Chapter 9

Chedwin was a man with sharp instincts. As the youngest Sword Master in history, he was sensitive to energy, and because he had faced a great deal of envy from those around him, he was naturally suspicious and quick-witted.

While staying in the capital and plowing through a backlog of paperwork, a report came up stating that contaminated zones had broken out in two places simultaneously. After reading that most of the knights and mercenaries had headed toward the territory of high-ranking nobles, he made his way alone to the contaminated zone in the capital.

Since his body, which had been contaminated by demonic energy after the victory banquet, felt much lighter now, dealing with the magic beasts on his own wasn’t burdensome at all. Furthermore, since the purifiers who had attended the banquet were resting in the capital, deploying a purifier to cleanse the contaminated zone presented no problem either.

The report stated that the contaminated zone had broken out in a workshop mostly used by commoners. Relieved to read that the owner had evacuated elsewhere, he had assumed no one else was caught up in it.

Yet, there was someone inside. And a fairy-like one at that. If she hadn’t spoken, he might have mistaken her for a man-eating magic beast and killed her on the spot.

Strangely enough, a subtle sense of déjà vu washed over him. Though they had definitely never met before. Perhaps it was because she was a magic beast that bewitched people, which might explain it.

“I even saved your life, so is it really that hard to say a single word?” Chedwin urged Revelin. He truly looked as though he had no intention of putting her down or moving an inch until she spoke.

Can’t be helped. Chewing gently on the inside of her lip, Revelin opened her mouth.

“……I’ll ggooo ccaaalll sssomeeonnee……” Revelin intentionally dragged out her words and used a deep, thick voice to ensure it wouldn’t sound anything like that day.

“Properly.” Chedwin’s eyebrows slanted upward.

“Don’t play games.” “Play games? I was just so startled by the magic beast earlier that my words aren’t coming out right.“

“You’re speaking just fine right now.” “My tongue must have finally come to its senses. It’s normally not a muscle that wakes up this fast, but since it’s a rare occasion—”

“I’ll drop you and leave, you know?” As expected, excuses like that didn’t work.

This filthy blackmailer. What should I do?

What if she said just a single word and Chedwin ended up recalling the memories of that day? No way!

Her grand plan to save her brother might go completely off the rails. Just as Revelin was cooking up an absurd plan to strike Chedwin over the head to knock him out and run away,

“Huh?” The pitch-black sky began to gradually fade away. The demonic energy surrounding the two grew thin, and the surroundings slowly reclaimed their original colors as the contaminated zone vanished.

This is what they call purification. The moment of purification she had learned about in class. It meant the purifier waiting outside had cleansed the contaminated zone.

Now this place was safe. Wait a minute. Then that meant?

“Put me down, please put me down!” “Why.”

“People are going to see us!” People would be coming here now, and someone might see her being carried princess-style by Chedwin!

Naturally, rumors would spread faster than the wind, and everyone would eagerly chew her up and tear her apart with glee. Just like the magic beast had tried to chew her up!

I hate this! Revelin thrashed about.

Realizing that the moment purification was complete meant he no longer had an excuse to hold onto her, Chedwin let out a short click of his tongue and gently set Revelin down on her feet.

It worked! “Thank you, hck—!”

Mocking her brave struggle to demand she be put down, the moment her feet touched the ground, her legs lacked all strength, nearly sending her tumbling forward.

Chedwin swiftly caught Revelin around the waist. “If you were going to be like this, why did you insist on being put down?”

She had nothing to say in response. At that moment.

“Your Grace the Grand Duke!” A voice called out for Chedwin.

However, it was an immensely grating voice. She didn’t even need to turn around to know who it was. Don’t tell me the purifier who cleansed this contaminated zone is…?

Wrinkling her face, Revelin turned her head. As expected, it’s Mila Peil!

Mila Peil came running over with a face full of worry. Sprinting at full speed with eyes only for Chedwin, Mila didn’t even spare a single glance in Revelin’s direction.

No, she didn’t even seem to realize there was someone standing right next to him in the first place.

“Are you alright? You didn’t come out even after I waited, so I was worried—huh?” Mila’s tapping, anxious footsteps ground to a halt as her gaze landed on Chedwin’s hand. Chedwin’s hand, which was wrapped around someone’s waist.

Mila’s gaze traveled up along his arm. And she made eye contact with Revelin.

“Ugh.” Mila let out a sound as her face contorted hideously.

Right. You hate this too? I hate it just as much. So please, do not call my name. Do not call it, I’m begging you. Read the room.

Revelin deliberately cast her gaze upward into empty space, pretending to be a complete stranger. However, Mila—who must have drunk her share of situational awareness mixed with hot tea—opened her mouth while glaring straight at Revelin.

