Dantalion received Kṣitigarbha’s sermon notes.
Staring at the cover adorned with cute stickers, Dantalion opened the notebook.
As if alive, the pages of the notebook began turning on their own.
“This is too much.
I wrote this by hand for my friend, so couldn’t you show a little more respect?”
“That’s why I’m reading it with my eyes instead of absorbing it directly into my body.”
Simply reading it instead of assimilating the contents was already an act of consideration.
After roughly three minutes of scanning the entire notebook, Dantalion placed it on the desk.
‘Contrary to its appearance, the content is quite substantial.’
Although it looked like an old-fashioned diary from the 80s, the wisdom it contained had a remarkable depth.
Well, considering the entirety of Kṣitigarbha’s life, even a lighthearted writing style could convey profound teachings…
“What are you doing?”
“Hmm?
It looked like my makeup was smudged, so I was fixing it.
Don’t mind me.”
“……”
At times, it was difficult to comprehend due to the sheer depth of his enlightenment, but his writings were undoubtedly remarkable.
Far more beneficial than the so-called wisdom of humans who had done nothing but bring harm to the world.
However, there was one concern.
“Is there any chance that reading this will cause Joanna to attain enlightenment?”
The concern lay in the depth of Kṣitigarbha’s enlightenment.
Kṣitigarbha was a being who bestowed realization and salvation upon the sinners of hell.
Considering that, the writings of such a figure—no, her writings—might cause Joanna to reach enlightenment and ascend to the heavens at an early age.
Hearing this concern, Kṣitigarbha burst into laughter.
After laughing for quite some time, she wiped away tears with a wave of her hand and spoke.
“You’re overestimating me, aren’t you?”
“There’s not a single soul in hell who underestimates you.”
“That’s quite the compliment.
But don’t worry.
You know as well as I do that enlightenment isn’t something that comes so easily.”
Enlightenment wasn’t something one could attain instantly just because someone taught it to them.
If realization could be easily granted through instruction, Kṣitigarbha would have attained Buddhahood long ago.
Dantalion nodded in agreement, acknowledging her words as true.
He pulled out a scroll he had acquired from the Hell of Arrogance.
“Are you sure this is enough?
The value of this notebook is far greater than this.”
“Haha!
The value of an item depends on the person, doesn’t it?”
Laughing heartily, Kṣitigarbha accepted the scroll.
However, her gaze as she looked at it didn’t seem particularly joyful.
It was the kind of look one would give to an old wound—filled with bittersweet regret.
“I’m just saddened that my learning is still insufficient to save them.”
Why try to save the irredeemable?
As someone who had served as a Grand Judge for countless years, Dantalion couldn’t easily understand Kṣitigarbha.
For him, what sinners needed wasn’t salvation but punishment.
To be honest, he wished Kṣitigarbha would lay down her heavy burden and ascend to the heavens already…
“Well, I still believe that one day, I’ll be able to save them all!”
“…I see.”
The Kṣitigarbha Dantalion knew was not someone who would give up so easily.
After regaining her energy, she rambled on about her current reincarnation’s life before leaving.
Seeing her off, Dantalion returned to his office and looked at the notebook she had given him.
But… could he really hand it over to Joanna in this state?
Meeting the gaze of the yellow mouse sticker on the cover, Dantalion let out a small sigh.
‘It would be better to redo it with a more formal appearance. I should turn it into a scroll instead.’
Although he wasn’t particularly fond of ostentation, he still had the dignity of a Grand Judge to uphold.
Dantalion wasn’t thick-skinned enough to gift Joanna a heavily decorated notebook.
Of course, turning it into a scroll would increase its bulk, but…
‘It’s a mystical artifact—it should be able to withstand it.’
Dantalion decided to trust Noir.
Surely, it wouldn’t be enough to kill him, right?
After failing a few more times to make friends, Joanna decided to change her approach.
For things she couldn’t handle alone, she would rely entirely on an expert.
Naturally, the best expert to help Joanna was Mesela.
After all, who else would she turn to but the city’s renowned socialite?
Mesela, delighted by Joanna’s request, decided that the first step was…
“Well then, let’s make sandwiches to share with the orphanage children!
Be careful with the knife, and remember—what matters most is sincerity, not speed.”
…Teaching her how to cook.
Wearing an apron, Joanna awkwardly asked Mesela,
“Do we really have to make them ourselves?
The ones you make would taste much better.”
Her question was quite reasonable.
After all, when it came to cooking skills, Mesela was clearly superior.
She was a wife who prepared a loving lunchbox for her husband every morning—there was no way her skills were lacking.
Considering the children’s tastes, the sandwiches Mesela made would undoubtedly be better.
However, Mesela shook her head.
“Flavor is important, but if you want to open the children’s hearts, sincerity is what matters most.
If you leave it to someone else, you’ll never be able to reach them.”
When it came to winning people’s hearts, taste was not the most important factor.
What truly mattered was sincerity—the effort put into making something for them.
Especially for children who were struggling due to the absence of their parents, such sincerity resonated deeper than anything else.
Mashing the potatoes with her own hands, Mesela continued,
“If your goal is simply to use the children to gain popularity, then you can stop now.
You don’t need to do something like this to be loved, Joanna.”
There was not a single lie in her words. Mesela had once known what it was like to settle for affection that wasn’t truly sincere.
