Chapter 2. Didn’t You Say You Couldn’t Drink Beer?

It was incomparable to being a janitor.

It couldn’t be compared to any office worker either.

Based on my knowledge of this world, I roughly calculated the cost of living.

And the conclusion I reached was…

“Wow!”

It’s roughly an annual salary of one billion won in Korean terms.

This is amazing!

Not just a hundred million won, but a billion won salary!

“I’ve become an official purifier of the Imperial family.”

“What? A purifier?!”

Marc’s mouth dropped open.

He shouted in disbelief, speaking rapidly.

“You’re a purifier? Not joking? Ah, now it makes sense…! I thought you were just a strange healer! Someone who couldn’t properly heal wounds but luckily managed to kill an undead one by one!”

“Haha…”

“But a purifier! No wonder! So that’s why you couldn’t heal! purifiers don’t have healing abilities, only purification abilities!”

“Hehe. Seems so…”

“Amazing! I heard there are less than ten purifiers across the continent!”

“Ugh…”

Marc, excited, grabbed my shoulders and shook me back and forth.

With his massive build, my body shook like a scarecrow.

My head hurts, you idiot.

“Congratulations, Seraphina!”

He seemed happier than I was.

Feeling his genuine joy, I felt a bit embarrassed.

After being excited for a while, Marc suddenly became solemn.

Huh?

Why is this guy suddenly dampening the mood?

I soon found out why.

Marc hesitantly asked in a worried voice,

“So, does that mean we won’t be able to see each other like this anymore?”

“Why not? You can still come visit. We can have a beer now and then.”

“R-right?”

Marc’s face brightened immediately.

“When you said you were a purifier, you suddenly felt like someone from another world. Like there’s a status gap or something.”

“What are you talking about? We’re both commoners. Is this a world where such things change easily?”

“That’s true. Haha.”

Marc replied with a satisfied laugh.

This guy.

He was worried about drifting apart from his friend.

What a good friend he is.

In Seraphina’s memories, he was rough but always took good care of Seraphina, who often felt dejected.

“But… didn’t you say you couldn’t drink beer?”

“Huh?”

“And your way of speaking seems a bit different?”

“Huh?”

“You used to speak more softly. Your voice was quieter. Uh, um… Not that I’m criticizing or anything…”

In the original story, Seraphina was an extra.

She was described a few times for explanatory purposes, but her way of speaking was never detailed.

But I had Seraphina’s memories.

<I needed money, so I volunteered for battle… But I think I’m useless.>

<What are you talking about! You came back without a scratch this time too. You’re so capable.>

<But…>

<Ah, don’t worry about those idiots who got hurt. Other healers will take care of them.>

<R-right?>

<Hahaha! Let’s go have a beer!>

<I can’t drink…>

<Really? You’re not even a kid, and you can’t drink. How do you live for fun?>

<Life isn’t particularly fun.>

<Cute. Come on! I’ll teach you!>

I remembered having conversations like that.

And then getting drunk after just three sips of beer…

“……”

Oh no.

Did I possess a body that can’t drink beer?

I love beer so much!

Damn it!

Marc, understanding the situation on his own, accepted my changed personality.

“Thank goodness. You seem more confident.”

“…?”

“Now that you’ve been officially appointed as a purifier, you won’t consider yourself useless anymore.”

“……”

“You look better this way.”

Marc smiled broadly.

I felt a bit touched for some reason.

Sniff…

My nose turned red.

“Huh! Why are you crying?”

“I’m not crying! I just got dust in my eyes!”

“Hahaha! You’re so cute.”

Marc threw his head back and laughed heartily.

His laughter was contagious, and I found myself laughing through my tears.

“You idiot. If you laugh after crying, hair will grow on your butt!”

Hmph!

I’ll just wipe away the tear marks!

I quickly pressed my sleeve against my eyes and smiled again.

* * *

Clunk.

I opened the green-painted wooden window to greet the morning.

“Ah, what a refreshing morning!”

Today was the day of my appointment ceremony.

I just needed to take the acceptance letter that arrived by mail a few days ago to the Imperial Palace.

Blinded by the huge salary, I felt like I was floating despite knowing Seraphina’s fate in the original story.

