Purging the Evil God's Followers (2)
"Damn it. In a place like this...!"
Splatter!!
A race with horns sprouting from their heads. A demon worshipper of the Lord of All Demons collapsed lifelessly before my sword, not even managing a scream.
I wiped the blood that had splattered onto my face and glanced back to check the situation, only to flinch in surprise.
"...Lady Clarice."
"It's over."
Drenched head to toe in the blood of the Evil God followers, Clarice gazed at me calmly with those emotionless eyes that were still hard to read. I froze for a moment, staring at the chunks of Evil God follower flesh scattered at her feet.
Clarice, who had been watching me, turned away without a word and ordered the purge team to recover any remaining assets and documents from the Evil God followers' lair.
Day two, and I'm still not used to this.
It had been two full days since Clarice had given me a named request and I'd joined the Evil God follower purge team. The operation was still ongoing.
"Good work out there. Any injuries?"
"Ah, yeah."
As I wiped the blood from my sword, Yohan approached me again—the same guy who'd first spoken to me on day one and had been kindly chatting me up ever since. I replied with an awkward expression.
This guy again...
Ever since that first conversation with Yohan, I'd felt this strange unease about him, making him uncomfortable to be around. Unfortunately, he was the only one who ever talked to me.
"Joined right after his master, huh..."
"Why'd they bring in a guy like that..."
They can hear you, idiots.
As I chatted with Yohan, whispers drifted over—people glancing our way and muttering complaints laced with dissatisfaction.
The general vibe was resentment that someone like me, with my lack of adventurer experience, rank, and skill, had parachuted into the team thanks to my master's acquaintance. And honestly, checking the team's strength, even their weakest members were about on par with me, so I could somewhat understand their gripes.
I didn't wanna come either, you assholes...
It soured my mood to hear that kind of judgment when I hadn't asked to be here, but I kept my mouth shut, sensing Clarice's gaze watching me from afar.
Feels like she planned this situation too.
Clarice had said she'd figure out what kind of person I was, and her method was slapping me with a named request to slot me into the purge team. After that, she hadn't given me any extra explanations or orders—just kept observing me.
And now, even as I got labeled a parachutist, her observation continued.
Testing how I react in various situations?
I had no idea how this would clear her suspicions about me, but it felt like I needed to watch my behavior carefully while acting as a purge team member.
"Don't mind them. In my eyes, Yuseong, your skills are more than enough to join the team."
Amid the others eyeing me with displeasure, Yohan was the only one still talking to me.
"How could we complain about someone lending their strength to crush these heretics?"
I'd even asked once if he secretly felt the same annoyance as the others, but all I got was this model response.
His words and actions are so saintly, it's unreal...
That initial unease made him feel off to me more and more. No, the longer we talked, the stronger it got.
How to put it? He seemed too good—like a perfectly crafted mask.
"Ah. Yeah."
Because of that unease, I kept responding curtly to Yohan despite his kindness, almost without realizing it.
"...Tch."
And showing that attitude toward Yohan only made the others' opinions of me plummet further.
Goddamn it.
He creeped me out personally, and talking to him tanked my rep even more, so I wished this Yohan guy would just buzz off.
"I seem to be bothering you..."
"No, I..."
"Sorry for interrupting your rest."
Yohan caught my expression, gave a wry smile, apologized, and walked away. It left me feeling like total garbage.
But that feeling didn't last. As he offered his hand one more time in apology and I grabbed it, the unease surged back.
...Yep.
A rough hand scarred and callused from battle. It might look intimidating, but it was the kind you'd call manly.
It's soft.
Yet beyond my grip, instead of roughness, it felt like a woman's gentle touch.
Not gay, but what the hell.
Grasping a man's hand and feeling it soft made me question my sanity, ramping up my wariness of Yohan even more.
......
This time, after purging an Evil God followers' lair hidden in a swampy bog, the team quickly set up camp as dusk fell.
Tough crowd.
Feeling bone-deep fatigue, I unfurled the tent assigned to me at Clarice's order to prepare camp.
It wasn't my usual adventurer tent—this was top-grade gear issued for the purge op. It blocked all light leakage, came with basic soundproofing and protective magic. Premium stuff.
"Handing these out to everyone... This is the Justice Church for you?"
We had to return them after the purge, but treating luxury tents as standard issue gave off major Justice Church class.
I spread out the tent and lay down my weary body, reflecting on the day.
Fighting Evil God followers is surprisingly fine... but Clarice's stare is terrifying.
No clue how they tracked them down, but the Justice Church had thoroughly wrecked four lairs today alone.
I barely did anything in the process. The team's power crushed the enemies whether I was there or not; my role was just taking out a straggler or two.
What wore me down was Clarice's gaze shadowing my every move throughout it all.
How I fought the Evil God followers. My expression after battle. What I said to Yohan when he approached again. How I wiped blood from my sword...
Being scrutinized like that down to my every twitch was honestly killing me.
Clarice's stare is exhausting enough, but Yohan won't stop yapping without a clue, and the others keep whispering about the guy with nothing to do...
No physical fatigue, but the mental drain was worse than any quest I'd ever done.
My one respite in this op was these solo tent camp times...
"Yuseong? Prepare for night watch."
"...Yes, ma'am."
A guy who'd casually mentioned being a B-rank adventurer among the team called me from outside the tent. Swallowing a surge of curses, I stepped out obediently.
These bastards...
Night watch itself was no issue. Camping outside the city, it was standard.
What pissed me off was the malicious scheduling.
"Got it? When this clock hits 3 a.m...."
I'd been assigned noticeably longer shifts than the others. And the op's rough schedule listed me for night watch every single night without fail.
No one else pulled consecutive nights...
No way they'd pull this childish crap.