“Lady Revelin?” They weren’t even on speaking terms when they crossed paths, so she had no idea why Mila kept dutifully shouting out her name every single time they met.

“Why on earth is Lady Revelin here?!” “Revelin?”

Hearing the name Mila called out, Chedwin whipped his head around. “Not Ruby?”

His deepened eyes were brimming with betrayal. The gaze he cast at Revelin practically screamed, ‘Didn’t you tell me you were Ruby?’

“Did you deceive me?” “I d-didn’t deceive you. Ruby is just my nickname. It’s another proud name my father calls me.”

Chedwin let out a hollow, absurd laugh. Since things had turned out this way, there was no other choice.

“……I’ll greet you properly. Thank you for saving me, Your Grace, the Grand Duke of Velhark. I am Revelin Eterion, the second child of the Eterion household. “If it was going to end up like this anyway, she should have just greeted him properly when he first asked and parted ways quickly. Instead, she had just ended up making an even stronger impression.

“Revelin… Eterion.” Muttering her name under his breath, Chedwin let his eyes flash sharply.

“The attendee list for the victory banquet held a short while ago had the Eterion household written on it.” So he had checked the attendee list one by one. Probably to find the person who had been with him on the balcony.

“Then the young lady also came to the victory banquet.” With Mila standing right beside them, she couldn’t even lie and say she hadn’t gone.

Truly, you bring zero help to my life. Just as Revelin was about to open her mouth,

Mila—who had been itching for a chance after having her gaze ignored by Chedwin for so long—jumped eagerly into the conversation. “Did Lady Revelin come here because she’s a purifier, too?”

Ah! Seriously! I want to throw her into a contaminated zone! Why on earth would you bring that up?!

“A purifier?” Chedwin’s gaze shifted to Mila. Thrilled to finally receive his attention, Mila beamed brightly and replied.

“Yes. Didn’t Your Grace know?” “I haven’t run into her when purifying contaminated zones, so no.”

At Chedwin’s reply, Mila giggled as if she had just heard a hilarious story. Mila’s expression sparkled as she successfully elicited the response she wanted.

“Of course you wouldn’t run into her there!” “Didn’t you say she was a purifier?”

“That’s because Lady Revelin is a Level 10 purifier, so she can’t cleanse contaminated zones at all.” No. Frankly, maybe this was for the best.

Even if she hid it, the fact that Revelin was a purifier would come to light eventually. Since things had already turned out this way, it was better for Mila to nail down that she was a Level 10 purifier. Yes! Lay it on thicker! Make it crystal clear to everyone that I’m a Level 10 purifier, just like you always do!

Revelin deliberately kept her mouth shut without offering any counterarguments. “What a Level 10 purifier like Lady Revelin can purify is, hmm, an ant?”

Despite Mila’s blatant sarcasm, Chedwin showed no reaction whatsoever. He didn’t look surprised, nor did he look at Revelin with pity or sympathy.

“A Level 10 purifier.” He remained entirely unfazed, as if it were merely a piece of data.

What is this? It was a reaction she had never encountered in her life.

Mila didn’t seem to get the reaction she wanted either, as her face crumpled and she pressed on with her words. “I call her a purifier, but a Level 10 purifier has nothing they can actually cleanse, you see.”

Well done, truly well done. “Didn’t Lady Revelin refuse to accept the results and take the grade test multiple times, too?”

Mila added a layer of ridicule. “I heard she even bought hundreds of magical artifacts to keep checking over and over. How embarrassed and despairing she must have been to realize she was a Level 10 purifier. How pitiful.”

Mila sneered at the incompetence of a Level 10 purifier, working as hard at it as she always did. It was a familiar occurrence among purifiers.

As purifiers grew increasingly important and respected in the empire, having a low rank meant being looked down upon frequently, even if one belonged to a prestigious noble house.

Because of this, some people chose to hide their awakening altogether, claiming it was better not to be a purifier at all. Furthermore, no one could casually intervene in matters happening among purifiers.

After all, if a disgruntled purifier decided to throw a petty fit and refused to cleanse a contaminated zone, it would spell absolute disaster. Therefore, Revelin—a Level 10 purifier—was always torn apart by people here and there.

Though Revelin had never backed down and always ripped right back into their flesh in return. Today, I’ll just listen quietly.

Right in front of Chedwin, Revelin didn’t deny Mila’s words as she hammered the nail down hard with: “This woman is a Level 10 purifier!”

Yes, go ahead and say more about how I’m an incompetent purifier who can’t do anything! Mila hesitated, looking perplexed when Revelin—who normally would have doubled down and returned the sharp verbal venom tenfold—simply nodded quietly.

Mila scanned Revelin with a look that seemed to ask, ‘What’s wrong with her today?’