After solving Miko's ghost problem, Shirakawa returned home close to midnight. Pushing open the reinforced door of his penthouse—
He didn't come back to an empty place like before.
Because—
Just as he was about to change into his indoor slippers, a girl in a white princess dress with a crimson rose bow sat obediently by the entrance, placing his slippers before him.
With her petite pale cheeks and a slightly forced smile, Mary, who still retained her childlike appearance, greeted him.
"Welcome home... Master Shirakawa..."
"…"
Even Shirakawa found it hard to believe that this obedient little white-haired loli was a full-blown urban legend.
She had followed his rules perfectly—
Never leaving while he was away, and even finding a place for herself as the house's diligent little maid.
Seeing him fall silent, Mary began to panic. She hadn't done anything wrong... had she?
"Master Shirakawa...?"
"What is it?"
"Did I do something wrong…?"
Sitting there in a frog-like pose, the view of her petite, ivory-white feet entered his gaze—like a sculpted work of art, her toes soft like grapes you'd want to pop into your mouth.
Tomorrow was the weekend.
With no school, it was the perfect time to train his magic and level up.
Thinking that, Shirakawa shook his head with a cheerful grin.
"No, you didn't do anything wrong. I just remembered something."
"...Time to use 'Evil Be Purged' on her, NOW! (clenched fist)"
"Eh?"
Before Mary could register what was happening, her small body was already swept up into his arms, and her bare feet felt the cool air of the apartment.
Moments later, as the glittering skyline spread out beneath the floor-to-ceiling windows—
Her gaze turned hazy.
As an urban legend, once cast away and hollow inside, she now felt both emotionally and physically fulfilled—albeit through… rather rough treatment (exorcism—nothing else!).
But if she could experience this every day… Mary thought it might not be so bad.
She gently placed her small hand on her stomach—
Teeth clenched.
"Please… Shirakawa-sama… purify me again...!"
---
Training magical energy was a long-term task. Using his [Holy Sword Wielder] class skills, Shirakawa spent over five hours refining his power.
It was an all-nighter.
And yet—he didn't feel tired at all.
As he opened his eyes, he could clearly sense the flow of mana within him. This mysterious force was stronger than when he first awakened as a Holy Sword Wielder.
More importantly, this mana was constantly refining his physical body. The change was subtle now, but with continued training—
He had a feeling.
This class could push his physical stats far beyond normal.
"So this is... the effect of mana refinement?"
[You've accumulated 5 hours of mana extraction. Skill EXP +300. Mana Infusion Lv4 (300/10000)]
[You've accumulated 5 hours of mana extraction. Class EXP +300.]
[Skill 'Purify' EXP +3000 → Lv4]
[Skill 'Stamina' EXP +3000 → Lv5]
While the class XP gains were negligible, his [Purify] and [Stamina] skills had both leveled up from last night's effort.
Just one more step and [Purify] would be maxed.
The only issue: he couldn't farm experience off of Mary anymore.
He'd need to come up with a plan to max it out soon.
Sitting up in bed, the sunlight poured through the windows, washing over him in a warm glow.
Turning to look at Mary, still asleep—
The sunshine bathed her snow-white, flawless skin, carrying the faint afterglow of last night's madness.
There was still a soft blush on her cheek.
"Good morning, Master Shirakawa."
Feeling the arm she clung to being pulled away, Mary slowly awoke.
Yet, even under the morning sun—
She felt no discomfort at all.
And that surprised her.
Urban legends, unlike normal spirits, had physical bodies—yet sunlight should have still dispelled the resentment that fueled them.
And yet…
This warm, comforting light—
Her deep blue eyes filled with disbelief.
"I... Have I ascended…?"
Shirakawa chuckled and shook his head.
"Ascension means you're going to heaven. I just purified your resentment."
Mary could feel that her hatred had indeed vanished.
But remembering their talk from yesterday, her heart filled with uncertainty.
Looking up at him, her expression was conflicted.
"Then… Shirakawa-sama, does this mean… you don't want me anymore?"
"…"
Plastic cups can be washed and reused.
And Mary, purified as she was, was a beautiful girl now.
Shirakawa didn't give her a straight answer, only shook his head.
"I don't like being called 'sama'."
"Then…"
"Can I call you... Master?"
She looked up at him with hopeful, glistening eyes. If possible, she wanted to remain by his side forever.
"Of course."
After all—through Mary, he could locate other urban legends, and refine his [Purify] skill even further.
Even if it was a bit hard to say out loud.
It was like eyeing the pot while eating from the bowl.
After all, leveling up was a gradual process—if he could encounter more urban legends and complete his illustrated compendium along the way, he certainly wouldn't mind.
He got up and prepared to wash up.
Opening the Dimensional Chat Group, Shirakawa wanted to check if anything had happened overnight. What greeted him immediately were dozens of unread messages.
"So lively?"
He furrowed his brows and planned to quietly lurk for now. But the moment Shirakawa noticed a new, unfamiliar avatar among the group members, he instantly realized—
The Dimensional Chat Group... had a new member?!