I Cured the Mastermind and Failed to Run Away - Chapter 26

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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 26

Lebelin’s lips parted uncertainly at the sudden shift in their demeanor, unsure how to respond.
“I… beg your pardon?”
“You never talk to us normally and just purify quietly before leaving! We wondered if maybe you were… strange.”
“Strange?”
“A criminal, or someone from the Crime Guild using a fake identity!”
Which wasn’t entirely wrong.
Lebelin tried to slip her hand free, but the administrator’s grip was far too strong to escape.
“You’re right! We’d forgotten we could do something!”
“Exactly! Lu, I never knew you thought like this!”
“We can’t just sit idle. I’ll go gather people!”
“And we should ask strong people to help, just in case!”
“I’ll go file a report too.”
“I know a lot of people. It won’t take long to get them to file reports—they’ll all help!”
The Purifiers burned with enthusiasm to do what they could.
“Lu! Let’s save people together!”
It was good they wanted to file reports, but their passion was almost excessive.
“Even Lu, who just started, is working so hard to save people! We should do our best too!”
The goal had simply been to get them all out of here by finding something they could do together and filing a report or two. But now grand meanings were piling up thicker than frost.
“I never knew you were such a thoughtful, warm person! I’m sorry for misunderstanding you, Lu. Please forgive me.”
“No, that’s not necessary—”
Before she could finish, the Purifiers who’d been snapping at her moments ago threw their arms around her and rushed off to find work.
‘How did this happen?’
As Lebelin stood bewildered, the administrator grasped her hand firmly once more.
“If it weren’t for you, Lu, none of us would have thought to act!”
“No, no it’s not—”
Lebelin shook her head.
“Someone else would have said the same thing. Filing more reports is something anyone could think of.”
As the moment grew heated, Lebelin shook her head firmly.
It was true. This wasn’t a difficult thought, and it wasn’t some new rule she’d created.
“But—”
It was useless. The administrator gave her no opening to escape.
“Even if it’s a thought anyone could have, bringing it to the right place at the right time is different. The other Purifiers and I never thought to file so many reports we could actually move the Contamination Investigation Team.”
“It’s really not that grand.”
“And what you said before—that people can be saved regardless of Purifier Rank.”
The administrator exhaled deeply.
“The truth is, I thought the same way. I’m Grade 6, so I believed I could only save people from Contaminated Areas that a Grade 6 Purifier could handle.”
As a Grade 10 Purifier who could do nothing, she had long resented why her Grade 10 status meant she couldn’t help anyone. That was a thought only Lebelin could have had.
“You gave people courage, Lu.”
Courage—she’d never thought of it that way.
She’d simply meant to keep people far from the Contaminated Area.
Lebelin felt her chest flutter unsettled, and she swallowed dryly to calm herself.
“Then I’ll gather people and file reports too, Lu!”
The administrator released Lebelin’s hand and vanished.
She’d inadvertently become a righteous person, but she’d achieved her goal—that was good enough.
Confirming no one was around, Lebelin steadied her trembling breath and quietly entered the Contaminated Area.
The moment her foot crossed into the space thick with Ma-gi, her balance gave way.
Her vision flipped and the boundary between sky and earth blurred.
When she opened her eyes after clenching them shut, Lebelin stood inside the Contaminated Area.
‘Good.’
This was the third time in her life she’d entered a Contaminated Area.
The people must have hidden in buildings—none were visible—and there were no sounds or footprints of Magical Beasts.
‘Don’t waste time. Finish quickly.’
Lebelin carefully checked that the Veil hadn’t inverted before moving deeper into the building.
She opened the door to a narrow Warehouse where people were unlikely to be hiding and stepped inside.
A narrow warehouse with nowhere to hide.
Lebelin shut the door and immediately pressed both hands to the ground.
She took a deep breath and poured her power in. After doing this a few times, it wasn’t difficult.
The sensation was different from when she’d purified the Contamination that erupted in the Workshop last time.
Then, the Contamination that had appeared exceeded Lebelin’s strength, and it felt like her power was being drained away. But not today.
As she poured her power in, she felt herself simultaneously purifying and managing all the Contamination spread across this ground.
‘Wow.’
Lebelin lifted her head.
Beyond the warehouse window, the sky that had been dark gradually recovered its true color.
The Contaminated Area was being purified.
‘So this is real Purification.’
Unlike before, she wasn’t even breathing hard. Since Chedwin and the last Contaminated Area had both stopped partway through Purification, unable to handle it, this was the first time she was doing it properly.
Her heartbeat thundered in her ears. From somewhere in the building, people who had been hiding emerged from the windows, their voices trembling with relief as they caught sight of the sky reclaiming its proper color.
The black smudge that had covered the sky began to melt away. Now that Purification had started, people would pour out — she might run into them.
She needed to finish before that happened and get out.
Lebelin poured more power in, accelerating the Purification. The sky reclaimed its color, and the boundary dissolved rapidly.
Yet she felt no strain. Her stomach didn’t churn or twist. Was Purification really this easy?
‘Now I understand why they need high-rank Purifiers.’
As it progressed, the boundary between the inside and outside of the Contaminated Area grew increasingly blurred.
“The Contamination is being purified.”
People who had been hiding inside the building emerged, thinking rescue had arrived.
“Who? Who’s doing this?”
“Obviously a Purifier is!”
Commotion erupted outside the warehouse. The ease in their voices suggested no one was seriously injured.
She’d continue purifying while staying hidden in the warehouse and slip out naturally once it was over.
“Where is the Purifier? I need to thank them!”
“I don’t know either.”
“That’s strange — I don’t see anyone!”
“They must be purifying from somewhere to save us!”
“Should we try to find them and thank them?”
Why are they trying to find a Purifier? Just let me get out of here safely!
Sensing that people would soon go searching if she delayed any longer, Lebelin drew up more power and hurried to finish the Purification.
As the Ma-gi cleared, there was nothing left to purify, and the power she had been pouring out dispersed smoothly into empty air.
‘So this is what it feels like to completely purify an entire Contaminated Area.’
Once the Purification was complete and the Contaminated Area vanished, everyone who had been trapped began moving outside.
Lebelin, who had been hiding, waited until all traces of their presence disappeared before slipping out.
Now she just had to sneak away and —
“Huh?”
— she had slipped out, but… huh?
Unlike before entering the Contaminated Area, the makeshift commoner’s purification facility was in utter chaos.
“Over here! Hurry!”
“We’re full here too! There’s no room!”
People rushed about frantically in front of her eyes. She’d purified the Contamination and escaped, only to find reality far more chaotic.
In the distance, the wounded were swarming like ants.
‘What’s going on?’
Stunned and frozen in confusion, a facility administrator who had been rushing past her suddenly stopped short.
“Lebelin! You were here! I’ve been looking for you!”
“Yes? I was out reporting the Contamination emergence… What’s the situation? Why is everything in such disarray?”
Lebelin smoothly offered her alibi while asking what had happened.
“Oh! Lebelin, it looks like you haven’t heard yet. You can stop reporting now! The Contamination that started appearing earlier is being purified, and just moments ago it all disappeared. Someone must have done the Purification, but….”
The administrator trailed off, glanced around, then leaned in close to Lebelin and whispered.
“Lebelin. I’m starting to think our purification center has a Purifier of Rank 5 or higher. Do you have any idea who it might be?”
Lebelin’s heart soared high into the distance, then plummeted like a stone.

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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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