I Cured the Mastermind and Failed to Run Away - Chapter 5

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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 5

Rebelin first hid away all the Magical Tools she’d used to check her Grade, along with the ones she hadn’t yet touched.
If word got out that her Grade had risen, it would cause an uproar.
Before that happened, she needed to get her affairs in order.
‘Did something change after I purified Chedwin? That’s the only thing I’ve done differently.’
When she thought about it, the whole thing was absurd.
It was impossible for a Grade 10 Purifier like Rebelin to purify someone corrupted by Magical Energy in the first place.
And yet she had done it! And not only that—after performing the Purification, her Grade had changed!
‘Could my Grade have risen because I purified Chedwin? Perhaps because he’s a Sword Master, he has some special constitution.’
But in the original work, the female protagonist had been kidnapped and imprisoned by Chedwin, and when she purified him, her Grade never changed.
So the condition of purifying Chedwin couldn’t be what made it special.
‘Am I… special?’
No, that wasn’t it either. If that were the case, her Grade would have risen when she purified that small flower at the Academy.
But that had never happened, not once in all this time.
‘But what if—what if my Grade is the only one that rises?’
Rebelin’s heart hammered wildly in her chest.
If her Purifier Grade kept rising like this, she might be able to save her brother when the time came for him to be corrupted by Magical Energy.
‘Calm down. Nothing’s certain yet.’
She needed to confirm whether her Grade was actually rising, and she had to figure out what conditions triggered it.
But still, still.
‘…This is incredible.’
She couldn’t suppress the smile that bloomed across her lips.
Knock-knock.
The sound of knocking came at that very moment.
“Rebelin, let’s eat.”
Arent’s gruff voice came from beyond the door.
Rebelin hastily composed her expression.
‘I can’t tell anyone about this.’
A change in a Purifier’s Grade was extraordinary. If it became known, the Academy would never let it rest.
All manner of people would appear wanting to conduct experiments to raise her Grade, and she might end up spending so much time traveling to Contaminated Areas that she wouldn’t be there when something happened to her brother.
‘Besides, the original female protagonist will show up soon as a Grade 2 Purifier anyway, working hard at her job and pursuing romance. I don’t need to get involved.’
Having made her decision, Rebelin rose and opened the door.
“Yeah, brother.”
Arent, who always prepared her meals directly whenever Rebelin was unwell, had brought food again today.
The savory aroma of soup wafted to her nose.
“Eat this, and for the time being, have the physician check on your condition every morning and evening.”
Arent spoke firmly—he was someone who never cut corners when it came to matters concerning Rebelin’s health.
“I know, I know.”
Rebelin answered carelessly while stirring the soup, and Arent sat down beside her, apparently intending to watch until she finished every last drop.
‘If only brother would leave, I could actually think about what conditions trigger the Grade increase!’
To get her brother out the door quickly, Rebelin hastily thrust a spoonful of hot soup into her mouth.
“Rebelin, have you ever seen anyone coming or going from the balcony tucked away in the corner of the third-floor corridor in the Banquet Hall?”
“Ugh!”
Startled by Arent’s sudden question, she swallowed the hot soup without thinking. A searing pain shot through her throat.
“Water. Water! Water.”
Arent’s eyes widened in alarm, and he hurriedly handed her a glass of water.
The balcony tucked away in the corner of the third-floor corridor.
That was exactly where she had purified Chedwin.
‘Why is brother suddenly asking about that place?’
Arent took the soup bowl away from her.
“You’re not touching this anymore. From now on, I won’t be giving you a spoon.”
It was his way of saying he would personally blow on the hot soup to cool it before feeding it to her.
Rebelin cooled her burned throat with cold water and lied.
“…Where is that, exactly? I have no idea. Why?”
“His Grace the Duke sent letters to all the nobles who attended the Victory Banquet, asking if anyone had seen or frequented the balcony in the corner of the third-floor corridor, as he lost a valuable item there that day.”
Wait, hold on.
So you’re asking if I saw anyone coming and going from that place that day? That means Chedwin doesn’t remember what happened that day either!
‘He doesn’t know who was with him!’
Thank goodness.
If Chedwin remembered that day, he might have grown suspicious of Rebelin, who purified him despite being only Grade 10, and pushed to have her Grade re-evaluated!
But he doesn’t remember!
‘Good. I’ll just keep pretending I don’t know.’
I never had any intention of telling him anyway!
Rebelin shrugged.
“I don’t know. You know better than anyone how poorly I was doing that day.”
“Right. I was just asking in case you knew something, so don’t worry about it.”
Still, she’d better keep avoiding Chedwin to be safe.
‘Besides, Chedwin will leave the Capital soon anyway.’
In the original story, Chedwin departed the Capital five days after the Victory Banquet ended and returned around the middle of the narrative.
So if she just avoided him for a few days, they wouldn’t cross paths at all.
‘But why did he say he lost a valuable item instead of searching for a Purifier?’
She didn’t know the reason, but it was only better for Rebelin, so there was no need to overthink it.
Her spirits lifted, and the soup suddenly tasted deliciously rich and savory.

