PMEVBO 139

Clink. The sound of the teacup being set down on the table sounded like a judge striking the gavel. I hugged my knees and rested my head against the wooden panel.

“There is no precedent for releasing a prisoner who has fallen into Hell.”

That’s true.

“But that boy, Lucariel, isn’t an ordinary prisoner. He’s a bishop-level talent who has manifested divine power. ”

“Even at the bishop level, there are no exceptions. There are precedents for that as well. Shall I list those names one by one for you now?”

“With all due respect, I don’t think we should be discussing precedents in the current situation. The circumstances are different now. Isn’t it true that the number of people manifesting divine power has actually decreased?”

“Even so, we can’t forget that he carried out a mass slaughter using divine power.”

He was just stating the obvious, yet I couldn’t understand why it hurt so much. With my eyes closed, I tightened my grip on my knees.

“It is already a self-evident fact that the greater the amount of divine power one possesses, the harder it is to control. Of course, Your Holiness is the sole exception. I would never dare to question that.”

Bechard continued in a respectful manner.

“The amount of divine power that child possesses is by no means small. In the case of Archbishop Abet, who possesses a similar amount of divine power, he wears more than five tali piercings to control it.”

“……”

“On the other hand, at the time of the Hayut Massacre, it is said that the child was wearing only a single tali piercing.”

“So you’re saying this was a tragedy that could have been prevented if only the appropriate number of piercings had been worn?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

Contrary to what they believed, I wasn’t the one who caused the Hayut Massacre. I knew that now. Thanks to that, I was able to resolve to escape from Hell with a clear conscience. Even though I pretended otherwise, I did have some confidence in that.

He said he’d let me out if I wanted to…Was that just an empty promise?

He opposed it with every ounce of his being. And once again, I was the only one who was sincere.

It was absurd that, at this very moment, the one rolling up his sleeves to make sure I would be free was Bechard. But I wasn’t about to let myself be played by that bastard again, even if I was moved by his dedication.

Worry, anxiety, unease… These emotions clung to me like sticky glue. Escaping wasn’t a big problem. Even if the Pope didn’t give his permission, I could easily leave the Holy City by using the Guidance skill. The problem was the quest.

To earn points, I’ll have to prove my innocence first.

But even if I said the Hayut Massacre wasn’t my doing, would he believe me now? If I’d committed an unprecedented massacre and was accused of lying on top of that, if he tried to kill me…

“That makes sense.”

My eyes flew open.

All of a sudden?

…What a dramatic turnaround.

“However, Bechard.”

“Yes?”

“Since when have I ever shared authority with you?”

It was a gentle, kind tone. Yet, Bechard’s voice, which had been flowing smoothly just moments ago, came to an abrupt halt.

“……I beg your pardon, Your Holiness. I overstepped my bounds.”

After a long pause, Bechard apologized in a trembling voice.

If he’s like this even when the Pope is speaking in such a gentle tone, he would have almost burst into tears if he’d spoken to him the way he usually does to me.

Perhaps that was why the Pope put on a show of propriety in front of others.

“Remember this well. Punishment is my exclusive prerogative. Setting foot in Hell without my permission is a clear abuse of power. And that applies even if it’s not just your feet. Do you understand what I mean?”

Even if it’s not just your feet? What does that mean……?

“……Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

Bechard replied in a flustered voice. Only then did I realize that the Pope’s earlier words were about the red letters Bechard sent me every morning.

What? So he knew all along and just let it slide…

…Could it be that he also noticed there were cigarettes inside the envelopes?

Since luxury items like cigarettes were being supplied to the prison, he should have stopped it. Well, it wasn’t my place to say anything. From the moment I started touching the cigarettes Bechard sent me, I was just as much an accomplice as he was.

Not long after, Bechard left the room. Now, it was just the Pope and me in here. It was the perfect timing to complete the quest, but I couldn’t bring myself to crawl out from under the desk. Just as I was sitting there, arms folded across my knees and staring at the floor, he said,

“You’re a bit too old for hide-and-seek.”

