I Cured the Mastermind and Failed to Run Away - Chapter 25

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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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Chapter 25

A few days passed, and the rumors about Chedwin vanished without a trace.
The day after parting ways with Revelin, Chedwin himself had addressed the gossip directly, declaring that he had no lover, no child, and certainly no secret affair.
He’d said he never knew there were so many foolish people willing to believe lies, and that henceforth, anyone who tarnished the honor of House Belharck would answer to his sword.
‘Not law, but the sword.’
Only Chedwin could say such a thing.
With that single statement, everyone who had believed the rumors suddenly became a fool whose life hung by a thread, so they all scrambled to pretend they’d never believed a word of it from the start.
‘Why deny the rumors all of a sudden?’
Had her persuasion actually worked?
‘Then if I could convince him to keep a dedicated Purifier at his side and receive regular Mana Purification to keep his mind from shattering, would that work too?’
If Chedwin would just undergo regular Purification, the chances of Arent being swept away to his death would drop considerably.
The eyewitness performance had taken root well enough—Chedwin remained quiet on the matter.
When they’d met in the Contamination Zone last time, Mila had made a point of loudly announcing that Revelin was only a Grade 10 Purifier and couldn’t actually purify anything, so there was no reason for suspicion.
‘I was smart to let Mila run her mouth like that.’
“Young lady, are you planning to visit the Temple again today to pray?” Sophia asked as she climbed into the carriage following Revelin’s departure.

