Chapter 41. I’m Curious

Reading the original work didn’t seem to help me much.

Knowing information about the three heroes didn’t mean I could particularly use it, I was just being played around with by heroes of different personalities.

Only one thing.

The only helpful thing was knowing that I should avoid the Battle of Agulena.

So the fact that I didn’t have much information about Mihail meant it wasn’t a big problem.

Surely that’s the case, but…

Why do I feel so uneasy?

“I should have read a bit more before sleeping.”

Belated regret rushed in like the tide.

How should I put it.

At least with Johann and Claude, I knew something about them before meeting them, so I could prepare myself mentally or emotionally.

But with Mihail, I knew nothing, so I felt even more nervous.

Especially when I recalled our first meeting.

My very first impression could be expressed in two words.

Beautiful creature.

Brilliant platinum blonde hair as if it had absorbed the desert sun, and deep teal eyes that I wanted to gaze at endlessly.

Mihail was truly God’s masterpiece, meticulously crafted stitch by stitch.

But that wasn’t all.

A strangely mysterious, gentlemanly, yet cold atmosphere…

That indescribable something made me nervous.

“Still, he said he was eagerly waiting for me to come, so I guess he’s favorable for now?”

Let’s think positively.

At least life here doesn’t seem bad so far.

I rolled around in bed before springing up. For some reason, I wanted to look out the window.

Maybe because it was my first time in a desert city, it was fascinating no matter how many times I looked.

“Phew…”

I took a deep breath.

The dry, warm desert air pleasantly filled my lungs.

It’s already been three days since I arrived here.

Unlike the Grodes Mountains where the undead appeared at every opportunity, the East seemed relatively peaceful.

Was that why?

Suddenly remembering the content of the original work, I felt oddly unsettled.

[It was time to purify the desert.

Mihail first looked at the woman waiting for him with an upright posture.

“Miss Aveline, shall we go?”

Aveline closely followed behind him as he confidently led the way.

Will they be able to safely purify the durahan legion?

She looked at Mihail’s broad back with worried eyes.

It was an expedition with just the two of them.]

Even so, just the two of them leaving…

Does that mean the undead in the East are that weak?

I tried to scrape out as much information as possible from the little I had read.

Though it would all be mere speculation anyway.

“More importantly, I’m hungry.”

The sun was already high in the sky.

Mihail had given me this room to rest from my journey, but after that, it was pretty much free rein.

I had been idly rolling around every day with nothing to do.

Is this how it’s going to be? Just going out for subjugation once in a while while living so leisurely?

This is totally sweet!

The days of my special training at the Imperial Palace and the days of trembling through courage training after roaming the treacherous Grodes Mountains flashed through my mind like a kaleidoscope.

Compared to that, this place was heaven.

“I want to stay here forever.”

Not knowing the near future, I muttered such nonsense.

I opened the wardrobe and put on the cool clothes I bought yesterday. With nothing to do, I had gone to the bustling streets for three days straight to buy this and that.

There were many colorful and exotic things here. They said it was because this was the center of the Eastern trade.

Anyway, shall we head out now?

“Good afternoon, Miss Seraphina.”

“The weather is so nice today.”

I cheerfully greeted a passing maid as I walked down the corridor. Here, no one said anything even if I rolled around until lunchtime.

When I arrived at the dining hall like that, there was an unexpected person.

“Oh?”

“You’ve come.”

It was Mihail, whom I was seeing for the first time in three days.

He had been reading a newspaper, but when I entered, he put it down on the table with the part he was reading facing up.

Mihail gestured for me to sit down and spoke gently.

“I heard you usually eat around this time.”

“Were you waiting for me?”

“That’s right.”

He smiles so beautifully.

I swallowed a small dry gulp as I looked at his gently curving teal eyes.

Like an elegant swan.

Hmm. But aren’t swans actually known for having nasty tempers?

“Please prepare the meal.”

I stopped my useless thoughts at the sound of Mihail’s voice in my ear.

He used polite speech even with his subordinates.

How exemplary.

“Sir Andantino, you really seem like a wonderful person.”

Mihail’s head turned at my sudden words.

“Thank you for thinking so highly of me. But I’m curious as to why you think that.”

“Just because. The way you speak is gentlemanly, I guess.”

At my words, the expressions of the maids bringing in the food seemed to stiffen a bit…

Or not?

