Chapter 74

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The Duchy of Tierney, Lapienne.

Willard Tierney, head of the house, could not contain his shock at the intelligence he had just received.

“Muriel… what did you say?”

“They say she can… wield the power of purification.”

“Is that true? Are you certain?”

“F-for now, that’s what the spy we planted in Winterberg Castle reports.”

“Ha…. Hahaha….”

Willard let out a hollow laugh, his gaze drifting aimlessly.

Muriel. That useless thing….

And not just anything—she had gained the power of purification?

How could something like this happen?

“Absurd. That lowborn wretch who can’t do a single thing on her own—what is she supposed to be?”

Even if it were the will of God, he couldn’t accept it.

The world was profoundly unfair, Willard thought.

“If only our clever, wise Juliet had been the one to receive such a gift….”

“…….”

“For now, make sure Juliet doesn’t hear about this. Imagine how heartbroken my daughter would be if she knew.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Willard clicked his tongue as he looked down at his subordinate’s bowed head.

“So, what is Muriel doing now? And what are those Winterberg bastards planning?”

“Well….”

The subordinate hesitated before continuing.

“Lady Muriel has divorced Duke Winterberg… and joined the Adventurers’ Guild.”

“…What?”

That, in its own way, was equally absurd.

He had heard that Raul Winterberg—that sanctimonious hypocrite—had exiled Muriel to the Contaminated Zone….

But to break the promise made before the king and go as far as divorcing her?

‘It may not have been legally binding, but still….’

He was about to click his tongue again at the man’s recklessness when—

“Th-the grounds for fault lie solely with Lady Muriel.”

“What? Then….”

Willard froze, his mind racing.

If Raul and Muriel had divorced, the king would surely request a detailed report from the temple.

And if the divorce agreement stated that Raul bore no fault, and that all responsibility lay with Muriel….

“…Those damned Winterberg bastards!”

It wouldn’t be Raul who was summoned before the king to endure tedious reprimands—it would be him!

Willard’s insides churned.

Being scolded wasn’t a serious matter in itself.

The problem was the humiliation. And for a man as proud as Willard, that was unbearable.

Worse still, if the king ordered compensation to be paid to Winterberg as punishment for breaking their promise—

Willard might collapse from sheer rage.

‘The king… that sly serpent!’

The Roblet Royal Family and House Tierney.

Officially, they were allies. In truth, the relationship was far more complicated.

Under the pretext of keeping the ever-growing power of House Tierney in check, the king frequently undermined Willard’s position in the central political sphere.

From the king’s perspective, this divorce would be the perfect excuse to disgrace Willard and tarnish his reputation.

‘He might even use this to make unreasonable demands about the marriage between the crown prince and Juliet….’

That marriage, which had once seemed to be progressing smoothly, had recently stalled.

…Come to think of it, that too was because of Muriel—that wretched girl.

A week ago, Juliet had returned from meeting the crown prince and cried out in fury.

‘His Highness wouldn’t even look at me!’

‘Calm yourself, my daughter. Perhaps he was simply in a poor mood. Has he not always been somewhat capricious?’

‘No! It’s not that… It’s because of Muriel—that lowborn thing!’

After investigating further, it seemed that Crown Prince Fabian had long held more interest in Muriel than in Juliet.

‘Utterly ridiculous! Our Juliet is far more beautiful and intelligent!’

The more he thought about it, the more unpleasant it became. Willard’s face twisted as he shook his head.

In any case, the true problem wasn’t the crown prince—

‘Raul Winterberg…. That bastard irritates me the most.’

He should have killed that brat during the territorial war ten years ago.

At the time, House Tierney had possessed more than enough troops to take Winterberg Castle.

But they had withdrawn after seizing only a small tract of land, due to unfavorable public opinion among the nobility regarding Willard’s brutal methods.

He regretted sparing Raul, over and over again.

The insignificant eleven-year-old boy from ten years ago had grown into a beast baring its fangs at him.

‘A mongrel dog of Winterberg….’

Anyone who dared oppose him—whoever they might be—was intolerable.

If he saw even the slightest sign of defiance, he had to crush it.

Watching Willard seethe, his subordinate cautiously spoke.

“St-still, Lady Muriel’s divorce does bring some advantage to House Tierney.”

Willard exhaled and responded.

“Hoo…. That’s true. Raul can no longer assert any rights over Muriel….”

