ASDM 01

Chapter : 01

“I’ll take this child.”

A noble pointed at a young girl with his finger.

The high priest William, who was speaking to him, rubbed his hands together like an insect and flattered him.

“A truly excellent choice. Her holy power is quite high, and her looks are not bad either.”

Standing between the noble who was treating her like an object and William, the girl smiled brightly.

The other children who were not chosen only looked at her with envy.

Now that girl would go to the noble’s house.

She would probably wear fine clothes and eat good food.

“But in return for that, she’ll be treated like an air purifier for the rest of her life…”

Everyone is crazy. This place is really insane.

I clicked my tongue silently while holding back my breath, still unable to get used to what I had been seeing for days.

At that moment, the noble who had bought the child turned his gaze this way.

I quickly moved away from the door I had only slightly opened.

“Whoa, damn. Almost made eye contact.”

I held my pounding chest tightly and confirmed that the noble hadn’t seen me, then slowly moved back toward the door gap.

The noble, who had taken his eyes off my room, asked William.

“Why didn’t the child in that room come out?”

“Ah, forgive me, but that child’s holy power and looks are both below standard… I was worried it might offend your judgment, so I did not call her.”

Who are you calling below standard in holy power and looks, you bald flying cockroach.

I was irritated, but I didn’t take it too deeply to heart.

I knew William’s answer was just an excuse.

It wasn’t something to be proud of, but this body was, without a doubt, William’s most cherished “product.”

“Oh, that’s not true. Asha is the best in our temple…”

“Tom.”

That clueless guy.

The boy named Tom, who had been muttering to himself, shut his mouth at William’s frightening voice.

Thanks to the customer being there, it seemed he wouldn’t get slapped at least.

“Then, my lord, please follow me this way.”

William quickly changed his expression and led the noble and the girl down the hallway.

Now that the selection was done, they were probably going to sign a contract and pay.

The children left in the empty hallway returned to their rooms like well-trained dogs.

It was almost bedtime, and if they didn’t go back and sleep, they would definitely be punished.

Even after possessing a new body, I was still living in a similar place to an orphanage in this damn temple.

I sighed and closed my door tightly before flopping down on the old bed.

Then I muttered in a sweet voice.

“I’m screwed.”

Completely screwed.

Since the moment I realized “Where am I, who am I?” that was the only thing I could say no matter how much I thought.

“I got possessed into the book I threw away because I was so frustrated.”

Is this punishment? Divine punishment from the author?

Fine, let’s say throwing the book was my fault.

But still.

“The male and female leads were stumbling every five pages… that was too much, author…”

Just when they almost held hands, the male lead would pause thinking of his dead ex-wife.

The female lead would blush, then suddenly think of that same ex-wife she admired and freeze.

Seriously, if they were so awkward, they shouldn’t even meet.

They just kept hesitating, hesitating, awkwardly fumbling—so frustrating to read!

For someone like me who couldn’t stand frustration, it was already impressive I even read half of that book.

Meaning I didn’t read the other half, and I didn’t even know the ending…

But that wasn’t the main problem. My real problem was something else.

That I was the “late wife” of the male lead.

What the hell, author? I’m a disposable character?

No, wait.

“I’m going to die early…!”

I grabbed my small hands and pulled at my hair.

Even my hair felt strange to me.

Silver or white—it was so pale it was hard to tell.

Even bleach wouldn’t produce this color even if your hair melted.

It was so curly it looked like a high-quality white poodle.

I sighed and let my hair go.

A soul trapped in a thrown-away book, and this miserable reality.

Just sitting here wouldn’t change anything.

“Think. Think.”

I forced myself to recall the title of the book I had thrown away.

<A Lotus Blooming in Mud>

In that annoying story, my role appeared far more after death than during life.

Because, as I said—

“I’m destined to die at 17.”

The male and female leads, both the same age as me, start getting involved at around 20.

So I only appear briefly in the prologue as someone who describes their childhood, and by the time the real story begins, I’m already dead.

And then I reappear in flashbacks every time the leads struggle.

Again and again.

Like a stubborn “soggy potato” boomerang that keeps coming back.

“Still… at least my name and background were mentioned.”

Asha.

An orphan raised in a remote temple.

Everything matched perfectly, so I immediately realized I had become that miserable character.

If I had only realized after everything was too late, it would’ve been terrifying.

“I’m still young. I still have choices.”

So, I had two options.

Follow the original story and die early.

Or become yet another cliché who destroys the original plot.

I blew air at my messy curly hair.

Wasn’t the answer obvious?

“I choose the trend and the mainstream!”

To live or die—obviously, I choose to live!

I clenched my fists tightly.

I survived stubbornly even in my previous life full of mud.

So this time too, I will survive. No matter what.

“Then first…”

I looked around the completely white room and nodded.

