Chapter 98. Aveline

Johann confirmed the safety of the two people and turned his horse around.

There was no time to waste. The energy he felt on his skin was unsettling.

Four months ago, when the undead rose near Elmon, the ground was filled with this same dark energy. At least now, there was no sign of high-level undead, which was a relief.

Nevertheless, a large number of ghouls could be a headache.

The biggest problem was that this place was where people lived.

It was troublesome to destroy everything indiscriminately.

This meant he had to delicately adjust the power of his sword to perform multiple small attacks without damaging the buildings.

“What a nuisance.”

It wasn’t difficult, just bothersome.

Johann busily rode through the alleys.

Using an enchanter posed too much risk of damaging the village, so he refrained from it.

Unless high-level undead had already destroyed the village, he couldn’t be the one to destroy it first. For low-level undead, a little manipulation of mana was enough.

It was fortunate that the village wasn’t large.

Of course, he had to revisit places he had already been, which made it seem endless…

“A purifier would have been nice.”

It was a moment that made him think of Seraphina even more.

Even if he had holy power, it would have been helpful, but Johann deliberately avoided thinking about the unlucky Mihail.

Screams erupted from all over the once-peaceful village. For them, it must have been a bolt from the blue.

“Eek!”

“Mom! I’m scared!”

“Take shelter this way! No!”

Screams echoed from all directions.

Johann gritted his teeth and hurried.

Screech!

With each swing of his sword, ghouls fell.

He kept killing them. Though there were no casualties yet, he couldn’t keep this up forever.

“Gather to the south of the village! To the south!”

People who reacted quickly to Johann’s shout got up and started running. But wherever you go, there are always the elderly and weak.

“Ugh, ugh! Please, help!”

Seeing an old man fallen on the main road, Johann turned his horse again for the troublesome village.

And at that moment.

Flash!

A white light blocked his view.

Knowing what this light meant…

Knowing the identity of this light, which was as rare as a camel passing through the eye of a needle…

“Seraphina…?”

Johann murmured softly, shielding his eyes with his arm against the dazzling light. If it wasn’t a mistake, this was the purification ability of a purifier.

Soon, the light that had brightly illuminated all around faded.

A calm silence descended upon the village where the ghouls had disappeared.

Johann slowly lowered his arm and opened his eyes.

His blue eyes searched for the source of the purification ability. Then they stopped at one point.

“……”

No.

It wasn’t Seraphina.

Feeling his heart sink, Johann did what he had to do. With a subdued expression, he approached the newly discovered talent.

A blonde woman turned her head. She had deep green eyes and gave an overall delicate impression.

Johann sensed that she seemed somewhat dazed. Judging by how she had been staring blankly at her hands just moments ago, it seemed her abilities had just awakened.

Johann asked briefly.

“What is your name?”

She blinked her eyelids a couple of times slowly before opening her mouth.

“I am…”

As her focus gradually returned, she properly met Johann’s eyes.

“Aveline.”

* * *

A few months had passed since I started sewing.

I had set up a room as a hobby space and was using it well. In other words, I was pretty much holed up in there and rarely went out.

Whirr…

The sewing machine moved busily across the fabric. Seeing the neatly stitched line gave me a peculiar satisfaction.

“I started this lightly, but it really suits me, doesn’t it? Hehe.”

When I focused excitedly, several hours would fly by.

Is this what it’s like to live doing what you love?

I fought so hard to achieve this life.

Ah…

My past self who struggled as a purifier…

After a brief moment of mourning for the past, I began selecting lace to accent the sleeves of a dress.

The merchant guild had procured a variety of fabrics and decorations beyond my expectations. I thought the merchant who accepted my rather vague request was very kind, but the world indeed runs on the principle of money.

Did they charge me a fortune? Not at all.

I had no intention of being taken advantage of with the money I had painstakingly saved.

Instead, there was a seamstress living in Ponitan. There was demand besides me.

<There’s a seamstress living here, it seems.>

<How did you find out, Sir Master?>

<I happened to learn while talking to the restaurant owner.>

<Wow, that’s great!>

A young woman named Louise, whom I regarded as my sewing mentor.

