Chapter 11: The Purification Squad

Gideon Brangwen's POV:

The sun was already sliding down the sky like it couldn't wait to clock out for the day.

The golden light spilled across the stone streets of the capital, catching on banners and rooftops, making the whole place glow like it was dipped in honey.

And me? I was trudging through the crowd, greatsword slung across my back, getting weird looks from every second person I passed.

Kids pointed at me. Merchants whispered. One guy dropped his basket of oranges and scrambled to pick them up without taking his eyes off my blade.

"Relax, folks. I'm not starting a civil war. Just heading to the Adventurer's Guild to file paperwork. Super thrilling."

I adjusted the sword on my shoulder, feeling the weight settle between my shoulder blades.

I'd meant to go back to my inn and sleep for, like, twelve hours.

But the memories of black veins crawling through the forest soil… and a beautiful demon spy trying to kill me while also flirting with me… kind of made it hard to chill.

The city gates loomed behind me, guards milling about in polished breastplates. The towering silhouette of Rojan's royal castle glowed in the distance, its spires lit orange in the fading light.

Capital city of Rojan. The so-called "frontier kingdom."

Which felt hilariously underwhelming considering that just beyond its borders, there were demons, corruption, and forest wolves high on evil magic.

"I swear, the only frontier I care about right now is the frontier between me and my next meal," I muttered.

But first… duty called.

The Adventurer's Guild was up ahead, warm yellow light spilling from its windows onto the cobblestones.

I squared my shoulders, took a deep breath, and stepped forward.

Because if I was gonna stay alive in Eteria… I needed to play the game right.

The guild doors creaked open as I shoved inside, sword and all, like I owned the place.

Warm air washed over me—oil lamps flickering, the scent of cheap ale and grilled meat mixing with metal polish and sweaty adventurers.

It was prime adventurer rush hour.

People milled around laughing, arguing, waving slips of parchment in each other's faces. Someone in full plate armor was trying to balance three mugs of beer and failing spectacularly.

I ignored the stares my giant sword always drew and made a beeline for the counter.

The same guild clerk from before glanced up as I approached. Her eyes flicked automatically to my chest—where my Class Z tag still gleamed like a cosmic joke.

"Mr. Brangwen," she said. "You're back… in one piece. I'll admit, that's better odds than I gave you."

"Aww. Thanks for the vote of confidence," I said. "I'll try to get myself killed next time to keep your expectations low."

She sighed, pulled out her ledger, and reached for a quill.

"Report, please. Did you complete the Eastern Forest investigation?"

I slid the parchment slip across the counter.

"Yeah. Long story short—forest's a mess. Black veins in the ground. Corrupted monsters drooling black goo. Also, I may or may not have run into a demon spy with legs longer than my entire future."

She paused mid-quill stroke, eyebrows slowly climbing her forehead.

"I… I beg your pardon?"

"Don't worry about it," I said. "I handled it. Sort of. Mostly. Anyway, forest's infected. Ruins look like ground zero for monster plague. Whole place needs a magical Lysol wipe-down."

She pressed a palm to her forehead.

"You… fought corrupted monsters?"

"Yup."

"Alone?"

"Yup."

"Mr. Brangwen, I must remind you that you are Class Z."

"Hey, Class Z's the new S Rank, didn't you hear?" I shot back. "All the cool kids are doing it."

She exhaled like I'd just doubled her paperwork for the day.

"Please… just wait here. I need to record this properly."

As she started scribbling, I leaned on the counter, swinging my sword side to side, accidentally thumping a guy in chainmail.

"Sorry, bro. Occupational hazard."

Because if there was one thing I'd learned in Eteria…

Adventuring might be dangerous. But paperwork was deadlier.

The clerk finished scribbling and set down her quill like it weighed a hundred pounds.

She stared at me over the ledger, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Mr. Brangwen… what you've described is extremely serious."

"Welcome to my life," I said. "Everything I touch turns into a season finale."

She flipped through a stack of papers, found a parchment sealed with blue wax, and slid it closer to me.

"Listen carefully. Those black veins you saw in the forest… that's not normal monster territory stuff. It's a corruption phenomenon."

"Sounds lovely. Is it contagious?"

"No. Not directly. It's… complicated. Think of it as a plague, but magical."

She leaned in a little, voice dropping.

"When corruption seeps into an area, it twists the natural mana flow. Plants, animals—everything gets affected. Monsters become stronger, more violent. Sometimes they even mutate into completely new forms."

"Fantastic," I said. "So basically fantasy steroids, but evil."

She shot me a glare.

"This is serious, Mr. Brangwen. If it spreads unchecked, entire regions can fall. Villages vanish overnight. Forests turn into monster nests."

I swallowed.

"So… do we nuke it from orbit, or what?"

"No. The only known way to cleanse corrupted zones is through holy magic. Usually wielded by priestesses with high affinity. It's the only thing that purifies the plague entirely."

"So we're talking divine bleach."

"Essentially."

She flipped the parchment back around, tapping the sealed crest.

"The guild has been receiving more reports of corruption all over the kingdom. Your discovery confirms it's now reached the frontier. That's… troubling."

"Yeah, well, if you want my professional opinion… it sucks."

She let out a weary sigh.

"The guild will send a purification team immediately. We can't afford to let that ruin become a permanent corruption zone."

"Good. Because I'm fresh out of holy magic," I said. "Unless charisma counts."

She stared at me.

"It doesn't."

I gave her my most dazzling grin.

"Worth a try."

Because monsters I could handle. But this whole forest plague business?

Way above my pay grade.

