Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 135
āStrongest sword of the divine, I grant you the name Michael.ā
The abandoned child, who didnāt even have a name, endured the strict life of the temple, grew to adulthood, and received a glorious name.
The name of one closest to the divine, recorded in scripture, known to serve with utmost loyalty.
Even as a knight of an already declining temple, this name was Michaelās greatest honor and the very purpose of his existence.
He lived so as to be unashamed of the name heād been given.
Others found it difficult to endure the life of hardship in the temple, calling it extreme.
But Michael considered such a life to be only natural.
From childhood, he had lived without desire.
While other children would cry for hunger and move to gain just one more potato, he would call upon the name of the divine and swing his sword one more time.
āWhether itās good or bad that you lack desires typical of humankindā¦ even I canāt easily judge, seeing you.ā
Even the High Priestess, known for her ascetic life, would comment on Michaelās way of life.
Thus, it was only natural that Michael believed himself to be a being without desire.
Until he met Irene.
Even now, thinking back, their first encounter was a moment he could not comprehend.
He was clearing out a dungeon on his own.
From time to time, miasma would accumulate, but with his divine energy, he could manage minor purification.
He had heard it could become dangerous if too much accumulated, but that was still a distant concern.
āA time will come when you, too, will need a purifier.ā
Whenever other knights said this, he outwardly showed no reaction, but inwardly he swallowed his revulsion.
It wasnāt that he despised marriage or human unions.
Under the name of the divine, lives joined with trust, faith, and loveā¦ He had no reason to look down on such unions.
However, a pairing formed for purification was, to him, a disgraceful relationship.
To have to engage in coupling purely for survival.
How was that any different from the behavior of beasts?
Furthermore, the reason so many sought pairs was not to alleviate the suffering of those plagued by monsters in the dungeons, but to claim the treasures within.
Heād rather die than defile the life given to him by the divine through such obscene acts.
That resolve was absolute.
No matter how many purifiers desired him or made countless promises, he remained uninterested.
But then, the Alliance of Kingdoms introduced a new continental law, demanding he take on a purifier.
Initially, he ignored it.
However, they blocked his path, stating they would prohibit his entrance to the dungeons until he accepted a purifier.
If they had been monsters, he would have cut them down without hesitation.
Unfortunately, they were humans, and Michael himself was human, so he had to adhere to their laws.
Even so, he could not bring himself to do something like engaging in contact with a woman for purification.
That resolve became even stronger after meeting Princess Cecilia.
āAs a servant of the divine, I wish to stand alongside you in your noble work. If you would, wonāt you consider pairing with me?ā
She was said to be the strongest among the purifiers.
She offered him remarkably favorable conditions, even suggesting their physical contact be limited to simply holding hands.
It was an offer that catered solely to him, at a time when he was troubled over the issue of finding a pair.
Not accepting it would have been foolish.
However, upon meeting Cecilia, Michael knew at once.
That her talk of sharing divine work was a lie.
Beyond her eyes, which others praised as beautiful and dark, he instinctively sensed a disturbing, hidden desire.
A desire to possess him and make him hers, rather than fulfilling the duties of a humble servant of the divine.
She may have tried to hide it, but Michael could see through it well.
Among the women who approached him, those who offered him aphrodisiacs or visited him late at night, half-dressed, always carried that same look.
The look of someone who sees another as an object to possess as their own.
Swallowing the rising revulsion, he politely declined her offer.
Time continued to pass afterward.
Every time Michael tried to enter a dungeon, the Alliance of Kingdomsās knights would block him, while the suffering of the people grew ever greater.
Eventually, Michael resolved to accept the proposal of the Alliance of Kingdoms.
