I Cured the Mastermind and Failed to Run Away - Chapter 12

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 12

Rebelin returned to the Estate.
She endured a barrage of scolding from Arent that stretched deep into the night.
If her father hadn’t rushed home after learning the news late and urged her to rest, she likely would have spent the entire evening listening to him.
Arent, predictably unable to tear himself away, had tried to follow her all the way to her bedroom to stand guard, so she kicked him out—though he dodged every blow.
Of course he dodged them all, so she’d resorted to biting his arm to claim victory.
And here she’d thought she’d been so careful to keep this from him!
How on earth did Sophia manage to deal with Arent?
‘Thank goodness I don’t have to.’
Fortunately, the maids and knights honored their promise not to speak of what Rebelin had supposedly experienced during the Academy’s graduation exam, so there was no mention of it at all.
Back in her bedroom, Rebelin checked that no one was coming before retrieving the hidden Magical Device.
She pulled the blanket over her head and secretly checked her Rank.
A soft beep sounded.
Rebelin immediately confirmed her Rank.
‘Just as I thought.’
Fourth Rank.
Her Rank had risen.
‘When I Purify something corrupted by Magical Corruption, my Rank goes up.’
She didn’t know why it had happened so suddenly, but her heart pounded so hard she thought it might burst from her chest.
‘It’s not as dramatic a jump as when I Purified Chedwin and went from Rank 10 Purifier to Rank 5 Purifier all at once.’
Still, she’d confirmed the condition for a Rank increase.
‘What if I keep rising in Rank like this? Could I eventually become a Rank 1 Purifier?’
It was something she’d never even dared imagine in her dreams.
Rebelin pressed her palms firmly against her chest, trying to calm her racing heart that threatened to burst free.
But it was no easy feat.
‘So I need to either enter a Corruption Zone like today, find someone Corrupted like when I Purified Chedwin, or discover a Corrupted object.’
Finding locations where Corruption Zones appear wasn’t difficult since she knew the Original Work, but the problem was how suspiciously conspicuous it would be!
‘Every time a Corruption Zone appears, if I’m there, everyone will call me the devil’s incarnate and avoid me.’
And there was one more problem.
“I might die to a Corrupted Beast.”
Today she’d been lucky that Chedwin saved her, but what about next time?
She knew the Original Work and had acted exactly like Sophia.
But today, Rebelin had nearly died.
It would be the same next time. Sophia had been safe, but Rebelin was different.
‘I wish I were strong like Chedwin.’
The image of the Corrupted Beast from earlier flashed in her mind—its jaw gaping open, razor-sharp fangs gleaming as it charged toward her.
“Let’s rule out entering Corruption Zones.”
Anyway, no Corruption Zones were expected to appear in the Capital for a while.
Besides, since Chedwin hadn’t left the Capital like in the Original Work, she needed to be careful about everything.
“Let me focus on Purification using safe methods.”

