Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 188
The fire burned steadily for an entire day.
As the black smoke rising from the chimney began to fade, the old crematorium keeper poured water to extinguish the flames.
He cast a glance at Michael, who hadnāt moved from his spot all day.
Most others, during the cremation process, would have returned to the fortress to rest or eat before coming back.
But Michael had stood in place the entire time, as if a lost child left alone and unsure where to go.
After the fire was out, the keeper pulled out the large iron tray where the coffin had rested and dragged it to the corner of the crematorium.
After a long while, he returned, holding a wooden box about the size of a human head.
āHere are the remains of the deceased. May she find peace.ā
Michael accepted the urn.
Though it was thick, the heat from the contents made the wood warm to the touch, a lingering sign of the intense flames within the furnace.
āAnd this came out with her.ā
The old man said, handing Michael a piece of metal.
āJudging by where it was found, it seems she was holding it in her handā¦ Quite remarkable that itās not hot at all. Is this one of those artifacts the knights speak of?ā
Had the item been valuable, the keeper might have been tempted to pocket it, but his conscience and a certain wariness about potential curses held him back.
Michael took the piece of metal from him.
True to the old manās words, the object was cool, untouched by the furnaceās heat.
He examined it, wondering where it could have come from.
Then he recalled what the maids had said when heād asked them to dress Irene in her burial clothes.
āHer body was so stiff from the time that had passedā¦ Her hands, especiallyāthey were clenched so tightly, we could barely open them.ā
Their words had been accompanied by a request for extra payment for the effort, which heād granted without much thought at the time.
He hadnāt realized sheād been gripping something so tightly, even in death.
āThe body was found in the rewards chamber, wasnāt it?ā
The knight who discovered Irene said she had been found lifeless in the chamber where dungeon rewards were distributed.
The reward chest was already open and empty by the time she was found.
That meant this piece of metal likely came from that dungeon.
āWhat is this?ā
In truth, the nature of the object didnāt matter.
What mattered was that Irene had been holding it in her final moments.
With the cooling remains in one hand, Michael absently turned the metal piece over in the other, lost in thought.
***
When he came back to his senses, he found himself standing in front of the purifiersā quarters.
It seemed his aimless steps had led him unconsciously to the place he longed to return to.
He slipped the metal piece into his pocket.
This, too, was part of her belongings. He needed to learn exactly what it was.
āIāll need to visit the artifact analyst.ā
Perhaps the object could reveal even a fragment of Ireneās final moments.
If it could, would he be able to handle it? Would his tenuous hold on his composure finally shatter?
Swallowing his bitterness, Michael gazed at the purifiersā quarters.
Though he had already driven out the earlās servant and gathered Ireneās belongings, he couldnāt shake the worry that he might have missed something.
āJust one more timeā¦ā
He wanted to return to that humble, cold room where she had lived.
He wanted to gather every trace she had left behindāevery speck of dust, every whisper of her presenceāand hold it close to his heart.
The quarters were now completely deserted.
Even the guards stationed to oversee the area had left.
Inside, only the maids moved about, busy with cleaning.
As Michael moved quietly, trying to avoid drawing attention, he overheard a snippet of their conversation.
āWhatās with this blanket? It looks new.ā
āOh, this? Itās from that purifierās roomāthe one who died last. What was her name again? Anyway, she was a 10th-class purifier.ā
At those words, Michael froze in his tracks.
