Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 275
TL: Elphie / PR: Marm
“Everything is normal.”
The physicianâs words filled the room with a collective sigh of relief.
It had been a week since Irene had vanished without a trace. In her absence, whispers of her abduction by a monster had spread through the Fortress like wildfire. The entire stronghold had been consumed with the frantic search for her.
And then, today, she had returned.
The monster had disappeared, leaving behind only Irene and the recovered Holy Sword. She had been brought straight to her quarters, where an assembly of physicians and priests had rushed to her side, their concern evident.
Because this was Irene.
The most influential purifier in the Fortress. The strongest among them all.
And yetâ
As the physician spoke, Riosaâs eyes narrowed.
“Are you absolutely sure there’s nothing wrong?”
Riosaâs voice was sharp with disbelief as he glared at the physician.
Irene had been taken by a monster for an entire week. But theyâre saying she had returned without a single scratch? It was impossible not to be suspicious.
“Could it be that her purification power has weakened due to prolonged exposure to miasmaâŚ?”
Riosa murmured, her brows furrowing.
A priest standing beside the physician chuckled softly.
“You need not worry about that either. We checked multiple times, but there is no trace of miasma within Lady Irene. Her purification ability remains at Grade 1, unchanged.”
For the briefest moment, Irene’s body flinched.
But it was fleeting, so quick that no one else noticed.
The physician, after reiterating that she was in perfect health and merely needed rest, left the room, despite the lingering doubt in the other purifiersâ eyes.
As soon as he departed, the remaining people rushed toward Ireneâs bedside.
Pushing through the crowd, two figures reached her firstâRiosa and Reyna.
Both had been close to Irene long before she had even entered the Fortress, their bond unwavering through the years.
They jockeyed to be the first to grab Irene’s hand, but it was Riosa who won in the end.
Reyna, pushed aside, grumbled in protest, but Riosa paid her no mind. Instead, she grasped Ireneâs hand tightly, struggling to find her voice.
ââŚDo you have any idea how worried I was?â
Riosa, who was always so proud and arrogantâso much so that people often called her insufferableâwas now on the verge of tears.
Faced with such an unexpected sight, Irene found herself at a loss for words.
âIâm really fine. I wasnât hurt at allâŚâ
âFine? How could you be fine? You were missing for a whole week, dragged off by some unknown monster! Are those doctors all incompetent or something? No, more importantly, Iâm the one whoâs not fine!â
Irene barely had a chance to console her before Riosa, still crying, suddenly shouted in frustration.
Reyna, who had been standing behind them, glared sharply at Riosa.
âRiosa! The healers said Irene needs complete rest!â
âAh, right. Right⌠A-Anyway, I was just so worried⌠sniffâŚâ
She tried to pull herself together, but the moment she attempted to speak again, the flood of emotions overwhelmed her. Riosa finally gave in, bursting into uncontrollable sobs.
At that, even Reyna, who had been scolding Riosa for being too loud, began to tear up.
âRiosa wasnât⌠the only one who was worried⌠I was, too⌠I was so, so worriedâŚâ
And just like that, both Riosa and Reyna started sniffling together.
In the end, Cynthia stepped in.
âBoth of you. Out.â
âNo! I want to stay with Irene a little longer!â
âIâm not leaving either! This⌠This is a special tonic from our hometown! Itâs supposed to help when youâre feeling weak, so I need to give it to Ireneââ
âBoth of you, out!â
Without another word, Cynthia grabbed them by the scruffs of their necks and dragged them out.
A long while later, she returned alone, sighing as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.
âHonestly⌠Those two are like a pair of childrenâŚâ
She grumbled, clearly exasperated.
Irene simply smiled.
âBut Iâm grateful they care so much.â
âWell, sure, but everything in moderation. Anyway, Iâll just leave what Riosa got for you here.â
Cynthia tried to place the item Riosa had half-forced into Ireneâs hands onto the table. Or rather, she attempted to.
The table was already overflowing with gifts, leaving no space for anything else.
It wasnât just presents. A towering pile of letters, filled with words of concern and relief, had piled up as well.
They were from a variety of people. Some were fellow purifiers from the same circle, others were Fortress staff. Some letters came from royals or nobles of distant lands.
But, as expected, the majority came from ordinary peopleâthose who had once been saved by Irene.
Of course, Cynthia thought as she recalled Ireneâs past actions.
Unlike some pairs who only sought out dungeons that promised wealth, Irene was different.
She and her pair, Michael, didnât hesitate to take on the large, dangerous dungeons. But they also tackled the smaller onesâthose that, while insignificant to the elite, were life-threatening to ordinary people.
The villagers who would have otherwise been forced to fight monsters on their own⌠They owed their survival to her.
Even when she remained inside the Fortress, Irene never stopped helping others.
