Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 21
Translated by Elphie
The central clock tower in the fortress rang loudly, striking precisely ten times.
10 o’clock.
It was the time for everyone to embark on dungeon raids.
“Make way! We’re the first to enter Dungeon 75!”
Among those gathered in the square in front of the fortress, a pair with an impatient disposition swiftly mounted their horses upon hearing the bell and dashed out.
The other pairs watched, muttered something about the lesser pairs, and quickly followed suit.
As Irene watched the crowd surging forward, she swallowed her pity.
‘That intermediate dungeon isn’t anything special.’
Not all intermediate dungeons guarantee excellent rewards. The chances of obtaining a rare artifact were slightly higher than in lower-level dungeons, and the basic rewards were a bit more stable. However, the monsters in intermediate dungeons were much stronger and more numerous than those in lower-level dungeons.
After all, since ten teams entered the dungeon anyway, being the first among them didn’t make much of a difference.
‘So mid-level pairs who aren’t looking to make a fortune often take it easy on lower-level dungeons.’
But it’s unlikely that those who came here to enter the dungeons in the first place were merely looking for a steady income.
‘Besides, many of them die before reaching the intermediate levels….”
Of course, purifiers face less risk of death compared to knights. So in theory, there should be more purifiers than knights, but that really wasn’t the case.
This was because the power of purification tends to strengthen around adulthood, then suddenly disappears after about ten years.
Therefore, purifiers diligently engage in dungeon conquests while their power was still present.
Irene observed the pairs preparing to conquer lower-level dungeons.
Lower-level dungeons were plentiful, and the number of people aiming to conquer them were relatively small. As a result, since the dungeons they desire don’t overlap, the atmosphere was more relaxed and familiar than those who set out a little earlier.
Under usual circumstances, they would have engaged in casual conversation before heading to their respective dungeons, but today was different.
“It’s an honor to meet you like this, Sir Michael.”
He was surrounded by people trying to get a word in with him.
‘It’s quite a sight to behold again.’
Irene stayed at a distance, waiting for him to finish exchanging his greetings with others.
He, too, had been uncomfortable facing her, and had chatted for a while with the knights from other pairs.
‘At least there are fewer stares this time.’
Perhaps it was because Michael was the one who initiated their pairing this time around.
Unlike in her past life, there were certainly fewer glances of pity and contempt directed at her. Instead, a different set of eyes now focused on Irene.
Irene absentmindedly touched her cheek. Her skin tingled as the other purifiers glared at her with sharp, jealous gazes.
Irene made a concerted effort to ignore them and turned her attention back to Michael.
It wasn’t just the knights that surrounded him—even their purifiers were trying to speak to him.
‘They must be curious, just in case.’
Even if she moved up by one grade, she was still a 9th-grade purifier. It was natural for knights to want a higher-ranked purifier.
‘He’s a paladin who found a pair once, so they might be thinking of building a rapport with him this year so they might get their chance next year.’
However, that opportunity would come sooner than the purifiers might have thought.
If Irene were to declare today, right after obtaining an artifact, that she would quit being Michael’s pair, imagine the uproar as other purifiers vied for the seat next to him.
‘It would become quite chaotic.’
Honestly, she had a sense of what might unfold.
Michael had decided to form a pair and came to the fortress. Even if Irene were to quit, he would make an effort to find another Purifier.
In that case, many purifiers would try to break their current pairs and attempt to form a new pair with Michael. Perhaps it could lead to unprecedented chaos, the like the fortress has never seen.
‘Even so…it’s not my concern.’
Thinking that she would soon have the freedom she had never experienced before, Irene felt nothing but joy.