Raul must have gone through with the divorce without knowing Muriel was a Purifier.

If he had known, there was no way he would have let her go.

The thought that Raul had suffered a loss due to a single misstep lifted Willard’s mood slightly.

“Raul may now have no connection to Muriel, but I, as her father, am different. Am I not?”

“That is correct….”

Even if Muriel had chosen independence, she was still a member of House Tierney.

Above all, there was the debt of upbringing.

They had adopted a filthy, lowborn orphan, fed her, educated her.

“…If the power of purification can be used for our house, there could be no better outcome.”

“Indeed….”

“If our house possesses a Purifier, it will be politically advantageous as well.”

“Quite so.”

“And it will undoubtedly prove useful for our future plans.”

“Yes….”

“You said Muriel has joined an Adventurers’ Guild?”

“Yes. A guild called Veratis.”

“Ah, I’ve heard of it.”

For a half-wit like Muriel to enter such an elite guild—being a Purifier truly was an extraordinary status.

After stroking his chin in thought, Willard spoke again.

“I’ll send Kabil to the Contaminated Zone. Let the boy assemble his own personnel.”

“Yes, I will assist him.”

Though the subordinate obediently agreed, he hesitated, as if something had just occurred to him.

“What is it?”

Sensing his unease, Willard asked.

The subordinate lowered his posture, blinking.

“Th-the temple may intervene, might they not? A Purifier… holds a position no different from a saintess….”

“Of course that’s possible. But think carefully. The temple will respect the will of that very saintess.”

“Ah…!”

The subordinate’s eyes widened in understanding.

Willard curled his lips into a confident smile.

“Muriel—that spineless, foolish child—what could she possibly know? If she’s declared independence, someone must have egged her on. There’s no need to worry. A few words from Kabil, who knows how to handle her, and she’ll lower her tail and crawl back in no time.”

“Your insight is remarkable.”

The idea that Muriel might dare to resist never even crossed his mind.

She had been beaten and conditioned hundreds of times—she trembled at the mere sight of Kabil.

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“Damn it, what is this? Why do I feel so awful?”

I muttered darkly, stopping mid-sauté as I stirred the mushrooms in butter. The dancing water droplet beside me flinched.

“Wh-what’s wrong, Master?”

“I don’t know. I suddenly got this really bad feeling….”

Don’t tell me I’ve developed precognition now.

The system has dumped so many options on me that one more wouldn’t even be surprising.

‘Or maybe it’s because of that irritating nightmare at dawn.’

I’d kicked Raul away so satisfyingly that my mood should’ve been soaring like a bird in the open sky.

Instead, I had to go and dream about my childhood again, and now I felt filthy.

‘Memory synchronization….’

Lately, just when I start to forget, I dream Muriel’s dreams. Even when I’m awake, her memories surface. Before I knew it, the synchronization rate had passed sixty percent.

At this point, I’d given up resisting.

It wasn’t something I could fight.

‘Fine. My past life is already over. Whether I become Muriel completely or not—who cares. Let it happen.’

If I’m at it, I might as well get some revenge for Muriel, too.

Slice!

I cut the stem off a purple eggplant with a sharp stroke of my knife.

“…….”

A fragment of the nightmare from dawn rewound in my mind like a strip of film.

‘Lowborn trash, be grateful you’re not my type. Ugh, I’d rather watch a monkey do tricks than touch something like you.’

That fucking lunatic….

Kabil Tierney—that degenerate bastard—was literal garbage.

‘At least that part was a blessing. He’d retch whenever he saw me, so he never laid a hand on me.’

Kabil was a sexual deviant.

He had sadistic tendencies, and whenever someone caught his interest, he lunged without caring about consequences.

Woman or man—it didn’t matter….

‘And that bastard is still alive…! What a waste of oxygen!’

Thud!

Slice—

I split the long eggplant cleanly in two.

I’d love to erase Kabil from this world, but that might mean going to all-out war with House Tierney….

Tierney’s military strength was beyond imagination. Winterberg was powerful too, but if war broke out, there were no guarantees.

And if even Winterberg was only on that level, then me—protected by nothing more than a single Adventurers’ Guild—

‘It’d be a different story if I had the Grastea Empire at my back.’

So, if I’m settling for avoiding the worst-case scenario….

‘Maybe I should just cut off what’s between his legs instead….’

Thud thud thud!

Slice slice!

Madness flashed at my fingertips as the blade danced in a frenzy.