‘I’ll think about this later.’
I asked the Captain.
“Are you experiencing any other symptoms? Dizziness or indigestion?”
I had calculated everything meticulously to ensure the mana of other crew members didn’t enter the Captain’s body, but there was still a slim possibility.
The Captain stared at me.
His lips parted slightly as if he were about to say something, but he eventually shook his head.
“If you mean physical abnormalities, there are none.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry. Since you are someone so accustomed to enduring pain, I find it hard to trust your word. Vice-Captain, I think we need a diagnosis from a doctor and a priest.”
“…”
It was when I spoke firmly.
‘Huh?’
The atmosphere was strange.
When I turned my head, the expressions of the crew members—who were peeking through every door and window—were peculiar.
“To the Captain…”
“Whoa…”
Someone gasped in shock.
Another was mouthing something, frantically gesturing for me to stop.
In particular, Charie from Antonio’s squad turned pale, waving his hands and clutching his neck in a panic.
‘Ah, did I seem too informal?’
Thinking it might have looked shocking to the regular crew members, I turned back.
Antonio and the Vice-Captain were also frozen in place.
“I’ve known you were gutsy since you first clung to the Captain’s leg on the mountainside…”
“…”
Well, even the elites seemed surprised.
I glanced at the Captain, wondering if he was offended.
“There really is nothing wrong with my body.”
But the Captain had an indifferent expression.
‘See? He’s a much better person than everyone thinks.’
So, I’m glad the curse was broken.
I’m truly glad he won’t have to be in pain anymore.
»»» ♡ «««
Afterward.
I received confirmation from the doctor that there were no abnormalities in the Captain’s body.
In the afternoon, a priest visited.
The elderly man, who was once a priest, moved his hands a few times over the Captain’s abdomen and spoke.
“Normal. A complete monster.”
As he said that, he held out his hand to the Vice-Captain.
The Vice-Captain let out a sigh of relief and handed him a bag the size of a basketball.
The former priest quickly grabbed it and opened the top.
He took out a silver coin and bit it with his teeth…
‘Silver coins?’
So all of that is silver coins?
It looks like at least 500 of them.
The former priest grinned.
“In the future, don’t bother me by asking me to come back and forth; come to my house instead. Do you know how annoying it is to carry a bag this size?”
Antonio looked annoyed but didn’t say anything, merely clicking his tongue.
The Vice-Captain sighed and said.
“Elder, please don’t be like that and check him thoroughly. Are there really no other abnormalities?”
“I told you, he’s a complete monster.”
His attitude was extremely insolent.
Of course, an assassination guild wouldn’t be able to call a priest from the main temple, so they would need an underground priest like him.
As with all people working in the shadows, the commission fee must be expensive.
Even so, it didn’t seem worth 500 silver coins.
Especially with such a casual attitude toward a matter involving a person’s life.
“Um… Mr. Former Priest.”
When I called him, the former priest looked at me sharply.
“What?”
“I wasn’t sure what to call you since I don’t know your name.”
“Didn’t you hear this man call me ‘Elder’?”
His voice rose to a shout.
I replied calmly.
“This man is not ‘this man,’ but the Knight Commander of San Miguel Castle. If you show proper etiquette, I will respect you as well, Mr. Former Priest.”
The Vice-Captain flinched and looked at me.
Antonio was also bewildered, his eyes wide.
It was a moment that showed just how rude the former priest had been to the Irregulars.
The former priest stood up with a displeased expression.
“Young people these days. Did you think I’d be intimidated by the status of a San Miguel Knight Commander?”
“I didn’t say that to make you feel intimidated.”
“How foolish. The higher the status of those who cannot properly treat a priest, the more dangerous they are. If I were to report this…”
“Would we be the only ones arrested?”
“What?”
I smiled brightly and spoke.
“If you were to report us, we wouldn’t be the only ones taken away. Being an underground priest is a greater crime than using one.”
“If I reveal that you are the Irregulars…!”
