The Request Center
The scenery flashed rapidly outside the carriage window.
Though the unpaved road made his stomach churn slightly, he wasn't in a bad mood.
With a bit of focus, he could see the endless flax fields stretching out below the hill.
Pale blue flowers bloomed at the tips of slender stalks. Swaying gently in the breeze, they were the primary raw material for linen and the main specialty of Hollybell.
Andy, who had been quietly admiring the late spring scenery of the countship, turned his head. He had only looked outside to take a brief break from reading a history book.
The geography and history of this world were things Andy had to study as well. In the original novel, Cream had several tutors, but now there was only Andy. He needed to know as much as possible.
Fortunately, he was a quick study. Every night, as he pored over books to prepare for his lessons, he felt as if the information was being absorbed into his brain as if it had always been his own. He had already mastered noble etiquette, which was the highest priority to teach.
No wonder Count Hollybell had hired only Andy. He recalled hearing rumors about some sort of "all-around genius tutor."
He wondered if this was a gift from the author, much like how he had naturally acquired the language when he first entered this world.
As a side note, he had tried to see if he could study the stock market with this brain, but that was a no-go. It seemed this quick learning only applied to things necessary for Cream's education.
'So, I'll just have to earn money honestly with my own body.'
He chuckled, a slightly devious grin spreading across his face.
He was completely unaware that the young lady was poking her head out of the luggage compartment behind him, taking in the scenery.
Before long, the carriage ground to a halt, arriving at the commercial district.
Inside the walled city, people moved busily along the gray brick streets.
It was a lively place, filled with merchants carrying heavy bundles, housewives out for groceries, running children, and the distant chiming of cathedral bells.
Andy, wearing a hood, stepped down.
"I will return before sunset."
"Take your time and do what you need to do."
"I guess I can finally play a long game of poker for once," the coachman muttered, heading toward the carriage depot near the city entrance. Knowing he had to return before it got too late, Andy quickened his pace.
"Do you know the way to the request center?"
"Ah, yes. Over there..."
As he navigated toward his destination by asking passersby for directions, a tiny tailer wearing a dark gray hood slipped stealthily behind him. Clutched in her arms was a white stuffed dog.
'...The request center?'
The girl with cotton-candy-like hair pondered.
The word "request center" had definitely just come out of that man's mouth. And he was heading in the exact direction.
Since he said he was going out alone, she had assumed he was secretly heading to the guard station or the cathedral, but this was unexpected.
'I followed him for nothing.'
Cream, who had followed him to spy on his every move, let out a sigh.
If he had shown any sign of going to the guards, she had planned to immediately turn him into an unfortunate tutor who happened to run into a band of robbers.
'But why the request center?'
Why would a tutor for a noble family go to a place where people without proper jobs or those looking for side gigs gathered?
Did he have a request to make?
'...Could it be a request related to me?'
A request to secretly investigate Count Hollybell's half-sister?
Or perhaps a subjugation request?
Cream knew. A girl who drank the blood of beasts—she wouldn't be able to complain even if she were branded a witch. If reported to the cathedral, inquisitors would swarm the place.
Then, execution after all kinds of torture. Or summary execution. Whatever it was, it would end in death.
Just as her biological mother used to say every day like a habit.
"Smile... I said smile. Haven't I always told you to be a good girl?!"
'...No. If it were that, he would have gone to the cathedral. The cathedral, not the request center.'
Shaking off the old memory, Cream decided to watch the situation for now.
If he really wanted to report her, he could just go straight to the cathedral or the guards. There was no need to go through the hassle of visiting the request center.
She still didn't know the tutor's intentions. Why did he want to stay by her side? What was his exact goal? She hadn't heard anything from him other than that nonsense about "happiness."
Then what on earth was the reason?
'It seems certain he went there because of me, but...'
What was he plotting behind her back while wearing that mask of kindness?
Hiding in the crowd, Cream watched the tutor enter the request center building with sharp eyes. She wanted to follow him inside, but a child as small as her entering such a place would draw too much attention.
"...!"
Most of all, priests dressed in black were passing by at that very moment.
Their pitch-black robes fluttered, and every single one of them wore a solemn expression.
