Chapter 556 – Purification (1)

After it was confirmed that the two of them would embark on purification work alone with the saint, whose mind was presumed to be quite close to that of a flower garden.

I boarded the moving vehicle with Lulucia and, guided by the staff, moved to the area we needed to purify.

As I continued to talk with the saintess, whose soft-spoken tone made even those who listened to her become absorbed in the atmosphere.

“Taekyung was a hunter from the company~! “This is the first time I’ve had a proper conversation with a hunter from my company!”

“Is that so?”

“Yes~! It’s been less than a year since I came to Korea on a business trip! “I haven’t made many friends yet, and they’re all foundation hunters~!”

… Still, seeing as how he became friends with foundation hunters known for their strange personalities in less than a year, he certainly seemed to be a very friendly person.

Well, what’s the need to say, considering that after only meeting for about 10 minutes, we are now close to calling each other by our first names.

In the first place, if you spoke in such a soft tone, anyone would be caught off guard and easily let off guard. It wouldn’t be that different from self-respecting women from the foundation.

In order to get to know her better, I took the lead in raising the topic of her conversation.

“It’s been less than a year since you came on a business trip, so Lucia-san, this is your first integrated management day…”

“Lucia~! “I said~!”

“… “I’m sorry, Lulucia.”

“Stop being so hard! “I don’t like it when friends talk to each other so harshly!”

… Aren’t we close enough to call ourselves friends yet?

Even though it had only been about 30 minutes since we met, the fact that they started talking about being friends and all that, really showed that they were very friendly in many ways.

Well, considering the purpose of my participation in the purification work, it would have been easier for her to think of me as a friend, so it was better.

I apologized calmly, appreciating Lulucia’s friendliness and not feeling wary of strangers.

“Okay, Lucia. “I won’t make any mistakes in the future.”

“… All right. “For this one time, I have no choice but to generously forgive you as a saint!”

“Thank you, Lulucia. “Up until now, I’ve only heard about her through rumors, but she looks like an example of a saint.”

“Hehe, thank you, Taekyung~.”

Unlike your soft-spoken personality, are you the type of person who secretly enjoys being supported?

Of course, even taking that into account, she had an above-average personality for a Foundation woman.

If you think about Sihee when you first met and Yehee until recently. I would say it feels better to be openly honest like this.

It was easier to deal with someone who clearly expressed what she wanted rather than going around in circles and hiding her true feelings.

“It’s the story I was talking about earlier, Lulucia.”

“Yes~.”

“It’s been less than a year since you came to Korea on a business trip, so this must be your first time attending the Abandoned Village Integrated Management Day event for Lulucia.”

“Yes~!”

“Actually, this is my first time doing this purification project, so I’m not sure exactly how to do it. Lulucia seems to be well-versed in various healing abilities. Can you tell me how to properly utilize purification in this task?”

“Oh~! Of course~! Even when I was at the Vatican, I often used my purification ability~? “Like when removing a curse engraved on an old relic, or when cleaning a messy room!”

… For a saint, lifting the curse engraved on a relic is not that different from cleaning a room.

For a moment, a feeling of somewhat absurd self-confidence came to mind, but I thought that it would not be such an impossible task if she were the famous saint.

Rather, she was more trustworthy as a person who had strong confidence in her own abilities.

Somehow, I definitely want to become friends.

It seemed like explosive growth could be achieved through this person in terms of how to use recovery spells and other recovery-related abilities.

Although there were restrictions between the company and the guild called the foundation, there were many ways to bypass this and build relationships.

It would be possible to meet during work through the shared dungeon between the foundation and the company, or there was also an option for me to go on a business trip to the foundation like Minah.

Right now, Sihee and Eunbyeol reached the highest level of likeability and became close friends, regardless of the shackles of being from the foundation.

… Of course, in the case of the two, it is more of a deeper connection than a general friendship.

‘It’s not a method that can be used against Lulucia.’

If he approached a saint in Vatican City with the promise of easing her sexual desires, it would not be surprising if it immediately became an international issue. This is because the status of a saint itself was symbolic throughout the world, regardless of gender issues.

Of course, the moment I reveal that I am an ‘awakened male hunter’, the symbolism itself will become similar to that of Lulucia, but I still cannot deny that the saint is a more important figure internationally than me.

So, first of all, the best way would be to become close with them in this way, feeling like ‘friends’. Fortunately, Lulucia’s first impression of me didn’t seem to be that bad.

“When I bestowed the protection of vitality on Taekyung and the others earlier, I was grateful that they responded first.”

“Yes? … Ah, you mean that?”

