Chapter 007
Chapter 7. Traces of Purification
I glared at him with the saltiest expression a mouse could possibly muster.
The man who had just bestowed upon me the laziest name in human history looked ridiculously proud of himself.
Watching his face sparkle with such unmerited joy made my stomach churn, so I jabbed a paw at him and shrieked.
“Squeak! Squeak-squeak! Squeak!” (Then from now on, you’re just ‘Human,’ you human!)
“Hmm? Do you like it that much?”
“Squeak!” (As if!)
“That’s strange. Why are you so incensed? Ah—are you hungry?”
“Squeeeee? Squeak squeak squeak!” (What did you just say? Who do you think you’re calling a starving rodent?!)
Despite my internal fury, this “Mouse” body was brutally honest.
The moment he pulled a hard crust of bread from his pocket, my eyes locked onto it like magnets.
Not stopping there, my traitorous mouth began to salivate.
The final blow was the resonant growl that erupted from my tiny, chubby belly.
‘Damn it. This peanut-sized brain. This cursed body!’
While I was busy berating myself, he let out a low chuckle through beautifully curved lips and placed the bread between my front paws.
Still trapped within his grip, I swallowed my tears and began to gnaw on it.
The rotten human watched me with a deeply satisfied smile.
“There we go. You were hungry after all.”
No! That’s not it!
…Well, alright, that was part of it, but that’s not why I was mad!
“Don’t worry. I may not be able to offer you a lavish home, but I’ll ensure you never go hungry.”
“…”
At this point, I simply gave up.
I let out a weary sigh and gave a half-hearted nod.
“Good. Good. That’s a good girl.”
He grinned happily, completely oblivious to my inner turmoil.
In a way, this might actually be a perfect arrangement.
Because even if he told me to get lost, I had planned to stick to this human like glue anyway.
To fill the status window gauge, I needed to purify curses—and by staying near the Apostle of Ruin, I’d have endless opportunities to encounter them.
‘Being treated like a pet is a bit humiliating, but having an excuse to stay glued to his side? I’m all for it.’
By the time I finished that thought, I had already polished off the entire piece of bread.
Only then did he finally loosen his grip.
And then—what on earth—he gently scooped me up with both hands.
‘…Huh?’
This was a stark contrast to before: soft, careful, almost tender.
Looking into those violet eyes staring back at me made something ticklish squirm in my gut.
Unable to withstand the intensity, I whipped my head away.
A low voice settled softly by my ear.
“Mouse.”
“…!”
I flinched violently.
For a split second, I heard it as “Ju-i.”
Seo Ju-i.
My real name—the one that hadn’t been uttered once since I fell into this world.
…Come to think of it, I never realized my original name sounded so much like “Mouse.”
‘How mouse-like… truly…’
While I was suppressing that bitter feeling, his fingers gently tilted my face back toward him.
Those violet eyes were so clear they appeared transparent.
I tried to look away from my own hideous reflection within them, but his lips parted.
“…Thank you.”
“…”
I deliberately ignored the heavy sincerity in his voice.
Marev had thanked me. Wayne had thanked me. Even that foul-mouthed idiot Noel had thanked me.
The naive, foolish “me” who fell for those hollow words of gratitude died a long time ago.
* * *
Tracking Calix Neferto was progressing slower than anticipated.
Because instead of transferring directly from the underground prison to his destination, he had first ascended to an extreme altitude before making his real move.
Still, Noel had managed to pinpoint the magic traces scattered by the violent air currents.
It was a result worthy of the mage who proudly occupied the pinnacle of the Magic Tower.
“So he came here?”
Marev raised an eyebrow as he surveyed the pitch-black, curse-ridden land.
“Yeah.”
“But he’s not here now, is he?”
“Of course he fled before we arrived.”
“Where to?”
“That’s what we’re about to find out.”
Marev’s eyes blazed at the brazen, almost irresponsible response.
Noel merely shrugged, looking genuinely perplexed.
