Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 23
Translated by Elphie
The dungeon Irene applied for, Dungeon 181, had appeared not far from the fortress, close enough that there was no need to ride a horse. In fact, it was visible to the naked eye even from Irene’s room.
‘But still, he insists on riding a horse.’
Come to think of it, Michael always rode a horse when going to dungeons with her in their past life.
“When he went alone, he would just walk.’
Perhaps he was making sure they didn’t walk together for too long.
But there was one thing that was different.
‘We never used to ride together.’
There was only one instance when they rode together to a distant dungeon. Throughout the journey, she could feel his discomfort as he fidgeted behind her. Eventually, using the excuse of feeling queasy, Irene dismounted and walked. It was better to endure the pain in her feet than his evident discomfort with her.
‘I wonder what happened to him after being so reluctant to be touched.’
It seems he’s learned how to treat purifiers by observing the other pairs around him in this life.
‘That’s fortunate.’
Hopefully, the next person to be his pair will have a more comfortable experience. Whoever that may be, Irene hoped they wouldn’t suffer as much as she had. Nothing good would come out of more people being miserable, after all.
Irene glanced back at the dungeon, which was getting closer and closer.
As expected, Michael was still leaning back, as if he were unable to reach her even if he were dead.
Irene turned her head again, watching him stiffen as he gathered his horse, obviously uncomfortable riding in such an unusual position.
‘He’s going to be so uncomfortable like that.’
Perhaps she had expected something different because of all the changes she observed from their previous life. Despite fully expecting it, she felt a twinge of disappointment at his continued reluctance.
As they approached the dungeon, guards and overseers from the Alliance of Kingdoms, responsible for the areas managed by the fortress, greeted them.
“Welcome, Sir Michael.”
In this land where most dungeons emerged, the Alliance of Kingdoms held absolute authority. They managed and supervised all dungeons, and even the distribution of rewards was subject to the rules they established.
Having such authority, the administrators of the Alliance of Kingdoms were naturally quite arrogant. However, even they respectfully nodded to Michael.
‘Well, he is the only knight who can single-handedly eradicate a high-level dungeon.’
Despite their seeming indifference, the administrators had a task at hand – the destruction of dungeons. Even though they managed dungeons, leaving them unchecked would allow monsters to spill out, causing damage for which the Alliance of Kingdoms would be held responsible.
Thus, knights like Michael, capable of effortlessly annihilating powerful dungeons, could not be treated lightly. If he ever decided to stop destroying dungeons, or if a top-tier dungeon emerged while they were antagonizing him, the potential consequences could be catastrophic.
‘While theoretically possible, there had been no historical precedent for that happening…’
Irene didn’t know what happened after her death, but it was likely a top-level dungeon wouldn’t have emerged for at least another half a year or so.
‘Even if it happens, Michael or other knights will probably take care of it.’
Michael wasn’t the only strong knight in this world. Princess Cecilia and her pair, Sir Bryson, could easily handle intermediate-level dungeons on their own. There were other knights whose names Irene recalled. If they joined forces with Michael, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
After Michael responded to the greetings from the Alliance staff, Irene prepared to dismount along with him. However, as she attempted to step down, her body unexpectedly floated in mid-air.
“Huh…?”
Irene instinctively shut her eyes as she felt the lack of solid ground beneath her. Bracing herself for impact, she opened them again, only to find her body safely back on the ground.
“…?”
She wondered what had just happened.
As she stood dumbfounded, feeling disoriented, Michael removed his hand from her waist.
“…!”
Irene nearly shrieked in surprise, only realizing it after the fact because of the protective gear she wore under her clothes.
‘Did Michael grab me?’