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Chapter 4
“Ha…”
Khalid let out a deep sigh as he caught the mage collapsing toward him.
Despite being drenched by the rain, a sweet fragrance reminiscent of flowers tickled his nose.
So this time they’re trying to evoke pity with a sickly-looking woman?
His face twisted into a scowl.
A mage who collapses halfway through the purification.
The sensation in his fingertips felt ordinary enough.
As expected… they’ve brought me another fraud.
How should he punish them this time?
No matter how ruthless he was, he wasn’t in the habit of cutting down someone who had already lost consciousness.
Perhaps she’ll wake up after I wipe out everyone waiting outside.
“Damn it. Again.”
Even as the vicious thought crossed his mind, black, corrupted aura seeped from his hand.
Khalid immediately leaned the unconscious mage against the wall before moving as far away from her as possible.
As always, he clenched his hand tightly to endure the pain.
His hateful hand…
…and the unconscious woman…
His gaze shifted back and forth between them.
“So much for purifying me by simply holding my hand.”
Coming here had been a waste of time.
That was his simple verdict.
He wasn’t even disappointed.
Now all that remained was for those people to pay for their deception with their lives.
Grinding his teeth, Khalid waited.
Whenever the curse flared, the pain became so intense that even gripping a sword was difficult.
All he could do was endure the torment and listen to the endless sound of rain until the cursed aura subsided.
“…?”
Only then did he notice something strange.
His lips slowly parted.
It doesn’t hurt.
Why…?
He lowered his head and stared at his hand.
More corrupted aura than ever before was visibly pouring out of it.
There’s this much corruption coming out…
…yet I don’t feel even the slightest pain.
Since the day he had been cursed, this had never happened before.
Did that mage… actually succeed?
No.
That wasn’t it.
Those afflicted by the curse could instinctively tell whether it had been lifted or not.
The suffocating sensation of being bound by countless layers of chains remained exactly the same.
Even so…
The pain that had plagued him for so many years…
…had disappeared.
“So… it merely eased the symptoms.”
Raising his head, he stared sharply at the motionless mage.
The frail little mage truly was an unofficial master hiding in obscurity.
If she’d been in perfect condition and completed the purification… what would’ve happened?
“…”
A quiet breath escaped him.
Half relief.
Half suspicion.
One incident alone wasn’t enough to judge her.
Was she really the purification mage I’d spent so many years searching for?
Or was this nothing more than a coincidence?
Khalid’s eyes widened ever so slightly.
His heartbeat quickened.
Before he realized it, he had begun walking toward her.
Bang! Bang!
“Mage! Are you finished? What happened? There’s black smoke pouring out through the windows! If anything goes wrong, all our heads will roll! Open the door!”
The unpleasant shouting brought Khalid to an abrupt stop.
The corners of his lips curled crookedly.
Listening to Raven’s pathetic barking irritated him.
The fools had the nerve to threaten a defenseless woman while he himself was standing right there.
How petty.
With a faint smile, Khalid strode over and opened the door without hesitation.
“Y-Your Grace? Why are you opening the door yourself? What happened to the purification mage?”
Even more members of Raven than before stood packed tightly outside alongside the vice commander.
Without saying a word, Khalid casually placed a hand on the vice commander’s shoulder and gave it a few light pats.
“Well?”
“Does it hurt?”
“W-What are you doing?! Even if you’re the Grand Duke, you’ve gone too far since earlier!”
The vice commander stumbled backward, shouting in panic.
First the man had nearly stabbed him through the throat.
Now he was casually touching him with a cursed aura that should have caused unbearable pain.
Humiliated beyond measure, his face turned bright red with anger.
“You should be grateful.”
“That mage is the reason your head is still attached.”
“…She succeeded?”
Even though Khalid’s corrupted aura had touched his shoulder…
The vice commander felt no pain.
Silently observing the changed aura, Khalid turned away.
The vice commander’s face had already transformed into that of a fattened pig greedy for the enormous deal he thought was about to happen.
Removing his cloak, Khalid wrapped the unconscious Luna inside its soft, dry lining as carefully as though swaddling an infant.
He bundled her up so skillfully that she resembled an oversized child with only her face peeking out.
Even that disappeared beneath the hood.
At least she wouldn’t get soaked anymore.
“What are you doing now?”
“Don’t tell me… you’re taking the mage with you?”
“The mage is ill.”
“She needs treatment.”
The vice commander’s brows knitted tightly together.
Taking her away?
Luna wasn’t valuable only for this job.
She was someone who could continue bringing Raven mountains of gold for years to come.
She belonged to Raven.
“Your Grace… she is a member of Raven.”
“You can’t do this.”
