[Chapter 22] To Walk with Confidence Like That Child

"Get back!"

Ren, who had been trying to sneak out but was constantly thwarted, finally lost his temper and shouted.

The dormitory where he lived was a special mansion that had been passed down through generations of high-ranking students at the Kartak Won Theological Seminary.

It was a grand and luxurious building with a subtle, yet refined, style that reflected the tastes of the temple. However, this also meant that the building had a dark history, having been used to imprison people who had fallen out of favor with the Pope.

Ren was currently being prevented from leaving the mansion, just like the people who had been imprisoned in the past.

"Please go back to your studies," said the priest who was guarding the door, dressed in white robes.

Ren shouted again, "Ahh! You never care about me otherwise! What's going on?"

"If you're bored, why don't you try a hobby to clear your mind?" the priest suggested, his tone dripping with insinuation.

Ren's eyes widened as he realized what the priest was implying.

There were two people from the Theological Seminary who took care of Ren. One was the kind-hearted priest, Birk, and the other was the strict priest, Adams.

The servant who took care of the household chores was from the Peyel family, and he would often secretly bring Ren pazalchos, which Birk would knowingly ignore.

But now that Adams had found out, Ren was worried that he would report him to the authorities.

Before the semester started, Ren had met Neris, who had told him that even on bad days, there would be good days. Since then, Ren had been able to reduce his pazalcho-chewing habit significantly.

However, he still couldn't quit completely, and there were days when he would chew on several pazalchos in a row when he was feeling stressed or lonely.

It was just too hard and lonely. But when he chewed on pazalchos, his mind would clear, and he would feel a sense of relief. On those days, he would deliberately leave his window open for a long time, trying not to get caught by Adams.

But now that Adams had found out, Ren was shocked.

He had been about to shout at Adams, but he suddenly stopped and fell silent. Adams looked at him sternly.

After a moment, Ren looked at Adams with a mixture of shock and realization.

"...That's it..."

As a descendant of a renowned family that had produced many Popes, one would expect Adams to be a paragon of virtue. However, those in positions of power often had secrets that were far from virtuous.

Ren had heard stories about how the powerful would use underhanded methods to bring down their enemies. They would use subtle manipulation, making their victims indulge in vices that would ultimately lead to their downfall.

"Handing it over to someone you trust..."

The guardian would pretend to be lenient, turning a blind eye to the victim's vices. The victim would think they had found a way to escape, but in reality, they were just falling deeper into the trap.

And so it would continue, until the victim's eventual downfall.

It was a simple yet effective method, and those who were already in high positions were often the most susceptible to it. They had a strong sense of self-confidence, and in their desperation, their vision would narrow, making them blind to the trap they were falling into.

Ren's eyes widened as he continued to speak. He remembered when he first started chewing pazalchos. Someone had subtly encouraged him, saying it was okay to have a little.

"It was Dogon...," Ren said, his voice trailing off.

Dogon, the loyal servant who had been by Ren's side since he was a child, had given him the pazalchos. Ren had trusted him, and Birk had pretended not to notice.

But now it seemed that Dogon had been working with Birk to deliberately get Ren hooked on pazalchos. Was Dogon a traitor?

Ren's eyes trembled as he thought about the possibility. Adams spoke coldly.

"Don't shift the blame to the servant. You've been using those pazalchos despite knowing they're against the rules."

Strangely, Ren didn't feel angry at Adams's words. He had always found Adams's strict demeanor annoying, but now he saw a different side of him.

Adams's words were a warning: "Don't blindly trust those around you. Ultimately, you're the one who will be held responsible."

Dogon was a servant of the Peyel family and had been taking care of Ren since he was a child. But now it seemed that Dogon had betrayed him, just like his uncle.

Not only had Dogon betrayed him, but he had also actively tried to harm Ren's health.

Now that Ren thought about it, it was unlikely that Dogon could have easily obtained the pazalchos on his own. The mastermind behind this was clear.

"Omnitus."

Had it come to this? Hadn't the fact that the family had been torn apart been enough?

Adams looked at Ren's gloomy face and raised an eyebrow. Then, he spoke sternly.

"If you feel that your life has no value, then you haven't been studying the word of God properly. What do you plan to do now?"

Ren had been trying to sneak out and had been stopped by Adams. He explained his plan.

"I want to apologize to the kid who got into a fight with me today, and I'll take their punishment instead..."

Mahradi might not like Neris, but he wasn't stupid enough to start a fight with a new student in front of their peers.

It was probably just a ploy to boost his own reputation by taking down the infamous Ren.

"That's a foolish thing to do," Adams said, cutting him off. Ren's eyes widened in anger.

"Why!"

"Angry Bolter wouldn't just transfer the punishment he gave to someone else just because you ask him to. And besides, the student council has already taken over Neris's punishment. There's no need for you to interfere, especially since Elantria will protect his own family member."

Protection? Ren's mouth fell open in surprise.

He knew Nellucian's personality to some extent. Nellucian pretended to be kind and fair, but he only cared about students who were useful to him.

Ren was a prime example of this. When his brother was the Pope, Nellucian had been overly friendly, but now he was completely indifferent to Ren.

