Chapter 66. Address

It seems you shouldn’t give people too much leisure time. My body was healthy, and I was full of energy, but lying in bed, all sorts of idle thoughts came to mind.

The one that occupied my mind the most was, undoubtedly, thoughts of doing something else—imagining my life after retiring from being a purifier.

“It’s already been over half a year…”

It felt like just yesterday that I received the notification of having officially passed as an imperialpurifier right after possessing this body.

However, when I changed my perspective, the ‘already’ flipped to ‘only’ as easily as turning over a hand.

Thinking of the various undead in the Grodes Mountains and the durahan legion of the Sahar Desert, every moment was so horrifying that it gave me chills.

Only half a year has passed…

“So I have to keep doing this until Aveline appears?”

My replacement needs to appear soon.

Where could Aveline be and what might she be doing right now?

[It was a world teeming with undead.

The wicked beings that devoured a small rural village vanished into ashes, and at the center stood a solitary figure.

Everything was lost.

All her cherished people were dead.

‘But why am I the only one…’

Aveline thought. She pondered as she looked at the corpses of her family and friends who died horribly, and the neighbors she occasionally greeted.

‘Why am I the only one…’

Aveline looked around.

There was no one. The undead that had turned her precious home into a wasteland were gone.

She looked down at her hands.

It was too late.

With suffocating realization, the path she had to take naturally unfolded before her.

Purifier.

A chosen one by God, who defeats the undead with extensive purification abilities.

She couldn’t believe she was that purifier. Her ordinary life was about to be swept away by a fierce storm.]

That was roughly how it started.

Recalling the beginning of the original story, I thought that Aveline must be spending an ordinary day in some unknown rural village by now.

But really…

When reading the original story in Yoon Jia’s body, this part was so briefly described, and the focus quickly shifted to the romance entangled with the three male lead candidates that it didn’t leave much of an impression…

“Aveline’s life is quite tragic too.”

Well.

In this world, how many people with such stories are there, really…

Still, I felt a bit strange.

Of course, the undead continue to appear somewhere in the world, but it has stabilized enough that they don’t overrun entire villages where people live.

The main areas of undead emergence are being systematically managed.

Yet, within a few years, Aveline would experience such things…

It’s just…

It’s just bad luck…

“If I could help, it would be nice, but finding an unknown village isn’t possible.”

I muttered to myself, trying to push away the complicated feelings.

Ironically, Aveline’s misfortune led to my liberation. Suddenly, I felt like a really bad person.

“But I can’t just die, can I?”

I steeled myself and began to rationalize my decision.

After recalling my fate to die in the Battle of Agulena, my mind cleared.

Whether I die in that battle or escape to survive, Aveline’s fate wouldn’t change either way.

So I was just taking advantage of the timing…

Until then, I’d have to endure like a dog.

I have my own problems to worry about, who am I to worry about someone else?

“First, I need to survive.”

With money steadily piling up in my bank account, I decided to think positively.

What should I do when I retire?

Should I submit my resignation to Ionia?

Maybe I should subtly inquire about the retirement procedure?

When I go to the imperial palace, it might be okay to discreetly ask about it.

“But what if Aveline appears in ten years?”

No way, surely not.

Considering the ages of the male lead candidates now, that shouldn’t be the case.

I tried hard to think positively.

* * *

Soft snow piled up on the bare branches.

Flicking it off with an indifferent gaze, Mihail muttered softly.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen winter.”

Though the eastern desert had a large temperature difference, one had to endure the scorching sun all year round. It was a place far from snow.

Tap.

Flicking his finger once more to knock the snow off the branch, he watched the falling snowflakes with indifferent eyes.

Mihail then lifted his head, capturing the view of the majestic imperial palace in his turquoise eyes.

“To think they made me come all the way here.”

They’ll have to pay a price for this.

Swallowing the last words, he moved forward, imagining Johann’s face crumpling when they met soon.

However, shortly after, the person Mihail met was not Johann but Ionia.

“It’s been a while, Sir Andantino.”

