Chapter 74. The Shackles of Hell’s Dispatch

As a result, Johann failed to persuade the vassals.

My dispatch was decided.

From the moment my feigned illness was exposed, I had a bad feeling, but going to the barrier with everyone was the decisive factor.

“Since the vicinity has been thoroughly cleansed by Miss Seraphina’s purification ability, there is no need for you to stay in Elmon for a while.”

At Ionia’s cold remark, I internally pounded my chest in frustration.

I shot myself in the foot!

I dug my own grave!

After purifying the ground, Mihail confirmed with holy magic that it was well cleansed, completely cutting off my escape route.

Thus, I packed my belongings and mounted Sylphid.

“Sylphid, it’s been a while since you could run to your heart’s content.”

Neigh.

Sylphid, excited about the long-distance run after a long time, pranced eagerly.

Sigh…

Even you…

I clutched the reins tightly, lamenting the sweet rest in Elmon.

“Take care.”

Ionia, who came to see me off, spoke in a businesslike tone.

I tried to respond to her farewell with a smile, but… I was suddenly seized by a chilling feeling. It was because of Ionia’s eyes shining behind her glasses.

What is it?

Those eyes… are strangely sharp toward me…?

I tried to recall if I had done anything wrong to her. But she was someone I had little interaction with, and every time we met, I was pathetically struggling.

This time, too, I was about to leave after greatly contributing to the Empire’s safety by using my purification ability, intending to contribute even more.

‘Did she find out about my feigned illness?’

According to Johann, he covered it up by saying I recovered just in time, but whether the sharp-witted Ionia was fooled was uncertain. Claude or Mihail might have tattled.

…No way.

Would heroes be petty enough to tattle?

“Don’t faint.”

At that moment, Johann, with his hands behind his back, looked up at me and said.

Judging by his cold expression, he seemed displeased that I was leaving Elmon for somewhere else.

But what can I do?

According to the official document you sent, I’m going to where I’m more needed, considering the severity of the incidents, you bastard.

“On the condition that you return to Elmon in two months.”

“……”

I just smiled sweetly.

F*ck.

I’m going to be so f*cking tired!

“Don’t forget that Sahar also requested a dispatch.”

Mihail spoke in a soft yet chilly voice.

“See how rampant the undead are in the Grodes Mountains.”

Claude replied unpleasantly. It was a sign that they wouldn’t let me go easily.

Though no swords were drawn, the atmosphere was tense like walking on thin ice, and I shrank back. I wanted to run away from here on Sylphid as soon as possible.

“Purifier Seraphina.”

Then Claude turned his head to look at me from atop his horse.

“The northern knight order has waited a long time.”

His voice was fierce. It was as if he was saying, ‘You better know well,’ since they suffered more because I feigned illness.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes!”

I answered with military precision.

Damn it.

A sense of déjà vu washed over me. Ah. I already experienced this once, didn’t I?

Claude swung the reins like a whip.

Hearing the thundering sound of hooves pounding the ground, I also set Sylphid in motion.

It was the second long-distance journey with Claude.

And it was a terrible day when the prelude to the shackles of hell’s dispatch opened in earnest.

* * *

Two years later.

I stood under the scorching sun.

Saaa.

The desert wind blew.

Feeling the soft breeze caressing my cheeks, I opened my eyes. Despite the gentle wind, there was black ash mixed within it.

They were the remains of the durahan I had just turned to ashes.

“Whew.”

I blew air through my pursed lips. My bangs lifted slightly before settling back down.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

At the sound of slow applause, I glared at Mihail with eyes filled with accumulated grievances. Though only for a moment.

Mihail, addressing me with a quickly corrected gaze, said,

“Your service in obedience to the call of the gods is beautiful.”

“……”

Though I was receiving a salary, so it couldn’t be called service, I was exhausted from the relentless exploitation.

“Shall we continue?”

“……”

Damn it.

Those words weren’t an invitation to cast the light of purification a few more times into the air. Nor was it an invitation to purification training.

That bastard was trying to go deeper into the desert to delay sending me to another dispatch location. He could no longer use training as an excuse to keep me.

Then Marvin approached and whispered to him. In a voice loud enough for me to hear.

“Commander, the next one is quite deep.”

