I Cured the Mastermind and Failed to Run Away - Chapter 27

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

Chapter 27

Lebelin opened her mouth with practiced composure.
“W-what? Why?”
The composure didn’t hold.
“That Contamination Level looked like it required at least a Grade 5 Purifier or higher.”
“Maybe they dispatched Purifiers because so many complaints came in?”
Lebelin fell back on her original excuse. If she claimed that numerous reports had prompted the dispatch, they couldn’t argue otherwise—or so she hoped.
“All the Grade 5 and above Purifiers are currently away from their posts, so that’s not it.”
“……?”
But something felt wrong. The administrator had answered far too decisively, shutting down her story flat.
“In any case, if you notice anything suspicious, please report it to me immediately.”
“Y-yes, of course.”
Lebelin, the very suspicious person in question, averted her eyes and nodded.
“But what do you mean all the Purifiers are gone? And why is this place in such chaos? What about all these injured people?”
“All the Grade 5 and above Purifiers in the Capital are absent right now, so work has come to a standstill.”
What in the world? The moment she looked away, another disaster erupted. Why did disaster keep following her?
“And on top of that, Contamination broke out simultaneously in several nearby areas.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Since the Grade 5 and above Purifiers are away, Grade 6 and 7 Purifiers went in to handle it. You didn’t receive any orders about it?”
Lebelin’s shoulders jerked—she was no Grade 7 Purifier at all.
“No, I… I reported that I’m working here right now.”
This wasn’t part of the plan.
“Anyway, since the Purification is taking longer, most people who were in the Contaminated areas have been exposed to Magical Energy for extended periods. All the Purification Centers nearby are at full capacity now. Mercenaries and knights have been exposed too.”
All the Purifiers above a certain grade had vanished at once—did this scene even exist in the original work?
No. This absurd situation had never happened in the source material.
“Where did everyone go, exactly?”
“Today is the day the Pope returns from his pilgrimage.”
Chedwin had mentioned it recently, so she already knew the Pope was coming back.
But what could that possibly have to do with anything?
“What does the Pope’s arrival have to do with the Purifiers disappearing?”
“All Grade 5 and above Purifiers must gather at the Imperial Palace to receive the Pope’s blessing.”
The moment the administrator spoke, Lebelin’s eyes flickered—the absurdity was too much to bear.
“Who on earth approved such a thing?”
The administrator could only offer a bitter smile. It must have been a decision made from on high.
The Pope’s sudden return from his pilgrimage was because of rumors Lebelin had spread for Sophia’s sake.
If anyone asked who had disrupted the Pope’s schedule, the answer was Lebelin.
But the fact that all Grade 5 and above Purifiers had vanished simultaneously, creating this crisis, was the fault of whoever had approved it.
“They probably didn’t anticipate a situation this severe. Whoever approved it didn’t imagine a brief absence could cause problems.”
“What kind of idiot?”
“Oh my, Lebelin!”
The administrator glanced around in alarm, gesturing frantically for her to lower her voice.
But Lebelin was not the type to hold back when angry.
“Who would think of something so stupid? It’s not someone doing the actual work, it’s the higher-ups who have no idea how things operate in the field—”
“Lebelin, Lebelin! Hush, please!”
The administrator pressed a finger to her lips, cutting off her words.
“If the nobles hear this, there’ll be hell to pay!”
Since the higher-ups were usually nobility, the administrator’s face paled and her voice dropped to barely a whisper.
No one here knew that the person standing before them was a noble—the daughter of Count Etheline, no less.
Lebelin closed her mouth before she could say more; the administrator looked ready to faint. The woman glanced around nervously to confirm no one had heard, then let out a shaky breath.
“Anyway, that’s the situation. The remaining Purifiers are doing their best. We need to cleanse at least some of those exposed to Magical Energy.”
Time was critical—if they missed the window, those whose Contamination Levels were high might suffer a mental collapse.
“Since you’re a Grade 7 Purifier, could you help out?”
This was an opportunity. She could cleanse contaminated people legally?!
“Even if you can only help as much as your strength allows, it would be enough. What matters is managing your power carefully and providing temporary Purification to those with high Contamination Levels before the situation stabilizes, so their minds don’t break down.”
Lebelin forcibly suppressed the corners of her mouth trying to curl upward into a smile and nodded.
“I should help. As much as I’m able to, for as long as it takes.”
Lebelin nodded vigorously, and the administrator’s face flooded with emotion as he pressed a hand to his mouth.
“Of course it’s you!”
The way he looked at her—as though she were a saint—made her deeply uncomfortable.
Moreover, that “of course” suggested some odd misunderstanding had taken root. Even if she corrected him, he wouldn’t listen anyway, so Lebelin quietly slipped away.
“Then I’ll go this way and tend to the people.”
“Thank you, Lu!”
As she turned, the administrator called out to her retreating figure.
