Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 211
It was, of course, impossible to leave the fortress to buy clothes immediately after resolving the monster incident.
First, they had to deal with the aftermath of Wilhelminaās death.
Based on Irene and Michaelās testimony, it was officially concluded that Wilhelmina had been killed by a monster and subsequently transformed into one. Her name was added to the official list of the deceased.
Given Wilhelminaās lack of popularity, no one seemed particularly saddened by the news.
There was only a brief moment of formal silence in her honor.
However, there was one person who was openly happy: Wilhelminaās pair.
Rejoicing that the termination paperwork for their pairing had finally been processed, he eagerly went off to find other Purifiers.
This was the same man who had constantly grumbled while his pair had been missing.
Even then, he had thrown suggestive glances at other Purifiers, and now, as soon as the paperwork was filed, he shamelessly flirted.
Even Purifiers who hadnāt liked Wilhelmina didnāt look kindly on his behavior.
Ultimately, realizing no one wanted to pair with him, he left the fortress grumbling yet again.
Meanwhile, Irene was troubled by something else.
āThereās no useful recordā¦ā
As a fortress established by the Alliance of Kingdoms, it housed some of the remarkable artifacts discovered during the era when dungeons first appeared.
After a massive continental war over ownership rights, which led to the fall of several nations, these artifacts were declared joint property.
Among them was an artifact known as āEternal Recordā.
Despite its grand name, the artifact merely recorded about ten minutes of events within its range of perception.
It could replicate the scene visually, including the sounds and even the smells of that time.
Before Wilhelminaās incident, Irene had borrowed the artifact from the fortress.
Such a thing would have been unthinkable in the past.
Even during the period when the fortress was under Ceciliaās influence, the artifact was denied to the princess.
Yet now, Irene had been able to borrow it with little difficulty.
āPerhaps they want to solidify my status and completely undermine Ceciliaās influenceā¦ā
Irene glanced at the Infinite Healing Ring on her hand.
Despite her intense efforts with Michael, her rank remained at Grade 4. Still, the fortress seemed highly optimistic about her purification rank rising in the future.
Moreover, since the monster that had consumed Wilhelmina had rampaged through the Purifiersā residence and the fortress had been powerless to stop it, they seemed willing to lend the artifact.
Her reason for borrowing it was to gather evidence that might prove how the monster had entered the fortress.
Just as she had hoped, Wilhelmina had spoken words that implicated Princess Cecilia in the incident.
āBut whatās the pointā¦ā
Irene muttered, tapping the āEternal Recordā with her finger.
Wilhelminaās image appeared above the artifact.
[Your disgusting luckā¦]
Up to that point, the recording was clear. The problem started right after.
The moment Princess Cecilia was mentioned, the video grew blurry, and the audio became filled with distorted, monstrous noises.
As a result, it was impossible to decipher what Wilhelmina was saying.
Sighing, Irene turned off the recording. With this, it would be difficult to accuse Princess Cecilia of any connection to the monster.
The fortress staff who reviewed it had initially been pale with shock.
āOur artifact! Noooo!ā
They had clung to the artifact, wailing as if it were a wounded child.
Fortunately, they confirmed that only the recording of Wilhelminaās incident was affected, while the artifactās other functions remained intact, which brought them some relief.
Though they extended the loan by a day to salvage any evidence, it seemed unlikely to yield results.
The video continued playing, showing Wilhelmina collapsing after being attacked.
Irene frowned at the sight.
Even the knights had mentioned itāWilhelminaās remaining body appeared entirely human.
Even as it decayed, the blood couldnāt be purified.
It felt less like seeing a monster and more like looking at Wilhelminaās corpse.
āWilhelminaās family refused to claim her body.ā
The noble who was meant to take Wilhelmina back sent someone to retrieve her belongings but instructed the fortress to ādispose of the body as they saw fit.ā
The sight reminded Irene of her past life.
āWhat happened after I died?ā
A few days before her death, she had sent a letter to Count Rhodiam.
She had begged for an extension on her debtās due date.
Her plan had been to give the money to Michael and then earn enough herself to repay the debt.
Though she hadnāt seen it, she could imagine how furiously the count must have reacted.
āThe count probably acted the same.ā
He would have sent someone to check her room for anything valuable.
āBut I lost the money while fleeing the dungeonā¦ā
All that remained in her room were worthless trinkets no one would bother taking, even for free.
