Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 235
When she opened the door, just as expected, the tentacle was there, licking at the water pooled in the bathtub.
The tentacle, startled by Ireneâs sudden entrance, froze in place, standing stiffly upright.
âSo it really was you again!â
At her words, the tentacle flailed wildly.
– No? This is our first time meeting! Do you know me?
âYouâre the one who brought me the metal fragment last time!â
– No, Iâm not! Youâve got the wrong monster! You must have mistaken me for someone else!
The tentacle expressed its denial with frantic gestures and then, as if trying to escape, slowly slid behind the bathtub.
If she let it go now, it would disappear again.
Hurriedly, Irene called out.
âChomp-chomp, wait! Just hold on a second! I just want to ask you something!â
At her words, the tentacle stopped moving.
Then, tilting slightly, it seemed to hesitate as if it had just heard something unbelievable.
– âChomp-chompâ?
âUh⌠I wasnât sure what to call you, so I just started calling you thatâŚâ
The tentacle before her still hadnât been assigned an official monster classification.
Back when she first saw it in the distorted dungeon, she had reported it to the fortress.
But since so many new monster species were reported at that time, it had yet to receive a name.
Since it was an unnamed, unclassified species, she had no idea what to call it and had simply said the first thing that came to mindâŚ
– âChomp-chompâ? Is that my name?
Suddenly, a round, black eye appeared at the tip of the tentacle, and it sparkled.
It was unmistakably a look of deep emotion.
– Thatâs the name youâre calling me by, right? You donât call any other creatures that, do you? That name belongs to me, right?
The tentacle straightened up and moved closer to Irene.
The one who was shocked this time was Irene.
She had expected it to protest indignantlyâ
– How could you call me something so ridiculous, human?
But instead, it looked absolutely delighted.
âDid I⌠do something wrong?â
As she hesitated, the tentacle wiggled excitedly.
– Um, excuse me⌠Could you say my name one more time?
ââŚUh, Chomp-chomp? Like this?â
The moment Irene called its name three times, a red glow began to radiate from the tentacleâs body.
It was undoubtedly miasma, and yetâ
Irene felt no fear.
In the past, the sight of it would have triggered an instinctive repulsion, making her step back immediately.
But now, it didnât.
Somehow, she had grown used to that red glow.
âWhyâŚ?â
She quickly found the answer.
During the nights she spent with Michael, there were times when he lost control and pushed her to the brink.
Whenever that happened, his eyes would flicker with red light.
At first, seeing the glow of a monster in his gaze had startled her.
But one night, after she had collapsed into sleep, she woke to find those crimson eyes staring at her in the darkness.
Yet, she hadnât screamed.
Instead, she had reached out and carefully traced her fingers over his eyes.
And as she did, the burning miasma in them slowly faded away.
Then, she had smiled and willingly embraced the red glow.
As if she already knew exactly who he was.
ââŚAh.â
Letting out a quiet sigh, Irene stared down at the ring on her right hand.
At some point, she had completely forgotten about purifying miasma.
That was supposed to be her duty as a Purifier.
Instead of cleansing miasma, had she begun to assimilate with it?
As she pondered this unsettling thought, she turned her gaze back to Chomp-chomp.
There was no doubtâit had changed.
Its body had grown larger, its movements more refined, and its presence more confident.
The feeble, wobbling creature that had been drinking water like a weaklingâ
Now, the monster known as Chomp-chomp radiated the energy of a high-ranking beast.
âWhat⌠happened?â
Just as Irene began backing away, wondering if she had made a mistake, the tentacle suddenly flattened itself at her feet.
Thenâ
[Chomp-chomp, now a unique existence, humbly greets the great one who has granted me a name! From now on, I am bound to Your Majesty, and Your command shall take precedence over all else!]
To Ireneâs shock, she could hear its voice clearly in her mind.
âW-What? Whatâs going on? How is this evenâŚ?â
[It is possible because you have given me a name. Thanks to you, I have become the only one of my kind in this worldâa truly special existence.]
