Gined was the person I most wanted to win over among the four male leads. But he was also the hardest to approach.

His heart was an impenetrable fortress without a single gap. There was no way he would open his gates for someone like me.

Moreover, now that even his human evaluation of me was shattered, he had no reason to meet me.

As expected, Gined did not try to stop me.

Feeling bitter, I trudged along. I planned to go straight to Iscallion.

Since I hadn’t brought anything into the solitary cell besides the clothes I was wearing and the coal, there was nothing to pack.

As I habitually rolled the coal in my hand, he suddenly spoke.

“Mate.”

“Yes?”

“Do you truly wish for the Pope not to fall into Tartarus?”

“No, that’s not it.”

“Then why did you agree to his request?”

“Well, it’s hard to outright refuse someone who’s begging like that. If I had completely rejected him, he would surely hold a grudge.”

“Then, did you lie?”

“Is this a lie? I said I’d try to persuade you, Shahar, not that I’d get him out of hell. After all, Shahar is the judge. I have no authority.”

Honestly, I had no reason to wish him peace.

I wasn’t short on money, and the problems I faced weren’t the kind the Pope could solve.

Most importantly, many people’s lives were ruined because of him, so I hoped he would reflect while burning in hellfire.

Knowing this, the Pope would probably go berserk, but since it would happen after his death, I didn’t need to worry about repercussions.

“Anyway, the Pope probably doesn’t have high expectations. He just couldn’t bear the anxiety without getting some kind of promise. Wait, does even a lie like this warrant punishment?”

I belatedly started to worry.

“It’s not something that can be determined now. It’s a matter to be judged by causality over time.”

“Then if the Pope truly repents because of this, it could ultimately be a good deed?”

“That’s correct. But, mate.”

“Yes?”

For some reason, the coal paused for a while after calling me.

The conversation we just had wasn’t light, so I felt unnecessarily tense.

Unable to bear the anxiety, I urged the coal.

“It’s fine, just tell me. I won’t get mad. Is the Pope on the verge of dying? Or am I destined for hell too…?”

The worst scenarios popped up one after another like a string of sausages.

Fortunately, the coal didn’t predict a terrible future for me.

Instead, he asked a rather strange question.

“It’s not that… Do you perhaps have feelings for that priest?”

“Priest? You mean Gined? I wouldn’t say I have feelings, but I do think he’s a good person. Why?”

“You seem to be particularly kind when dealing with him.”

“Well, he’s a genuinely decent person. A bit rigid, but men with such good character are rare. Shahar, you might see things differently since you’re a stone. His solemn face especially triggers a woman’s desire to conquer, oops.”

Worried someone might overhear, I quickly looked around.

Seeing no one, I sighed in relief.

Even though I knew I should watch my words in the temple, I got carried away thinking about Gined’s appearance and said unnecessary things.

“Indeed, you have feelings for that priest…”

The coal trailed off.

Only then did I realize he was disheartened.

‘Right, the coal was also a potential male lead.’

“I do have a liking for him, but that’s all. And Gined has no feelings for me, so there’s no chance we’ll end up together. We might never meet again.”

Realizing my mistake, I tried to console the coal, but he didn’t respond.

“Shahar, are you sulking?”

“No.”

“There’s no need to feel bad. You’re my lifelong mate stone. As long as you’re by my side, I’ll cherish and take good care of you.”

“I just—”

The coal was about to say something when I sensed someone quickly approaching.

“Sister!”

It was Iscallion.

‘There wasn’t a soul around just a moment ago…’

True to his character setting as the youngest but most physically capable of the original male leads, Iscallion sometimes exhibited abilities beyond ordinary humans.

“You’re free?”

“Yeah. They said we can go back now.”

“Great. I’ve already prepared everything, so we can leave right away.”

Iscallion’s eyes sparkled like a child seeking praise.

He bent over, making it clear what he wanted.

Seeing his expectant gaze, I couldn’t help but pat his head.

