Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 249

Irene was having a happy dream.

“Irene, let’s go to the auction today! The artifact we got last week is being put up for sale!”

Raina was tugging at her hand, urging her to come along.

Behind Raina, Felix grumbled, complaining about who was actually supposed to be her Pair. But even as he grumbled, there was no real irritation on his face.

Because they—the two people she had met on the very day she entered the fortress and had since become her friends—trusted and respected Irene completely.

As Irene took a step forward to follow Raina, the world around her changed.

Just moments ago, she had been standing in the garden of the fortress, but now, she was inside the reception room attached to her quarters. Though called a reception room, it housed a massive office desk, piled high with documents.

A sight far too familiar.

At the desk, someone she had known for a very long time—Cynthia—was muttering complaints.

“There’s so much to sort through today.”

Even as she spoke, she continued diligently organizing the towering stacks of paperwork before her.

Irene smiled and casually picked up one of the documents.

As always, the fortress had sought her help again this year.

And as always, she had gladly accepted.

What the fortress had entrusted her with was the guidance and education of Purifiers.

The first Purifier in history whose rank had risen.

Because of that, Irene understood the struggles of lower-ranked Purifiers, and at the same time, she also understood the burdens of higher-ranked ones.

Some had chided her, asking why she put so much effort into something that wouldn’t bring her wealth.

But Irene had always given her best.

Because she didn’t want anyone else to suffer as she had.

Because not everyone would be as fortunate as she was—

To die and return to life…

“……?”

Irene tilted her head.

To die and come back to life?

That was impossible.

Yet why did she believe, so strongly, that it had actually happened?

In a world still painted with warmth, Irene pressed a hand to her forehead.

She could clearly recall every person around her.

Raina, Cynthia, Riosa—the other Purifiers.

Even their knights.

Not only them, but also the staff in charge of artifact appraisal, the maids of the fortress—she could remember each one, down to the smallest detail.

Yet—

“Who’s my pair?”

The one who had always been beside her—

She couldn’t recall their face.

Desperately, Irene tried to remember.

But no matter how hard she focused, all that surfaced was a mass of gray.

As she struggled to bring the memory into focus, the gray mass slowly began to take shape.

It was a bizarre sight—enough to make her shudder—

And yet, the world around her remained just as beautiful.

Brilliant sunlight.

The lush greenery, shimmering as it swayed in the light.

The soft murmur of voices, the sound of laughter.

Kindness so tangible it could be felt, even if unseen.

A world filled with all the things Irene loved.

And yet—

Within that perfect world, only that gray form was wrong.

And beyond it—

A darkness tinged with red began to bloom.

As if it would soon swallow the gray mass whole—

Yet never truly reaching it, growing larger in its place.

It was far larger, far more terrifying than the gray form.

She should have turned away.

She should have fled at first sight.

Yet Irene simply stood there, watching.

Strangely, the red darkness felt familiar.

As if it was something that was always meant to belong to her.

Something only she could soothe and put to rest.

So when that darkness slithered between her legs, she had accepted it—without hesitation.

Sometimes, it was rough. But Irene could endure it. Because she believed—no, she knew—that the darkness would never harm her.

Her gaze settled on the gray mass as it slowly took shape.

It was strange. They were so different, and yet, to her eyes, they looked the same.

At that moment, two people—the same, yet different—surfaced in Irene’s mind.

A man who had once comforted her as a child. Aman she had never once met.

A man who had left the temple early to walk the path of a royal knight, a man who had never once strayed from the path of God, a man who had never made her cry, infinitely kind and gentle.

But also, a man who had plunged her into the deepest despair.

They were both the same person.

Michael.

The moment his name surfaced in her mind—

Irene’s eyes snapped open.

In an instant, the perfect world of her dream shattered—

And darkness filled her vision.

She blinked slowly.

Even with her eyes open, all she could see was black.

But as time passed, she grew accustomed to the darkness, and the shapes around her became clear.

“This is…”

Irene sat up, scanning her surroundings. A distinct, indescribable scent filled the air—it was a place she knew all too well, yet one she hadn’t stepped into for a long time.

“…A dungeon?”

Jagged cave ceilings and twisted rock formations met her eyes.

And beyond them, the bizarre plants and trees she had last seen in the distorted dungeon.

Staring blankly at them, Irene tried to recall what had happened before she lost consciousness.

Strangely, everything was hazy, yet one thing was certain.

Michael had held her in his arms, and at that same moment, darkness had swallowed the entire city.

‘A dungeon entrance that massive…’

Even the previous distortion dungeon hadn’t been that enormous.

‘Just what kind of miasma was inside Michael to have created something like this?’

A chill ran down her spine.

Though the dungeon had manifested from the miasma Michael possessed, he hadn’t been overwhelmed by it.

On the contrary, he had controlled it perfectly.

If that was the case…

Had this dungeon been born purely from Michael’s will?

“…Michael?”

As her thoughts raced, Irene suddenly realized—

Michael, who had been holding her before she lost consciousness, was nowhere in sight.

“Michael!”

She had to find him.

But just as she tried to rise to her feet, a sharp gasp escaped her lips, and she collapsed back down.

“What—why are my clothes…?”

She hadn’t noticed before—perhaps because the air was warm, but the clothes she had been wearing were gone.

Panicked, she frantically searched for something—anything—to cover herself, but there wasn’t so much as a scrap of fabric around her.

Yet, strangely, the jewelry she had been wearing remained untouched.

She had never heard of a monster that only stole fabric.

And if a monster had approached, there was no way she would be unharmed like this.

‘Did Michael…’

No matter how strong he was, even he couldn’t have held off every single monster.

Had something happened to him while she was unconscious?

The fear that something might have happened to Michael completely erased her embarrassment.

Gripping the cold stone wall for support, Irene forced herself upright.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Michael!”

The one she had been searching for stood before her.

For a moment, she felt relief—

But then, as she stepped forward, something felt wrong.