Chapter 4

The Purifier

If Rupert ever lost control, he might hurt the people precious to him. That fear drove him deep into this forest, following the words of the fortune-teller.

But Rupert was a duke with many enemies. While hiding here, he was ambushed by assassins sent by his political rivals.

Normally, he could have handled them easily. But with his unstable body that could go berserk at any moment, he was overwhelmed and nearly killed.

Just when he thought it was the end—someone saved him.

A fragile human woman, standing before him now.

“I didn’t hear that the Purifier was supposed to be human…” Rupert muttered.

“Mmngh…”

Jania stirred in her sleep, mumbling as if she was dreaming, her small lips moving slightly. Rupert frowned, watching her closely, then turned his gaze away.

He wasn’t certain yet. He’d have to stay near her for now and see.

Hadn’t he already humiliated himself, pretending to be a tame wolf-dog, just to observe her? He bit his lip at the thought.

And worse, the collar she had put on him still dangled around his neck. Annoyed, Rupert stepped outside and looked up at the moon, which had grown even brighter.

“…The full moon is near.”

During the full moon, it would be harder than ever to control his power. At that time, he would have to leave this place temporarily.

He still wasn’t sure if Jania really was the Purifier. If he lost control under the full moon, she could be in danger.

After carefully locking the door behind him, Rupert shifted back into his wolf form and calmly returned to the shabby doghouse, sprawling across the cushion as if nothing had happened.

***

“Yaaawn…”

The next morning, Jania stretched and let out a huge yawn.

She had dreamed of a mountain made of cotton candy. She walked along, happily eating the fluffy candy, but kept feeling someone’s eyes on her. Each time she looked around—no one was there.

It left her with a lingering unease when she woke, so she didn’t feel fully rested.

But that wasn’t the biggest problem.

“Ugh, now I really want cotton candy.”

In this world, she couldn’t easily get the snacks she used to eat in her past life.

Other reincarnated heroines dreamed of kimchi or rice. Here, even making a simple soup was hard. Storage food was all she had, with hardly any fresh ingredients.

Most days, her meals were just dry bread with cheese or jerky.

Sometimes, sneaking berries from the forest felt like a luxury.

So of course, she always craved delicious food.

“Why did I reincarnate into this kind of character…” she sighed. Unlike other heroines who lived in mansions as noble ladies, she was stuck in this rundown place.

Dragging herself up, she washed quickly and stepped outside.

Click.

“Hm?”

When she opened the door, she heard the sound of a lock turning.

“…Did I lock this door last night?”

Usually, she only locked the outer gate, not this door. Tilting her head in confusion, Jania stepped into the yard. The afternoon sun was already blazing down.

“Good morning, Alex. Did you sleep well?”

“Woof!”

“You weren’t cold, right?”

She had put a cushion and a blanket in the doghouse, so luckily Alex looked fine. Jania, on the other hand, felt exhausted from overworking herself yesterday and sleeping poorly.

Almost out of habit now, she patted Alex’s head. His soft fur felt nice under her fingers.

“Ah, you must be hungry. Sorry…”

Because she overslept, Alex had been left without food all morning. Feeling guilty, Jania stood up and went to the food storage.

“Hmm… all I’ve got is jerky again.”

He had eaten jerky yesterday, but giving him the same thing again didn’t feel right. And anyway, she wasn’t sure if it was even good for a wolf.

“Oh, wait.”

Jania suddenly remembered—the deer Alex had hunted to repay her kindness was still lying outside the gate.

She groaned.

“A dead deer… can I really handle that?”

But after a moment, she decided she could just drag it into the yard. Alex would eat it himself.

Cautiously, she stepped outside.

Creaaak.

“Phew…”

The deer was still there. Not intact, but still where Alex had left it. Thankfully, no other animals had touched it overnight.

‘So… are there no predators in this forest besides Alex?’ she wondered as she grabbed one of the deer’s legs, took a deep breath, and began dragging it.

“Ugh, so heavy…”

Panting, Jania managed to shove it through the gate.

“Ahh, I’m dying…”

“Grr?”

Alex approached, sniffing the air at the smell of meat. Jania wiped sweat from her brow and pointed.

“Here, Alex, this is for you.”

“Grr?”

“Doesn’t it look good?”

“Grr…”

But Alex just looked between her and the deer without moving.

“…Why aren’t you eating?”

Then it hit her. Her eyes widened.

“…Wait. Do you want me to eat it too?”

“Woof!”

“I—I can’t…” she stammered.

It made sense. Alex had hunted the deer to repay her. If she didn’t eat it, it would feel like she was rejecting his effort.

But Jania had no desire to sit beside him chewing raw deer meat.

“You eat it, Alex. I’ll be fine.”

“Woof! Woof!”

He barked loudly, refusing. Clearly, he wouldn’t eat unless she did too.

Jania hesitated, then murmured, “Well… maybe I could cook it…”

She looked down at the carcass. It wasn’t as terrifying as yesterday. If she cut it properly and sprinkled some salt, she could roast it.

But then she shook her head.

“No, it must already be spoiled.”

Wild animals could eat raw meat left outside, but humans couldn’t. It had been sitting here for over half a day.

She sighed, placing a hand on her stomach. “Sorry, but—huh?”

Something felt strange. She looked at the deer again.

“…It’s cold?”

When she touched it, she gasped. The flesh was icy, like it had been stored in a refrigerator. Yesterday, when she dragged it by the leg, she hadn’t noticed.

“How… is this possible?”

Her mouth fell open. If the meat was this cold, then it hadn’t spoiled at all. That meant… she could actually eat it.

Her stomach growled. She shook her head quickly, but her eyes lingered on the deer.

‘Suspicious… but maybe it’s fine?’

This whole mansion and forest were already strange. Maybe this was another quirk of the place. And since it worked in her favor, why not?

Oblivious to Alex’s sharp gaze on her, Jania convinced herself it was safe.

***

“Ahh, this is so good…”

The fire crackled in the yard.

Jania happily ate slices of roasted venison while Alex tore into the larger chunks raw.

It had been so long since she ate real meat. Even though her butchering was clumsy and all she used was salt, it was infinitely better than jerky and bread.

She devoured the venison with a blissful face. Who knew deer could taste this amazing?

“Grr.”

“Hm?”

“Woof!”

“…You’ll hunt more sometimes?”

“Woof, woof!”

Alex barked loudly, as if to confirm.

Jania hesitated, then thought about it. If the mansion really did preserve meat somehow, then maybe storing venison was possible.

“Alright. But don’t stay out too long, okay? You might get hurt again.”

“Woof!”

“Good boy, good boy.”

Smiling, Jania stroked his head warmly.

After a proper meal of fresh meat, her guard slipped even further.