“Let’s run away.”

From this insane temple.

“Haah… haah…”

I was catching my breath with my overheated body.

Beyond the priests who couldn’t even come close to me, the shiny bald high priest William finally appeared.

“High Priest William!”

“What nonsense! Asha is sick?”

“But look over there.”

The priests calmed the furious William and pointed at me, who could barely open my eyes.

“She is breathing heavily.”

“Her fever is extremely high.”

“And those red rashes are clearly…”

They looked at the red marks spreading across my body with disgust.

It was a sign of a common plague.

Even after seeing it, William shouted in disbelief.

“Nonsense! Bring the ‘Mirror of Holy Spirit’ immediately!”

Ah, that bald cockroach. Always so suspicious.

I secretly clicked my tongue and timed a cough.

“Cough…! Cough cough!”

With each stronger cough, dark red blood spilled from my mouth.

Since I was lying down, it ran down my cheeks, chin, and neck, staining the white pillow and blanket into a horrifying color of death.

Not a pleasant sight, no matter how you looked at it.

William and the priests screamed and stepped back.

“W-what is that…!”

“Don’t get close!”

“You’ll catch the plague!”

So you’re basically admitting you have no power, huh?

I gritted my teeth to hold back a smile while acting my best.

In this world, strong holy power is said to prevent disease, because it has purification ability.

And yet these so-called priests and a high priest were trembling in fear of infection.

Just as expected from this fake temple.

Perfect. No one would dare check my body or use the “Mirror of Holy Spirit.”

Time to finish this.

“Cough cough! Hack! Ugh!”

I turned my head wildly and coughed like crazy.

Look! I’m dangerous!

“Eek!”

“High Priest!”

“Stop pushing!”

They scattered in panic, trying to avoid my fake blood.

It was honestly quite funny.

Finally, William, who had fallen while trying to escape, shouted the words I wanted to hear.

“Quickly! Dispose of her! Before the others get infected!”

Yes!

Holding back my cheer, two holy knights wearing bird-beak masks approached.

They lifted me up with the blanket and placed me on a rough stretcher.

As I was being carried out like waste, William shouted angrily behind me.

“Damn it! I should’ve sold her earlier! I kept her thinking she’d be useful!”

If you keep something too long, it turns into trash.

I smirked.

Then I saw Tom.

He was looking around frantically, searching for something.

“Oh right… I should return this.”

I had accidentally stolen it.

I held a small ink bottle and silently apologized to Tom.

“Sorry. I was in a hurry. There was only black ink in my room.”

But since your room was next to mine…

As we passed each other, I secretly handed him the red ink while avoiding the knights’ eyes.

“Thanks for letting me use it.”

“…Huh?”

Tom looked at me blankly, holding the ink bottle with both hands.

Take care. And Tom, be less clueless—you keep getting punished.

I wanted to say more, but there was no time.

Leaving the confused Tom behind, I was taken outside the temple.

More precisely, into the deep forest behind it.

A place said to be home to fierce blue wolves.

Thud.

The holy knights threw me onto the ground and started chatting.

“Tch, I thought she was a jackpot, but she was trash.”

“Yeah. The high priest planned to raise her and sell her to a noble house.”

“But can holy power just disappear like that?”

“It comes and goes, who knows.”

“No, she was born with massive holy power…”

“Who knows the will of Lumiere.”

The male knight looked down at me and clicked his tongue.

“I guess it’s a shame. Even if she has no holy power, her face…”

“Don’t touch her. You’ll catch the plague.”

“Are you insane? Who would touch a kid like that?”

He still looked regretful.

Then he casually made a sign of prayer toward me.

“Anyway, die well.”

“Think of it as going early to the side of Lord Lumiere.”

After their fake farewell, they left before sunset.

When they disappeared and wolf howls echoed in the distance, I suddenly stood up.

“Ugh…!”

Ink tastes disgusting. Though tasty would’ve been even worse.

I spat and wiped my mouth.

I had mixed red and black ink to make fake blood.

Finally, my body cooled down from the fever act.

“Alright… I know where I need to go, but how do I get there?”

No buses. No trains. This is hopeless.

Still, I had Asha’s memories, so I roughly knew the geography.

The problem was distance. I couldn’t just walk there.

“…I’ll find a carriage heading to the capital.”

I was only nine years old and small for my age, so I could probably hide easily.

I wiped the ink from my face with the blanket and wrapped it around my shoulders.

The air between winter and spring was still freezing.

Even though my holy power protected me from sickness, it couldn’t block cold.

“Should’ve worn shoes while lying down…”

As I moved my bare feet in regret—

Awooo!

The distant wolf howl suddenly became much closer.

Then came the sound of footsteps through grass and branches…

“…Ah.”

Wolves appeared.

A full pack of them.