Prologue

“Do you think my words are a joke?”

Hearing the man’s cold voice, I shrank my neck like a turtle.

Black hair like obsidian and eyes burning red as if soaked in blood.

These two elements alone made him look fierce enough, but the man was not only fierce in appearance but also in actual personality. No, he was filthy.

“How long has it been since I called you, and you’re only showing up now?”

“I’m sorry. Huff, huff….”

I barely answered while panting for breath.

But inside, I was full of complaints.

Hey, guardian of the north.

I just ran here from another battlefield without a single day of rest, you know?

That’s right.

This is the barren northern land where the undead constantly appear.

While everyone else was living prosperously, claiming an era of peace had arrived, countless knights, including myself, were going through hell. And because of this hellish effort, everyone could live peacefully.

Someone had to do it.

“Does the war with the undead seem like a joke to you, Purifier Seraphina?”

“No, it does not.”

I answered nervously.

The war with the undead is no joke.

If we didn’t deal with them promptly when they appeared randomly, their numbers could increase exponentially.

“I will purify them immediately. Where should I go…?”

“It’s already been handled.”

“What?”

I blinked in confusion.

Then Claude, the hero who guards the north, shot me a cold look as if to say not to make him repeat himself and added disdainfully.

“Did you expect us to wait for you, who took your sweet time? If you have nothing to do, go wash up. How many days has it been since you last bathed?”

“……”

I was at a loss for words and stood rooted to the spot.

Claude dismissed my efforts of running here without rest for days as nothing more than a stinking sweat odor. With a visible expression of holding his breath, he turned away and walked off.

Glaring at his proud back, I clenched my fists and trembled with anger.

Damn it.

I ran all the way here, and what now?

I slept on the horse while running here, where would I have time to bathe, you jerk!

Suppressing my unspoken complaints, my stomach burned as though I had swallowed a red-hot iron. And that anger only fueled my already existing resolve.

I will definitely quit this job and run away.

Definitely!

* * *

Usually, when you make such a resolution, you get caught again shortly after.

But I broke that unspoken rule and successfully escaped, proving them wrong. And for several months now, I’ve been living a happy and leisurely life.

Hmm, hmm-hmm~

Humming a tune, I walked along a quiet beach, feeling like I owned the world.

“Miss Chloette, you seem to be in a good mood.”

Hearing the voice from behind, I turned around. A man with red hair was approaching me with a charming smile.

“Sir Cyril.”

I had given him a fake name, and he probably hadn’t told me everything honestly either.

We were just casual acquaintances who met in a strange place.

Cyril, who had approached me, saw me dangling the money I had just received from the merchant guild and said,

“If you carry money around so visibly, you’ll become a target for bad guys.”

Then he put a wide-brimmed hat, which I didn’t know why he had brought, on my head.

“…?”

“At least cover your face.”

“Aren’t you supposed to tell me to hide the money?”

“That too.”

I stared at him. Then I obediently did as he said.

Of course.

Even though I thought no one was around, it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.

That’s right.

This place is a small seaside village.

A perfect paradise by my standards, with the sound of cool waves echoing under a clear and bright sky.

And this man, Cyril Xavier…

“I came here for a short vacation, but after meeting Miss Chloette, I’m thinking of staying longer.”

He is a man I met here by chance.

We don’t know each other’s status, occupation, or origin.

He didn’t ask about me, and I didn’t ask about him. It was comfortable that way. Since I was hiding my identity and running away, someone prying into my past would be troublesome.

Anyway, even though he was a mysterious guy with an enigmatic aura, he didn’t seem like a bad person. Compared to the crazy people who exploited me to the last drop, Cyril felt like a gentleman from another world.

Allowing him to walk naturally beside me, I replied,

“Aren’t you bored?”

“Not at all. These days are the most enjoyable of my life.”

Seeing him slightly lift the corners of his mouth, I nodded in agreement.

These days are the most enjoyable for me too.

After wandering around battlefields and suffering, it felt incredibly liberating to have all the tormentors gone.

“By the way, did you hear?”

“Hear what?”

“The undead have appeared again in the northern Grodes Mountains.”

“Ah, they appear there whenever they get the chance.”

“Do they?”

“What’s reported in the newspapers is only a fraction….”

Seeing the newspaper in Cyril’s hand, I stopped myself from speaking further.

