Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 85
His eyes were now like those of someone whose body and mind had been fully consumed by miasma.
The blood-red, glistening eyes were clouded with an intense, unknowable desire.
Those who had their eyes turn like that…
‘They all became monsters and killed people.’
Those consumed by miasma begin to hate all living things.
She had seen it countless times—people who raged uncontrollably, unable to tolerate even the sight of insects flying by.
‘Why is Michael…?’
Instinctively imagining Michael turning into a monster, Irene’s mouth fell open in shock.
If he, of all people, became a monster…
‘Everyone would be in danger.’
When the transformation into a monster begins, a person grows more violent and gains monstrous strength.
Those in the throes of becoming a monster could only be subdued by multiple knights working together.
But if Michael became a monster, no one in the whole fortress would be able to stop him.
“Ah…”
Just as she realized the gravity of the situation and was about to scream,
Thud!
Michael clamped his hand over Irene’s mouth.
“Shh.”
His voice was calm and composed—too calm for someone supposedly consumed by miasma.
He continued to meet her gaze and spoke again,
“Not yet. I’m still… fine.”
A lie.
Irene swallowed the words down.
The thick scent of blood emanating from his body in the darkness made her stomach churn with fear.
She trembled, unsure of what to do, when he spoke again in a low voice.
“Please… purify me.”
Purification. The word jolted her to her senses.
‘He still has control!’
Though his eyes were completely red from miasma, he was still speaking in a calm, quiet voice. He wasn’t rampaging or trying to kill her.
If she could purify him now, surely he would be fine. He had to be.
Trembling with fear, Irene grabbed the hand covering her mouth.
Normally, she might have hesitated before attempting a purification, but now there was no room for embarrassment.
The only thought left in Irene’s mind was that she needed to purify him to save both herself and Michael.
Meeting his intense gaze, she gripped his hand tightly with both of hers.
As if waiting for her signal, the miasma that overflowed from Michael’s body surged into Irene.
“Nnh…!”
She had braced herself, but accepting the miasma was still just as overwhelming as before.
Her body trembled uncontrollably, but it quickly began to absorb his miasma.
Flashes of light burst before her eyes, and a mixture of pain and sharp pleasure coursed through her veins.
“A-Ah…”
Her body reacted rapidly to the overwhelming sensations, her breath coming in quick, shallow gasps. A prickling sensation spread through her lower abdomen, similar to a rising desire she could barely suppress, and her eyes began to fill with tears.
In any other situation, she would at least be able to breathe freely.
But Michael’s hand covering her nose and mouth allowed only minimal air, making her breath even more ragged.
All the while, his gaze remained locked on her.
Though she had started the purification, he should have calmed down a bit by now. Yet behind the blazing red of his eyes, an intense desire still burned fiercely.
What he desired wasn’t to kill—it was something deeper, darker, and certainly dangerous.
Despite her trembling, Irene didn’t break eye contact with him, and the corners of his mouth curled into a satisfied smile.
Even so, his eyes blazed with a ferociousness that suggested if she dared to look away, he might tear her apart.
The blood that had covered him slowly purified, and though it was dark, Michael’s figure became clearer. That’s when Irene noticed something strange.
Spending too long in a dungeon could lead to miasma poisoning, but it usually only reached this severity if someone had suffered a fatal injury—when a beast’s claws or teeth had torn through flesh.
‘But there’s no wound.’
The blood had faded from his face, neck, and arms, but there wasn’t a single visible injury.
That wasn’t the only strange thing.
