Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 272
For a time, Cecilia was unable to regain her senses. Then, slowly, she lifted her head.
She wasnāt the only one. Everyone around her stood dazed, shaken by the impact of the massive sound.
Then, she looked at the woman standing before her.
“Ah.”
The moment Cecilia saw her, she smiled.
The woman standing before her was Irene.
The Purifier who led the largest faction within the fortress.
The most influential Purifier.
Even Cecilia had no choice but to bow her head and seek her help.
Ceciliaās gaze, having recognized Irene, shifted to the man standing behind her.
Who is that man?
Cecilia wasnāt the only one perplexed.
Every pair in the fortress looked at the man behind Irene with the same bewilderment, as if none of them knew who he was.
Who is he? Why is he standing behind Irene? And why is Irene with him?
At that moment, the sound of steady footsteps echoed from behind them all.
People turned their heads, and upon seeing the one approaching, bright smiles spread across their faces.
The man walking out from the inner part of the fortress was Michael.
Not only Cecilia but everyone in the fortress knew him well.
The one who had endured hardship alongside Irene since childhood.
The man who, after briefly taking refuge in the temple, ultimately abandoned the divine path to stay by Ireneās side.
The strongest knight on the continent, who had entered the fortress with Irene and became her pair, standing by her side ever since.
Cecilia watched as Michael emerged from the depths of the fortress, walking toward Irene.
For a moment, his reflection flickered across the mirror held by Viscontiās knight.
But his image in the mirror was exactly the same as his current appearance.
Even when reflected in the Mirror of Truth, nothing about him was out of place. Everything about him was perfect and pure, without a single blemish.
Michael walked past the gathered people and stopped before Irene.
āIrene.ā
His voice trembled as he called out to his pair.
āCome here. Itās dangerous over there.ā
He reached out his hand to her. At that, Irene took a step toward him.
It was only natural.
Because he was Michael, the man Irene loved.
But at that moment, the man behind Irene grasped her hand.
He was tall and broad-shouldered, with blond hair and blue eyes. His physique resembling Michaelās.
Yet strangely, Cecilia could not clearly perceive his face.
Even though she could tell he was wearing a sorrowful expression, she couldnāt picture his face at all.
And then, Cecilia suddenly remembered why she had ordered the mirror to be brought.
A few days ago, Irene had disappeared from the fortress.
Everyone knew it. That something had taken Irene and left the fortress.
And Michael had come to Cecilia with a request.
That the thing which had taken Irene was something they could not properly perceive.
And that, in order to see it properly, they needed the Mirror of Truth.
In response to his plea, Cecilia had sent word to Visconti to have the Mirror of Truth brought.
Because she had wanted to help Irene and Michael.
āPrincess Cecilia.ā
Michael turned to her and spoke.
āI would like you to reflect that thing in the mirror.ā
Even when addressing her, a princess, Michael always had the same arrogantly commanding tone.
The only time Michael ever spoke with humility was when addressing Irene.
Cecilia gestured to the knight holding the mirror.
A signal to reflect that thing.
The knight stepped back, holding the large mirror, which was nearly the size of his own body.
As he turned, the mirror reflected the figure standing beside Irene.
Everyone tensed, staring at the mirror.
What exactly was that thing standing next to Irene?
A moment later, the Mirror of Truth began to tremble violently, as if it were alive.
Simultaneously, the reflection in the mirror began to distort and shift at a rapid pace.
āHuuuhkā¦!ā
āWh-What is that?!ā
The people recoiled in shock at what they saw.
The man standing behind Irene was drenched in blood.
The flowing blood did not stop, seeping down to the floor and quickly spreadingāuntil it soaked everything in sight.
People frantically glanced at their feet.
Because in the mirrorās reflection, the ground beneath them was now a vast, rippling sea of blood.
āIrene!ā
Michael rushed toward her.
He struck away the arm of that thing holding onto Ireneās hand and pulled her into his embrace.
Irene, dazed, remained in Michaelās arms as she gazed at her reflection in the mirror.
In the world beyond the mirror, the only person untouched by blood was Irene.
As if she alone remained clean in this entire world.
