Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 205
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“Irene? Are you okay? You look tired.”
Reyna asked in a worried voice as Irene let out small yawns one after another.
“Huh? Oh, um… I think I slept too much during the day.”
Irene stammered and mumbled her reply to Reyna’s concern.
“You look tired for someone who slept a lot… But I guess it’s a good thing. Lately, it seemed like you couldn’t sleep properly because of that monster. Getting some rest is good.”
That was true.
She had truly slept as though she had fainted.
If Michael hadn’t woken her when it was time to get up, she might have slept until the next morning.
Irene gave a vague response, agreeing, and turned her flushed face away.
While washing up, she had kept asking Michael about the place called Brewa.
He said it was a city about a three-hour ride from the fortress on horseback.
Though not very large, Michael had mentioned that it was about four times the size of the fortress, which made Irene exclaim in awe over and over.
As she showed interest, Michael continued telling her about the city.
His stories didn’t stop at Brewa.
During times when dungeons didn’t appear, Michael traveled across the continent, helping those in need, which naturally took him to every corner of the land.
The towering waterfall he had seen, as high as a mountain, a lake larger than the sea, and an eternally burning mountain were wonders that sounded more mythical than real to Irene.
‘I fell asleep while listening.’
Irene pressed the back of her hand to her still-warm cheeks, trying to focus on today’s matters.
Then, through the window, she caught sight of Michael standing in the distant corridor.
He was giving instructions to another knight but, after finishing the conversation, headed directly toward Irene.
“The sun will be setting completely soon.”
From then on, it would be a time when it was easier to fall under the influence of miasma.
Though the monster had always appeared at dawn so far, night was still not a time to let one’s guard down.
Irene glanced around the space she was in.
Waiting for the monster in her room was an option, but she wanted to minimize any damage to those around her.
She also needed an open space with no obstacles to prepare for the upcoming battle.
For that reason, she had borrowed the banquet hall within the purifiers’ residence.
When she asked for a chair to sit while waiting, the maids brought in a massive sofa from the parlor after asking her to wait a moment.
It seemed everyone wanted her to rest comfortably while waiting for the monster.
As Irene sat on the sofa, Michael stood in front of her and held her hand.
He then spoke with a hint of regret in his voice.
“I’m disappointed that neither your nor my efforts managed to increase your grade.”
At his words, Irene quickly looked around, confirming that no one had overheard, and then lightly stomped on Michael’s foot.
“P-Please be quiet!”
“I thought I released quite a lot inside…”
“Ah, please!”
This time, she stomped harder, as if to express her sincerity, making Michael chuckle as he finally closed his mouth.
Michael was genuinely disappointed.
‘If her grade increased, the gap in power would be significantly widened, but…’
Thanks to their intense union in the dungeon, her rank had risen to Grade 4 without any issues.
But advancing to Grade 3 was proving to be no easy task.
Still, Michael wasn’t discouraged. Rather, he steeled his resolve even further.
If he just worked harder, he could help Irene’s abilities grow even stronger.
After all, it was a matter of physical effort.
The only thing that concerned him was her body, which, though it had become much more accustomed to him than before, still struggled to fully accept him.
He briefly rubbed the spot on her shoulder where his bite mark remained, then withdrew his hand and stepped back into the corridor.
Irene glared at him with a face mixed with pleasure and pain.
Suppressing his desire to kiss her again, Michael left the banquet hall.
As he exited, the knights also left the hall, leaving only a few purifiers close to Irene behind.
“Here, drink this.”
Riosa poured a black beverage she had brought into cups and handed them to Irene and the other purifiers.
“What is this? It has a unique scent.”
The drink had a distinct aroma Irene had never encountered before, a mix of nuttiness and char.
“It’s a drink from my hometown. It’s made by roasting bitter fruits and then grinding them to brew the water. This helps keep you awake and makes you more alert than usual. That’s why I bring it along when going into dungeons.”
