Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 6
Translated by Elphie
Irene still vividly remembered the way he looked at her. The shock, confusion, and even shame that spread across his face when he realized they had slept together.
It seemed like a natural reaction. Despite his blatant contempt, Irene didn’t harbor any resentment towards him. Even if it was done to save his life, his beliefs were completely shattered.
‘If I were a stronger purifier, he wouldn’t have ended up like that.’
Had Princess Cecilia, said to be the strongest of this century’s purifiers, been Michael’s pair, she might have been able to save him by simply holding his hand. If that were the case, he might not have been excommunicated from the temple.
Irene thought of all the bad choices she had made in the past that had hurt everyone.
‘I can’t repeat the same mistakes.’
So, in this life, she will find a different pair, not him.
She had to.
In the danger zone where the dungeons appeared, the fortress that stood before them was a fortress in name, but in reality, it was indistinguishable from a huge city.
‘It’s no wonder considering the money they make from dungeons.’
Each kingdom was obsessed with acquiring the gold and treasures in the reward rooms at the end of every dungeon. So they provided every comfort and luxury possible to the knights and purifiers who brave them.
‘Not that it matters for a bottom-tier purifier like me.’
Irene stood in a corner, observing the purifiers and knights already exchanging greetings and searching for pairs. A pair consisted of a purifier and a knight who had agreed to a contract. Once paired, a purifier exclusively treated that knight. Similarly, the knight only received healing from the purifier with whom they formed a pair.
For some reason, the efficiency of healing increased significantly when dealing only with the contracted pair. Of course, even if that were the case, it wouldn’t look good to see unmarried people sleeping together all the time. Therefore, the Alliance of Kingdoms labeled such relationships as ‘pairs’ and recognized them as temporary marriages.
It was a way to save face, even if it was just a meaningless change of terms.
Unlike in her past life, Irene calmly surveyed the glamorous space, then shifted her gaze to the knights.
‘It feels strange to see those who died once again.’
She smiled wryly. Wasn’t she someone who had already died once herself?
Irene touched the piece of metal in her pocket. Perhaps in this life, she should find out what it was.
Then a knight caught Irene’s eye. He was laughing and chatting without a care with his fellow knights.
‘Despite his carefree appearance, he was quite skilled.’
Moreover, he was a knight who didn’t enter challenging dungeons, given his extreme concern for his own body. So he was someone who survived until the end.
He had approached Irene several times in the past.
“To be honest, I’m kind of regretting it. If you’re anything like me, we could have given up dungeon exploration for about a year and just enjoyed ourselves.”
He wished she hadn’t been Michael’s pair, so he could have paired her with him.
‘Someone who would accept even the lowest purifier due to his open-minded nature. Someone with a decent level of skill.’
That was what she was looking for in a pair now. And the man in front of her met those criteria.
‘Honestly… as long as it’s not Michael.’
Irene approached the knight. In response, he ran his eyes up and down her body, licking his lips.
Rather than feeling offended, Irene felt relieved.
She would rather be with a man who had clear desires. That way, she could calculate what they would give and take from each other, devoid of any emotions.
“Will you make a contract with me?”
“You’re.. obviously a lower-ranked purifier, as far as I can tell.”
“Yes. That’s why I’m willing to compromise on many conditions for the contract. You can take all the rewards from the dungeon. Just give me one reward from a lower-level dungeon once a month.”
At those words, the knight’s eyes gleamed.
Irene’s proposal was truly radical. Normally, purifiers demanded a fifty-fifty split in contracts.
The knights didn’t like those terms, but they had no choice. Without a purifier, they wouldn’t even qualify to enter the dungeons, and if they offended the purifier, they might not be healed properly.
Yet here she was, presenting conditions that seemed too good to be true.
‘Besides, lower-level dungeons are easy to conquer, and even if the rewards are trash.’
No matter how you looked at it, the conditions were favorable for him.
“Really? Is that enough for you?”
“Yes. In return, the dungeons for my rewards will be of my choosing. There are no other conditions.”
“Hmm.”
The knight looked at Irene and quickly calculated in his head. Though she had been in the corner, she had already caught his eye. Tall stature, slender body, curves in all the right places, and a serene and neat face that kindled his desire. If she weren’t ranked so low, she would have been quite popular among the knights.
“Alright.” The knight extended his hand to Irene. “Then I would like to spend the night with you, now and for the future.”
Irene swallowed a small sigh at the look of desire in his eyes.
Suddenly, she remembered her past—and Michael who had asked for nothing from her. A past that was more miserable because of it.
‘It’s better this way.’
If both parties were clear about what they desired and what they offered, at least she wouldn’t be tormented by guilt for ruining someone.
As Irene was about to take the knight’s hand.
Bang!
With a loud noise, the door to the banquet hall was forcefully thrown open.
A man entered the hall, drenched in fresh blood.
Irene’s eyes widened in astonishment.
The gruesome figure entering the hall was… Michael.