* * *

“You still haven’t found out who was with me on the balcony that night.”
When Chedwin’s voice dropped to a low, heavy timbre, the vice-commanders of the Belharke Knight Order who stood rigidly flinched.
One of the vice-commanders, sensing the mood, stepped forward.
“We have found no witnesses yet, Your Grace.”
“Your Grace, are you certain someone was actually on the balcony with you that night?”
“Why.”
Chedwin’s curt reply came with a cold sweep of his gaze across the gathered officers.
“Do you think I’ve lost my mind?”
The vice-commanders froze beneath that glacial stare.
They all knew their lord was not the sort to fabricate incidents or play pranks, so they shook their heads in unison.
“Of course not. The Magical Corruption readings dropped sharply, which confirms something occurred on the balcony.”
Chedwin propped his chin on his hand, turning his gaze to the documents on his desk, but the words wouldn’t focus.
Clearing the Contaminated Area of Magical Beasts without a single casualty was cause for celebration, but prolonged exposure to Magical Corruption had tainted his mind.
Deaths and injuries mounted as Contaminated Areas spread, and the Empire’s anxiety grew daily. Then came word of Chedwin’s victory—the nation’s hope, the rallying cry that lifted the spirits of every knight.
Therefore, the truth of his mental corruption could not be revealed. It remained a closely guarded secret known only to his inner circle, and Chedwin endured in silence.
“Would it not be faster to summon the Purifiers who attended the banquet that night for questioning?”
“There may be a Purifier who attended secretly.”
“I must respectfully disagree. If we summon only the Purifiers for separate questioning, they may discern that Your Grace has been corrupted by Magical Energy.”
Before entering the Capital, he had even secretly summoned a Grade 4 Purifier under assumed identity to attempt a purification, but it had done nothing.
Since the Victory Ceremony could not be postponed, he had taken a Sedative with potent analgesic properties before entering the Capital.
He had intended merely to endure this period and then withdraw from the Capital again, but even the banquet itself had proven difficult.
With his head threatening to split and his heart frozen in agony, Chedwin had retreated that evening to a place where few would venture.
After that, his memories were fractured, arriving only in scattered fragments.

-I’ll fetch someone for you.

A transparent, crystalline voice remained in his ear—surprised yet speaking with calm reassurance to keep the other person from panicking.
He thought he had answered that no one should be called, but afterward his breath had opened as if he stood in a refreshing forest clearing.
Chedwin gazed down at his own palm.
It seemed he had gripped something tightly in this hand, clutching at it desperately.
Chedwin covered his eyes with his palm.
“…? Your Grace, what are you doing?”
The vice-commanders in the midst of their conversation looked up, startled by his sudden gesture.
Someone had definitely covered his eyes like this.
The sweet yet cool scent he had smelled then seemed to linger still, clinging to something.
‘While my mind was in chaos, someone gripped my hair forcefully.’
Chedwin furrowed his brow, searching his memory further.

-Today… I’ll remember clearly. …Please don’t let me die.

Yes. He’d told her to remember that day, told her never to let herself die. It must have been about her.
But curse it all—that was the only thing he could remember.
“I told you to remember clearly, yet you’ve failed to do so.”
After that, the pain receded and comfort settled in. He leaned against the cold stone pillar, clinging to consciousness by a thread.
When he closed his eyes, the silhouette’s afterimage wavered faintly before him.
“I should have pierced my thigh to stay awake.”
Chedwin withdrew his hand and clicked his tongue. He should have at least confirmed her hair color, or the color of her dress.
“A Purifier of Grade 4 or higher, or at least Grade 4. So why would she vanish without a word? If word got out that she purified the Grand Duke’s corruption, she’d receive an enormous reward.”
Chedwin rested his chin in his palm, tapping the armrest with his fingers.
“Of the Purifiers who attended the banquet, which one held the highest Grade?”
“Mila Failre, a Grade 3 Purifier, Your Grace. You saw her once before—do you recall?”
“No.”
Chedwin dismissed the question with indifference.
“It’s possible she was Miss Failre. She expressed her favor toward Your Grace at the time, and when you ignored her, she may have helped out of embarrassment and then fled without a word.”
“Then shall we summon Miss Failre and—”
“No.”
Chedwin cut off his officers firmly.
“There’s no need. Miss Failre isn’t the one.”
“Pardon? You said you didn’t remember who it was.”
“Right. I don’t remember. All I recall is that it was a woman with long hair.”
“Miss Failre also has long hair, Your Grace.”
The officers regarded Chedwin as if watching an obstinate drunk customer.
“It’s still not her. The voice was unfamiliar, and besides—”
The receding silhouette and the scent she’d carried were different. That was what he remembered, but he had no desire to share it with his subordinates.
“In any case, since it isn’t Miss Failre, don’t waste time. ……What about the letters requesting cooperation from the banquet attendees?”
“We confirmed the attendance list and sent letters to everyone. To keep the secret from spreading, we told them publicly that Your Grace lost a precious item on the balcony and requested their cooperation.”
An officer handed him the banquet’s attendance list. Behind long lashes, his quiet blue eyes scanned the names.
She’s in here.
“It’s possible this is someone who needs to hide being a Purifier.”
“Pardon me? But would anyone really need to hide it? A Grade 4 Purifier brings honor to her house and receives favorable treatment from the Empire.”
“Everyone has their circumstances. Make sure it doesn’t get out that we’re searching for a Purifier—keep spreading rumors that I was attacked or that I lost something valuable.”
“Understood, Your Grace.”
Chedwin looked up from the list.
“A secret meeting.”
“Your Grace?”
“Spread word that I had a secret meeting with someone on the balcony.”
“Your Grace?”
“Nobility spreads rumors about such things far more readily. They’ll all be curious about who my companion was and rush to find out—it’ll be useful.”
“But Your Grace, if such rumors circulate—”
“I don’t care.”
Chedwin set the list down.
“Finding the Purifier is the priority.”
The details eluded him, but the feeling was unmistakable—she was Grade 4 at minimum, perhaps even Grade 3 or higher.
“Until I give further orders, we remain in the Capital. Inform everyone and have them settle in.”
“Truly, Your Grace?”
“A chance to rest at last.”
“Understood.”
Chedwin turned his gaze back to the attendance list.

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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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