Chapter 160
* * *
The carriage packed with trainees jolted particularly violently.
Several Purifiers were busy sticking their heads outside and retching even though nothing came out.
âWe have to start working the moment we arrive in this condition.â
The mountain road leading into Rosein was extremely rough. Because of this, once the full cold wave arrived and the road froze solid, Rosein became completely isolated.
âArvina really didnât come in the end.â
âDo you think she stayed away because she knew it was Rosein?â
âShe isnât that calculating.â
I added a comment to their conversation.
Unlike the others, I wasnât prone to motion sickness, but I felt unwell for another reason.
It was because Gerard had bitten and sucked me all night.
I could still feel the soft sensation that had pushed in as though penetrating all the way to the back of my throat.
As though trying to store up three daysâ worth of purification before we had to be apart, Gerard had demanded it far more persistently than usual.
Even after the convulsions in his hand disappeared, he refused to let go of me for a long time.
The carriage had been traveling since before dawn, and we only arrived after the sun had fallen beyond the mountain ridge.
It was a fortress-like place surrounded by mountains on all sides.
The village sat alone atop a sheer cliff, and it was difficult to imagine how anyone had ever settled in such a place.
Rumble. The Purifiers poured out of the carriage.
The horses also seemed exhausted. When the coachman removed their harnesses and gave them water, they drank desperately.
âNow, now. Everyone, leave your belongings at the lodging and gather on the first floor.â
Calling it lodging was generous. It was merely the prayer room of a shabby temple with the chairs and desks removed.
There were no beds. Instead, sleeping bags made from thick blankets had been laid out.
Most of the trainees were children of noble families, but with graduation approaching, they had grown accustomed to sleeping arrangements like these.
They werenât here to play. They were volunteering in a slum, and even among themselves, they understood that expecting luxurious accommodations would be childish and inconsiderate. So they endured the discomfort.
âArenât those Baidel earmuffs? Did you buy them recently?â
âYes. My parents said Rosein would be cold.â
After putting on earmuffs decorated with red rubies, Anna tucked the strands of hair sticking out behind them.
Although the place was shabby, the traineesâ belongings were anything but.
As expected of noble children, everything they owned was expensive. And because they were expensive, they were also practical.
I remembered Gerard saying he would help me pack.
âIâm glad I refused.â
I felt relieved that I hadnât openly shown him my belongings, every one of which bore signs of poverty.
Gerard knew that I wasnât wealthy, but vaguely understanding it in his head and seeing traces of poverty in every small object were clearly different things.
âHurry, hurry and gather!â
At the thunderous call, the trainees who had been showing off their new purchases hurried outside.
I followed them toward the place where everyone was gathering.
In front of the old temple where we were staying, food and winter supplies to distribute to the people were piled high.
âPlease move only the dishes and bolts of cloth beside them inside!â
The mercenaries hired by the temple carried the heavy loads, while we moved the relatively lighter ones.
Strictly speaking, it wasnât particularly difficult work, but our stamina had been drained after spending all day packed inside a cramped carriage and climbing the rough road.
We were already exhausted enough to collapse and fall asleep immediately, so groans came from all directions as we worked.
âAbout Arvina. She definitely skipped this on purpose.â
âYouâre still talking about that? You said you were relieved because there arenât any reporters this time. Try to think positively.â
âMy butt hurts so much I could die.â
After waddling back and forth three times, our work quickly ended.
There was still a considerable amount of food left to move.
While the trainees desperately avoided looking at it and pretended not to notice, the priest fortunately stepped in and told us to go inside and rest.
After bathing in the shower room, I sprawled across the blanket.
The blanket felt rough against the skin, and everyone complained about the cold wind leaking in from all directions, but it was tolerable for me.
I could sleep well almost anywhere.
Because I was exhausted, I quickly fell asleep.
I thought I had only closed my eyes for a moment, but before I knew it, the first rooster was crowing.
We had to begin distributing food early in the morning, so I forced open my heavy eyelids and sat up.
* * *
âAh⌠Why am I a third-rank? My life is so unfair.â
Chelsea groaned miserably beside me.
The reason was that the higher-ranked trainees were assigned to purification volunteer work rather than food distribution.
Even among the poor, people with abilities were inevitably born. Most were lower-ranked, at third-rank or below.
On rare occasions, a second-rank child was born, but those children were discovered early and quickly taken in by a temple.
The role of the higher-ranked trainees was to suppress the energy of Awakeners who had never received proper purification since birth, and to teach the local Purifiers how to perform purification.
The higher-ranked trainees were supposed to join us once the purification work ended.
Perhaps because Arvina wasnât there, however, they still hadnât joined us even though enough time had passed for the purification work to be finished.
That was why Chelsea was irritated.
âMy arms are shaking so badly that I canât hold the ladle anymore.â
She wasnât joking. Chelseaâs thin arms were truly trembling like aspen leaves.
âDo you want to switch with me?â
âSpreading jam probably isnât much different from this⌠Fine.â
After switching places with Chelsea, I had just scooped up some stew when it happened.
âOh.â
A familiar little boy was holding out a food tray.
