YPDM 04

Chapter 04

For a moment, my heart dropped.

Did he somehow realize I’d transmigrated into this body?

I couldn’t easily confirm or deny it. Just as I was struggling to answer, Ash muttered quietly,

[“Do you know how much trouble I went through just to finally bring it back…”]

“What?”

At my question, he jumped as if struck by lightning and hurriedly replied,

[“I-It’s nothing!”]

Unable to meet my eyes, he awkwardly looked away. He was definitely acting suspicious.

Perhaps sensing my suspicion, he quickly added,

[“I’m not here to hurt you. I only came because I want to help you.”]

But I had learned far too young that there was no such thing as kindness or help without an ulterior motive.

“We only met today. How am I supposed to trust you?”

Ash rolled his eyes before answering.

[“I’ll give you power.”]

“Power?”

[“Yeah. A power you absolutely need—and one that should belong to you.”]

He hopped from my palm onto my wrist and murmured softly,

[“And the power that was originally yours.”]

The bird lightly pecked at the inside of my wrist with its beak.

At once, shimmering blue currents began flowing out from my wrist.

“What… is this?”

[“I’m calling forth the power that was sleeping inside you.”]

In the blink of an eye, the current spread throughout my entire body.

I blinked as the blue light enveloped me.

It looked like a glowing universe.

A moment later, the wavering light began flowing back into my body.

I shivered faintly as I felt the power slowly seep into me, as though it were entering my veins.

It was unfamiliar, yet strangely nostalgic—a warm and pure energy.

When I looked at Ash with a puzzled expression, the plump white bird smiled brightly and said,

[“In this world, it’s called Epure. You’ve just awakened as a Purifier.”]

I’m… a Purifier?

The heroines of stories were always blessed with absurdly overpowered abilities.

Some formed contracts with spirits, some possessed healing powers, others were geniuses in magic or swordsmanship. At the very least, they always had some irresistible charm that captivated the male lead.

So just from the name alone, I could roughly guess what kind of power it was.

Probably something that dispelled evil energy and saved those who had fallen into corruption.

But I couldn’t simply celebrate.

The problem is that I’m probably not the protagonist.

There was a reason I said “probably” instead of stating it with certainty.

The officially acknowledged true protagonist of Lady of Reversal was Carinne, not Olavia.

But the story has already started producing completely different settings from the original.

The respectful maid.

Ash’s sudden appearance.

And now this unexpected awakening as a Purifier.

Maybe my transmigration itself has become a major variable.

After all, the appearance of a new person could change many things.

Perhaps the current of fate had already begun flowing in a different direction.

If so, that was actually good news for me.

“As long as I keep my wits about me, I’ll survive.”

[“Who’s trying to kill you?”]

“Huh?”

I’d accidentally spoken my thoughts aloud, and Ash had heard them.

I considered brushing it off.

But he already knows Carinne’s name. Even if I avoid the topic now, he’ll find out eventually.

Since he’d even awakened my powers as a Purifier, it didn’t seem like he’d be leaving my side anytime soon.

And even if I told him to leave, he doesn’t seem like the type who’d listen.

In the end, I decided to tell him honestly.

“I think… my older sister wants to kill me.”

Of course, I couldn’t reveal that I’d transmigrated into a novel, so I vaguely explained how I’d come to suspect it without mentioning the real reason.

[“Hmm. I see.”]

I had expected surprise, but his reaction was unexpectedly calm.

“I’m not certain. It’s only a suspicion for now.”

[“It’s probably true.”]

His answer came without hesitation.

Shrugging his tiny shoulders, he continued,

[“You wouldn’t get a feeling like that without a reason.”]

“How can you be so sure?”

[“Epures are born with exceptionally sharp intuition. You’ve heard of a sixth sense, right? Haven’t you ever felt like you notice danger or impending disasters better than other people?”]

Without realizing it, my mouth fell slightly open.

How does he know that?

Ever since I was little, whenever I had a bad feeling that something unfortunate was about to happen, it had always come true.

The problem was that I never knew exactly what would happen until it actually did.

In other words, it had been a completely useless ability.

“Even if I sense it beforehand, I can’t avoid it anyway.”

[“Maybe that was true until now, but from now on it’ll become an essential ability. Epures are special beings who possess the power of purification.”]

