I Wish You Well In Your Next Love, My Love - Chapter 11
He flipped my hand over this way and that with an indifferent expression before finally letting go.
āI came to drink what I had on keep. And while I was at it, I thought Iād ask what time you get off.ā
Crash!
The display cabinet that had been holding the new bottles toppled forward. The bottles inside shattered all at once, and the floor was quickly soaked with wine.
Seeing the scene, Turner went pale with shock and couldnāt speak. His eyes looked like they might roll back as he slowly sank down.
Only then did I properly take in the devastation inside the shop. The drunken Awakened lay on the floor with his left arm twisted at an unnatural angle, and one wall had completely collapsed.
And that wasnāt all. Because the range of Gerardās ability was so wide, deep gouges, as if heavy iron had rolled through, were carved across the ceiling and the floor.
The cost of subduing a single Awakened was absurdly high.
While everyone stood speechless, only Gerard seemed concerned with the wine that had seeped into the soles of his shoes.
āWhat a mess. Looks like your business is ruined for today anyway, so why not just close up?ā
I was stunned by the casual way he asked.
Before long, the patrol unit arrived after someone reported the incident. The Awakened was taken away, and Turner and I were questioned briefly on the spot.
Turner didnāt say a word the entire time.
* * *
Iāll probably get fired.
Turner seemed to think that what happened today was partly my fault. The drunk had gotten more agitated because I was a Purifier, and because I was there, Gerard had gotten involved too.
Yeah. Iām fired for sure.
My steps felt heavy as I walked home. Each time I stepped forward, there was a sticky ripping sound from the dried alcohol clinging to the soles of my shoes.
And another set of footsteps followed right behind me.
āNot eating dinner? Iām hungry.ā
The voice, enough to drive a person mad, made me stop in my tracks.
When I turned around, Gerard, who had been walking with his hands behind his head, grinned and waved one hand.
āYou finally noticed me.ā
His face was completely at ease, as if he had no idea what I was going through.
Meanwhile, I was already worried about next monthās rent.
It wasnāt easy to find part-time work as a Purifier trainee, and even if I did, there was the question of whether the hours would match my training schedule.
My fists clenched tightly. At this rate, I might have to give up Purifier training and make a living as a civilian.
Gerard opened his right hand and waved it in front of my face.
āDid you fall asleep standing up?ā
What I really wanted was to fix that right hand.
That was the reason I was still forcing myself to continue this life as a Purifier.
After the incident three years ago, Gerard had been left with incomplete memories and a condition where his hands trembled intermittently.
Priests and physicians renowned across the continent had all tried to treat him, but there had been no improvement.
His rampage rate, which had once soared to the critical point, had been barely suppressed, but that didnāt mean it had been fully resolved.
Since he couldnāt properly absorb a Purifierās power, it had only been forcibly restrained.
There was widespread belief that his unstable rampage rate had eventually led to a physical disorder.
This stubborn, blindly devoted man, even after losing his memories, still couldnāt properly accept purification from anyone except me.
If I could undergo the Ascension Rite and raise my rank, maybe I could heal Gerardās hands. If I could share even a small part of the tragedy hanging over him that way, I would be satisfied.
Because of that single goal, I couldnāt abandon my position as a fourth-rank Purifier, even with no future in sight, and remained at the temple.
I had planned to approach Gerard by chance after my rank increased, but I hadnāt wanted to become entangled with him again like this.
āHey.ā
Gerard, who had been staring at my face, bent slightly and crooked his brows.
āIām not eating dinner. Iām not in the mood.ā
I said only what needed to be said and turned away.
But the footsteps behind me continued.
Did some ghost that died hungry attach itself to me? Even if Arvina had asked him, there was no reason for him to be this persistent.
And he wasnāt the type of person who would listen even if I told him to go back.
Even when we were dating, he would often show up with piles of gifts I had never asked for. Whenever he was deployed to another country, it was as if he had a personal rule that he had to bring something back for me.
My small house, which didnāt even have a proper dressing room, had been overflowing with dresses and jewelry, to the point there was hardly any space to step.
Eventually, fed up with it, Gerard had even built a house in my name in one of the most desirable areas of the capital, near the mountains and the sea, begging me to move.
But I never accepted any of it.
Because if our relationship were ever discovered by anyone, I would be treated like a shameless parasite living off his money.
I didnāt want to give anyone a reason to condemn me with disgust.