“You know quite a lot.”

“Haha, I heard it somewhere but can’t remember where. I hope it’s just a rumor. Haha.”

…Not really.

I saw it with my own eyes, damn it.

Multiple times.

Although most people don’t feel it, the world is still at war with the undead.

The undead, who suddenly emerged from the ground decades ago and threw the world into chaos. It was three young heroes who eradicated a large number of them and brought peace to the continent.

Of course, someone still had to deal with the undead that occasionally appeared.

And that’s where I came in.

As a ‘purifier’ capable of casting extensive purification abilities, I was very useful on the battlefield. Ah. Talking about it brings back painful memories of being exploited.

“Sir Cyril, excuse me for a moment.”

At that moment, Cyril’s subordinate approached.

I didn’t know what he did for a living, but seeing that he had people working under him, I guessed he was quite competent. That’s why he was spending successful leisure time with me, claiming to be on vacation.

When the subordinate whispered something in his ear, Cyril’s expression darkened slightly.

“Is something wrong?”

“I was having a good time, but I must excuse myself.”

Then Cyril handed me the newspaper, saying I could read it if I got bored. In return, I wished him good luck.

“Hope it gets resolved well.”

That was exactly our relationship.

We didn’t pry too deeply.

I watched Cyril’s retreating figure for a moment before turning my head.

Swish, swish.

The feel of sand wrapping around my feet was pleasant.

After walking for a while, I sat down in a place where I could clearly see the beach line on both sides. It’s been a while since I last read a newspaper.

“Hmm?”

As I was reading the newspaper without much thought, my brows furrowed.

[…A top-level ability user has appeared to fill the void left by the missing Purifier Seraphina. A monster with purification abilities stronger and broader than any purifier in history…]

It’s the female lead, Aveline.

Her appearance completely erased the memory of my death.

Because she possessed incredible abilities that replaced mine.

Yes.

This is the right timing.

I will rest now. Please take care of everything, female lead.

[……However, there are rumors that the heroes still need Seraphina’s abilities. They are said to be searching for her whereabouts…….]

As I continued reading the article, my expression darkened.

Something’s wrong.

According to the original story, I should die during the war, and shortly after, the female lead with abilities far superior to mine should appear, be needed everywhere, and fall in love.

……Why are they still looking for me?

Feeling uneasy, I tried to calm myself.

Yes.

I even changed my name and hid.

How could they find me in a small seaside village with no connection to me?

It must be because it hasn’t been long since the female lead appeared. Soon, they’ll be so amazed by Aveline’s incredible purifier abilities that they’ll forget all about someone like me.

Calming my mind with various thoughts, I lifted my gaze to the horizon.

The wide-open view completely chased away my negative thoughts.

Shall I go for another walk?

Brushing off the sand from my b*ttocks, I started walking along the beach again. But soon, I had to stop again.

“What the…?”

That…?!

Seeing something that shouldn’t be here, my face darkened.

I saw something squirming on the ground like black dry ice. I squinted my eyes. It was a low-level undead ghoul.

Fortunately, it was just a small fry among the ghouls.

To this body that had rolled and rolled on the battlefield, such a tiny creature looked cute.

“Tsk tsk, unlucky fellow. Of all places, why show up in the village where I’m hiding?”

But I couldn’t leave it alone just because it was cute.

The appearance of an undead meant that information about this village could reach those crazy people, no, the heroes.

I couldn’t let even a tiny bit of information about this village enter their consciousness.

I quickly squatted down and chanted a spell, making sure no one saw me.

“Chaos of darkness, return to ashes.”

As white light emanated from my hand, the small fry let out a cute scream, ‘Kieeek,’ and turned to powder, disappearing.

The sea breeze that blew at that moment scattered the black ashes everywhere.

Having dealt with the small fry without anyone noticing, I pondered.

Even though I cleaned it up neatly, just in case……

‘I should patrol this area.’

I will protect the peace of my hiding place.

Just as I resolved to do so and tried to stand up, a large shadow loomed over me.

Chill.

An icy sensation climbed my spine from my tailbone out of instinct.

With a foreboding feeling, I slowly lifted my head.

“……!”

Thud.

The newspaper fell from my hand.

Clatter.

The money I had tucked into my pocket slipped out.

The man’s cold gaze was fixed on me, as if nothing else mattered.