Chapter 8. A Woman Who Doesn’t Wash Is His Type

“What?”

Honestly, I was flustered.

I was extremely flustered.

How did he know I arrived at midnight? Did he have someone follow me? I didn’t sense anything like that at all, is this what they call invisibility? An expert’s flawless tailing?

My heart was racing wildly.

Johann’s voice continued.

“To be honest.”

He closed his book with a snap and stood up from his seat.

“I thought you might oversleep a bit. I was going to overlook that since it’s not an intentional mistake.”

His blue eyes felt as cold as ice.

I bit my lower lip nervously, recalling a passage I had read in the original work.

[What Johann hates most is lying. That’s why he was furious to the core. Because of Aveline who kept lying that she was fine.]

At that time, how angry was he…

[She collapsed from recklessly roaming the battlefield, yet she says she’s going to exterminate undead again? Johann felt like his chest would burst from frustration.

“Are you out of your mind! Where do you think you’re going in that condition?”

“Isn’t that my job?”

“Stop.”

But Aveline didn’t stop.

“Stop right now! That’s an order!”

But orders were useless to someone who’s prepared to die. Johann finally gritted his teeth and ran after her. Then he swiftly grabbed Aveline’s wrist.

“I said no.”

“I told you I’m fine.”

“You… Do you want to see me go crazy? You have no choice.”

“Your Majesty! Let go of me!”

He dragged Aveline along, still holding her wrist.

The holy knights who came to escort the purifier unconsciously made way, faced with his murderous aura that seemed about to freeze everything around.]

So, I think that cold gaze looking at me now might be a small version of that murderous aura…

I nervously glanced around, regretting my recent actions of not wearing the sandbags and riding Marc’s horse.

As expected, words that seemed to know everything flowed from Johann’s mouth.

“But your attempt to deceive Marseus requires some explanation.”

“That’s…”

Honestly, I had nothing to say even if I had ten mouths.

I bowed my head deeply.

I saw Johann take a couple of steps closer to me. I decided to sincerely ask for forgiveness rather than make petty excuses. It was obvious that making half-baked excuses or lying about running from halfway would only provoke his anger.

“I did it because it was too hard. I’m really sorry. I’ll make sure this never happens again.”

“Of course you should… Kuhuf!”

At that moment, Johann, who had stopped right in front of me, made a strange sound. When I looked up, he was covering his nose with one hand, looking flustered.

Ah…

I want to die.

It seems he got a direct whiff of my scalp odor.

I lowered my gaze, my ears turning red. I didn’t want to face anything. I just wanted to burrow into the ground and become a worm.

Oh, past self.

The inconvenience is only momentary, why didn’t you just wash? Waaah.

If I could, I wanted to turn back time.

“Ahem.”

Then I heard Johann clearing his throat above my head.

“It seems the first training was quite tough.”

Yes…

I’m deeply grateful that you finally understand.

“I’ll specially overlook this incident.”

As he said this, he muttered quietly, ‘To the extent that she didn’t even have the strength to wash.’

While it was beneficial for me to avoid questioning by not washing, I felt self-loathing instead.

Damn it.

What about my dignity as a human being?

“District 14 is far, that’s right.”

At that moment, another person’s voice was heard from behind. I could tell without looking. It was that damned Jesuf who had obviously reported all of this.

I looked at him with the most remorseful expression I could manage while controlling my face. Damn fox.

Jesuf continued speaking.

“But it’s not something to be overlooked.”

“If you’re trying to make me a heartless emperor, you’ve failed. I don’t want to corner someone who doesn’t even have the strength to wash.”

When such a stubborn answer came back, Jesuf immediately changed his target to me.

“Miss Seraphina, never deceive His Majesty again. This time, His Majesty is specially overlooking it out of pity for not washing, but no matter how precious a purifier is, it doesn’t mean you can disrespect His Majesty and still be forgiven.”

Hey, can you both stop mentioning that I didn’t wash?

I wanted to cry, but I tried to respond to the stern warning first.

“Ah, about that.”

But Johann intercepted my chance to answer.

“Pack your things and stay at the palace.”

“What?!”