* * *

Several days had passed since the Corruption Zone appeared in the Capital.
‘Why is it so quiet?’
Something was wrong.
‘Sophia hasn’t been revealed as a Rank 2 Purifier.’
According to the Original Work, by now Sophia should have become widely known as a Rank 2 Purifier after her remarkable exploits in the Corruption Zone, and she should have been entangled with the male leads.
“Could Sophia have run away after seeing me?”
When Sophia visited the Atelier and saw Rebelin, she’d fled without getting caught up in the Corruption Zone, and so the events of the Original Work never unfolded at all.
‘I waited to see if some other incident would occur instead!’
But it had been quiet all week.
What had become of Sophia’s life, where she was supposed to make a name for herself as a Rank 2 Purifier and win both love and glory?
‘I only wanted to save my brother, not steal someone’s future.’
Between raising her Purifier Rank, she now had to worry about securing Sophia’s happiness too.
There was too much to do.
‘First, I’ll focus on raising my Rank as a Purifier today.’
Rebelin, who had spent her entire life confined to the Estate under overprotective care, could finally venture out.
Arent had refused at first, worried as he was, but when she threw a tantrum about just visiting the Atelier for an exhibition, he relented.
The carriage came to a stop after traveling for some time.
“We’ve arrived, Miss,” the escort said.
The escort opened the carriage door.
“This is it?”
Rebelin stepped down and surveyed the location.
It looked like an Atelier on the surface, but this was actually an Auction House.
An illegal Auction House where goods normally forbidden from trade could be purchased.
‘It was mentioned briefly in the Original Work.’
Though known to some of the nobility, neither her father nor her brother—whose characters were too upright to show interest in anything illegal—had ever heard of this place.
After instructing the coachman and escort where to wait, Rebelin entered the Atelier.
The exterior looked exactly like any ordinary Atelier one could visit anytime.
Pretending to browse the interior, Rebelin found the staircase leading down.
‘This is it.’
As she approached the stairs, a gatekeeper appeared without warning and blocked her path.
“The lower level is currently in operation and entry is restricted.”
This was the entrance to the Auction House proper.
“Currently in operation” was a euphemism for “auction in progress.”
‘Since this might be necessary someday, the moment the Original Work came to mind, I made inquiries everywhere and carefully prepared an Auction House Ticket!’
This was the virtue that anyone with knowledge of the Original Work must cultivate.
‘There’s no romance without an Auction House.’
Without a word, Rebelin produced the ticket she had prepared.
“Ah, so you’re here to purchase today’s goods.”
The gatekeeper examined the ticket and stepped aside.
Rebelin descended into the basement.
Before entering the Auction House proper, she received a Mask prepared by the organizers—all identically crafted to prevent identification of the participants.
Putting on the Mask, she entered to find the space filled with others whose faces were concealed behind identical ones.
Rebelin took a seat in an unremarkable spot.
‘There’s still time.’
The auction seemed to have only just begun, so there were still many items yet to be sold.
“Our next lot: a Beast Claw discovered in a Corruption Zone. An unreported specimen—we proudly declare it a rare find. The opening bid is…….”
This Auction House dealt in items and byproducts of Corrupted Beasts found within Corruption Zones.
It was a place frequented by nobles with a taste for collecting rare curiosities.
“Our next lot: Due to its danger, this has been placed in a specially crafted Magical Device for auction. A Corrupted Plant brought from a Corruption Zone. A plant suffused with Magical Corruption, yet it does not wilt—a true rarity. The opening bid is…….”
There it was.
‘The very reason I came to this Auction House today!’
To raise my Rank, I must Purify Corruption tainted with Magical Corruption—whether it’s a person, a place, or an object!
So rather than risk venturing into a Corruption Zone myself, Rebelin had decided to collect Corrupted objects from this illegal Auction House.
“Fifty million gold.”
It would require some coin, but that was acceptable.
For Rebelin, the youngest daughter of the Etheelion Family, money was no concern.
“Sold for fifty million gold!”
‘Purify in a safe manner!’
Good. I’ll buy safety with coin.
“Our next lot: a Corrupted Quill found in a Corruption Zone…….”
“Thirty million gold.”
Sold.
“Our next lot: an item found in a Corruption Zone…….”
“Sixty million gold.”
Sold.
Corrupted objects fell to Rebelin’s bidding one after another.
She felt the surrounding gazes, as if they saw her as a Corruption devotee, but she paid it no mind.
Her identity was masked anyway, so no one could possibly identify her.
‘Once I finish Purifying them all, I’ll donate them anonymously to an Atelier as exhibition pieces, so no one will ever know who bought them.’
How much would my Rank rise from Purifying such minor Magical Corruption?
So far, I’ve Purified Corruption twice: once with Chedwin, once in a Corruption Zone.
Two instances of Purification in total.
After purifying Chedwin and collapsing in a pool of blood, she’d reached Rank 5. After purifying the Corruption Zone and suffering from dizziness afterward, she’d climbed to Rank 4.
For a Purifier of Rank 4, cleansing objects tainted by Magical Corruption was as effortless as breathing.
The question was how much her rank would actually rise from this.
‘Surely it won’t go up at all?’
…Ugh.
She was anxious about it.
Rebelin tallied her calculations carefully as she examined the corrupted items she’d bid heavily for at auction.
That was when she caught fragments of conversation behind her.
“There aren’t any interesting lots today. Last time they had a Dragon Fang—that was amusing.”
“I know, right? Oh, did you hear the news?”
Her companions’ voices drifted from behind, conversing in hushed tones.
“His Highness, the Grand Duke Belharck, at the victory celebration’s balcony….”
Hmm? The Grand Duke? The victory celebration’s balcony?
At the mention of those familiar words strung together, Rebelin’s ears pricked up.
‘What? Did someone witness who was on the balcony?’
Her heart dropped.
Rebelin feigned concentration on the auction while straining to hear the voices behind her.
“I heard too. He enjoyed a secret meeting on the victory celebration’s balcony, didn’t he?”
…Huh?
She nearly interjected to ask where such ridiculous gossip had originated.
“On the day of the victory celebration, His Highness sent word that he’d lost a precious item on the balcony and was searching for whoever took it—but apparently, it was actually a trap to silence anyone who witnessed his secret meeting!”
“To reunite with his beloved on the balcony the very moment he returned victorious—how romantic.”
…Wow. Who on earth had stitched together such an inflammatory rumor.
“Exactly. They say his lover is someone whose identity must remain hidden, so he enjoys secret meetings with her.”
“Apparently he didn’t even lose consciousness.”
“Really? That would explain it. Everyone found it strange when the robust Grand Duke suddenly fell unconscious.”
“Yes. He sent his lover away first and acted it out himself to avoid drawing attention. Having just returned to the Capital after so long, he must have found it unbearable to resist seeing the person he loves.”
“Do you think it’s a forbidden love? An impossible romance?”
“I thought only romance novels had stories like this!”
Rebelin pretended to fix her hair while blocking out the sound.
Don’t say such absurd things.
That kind of thing only happens in actual novels.
“So the person on the balcony with His Highness that day… is his lover?”
“Goodness. I’m curious now. His Highness, who’s never shown interest in marriage or heirs, has a lover? I wonder who it could be?”
A chill ran down her spine.
Why had the rumor spread in such a ridiculous direction!

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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