Chapter 25
Luna left for the temple, despite her grandfather’s pleas for her to stay home. She was going to register for the official purification mage certification process.
“She just left like that…”
At dawn, the client—no, Duke Bahir—had departed without notice. Yet he had sent a pouch of jewels as payment, not only settling all her outstanding debts but leaving her with enough to live comfortably for quite some time.
That wasn’t all. From morning onward, furniture craftsmen and boutique clerks arrived one after another to deliver lavish items, turning the estate into chaos.
Luna had escaped the mansion as if fleeing, but her shoulders felt heavy. She had never done anything that deserved such an extravagant reward.
He would know better than anyone that she had failed the purification. And yet, he thanked her like this?
Luna felt guilty, convinced that the reward was excessive even if it was just a show of wealth. The thought took root inside her: she must succeed in purifying him properly one day.
But why hadn’t the Duke sought purification from the archmage of the capital instead?
The question followed her all the way to the temple, but she quickly shook her head. Delving deeper could cost her life.
She was led into a room lined with large statues and looked around while waiting. Her eyes were drawn to one statue in particular—a great bird spreading its wings and soaring skyward from the arm of a woman.
Wasn’t that from the old story about divine beasts being released into the heavens through the blessed maiden?
She recalled how, as a child, her grandfather had told her a terrifying tale on stormy nights: the empire perished and everyone died because they failed to release the divine beast into the sky.
She had cried her eyes out, asking if her whole family would die too. Her grandfather had apologized profusely, saying it was just an old legend.
“…”
At least there was no storm now. She would be fine.
“Hello, Lady Luna Aderet! Have you been waiting long? Shall we begin?”
Just then, a priest with a cheerful voice burst through the door. He spoke quickly but gently, wearing a bright smile the whole time.
“Let me explain briefly! You’ll be purifying the identification stones prepared by the temple one after another. Finally, you’ll undergo a purification test at the Magic Tower of the capital, and once you pass, you’ll officially be recognized as a purification mage! This is the very first stone for today!”
The priest immediately handed her a stone—the same kind the commander of Raven’s unit had once tested her with.
Because of the priest’s overwhelming presence, Luna focused quickly on purifying the stone.
“Let’s begin.”
Magic flowed from her fingertips. Since she had done this once before, she felt more relaxed than expected.
Did purification get easier with practice? The first time she’d grabbed an identification stone, she’d broken out in a cold sweat and soon felt sick. Now, the pain stopped at just a brief throb. She managed to purify the stone perfectly.
“Amazing! Purification is so romantic!”
“Romantic?”
Luna blinked at the absurd word.
Romantic, her foot. If the priest ever felt the pain of purification, that word would vanish from his vocabulary instantly.
Still, Luna listened, curious about what else the priest might say. The priest’s cheeks flushed slightly as he leaned closer and whispered.
“Other priests say purification is improper and indecent, but I see it differently. You’re saving people ravaged by curses. It’s no easy task. Isn’t that truly wonderful and beautiful?”
“I-I suppose so.”
Beautiful? She wasn’t sure it deserved such lofty praise.
She had started purifying to survive, and continued doing it for money.
The urge to blurt this out rose in her throat, but she bit down on her lips and swallowed it back.
The priest’s expression was filled with reverent devotion, as if he believed in a sacred fantasy. If she wanted to get along with him for the next six months, she’d best protect that illusion.
Undeterred by her lukewarm response, the priest pressed on eagerly.
“I’ve heard the highest level of purification involves opening your mana and spending the night together. They say more than a few couples fall in love during purification. Isn’t that romantic? Especially during the final exam in the capital—since it’s done with a person rather than a stone, many couples form then.”
“What?”
Luna’s pupils trembled as if she’d heard something she wasn’t meant to. She was dumbfounded by this sudden revelation about the last step.
Spend the night with a stranger? Was he insane? Should she just give up now?
No—she couldn’t. Purification was her livelihood. She couldn’t walk away.
The priest noticed her paling face and burst into laughter.
“Oh! Have you already purified someone before? No wonder you purified the stone so quickly! With your skill, you won’t need to spend the night with anyone.”
“Really?”
Relieved, Luna replied with a calmer tone. This priest really knew how to toy with people’s nerves.
But then the priest’s gaze sharpened suddenly, and he recoiled in shock.
“Wait, Lady Luna—don’t tell me you already spent the night with your first purification subject…?”
“What? No, of course not!”
Luna’s face flushed with fresh embarrassment. The priest, intoxicated with notions of romance, looked desperate to hear a love story.
As she stammered, an image popped into her head—the bold embrace from yesterday. Heat rushed to her face.
She shook her head vigorously to banish the indecent memory.
“My, my. Blushing and denying it won’t hide the truth.”
“It’s nothing like that! Really, we’re perfectly proper!”
“Then, what is he to you? A lover? A fiancé?”
“Just someone who needed help.”
A romantic relationship with a duke from another world? Preposterous. The very idea made her laugh.
But the priest, insistent on framing everything romantically, clenched her fist in determination.
“I’ll be rooting for your love too, Lady Luna! Stay strong!”
“I told you, it’s not like that!”
Luna had thought temples were filled only with pure-hearted healers and kind knights. Yet here was a self-proclaimed missionary of love, showering her with unsolicited encouragement.
To protect what remained of the temple’s image, Luna felt she had to escape.
“Where are you going? You’ve completed the first purification, so it’s time for the next step!”
“The next step?”
The priest blocked her path, holding up a thick book.
“These are the imperial laws regarding purification, safety precautions, and training guidelines.”
She brandished it with surprising vigor, still smiling brightly.
Luna couldn’t help but sigh. Nothing about learning ever came easy.
A few hours later.
At a quiet restaurant near the temple, Luna sat at an outdoor table, eating a fresh Caprese salad for a late lunch.
She speared a tomato with her fork and chewed slowly.
She had thought she’d only be purifying identification stones, but since it was the first day, there was much more to learn. What struck her most was the punishment for unofficial purification.
Struggling to swallow the tomato, Luna found she had no appetite. Just thinking about the penalties made her lose her taste for food.
The temple, though merciful in many things, treated curses and purification—the realm of dark magic—with utmost severity. Regardless of circumstances, unofficial purification was strictly forbidden by imperial law.
Punishment after investigation could be as light as a fine, but in severe cases, it meant losing one’s noble title or lifelong imprisonment. She’d known vaguely, but hearing it spelled out so sharply chilled her to the bone.
“What did I do that was so wrong? Like the priest said, I only wanted to save someone suffering from a curse. Why punish that?”
Her frustration only deepened when the priest’s additional explanation came to mind.
A mage capable of purification could, in theory, cast curses as well—thus they were considered dangerous and required monitoring. Allowing unsupervised purifications posed a threat that had to be prevented.
This was a disaster. She already had a history of taking illegal requests. Twice, in fact!
And come to think of it, she had openly admitted it to the priest earlier…
“Ugh.”
Remembering that conversation, she sighed heavily. She had basically confessed.
Had the priest noticed? What if this brought trouble upon the Duke as well?
Her wide eyes darted around nervously, her body shrinking.
If it became known that Duke Bahir himself had received an illegal purification, what then?
Groaning, Luna clutched her head. At times like this, the chill crawling up her neck always made things feel worse.
Crrrk—
“…?”
At that moment—
A man suddenly approached, pulled out the chair opposite her, and sat down.