Obvious hazing anyone would notice. Night watch was one from the Church and one adventurer, totaling two. Adventurers set their own rotation.
But these adventurer assholes, hating on the parachutist me, started this bullshit.
Well, adventurers are all thugs anyway.
I'd thought the ones selected for Church ops might be different, but nope—adventurers gonna adventurer.
At first, they eyed Clarice, who'd brought me, but with her ignoring me and giving suspicious looks, the harassment ramped up.
Endure it. It's just a week.
Better to grit my teeth than rage at people I'd never see again post-quest. My body wasn't frail enough to break from a few sleepless nights anyway.
Alright, so my night watch partner is...
"Looks like you're on night watch from the adventurers' side."
"Ah."
Dark blonde hair, unreadable eyes. The moment I saw Clarice beside me, I smacked my forehead.
This can't be happening, fuck.
......
Suddenly stuck on night watch with Clarice, I kept stealing glances at her from the barrier's edge, rigged to block light leakage.
She planned this, right?
A high-up like Clarice pulling night watch—and synced with mine—didn't feel coincidental. She'd observed me all day; now she was extending it to watch hours, engineering this setup.
Makes sense if she suspects me...
Just straight-up ask already. This silent staring was driving me nuts.
"Lady Clarice."
I broke the silence first, unable to endure her gaze.
"What?"
"Why do you keep watching me like that?"
"I told you. I'm trying to figure out what you are."
"And this is your method?"
"Yes."
She acted like she'd just keep observing forever. Even mid-conversation, her eyes never left me.
She'd outright said I'll observe you—could that really reveal who I was? But Clarice was unflinching.
What the hell does she want?
I wanted to press, but her blank face made it feel pointless, so I shut up.
As the boring watch dragged without more talk, I started training to kill time.
This one's doable standing still.
Circulate tiny mana amounts in my body, concentrate it in specific circuits, then detonate. Recalling Karen's Burst Blade tips, I exploded the mana while summoning another flow to protect the circuits.
Boom!!
"Ugh...!!"
But generating opposing mana flows inside the circuits was way harder than imagined. The explosion's shock hammered the circuits, bringing sharp pain.
"That's..."
For the first time since yesterday, Clarice—who'd silently observed—reacted.
"Karen's technique?"
"Huh? Ah. Yeah. Master taught me recently."
"........."
Her face mixed nostalgia with guilt, like recalling Karen stirred something.
Curious about their history, but with Clarice silent, I left it and kept training.
Pop! Boom!!
Agh.
Each rep exploded mana in the circuits, repeating the sharp pain. Using minimal mana curbed the shock, but repetition pushed the circuits near permanent damage.
Failure again today.
Hours daily enduring agony, but no feel for it. Still, growing numb to the pain now, Clarice's expression watching me turned odd.
"...You look used to it. Do this every day?"
"Huh? Yeah."
Clarice looked faintly confused—a new expression. Fascinated by her reactions, I watched back, and her face shifted as she approached.
Hummm!!
"This is...?"
Before I could react, a beam of light from her hand touched me. Thinking ambush, I reached for my sword—then noticed the circuit pain vanish.
"You healed me?"
"......"
No answer, but the situation spoke for itself. I tested my body, staring at Clarice in bewilderment.
What? Sudden healing...
Her face was still hard to read, but subtly softer now.
Straining to decipher her intent, her lips parted.
"Focus."
"Huh? On wha—!"
That instant, the golden light—not just healing—writhed inside my circuits.
Panicking briefly at the unknown, I sensed the golden power... holy force moving rhythmically.
This...
It guided my mana gently. Sensing the flow, I let it lead without resistance.
Shraa!!
!!!
Splitting mana—my prior struggle—flowed smoothly. Instinct kicked in; I applied Karen's Burst Blade.
Explode.
One mana stream thrashed wildly per my will, detonating in a massive wave.
The other responded, shielding circuits from the shock.
Bang!!
The wave vibrated my mana fiercely without harming circuits, infusing brief, immense power beyond normal body enhancement.
"This is...!"
First Burst Blade success. Joy surging, Clarice withdrew her hand.
No clue why the sudden help or healing, but...
"Thank you, Lady Clarice."
"......."
I bowed in thanks. She stared blankly, then...
"...Enough."
She turned sharply and returned to her spot.
Did I earn a bit of trust?
Still cold, but I felt she'd warmed slightly to me, smiling pleasantly.
To lock in the sensation, I repeated the detonations.
......
Watching Yuseong resume training, Clarice closed her eyes briefly, recalling the past.
'Clarice! Heal me up!'
'Karen! I told you not to use that technique! Know how hard it is to heal circuit damage?!'
Back when Karen, a B-rank adventurer, innovated to climb higher. Her mad idea to explode mana inside the body, fused with swordplay—insane genius from her friend.
'Karen was calm usually, but sword stuff turned her eyes wild.'
Recalling her blood-soaked friend begging heals daily, a hardcore grinder, Clarice heard—
Boom!!
"Kuh...!"
Less intense than Karen's, but Yuseong endured internal mana blasts, training on. She overlapped their images.
...No impurities in his circuits either.
Infusing holy power again to scan, finding nothing suspicious, her wariness toward Yuseong eased bit by bit.
But simultaneously—
What are you hiding?
In combat, she'd caught subtle habits Yuseong likely didn't notice.
He's holding back a trump card.
From unconscious leaks in battle emotions, she knew he hid something.
Still suspecting what it was, she didn't fully drop her doubts.
If it's tied to the Evil God...
Sorry to Karen, but she'd execute Yuseong herself.
......Instead, if all suspicions cleared and she'd wrongly hounded an innocent—
I'd have to apologize.
As much as she'd suspected, she'd sincerely atone. Even if Yuseong demanded compensation.