Chapter 43. A Familiar Face

I couldn’t hide my bewilderment at my chin being suddenly grasped.

What’s with this weirdo again…?

I had no choice but to make eye contact with Mihail. I tried to turn my head slightly, but his grip was firm.

“Miss Sera.”

“……”

“Ah. Miss Sera.”

“……”

He really is acting crazy.

It was frightening, to say the least. We were alone in the room, what if he tried to do something to me?

Just as that thought crossed my mind, the night breeze flowed in through the open window. The thin curtains billowed up like waves.

And the loose dress I was wearing puffed up slightly. It felt like the wind might carry my body away somewhere.

Oh…

Could there be some magical dust mixed in the desert wind?

We had been staring at each other’s eyes continuously.

Mihail’s blue-green eyes seemed to widen slightly, then gave the illusion of deepening.

It felt like I could be sucked in. As if there was an unmanageable monster living in a beautiful emerald lake, and despite knowing this, I was enchanted by the attractive surface and wanted to dive in and swim freely.

I kept staring.

Ah…

At that moment, Mihail’s eyes curved deeply.

The force gripping my chin had disappeared. He held both of my hands with one of his large hands and lifted them to chest height.

“Does it only come from these hands?”

“Are you talking about my purification ability?”

He nodded slightly in response.

I briefly recalled my past actions and spoke.

“Yes. The purification light only comes from my hands. Is it not the same for other purifiers?”

“Probably not.”

“But why…”

Are you asking now, of all times?

I couldn’t finish my sentence.

Because he was gently stroking my palm with his thumb. The strange sensation it gave made my heart flutter.

It was like a touch caressing a precious treasure.

Mihail turned my wrist so that my palm faced him. Then he stared at it intently as if something was there.

Soon, his lips slowly parted.

“Because it’s enchanting.”

It was as if he was answering the words I couldn’t finish.

Enchanting…

From my perspective, it was a light so bright it could steal one’s vision, beyond being enchanting or not. Actually, when it was powerful, even I, the caster, had to squeeze my eyes shut because it was so dazzling.

“Miss Sera.”

“……!”

At that moment, his head tilted as he called my name.

I was so startled that I tried to pull my hand away. Or rather, I tried to. But Mihail’s grip was stronger.

“Won’t you come outside the walls with me tomorrow?”

Mihail brought my palm closer to his face and raised his eyes to meet mine.

Ugh…

Why is he asking such a thing in this intense atmosphere?

To be honest, I thought he was going to kiss my palm. Fortunately, he just brought it closer as if to examine it in detail.

He… He’s going to memorize my fingerprints at this rate!

After making me misunderstand, Mihail was shamelessly brazen. He raised an eyebrow as if urging me to answer, making a face that seemed to say ‘Well?’

Unable to resist his gaze, I answered.

“Alright. Let’s go, let’s go.”

* * *

The bustling area of Sahar was always lively.

Merchants crowded every alley, and the whole street was filled with boisterous sounds.

“Rare spices from the East at a low price!”

“What’s this soft fabric? It’s like woven clouds!”

“This apple variety is completely different. It grew from fertile soil and its sweetness is different!”

I was walking with Mihail, cutting through the crowded throng.

Why did he want to go outside the walls?

The road was well-paved, so it wasn’t difficult to get to the city gates, but I was curious about other things. Yesterday, the atmosphere was too strange to ask, but…

“Um, Sir Andantino.”

“Yes, Miss Sera.”

He turned his head smoothly like a swan at my call. His platinum blonde hair shimmered dazzlingly, reflecting the brilliant sunlight.

Ugh.

His appearance is completely unfair.

It was as dazzling as the purification light, to exaggerate a little.

I squinted slightly from the brightness and then opened my mouth.

“Where are we going?”

“I told you, outside the walls.”

“I mean, what are we going there for?”

“What is there to do in the desert?”

“……”

Then why are we going if there’s nothing to do?

I looked at him with dissatisfaction, but Mihail gave a smooth smile as if my small curiosity was none of his business. As if to say, just shut up and follow.

Fine.

I’ll keep my mouth shut and follow.

Bump.

That’s when it happened.

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

My shoulder collided with someone walking by.

The man hurriedly bowed his head in apology and then melted into the crowd.

I felt a strange sensation, or should I say a familiar feeling. Caught in this odd mood, I stopped walking and turned around. As I stared intently in the direction where the man had disappeared, Mihail approached me.

“What’s wrong, Miss Sera?”