She could easily turn Joanna into the star of high society in just a few days if she wanted to.
But…
Was that really what Joanna wanted?
“I wasn’t thinking it through.
I’ll do it your way, Mesela.”
Of course not.
Having resisted the temptation of an easy path, Joanna decided to take this seriously.
Gripping the masher, she pressed down firmly on the potatoes and focused on peeling dozens of eggs.
Naturally, since it was her first time, handling the ingredients was no easy task.
Many potatoes were left unevenly mashed, and some eggs had been peeled with the shells still stuck to them, making a mess.
But Mesela had expected this.
“For a first try, you did well!
Now, let’s mix in the pickled vegetables, spread it on the sandwiches, and top it with bacon.”
Mesela turned out to be an even better teacher than Joanna had anticipated.
Effortlessly handling her own tasks while guiding the clumsy Joanna, Mesela neatly stacked the finished sandwiches in a basket.
Then, after covering them with a cloth, she led Joanna to the bathroom.
“I-I can wash myself!”
“There’s a difference between washing and grooming.
Now, be still!”
Mesela scrubbed Joanna meticulously, then applied oils and carefully groomed her from head to toe.
Joanna, who was perfectly used to bathing alone, was utterly mortified.
After what felt like a round of teasing that wasn’t quite teasing, she stepped out of the bathroom smelling far more fragrant than usual.
If things had ended here, she might have been able to move on with just a tiring day…
But…
“You should wear this.
A simple white dress will soften your beauty nicely.”
“Don’t forget to smile.
Children are sensitive and can easily pick up on emotions.”
“What if you softened your tone a little?
Try repeating after me.”
Mesela was far more serious about this than Joanna had expected.
Enduring the whirlwind of intensive training, Joanna found herself thinking—
‘Catching criminals was so much easier!’
Was this yet another trial given to her by Lord Dantalion?
Before she could fully process it, Mesela had already dragged her off to the orphanage.
Seeing the children’s bright faces as they greeted her was somewhat enjoyable, but…
“Hey, kids?
You should play with Joanna too.”
“But…”
“She’s kind of hard to approach.”
“Yeah.”
Even after stuffing themselves with sandwiches, the children hesitated to approach Joanna.
Which made sense—throughout the entire process of handing out food, she hadn’t said a single word.
A pretty lady staring at them with a silent smile was enough to make them too shy to speak.
And so, Joanna spent the entire day helping out at the orphanage before heading home.
Mesela, of course, had already picked up on the problem.
She hadn’t considered that someone who spoke well with adults might struggle with children her own age—that was an oversight on her part.
Watching Joanna trudging upstairs, Mesela called out,
“D-Don’t worry too much!
If you spend more time with them, you’ll start talking naturally!”
“Mm-hm…”
Too exhausted to even speak properly, Joanna answered half-heartedly.
She quickly washed up in the bathroom, not bothering to fully dry her hair before heading to her room.
She just wanted to rest.
If only she had a doll that looked like Lord Dantalion…
As she opened the door, lost in thought—
“Guh…
Ghhhuuueeeek…!”
“N-NOIR!?”
Her one and only friend, Noir, was standing there with a giant scroll crammed into its mouth, drooling uncontrollably.
Joanna felt her consciousness waver.
Mystical creatures had sturdy bodies.
But that didn’t mean spitting out something bigger than their own jaw was easy.
With Joanna’s help, Noir finally managed to eject the scroll, then pressed its beak firmly against its sore jaw.
‘Master has gone too far! This is abuse!’
As it cawed indignantly, Joanna held out a honey-coated peanut.
Since it wasn’t actually injured, Noir quickly cheered up and savored the treat—completely forgetting its previous pain.
While stroking Noir’s head, Joanna examined the scroll.
Flap.
A small note slipped out from between the pages.
“What’s this…?”
Picking it up, she noticed a familiar name written in the corner.
Dantalion.
It was a direct message from the pillar of support that upheld her world.
At that moment, all her exhaustion vanished, replaced by a surge of energy.
“-!!!”
Biting her pillow to suppress the squeal of joy, she pounded her bed excitedly.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
With the strength of a knight’s squire, her pounding made the bed creak in protest.
Hearing the commotion, Mesela hurried upstairs and burst into the room.
“Joanna!
What happened—?”
“…Did something happen?
I was meditating, so I didn’t hear anything.”
Quickly hiding the scroll and note, Joanna blinked innocently, feigning calm.
Though one of the bed’s legs wobbled dangerously from the impact, Mesela didn’t notice.
Still looking a bit skeptical, Mesela apologized and closed the door.
As soon as she was gone, Joanna swiftly unfolded the note.
[“Noir conveyed your worries well. I happened to receive something good from a friend, so as a reward for your efforts, here’s a gift—”]
“How can he be this kind!?”
Joanna, who hadn’t even finished reading yet, turned red and grinned uncontrollably.
Not only had her revered Lord personally written to her, but he had also sent a gift.
Considering the fact that he was someone she regarded almost as a god, it was no wonder she was ecstatic.
Opening a hidden compartment in her bed, Joanna tossed aside all the wanted posters she had stored there, making space for this one precious note.
After burning the wanted posters to erase any trace of them, she finally calmed herself and unfurled the scroll.
But then…
“The Art of Conversation: 101 Ways to Captivate a Person’s Heart”
The title… seemed a bit off.