CH 8 Same rivalry

“Oh my, Irene! I’m really sorry. I was so excited to see you and ended up bumping into you. Are you okay? Can you get up?” Wilhelmina extended her hand, looking genuinely apologetic.

However, even as she seemed unsure of what to do, her eyes were still fierce, unable to completely hide her true feelings.

Ignoring Wilhelmina’s outstretched hand, Irene pushed herself to her feet.

‘I’m seeing this one again.’

The only difference was that now, this person was no longer someone Irene was happy to see.

Wilhelmina and Irene have known each other for quite some time. She lived right next to the Count Rhodiam’s estate.

‘We used to get along quite well when we were children.’

Like Irene, she was adopted by nobles when they discovered she had the power of purification. However, unlike Irene, Wilhelmina seemed to be fairly content with her life.

“Living as a pauper would have been miserable. How fortunate is it to be adopted by a noble family? You should be thankful to the Count as well.”

Wilhelmina would often say such things to Irene during their basic training sessions to become purifiers.

Two years older than Irene, she had her purification ability assessed at the temple as soon as she became an adult.

‘She was a Grade 5 purifier.’

Her unremarkable purification ability, neither exceptionally high nor low, left her in a somewhat ambiguous position.

‘It would be a waste to discard someone with her ability, but she also wasn’t powerful enough to be worth anything substantial.’

Nobles usually don’t send high-ranked purifiers off to other households. Children born from a purifier have a high chance of being a purifier themselves, so they keep their daughters at home while arranging marriages for them.

‘But Wilhelmina didn’t belong to either side, so she constantly struggled to find her place even in circles of nobility.’

Worried that she might be sold to an old man wanting a purifier, Wilhelmina always hoped to encounter a skilled knight in the dungeon and formally marry him.

“I tried purifying beforehand by getting some demon blood myself. They said I must at least be Grade 3. With that rank… even if I can’t catch a royal, I should be able to enter a powerful household. Surely, the person who becomes my pair will be a noble. Even after dungeon conquests, I should be able to keep my pair. Then, I can become a proper lady.”

Wilhelmina had confidence in her abilities. The higher the grade of a purifier, the greater the likelihood of being paired with a knight from a more influential family, and there’s a higher chance of the pair lasting even after dungeon conquests. It might even lead to a permanent marriage rather than just a temporary pair.

However, she was classified as a Grade 5 purifier. After the first dungeon conquest, her partner declared the end of their pair. Twice now, Wilhelmina has had her contracts terminated shortly after a single expedition.

‘So, this year, she was even more nervous.’

Wilhelmina had cried out in frustration before Irene, not understanding why her pairs ever lasted. Irene could guess at the reason as she watched Wilhelmina throw things in a fit, but she kept her mouth shut.

Because if Irene told her what it was, it would be Irene, not the maid, who would get the flower vase thrown at her.

And this year, more than anyone else, Wilhelmina was curious about the grade Irene would receive.

The moment Irene’s Grade 10 rank was confirmed, Wilhelmina genuinely smiled like she was truly relieved. It was obvious from that smile that she sincerely believed that Irene shouldn’t be happier than she was.

As Irene reminisced about her past life with Wilhelmina, she heard her whisper in a small voice, “Irene, what happened?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re Grade 9, right? And how did you become Sir Michael’s pair?”

The inquisitive tone in Wilhelmina’s voice made Irene giggle.

“To ask that before even saying hello, you must have been really curious.”

Irene laughed at Wilhelmina’s sudden and transparent attempt at friendliness.

Wilhelmina, on the other hand, looked at Irene in bewilderment.

‘Did I eat something wrong? Why is she like this?’

Wilhelmina vividly remembered the last time she saw Irene—how relieved she was to see Irene’s world crumbling as the priest declared her Grade 10 rank.

‘If her rank had been higher than mine, it would have been unbearable.’

The lives of purifiers are drastically shaped by their grades. After years of treating Irene like a servant under the pretense of teaching her, Wilhelmina wouldn’t have been able to stand the idea of Irene looking down on her because she had received a higher rank.

But with Irene being Grade 10, Wilhelmina believed that their positions would remain unchanged in the future.

‘But why!’

As soon as the banquet began, Wilhelmina quickly made a pre-arranged contract with a knight she had identified beforehand and left the venue. He seemed fitting for her conditions, and the knight, being receptive, didn’t hesitate to spend the night with her.

The next morning, Wilhelmina woke up to find the entire fortress turned upside down.

‘It’s strange enough that her grade went up, but to be paired with Sir Michael?’

That was shocking enough, but when Wilhelmina learned that Irene’s quarters were the most spacious and luxurious room worthy of even Grade 1 purifiers, her mind truly flipped.

While Wilhelmina was struggling with the absurdity and her irritation, a servant came up to her and whispered:

“Our mistress specifically requests your presence.”

On the servant’s chest sparkled the emblem of the Visconti royal family. She was Princess Cecilia’s maid.

Without saying a word, Wilhelmina pressed a hand against her fluttering heart and followed the maid.

‘Is she trying to get me into her circle?’

