chapter 04
My heart dropped in an instant.
‘Don’t tell me he realized I’ve possessed this body?’
I couldn’t easily affirm or deny it. As I was carefully considering my answer, Ash murmured softly.
[“Do you know how much I went through just to bring it back…”]
“What did you say?”
At my question, he jumped like he’d been struck by lightning and quickly replied,
[“Ah, nothing! It’s nothing!”]
He couldn’t meet my eyes and averted his gaze. He definitely looked suspicious.
Maybe he sensed my doubt, because he hastily added,
[“I’m not here to hurt you. I came only because I wanted to help.”]
But I had learned far too young that in this world, there’s no such thing as help or kindness without a hidden agenda.
“This is the first time we’ve met. Why should I trust you?”
At my question, Ash rolled his eyes.
[“I’ll give you power.”]
“Power?”
[“Yes, power that you absolutely need, and power that rightfully belongs to you.”]
The little bird moved from my palm to perch lightly on my wrist and murmured in a low voice,
[“Power that was originally yours.”]
Its beak pecked gently at the inside of my wrist.
And then—sparkling blue energy began to flow out from that spot.
“What is this…?”
[“It’s calling forth the power that was inside you.”]
In the blink of an eye, the energy spread through my whole body.
I blinked, surrounded by the blue light.
It looked like a radiant universe.
Moments later, the energy that had surged through me began to be absorbed back into my body.
I trembled faintly, feeling the power seep into my veins like a gentle tide.
It was unfamiliar, yet warm and pure—and strangely nostalgic.
As I looked at Ash with a puzzled expression, the plump, white bird smiled brightly and said,
[“In this world, it’s called ‘Epure.’ You’ve just awakened as a Purifier.”]
‘I’m a Purifier?’
The heroines in stories always come with overpowered abilities.
They contract with spirits, have healing powers, are geniuses in magic or swordsmanship, or at the very least, possess some special trait that captures the male lead’s heart.
So just from the name, I could more or less guess what kind of power this was.
Something like repelling evil energy or saving corrupted souls.
But I couldn’t afford to be happy about it just yet.
‘The problem is… I’m probably not the main character.’
Instead of boldly declaring I wasn’t, I left it vague by saying the likelihood was high. And there was a reason for that.
After all, the official protagonist of The Lady’s Reversal was not Olabia, but Karinne.
‘But things are already deviating from the original storyline.’
A maid who acts far too polite, the sudden appearance of this bird, and now this awakening as a Purifier—all of it.
‘Maybe my possession itself became a major variable.’
New characters often change everything.
Maybe the current of fate had bent slightly in a new direction.
If so, then perhaps it was a good thing for me.
“As long as I stay focused, I might survive.”
[“Is someone trying to kill you?”]
“What?”
I’d spoken my thoughts out loud without realizing, and Ash had heard.
I considered brushing it off.
‘But he’s already heard the name Karinne. Even if I dodge it this time, it’s only a matter of time before he learns the rest.’
Besides, this bird, who had awakened the Purifier’s power in me, didn’t seem like it would leave anytime soon.
‘Even if I tell him to go, I doubt he’ll listen.’
In the end, I confessed honestly.
“I think my sister wants to kill me.”
Of course, I couldn’t reveal that I had possessed someone in a novel, so I vaguely explained how I came to suspect it.
[“Hmm. I see.”]
I expected surprise, but Ash’s reaction was surprisingly indifferent.
“It’s not confirmed. Just a suspicion.”
[“You’re probably right.”]
He sounded confident. He shrugged his tiny shoulders and added,
[“You wouldn’t have felt that way for no reason.”]
“How can you be so sure?”
[“Epures are born with very keen intuition. Ever heard of a sixth sense? Haven’t you noticed that you sense danger or trouble better than others?”]
My mouth fell open slightly without me realizing.
‘How does he know that?’
Since I was young, whenever I had a bad feeling that something unlucky would happen, it always turned out to be right.
The problem was, I could never tell what exactly would happen until it was too late.
In other words, it was a completely useless sense.