“You would likely perish.”
“…!”
I gracefully waved my hand, pointing toward Antonio and the Vice-Captain.
As soon as the word ‘Irregulars’ came out of the former priest’s mouth, Antonio and the Vice-Captain were glaring at him with murderous intent.
The former priest flinched.
“We might cooperate, but we cannot show loyalty to someone who points a blade at us. The Irregulars are not saints.”
“Wh-What are you trying to do…!”
“I’m just saying that our positions aren’t that different.”
So, the former priest should also show some manners.
‘Especially…’
I glanced at the bag filled with silver coins.
The former priest winced.
“Normally, calling a priest costs 10 silver coins, and if you hire someone from the shadows, it would be five times that, wouldn’t it?”
“…”
“Wouldn’t it?”
“…Damn it. How can someone so young be so shrewd?”
The former priest left the bag on the floor.
Then, he took exactly 50 silver coins and put them in his pocket.
Just as he was about to leave.
“Mr. Former Priest?”
I called him back with a smiling face.
He flinched and said.
“There really is nothing wrong with the Captain’s body. He is in very healthy condition.”
“Hmm…”
“I swear by the Goddess Teressa… Despite how I look, my faith is genuine…”
He spoke dejectedly.
Only then did I bow deeply.
“Thank you, Elder.”
“…Where on earth did you people bring such a child from?”
Muttering that he wasn’t even this flustered when he was captured by the Central Temple, he grumbled.
The Vice-Captain chuckled.
“We didn’t bring her; she came to us. It was a stroke of divine luck. Shall we escort you to your residence?”
“Forget it…”
The elderly priest waved his hand dismissively.
“Goodbye, Elder!”
He looked at me once more as if I were absurd, then let out a smirk and left.
‘Good, then all the problems are solved.’
I grinned at the Captain, and he gazed at me intently.
“You are peculiar.”
“Me?”
In what way?
When I tilted my head, Antonio and the Vice-Captain looked at me with disbelief.
But soon, they burst into laughter.
Even the Captain’s expression felt somewhat softened.
»»» ♡ «««
It was finally night.
As soon as I arrived at my room, I washed up and collapsed onto the bed.
‘It’s been a long day…’
No, every day has been long since I learned about the Captain’s curse.
Still, I’m so glad it ended well.
While thinking that, my fingertips caught my eye.
A black line had appeared on my fingernail.
I flinched.
‘A symptom of mana poisoning.’
Simply put, it’s when mana mixes and makes the body ill.
Since I had accepted someone else’s mana—and such a massive amount at that—it was something I had expected.
‘But fortunately, I know the purification method for mana poisoning, so I’ll just endure the pain and tomorrow…’
Stiffening my expression, I pressed firmly on the fingernail with the black line.
But at that moment…
‘Huh?’
The black line began to fade away slowly.
“What is this…?”
I looked at my hand.
Suddenly, the sentences that floated in the air after the curse-breaking came to mind.
Second Job Advancement Successful!
[The Purifier]
※ This system has been restructured based on a familiar interface for user convenience.
‘If I am a Purifier…’
When starting the game, the character Stella cannot be changed, but a job can be chosen.
And those jobs can advance.
– Swordsman → One who possesses the Sword of Courage
– Mage → One who manifests through Imagery
– Warrior → One who possesses Fighting Spirit
– Shaman → One who shakes the Principles of the World
Et cetera.
And the advancement sequence for ‘The Purifier’ is as follows:
Cleric → The Purifier
‘I was able to purify the mana poisoning because I became a Purifier.’
It seemed I had a talent for being a Cleric.
But why, of all things, a Cleric?
Almost no one chose Cleric as a job in the game.
Since there were jobs like Mage and Shaman that could be used for both offense and defense and looked cool to others.
However, all a Cleric can do is support.
Even then, they aren’t helpful except for using mana to purify curses, and if they use up all their mana, it’s game over.
In other words, you die.
