Even after the knights searched the underground room and recovered the remaining documents, the Pope and Scarlet were not found.

Belladonna, who had made her way outside with her tired body where it had already become dark, boarded a safe carriage as guided by the knights.

“Holy Maiden, please rest here for a while!”

Belladonna nodded to the knight who had safely brought her and leaned back against the seat.

She didn’t expect it would take this long to find the two hiding in the Vatican, which was narrow if narrow and wide if wide.

Perhaps the Pope had already left this place with someone else’s help.

Thinking that, she felt hopeless again.

Knock knock.

Just then, she heard someone knocking on the carriage window.

When she quickly raised her head, she saw Tina with her round eyes pressed against the carriage window looking inside.

“Tina…?”

Muttering softly at the unexpected figure, Belladonna pushed open the carriage door.

As the door opened, Timothy, who had been holding Tina up to the window, also revealed himself.

Seeing Belladonna looking utterly exhausted, he wore a sympathetic expression.

“Holy Maiden! It’s me. I was nearby and saw you come out, so I stopped by to say hello. Are you alright?”

Timothy asked, still holding Tina up high.

As if not really expecting an answer, he continued speaking.

“I heard roughly from the lord, his knights, and the elderly mage who was with you. Pope Pronens…”

Timothy couldn’t finish his sentence.

As a devout priest who followed the Pope more faithfully than anyone with a heart to serve God, he seemed unable to speak of the Pope’s misdeeds with his own mouth.

Belladonna smiled at him as if understanding, and opened her mouth.

“Thank you for coming, please come in.”

“Huh?”

Timothy’s eyes widened as he confirmed Belladonna speaking normally.

Tina, held in his arms, also opened her round eyes even wider.

Belladonna moved to make room for them.

But Timothy and Tina standing outside remained frozen, unable to move at all, and just stared blankly at her.

“Um… Would you like to come inside?”

As Belladonna spoke again after waiting a moment, Timothy startled and opened his mouth.

“Ho-Holy Maiden… I’m sorry, but how did…”

“Holy Maiden, can you speak now?”

Tina asked in a clear voice. Belladonna reached out to her and answered.

“Yes, my voice is back now. Would you like to come in? I’d like to go out, but my legs won’t cooperate…”

“Ah! Alright.”

At Belladonna’s words, Timothy quickly entered the carriage carrying Tina.

Sitting opposite Belladonna, he placed Tina on his lap and faced her.

Belladonna, watching him fumble unable to ask properly, spoke first.

“My voice returned overnight. I don’t know the reason either. Perhaps because the holy power was obtained in exchange for my voice, as soon as my voice returned, I became unable to use the holy power.”

“Oh, I see…”

Learning the situation, Timothy floundered even more, not knowing what to do.

Belladonna, who was watching him panic as if he had lost his own holy power, seemed rather unaffected.

Tina, who had been staring at her, asked.

“Holy Maiden, is it possible to gain and lose holy power?”

Belladonna looked at her and smiled.

“Yes, I didn’t know until now, but it seems it’s possible. This too is God’s will, so we can only follow.”

“Then… are you happy that you lost your holy power?”

“Tina!”

Timothy scolded Tina in a low voice.

Happy that she lost her holy power…? Though it was an innocent child’s question without much meaning, Belladonna fell into serious thought.

Compared to when she could freely use her healing power, of course there were many times she felt frustrated at not being able to heal someone.

Like when she couldn’t heal Scarlet who was in pain earlier.

But setting all that aside, it was more convenient to have her voice without holy power, and it was also good that she no longer had to be a trash can for others’ emotions.

So could she say this was happier? Then would the original Holy Maiden Belladonna have wanted an ordinary life unable to use holy power?

Looking at the child gazing at her purely, Belladonna slowly opened her mouth.

“Tina, do you want to return to an ordinary life where you can’t use holy power?”

“Sometimes I do. Because I can’t properly feel when I’m sick due to the holy power, my brother is always worried.”

Hearing Tina’s answer, Timothy’s face visibly sank.

Watching the look-alike siblings, Belladonna reached out and held the child’s hand tightly.

“I can understand thinking that way. When I couldn’t speak, it was quite inconvenient.”

As even Belladonna, who had lived using holy power for a long time, said this, Timothy’s face sank even more.

He looked down at his young sister with a sad expression.

Since using holy power consumed the saint’s life force each time, he seemed to feel burdened by the future the child would have to walk.

“But Tina, one thing for certain is that your ability is a precious gift from God.”

“A gift?”

“Yes, a gift. Though it may be a bit inconvenient right now, being able to heal sick people is truly a valuable talent. There’s nothing as fulfilling as watching people who came to me gain a bit of hope, get better, and return home happily.”