Not that I served her with the strict discipline I had as a purifier, but I would run to her when I was curious or needed advice.

Then Louise would kindly teach me what she knew without reservation.

She helped a lot, especially when making my first dress. She gave me various clothing patterns she had and taught me everything from cutting to using the sewing machine.

She was literally a mentor.

Well, outwardly, we interacted casually like friends.

Louise said she also supplied clothes she made herself to Ponitan’s clothing store. I thought everything was brought in through the merchant guild, but there was a domestic market operating in its own way.

Whirr…

“Great.”

The lace was sewn in nicely, too.

“Now, let’s attach the buttons.”

Humming a tune, I rattled the box containing various button designs.

An old memory lingered in my mind.

Perhaps that’s why this moment felt incredibly precious.

<Write down your future aspirations and submit them by this Friday.>

<…….>

Back when I was Yoon Jia.

I was a middle school student at the time, and the school once conducted a survey of students’ future dreams.

I stared blankly at the empty space on the paper, then put it in my bag, and when Friday came, I submitted it as it was.

It was blank.

Naturally, I was called to the teacher’s office and had to endure my homeroom teacher’s nagging to write something down.

What could I do if I didn’t have a dream?

I had skills, but they didn’t seem like dreams…

<Do you really have nothing you want to be, Yoon Jia?>

<I don’t care what I become.>

<Then write down cleaner since you’re good at cleaning.>

<…Okay.>

The answer was short, but my heart was complicated.

Dreams…

They only make you miserable if you have them for no reason.

For someone who had to worry about immediate survival, a dream was like that.

A pie in the sky.

Yet here I was, living while pursuing a dream.

How could I not be happy!

I felt like I was walking on clouds. It was as if there was a balloon inside me, filled with all the beautiful things in the world.

Tinkle, tinkle.

That’s when I heard the sound of a bell.

I stopped choosing buttons and looked up. There was only one person who would visit this house.

“Long time no see.”

Recognizing the guest at once, I smiled and opened the door. As expected, the person I anticipated was standing right there.

“Finding a seamstress seems to be bad luck for me.”

“Sir Cyril!”

“It’s been two weeks.”

“You were the one who left, saying you had work.”

I didn’t know what he did, but I guessed he might be a businessman.

Well.

I didn’t pry into the details on purpose.

Hoping he wouldn’t ask about my past either.

“Come in.”

I invited him in with a glad heart, but Cyril glanced me up and down and politely declined the invitation.

“It seems you’ve been at home all this time. How about getting some fresh air?”

“Uh, um…”

I hadn’t washed for three days, so my hair was greasy, and my clothes were shabby…

As I hesitated, he added in a gentle voice.

“I’ll be waiting outside. Please get ready and come out.”

“Shall I?”

I smiled bashfully.

I should wash up and get ready quickly.

In Ponitan, there was no need to rush. There were no urgent matters or people in a hurry.

Still, I felt sorry to keep Cyril waiting long, so I hurried as much as I could.

I washed my hair with fragrant shampoo, creating lots of bubbles, and thoroughly cleaned my body with soap. I dried my wet body and hair with a towel and chose an outfit from among many without hesitation.

A little later, I opened the front door again.

Cyril, who had been admiring the pink vine flowers climbing up the exterior of the house, turned his head.

“Ah…”

“There was a dress I finished yesterday, so I decided to wear it.”

Feeling awkward due to his silence, I added an explanation. I wondered if I had dressed up too much.

Only then did Cyril smile deeply, his eyes curving.

“I leave Miss Chloette alone so you can come out looking this pretty.”

“Oh, come on.”

“I mean it.”

His charmingly lifted lips and gaze lingered on the dress I was wearing, as if it were truly beautiful.

Cyril had a knack for making people feel good.

Even though I knew his words and gaze were light pleasantries, I couldn’t help but feel happy.

Thanks to him, I had a reason to dress up in this small seaside village where there was no one to impress.

It was a continuation of joyful days.