Chapter 75

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“W-Wow…. Is this paradise?”

“Your house is so beautiful. The farm too.”

“It feels like we’ve stepped into a fairytale….”

“Muriel! So you really are a Purifier!”

“Hey, what do you take me for? You think I’d recruit a fake?”

“Waaah, strawberries! Strawberries!”

It was nearly noon. The guests who’d been looking forward to today since yesterday had finally arrived.

The members of the Veratis Guild.

A sort of housewarming party… if you could call it that.

Not everyone had come—just a handful.

From the looks of it, they’d all brought their arms full of gifts.

Even though I told them they didn’t have to.

Letting out a sheepish laugh, I greeted them with a warm smile.

“Welcome, everyone. Feel free to look around the farm. Just be a little careful of the rabbits in the barn.”

“Muriel, thank you so much for invit—”

Allen, who always stepped forward as the representative in moments like this, was about to respond when a shrill scream rang out.

“Kyaaah! Nikke! You can’t just pick the strawberries like that!”

“They’re good.”

Nikke had struck.

She stood there, a strawberry clutched in her hand, chewing away without a care in the world.

She looked so much like a rabbit it was almost unfair.

I waved it off with a fond smile.

“It’s okay. Eat as many as you want, Nikke.”

“Muriel unnie is an angel!”

“N-No! You can’t just give her permission like that…!”

The brown-haired woman who seemed to be in charge of watching Nikke—Tierra—looked utterly flustered.

I understood why a moment later.

Because Nikke, quite literally, at lightning speed…

…devastated half of my strawberry patch.

‘W-What an appetite.’

If Nikke had been born on twenty-first century Earth, she might’ve become a mukbang YouTuber.

“You shouldn’t underestimate her just because she’s small and young. Nikke’s terrifying when it comes to food.”

Dante, the last to arrive, strolled over leisurely as he spoke.

The moment he spotted Lycian standing beside me, his brow crumpled sharply.

Lycian responded with a crooked smirk, lifting only one corner of his mouth.

They still didn’t get along—but that wasn’t my problem.

What caught my attention was the unfamiliar figure walking a few steps behind Dante.

The person wore a hood pulled low, looking suspicious at first glance—but the clothes were undeniably luxurious.

The design was simple, yet the fabric was anything but ordinary.

Only nobles or wealthy merchants could afford garments like that.

‘Too out of place to be a new guild member….’

As I tilted my head in confusion, Dante seemed to catch on.

“Actually… there’s someone here today you should meet, Muriel. I’m sorry we didn’t tell you in advance.”

“…?”

Not someone to introduce—but someone I needed to meet?

The nuance was strange.

Who could it possibly be?

When I looked at him expectantly, Dante stepped aside.

At his signal, the hooded stranger moved forward and removed their hood.

“…!”

My eyes widened.

Vivid green hair rippled softly down.

Emerald eyes—like a summer forest brought to life.

And a face that felt achingly familiar.

Not exactly the same as the one in my memories, but…

‘I’m sorry, Muriel. Just wait a few days… no, a few months. I’ll come back for you.’

‘Unnie…. Can’t I just go with you? Everyone here bullies me…. It’s so lonely….’

‘…I’m sorry.’

…It was unmistakable.

“…….”

The sister who had abandoned me long ago.

A long, heavy silence fell. My sister—Deborah—and I could only stare at each other.

It was Deborah who finally spoke first.

She swallowed hard, her voice trembling.

“It’s been a long time, Muriel…. Have you been well?”

“…….”

There was tension in her expression, guilt in her eyes.

And beneath it all—hope. Relief.

‘I….’

I wasn’t sure. Was I happy to see her?

I didn’t feel resentment. She’d left me behind to be adopted into the Marconi family—but she’d been young then, too.

How wise, how selfless could a child possibly be?

There was no lingering knot of hatred in my chest.

But… I wasn’t overwhelmingly happy either.

I’m glad you seem to be doing well.

That was about it.

This wasn’t some tearful, emotional reunion.

