SPLASH
The muscular man wakes up after water is splashed on his face.
"Wake up, big man!"
"Where am I? Woah, I'm chained up, argh, can't break it."
"Of course, the torture room. I know you are strong but unless you are a superhuman or have divine help, you won't be able to break that chain."
"Wait, what?"
"Yeah, ah, and someone dropped you at the door with a note, saying that you tried to rape the young Pope, but was unsuccessful due to divine intervention."
"No, I did nothing like that. This is a frame. I was never struck by a Guardian Angel."
"Pffft . . . you just admitted . . . I only said 'divine intervention', and you know it to be specifically Guardian Angel who struck you. Normally, when someone said about divine intervention, normally, many would think it to be thunder or fire from heaven though, and not a Guardian Angel. Too often, people forget they have a Guardian beside them. Hmm, maybe I'm talking too much for a torturer."
"No, I don't admit it. I just happen to be one of the few who remember my Guardian Angel. That's all."
"Let's see of you can still say that after the torture."
"No, I don't agree. It's against the Church's law to torture people in interrogation."
"Yeah, but you just admitted the crime and then denied it. So torture is necessary. Hmmm, let's begin with the small ones first."
***
A few days later
"Holy Father, this is the list of recommendations for the position of bishops around the world. Here is for Italy, France, Germany, England, Spain . . . " a bishop says while introducing each stack of paper.
KNOCK KNOCK
"Come in!" Benedict said.
Cardinal Rossi opens the door and steps inside.
"Holy Father, we need your help with something."
"Is it urgent?"
"Yes, Holy Father!"
"Lead the way!"
. . .
"A prison?"
"No, Holy Father, it's a . . . torture room." Cardinal Rossi whispers to Benedict's ear.
Benedict is surprised when he is led to a torture room. But he has already guessed the prisoner that they need his help with.
The door opened, Benedict goes inside, goes down the staircase until he reaches underground.
"Holy Father, I can't believe you come!" the torturer runs to him and kneels down. Benedict gives out his right hand, and the torturer kisses his ring.
"I'm sorry that you have to look at this unsightly room, Holy Father!"
Benedict looks around the room, he can see many torture equipment. He feels chill down his spine looking at all of these things, and he can't imagine how painful it is if they are used on him. Despite that, Benedict is not completely against torture though. Some criminals are unrepented of their actions and keep saying 'I did not do it' despite the evidence and witness , while the judge need their confession to give sentence and conclude the case along with the trial. So torture is used as the final resort to make the criminal confess. Torture can be useful, however, many times, it has been misused and abused.
. . .
"We meet again, Pope boy!"
"We are surprised that you can still recognize us consider how wounded your eyes are."
The torturer gets a chair for Benedict, who sits on it opposite face-to-face with the muscular rapist.
"Why don't you just admit the crime?"
"I did nothing, Pope boy!"
"Fine!"
Benedict gets up and gets out of the torture room, to the surprise and puzzlement of both the torturer and the muscular rapist.
. . .
"Did he confess, Holy Father?" Cardinal Rossi asks with a worried face.
"No, he did not . . . for now!"
"What do you have in mind?"
"No, We can't tell you yet. Ummm, how did you get your hands on this man?" Benedict asks because he clearly ordered Hayabusa to take this man to his father, Count Alberic III. But later, he regretted his decision, because when he saw the Count came up for Communion, he became enraged in his heart "How could he, after committing the great sin of manipulating the Papal election, still dare to come up here to receive Communion?", which led to the excommunication in front of everyone at the Papal Mass.
"The day after the coronation, we found this man tied up before our door, with a piece of paper telling us this man's crime against you."
("It must be Hayabusa. Hmmm, it seems like he is not completely loyal to the Count.").
"Ok, We will return now!"
"What about that rapist?"
"Tell the torturer to do what he normally does."
"Yes, Your Holiness!"
. . .
"Vincent, tell the servants to leave Us alone!"
"Yes, Holy Father!"
After the servants have all gone outside the room, Benedict sits on his chair, looking around the room.
"We know you are here. Come out, Hayabusa!"
("We actually don't know if he is here. Just trying.")
But Hayabusa does appear before his eyes.
"Greetings to the Vicar of Jesus Christ! I'm really impress with your senses, maybe you should become a warrior like me instead."
"Alright, let's go to the main issue, answer Us, Hayabusa. Did you swear allegiance to Our father, the Count?"
"Why did you ask?"
"To find out if you are available to serve Us."
"The answers are no for both the question and the offer. I have no intention to swear allegiance to . . ."
"To any people of this strange continent where you were shipped too, right?"
"Ack, yeah, I came from a faraway land, where landlords and nobles have the same mindset as me. When I was shipped here, I have decided that for this whole life, I will never swear allegiance to any master because people here are so different from me."
"So why did you drop that muscular rapist at a place belongs to Us? Why didn't you bring him back to my father?"
"I already brought him back to the House of Tusculum, but when I saw you excommunicated your father, I returned to the House of Tusculum and got him out to a place belonged to a devout Cardinal who was likely to agree with you."
("Everyone of the House of Tusculum must have all gone watched Our coronation, and the remaining guards must be slacking.") Benedict imagines the situation based on how easy Hayabusa got in and out of the estate.
"So you helped Us, and that means We are more favorable in your opinion, right?"
". . . . . . . . . Alright, if you brings me my national flower, I will swear allegiance to you."
"But, it's currently Autumn now, We can't bring you sakura. Can you temporarily serve Us until Spring next year."
"Hmm, alright, I will serve you until Spring next year, and at that time, you must bring me saku . . . Wait, what word did you just say?"
"We said sa - ku - ra."