“Sounds good.”

What’s good about it, you bastard!

Are you still the commander of the Holy Knight Order!

You labor-exploiting bad XX. Sob, sob.

I internally pounded my chest, shouting for him to stop. But my silent cries didn’t reach Mihail.

“Let’s set off.”

Don’t say it so casually.

He said it in a tone as if we were going on an outing, and I felt a vein throbbing in my temple. However, I was intimidated by the insane look of pressure in his eyes while he smiled sweetly.

“Let’s go, let’s go.”

Unable to even meet his gaze, I mounted Sylphid’s saddle.

Thus, riding through the dry desert wind, I ran and ran again. The Holy Knight Order following behind was nothing more than decoration.

To think that the beings I once admired now felt cumbersome, it’s amazing how long I’ve lived to see this.

“How much further do we have to go?”

Even after running for a while, the dunes stretched endlessly, so I asked Marvin. He glanced at me and answered.

“It will take a few days.”

“A few… days?”

“Ahem. Oh dear. I meant to check if we have enough water and food…”

Marvin made a very hastily concocted excuse and fled to the rear.

That bastard…

“Whew.”

I blew air toward my bangs again.

“Miss Sera.”

“Ah, yes.”

I was definitely very angry just now, but with one soft word from Mihail, my heart turned cold. He seemed very upset at my disobedience to the will of God.

“We are God’s representatives.”

“I know. It’s been drilled into my ears.”

“Yet, it is regrettable that you haven’t engraved our mission in your heart.”

“…Ahaha. What do you mean by that?”

What if I haven’t engraved it on my heart?

What, what.

Are you going to give me a sermon? Do you think that’ll make it stick?

Inwardly, I rebelled sarcastically. Outwardly, I was a very obedient little lamb.

“Exterminating the wicked undead is our mission.”

“Of course.”

“So shouldn’t we chase them to the ends of the earth and fight them?”

“Yes. That’s what we’re doing now, I suppose.”

I nodded with a soulless expression.

Whether by choice or not, I was living a life very much in line with God’s will.

The ability given by God, purification.

I suddenly wondered if anyone was using this ability better than I was.

Are other purifiers as active as I am?

The continent is so vast that I’ll probably never meet them, but thinking they might be exploited like me made me feel a sense of camaraderie and my heart ache.

I thought having a special ability for free was a good thing.

I thought as long as I got paid well, everything would be fine.

“With the abilities given by God comes responsibility.”

I didn’t know that responsibility included such exploitation.

I nodded to the words I’d heard countless times, worrying about how deep we would go this time.

We were already quite deep into the desert, and if we went further, we might reach the territories of the eastern countries where many large and small conflicts occurred.

I don’t think we’ve ever come this far before…

Well.

I have no decision-making power, so I have no choice but to follow.

The direction of the march was decided according to Mihail’s orders.

Though I had been back and forth in the Sahar Desert for quite some time, my sense of direction and distance was still significantly impaired in this place where the wind moved the dunes. It was truly mysterious how Mihail and the other holy knights never got lost.

They say it’s easy if you look at the sun during the day and the stars at night…

Sigh…

I didn’t have the brains for studying even when I lived as Yoon Jia before. I can’t calculate directions by looking at the sky.

Anyway, it was after I had turned the durahan army into ashes and moved for several hours. I blinked as I discovered something in the distance.

“Did I get heatstroke?”

Something that shouldn’t be visible was flickering before my eyes.

“I see a mirage.”

“It won’t be.”

“Then do you, Sir Andantino, see that oasis village too?”

I couldn’t believe it, so I looked back at him.

Mihail nodded with a leisurely smile.

…What is this?

“You said the undead don’t appear near oases, so we only traveled through the desert.”

When I once asked him about oases, he gave a very unfriendly reply, telling me not to bother with useless places where even durahan don’t appear.

It was the moment when the dream of visiting an oasis, which I secretly fantasized about, was shattered in my mind. Anyway, since then, I hadn’t seen a drop of water in the desert.

But why this sudden change of heart?

Perhaps reading the question on my face, Mihail kindly answered.

“We came to refill our water.”

He was saying that all the water we had loaded onto the cart and carefully sipped had been consumed.

That’s how long the expedition was.