Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 110
At his words, Irene gripped the handle more tightly, feeling her anxiety rise.
Finally, Michael released his supporting hand, and despite her bracing herself, her body wobbled forward under the sword’s weight.
It was much heavier than she had expected.
“Uhh… Uuugh…”
She tried to hold on, but her arms shook uncontrollably.
“Michael! Michael!”
In the end, Irene, desperate, called out to Michael with urgency.
Understanding her distress, Michael grasped her hands again, lifting the sword together with her.
A moment ago, the weight had been overwhelming, making her body wobble, but now, with his support, the sword felt almost weightless, as if it were nothing.
‘Just how strong is he?’
It didn’t seem like he was exerting much effort, yet he held the heavy sword as lightly as if it were made of paper.
Irene had thought it was absurd even for a knight, but when her eyes fell on his arms, she found herself accepting his strength.
Unlike her thin, frail arms, his were muscular and veined, almost like those of a wild beast rather than a human.
“Focus.”
“Yes!”
Like a ghost, he always seemed to know when her thoughts wandered. Under his guidance, she gripped and released the sword a few more times, and she quickly came to a realization.
The only weapon she could truly handle was a dagger.
“Th, ank you… for to…today…”
Two hours later, Irene wearily thanked him, feeling her entire body protesting in pain.
Usually, muscle soreness would come the day after exercising, but her body was already aching, and she hadn’t even left the temple yet.
‘Will I be able to survive and come back here tomorrow?’
Even if she survived, she could only imagine herself crawling back on all fours.
“I’ll escort you to your lodgings.”
Normally, she would politely decline such an offer, but today, she immediately grabbed his hand.
Without his help, she was sure she’d end up crawling halfway there anyway.
* * *
A week later—
“Alright, I’m ready.”
Irene stood in front of the mirror, looking at herself.
She was dressed in the combat uniform typically worn by purifiers.
Of course, even though it was called a combat uniform, it wasn’t nearly as impressive as the armor knights wore.
For purifiers, mobility was the most important thing.
Still, it needed to be sturdy enough to withstand at least one or two hits from a monster.
Naturally, such things were expensive.
The one Irene was wearing was arguably the best combat uniform available for purifiers in the entire fortress.
It had been made over the course of a year by artisans who had carefully treated the leather from monsters.
Perhaps because it was made from the hide of a monster, it was lighter than any animal leather, yet impervious to the attacks of monsters.
Of course, this too was one of the many gifts from the kingdom.
As Irene was debating whether she should take it with her to sell later, Reyna suddenly burst into the room.
“Irene! Are you ready?”
Reyna, too, was fully prepared, dressed just as sturdily as Irene.
“This! It’s the latest information issued by the document archive this morning.
It has all our deployment details.”
“Thanks.”
Irene took the paper and immediately began reading.
Just as she had remembered, another distortion had been detected two days ago, and the dungeon had fully manifested last night.
While other dungeons only revealed their entrances, the distortion dungeon had revealed itself across the entire predicted area.
Even though it was midnight, the dark, writhing mass covering the mountain was clearly visible.
At the same time, the fortress echoed with the screams of its inhabitants.
It looked as if a massive black creature had draped itself across the mountain range, writhing in place.
Even those accustomed to shocking sights could only let out groans of disbelief.
Although Irene had already seen it in her previous life, the sight still sent shivers down her spine.
She couldn’t imagine how terrifying it must have been for those who had no mental preparation.
Last night, Reyna had cried, insisting there was no way she could go in there.
Since forcing her wasn’t an option, Irene had consoled her, saying they would cancel the raid in the morning.
But now…
“What are you waiting for? Let’s go! We’re going to sweep through that distortion dungeon!”
Despite her fear last night, Reyna was now filled with determination, eagerly urging Irene to move.
Irene followed Reyna downstairs, somewhat amused.
“Well, well, looks like you really plan to go after all.”
And there, standing with her arms crossed, dressed in an outfit as expensive as Irene’s, was someone Irene hadn’t thought about in a long time.
“Wilhelmina…”
Her old frenemy, whom she had nearly forgotten, was staring at her with a smug expression.