“Your Majesty, what nonsense are you talking about?”

Jesuf and I exclaimed in surprise at the same time. We looked at each other in bewilderment, then turned our heads back at Johann’s brazen retort.

“There are so many rooms in the palace, I don’t think this is such a surprising matter.”

“But I have an attachment to the house I’m living in now!”

I quickly answered, feeling my blood run cold.

Moving to the palace was dangerous.

I was planning to work for only 1-2 years and quit, but it might become impossible to resign later. Where a person physically lives was extremely important.

Johann shrugged as if it wasn’t a problem.

“Stay here only during the intensive training period, and you can go home on days without training.”

“Ah…”

If that’s the case…

I have nothing to say…

A moment of silence passed.

And as if taking it as a sign of acceptance, Johann drove the final nail.

“Pack your things and move in today.”

* * *

Due to the incident in the morning, Seraphina’s training schedule was slightly adjusted. To give her time to wash, that is.

And in the same vein, Seraphina, who finished training in the early evening, was able to ride in none other than the Emperor’s carriage to fetch her belongings.

Upon receiving the report that she had safely arrived at the Imperial Palace, Johann nodded with a satisfied face while drying his wet hair with a towel.

Jesuf, who had just come out of the bathroom in a robe, stared blankly at the Emperor before speaking flatly.

“I didn’t know a woman who doesn’t wash was your type.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

Johann frowned and plopped down on the bed.

“I’ve heard somewhere that people are attracted to opposite personalities…”

“If you’re going to talk nonsense, get out.”

“No, I just can’t understand it at all.”

“I don’t see what’s so complicated about giving her an empty room that’s just sitting there anyway.”

“You, who used to send all the drunk nobles home from palace banquets.”

“I have no desire to be under the same roof as drunkards.”

Johann continued without hesitation.

“Besides, you don’t need to waste time going back and forth to District 14 either.”

“I wasn’t planning to go every day anyway.”

Last night…

Honestly, he had secretly followed her just to observe the situation for one day. To check how long it actually took Seraphina to get from the palace to her home.

And this morning…

<She arrived close to midnight, so she might not be able to get up tomorrow.>

<I’ll go in the morning to just check if she’s leaving and come back.>

That’s how it happened.

For Jesuf, this much distance was nothing.

But then she came leisurely riding a horse with some burly guy without even wearing the sandbags, and then just worked up a sweat near the palace before coming in.

It was outrageous.

How dare a mere commoner who became a purifier disrespect the Emperor.

He felt anger rising from the pit of his stomach.

On the surface, they might bicker occasionally, but fundamentally, Jesuf was a knight to his bones. And as a knight, he deeply respected Johann.

After all, no matter what anyone said, Johann was one of the three heroes who saved the world from the undead legion that suddenly threw the world into chaos several decades ago.

Although he no longer took direct action due to his heavy duties as Emperor, Jesuf would bet his life that Johann’s skills hadn’t rusted.

Anyway, as much as he respected Johann, Seraphina didn’t look good in his eyes from their first meeting. Yes. He could define it in one word. That person was truly insolent.

“I think you’re keeping her too close.”

“There’s no need to be overly sensitive. She’s a valuable resource, so I’m just providing necessary support when needed.”

“If that’s the logic, you should bring all other purifiers into the palace as well.”

“Aren’t they all busy purifying the undead? They have no reason to come near Elmon.”

At those words, Jesuf asked as if to confirm.

“Then will you send Miss Seraphina out later as well?”

“…Why are you probing so much?”

Johann raised one eyebrow, looking annoyed.

Honestly, Jesuf didn’t know why he was being so sensitive either. He just disliked it. Instinctively.

But if he had to give a logical reason…

“I think the support is excessive. Weren’t other purifiers sent to the battlefield as soon as they passed?”

“She’s a woman who can barely kill one ghoul. It would be a big problem if she fainted.”

“Even so…”

Cutting off Jesuf’s muttering that seemed displeased, Johann said firmly as if to say not to worry.

“Once the forced march training is over, I plan to send her straight to the battlefield to be put to use. We need to recover what we’ve invested.”