His voice was completely different from when he was dealing with Bechard, it was flat and emotionless. A beat later, I rubbed my face and let out a sigh.

“……What? Since when did you know?”

“I knew from the start. Who else but you would barge into my space and make a mess of it?”

…What are you talking about?

I immediately kicked the chair aside and crawled out from under the [Read on]desk. As I did, I saw the top of the Pope’s head as he sat slumped into the single-seater sofa.

“Mess? What are you talking about? Are you going senile? …I went to all that trouble to tidy it up for you.”

I huffed and glared at his jet-black crown. Without even turning around, the Pope replied listlessly.

“You’ve really grown up, Lulu. Even tidying up for me.”

“Huh.”

“Make me some tea too.”

…Is that any way to ask for a favor? I really didn’t want to make it for him. But I couldn’t refuse because of the quest. I sighed and stood in front of the cupboard.

“……What kind of tea do you want?”

“Darjeeling.”

Darjeeling was like the luxury brand of black teas.

Anyway, he’s just a snob who can’t even brew a proper cup of tea.

I rinsed the teacup three times with boiled water and steeped the tea leaves. When I handed him the tea with a heaping spoonful of sugar, the Pope accepted it without a word. After making sure he was drinking it, I picked up my own cup. The warm teacup transferred its heat to my hands, which had grown cold.

I was just taking a long sip of the slightly [unauthorized copy]cooled tea when the Pope spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.

“You’re not putting sugar in it this time.”

“Cough!”

I’d already suspected things were unfolding similarly to last time. But I never imagined he’d recognize me, someone who’d switched bodies using the Alignment skill…

“Cough, cough!”

The tea went down the wrong way, and I started coughing. The Pope expressionlessly patted me on the back. The coughing subsided almost immediately. I wiped my mouth roughly with my sleeve and frowned.

“……Damn it, how did you figure that out?”

To be honest, I wasn’t completely clueless.

“It’s because of the sugar?”

The last time, I’d absentmindedly added sugar to the teacup I was going to hand to the Pope. I barely realized my mistake in time and pretended it was mine, but I guess it looked awkward to him. Other than that, I couldn’t think of anything else.

“Well, close enough.”

He continued as he tapped the rim of the teacup with his fingertip.

“If you wanted to fool me completely, you shouldn’t have brewed the tea my way.”

“Ah.”

Come to think of it, it was the Pope who taught me how to brew tea. Back when I was Kang Je-in, he had been my older brother. While the basic method of brewing tea was pretty much the same everywhere, the Pope and my brother had one unique habit.

Before brewing the tea, they always rinsed the teacup three times with hot water to warm it up.

I had the same habit too. Since I hadn’t paid any special attention to that part the last time I brewed tea, I must have followed the process exactly as I always did.

“Wait, but last time I came to see you in a completely different body. So how could you be so sure it was me just by watching me brew tea?”

…Isn’t that a bit too lacking in prejudice?

At that, the Pope rested his chin on the armrest of the sofa and replied dryly.

“You just gave me the confirmation yourself.”

What he meant was that he had been uncertain until then, but my reaction just now had made him certain. I clutched my teacup with both hands and stared at him in shock.

“I guess I have to take back what I said about you growing up. You’re still so careless.”

“…….”

How is it that I can’t win even once? Do you ​unauthorized copy​become that annoying after living a thousand years? ……No, wait, maybe not. My brother, who was just an ordinary human, was just as infuriating.

“So, how did you switch bodies?”

The Pope asked after taking a sip of tea. As always, he didn’t look particularly curious.

“Well, it just sort of… happened.”

“It just sort of happened?”

The Pope set down his teacup, rested his arms on the armrests, and clasped his hands together.

“You’d better give me a proper answer.”

At that moment, my shoulders slumped. It felt like I’d been transported back to when I was seven, swinging on the chandelier in the palace and breaking my leg. I quickly averted my gaze.

Oh, I’m screwed.