Circles were formed around powerful purifiers. Naturally, they don’t accept just anyone into these gatherings. The individual had to have a high purification rank, come from an influential family, or be paired with a strong knight. Meeting one of these criteria is essential to enter one of these prestigious circles.

Over the past two years, Wilhelmina couldn’t even get close to Princess Cecilia’s gathering, let alone join it. But finally, this year, she was being summoned.

‘If things go well…’

Princess Cecilia’s circle was the envy of all purifiers.

In that group, purifiers who became close worked together to conquer dungeons. Additionally, if their current pair didn’t suit their preferences, they would introduce each other to new knights the following year.

Naturally, since it was a gathering centered around the princess, the knights introduced by her were both from distinguished families and exceptionally skilled. More importantly, they had impeccable manners.

The circle that Wilhelmina had eagerly sought out exceeded her expectations. Apart from her, most were Grade 3 purifiers or higher, all paired with well-decorated knights. And they all had access to extravagant rooms rarely found within the fortress.

In the center of the group, Princess Cecilia greeted Wilhelmina with a smile, wearing an artifact she obtained during the previous expedition.

However, Princess Cecilia didn’t invite Wilhelmina with the intention of having her join her inner circle. The princess spoke in circles, but in the end, there was only one thing she demanded.

‘Find out more about Irene and Sir Michael.’

Why did someone who hadn’t sought a pair or received purification from other purifiers suddenly want a pair? The princess wanted Wilhelmina to find out why he chose Irene.

Wilhelmina was no fool. It was easy to see why the princess would summon her, openly demanding information.

It was because once someone paired with Michael, there was a high chance he would seek another pair the next year.

‘Princess Cecilia is eyeing that opportunity.’

Next year, she wanted to make Michael her pair and she wanted to know what he saw in Irene that made him choose her.

Wilhelmina, too, wanted to know why Michael had requested Irene as his pair.

‘Since he’s paired with a 9th rank purifier, maybe I, a Grade 5 purifier, would have a chance.’

Wilhelmina turned to Irene with such hopes.

‘That fool will tell me everything if I ask.’

Thinking about Irene’s usual behavior, being all happy to see someone she knows in this unfamiliar place, Wilhelmina thought it wouldn’t be difficult to get the information she needed.

But contrary to her expectations, Irene was rather blunt with her. While Wilhelmina was taken aback, Irene just looked at her and sighed.

‘Someone must have ordered her to come and ask.’

Most likely Princess Cecilia.

‘She’s been trying relentlessly to get into the princess’s inner circle in the past.’

Irene bit her lip as she remembered her previous life. After her rank was confirmed, Wilhelmina didn’t even want to speak to her, thinking it would be embarrassing to associate with someone who was so low rank.

The same held true in this current life. Yesterday in the banquet hall, she didn’t even bother to speak to Irene and quickly walked away without so much as a glance. And now, she’s acting all cordial.

Considering they would never see each other again after a few days, Irene thought about ignoring her. However, after a moment’s thought, Irene spoke up.

“I don’t know why I became Grade 9. The priests say it might be a mistake in the first measurement. And as for why Michael asked me to be his pair…”

“…The reason is?”

“I don’t know either.”

“What?”

“It’s like I said, I don’t know why he came to me.”

She wasn’t lying. He said he asked because she was the closest, but in retrospect, as bad as his wounds were that day, they weren’t so grievous that he couldn’t have requested help from someone else.

When she asked if there was any other reason he came up to her, he said the same reply like a parrot: You are the purifier closest to me.

Irene sneaked a glance at Wilhelmina’s expression. Perhaps Wilhelmina thought Irene would easily spill all she knew. In the past, Irene considered her one of the few friends she had, and Irene had disclosed everything Wilhelmina asked or demanded, believing that they were close.

But that wasn’t all.

‘In the past, she manipulated me to get to Michael.’

Wilhelmina had always been interested in Michael, and on the very few occasions that she did meet him, she was always standing next to him, all dressed up in her finery.

Not only that.

“Wouldn’t I have been more helpful if I were his pair instead of you?”

Wilhelmina would occasionally say such things, clicking her tongue.

She would never dare to say such a thing if it were in front of Princess Cecilia. When Irene remembered how Wilhelmina had once pined for Michael like that, it must seem ridiculous to her how nonchalant Irene was.

Irene couldn’t help but sigh. “If you’re so curious, why don’t you just go find Sir Michael and ask him yourself?”

Irene’s tone, unexpectedly assertive in requesting, caught Wilhelmina off guard. However, her surprise was short-lived. Faced with Irene’s confident demeanor, Wilhelmina couldn’t help but respond with a hint of sarcasm.

“…Perhaps Sir Michael chose you as his pair because he knew about your situation and wanted to help. He tends to be generous toward those in need. I just thought you might be under the impression that you were receiving special treatment.”

As Wilhelmina was speaking, a servant from the fortress entered and respectfully bowed to Irene.

“Miss Irene, could you kindly check the items that have arrived for you.”

“For me?”

After a short pause, Irene, accompanied by Wilhelmina who had followed her, returned to her room with her mouth agape.

“What on earth is all this?”

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