“Even if I sense it in advance, there’s nothing I can do to avoid it.”
[“Maybe that was true before. But from now on, it’ll be an essential ability. Epures are special beings with the power of purification.”]
According to Ash, Epures weren’t just powerful healers—they could also break curses and neutralize poisons.
‘That’s more impressive than I thought.’
I had assumed it was just a healing ability, but it could even break curses and detoxify poison?
‘Wait… detoxify poison?’
As I repeated Ash’s words in my mind, I suddenly paused.
‘If what he’s saying is true, then I should be fine even if I get poisoned, right?’
If Karinne ever tried to curse me, I could just use the power of the Epure to purify it.
It felt like the gloomy, clouded sky in my heart suddenly turned bright blue.
“This power is really useful. From now on, whenever something happens to me, I’ll just use this power.”
But my soaring hopes deflated like a balloon in just a few seconds.
[“Sorry, but you can’t do that. A Purifier can’t heal themselves.”]
“What?”
[“Epure’s holy purification doesn’t work on themselves.”]
Are you kidding me?
I almost cursed out loud.
Instead, my unfiltered thoughts burst out.
“This is supposed to be a blessing from the gods?”
[“Yes.”]
“You’re saying this power is a divine blessing?”
[“Yes.”]
Oh my god. I pressed my aching temples hard.
I was afraid this might be the case, and now I’d officially been labeled a helpless pushover by the universe.
[“Why are you so upset, Olabia? Aren’t you happy to have a power now?”]
Seeing the clueless look on his face only made my frustration boil over.
“Isn’t it obvious? What’s the point of a power if I can’t even use it to protect myself?”
[“Even if it’s not useful to you, it could help someone else—”]
“That’s the problem!”
I completely lost my patience and self-control.
“How is it a blessing to spend your whole life helping others while you die? That’s a curse! I’m just an ordinary person who wants to live a normal life!”
Sure, I respect those who sacrifice themselves for others.
But that’s because I know I could never be like them, even if I died and came back to life.
Ash looked completely stunned, like he hadn’t expected that reaction at all. He scrambled to calm me down.
[“Don’t be too upset. There are lots of people who would kill to have Epure’s power.”]
Wait.
That sudden feeling of unease made me grab him with both hands.
“Wait a second. That sounded like… there are a lot of people after me now?”
[“Uh, well…”]
Ash looked around nervously, then trailed off.
I could practically hear the death flag being re-raised.
“Ha…”
I guess “too stunned to speak” was exactly what described this moment.
‘I really did dig my own grave.’
Here I was, struggling to survive, and now I’d just made myself an even bigger target.
“I don’t need this power. Take it back.”
Ash looked visibly flustered.
[“Th-that’s not possible.”]
“What did you say?”
Still gauging my mood, Ash hesitated before replying.
[“Once power has been awakened, it can’t be undone.”]
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
My words came out sharp. Ash flinched and stammered,
[“S-sorry. I didn’t know you’d hate it this much. I mean… it was your power originally…”]
He kept trying to explain, but I didn’t really hear the rest.
No one in a story is given a power for no reason.
I didn’t know what the god of this world was thinking giving me such a power, but one thing was certain—it wouldn’t be for free.
If needed, I might even have to bet that tea I didn’t drink earlier.
That tea with the oh-so-fantastic effect of swapping bodies and lives—poison tea.
Oh, right.
‘I completely forgot.’
I turned away from Ash, leaving him behind.
Startled, he jumped back in alarm, but I ignored it.
‘I need to check the tea leaves.’
I’d completely lost focus thanks to his sudden appearance.
I walked to the table and opened the lid of the teapot. The tea had already gone cold.
I laid a white handkerchief on the table and carefully spread the tea leaves on top.
The moist leaves had returned to their original shape.
“They all look the same… Maybe the poison was in the water, not the leaves?”
I murmured, rubbing my forehead, and Ash fluttered down onto the table and craned his neck.
[“Olabia… what are you doing?”]
I didn’t answer. But I didn’t push him away, either.
[“Wait a second.”]
Just then, Ash’s expression changed as he closely examined the leaves.