Although the designs of the vestments varied by order, they were similar in that they used dark-colored fabrics, with more metal ornaments added as one's rank rose.
Thanks to that, they weren't hard to identify. They were the beings Cream had to avoid at all costs—her greatest enemies.
As soon as she spotted the clergy, Cream hid in the alley between the buildings and held her breath. Lest she be discovered, lest the breath exhaled from her filthy body reach them.
Even though there was no need to go that far, she hid herself with near-obsessive caution while keeping her eyes glued to the request center.
"Welcome. What brings you here today?"
Around that time, the inside of the request center Andy had entered was bustling and noisy.
There were rough-looking men drinking alcohol broad daylight and young people gathered in corners chatting. Surprisingly, the place was clean, so the atmosphere wasn't entirely bad.
It was a hub where various requests—ranging from gathering materials and recruiting laborers to subjugating monsters—came and went. In the latter half of the original novel, Cream would occasionally drop by here once she began acting freely.
"I'd like to take on a request."
"Is this your first time?"
"Yes."
"Then please fill out your personal details on this form. It's required for the registration process."
Andy received a piece of paper and a pen from the staff member, who was dressed in a neat suit vest.
Name: Andrew
Gender: Male
Age: 22
Hometown: Capital City, Pronas
Specialty: Purification...
"I see, Mr. Andrew. You wrote 'Purification' under your specialty. Are you perhaps a clergyman?"
"Not myself, but my former mentor was. Thanks to him, I know how to use a bit of holy power. I'd like to put that to use and take on purification requests."
He gave a suitable alias and explanation.
As he was now, Andy couldn't just take Cream and leave the mansion out of the blue. He had neither the strength to protect her nor the funds. Above all, he didn't know Cream's true intentions.
Therefore, he had come to the request center with the plan to take on purification requests for a while to test and train his abilities, and earn money based on that.
Teaching the young lady, preparing for lessons, and training outside whenever he had spare time.
This was the ultimate daily schedule drawn up by Andy, who dreamed of becoming a professional tutor!
"Ah... as for purification requests..."
"Are there no requests to resolve cursed places or things corrupted by impurity?"
"Well... there are, but..."
The staff member trailed off with a somewhat troubled expression. When Andy looked puzzled, not understanding the meaning, the man finished his sentence.
"Usually, the local cathedral handles those kinds of purification requests. However, the cathedral is always short-staffed, so tasks that can be relatively put on the back burner get passed down here..."
"...And?"
"To be honest, it's not very profitable."
Hearing the whispered explanation, Andy understood.
However, for now, his goal was training rather than money. He had no intention of trying anything grand with a level 1 Purification trait.
"I don't mind. Please show me the requests."
"Well... it's not just a simple matter of the reward being small. Please look over there."
"Over there?"
Following the staff member's hand, Andy turned his head and saw a group of bearded men gathered around a table, laughing and chatting.
"Hm? What are you looking at over there?"
"Rick. Take off your helmet for a moment."
"Why? What kind of idiot showed up this time?"
As the helmeted man grumbled at the staff member's request, the men around him snickered.
"Well, there's no better teaching aid than you, is there?"
"A teaching aid for the fools who think they can make easy money instead of quietly joining the cathedral when they know how to use holy power."
"Ah, fine. Since you're praising me so much, I'll graciously make a spectacle of myself."
The sarcastically biting man whipped off his helmet, revealing a shocking sight.
Half of his face inside was completely ruined.
To be precise, his eyes, nose, and mouth were still attached, but half of his face was blackened, making it questionable if it even functioned. It didn't look like human skin, but rather like burnt tree bark or rotting meat.
This was the result of being corrupted by impurity—the dregs of this world, a filthy energy gathered from leftover remnants.
"See that, young man? Purification requests aren't for just anyone. There's a reason why educated people like priests handle them."
Those who could use holy power were crucial assets in this world.
Perhaps that was why some individuals preferred to work independently to make money, rather than slaving away in the cathedral, which was always short-staffed due to impurities, monsters, and sealing cracks.
Those who awakened holy power in their childhood naturally developed faith and joined the cathedral as a matter of course. However, those who acquired it as adults and tried to use it for shortcuts often ended up like this.