“What? I did exactly what you ordered. Go to the prison and track the mana, right? I did it. What’s the problem?”
Marev squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed his rising anger.
“…Fine. Then I shall issue the order again.”
“Go ahead.”
“Secure the traitor Calix Neferto, who escaped on the eve of his execution, by any means necessary.”
“Yeeees, sir.”
Noel answered lazily and sauntered off.
Watching his half-hearted retreat, Marev clicked his tongue sharply and turned away.
That was why he failed to see it—the sly smile that curled on Noel’s lips as he passed.
Noel left the bustling allied forces behind and headed toward a secluded spot.
Stopping within a dark shadow, he slowly opened the fist he had been clenching the entire time.
In his palm lay a single, long strand of black hair.
He had discovered it the moment they stepped onto the cursed land.
“Ahh… this familiar ripple.”
Noel trembled with suppressed excitement.
He carefully cradled the tangled, broken strand in both hands like a sacred treasure.
Then he closed his eyes softly and inhaled deeply.
Haaa—
His cheeks flushed hot and damp as his eyes began to sparkle.
“It really is you, Possessor.”
No one else had noticed.
But Noel—who had obsessively studied the Possessor’s abilities—recognized it instantly.
The trace of purification left upon the hair.
This was unmistakably hers—the one who had once occupied Linzia’s body.
“But how? Was she purged from Linzia’s body only to jump into Calix Neferto’s? Then where did Calix’s soul go? Into the void? Or… perhaps Calix died in that prison at precisely the right moment…”
Noel rambled to himself in a manic frenzy.
Then, in the distance, a burst of light erupted.
Pure holy power rained down in white cascades over the blackened earth.
Linzia was in the midst of restoring the land with her purification.
Noel savored the ripple of that power, then grinned.
“As expected. Completely different.”
Linzia’s purification and the Possessor’s shared only a name—their fundamental mechanisms were worlds apart.
And this one was far, far more exquisite.
“Hehe. Sorry, Marev, but you gave the wrong order again.”
His Imperial Highness had commanded him to secure Calix Neferto’s person.
So he would secure it.
But the secured person would belong to Noel, not Marev.
Just imagining dissecting and studying the woman now residing inside Calix Neferto’s body made his blood boil with anticipation.
Noel smiled wickedly atop the land that was slowly regaining its color and form.
* * *
‘Hmm. An excellent choice.’
I sat proudly atop Calix Neferto’s head, nodding with immense satisfaction.
The villain had chosen walking as his method of departing the cursed land.
At first glance, traveling on foot seems terribly inefficient compared to spatial transfer, but that isn’t actually the case.
The allied forces possess a lunatic mage who has become a master at reverse-tracking mana signatures over the past year.
Even if Noel weren’t a factor, the fundamentals of escape involve analog methods that are difficult to trace—like using cash or walking.
‘Tch. So he does understand the basics.’
I folded my short front legs and offered a smug smile.
…Or I intended to, but the insane wind pressure was distorting my face into something grotesque.
Calling this “walking” was a massive understatement—this speed was practically on par with spatial transfer magic.
A well-trained Sword Master in this world was no different from a runaway locomotive!
Every time his long, powerful legs struck the earth, the scenery blurred past.
Nameless forests, plains, mountains, and rivers flashed by in an instant before the villain finally slowed to a halt.
He stopped before a colossal tree rooted atop a small hill.
Only then did I release the death grip I had maintained on his hair.
My paws—my hands—were trembling from the sheer tension.
‘One wrong move and this guy would’ve had two bald patches, while I’d be hurtling through the distant sky clutching two fistfuls of silky black hair.’
Thank goodness his hair follicles are resilient—I patted my chest in relief.
That’s when he muttered to himself.
“Come to think of it, I’ve been too neglectful lately. I gave you a name, yet I haven’t properly acted the part of an owner.”
My eyes narrowed reflexively at his words.
What on earth is he plotting now, laying the groundwork with that little monologue?