“Miss Ionia.”

Mihail, who had been guided to the drawing room and waiting, smiled as he narrowed his eyes at Ionia entering through the door.

“Where is His Majesty?”

“He’s busy.”

Ionia adjusted her glasses with her index finger and continued.

“And it’s better to deal with me.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Mihail spoke softly, but internally he was annoyed by her roundabout way of speaking.

The reason he came all the way from Sahar to here was just one thing.

To take Seraphina away.

However, Johann ignored the lengthy letter spanning eighteen pages and did not even attempt to meet Mihail, who had traveled a long distance to see him.

But this was a misunderstanding on Mihail’s part.

Ionia spoke up.

“His Majesty is not aware that Sir Andantino is here.”

“Why not?”

“Because I intercepted the maid’s message midway.”

“Oh.”

Mihail let out a fascinated sigh, slowly stroking his chin with one hand. For the Emperor’s left hand to act secretly behind his back…

“You must be here to see Miss Seraphina.”

“You know well.”

Mihail inwardly rejoiced, thinking the conversation would progress quickly.

“Where is Miss Sera?”

“She is not in the imperial palace.”

“I heard she was ill, is she just pretending?”

“According to the diagnosis, extreme fatigue means rest is the only answer, but I haven’t confirmed the truth myself.”

“……?”

Mihail raised an eyebrow in puzzlement.

He soon grasped the situation and smirked, lifting one corner of his mouth. It seemed that not everyone within the imperial palace’s confines was on the same side.

Even so, betrayal from the left hand…

“Interesting.”

Mihail laughed softly, looking at Ionia with changed eyes. The sharp gaze that tried to discern anything had shifted to one of trust, viewing her as a comrade in the same boat.

Sensing this change, she spoke.

“I have too much work to leave the imperial palace.”

“Is that also one of Emperor Marseus’s shallow tricks?”

“Well.”

There was always a lot of work anyway.

In this regard, Johann probably didn’t invest much effort.

Ionia nodded slightly and continued.

“Please verify the facts on my behalf.”

Jesuf is too dull to see anything. It was because that fool recklessly made statements that we ended up in this mess…

Ionia looked at Mihail with clear eyes. The message in her gaze was evident.

You are the only one.

Reading this, a satisfied smile appeared on Mihail’s lips. It was an unexpected gain. To find an ally within the imperial palace.

It seemed that taking Seraphina to Sahar would be easier than expected.

I’ll take her today.

“Of course.”

He nodded readily, internally making a joyful resolution.

“Where can I meet Miss Sera?”

“District 14. The exact address is…”

Bang!

At that moment, the door to the drawing room burst open.

Both of them turned their heads.

“I didn’t expect to see you here.”

Johann stood at the doorway with a noble demeanor.

At a glance, he appeared composed, but his usually neatly arranged silver hair was slightly disheveled.

Mihail, noticing this keenly, let out a light scoff.

“I have no business with Your Majesty.”

“I heard you requested an audience.”

“I requested it by mistake.”

“Is that something to say while sitting in the Emperor’s drawing room?”

“Well. I changed my mind in the meantime.”

With that, Mihail turned to Ionia.

“Please continue.”

He was asking for Seraphina’s address.

As Ionia opened her mouth, Johann, sensing an instinctive unease, deliberately raised his voice.

“Seraphina needs absolute rest.”

“I know.”

But Mihail responded nonchalantly.

“She wasn’t sick in Sahar, but seeing her fall ill as soon as she arrived in Elmon, it seems this city is too cold for Miss Sera.”

“Seraphina is recovering.”

“Then I’ll watch her recover and then take her.”

“Seeing your face might cause an illness that wasn’t there to appear.”

“Well, she might jump up with joy.”

The conversation, with no room for concession, was surprisingly pointless and wasteful. At least, that’s how it appeared to Ionia.

Adjusting her glasses once, she abruptly ended the circular conversation.

“2178 Billiot Avenue, Apartment 403. That’s Miss Seraphina’s home address.”