It was unlikely that Adams hadn't noticed Nellucian's behavior within the seminary. So, this was a kind warning.

Neris Truede was already being targeted by the Elantria family, so it was best not to get involved.

The power of the Elantria family was enormous, and Ren, a young boy who had been betrayed by his last remaining servant, couldn't possibly stand up to them. But...

"Hmph!"

Who would back down after hearing such words? What, should he just sit quietly in class and not talk to anyone?

And what about Neris? Was she just supposed to be used by Nellucian and left to her fate?

Ren snorted in derision. He remembered the first time he met Neris.

In fact, he had thought about that meeting many times since then.

Her words had been a rare comfort to him, someone who felt like he had no one to rely on. Although her tone was cold, the content of her words was undoubtedly kind.

And today, she had stood up to Mahradi, a feat that even Ren, the son of the Peyel family, couldn't muster the courage to do.

But what did Neris, the daughter of the Truede family, have to lose?

Adams raised an eyebrow at Ren's snort. Ren scowled and muttered.

"I'll go in, so go do your job! You're not a gatekeeper, so stop standing in front of someone else's house!"

Ren knew that he had nothing left. If he had to be precise, he had his divine power, but... Adams's advice didn't seem to come from simple pity.

He felt like there was something more he could do.

He had a hunch that there was.

But that something wouldn't be accomplished today. Ren slammed the door shut and stomped down the hallway, making a loud noise. Dogon appeared.

"Sir, what's wrong?"

Ren thought it was ridiculous that Dogon was only showing up now, after Ren had been causing a scene. He wanted to punch Dogon in the face, to kick him.

But what would be the point of that?

Ren, perhaps for the first time in his life, managed to feign calmness despite his anger still simmering beneath the surface. This calmness was only skin-deep, but that was what mattered.

"Dogon."

"Yes, sir."

Dogon smiled kindly, a smile that Ren had seen since he was a child. Ren looked at him intently and spoke casually.

"Go to my uncle in Verlen."

The journey to Verlen was treacherous, and there was a risk that Dogon might fall into Omnitus's hands. And when that happened, Dogon would be asked, "What is your master, Ren Peyel, trying to do by sending you to Verlen?"

Ren planned to prepare a list of "traitors who helped Ren Peyel" that Omnitus would appreciate, including Birk's name.

This was the first time Ren had chosen to sever ties with his past, to grow up in a painful way.

In his privileged childhood, Ren Peyel had never thought he would experience this kind of growth. But his great brother was gone, and he had to accept that fact.

He just hoped he could walk this path strongly, with confidence like that child.

Thinking of the girl he had met under the white gazebo, Ren muttered to himself.

***

While studying about outdoor tea parties, the new students enjoyed the autumn scenery at the academy.

The summer flowers had all withered, and the autumn leaves were ablaze. The steel-gray migratory birds flew over the lake, and the wind grew colder. The children filled their stomachs with tea food and hot tea at the lakeside gazebo and admired the white daisies and marguerites.

"It smells nice."

Megara was wearing a cape with golden embroidery and a yellow chrysanthemum in her hair.

The child's pale and fluffy cheeks were complemented by the few strands of honey-blonde hair that had escaped her hair tie. The children who attended the etiquette lessons couldn't take their eyes off her.

It was Idalia who praised the fragrance of the flowers with dignity.

Idalia knew that her ash-blonde hair didn't attract as much attention as Megara's honey-blonde hair. And she thought it wasn't a good thing to try too hard to be popular.

Yes, someone like her, who valued dignity, shouldn't struggle to gain popularity. Megara wasn't popular because she tried hard; she was just naturally talented, and that's why her friends approached her.

Idalia thought this and glanced at a child sitting alone in the corner.

The least popular child in the class was usually Angarad Nain, but recently, Lianon Vertha had also joined that group.

Lianon's mistake was that she had tried to seduce one of the most popular boys in school, without knowing her place. The children thought she was tacky, including the fact that she was pretending not to know about the letter.

"Don't look, Dali," Megara said. Idalia followed her advice, but her ill feelings didn't disappear. A boy sitting at the same table made a face behind her back.

"She thinks she's better than Angarad Nain, but her dad doesn't even have a title. That's why low-ranking nobles are like that."

"Nick."

Megara also warned the boy, Nicolaus Yende, who pouted and shrugged his shoulders.

Just as the party was in full swing, with a generally pleasant atmosphere, Sheridan walked out to a noticeable spot and drew attention.

"As I mentioned earlier, today we'll be having a recitation. Recitation is a great way to entertain people at gatherings and show off one's personality, so it's become a staple at indoor gatherings these days. Especially with classical poetry, it's good to memorize several pieces to facilitate smooth social interactions."

Sheridan didn't explain why recitation was currently popular or why classical poetry was necessary. However, Neris knew that the queen was so interested in classical poetry that she had founded a society to support it.

Neris remembered attending a party for the 15th anniversary of the classical poetry society when she was the crown princess, so it was likely that the society had been established around that time.

"I've prepared a short poem that's suitable for your age. It's a 14-line poem written by a friend of mine in the classical style. Let's leave the analysis of the poem's rhythm and vocabulary to the literature teacher, and today, let's focus on reciting the poem with dignity and elegance."