It has the worst drawbacks, doesn’t help in clearing the story, and in the ending…
“I shall now depart into the arms of God. Father, Brother, farewell…”
Stella leaves her family and enters a monastery.
It was almost a bad ending, drawing resentment from the players.
“Still, being a Purifier might help my life… No, wait, it won’t.”
If others found out, they might covet me.
My future would change from being the protagonist’s organ storage to being a wonder drug used wherever there is a curse or poison.
And then, if I exhaust all my mana during purification, I’ll die.
“I should keep my mouth shut.”
Deciding with a benevolent expression, I tried to get some sleep.
»»» ♡ «««
Peace arrived after the hardships ended.
“Whoa…”
Everyone gasped in admiration as they saw the Captain wearing a robe engraved with the emblem of San Miguel.
The members of the Vice-Captain’s squad, who had gone with bags of money to bribe the high officials of Esgalot, had moved expressions.
That’s right. The Captain had ascended to the position of Lord.
And as for me…
“No matter how much I think about it, growing flowers is a bust. The North is too cold. Let’s pivot to trees.”
“But wouldn’t the garden be pretty if it were colorful?”
“We’ll plant nothing but conifers so that when it snows, they look like blossoms. We can hang things like glass balls normally.”
“Hmm. That would be pretty too.”
I was decorating the garden with Charie from Antonio’s squad.
Since the Captain had newly become the Lord, many guests would be visiting.
Decorating the garden was strictly a job.
‘But it’s so fun.’
I like to produce the maximum result possible within limited resources.
Work where the results are clearly visible is truly enjoyable.
When I was at the Andres house, I had to cater to my biological father’s tastes unconditionally, and I was constantly anxious in case he didn’t like it.
It was work where stress came before enjoyment.
But the Captain…
“Before I start the garden renovation, I’d like to know your preferences, Captain. To minimize the chance of failure as much as possible. You can refer to these example materials.”
“…?”
“Um… if that’s too much trouble, then just the general color scheme…”
“The garden is not mine. It belongs to everyone in this castle. The intention of the one tending it is what’s most important.”
“Ah…”
“Even if it ends in failure, that too is an experience.”
…That’s what he told me.
Recalling the conversation with the Captain, I grinned.
“The Captain is a truly good person, isn’t he?”
“…Pardon?”
Charie, who was checking the quantity of trees, paused.
The members of Antonio’s squad who were moving soil also flinched and looked back at me.
When I looked at them as if asking what was wrong, the crew members rushed over.
“Young Lady. It’s good for a person to be kind. No, it’s great. It’s great, but you shouldn’t be so kind that it borders on being naive.”
“What will you do if you have no eye for judging people? No, seriously, what will you do? Your organs. Do you still have all your organs? You didn’t leave one behind somewhere, did you?”
If the spice shop uncle in the capital market, who always lost Naza salt to me for 5 coppers, heard this, he’d probably faint from shock.
While I just tilted my head silently, Charie spoke in a serious voice.
“Young Lady.”
“Yes?”
“You must memorize this. Just because someone is handsome doesn’t mean they are a good person.”
“…”
“Say it.”
“…Just because someone is handsome doesn’t mean they are a good person.”
“Good.”
Charie let out a long sigh.
“The Captain isn’t a ‘good person’; he’s a strong person. A rational person.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
“What are we going to do with our naive Young Lady? We have no choice but to stick close and protect her.”
“Never let her go out alone from now on. Her organs are in danger.”
“Right. Let’s all take turns on guard duty.”
While it’s true my organs were in danger once, in my eyes, it was Antonio’s squad that was naive.
As someone who brought in even weekend pay—which doesn’t exist in this world—every time I received my wages, this was a baffling reaction.
One of the crew members spoke again.
“In the future, when you say someone is a good person, make sure to put ‘good to follow’ in front. Someone good to follow…”
It was then.
Ahem.
The sound of someone clearing their throat was heard.
The people who turned their heads to see what was going on froze in place.
