Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 236
The tentacle danced wildly, its entire body writhing in excitement.
Watching this bizarre display, Irene was stunned.
She recalled what she had read in the archives about monster ecology.
Monsters, which were often assumed to be independent beings, were in fact hive-minded creatures that shared a single consciousness.
To human eyes, they might appear as separate individuals, just like ants, but in reality, monsters did not see themselves as individual entitiesâthey saw themselves as part of a single whole.
However, on rare occasions, some monsters recognized themselves as separate from their kind.
Humans referred to these beings as high-ranking monsters.
Such creatures possessed far superior intelligence and power compared to others of their species.
Among them, there were even those with mental abilities capable of communicating with humans.
And now, Chomp-chomp had become one of them.
Whatâs more, from what it was sayingâthis transformation had been triggered because Irene had given it a name.
ââŚDid I just do something catastrophic?â
She hadnât intended to do anything serious.
It wasnât aggressive, it just kept lingering around her, and she had only stopped it because she wanted to ask about the metal fragment it had given her.
But somehow, she had created a high-ranking monster.
âI need to tell Michaelââ
[No! Please spare me!]
The moment Irene turned to call for Michael, the tentacle let out a desperate scream.
It lunged forward, clutching onto the hem of her skirt, pleading frantically.
[I-If he sees me, heâll justâ CHOP! Heâll cut me down in an instant! Do you really want me to die? This poor, weak creature?]
It was as thick as a personâs waist, and the miasma radiating from it had become even strongerâso what was it even saying?
Still, one thing was clear: this tentacle was terrified of Michael.
And it had absolutely no intention of harming Irene.
[If he sees me like this⌠Iâll be sent straight to the afterlife in one blowâŚ]
Now, it even gave her a sorrowful look, then collapsed dramatically at her feet, as if saying, âIf I die, itâs all your fault.â
Watching the tentacle sob and throw itself on the floor, Irene pressed her fingers to her forehead.
ââŚAlright. I wonât tell him.â
[Thank you, Your Majesty!]
ââŚWait, âYour Majesty? Do I look like some kind of royalty to you?â
[Uh⌠well, not exactly⌠but itâs kind of similar⌠A-Anyway, what was it you wanted to ask?]
The tentacle desperately averted its gaze, clearly trying to change the subject.
It knew better than to carelessly call Irene a ânon-human entityâ and risk exposing Michaelâs true nature.
If it did⌠it wouldnât just get chopped in halfâit would suffer something far worse.
Chomp-chomp was, at the very least, a monster with common sense.
âThat metal fragment you brought me last time. Where exactly did you get it?â
[Ah, that⌠um⌠I just saw it in Your Majestyâs memory, and I fetched it from our realm⌠I-Is there a problem?]
It wasnât lyingâit had simply read her mind and retrieved it from another dimension.
The only problem wasâŚ
That fragment belonged to Michael.
ââŚDo you know who its original owner is?â
Chomp-chomp made a decision.
[I have no idea.]
It lied.
Irene narrowed her eyes, staring at the tentacle in suspicion.
It was too obvious.
She could tell it was hiding something, but even if she pressed it now, it would probably either escape or refuse to answer.
âIn that caseâŚâ
Rather than forcing the truth out of it, wouldnât it be better to catch it off guard and get it to slip up later?
âOr perhaps the Hand of Appraisal could tell me something.â
At this point, she was certainâthis was no ordinary fragment.
It had to be an artifact imbued with some kind of special ability.
After a brief moment of thought, Irene spoke.
âThen⌠could you bring me the metal fragment from my room in the fortress?â
[Of course! Just think of its location, and Iâll fetch it right away!]
Chomp-chomp responded confidently.
Irene pictured her room in her mind, focusing on the drawer where she had stored the metal fragment.
She expected the tentacle to go retrieve it immediatelyâ
GuuuuuurrrgleâŚ
A loud stomach growl echoed through the room.
The tentacle twisted its body awkwardly, looking embarrassed.
[Uh, actually⌠could you order me a salad first? With extra corn, avocado, and tomatoes? And just olive oil, salt, and pepper for the dressing.]
Chomp-chomp was, apparently, a tentacle with refined tastes.
***
A few hours later, Michael returned.
The moment he stepped inside, he paused, his gaze falling on the table.
There were three empty salad plates stacked neatly on top of each other.
ââŚWere you that hungry?â
âUh⌠I guess I was.â
âIf so, you should have eaten something more substantial.â
âWell⌠it felt weird eating alone without youâŚâ
As Irene answered, Michael smiledâbut only for a moment.
His expression hardened abruptly.
His gaze locked onto her bag.
The fabric was bulging slightly, as if something had been hastily shoved inside.
And the moment Michael sensed a faint trace of miasma coming from itâ
He strode over, grabbed the bag, and overturned it, spilling its contents onto the floor.
And thenâ
When the metal fragment at the very bottom clattered onto the groundâ
Michaelâs face turned to stone.
ââŚThis isâŚâŚâ