There wasn’t anything I particularly wanted to say.

So I settled for a polite smile.

It was the best I could offer.

“It’s been a while, unnie.”

“…….”

Deborah’s face twisted, as though tears might spill at any second.

But I had no words to comfort her.

Empty words without sincerity would mean nothing.

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“Muriel, you’re an amazing cook!”

“This eggplant parmagiana is incredible…!”

“Nikke…. You ate that many strawberries and you’re still hungry?”

“Mhm.”

“That’s weird. I feel energized all of a sudden after eating Muriel’s food.”

“Huh? You too? Same here.”

The highlight of any housewarming was everyone gathering around the table and sharing good food.

Lycian and Camilla had helped with prep work, but I’d done most of the cooking.

As a result, my cooking skill level had gone up.

The effects attached to my dishes had improved too.

For example:

“What…? I can suddenly breathe through my nose after eating this chicken….”

“Uncle Lucas, don’t you have chronic rhinitis?”

“I do…. So what is this?”

“My headache’s gone. Is it because of the salad?”

“Muriel, did you do something to the food…?!”

At Allen’s sharp question, everyone froze mid-bite and turned to stare at me.

“Ha ha….”

I scratched my cheek awkwardly before confessing.

“Well… when I cook, the food tends to gain various effects. I guess you could say it’s… one of the Saintess’s abilities.”

Saying Saintess out loud myself made my face burn.

But while I was the only one embarrassed, everyone else reacted as if they’d expected nothing less—clapping, exclaiming, making a fuss.

“As expected of Lady Muriel…!”

“The very light of our guild!”

“Where is Lady Muriel? All I see is light!”

“Ahh…! I looked directly at Lady Muriel and now I’m going blind!”

…That’s excessive.

Did they take lessons in flattery somewhere?

“Why don’t you just become our Guild Master, Lady Muriel? We can toss out the gambling addict we have now.”

“H-Hey, aren’t you going too far? I quit gambling lately…!”

“Guild Master, stop drinking!”

It was chaos.

The house, which had once held only four of us—including the water droplet—now felt crowded and noisy.

A little unfamiliar.

Then, from my left, a childlike voice piped up.

“Muriel! This is good! Muriel is amazing!”

“Thank you. Eat as much as you like, Nigel.”

But… is it okay for a crow to eat human food like that?

…Well, Nigel wasn’t exactly an ordinary crow to begin with.

“Hey, crow! If you eat that fast, you’ll get indigestion! Drink some water!”

“Oh, thank you, spirit!”

An unexpected duo—Nigel and Ninabel.

They seemed to get along surprisingly well.

Similar mental ages, maybe?

“Let’s make a toast! To celebrate Muriel’s divorce!”

It was Daphne, the biggest drinker in the guild.

She raised her glass high, and in an instant, everyone else was on their feet, joining in.

Glasses gathered together in the center in a flash.

“Muriel, hurry!”

“Um…. All right, just one glass….”

At Daphne’s urging, I reluctantly rose and lifted my glass.

I could feel Lycian’s piercing gaze on me, but I pretended not to notice.

“What should the toast be?”

“To Muriel’s divorce!”

“And to freedom!”

“To freedom~!”

Clink— The clear sound of glasses colliding rang out.

Smiling brightly, I brought the glass to my lips.

The liquor was a fruit wine Dante had brought as a gift.

Sweet, fragrant—easy to drink.

‘Ah, I only meant to take one sip… and I finished the whole thing….’

When I glanced sideways, Lycian was watching me with a beautiful smile.

…That was absolutely fake.

“Muriel, want another?”

“N-No, I’m going to step out for some air!”

“All right then~”

Daphne tried to pour me more, but fearing Lycian’s inevitable nagging, I fled at once.

Out in the living room, I found Deborah sitting stiffly on the sofa.

She’d declined to join the meal, saying she was fine. Instead, she sat alone, lost in thought, unable to mingle.

“…….”

For some reason, my chest tightened.

And so I slowly walked over to her.