Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 284
TL: Elphie / PR: Marm
But the man in her dream was not Michael.
Surely not.
Irene shook her head, forcing the thought away. She had no time to dwell on such strange dreams.
There was too much work waiting for her at the Fortress. And after disappearing for an entire week, there was even more to catch up on.
She took Michaelâs hand and led him toward their quarters.
Perhaps sensing that she didnât want him to dwell on his worries any further, Michael dropped the subject and shifted to another topic.
âSpeaking of which, a new high-level dungeon was reported this morning. At first, we suspected it might be a distortion dungeon caused by spatial anomalies, but fortunately, it didnât escalate that far.â
âThatâs a relief. The casualties from the last distortion dungeon were too severe.â
At her words, Michael suddenly stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening.
âWhat are you talking about?â
âHuh?â
âWhat last distortion dungeon? When exactly are you referring to?â
“When? A few months ago, when Princess Ceciliaâs party suffered heavy losses⌠huh?”
Irene tilted her head, as if what she was saying was the most natural thing in the world.
That couldnât be right. The last distorted dungeon had appeared fifty years ago.
âWhat am I talking about?â
And yet, just moments ago, a memory had flashed through her mind.
A distorted dungeon larger than any that had ever appeared before.
Princess Ceciliaâs circle had entered through a different entrance than her own. And the monstrous creaturesâstrange, unnatural beings she had never seen before.
Those images were undeniably there, imprinted in her mind.
Irene felt a chill at the realization that she had two conflicting sets of memories.
One of them had to be a dream. Surely, the devastation of the distorted dungeon had been nothing more than a dream.
Princess Cecilia was alive and well, walking freely around the Fortress. She didnât even have a circle of her own.
But if it was just a dream, then why did everything feel so vivid?
Slowly, she lifted the hand she had kept hidden beneath her long sleeve.
A simple ring, unadorned, without a single scratch.
“Irene?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. Let’s go. We need to discuss the next dungeon subjugation with Reyna and Cynthia. Riosa will probably be there as well.”
Hiding her hand back under her sleeve, Irene followed Michael.
For some reason, she had a strong feeling that it would be best not to tell him about the ring.
* * *
Late at night, when darkness had settled over the land.
Deep within the Fortress, guards stood on constant watch, never lowering their vigilance.
What they were guarding were the Fortressâs artifacts.
Many kingdoms possessed valuable artifacts, but the place with the largest collection in the entire continent was here in this very Fortress.
Since the appearance of dungeons, it had been home to the oldest organization, a transcontinental alliance.
Artifacts that had surfaced in the earliest days, those whose rightful owners were difficult to determine, were all stored here.
Additionally, whenever new artifacts were discovered, if they were deemed useful for combating monsters, the Fortress itself would purchase them for safekeeping.
Because of the sheer number of powerful artifacts collected over the years, this area was the most heavily guarded part of the Fortress.
Even the soldiers stationed here each carried offensive artifacts for protection.
If an intruder were to enter, the defensive artifacts installed throughout the area would immediately detect them and activate, isolating the entire section in an instant.
Naturally, there was no way out.
Thanks to these formidable security measures, not a single artifact had ever been stolen from this place.
Tonight was no different. Guards patrolled around the storage area, finding nothing out of the ordinary.
Clatter.
Something moved deep within the warehouse.
A display case at the farthest end rattled slightly, and then from behind it, thin tendrils began slithering out.
Of course, it was Chomp-chomp.
Stretching its long, wiggly body, Chomp-chomp quickly scanned the inside of the warehouse.
âLooks like Iâve come to the right place.â
This was a place Chomp-chomp had briefly passed through before, back when searching for metal fragments at His Majestyâs request.
At the time, it had merely wondered what kind of place held so many artifacts before moving on, never expecting to return like this.
Now, Chomp-chomp weaved through the scattered defensive artifacts, dodging them skillfully while rummaging through the storage room.
âNot this one. Not this one either.â
One by one, it inspected the hundreds of artifacts, its mind focused on a single purpose.
âI need to restore Her Majestyâs memories.â
That was the most important task at hand.
Chomp-Chompâs very existence was tied to her. But if she had completely forgotten about it, then there was no way for Chomp-chomp to use its full strength.
âOnly then can I regain my power.â
It told itself that this wasnât for selfish reasons. No, this was all for the sake of finding their king. Chomp-chomp continued sifting through the artifacts.
Not this one.
Not this one either.
Priceless artifacts, treasures that most people would never have the chance to even touch in their lifetime, were carelessly tossed aside. They landed on the floor with dull thuds.
After rummaging for quite some time, Chomp-chomp finally pulled out a strange rod made of an unfamiliar material from the deepest corner of the storage room.
Found it! I found it!
Excited, Chomp-chomp glanced at the paper that had been stored alongside the object.
In human language, it read: [Spatial Distortion Generator â Exhibits only weak effects within a range of one cubit.]
Chomp-chomp wiggled with joy, shaking the artifact in triumph.
These foolish humans had no idea how to use it properly.
In reality, this was a powerful artifact capable of forcibly tearing open space itself.
Stupid humans.
With this, all those annoying pests could be wiped out in an instant.
Just as Chomp-chomp was reveling in its discovery, laughing at the clueless guards outsideâ
Snap!
Something grabbed Chomp-chomp from behind.