At Belladonna’s words, Tina blinked her large eyes.

Though it was holy power she had gained temporarily, Belladonna continued speaking, recalling the emotions she had felt over the past few months.

“When I first heard your question, I thought of course a normal life without holy power would be happier. But thinking again, it doesn’t seem to be necessarily so.”

“Then?”

“A happy life has nothing to do with whether you can use holy power or not. If I can live my own life proactively, that seems to be happiness.”

The reason Belladonna was unhappy when she could use holy power was because she lived a life that wasn’t free, trapped in the framework of being a saint within the Vatican.

She didn’t want Tina to live such a life.

“Surely when God gave us this gift, He didn’t want us to be unhappy.”

Fiddling with the child’s chubby hand, Belladonna continued.

“Whether you’ll someday lose your holy power and return to an ordinary life like me, or live your whole life healing others, I don’t know, but I hope you don’t focus too much on the holy power itself. Whether you can use holy power or not, you’re still the same Tina.”

“Hmm…”

The child furrowed her brow as if pondering the meaning.

“But one thing’s for sure, don’t become the Vatican’s Holy Maiden! There’s too much work to do!”

Belladonna said, bending down with a hint of playfulness.

Though it was a joke, it was also words filled with sincerity.

“Is that why you told me not to show my ability to the Pope?”

“Huh? Did I say that?”

At Timothy’s question, Belladonna smiled awkwardly.

Fortunately, it seemed Tina had properly understood the meaning of Belladonna’s desperate head-shaking at the time.

“I had no choice. Having been adopted by the Vatican at a young age and grown up under the Pope, I didn’t want Tina to live like that.”

“Holy Maiden…”

Timothy, belatedly realizing her intention, furrowed his brows.

He nodded, tightening his grip on Tina.

“When I first found out Tina had gained holy power… to be honest, I was very sad.”

“Timothy…”

His sad feelings were understandable, of course.

Who could be entirely pleased with holy power that eats away at a family member’s life force?

“But if that too is God’s will, I want to use the ability God gave our Tina valuably in a place where its meaning won’t fade. I’ll make sure to stay grounded by Tina’s side.”

Timothy continued speaking as if resolving to himself.

“Holy power must never be used recklessly. As it’s a precious power that uses valuable life force, it should be used in appropriate amounts only when absolutely necessary. I don’t know which direction is right yet, but I’ll keep pondering on it.”

“Priest Timothy and Tina will do well.”

“Thank you for saying so. Now, Tina, you should thank the Holy Maiden for her kind words!”

“Thank you!”

Tina bowed her head on Timothy’s lap.

Watching the child’s adorable appearance, Belladonna fell into thought.

Perhaps if the Pope of Astanya had been someone like Timothy instead of someone like Pronens, such a terrible thing might not have happened.

Then maybe Holy Maiden Belladonna would have lived a much happier life too.

Though it’s all useless thoughts now…

Belladonna turned her gaze out the window, making meaningless assumptions.

As she stared blankly outside with her energy drained, she saw someone moving suspiciously in the darkness.

Who could that be?

Belladonna narrowed her eyes and watched the moving figure, her gaze drawn in that direction.

The person moving silently while checking their surroundings was none other than Cardinal Nicholas.

“…Timothy, I’m going out for a bit.”

Belladonna quietly got up from her seat after confirming it was him.

Judging by his suspicious behavior, it seemed he had started searching for the Pope as it got dark.

Belladonna jumped out of the carriage and turned to look at Timothy, lost in thought.

She could tell Timothy to ask the knights for help, but if she rashly gathered people, the cautious Nicholas might stop moving.

It seemed right to carefully follow him first and then call for people.

“I’ll help too! Tina, let’s go over there!”

Timothy exclaimed, realizing Belladonna was trying to continue the investigation.

Belladonna briefly greeted him as he followed her out, then carefully moved towards where Nicholas had disappeared.

“…”

Nicholas kept looking around as he headed somewhere.

Good thing I came alone… It’s so quiet everywhere, it would have been difficult to conceal our presence if there were several people.

Hiding behind a thick tree, Belladonna was careful not to step on even small twigs.

Following at some distance, she could finally see where he was headed.

Seeing the building in front of her, Belladonna immediately turned around.

I need to tell the knights about this…!

“Oof.”

But as soon as she turned, a huge figure enveloped her.

Belladonna was embraced in a warm and soft embrace, as if wrapped in a giant blanket.

Wh-What?

“Shh.”

Along with the familiar voice, an all too familiar warmth and scent enveloped her.

Belladonna looked up at the owner of the voice.