According to Ash, an Epure was an incredibly powerful healer, someone capable of lifting curses, and even an expert in detoxification.

That’s actually a lot better than I expected.

I thought it was just a healing ability, but it could also remove curses and neutralize poison.

Wait… detoxification?

As I unconsciously repeated his words in my mind, I suddenly froze.

If what he’s saying is true… doesn’t that mean I can survive even if I’m poisoned?

If Carinne tried to curse me, I could simply use the powers of an Epure to remove it.

The gloomy sky in my heart instantly turned bright blue.

“That’s a pretty useful ability. If something happens to me from now on, I can just use this power.”

However, the hope that had swelled inside me deflated like a punctured balloon in only a few seconds.

[“I’m sorry, but you can’t. A Purifier can’t heal themselves.”]

“What?”

[“The sacred power of purification possessed by an Epure cannot affect the Epure themselves.”]

Damn it.

I almost cursed out loud.

Instead, my completely unfiltered thoughts escaped.

“And you call this God’s blessing?”

[“Yep.”]

“This power is God’s blessing?”

[“Yep.”]

Good grief.

I pressed my throbbing temples.

I had suspected it, but I never imagined I’d actually end up cursed with such an utterly thankless existence.

[“What’s wrong, Olavia? Aren’t you happy that you’ve gained a new power?”]

Seeing Ash tilt his head in complete confusion only made my frustration boil over.

“Of course I’m not! What’s the point of a power I can’t even use on myself?”

[“Even if you don’t need it, it’ll be a great help to someone else—”]

“That’s exactly the problem!”

At that moment, I completely lost my patience.

“How is spending your whole life helping everyone else until the day you die a blessing? That’s a curse! I just want to live an ordinary life as an ordinary person!”

Of course, I sincerely respected people who sacrificed themselves for others.

But only because I knew I’d never be able to become someone like them, even if I died and came back to life.

My reaction must have been completely beyond Ash’s expectations.

His expression went blank before he hurriedly tried to calm me.

[“Don’t feel so wronged. There are countless beings who covet the power of an Epure.”]

Wait.

Something about those words immediately struck me as strange.

I grabbed him firmly with both hands.

“That sounds like you’re saying there are a lot of people after me.”

[“Uh… well…”]

Ash glanced nervously at me before trailing off.

I could practically hear all the death flags that had been lying down standing back up.

“…Ha.”

So this was what people meant when they said someone could be so speechless they couldn’t even talk.

I can’t believe I’m digging my own grave.

I’d been desperately struggling just to survive, yet now I’d only ended up attracting even more people who wanted me dead.

“I don’t need this power. Take it back.”

Ash visibly panicked.

[“T-That’s impossible.”]

“What?”

Looking at me cautiously, he answered hesitantly,

[“Once the power has been awakened… it can’t be removed.”]

“…Are you kidding me?”

My voice came out much sharper than intended.

Startled, Ash stammered,

[“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t know you’d hate this ability so much. It was originally yours, after all…”]

He continued making awkward excuses, but I barely heard the rest.

No one in stories ever received a power without a reason.

I didn’t know why the god of this world had given me such an ability, but there was no way it came without a price.

I’d even be willing to bet the untouched cup of tea I’d refused to drink earlier.

That miraculous poisoned tea capable of completely replacing a person’s body and life.

Ah, that’s right.

I almost forgot.

Leaving Ash behind, I abruptly turned around.

The sudden movement made Ash, who had been nervously watching me, jump backward in surprise, but I ignored him.

I need to examine the tea leaves.

Ash’s sudden appearance had completely distracted me.

Walking over to the table, I lifted the lid off the teapot.

The tea inside had already gone completely cold.

I spread a white handkerchief over the table and carefully laid out the tea leaves one by one.

Now soaked with water, the leaves had returned to their original shape.

“They all look the same… Maybe the tea leaves weren’t the problem. Was the poison mixed into the water instead?”

I rubbed my brow as I muttered to myself.

Ash flew down onto the table and stretched his neck toward me.

[“Olavia… what are you doing?”]

I didn’t answer.

But neither did I stop him from approaching me.

[“Wait.”]

It was then that Ash’s expression suddenly changed as he carefully examined the tea leaves.