“Good boy.”

Iscallion beamed.

“Let’s go quickly, sister. I hate this place. Those priests are annoying too.”

In just one day, Iscallion seemed to have had enough of the Holy Kingdom and the temple.

I didn’t particularly like the temple either, but it really didn’t suit him. His ancestors had rebelled against the gods, after all.

‘It was strange that he followed me so obediently in the first place.’

“Yeah, let’s go.”

Before leaving the temple, I glanced back absentmindedly.

I probably wouldn’t come here again.

As I thought that, I saw something glinting between the curtains.

The sunlight was too strong to be sure, but it looked like silver hair.

‘Am I seeing things?’

There was no way Gined was watching me.

I hurried my steps, convinced I was hallucinating from exhaustion.

***

“Yawn.”

I couldn’t help but yawn. Though I covered my mouth with my hand, it was impossible to hide it completely.

I glanced at Iscallion, and sure enough, his eyes sparkled.

“Even your yawns are cute, sister.”

“W-What are you saying…”

“If you’re sleepy, you can sleep.”

Iscallion lightly tapped his shoulder, inviting me to lean on him.

I shook my head.

I had my dignity as an adult; I couldn’t show a disheveled appearance in front of a young boy.

“I’ll pass, aah!”

Suddenly, my body lifted as the carriage came to a sudden stop. Just before I hit the floor, a strong arm caught my waist.

Blinking in confusion, Iscallion swiftly pulled me onto his lap.

“Did I do well?”

“Uh, thanks. But, um…”

I was about to ask him to let me go.

Iscallion put a finger to his lips, giving a small warning.

“Shh.”

Then he slightly opened the curtain to peek outside.

I shook my head to clear the remaining drowsiness and got off his lap.

Still looking out the window, Iscallion spoke.

“I need to step out for a moment.”

“What’s going on?”

“It’s nothing. Stay here.”

“Why, what’s wrong?”

Though he said it was nothing, his unusually fierce expression made me sense something was amiss.

When I asked anxiously, Iscallion softened his expression.

“There seems to be a problem with the carriage. I’ll check it out.”

Of course, I wasn’t fooled by such a clumsy lie.

“How would you know? You don’t know much about carriages… The coachman will handle it, so stay here.”

But for some reason, the coachman was just sitting in the driver’s seat, doing nothing.

“What’s wrong with him?”

Iscallion grinned.

“I’ll go check it out.”

Before I could stop him, he stepped out of the carriage.

I pulled back the curtain and looked outside.

The carriage had stopped near a forest with no houses in sight. If something went wrong here, it would be hard to get help.

As I was thinking we wouldn’t be getting home early, I saw something large moving quickly not too far away.

With the sun setting and trees blocking my view, I couldn’t make out exactly what it was, but it was definitely something unusual.

I couldn’t take my eyes off the window as I asked the coal.

“What is that?”

“It’s a hydra.”

“What? A hydra?”

Startled, I let out a sharp sound. I quickly covered my mouth and hid behind the curtain.

A hydra was a giant snake with multiple heads. It was far more powerful than regular monsters, highly intelligent, and had excellent regenerative abilities, making it difficult to deal with even for dozens of skilled knights.

“Judging by its direction, it seems to be heading for the capital.”

“Why would a hydra have business in the capital…”

“It has noticed us.”

“Gasp.”

Peeking through the gap in the curtain, I saw the hydra had indeed stopped and was looking our way. Its glowing eyes were clearly visible even from a distance.

‘Damn, I should have accepted Gined’s offer to escort us.’

“So, what do we do?”

We only had four people guarding the carriage. Though they were officially knighted, they were no match for a hydra.

“You need not worry. That boy can handle it.”

“No, but…”

Even if I was useless, I couldn’t just sit comfortably in the carriage while a minor fought such a monster. At the very least, I could throw stones in an emergency.

I carefully got out of the carriage. That’s when I realized why the coachman hadn’t moved.