Fairy Tale: With Sin Of Pride

"Sir, you don't need so many matches."

"Besides, my matches are cheap, they're not worth this much money."

The young girl in red extended her trembling, frostbitten hand and gingerly picked up the gold coin that was worth far more than everything she owned.

Her eyes were filled with an indescribable longing.

With just this one gold coin, she could make it through the winter safely.

She wouldn't have to live in a drafty, freezing room in the slums, constantly worrying about where her next meal would come from.

Despite her overwhelming desire to accept it, she firmly placed the coin back into Rod's hand.

"This coin is for you, to pay for the matches."

Rod didn't take it back. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out another gold coin.

"And this one, it's a reward for your honesty."

Rod placed both coins in the girl's hands and picked up the basket of finely packaged matches.

"These are very beautiful matches. To me, they're worth more than two gold coins."

Seeing the girl hesitate, Rod smiled to comfort her.

"This amount of money is nothing to me. It's like a meal. Even when I'm in a good mood, I sometimes tip the innkeepers a few gold coins."

"If it makes you feel uncomfortable, then use the extra money to help other orphans like yourself."

Too much money could invite disaster and unwanted attention.

With these two gold coins, the girl could make it through the winter safely.

But if he had given her a whole bag of coins, she might not even survive the night.

He had once tipped a single gold coin at a tavern and had drawn the greedy eyes of two adventurers.

There were plenty of people who would take risks for a bag of gold.

"Sir, you're a good person!"

"My name is Brittany, and I will never forget your kindness today."

Brittany clutched the two coins tightly, her face full of gratitude.

Rod waved his hand dismissively and continued walking toward the inn, carrying the basket of matches.

As he passed by a tailor's shop, a middle-aged woman sitting idly at the door called out softly, "Kind sir, I don't know why you helped her, but for your own safety, I'd advise you to stay away from that girl from now on."

Rod stopped in his tracks, intrigued.

"You mean to say that being close to her could be dangerous?"

He sensed that the shop owner might know something he didn't.

"That girl is cursed by a devil. Her life is doomed to be filled with poverty and hunger, and anyone who gets too close to her will suffer misfortune."

"Tell me more."

Rod's expression showed genuine interest.

The shop owner initially didn't want to meddle in others' affairs, but when Rod pulled out a gold coin, her attitude warmed considerably.

After all, the amount was too much to refuse.

As the saying goes, with enough money, you can do anything.

"That poor girl's parents died a long time ago, and she grew up with her grandmother. A few years ago, her grandmother passed away as well."

"The girl survives by selling matches. Many people felt sorry for her and helped her out. At first, there didn't seem to be anything unusual. People liked the well-mannered child."

"But soon after, strange things started happening around her. People who helped her would fall ill or have accidents."

"At first, people thought it was just bad luck, but when it kept happening, everyone began avoiding her, believing she was cursed."

"Not only that, but anyone who helped her would encounter various misfortunes. At best, they'd get terribly unlucky, and at worst, they'd end up with broken limbs."

Tsk!

What was this?

Some kind of cursed star of the fairy tale world?

Even an idiot could tell something was off here.

"Didn't anyone tell her about this?"

"They did, but it made no difference. She forgets about it every two days."

The tailor shop's owner shook her head helplessly.

"If it worked just by telling her, it wouldn't be a problem."

"So, is she forgetting on her own, or is someone deliberately erasing her memory?"

Rod rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

What kind of entity could have the ability to tamper with someone's memories and thoughts so easily?

Aside from some rare and deformed mutations, the most notorious culprits were demons.

Demons and devils—only a single letter different in their names, but they were entirely separate beings.

The latter thrived on bloodshed and destruction, infamous for their sinister and malevolent ways.

But devils... devils were more like shrewd merchants.

Though, one could say they dealt in souls.

Devils excelled at manipulating minds, weaving intricate contracts that ensnared their targets, luring them into a trap they willingly walked into.

The only thing demons and devils shared was their love for souls.

The difference was, while demons craved souls filled with hatred and fear, devils had more refined tastes, preferring high-quality, rare souls.

"First demons, now devils," Rod murmured, amused. "For such a small place, there's certainly no shortage of trouble."

A slight smile tugged at his lips. Now this was getting interesting.

Stretching lazily, he turned and headed back to the inn. Whatever scheme was at play, he could deal with it tomorrow.

In the face of absolute power, no conspiracy could amount to much more than a nuisance.

When Rod returned to his room, the lights were dim. Euphemia, dressed in a simple nightgown, sat at the edge of the bed with her head bowed, awaiting the purification of the demonic energy lingering within her. Her fingers fidgeted nervously, her heart a mix of tension and... perhaps, a hint of anticipation.

"The demonic energy inside you has been mostly purified, but there's still a stubborn, deeply hidden remnant. It's resistant and difficult to eliminate," Rod said, his face serious as he assessed her condition.

Euphemia's heart skipped a beat. It was the first time she had seen her master so solemn.

"W-what should I do?" she stammered, her voice trembling slightly.

"At this point, ordinary purification methods won't be enough. To completely cleanse you, we need to treat both externally and internally—physical treatment on the outside and the ingestion of holy water to exorcise from within."

"Ingest holy water?" Euphemia's eyes widened in shock. She didn't fully understand, but she was clearly shaken.

"Yes, drinking holy water has exorcising properties," Rod replied, maintaining a straight face.

Life's Fountain = Holy Spring

Water from the Fountain of Life = Holy Water

Since Rod had drunk from the Fountain of Life, that made him... a Holy Spring.

An equation naturally formed in his mind, and his confidence in thoroughly purifying the demonic energy increased even more.

After drinking from the Fountain of Life, he was no longer the man he used to be.

"Now, you must kneel with a devout heart and pray," Rod instructed, guiding Euphemia through the most 'appropriate' purification method.

In this world, deities did exist. If one prayed with enough devotion, it was said the gods would bless them in return.

Would the sun count as a god?

Rod pondered for a moment. The sun... it probably qualified as some kind of deity, right?

Gods, holy water, the power to purify demonic energy—it all fit together perfectly.

"Alright, be good and open your mouth," Rodrigo ordered, his face utterly serious. [T/N: Hehe, boye.]

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