I was destined to die heroically on the battlefield, but that fate was for when she knew nothing.

I knew the original story.

Which meant I could quit being a purifier before the battle where I was supposed to die happened.

I had it all planned out.

I would live diligently as I did before possessing this body.

Tighten my belt, save every penny! And once I had enough retirement funds, FIRE!¹English acronym FIRE, which stands for “Financial Independence, Retire Early.” I would quit working!

What a solid and perfect plan.

At this point, I didn’t know.

That my plan had many holes.

Anyway, I elegantly spread jam on a piece of bread and ate it like a successful gold miss, then drank water with an elegant gulp. Gulp.

The small house had the advantage of short distances.

With the empty plate and cup in hand, I reached the sink in just two steps.

Clink, clink.

After washing the dishes in the cramped sink, I patted my full belly.

I had eaten enough.

Shall I get going?

I took the acceptance letter and left the house.

My home was in District 14, a bit on the outskirts of the bustling area, but despite its small size, it had everything I needed and the surrounding infrastructure was quite decent.

Living on the fourth floor of a four-story building, the view from the window was charming, and there was a small, pretty communal garden on the first floor for all the residents.

It felt like stepping into a European city I had only seen in pictures.

“Lalalala…”

I walked lightly while humming a tune.

The Imperial Palace was far from home, so walking there might mean arriving by sunset. Though I was stingy, I rented a carriage.

Renting a horse was cheaper, but unfortunately, Seraphina didn’t know how to ride a horse.

Her physical abilities and stamina weren’t that great.

‘She managed to participate in the war somehow.’

Though she participated as a healer and mainly stayed at the back, getting to the battlefield was still a task.

Seraphina usually paid mercenaries to get a horse, but after meeting Marc, he always gave her a ride.

Anyway, he’s a good guy.

The undead that occasionally appear in this world sometimes require the formal knight order to be deployed, sometimes only mercenaries are sent, and sometimes a mix of both.

Anyway, Seraphina and Marc would apply whenever there was a call for mercenaries and earn a decent pay.

Because of Seraphina’s frail physique, there were times when the manager would stop her, questioning what kind of mercenary she was. But each time, she would barely pass by showing a white light under her palm, claiming to be applying as a healer.

As for Marc, well.

No one ever doubted he was a mercenary, given his massive build.

Anyway, it seemed that Seraphina thought of herself as a pathetic healer. She could make something warm circulate under her palm, but she couldn’t even heal a small wound with it.

She considered herself the lowest of the low among healers.

Then one day, she accidentally purified a small undead.

That was the beginning of the mystery.

No way.

There’s no way someone like me…

Despite actually purifying the undead, Seraphina, whose self-esteem was at rock bottom, couldn’t believe she might be the chosen purifier.

However, the faint hope grew like a snowball…

Eventually, she went to take the test at the Imperial Palace a while ago, and on the day I possessed her body, she received the acceptance letter.

I got to hear this joyful news instead of her.

What happened to the original Seraphina, and how did I come to possess this body?

At that moment, a thought crossed my mind. It wasn’t my thought; it was something Seraphina had thought recently.

<Sigh… Is there no world without war? I wish I could just live comfortably, earning a living by cleaning.>

“……”

Could it be that our bodies swapped?

Feeling uneasy, I shook my head vigorously.

That’s too trivial and nonsensical a reason.

Yeah, right.

There’s no way possession happens that easily.

It’s not child’s play.

Creak.

At that moment, the carriage wheels stopped.

“We’ve arrived.”

“Yes, thank you.”

I paid the fare and jumped off the carriage.

The luxurious and grand Imperial Palace filled my view.

“What brings you here?”

Seeing my appearance, the guard must have judged me to be a commoner and lowered his tone.

“Oh, I’m here for this.”

I smiled brightly and showed him the acceptance letter.

Surprised, the guard looked back and forth between the acceptance letter and me, then awkwardly cleared his throat and quickly stepped aside.

Ahem.

Purifiers are indeed precious resources.

I walked confidently through the wide-open gates.

‘Since it’s the Imperial Palace, will I get to see the Emperor?’

I hoped to catch a glimpse of Johan, one of the three male lead candidates, even from afar.