Part 2, Chapter 1
Side Story 1: Johan’s Perspective
Johan had never truly yearned for anything.
He wasn’t naturally greedy, and as the crown prince, there was no need to be.
The rarest and most precious things were placed in his hands even before he could desire them. Everything a human could crave lay naturally beneath his feet from the moment he was born.
Moreover, Johan was beautiful, and by the age of two, he had awakened as a Transcendent. All the rules and order of the world were kind to him, as if existing solely for him.
He could follow goodness without pondering what “goodness” truly was. He could follow chivalry without questioning why it was needed.
Without lack, there was no need for cowardice; without fear, there was no need for hesitation.
His life was simple and perfect, maintaining a lukewarm balance—not too hot, not too cold.
His sole mission was one thing: born as a Transcendent, he was to devote himself entirely to the Purifier, in perfect form, without a single flaw.
As it had been in fairy tales, in scriptures, in human history. To obey the imperative command to devote oneself blindly to the Purifier.
So… a first encounter like this was something he had never even imagined.
“Oh my… Crown Prince, my daughter seems nervous. Haha. This is my daughter, Odette. She has awakened as an S-rank Purifier this time.”
Hiding partially behind the cheerfully speaking count, the young girl’s head bowed low, trembling faintly.
“The artificial smell… it’s giving me a headache.”
The Purifiers were nothing like the priests’ sermons. What people called “moments of magical ecstasy”? There was no ecstasy—only torment.
The stench of cheap candy melting thickly filled the audience hall, and the lace of her dress reflected the chandelier lights, stabbing Johan’s eyes.
Even for Johan, usually tolerant of others, the girl was unbearable. Even his own ability, which should have delighted at such an occasion, was indifferent.
“Didn’t they say she’s fifteen? How is a fifteen-year-old so tiny?”
What disturbed him most was her frame—too small and fragile to bear the burden of a Purifier’s mission.
She didn’t wear the dress; she seemed buried in it. Her desperate grip on the dress’s garish lace, knuckles white, looked painfully tense.
“Come out from behind, Odette. You should greet His Highness.”
With the count’s gentle coaxing, the girl, who had been hunched and hiding, finally managed to step beside him.
Only a single step closer, and the headache from the stench intensified. Johan’s ability even recoiled from her.
“My head might split.”
Perhaps that was why the instant she lifted her head felt eternal.
When their eyes met.
Thud.
The sound of something falling echoed in his ears.
Thud, thud, thud.
A color like the warm summer sea, or cold emerald.
His ears felt hot, his throat tight. His chest constricted painfully, and only then did Johan realize the sound he was hearing—the pounding of his own heart.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
It was nothing like the bells of joy priests said one would hear upon meeting a Purifier. This was the sound of his world breaking.
His lukewarm life, perfect and devoid of desire or loneliness, shattered into pieces.
“Od…ette.”
Johan whispered her name unconsciously, as if in a trance.
Breathing, blinking—all of it felt unfamiliar.
“What should I do?”
It felt more like a curse than magic. Otherwise, he couldn’t be so clumsy. Nothing could be this hot and dizzyingly intoxicating.
His throat tickled; his lips threatened to curl into a foolish smile at the slightest relaxation.
That she was a Purifier, that he was a Transcendent, that Transcendents worship Purifiers—such thoughts had long vanished from Johan’s mind.
The artificial scent remained overpowering, his ability remained indifferent. Nothing had changed, yet only Johan felt like he was floundering.
The small girl before him seemed like the ruler. Shaking Johan’s entire life.
The moment was interrupted by the emperor’s voice.
“Crown Prince, you must show proper manners to a lady.”
Ah.
Johan extended his hand toward Odette’s. He had to bring her hand to his lips. Though a ceremonial act repeated dozens of times daily, his hand shook foolishly.
Clutching the lace so tightly, her delicate fingers must hurt. Thinking that, he carefully held her small, white hand.
“I… I can’t, Father!”
Odette recoiled sharply, violently pushing his hand away.
“No! No! This isn’t right!”
Her voice was like a scream, not fitting for the girl who had been cowering.
“I’m scared. This is something I cannot do!”
She clutched her father’s sleeve desperately. Her teal eyes brimmed with unmistakable fear.
“Od…”
Johan tried to calm her, but she panicked further.
“I… I can’t! Please, Father! Please, save me!”
Her face was paler than before, trembling violently as she gasped in terror.
When Johan stood beside her to support her, a window reflected the two of them side by side.
“Ah…”
Johan stopped, letting out a sigh.
He understood. He understood what she was truly afraid of.
Though still a boy, Johan’s body was overwhelming beside her—designed to inspire awe, the uniform perfectly tailored, the sharp sword at his waist.
Next to the small girl, he looked like a monstrous giant.
What made it worse was the way he looked at her—eyes shining with desire and expectation, possessiveness almost revolting in its intensity.
“Odette. Control yourself.”
The count scolded her heavily, but Odette shivered, shedding large tears.
“Aren’t you scared? Am I the only one afraid of Transcendents?”
“Hmph! I said control yourself!”
“Father, this isn’t right. I don’t like this. This is what a terrible monster would do—”
A terrible monster. The precise term for the truth reflected in the mirror. Johan clenched his fist.
The count hurriedly covered her mouth, but Johan knew what she meant.
“Johan will do to me what a terrible monster would.”
And he wanted to. Just like a fairy-tale monster lusted for a princess, Johan desired Odette.
He didn’t remember what expression the count had, paralyzed by seeing Odette cry.
For the first time, Johan realized that fairy tales, scriptures, human history—all they ever told was how much Transcendents loved Purifiers.
No one questioned whether the Purifiers wanted that devotion or love.
My love for you is violence. My desire is disaster. Even realizing this, I cannot stop loving you. For you are still beautiful and precious…
After meeting Odette, Johan endured a severe adolescence, swinging painfully between desire and guilt.
What was right and good? Why must a Transcendent be good? Why is chivalry necessary? How can desire avoid becoming violence?
He could not stop his agonizing thoughts. The moment he did, he feared his desire would consume and destroy the fragile Odette.
His lukewarm life shattered. Only the burning desire to chase Odette remained, leaving Johan parched.
It was as if running across a scorching desert, chasing an eternal mirage that could never be caught.
There were times he wished he could stop loving her.
But not now. He knew his suffering was nothing compared to Odette’s precious, fleeting life.
He replayed the crystal ball placed in his hand once more.
It was the crystal ball his aide had stolen from the count’s vault, showing Odette being abandoned.
Though news spread that the count had ransacked the mansion in fury, it mattered little to Johan.
“I’ll do better, Father.”
The small hands scrubbing the floor were even smaller than when he had first met her.
“I was wrong. Don’t abandon me, Father, Father!”
She stopped scrubbing, buried her face in her chapped hands, and cried.
Crying little Odette. Her eyes red, Johan gently stroked the Odette in the crystal ball.
“Odette.”
Now he knew. The “monster” fifteen-year-old Odette had called was not him.
It was Count Albrecht, who had no intention of making her a Purifier, only using the royal family for his plans.
A single word of courage against an absolute, long-term abuser.
So, my burning pain, Odette.
You may break me countless times, cause me immense suffering—I do not care.
“Please, live healthily, wherever you are.”
If Odette can be happy, Johan would gladly endure a lifetime of unhappiness in return.
After caressing the crystal ball for a long time, Johan summoned a palace servant to give several orders.
Several decrees were issued in Johan’s name. The nobles who heard them thought simultaneously:
“The Crown Prince of Varcheha has truly lost his mind.”
