Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 277
TL: Elphie / PR: Marm
How had it all come to this?
Chomp-chomp tried to recall the past.
Back when Their Majesties were in the midst of their reproductive activities inside the dungeon, everything had still been exciting.
[Ahem, ahem. If you wish to seek an audience with His Majesty, get in line! You need this great one’s permission first!]
Hadnât the monsters, sensing that His Majesty had returned to their world, lined up in droves just to catch a glimpse of him?
And of course, Chomp-chomp had blocked their way, puffing itself up with self-importance.
That was its duty.
It had to.
After all, it was the only high-ranking monster to receive a name from His Majesty!
Unlike those nameless, lowly creatures swarming in, it was on a different level entirely.
Besides, something in its gut told it that if it didnât keep those things at bay, it would be the one to suffer His Majestyâs wrath later.
No, not just suffer. Maybe even die.
So Chomp-chomp had done everything in its power to block the other monsters from getting close.
It was certain that if it just held on a little longer, Their Majesties would finish their coupling and finally grant the other monsters an audience.
But thenâwithout warningâHis Majesty had taken Her Majesty and left the realm.
That was when everything started going terribly wrong.
The first thing Chomp-chomp noticed was the change in its own strength.
But it had eaten all its salad like a good little monster! It had even begged Her Majesty to pile its plate with all its favorites and had three whole servings!
Its once-glossy body, which had grown thick as a humanâs waist, started to shrink.
And it wasnât just its bodyâits strength was draining at an alarming rate.
Of course, Chomp-chomp wasnât the only one experiencing this.
The other monsters, who had once swarmed the area, realized something was horribly wrong and began to flee in a frenzy.
They all felt itâthe world His Majesty now resided in was rapidly separating from the monster realm.
One by one, the monsters retreated. First, they withdrew to the deepest depths of the dungeon. Then, they slipped away, returning to the farthest reaches of the realm.
Dungeons were technically part of the monster realm, but in reality, they were more like passageways.
And now, that passage was collapsing.
The other monsters had no choice but to hurry back to their homeland before the path was completely severed.
But Chomp-chomp hesitated.
Not long ago, it wouldnât have even thought twice. It would have fled alongside the other monsters without a momentâs doubt.
But now?
âIâm Her Majestyâs very first servant, arenât I?â
Didnât that mean that it was only natural that it stayed by her side?
Besides, unlike the other monsters, it could survive just fine outside a dungeon.
While Chomp-chomp internally debated over this, its connection to the monster realm was severed entirely.
The dungeon began to collapse in on itself. Panicked, Chomp-chomp wailed, calling out for Irene.
Your Majesty! Wait for me!
It scrambled to escape.The moment it burst out into the open air, into the sky-lit world beyond, its body shriveled even further.
But that was the least of its worries.
No matter where it looked, no matter how desperately it searchedâ
Their Majesties were gone.
The only small relief was that the demonic energy Irene had bestowed upon Chomp-chomp hadnât disappeared completely.
âBut itâs too weak.â
Its body had shriveled. Its strength had dwindled. Even its connection to Her Majesty had thinned.
Before, if she searched for it, Chomp-chomp would immediately know. It could even sense her emotions.
But now?
All that remained was a faint impression.
Still, that was the only thing Chomp-chomp could rely on.
So it followed the trace.
The trail led to a vast, open sea. But Their Majesties were already gone.
Sniffling, Chomp-chomp pressed forward, clinging to the vanishing remnants of their presenceâ
Until, at last, it reached the Fortress.
âThey both came back here!â
Why hadnât they said anything? It wouldnât have cried if it had known! It wouldâve followed right away!
No matter. Chomp-chomp would see Her Majesty soon. It would beg for a salad first thing.
With that thought, it cheerfully scurried into the Fortress.But what Chomp-chomp saw was Michael being stabbed by a holy sword and annihilated.
YOUR MAJESTYYYYYY!!
Chomp-chomp shouted in horror but no one heard its voice, not even Her Majesty.
âAnd after that, I was completely cut off from the monster realmâŚâ
Chomp-chomp absentmindedly chewed on a stolen romaine leaf, gazing up at the sky.
Just before Michael was destroyed, Chomp-chomp had heard a tremendous sound.
It had to be the sound of this world being ripped away from the rest.
This place must now exist alone, unconnected to anything else.
The thought made the tips of its tentacles damp again.
âHe must have done this on purpose.â
Only His Majesty could do something like this. Before he vanished, he had severed this place from all other realms.
Sure, dungeons still appeared here, but Chomp-chomp knew.
They were no longer connected to the monster realm. They were nothing but lingering remnants.
âAm I⌠trapped?â
As far as it could tell, Chomp-chomp was the only monster left in this world with true miasma.
Chomp-chompâs tentacle tips grew damp again.
It then sensed movement near the bushes where it was hiding.
Chomp-chomp instantly shrank back and ducked for cover.
Two figures emerged.
The moment it saw them, its tentacle-tip eyes widened.
One was a Fortress maid. And the otherâ
âFAKE! YOU FAKE KING!â
A human stood there, looking exactly like Michael.