Since I only saw it vaguely from the corner of my eye, I might have seen wrong. When I shifted my gaze, the maids were calmly placing food on the table with composed faces.

Mmm…!

It smells so good.

“This is scorpion dish with the venom removed.”

“S-Scorpion?”

Isn’t that dangerous?

My hands holding the fork and knife stopped automatically in surprise. Then Mihail, as if to say not to worry, cut a bite-sized piece of food and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly.

“A professional chef removes the venom, so you can eat it with peace of mind.”

“Ah…”

They put effort into chefs here too, I see.

It seemed the three heroes had some obsession with high-level chefs, as if they had once eaten poorly.

Well.

It’s good news for me.

Because I can eat such delicious food to my heart’s content.

I looked at the appetizing scorpion lying there for a moment before gathering my courage to cut it with my knife and put it in my mouth.

The meat was tender.

It melts so gently on my tongue.

As I closed my eyes and savored the taste without realizing it, I heard Mihail’s voice.

“It seems you were quite active in the Grodes Mountains.”

“Pardon?”

When I slightly opened my eyes, he pointed to the newspaper with his chin.

The headline caught my eye.

[Skeletons and Liches Annihilated in Grodes Mountains, the Star of the Show is Newly Emerged Purifier Seraphina.]

“Ah.”

So it’s in the newspaper now.

“Ah?”

Mihail repeated after me. He seemed to want more explanation.

Whatever.

I simply acknowledged that the content in the newspaper was true.

“I left for subjugation not long after arriving at Hilton, but it’s only now in the newspaper. I guess news travels slowly in the North.”

“Did you really annihilate them all by yourself?”

“That’s what they say. Munch munch.”

This scorpion dish is delicious.

I should ask them to make it again next time.

As I was stuffing food into my mouth absentmindedly, Mihail kept bothering me with questions.

“Miss Sera.”

“Yes?”

I answered while chewing my food.

He stared at me for a moment before asking bluntly.

“It’s a bit different from what I heard.”

“What is?”

“I heard your performance wasn’t very good during the purifier test.”

“Ah… Hahaha.”

I laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of my head.

Why bring up that story now?

“I’m curious.”

Then Mihail slowly opened his mouth.

I awkwardly lowered the corners of my mouth at the suddenly changed atmosphere. Mihail’s expression looked somewhat ominous.

He picked up a napkin with a dignified motion and wiped his mouth, then slowly looked me over. That gaze seemed to be thoroughly evaluating me.

“Whether your skills are as terrible as I heard from the examiner, or as amazing as written in the newspaper.”

What did he just say…

What, terrible skills…?

While I was taken aback by the blunt statement that came through without filter, Mihail narrowed his eyes deeply.

“Would you show me?”

* * *

Honestly, I thought I’d get to play around for a few more days.

But after a leisurely lunch, I was out in the desert with Mihail. Just the two of us, like he did with Aveline.

“It should be about time for them to come out.”

Mihail said, looking at the barren desert where nothing could be seen.

In the East, like in the North, they used search magic to locate the undead, and Mihail said there should be a durahan legion underground.

It looks peaceful on the surface.

I felt the wind blowing as I dismounted from Sylphid. The sand dunes were shifting position.

“The constantly moving dunes might have made the path confusing.”

I said out of concern, but Mihail smirked.

“Miss Sera.”

“Yes?”

“I’ve spent over 10 years in this place.”

“Ah…”

“Gauging direction in the desert is simple for me.”

I suppose so.

Who am I to give advice to?

The chances of Mihail getting lost are probably as slim as a camel passing through the eye of a needle.

Realizing this obvious fact anew, I looked around to survey the surroundings. You never know when the durahans might suddenly rise from the ground. A tense atmosphere hovered over my skin.

At that moment, Mihail, who looked utterly carefree unlike me, opened his mouth.

“There’s a reason we came alone.”

For a moment, the story of his expedition alone with Aveline flashed through my mind.

Why did he do that?

Because the expedition was sufficient with just two people? Because he wanted to gauge her abilities?

Even so, there was no reason to leave the rest of the holy knights idle.

“Please prove your usefulness to me.”

“Huh!”

At that moment, black forms began to creep up from the sand.

Unlike me who was startled, Mihail leisurely took a step back.

This bastard…?

He folded his arms like a spectator, as if saying he wouldn’t lift a finger.