he probably did even worse to others. His children were the biggest victims.

It wasn’t uncommon for priests to have illegitimate children, but the Pope had gone too far.

I wondered if he even knew their names, given his shameless pretense of being a bachelor.

But that wasn’t what I was curious about.

“Is there any way to reduce sins when being judged in the afterlife? Like confessing the sins first or reaching an agreement with the victims?”

‘Or maybe having a personal connection with the King of the Underworld…’

Though the last point was the key point, I didn’t ask it outright. My experience in social circles had taught me that excessive honesty was worse than pretense.

Instead, I carefully placed the coal in my palm.

“Of course, as a judge, I always consider… Why, why, why are you doing this, mate?”

“What?”

“Why are you suddenly caressing me…”

‘Why do you think?’

It’s all to get on your good side.

Ignoring the coal’s reaction, I carefully wiped it with a handkerchief, even blowing on it.

“It seemed dusty. Is it because it’s black? It shows more. I’ll clean you every day from now on.”

I didn’t think I had committed sins worthy of hell, but I certainly hadn’t accumulated enough good deeds to go to heaven.

So, at best, I was headed for purgatory.

I planned to get on the coal’s good side now so that when I crossed the road of no return, I might have some of my sins reduced.

“When you are kind to me, I truly don’t know what to do.”

The coal’s voice wavered.

“It’s okay to be comfortable. Shahar is my mate stone, so I should treat you well.”

“…I’m really sorry about earlier. I won’t trouble you again.”

“It’s okay. I’ve forgiven you. It’s not like we’re in a dungeon or a torture chamber.”

That was a lie.

Thinking about what had happened earlier still made my insides boil.

I barely managed to lift the corners of my mouth.

‘If I go this far, he won’t send my soul to hell, right?’

Despite my complicated inner thoughts, flattery spilled from my mouth.

“Oh, you look so much better now that you’re clean. Let me tie a ribbon on you.”

After decorating it with a ribbon, I felt like a pet owner grooming their pet.

“Shall we sleep now?”

It was still early, but there was nothing to do, so I lay down on the bed.

The bed was roughly made of piled straw, and it was so old that bits of straw stuck out everywhere. I had to be grateful that there was a bed at all.

Lying quietly in the dark room, a sudden sense of anxiety washed over me.

I fidgeted with my hands. I wanted to fiddle with the coal, but it still refused to share a bed with me.

Tonight, too, its place was on the nightstand.

I didn’t know why it mattered, but in this regard, the coal was as stubborn as Gined.

“When do you think the Pope will wake up? It would be really troublesome if he doesn’t come to his senses…”

It was satisfying that the Pope had a spot reserved in the afterlife, but I couldn’t let him cross the river just yet. After all, he was still the Pope in this world.

“As I said earlier, he’ll regain consciousness in a few days. Despite his sins, he has a weak constitution.”

“You can tell just by looking at him. How did he manage to have so many children with that frail body…”

“Shh.”

The coal suddenly lowered its voice.

“What’s wrong?”

“Someone is coming.”

No sooner had he spoken, a dark shadow flickered beyond the window.

I cautiously got up and took out a scripture. I planned to bash the intruder’s head if necessary.

‘Could something have happened to the Pope?’

I quickly shook my head. If that were the case, they wouldn’t come sneaking in at night.

So, the person outside the window was an intruder unrelated to the temple.

“Do you know who it is?”

“I sense the presence of a wolf.”

“A wolf? You mean Iscallion?”

Just then, the shadow knocked on the window.

Though the coal wouldn’t lie, I asked for confirmation.

“Who’s there?”

“It’s me.”

Recognizing the familiar voice, I opened the window, and moonlight poured in, revealing dark blue hair that resembled the night sky.

Only after meeting his predatory golden eyes did I realize I had completely forgotten about Iscallion.

“So you were really here.”

He muttered coldly.

I gave an awkward smile.

“Uh, how did you know?”

“You’re not even surprised that I came suddenly?”

“Shahar told me, so I had a hunch.”

He glanced at the coal with a slightly displeased expression. But when his eyes returned to me, the displeasure vanished.

“You disappeared suddenly, and I searched for a long time. The priests all said they didn’t know. What’s with this room? It’s so cramped.”

“I was tired, so I rested. Sorry. But how did you know I was here?”

“I asked that guy. You know, the pale holy knight.”

“You mean Gined? He told you willingly?”

“At first, he didn’t, but when I threatened to destroy the altar, he told me.”

“What?”

“I wanted to come right away, but they said men aren’t allowed in women’s bedrooms. But what in the world can’t be done? Right?”

Seeing his triumphant smile made me dizzy. He clearly confused persuasion with intimidation.

I had repeatedly warned him not to cause trouble…

And mistaking a solitary cell for a mere cramped bedroom showed his ignorance. He was quite a remarkable boy in many ways.

Since Gined knew Iscallion and I were close, my reputation must have taken a hit by association.

‘Should I just leave now?’

I seriously considered my options, looking at the scripture in my hand and Iscallion’s pretty face.

Meanwhile, Iscallion agilely jumped into the room.

He asked innocently.

“I came through the window to avoid detection. Did I do well?”

“……”

He quickly took the book from my hand and flipped through the pages carelessly.

“Were you reading? As expected, you’re so smart that you can read difficult books. From now on, my ideal type is a smart woman. No, a smart older sister. No, it’s okay if you’re not smart…”

Iscallion, who was seriously rambling, suddenly closed the scripture with a snap.

“Stop reading boring books and let’s go look at the moon.”

Judging by his expression, Iscallion didn’t seem aware of the trouble yet.

That made sense since the temple wouldn’t benefit from letting outsiders know that the Pope had collapsed.

Since it hadn’t been a full day since the Pope collapsed, only a few high-ranking priests, including Gined, would likely know.

Iscallion must have directly asked Gined because no other priest knew my whereabouts.

I needed to roughly explain the situation to Iscallion.

Iscallion, who didn’t know the etiquette of noble society, wouldn’t know the temple’s rules either. It would be troublesome if he caused any accidents while the Pope was unconscious.