“Actually, that. If there is no one to sympathize with, it is not effective. “I almost felt embarrassed, but thanks to Taekyung, I’m glad that everyone seemed to have regained their energy~”

In fact, the temporary energy that I had gained seemed to fade away in just a dozen minutes.

It wasn’t really Lulucia’s fault. It was a problem with the attitude of recovery hunters who were so accustomed to living a life where they were just treated well.

There was no need to point out that part of her, so I just deliberately answered her with a friendly smile.

“I’m glad it helped.”

… If I were to run a guild in the future to achieve my dream, I didn’t want the recovery hunters in my guild to be so unmotivated.

Of course, since the Hunter’s life is at stake, I have no idea how to respond at the moment.

While I was thinking about this and talking with Lulucia, the car carrying us arrived at a polluted area near Area A.

When we saw a rather musty scene outside the window of the car, the receptionist who was driving the car turned to us and said,

“You two can wear the masks we gave you earlier and get off. And be sure to bring a detox potion just in case.”

“Yes.”

“Yes~.”

Wearing a mask and getting off with the guide, I was at a site near a factory in Area A.

This is believed to be the boundary where the pollutants that have spread out from the factory are spread out.

Although the guide’s explanation had not yet begun, it was easy to figure out at a glance what Lulucia and I needed to do from now on.

The information staff got out of the vehicle wearing a mask and began explaining the purification work to Lulucia and me.

“Before we begin the cleanup work, we will give you a preliminary explanation of the work that hunters must do.”

“Yes.”

“Yes~.”

“The reason this abandoned village became a dungeon 13 years ago is because of a dungeon gate opened underneath the factory in Area A. Even now, 13 years later, the gate in the basement of the factory is still generating monster waves, and that is the biggest reason why this abandoned town cannot be restored to its original state.”

“Okay.”

“As the monster wave continues, the amount of pollutants flowing out of the abandoned factory is constantly increasing every year, and the pollutants are gradually spreading throughout the abandoned village dungeon, centered around Area A. “If we are complacent and leave it alone for even a year, more than half of the abandoned village will be polluted with deadly poison, and after just two years, it will reach a level where hunters will no longer be able to enter.”

“…”

“That is why our guild association requests awakened people with purification abilities to purify the increased amount of contaminated areas on the day of integrated management of abandoned villages every year. It is somewhat dangerous and arduous work for recovery hunters. That’s why it’s a job with few applicants every year.”

That’s why the woman named Ham Eun-sol used her courage and tried not to do it.

Moreover, from what I heard, it seemed like other purification abilities didn’t participate in the integrated management day event because they didn’t like this work, so now I could understand the guild employees’ expressions that turned red when I said I would participate.

“The two people participating in the clean-up will be provided additional special allowances. Additionally, we will guarantee early departure from work as long as the cleaning is completed to the designated location. If you encounter any inconvenience during the work, please let us know at any time as we will be happy to accommodate you.”

The attitude seems to be almost desperate now, as if asking people not to say anything else and just focus on the purification work.

Well, I didn’t come here with the intention of doing anything like that from the beginning, so of course I was planning on doing a clear cleanup job.

It was a task I participated in to show a good side to the saint in the first place, but there is no way that I will look good if I don’t do it properly and show off.

“Hey~.”

“Yes, Lucia Belmonte Hunter.”

“Can the purification work begin now?”

“You can start whenever you feel like it.”

“Aha! Then, we will begin the purification work from now on. “Can you please take care of my things for a while while I work?”

“Please leave as much as you want.”

-G profit.

As soon as the employee nodded and answered, Lulucia pulled down the zipper of the boots she was wearing without hesitation.

Then, without the slightest hesitation, he took off the two boots he was wearing.

As I was watching, I wondered if it was shoes that I had asked to be entrusted with. This time, I even took off my socks and placed them on my boots.

Lulucia, now barefoot, started running towards the poisonous puddle with an innocent expression on her face.

“Jeez, shoes and socks~! Please take care of me~!”

“Now, just a moment, Hunter! It is dangerous to walk barefoot in polluted areas… !”

Lulucia ignores the staff’s warning and jumps barefoot into a poisonous puddle.

Even though she was a saint, she narrowed her eyes, thinking that she might be wrong in such a dangerous action, but what she saw with my eyes right away was a mysterious sight that I had no need to worry about.

“It’s okay~! “Because I am a saint!”

“…”

“…”

The deadly poison begins to be purified around Lulucia’s two feet, which she dips into a pool of deadly poison.

The poison puddle, which was a murky purple color, instantly changed into clear water that could be seen through.

At that amazing sight, both the staff and I could only stare blankly, at a loss for words.

“For a saint, this is nothing!”

It was the moment when Saint Lulucia encountered her true awakening ability for the first time.