After all, there was a reason why the cathedral organized systematic teams for purification work. If you looked down on impurity just because you could use a bit of power, you would get severely burned like this.
"Don't end up like me by chasing strange dreams with mediocre talent. Just take ordinary requests to get by. Or quietly join the cathedral."
"Thank you for the advice."
Learning this fact just now, Andy bowed to the man who had shown his face.
As soon as he finished greeting him, he walked straight up to the man.
"What?"
"May I take a closer look?"
"Is this fascinating to you? I'll have you know I'm quite shy. I charge a viewing fee, you know?"
Ignoring the grumbling man, Andy reached out his hand.
Andy didn't think too deeply about it.
He just felt like he should. He also felt like he could do it.
Since he had easily purified a single-person bathtub's worth of muddy water, he figured he could easily purify an amount of impurity roughly the size of an adult's palm.
It was a simple act of goodwill, like seeing trash on the street and deciding to clean it up since he was the one who saw it.
It was also a gesture of gratitude to the man who, despite hiding his face with a helmet because he hated showing it to others, had revealed it to prevent a young man's life from going astray.
It was truly that simple.
"Excuse me."
Gathering his strength into his hand with the same sensation he used to purify water, the will flowing through his blood gathered and transformed into a warm light.
A light filled with the determination to cleanse the world's filth and leave only purity behind.
It soon descended upon the man's face.
Sssss—
"W-What is this?"
The sudden, unexpected action and the ensuing light drew the attention of everyone in the request center. They watched blankly, not knowing what Andy was trying to do, but soon the light subsided, and the result was revealed.
"Your face...!"
"Uh... Ah!"
As Andy withdrew his hand and stepped back, the man fumbled at his own face. Instead of damp, hard flesh, he felt soft human skin.
Sensing the change, he peered at his reflection in his neighbor's cup, and his jaw dropped instantly.
"M-My face...! My face!"
It was a clean face, beyond any shadow of a doubt.
The discolored flesh had vanished without a trace, replaced by perfectly healthy skin.
"Young man! What on earth is this...!"
"..."
"...Young man?"
"Ah, yes."
Andy, who had been grimacing, smoothed his expression and pulled his hood down firmly.
He was relieved to find that his Purification trait worked even on this kind of fantasy-like, alien corruption. Andy had thought his ability operated differently from the purification used by the priests of this world through holy power.
It was just that his head throbbed.
Success was great, but the moment he used the ability, a throbbing pain shot through his head, making it hard to breathe and causing his face to contort. It felt as if a skewer had been driven straight into his brain.
Apparently, this was much more difficult than purifying ordinary muddy water.
Anyway, he was glad it worked.
It would have been embarrassing if it hadn't.
Deciding to think positively, Andy looked ahead.
"It's nothing major. Just consider it payment for your advice."
"This is unbelievable! To purify this level of impurity, just how much—"
"If it really weighs on your conscience, buy me a waffle from the stand out front. Please have it wrapped up in a flavor that young girls like."
"Ha..."
He didn't have time to waste. He needed to finish his business quickly and return to the mansion to watch over the young lady.
Speaking casually in front of the dumbfounded man, Andy turned back to the staff member.
"Can you give me a purification request now?"
The staff member pulled out a stack of request forms all at once.
'...Ah! He's out.'
The door of the request center opened, and the target finally emerged. Although his face was hidden by the hood, she had memorized his gait, so she could easily recognize him.
Cream, who had been waiting for Andy while hiding in the alley, prepared to tail him again.
Holding her breath, she crept closer to the tutor.
However, the conversation of the people coming out behind him was rather strange.
"Uncle Rick got really lucky this time."
"Was he a pilgrim from the Holy Land?"
"When his face was like that, he did nothing but drink all day."
Then, one of the men suddenly rushed out, ran to the waffle stand, and screamed like a madman, "Give me fifty strawberry waffles to go!"
"...?"
Pilgrims? Face? Waffles?
Just what had happened inside?
Cream wanted to investigate, but the tutor was already getting far away, so she had no choice but to hurriedly follow him.