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Chapter 20
A middle-aged woman stood in front of me, holding a large lantern.
Her eyes were bloodshot and sunken, her hair messy. She looked exhausted, as if she hadn’t slept for days.
She stared at me intensely.
What is this? Where did she suddenly come from?
Aside from the frozen corrupted people, there was nowhere to hide.
I was frozen in surprise when the woman suddenly rushed toward me with a bright, hopeful expression.
“You came at the perfect time! Since you’re here, please take a look at my son too. I’ve almost melted all the ice already!”
“Ah!”
I instinctively stepped back from the heat coming from the lantern.
So that’s why the ice was melting in broad daylight…
It wasn’t the weather.
Is she crazy? What if the corrupted people go wild?!
I frowned at her.
Eston quickly stepped in front of me.
“Aunt Sophie, please stop.”
“Eston? You…”
Only then did the woman shift her gaze from me to her.
They know each other?
As I watched them closely, the woman suddenly shouted angrily.
“Were you trying to secretly help only your brother again? How selfish! If a Purifier has come, you should tell everyone!”
“She’s not a Purifier.”
“Don’t lie!”
The woman screamed.
“I saw it! She used green power on your brother!”
“She’s a healer! I can’t use my ability right now, so she came to treat my brother instead!”
Eston raised her voice too.
Even in this tense situation, she lied without blinking. I almost admired her calmness.
The woman hesitated for a moment.
“Then… why are you taking your brother away?”
“Th-that’s…”
“We agreed to gather everyone exposed to demonic energy here! That’s why I left my son frozen too!”
“Auntie… did you melt the ice?”
Eston sounded shocked.
The woman avoided her gaze.
“So what? Should I leave him frozen in this cold? He needs to eat something!”
“Auntie! The corrupted are dangerous!”
“I’m not the only one! The baker’s daughter, the blacksmith’s grandfather, even the village chief—”
“Ha…”
“We’re just worried because they’re family! You come every night because you’re worried about your brother too, right?!”
After sighing repeatedly, Eston finally nodded.
“…Fine. Whether you melt the ice or not isn’t my business. We’re leaving. Please move.”
“No!”
The woman blocked our way again with the lantern.
“Healing your brother is one thing, but you can’t take him!”
“Why?”
“Did you forget? Your brother bit several villagers!”
“I healed them all!”
“That’s obvious! Wait—this isn’t the time. Stay here. I’ll bring everyone!”
Just then—
“Mm… Sis…”
The child sleeping on Eston’s back slowly opened his eyes.
“…Oh? Aunt Sophie.”
Silence fell over us.
The woman looked at me, Eston, and Theo in turn. Her face twisted.
“I knew it! She is a Purifier!”
“Aunt Sophie, that’s not—”
“You wicked girl! How dare you lie like that? Is that how your parents raised you?!”
After shouting at Eston, the woman suddenly turned to me.
“Purifier!”
“Ah!”
She grabbed my clothes tightly and pulled me.
“Please come see my son just once! I melted everything to make purification easier!”
“Let go.”
I pushed her hand away with a sigh.
“I’m not a Purifier.”
“Don’t lie! Theo is perfectly fine!”
“He wasn’t deeply corrupted to begin with because of his healing power—”
“Everyone! Come here!”
She ignored me and shouted toward the village.
“A Purifier has finally come to our village! Our families can all be saved!”
“Auntie, stop!”
“Everyone! Over here!”
She jumped and screamed.
I might not even agree to heal just her son, and she’s trying to gather the whole village?
It was obvious why she was doing this.
She wanted to prove it in front of everyone so I couldn’t refuse.
Too bad.
I wasn’t in a condition to purify anyone else.
And I didn’t want to, unless it benefited me.
Am I becoming worse because I possessed a villain’s body?
But I had never been a saint like the heroine.
And why should I take responsibility for purification that even the heroine didn’t do?
Anger rose inside me.
Eston looked at me anxiously.
“…Wh-what should we do?”
“What else? We run.”
I lowered my voice.
“Is there another path?”
“There’s a back road through the dead forest… but it’s far.”
The forest behind the ice field looked dark and lifeless.
We didn’t have time to hesitate.
“I’ll count to three. Run.”
“What?”
“Three. Two. One.”
I immediately dashed forward.
“Huh—! Theo! Hold tight!”
Eston hurried after me.
“Wait! Purifier! Where are you going?!”
The woman realized too late.
“Stop! Heal my son first!”
We ran.
Then—
Crash! Shatter!
A loud explosion sounded behind us.
We turned.
Flames were rising around one of the ice blocks.
The woman had broken the lantern.
“F-food! Give me food!”
“Andrew! Wait!”
She beat the fire with her coat. The ice melted quickly.
Crack! Crack!
Her son broke free.
But the fire spread through spilled oil.
More ice cracked.
More corrupted began moving.
Still, the woman only looked at her son.
“Almost done! I’ll get you purified—”
Suddenly—
The man whose arms had fully thawed grabbed her and bit her neck.
“Andrew—!”
Her scream echoed.
This is insane…
One by one, the corrupted were freed.
They looked around wildly for prey.
Humans possessed by demonic energy lose their reason.
They become violent monsters.
Theo whimpered.
“Sis… I’m scared…”
“Lady Nancy…!”
Eston called me in fear.
They had seen us.
“Run!”
We ran again.
Eston, even carrying Theo, didn’t slow down.
But I—
“Huff…!”
I quickly ran out of breath.
The distance between us grew.
Why is this body so weak?!
Of course. I had just woken from a coma days ago and used my power.
I stopped.
If I ran more, I would collapse.
Eston looked back in horror.
“Lady Nancy! Why did you stop?!”
“Go!”
“But—!”
Too late.
The corrupted were already right in front of me.
“…Damn it.”
I couldn’t run.
We weren’t fighters.
There was only one way.
I’ll purify them all.
Did I have confidence?
No.
But if I poured everything out until I collapsed, maybe I wouldn’t die.
I stretched out my hands.
The corrupted approached.
“Pu—!”
Before I could finish—
Flames suddenly burst from their bodies.
I covered my face from the intense heat.
They screamed as they burned.
A terrible smell filled the air.
Within seconds, they turned to ash.
Then the flames disappeared as if they had never existed.
Ash drifted in the air.
A large shadow appeared before me.
“…What are you doing here?”
“….”
“Idit.”
Bright red hair, like the flames from before.
Male Lead Number Three had arrived.