“Yes. The prayers might run late, so feel free to return first if you like.”
Since that day, Revelin had continued visiting the Temple regularly.
On her return visit, she’d properly met with the Information Guild operative who was embedded there, and had been conducting a double life safely ever since.
As always, Revelin first changed into Priestess Robes in the private prayer chamber. Then she pulled her hair back tightly and covered her face with a Veil.
Following the guidance of the embedded operative, she slipped out through the back entrance and made her way to the Commoner Purification Center.
Sophia and the guards, of course, believed Revelin was praying in the private chamber.
Just as she’d anticipated, the Commoner Purification Center was crowded with people exposed to and corrupted by Magical Corruption. The shortage of Purifiers was so severe that when she claimed to be a Grade 7 Purifier, they barely checked her credentials and put her to work immediately.
“Ru, once you finish purifying Zone 3, would you mind handling Zone 2 next?”
The fake identity name Karl had created for Revelin was Ru.
Common enough that no one remembered it.
The Commoner Purification Center was organized by zones according to the degree of Magical Corruption contamination.
“Yes, Zone 3 is almost done.”
Revelin cheerfully moved to Zone 2, which was far from Zone 3.
Purifying the corrupted and raising her grade at the same time!
Everyone was too busy to pay her any attention.
‘Now that I’m Grade 4, work like this doesn’t even tire me out!’
Though her Purifier Grade hadn’t risen yet since she’d only been working for a few days, if she kept this up, she could eventually reach Grade 3.
‘Then I could even become a Grade 1 Purifier, couldn’t I?’
Revelin clenched both fists as ambitious plans took shape in her mind.
That was when it happened.
“Evacuate! Everyone, get out!”
“What?”
Suddenly, a thick wave of Magical Corruption surged through the area.
“Aaaaahhh!”
“Run for your lives!”
Screams and the sound of people rushing to flee reached her first.
Crash—
Then the area around Zone 1 of the Commoner Purification Center, where Magical Corruption had been swirling, was engulfed in contamination, and the building collapsed halfway.
‘Ah.’
She couldn’t tell if that was the sound of the building collapsing or her patience crumbling to dust as she watched.
Why does trouble always come calling the moment life seems perfect?
‘If this were a competition to see who could jump over the most trials, I’d probably be ranking in the top tier.’
Just when she thought she’d put the Chedwin and Sophia situation to rest, a Contamination Zone had to manifest precisely where Revelin was working.
She even wondered if the gods were punishing her for dragging the divine into rumors for her own benefit.
‘I wasn’t even using it for profit—this is so unfair!’
Revelin ran toward Zone 1 with the handful of Purifiers on hand.
Looking at the Magical Corruption, it wasn’t nearly as dangerous as what had manifested in the Workshop before.
In fact, according to the source material, contamination zones at that level of severity wouldn’t appear again for a while.
‘Grade 5 Purifiers alone should be able to manage this one.’
With her grade elevated, Revelin could now judge the danger level by sensing the Mana Contamination in the zone, however faintly.
If she purified it within half a day, those trapped inside would escape without injury.
‘At this level of contamination, I can handle it.’
Revelin’s eyes gleamed like a young jackal that had spotted its chance.
The people caught in this were all those who had experienced a Contamination Zone before, so they knew the drill—they wouldn’t scream and bolt or provoke the Contaminated Beasts.
‘Before this spirals and people get hurt, I need to get in there and end it.’
To slip in unnoticed, she’d need to clear the perimeter first.
“Um, um—what do we do? Everyone who hasn’t evacuated is already trapped inside.”
“First, keep people back so we don’t have any more casualties!”
The Purifiers moved in perfect coordination, cordoning off the area around the Contamination Zone.
Most of the Purifiers here were Grade 7 through 9.
The administrator, a Grade 6 Purifier—the highest rank present—shifted anxiously from foot to foot.
“Do we really have to go in ourselves? Without the mercenaries?”
“Are you insane? They haven’t even arrived yet!”
“Do you want us all dead? We can’t purify this on our own!”
The Purifiers, who understood the danger of a Contamination Zone, hugged themselves and shuddered.
Revelin, who had no intention of letting these people steal her purification credit, stepped forward without hesitation.
She usually kept silent around others to avoid detection, but there was no choice now.
“We’ll handle it ourselves.”
Revelin wrapped the Veil carefully around her face and moved out.
“Waiting for the Knight Order is too slow. Dispatch will take days.”
The Contamination Zone that had erupted in the Workshop where she’d waited for Sophia before had been even more dangerous, yet the Knight Order and mercenaries had deprioritized it because it was a commoner district.
So even if she reported this zone with its roiling Mana Contamination, dispatch would still take days.
She couldn’t simply wait.
“Standing here saying we can’t do anything won’t change anything anyway.”
First, she needed to get these people far from the zone so she could move freely.
She couldn’t go in and purify if someone was watching.
“You’ve all faced Contaminated Beasts before, so you know it’s terrifying. But the people trapped inside are far more terrified. They’ve already been exposed to Mana Contamination once, and now they’re caught in it again.”
The academy graduation exam. The Workshop incident.
Revelin had been trapped in a Contamination Zone twice and faced Contaminated Beasts directly—she understood better than anyone what those people inside must be feeling.
Perhaps that’s why she wanted to rush in and purify it so badly.
The other Purifiers pushed back against her words.
“But look at our grades. I’m Grade 8, and that person is Grade 9. What exactly are we supposed to do?”
“Revelin, you’re a Grade 7 Purifier, aren’t you? That’s why you can say such things.”
“If you’re so confident, why don’t you go into the zone yourself?”
“There’s nothing wrong with thinking of my own safety first. And you have no right to judge me for it.”
For just one comment, the response was sharp and cutting.
Being disliked among Purifiers was something Revelin had grown used to, so she remained unmoved.
“Everyone, stop. This isn’t the time for us to fight. …Revelin, we all want to save those people just as much as you do.”
The administrator stepped in to keep the tension from escalating.
She understood. The Purifiers gathered here had come to help the contaminated commoners who couldn’t get purified anywhere else.
Unlike Revelin, who had come with ulterior motives about raising her grade.
“What I mean is that a Purifier’s grade only matters when purifying contamination—not when saving people.”
It was the same even when she’d been Grade 10.
She knew that a low grade didn’t actually help with purification itself. But everyone had excluded her, as if a low grade meant she didn’t even deserve to help people.
She’d never understood that.
“Does someone have to have a high Purifier Grade to help people in danger?”
Revelin posed the question flatly to everyone. No one could answer.
“Let’s file a report first.”
When Revelin turned to the now-silent Purifiers and spoke, they all wore expressions of bewilderment.
“A report?”
“But didn’t you just say dispatch would take days?”
“Yes. If only one or two people report it, that’s true. It’s not an urgent matter. But if dozens keep calling it in, they can’t ignore it.”
That’s how bureaucracy works. A problem raised by a handful of people gets pushed aside, but a problem raised by hundreds gets attention.
“I’m not talking about making a scene. I mean gathering people and having each one legitimately report the Contamination Zone. The Contamination Investigation Team has operational standards—if reports come in simultaneously in large numbers, they’ll have to bump up the priority. …Even if our grades are low, we can do this much.”
Of course, once people went off to file reports, she’d slip into the zone, purify it, and escape before anyone knew.
Perfect.
Revelin, who’d been quietly pleased with herself, lifted her head when she felt eyes on her.
“…?”
Every Purifier present was staring at her.
‘What?’
As all eyes turned toward her, Revelin faltered, stepping back without meaning to.
‘Did I say something wrong?’
Had she spoken too carelessly, too much like a dream? But no—she’d laid out a solution that seemed practical, grounded in reality.
“Lu!”
The administrative official who’d been shifting anxiously from foot to foot just moments before suddenly seized Revelin’s hand. She flinched, her shoulders tensing.
“We’ve been wrong about you all this time!”

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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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