“If you know any Purifiers nearby, ask them to help! Oh, but as you know, Grade 10 Purifiers can’t purify people, so leave them out!”
Grade 10 Purifiers excluded.
The words struck her like an arrow; her steps faltered. A heavy stone pressed down on her heart.
She’d insisted earlier that Purifier Grade only mattered during purification, not for saving lives—yet even that was denied to Grade 10.
Of course she understood the administrator meant no harm.
It made sense to exclude Purifiers without the ability to purify contaminated people from that work.
“…Yes.”
Lebelin answered quietly and resumed walking.
She couldn’t afford to be wounded by every small thing.
‘This is my chance to raise my grade. Get a hold of yourself!’
To be safe, she tucked her veil down carefully to hide her face, then stepped into the barracks of District 3.
“I’ve come to perform Purification—gah.”
The moment Lebelin glimpsed the interior of the barracks, she yanked the cloth at the entrance shut.
Had she misread the room?
She rubbed her eyes and stepped back inside.
“If there are knights needing Purification, perhaps you could stop playing peekaboo and come out.”
She hadn’t misread it.
Contaminated knights lay scattered throughout the hastily arranged barracks, and Chedwin stood among them.
Why was he here again?
No—of course he was here.
Contaminated zones had appeared throughout the Capital. It stood to reason that Chedwin and his knights would be deployed.
They’d been sent when the contamination broke out at the Workshop, after all.
‘Why did I have to walk into the one barracks with Chedwin in it!’
She regretted choosing the most conspicuous of all the buildings.
“Mm. Yes.”
Avoiding him here would look suspicious. Her face was covered anyway, and there was no need for conversation, so she’d act quietly.
Chedwin stepped aside, gesturing with his eyes toward a contaminated knight. Lebelin deliberately shortened her stride and walked with quick, measured steps toward the interior—nothing like her usual gait.
His eyes narrowed as she approached.
“What grade?”
“Grade 7.”
He was quick to catch nuance, so she kept her answer brief, fearing that prolonged conversation might give her away.
Chedwin looked her up and down. His gaze lingered on her temple garments.
“Are you from the Temple?”
She didn’t answer. Chedwin, preoccupied with purifying his knights, didn’t press her.
Lebelin moved past him and approached the contaminated knight.
She placed her hand gently over his and applied slight pressure to assess his condition.
He was trembling from prolonged exposure to Magical Energy, but his condition wasn’t so severe as to risk immediate mental collapse.
Lebelin deliberately lowered her voice and trailed off at the end.
“Beginning Purification.”
She drew forth her power and began. It was easier than purifying the contaminated zone that had appeared in District 1 earlier.
She’d already purified some contaminated commoners since morning and had cleansed an entire contaminated zone alone—yet she had energy to spare.
How different from the past, when she’d exhausted herself after barely purifying a single small flower.
‘So this is what a Grade 4 Purifier is like.’
She couldn’t even fathom what Grade 2 Purifier Sophia must be capable of.
And if even Sophia couldn’t purify Arent and he died—how intensely contaminated must he have been?
‘What if I can’t save him?’
As her grade rose and she felt her power grow, the harsh truth struck deep: saving Arent would not be easy.
She had to raise her grade as much as possible before Arent became contaminated.
Lebelin glanced around the barracks. There were roughly ten Belharck Knights who were contaminated.
She’d claimed to be Grade 7, so purifying all the contaminated knights perfectly would look suspicious. Yet she couldn’t waste this opportunity either—she’d have to calibrate her effort carefully.
‘I’ll purify them just enough to avoid suspicion.’
Lebelin proceeded to purify the ten knights in turn.
‘Not critically severe, at least.’
The knights’ condition wasn’t severe enough to shatter their minds. Precisely speaking, they were on the verge of breaking.
Outside, the injured and Magical Energy–contaminated were arriving in steady streams, yet the Belharck Knights who’d entered first seemed far less affected than she would have expected.
“Wait.”
Lebelin, about to ask Chedwin—the only one here who seemed untouched—caught herself and softened her voice deliberately.
“Could the Magical Energy in the contaminated area have been manageable…… sir?”
“Hmm?”
Lebelin had meant to ask if the level had been normal, but she twisted the ending awkwardly.
If you’re going to hide something, you’d think you’d at least change how you speak.
“Ahem, was the Magical Energy level manageable, sir?”
Lebelin deliberately mimicked the knights’ stilted manner of speech, which had nothing to do with her usual tone.
“Why ask that?”
“There are many injured outside, yet the knights’ condition doesn’t seem particularly grave.”
“I entered first. I ordered the Belharck Knights to enter after some time had passed. Is there a problem?”
Chedwin answered flatly, watching Lebelin with his arms crossed as she worked on her Purification.
He’d entered first, and the knights entered later?
‘Wait a moment.’
Lebelin’s head snapped up.
“How much earlier?”
“What?”
“How much earlier did you enter, sir?”
Lebelin found herself watching Chedwin intently, too busy monitoring the condition of her subordinates to notice her own scrutiny.

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