The clerk set the parchment aside and folded her hands on the counter, looking like she was about two seconds away from chugging a health potion for stress.

"Fortunately," she said, "the guild has protocols for this. We're assembling a party specifically for the purification of that ruin."

"Glad to hear it," I said. "Because my skill list does not include 'Divine Sparkle Cleanse.'"

She didn't even blink at the joke.

"The team will consist of four adventurers," she continued. "Including a priestess with exceptionally high holy affinity. Her magic should be powerful enough to purify the entire area you discovered."

"Cool. So… fantasy Hazmat crew."

"Precisely... Whatever that is."

She flipped through her papers again, mumbling under her breath.

"We'll have them depart as early as tomorrow. It's crucial we prevent the corruption from spreading further. Once it takes root, it becomes exponentially more difficult to eradicate."

"Yikes. Exponential math. Definitely evil."

She gave me a look that said she wasn't sure whether to be annoyed or laugh.

"It's good that you reported this quickly, Mr. Brangwen. You may have saved a significant portion of the forest—and potentially nearby villages."

"Awesome," I said. "Do I get a medal? Or maybe a punch card for free beer?"

"You get your quest reward."

"Less awesome."

Still… I couldn't deny the flicker of pride warming my chest.

Because apparently, Class Z or not, I'd just helped prevent a natural disaster.

Even if nobody else seemed ready to throw me a parade.

The clerk finally pulled open a wooden cash drawer under the counter, fingers rattling through neat stacks of silver and gold coins.

"For the Eastern Forest investigation," she said crisply, counting out coins, "the agreed reward is one gold piece."

She slid the coin toward me.

"And…" she added, pausing dramatically, "an additional bonus for completing the quest solo."

She placed two silver coins beside the gold.

"That's it?" I said. "A whole extra two silvers for nearly getting murdered by demon wolves and possibly starting interdimensional political incidents?"

"That's standard solo completion bonus for a Class Z adventurer."

"Man. The gig economy in this world is brutal."

I scooped up the coins anyway, dropping them into my pouch with a satisfying clink.

"Well, gold's gold. Guess it'll keep me in mystery meat skewers and room rentals for another day."

She gave me a faint smile.

"Rest well, Mr. Brangwen. And… try not to pick another fight with any demon spies tomorrow."

"Hey. They started it."

I pushed away from the counter, sword bumping the edge of the desk, nearly knocking over an inkwell.

"Sorry. Occupational hazard."

The room felt a little lighter as I left the counter behind.

Because even though I wasn't exactly rolling in cash, I'd just helped save the frontier kingdom from turning into Monster Woodstock.

"Okay," I muttered to myself. "Next stop: food. Then a bath. Then twelve hours of sleep where nobody tries to stab me."

Because I might've been living the isekai dream…

But even a hero needs a day off.

•••••

Morning sunlight hit the capital like a giant golden slap to the face.

I squinted as I stepped out of the inn, stretching my arms over my head until my joints cracked like fireworks.

Birds were chirping. Merchants were already yelling about fresh fruit and miracle hair tonics. Somewhere, a blacksmith was hammering metal so loud it sounded like he was trying to wake the gods.

"Ugh," I muttered. "Why is everything so bright and cheerful? Doesn't anyone here understand the concept of sleeping in?"

I patted my coin pouch, feeling the faint jingle of my reward from yesterday.

"At least I'm not broke."

I'd slept like a rock the night before, only waking up twice—once because I dreamed of demon spies, and once because my stomach demanded a snack.

The streets were busier than ever, the flow of people shifting around me like a living river. Knights in shiny armor, traveling merchants, kids running around waving wooden swords.

"All right. Let's go see what fresh nonsense the guild's got for me today."

I slung my greatsword over my shoulder, earning the usual stares from random passersby.

One kid actually shouted:

"Mister, are you gonna slay a dragon?!"

"Not before breakfast, kid," I called back.

I chuckled and kept moving, the royal castle's white spires gleaming in the distance, like they were watching me and taking notes.

Because if there was one rule in this new life of mine, it was this:

There's always another quest.

The guild hall doors swung open as I shoved inside, my sword practically scraping the frame.

Same buzzing crowd. Same tavern-y smell of wood polish, sweat, and bad beer.

I was halfway toward the quest board when I felt the shift.

Like a ripple in the room's energy.

Half the guild seemed to be staring in the same direction.

"What now…?" I muttered, craning my neck.

And that's when I saw them.

Four adventurers.

Standing near the counter in polished gear, chatting quietly as a guild official briefed them.

But it wasn't the guys with swords and chainmail that caught my eye.

It was her.

A young woman in pristine white robes trimmed with gold thread.

Her hair shimmered like spun silver under the lantern light, spilling past her shoulders in soft waves. A delicate staff rested against her shoulder, topped with a crystal that glowed faintly like a captive star.

Even from across the hall, I could feel the warmth rolling off her like a gentle tide—like she radiated holy magic just by existing.

She turned slightly… and our eyes met.

For half a second, it felt like someone had pressed pause on the world.

Her gaze was bright and steady, a soft blue like the sky right before dawn. Her lips parted the tiniest bit—as if she wanted to say something.

And me?

I panicked.

"Nope."

I snapped my eyes away so fast I practically gave myself whiplash.

"Not today. Not dealing with pretty priestesses. I've already had enough life-changing encounters for one lifetime."

I pretended to examine the quest board, heart doing weird flippy things in my chest.

Because as much as I tried to convince myself I was done getting dragged into weird adventures…

A tiny, traitorous part of me already knew:

This wasn't the last I'd see of her.