He turned his head in the direction I was looking. The man, being quite nimble, had already vanished from sight.

“It’s nothing. I just thought I saw someone I knew.”

“Someone you know?”

“I’m not sure. It was just a glimpse…”

As I tilted my head with an uncertain expression, Mihail let out a hum. Then he asked me instead.

“Do you know the ambassador from the new Eastern country?”

“Huh? Ambassador?”

“The man who just bumped into you. Silvat, or something like that, I believe.”

“Was it someone you know?”

“You seem to know quite a variety of people.”

Mihail explained kindly.

He doesn’t tell me what I’m curious about, but he’s quick to explain strange things.

I traced the man’s disappearing figure into the crowd one more time with my eyes before turning back.

“This is my first time in Sahar, how would I know someone from an Eastern country?”

I must have seen wrong.

Well.

It’s not like there’s only one or two people with red hair.

Besides, when I tried to recall, Ba-eun’s face was blurry. I only saw him briefly as he came and went like the wind.

“Let’s hurry.”

Dismissing the faint sense of déjà vu that flickered like the last ember on a matchstick, I started moving my legs again.

I should quicken my pace, if only to satisfy my curiosity about what Mihail intends to do outside the walls.

He gladly complied with my urging.

* * *

“Huh! Uh-ugh!”

Mihail, you bastard.

I’ll kill you.

Someday, I’ll definitely kill you!

I was currently rolling down a hill because he had just shoved my back with a thud. It didn’t hurt because it was sand, but it felt disgusting.

“Purifier, a calling bestowed by God.”

As my body stopped rolling, he looked down at me with a lofty expression and spoke.

“It’s a sin not to use that ability properly.”

“……”

And it’s not a sin for you to torment me?

Words I wanted to argue rose to my throat, but I held them back. It’s not good to talk back to a hero carelessly.

Fortunately, I wasn’t alone.

The Holy Knight Order, which was training outside the walls, was with me. One pure and kind holy knight, unlike their commander, approached me and extended his hand.

“Are you alright?”

“Sniff. Thank you.”

How long has it been since I’ve experienced such kindness?

I felt like I could cry.

But unfortunately, that holy knight seemed to be a small fry. He was knocked down with just one order from Mihail.

“Bring the undead.”

I thought his order was a bit strange.

This isn’t a purifier test like at the Imperial Palace, so are they keeping captured undead here? Why?

I watched with puzzled eyes as the holy knights moved in perfect unison. And soon my question was answered.

Whooosh…

Should I call it a yellowish stream of light?

As the holy knight who knew how to use holy magic muttered a spell, the beam of light seemed to penetrate into the ground, and soon something began to stir and rise.

I couldn’t hide my shock.

The holy knight was summoning a ghoul.

“H-How……”

This can’t be.

Weren’t holy knights and undead almost like light and darkness? Is he some kind of fallen holy knight?

Someone noticed my wildly shaking pupils and approached to explain.

“This land is cursed.”

“Did the holy knight cast it?”

“What? Haha. No. That’s using chains of light to capture undead from deep underground.”

“You mean undead are constantly underground?”

“That’s right.”

The holy knight briefly explained the situation in the East.

According to search magic, this desert was teeming with undead. However, those too deep underground were impossible to eradicate, so they waited for them to rise to the surface before eliminating them.

Good heavens.

To think they built a city and lived on top of undead.

Well.

I suppose that’s why a hero is stationed here, but…

Somewhat shocked, I looked up at Mihail. Despite carrying such an enormous responsibility on his shoulders, he was looking at the ghoul with indifferent eyes.

“It’s a small fry.”

And I guess my role is to purify that small fry.

I couldn’t understand why Mihail was making me do this. But I decided to do it anyway.

Perhaps due to the trauma from when I became an orphan, the ghoul still sent chills down my spine.

But hey, I’ve purified skeletons, liches, and durahans too!

“Kyaaa!”

Paaaaah…!

A bright light emanated from my palm.

The small ghoul that didn’t even reach my knees turned into a handful of sand and disappeared with a poof.

“Oh! That’s amazing!”

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen a purifier’s ability!”

“This is my first time seeing it! It’s incredible!”

My shoulders rose sky-high at the knights’ words of admiration.

I may be an extra, but I’m quite talented, hehe.

Feeling good yet embarrassed, I wiped under my nose, when a cynical voice fell from above.

“It’s a mess.”

I looked up to see Mihail looking down at me with a pathetic gaze.

I was dumbfounded.

Hey, didn’t you say it was enchanting just last night?