A smirking Antonio, a Vice-Captain with a troubled expression, and…
“C-C-Captain.”
Well, he was there.
He had likely been listening the whole time, and when the conversation didn’t end, the Vice-Captain must have given him a signal.
Antonio chuckled…
“Right, Young Lady. You shouldn’t be so naive.”
Seeing him say that.
The Vice-Captain jabbed his side with terrifying speed.
Leaving Antonio, who collapsed with a scream, the Vice-Captain approached me.
“The notice for the selection of the Imperial Prince’s attendants has been issued.”
It’s finally here.
I stood up.
The Captain’s gaze and mine met.
»»» ♡ «««
The notice from Esgalot can be summarized as follows:
– The attendant selection is organized by the main Esgalot Castle.
– Each jurisdiction can send one candidate.
– From the moment the notice is issued until the final selection of the attendants, private meetings with the high officials of the main castle are prohibited.
It also included the date and time of the selection and the location of the testing grounds.
‘Exactly fifteen days left.’
It wasn’t such a tight period to prepare, but the Vice-Captain’s expression wasn’t good.
“Things have become difficult.”
“Why?”
He pointed specifically to the part that said ‘private meetings with the high officials of the main castle are prohibited.’
“It means we can’t offer bribes.”
So they were planning to offer bribes.
It probably wasn’t because they didn’t trust my abilities.
It was likely for another reason.
“It’s because I’m from the Andres family, isn’t it? Since Andres and Esgalot are not on good terms.”
“That is correct.”
Initially, even after knowing I was the eldest daughter of a great noble family, the Vice-Captain didn’t recommend me as an adopted daughter.
It was only after the situation reached an extreme with all the girls being kidnapped that he had no choice but to send me to the adopted daughter exam.
This was the very reason.
Andres and Esgalot were different factions.
And by the time of the previous Marquis Andres—my biological grandfather—and the current Duke of Esgalot, they had become nothing short of arch-enemies.
Even if I am a daughter kicked out of the Andres family, they would likely be reluctant to let me into the main castle.
“Normally, the Esgalot official we conspired with should have been the one in charge of the exam.”
“And you were planning to somehow make me an attendant by threatening him with the fact that he’s been taking bribes until now.”
“You are brilliant. However…”
Antonio clicked his tongue and picked up the conversation.
“That greedy old man got caught red-handed taking bribes from elsewhere too. I hear he’s in the underground dungeon now.”
Well, I see.
Things have definitely become difficult.
For the Irregulars, that is.
‘My thoughts are a bit different, though.’
I said.
“Then we can just become an attendant without taking the exam, right?”
The Vice-Captain and Antonio furrowed their brows.
They had expressions that said such a method couldn’t possibly exist.
“Are you planning to be directly appointed by the Princes? That will be difficult. The Princes’ travel routes are kept strictly secret, and even if we knew, there’s no way to approach them.”
“Hmm. Could you take a look at this?”
I took a letter out of my pocket and showed it to them.
To Eustea,
I’m traveling to the far North, so I thought of you. In the past, when the cold was like it is these days, I went on an expedition to subjugate foreign tribes with the supply unit where you worked. When the supply line was cut off due to an avalanche and worries were deep, you, who caught a wild boar alone and asked, ‘Can I move this and roast it whole?’, were more magnificent than any soldier. I still miss that roast we ate back then… (omitted) …also the dumplings, braised lamb, and shark fin. Those days with you feel like a dream. Are you still at that workplace you were lucky enough to enter? I’m worried that your employers might be harsh to you. If so, you are welcome in my arms anytime… (omitted 2) …Ah, dumplings….
—From Lagoni, dreaming of your dumplings.
“Traveling to the North…?”
“Colonel Lagoni of the Imperial Guard…?”
That’s right.
It meant Colonel Lagoni was escorting the Princes and coming to Esgalot in the North.
I smiled brightly.
“It seems there might be a way, doesn’t it?”