“…”
Khalid’s expression darkened as he looked at the beast babbling whatever came into its empty head.
Everything about the way they had treated her now seemed suspicious.
He wanted to cut the bird’s throat open immediately.
But he restrained himself.
He didn’t want to injure the woman sleeping in his arms.
With a short exhale, he irritably threw the heavy money pouch hanging from his waist.
“One hundred times the agreed payment.”
“I’m taking the mage.”
Still frowning, the vice commander opened the pouch.
Instead of gold coins…
It was filled with brilliant gemstones of every color.
His complexion changed instantly.
His eyes curved like crescent moons.
“Is this just the advance payment?”
“Your condition still isn’t fully cured, is it?”
“The purification will have to continue until the curse is completely lifted.”
“And naturally… you’ll have to pay every single time.”
Blinded by greed, the vice commander had completely forgotten who had handed him those jewels.
As Khalid stepped over the threshold, he let out a short, incredulous laugh.
His eyes instantly turned ice-cold.
His voice dropped low enough to send chills down anyone’s spine.
“Does this…”
“…look purified to you?”
“W-Well…”
The Grand Duke was still releasing endless streams of corrupted aura.
Far from looking healthy, the pitch-black miasma surrounding him was so dense that it seemed capable of swallowing one’s entire field of vision.
It inspired nothing but fear.
“If this ends in failure…”
“…Raven will disappear from the Empire.”
There were limits to how insolent they could be.
Khalid stood second only to the Emperor himself in authority.
If the vice commander kept wagging his tongue before such a man…
It felt as though his wings would be torn off and his flesh scattered across the ground.
We can always retrieve the mage later.
For now… we need to let him leave.
The vice commander cleared his throat and looked away.
The wound on his neck throbbed painfully.
Several Hours Later
Bang!
The iron gates of a grand estate burst open with enough force to splinter wood.
Several horses neighed frantically.
Hurried footsteps echoed through the grounds before gradually fading away.
Half-conscious, Luna listened vaguely to the commotion.
Soon afterward, she found herself sinking into something incredibly soft.
A refreshing scent of mint drifted through the air.
At the same time, a faint tingling sensation spread across her body, like tiny sparks of static electricity.
This feeling…
It’s been a long time.
A priest’s healing magic…
Did I collapse while purifying him?
What happened…?
She wanted to open her eyes.
But hunger made her eyelids feel as heavy as stone.
Her exhausted body carried the sour scent of rainwater mixed with sweat.
An instinctive groan escaped her lips.
A large, warm hand gently rested on her forehead.
“She looks unwell.”
“Was she truly treated properly?”
“It’s nothing more than exhaustion.”
“A few days of complete rest should be enough.”
“…”
“Please don’t worry, Master.”
“You should get some rest as well.”
“I’ll call the servants.”
The conversation between the priest and a strangely familiar voice drifted into her ears.
The client?
That sounds like the client…
What about the vice commander…?
Anxiety surfaced.
But as consciousness returned, the ache throughout her body overwhelmed every other thought.
It felt as though she’d been beaten all over with clubs.
So this is what happens when you purify a person for the first time…
It hurts this much?!
She simply lay there breathing softly, unable to move.
Before long, the heavy warmth on her forehead disappeared.
The room grew completely silent.
A few minutes later, color finally returned to Luna’s face.
She struggled upright.
“Where… am I?”
Moonlight streamed through enormous windows into an unfamiliar room, blending beautifully with the surrounding darkness.
With bewildered eyes, she looked around.
Past the bed where she had been sleeping…
Past an enormous desk cluttered with documents…
She finally spotted the room’s exit near the far wall.
Biting her lip, she started walking.
The thought of returning home in her current condition was frightening.
Yet she had no reason to remain here.
She also needed to return to Raven and find out exactly what had happened.
If that terrifying vice commander misunderstood something…
Even imagining it sent chills down her spine.
Click.
As she turned the doorknob, a young maid who looked scarcely older than a girl appeared.
She froze stiff.
In her hands were neatly folded clothes and a bath towel.
“Ah!”
“M-Miss! You’re already awake?”
“Thank you for taking care of me.”
Luna gave a polite nod and tried to walk past her.
Suddenly, something fluffy and white was thrust in front of her face.
The maid was offering the bath towel.
Her eyes darted around frantically before she cried out,
“P-Please take a bath first!”
“You’re soaked in sweat!”
“Where are you planning to go at this hour?”
“Aren’t you hungry?”
She planted herself firmly in the doorway, trembling from head to toe.
Determination filled her face.
It was clear she intended to stop Luna from leaving no matter what.
Seeing that, Luna couldn’t help frowning as well.
