I blinked, and a faint light appeared in the darkness. My consciousness, which had been foggy, was finally returning.
Familiar voices reached my ears.
"What if Mel is dead?"
"Don't say such scary things. I want to beat the Pope for what he's done."
"I'll tear him to shreds for my part."
I thought something strange was happening, but I convinced myself it was just a misunderstanding. I took a deep breath and lifted my eyelids. I was back in a familiar place: my bed, my room, and my own windows. I was finally the Marquis of Kinnoa again.
"…Are you awake, Mel?"
"Mel!"
I looked at the two men sitting on either side of my bed. "It feels like it's been a long time," I said, my voice cracking from disuse.
Dominic, his face tight and eyes swollen, leaned in. "You! I thought you were dead after sleeping for over a month!"
"A month?"
"…No, it was exactly one week," Isaac corrected him.
One week! I now understood why they looked so exhausted. If I had been sleeping like the dead for a week, they would have been frantic.
"I'm okay. But my body couldn't move. I thought I was going to die soon," I said calmly.
Dominic clenched his fists, tears welling up in his eyes. "What should I do? What should I do? I'll call that dragon baby and perform a purification ritual!"
I raised my hand to stop him. "What happened to the Pope?"
"Oh, the Pope…"
Isaac, who had been watching me with an affectionate look, spoke softly. "Would you like to meet him, Mel?"
I nodded. I had been wondering why it was so quiet. "Is that man still alive?"
"He's hidden away," Isaac replied firmly.
"I've already tortured half of him," Dominic added.
It seemed Isaac and Dominic had teamed up to solve the problem. Judging by their burning eyes, they had probably torn the Pope to shreds.
"What on earth happened? I'd like to hear the whole story while I eat something, if that's okay," I said, my stomach rumbling. After being released from the state of extreme tension, I was starving.
Dominic nodded sternly. "Yes, you're so thin! As your family, it pains me to see you like this."
"I'm not that thin…"
"No, you are! You need to gain twice the weight you have now."
He's become a grandmother instead of an older brother, I thought. I pulled the rope next to the bed canopy. The food arrived quickly, as if they had been waiting for me to wake up. It was a light soup, soft bread, and gentle fruits—perfect for someone who hadn't eaten in a long time. The two men sat on either side of the bed and carefully tended to me. I feel like a king. It wasn't a bad feeling to be waited on like this.
I took a spoonful of soup and turned to Dominic. "Now, tell me everything."
"First, you escaped from the orb, and the Pope started screaming. We knew something was wrong, so we tied him up and imprisoned him in the temple instead of killing him."
"I arrived at the Marquis's mansion first, but you couldn't wake up," Isaac said.
"So what did you do?"
"I tried to torture the Pope to find out what he had done to you. But Isaac…" Dominic trailed off, glancing at Isaac. "Isaac was so angry that he almost killed the Pope right there. But that stubborn guy wouldn't open his mouth until the very end."
I looked at Isaac, who was still smiling affectionately. I couldn't imagine him torturing someone like that.
Dominic, seeing my expression, shook his head. "I thought it would be a bit much for Mel's partner to be so violent…"
"I'm sorry. I have no history of violence." Isaac's quick and calm response shut Dominic down.
He just shook his head, his face turning red. It seemed Isaac had completely outmaneuvered him.
I decided it was time to step in. "How exactly did you torture the Pope? And has his power really disappeared?"
"Yes, he lost all his power."
"While you were asleep, Isaac exposed the Pope's true identity to the world."
"Really?" My eyes widened. I thought I would have to deal with the Pope, but Isaac had already taken care of it!
"The moment his power disappeared, all his brainwashing techniques were also released. All the priests and nobles cut off contact with him."
"He was immediately stripped of his papacy. His evil deeds were revealed, and he was imprisoned in the temple for murder, confinement, and assault!"
While I had been unconscious, the Pope's downfall had been set in motion. I smiled with satisfaction and clapped my hands. "What a perfect ending."
Isaac looked at me with a warm, sun-like smile. I placed my right hand on his and stroked Dominic's head with my left. I felt like I had finally found my perfect happy ending.
After three days of rest, I went to the temple to see the imprisoned Pope. I had never been to the Imperial Palace before, but I had often seen the beautiful, magnificent building from my carriage. It used to be a cheerful place, filled with believers. Now that the Pope's crimes had been revealed, everything had changed.
I looked up at the desolate temple and walked inside. Isaac had already cleared the way, and knights were lined up to let me pass. I went to the most secret part of the temple, the sanctuary where the Pope was being held.
In the middle of the temple, which was now as coarse and empty as a slum, the Pope sat on an ivory chair. He was wrapped in a bright red rope, and a stench of decay emanated from him, making me wrinkle my nose. His whole body was rotting.
I greeted him with a slight frown. "Hello?"
"You…" The Pope glared at me, but he was powerless.
"How does it feel to be a helpless human who can't do anything?"
He wanted to curse, but he couldn't form the words. He could only gasp intermittently. "I don't believe it… you… did this?" he rasped.
"Are you curious?" I saw him staring into the air, a weak human being now, a shadow of his past elegant self. "I've suddenly decided I don't want to tell you."
As I spoke, I saw a ghostly illusion of a demon's wings flicker over his body and then disappear. Demons weren't just demons for nothing; they were creatures that preyed on weakened hosts, and the Pope, who was already on the verge of ruin, would be an excellent meal for them.
"You're going to hell soon anyway, so you don't need to know the whereabouts of the Catechism, do you?"
"I must go get the Catechism again…" A flicker of vain hope flashed in his eyes.
I shrugged. "Just go straight to hell, then."
The Pope, now a mere human, would fall into the abyss, his soul devoured by demons. "In that fiery hell, everything will attack you, including the demons you once summoned."
I wouldn't have to lift a finger. The karma he had accumulated would now be his master. "You will live forever like that. In hell or anywhere." That pain was the price he had to pay for trying to become a god by killing others.
I turned and walked away. There was nothing more to say to him. "Stop right now!" I heard his screams behind me, but I didn't stop. He would be captured by demons and disappear forever. My future was too bright to pay him any more attention.
I walked out of the temple and toward my carriage. Standing in the bright sun, I felt that everything was truly over.
Just as I was about to walk out the outer gate, someone approached me and held an awning over my head.
"Isn't the sunlight too bright?"
My eyes were no longer sore or depressed. I looked up at the man who had shaded me. "I missed you today."
It was Isaac, a man who felt like fate itself.
"Yes, so let's go eat something delicious!"
"What would you like?"
"Hmm… I'm tired of soup. Anything else!"
Walking with him, hand in hand, felt like an eternal dream. I knew now that happiness was very close to me.