Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 292
TL: Elphie / PR: Marm
“In any case, sheâs desperate,” Cynthia continued. “She insists that, as a Grade 1 purifier, sheâd be invaluable in an advanced dungeon and keeps begging to be included.”
Irene finally replied.
“But we can clear the advanced dungeon just fine without her, can’t we?”
Even to her own ears, Irene’s voice sounded cold.
Cynthia must have been surprised by Ireneâs attitude as well because she put down the documents and stared at her.
âOh dear.â
Irene quickly shut her mouth.
It wasnât right to suspect someone without any proof.
She felt guilty, as if she had condemned someone based solely on her own feelings.
And yet⌠she really disliked Princess Cecilia.
So much so that just seeing her made Ireneâs stomach churn.
“Iâm going to head back to my quarters. Is there anything else I need to do?”
“No, thatâs all. Iâve kept you here too long already. Youâre our most valuable assetâgo get some rest.”
Cynthia urged Irene to return to her room.
Once back in her quarters, Irene let out a deep sigh and sat at the edge of her bed.
In truth, there wasnât much left for her to prepare before the dungeon expedition.
Even though it was an advanced dungeon, it would be over within two days at most.
With her purification abilities and Michaelâs combat strength, there wasnât much to fear, even in an advanced dungeon.
So, just like usual, she only needed spare clothes and two daysâ worth of rations.
There were a few other necessities, but she was so used to expeditions that she could prepare everything in less than half an hour.
âMaybe I should pack a few more artifacts.â
She already knew what kind of monsters lurked inside.
âMost of them are fire-attribute, but the final one is water-attributeâŚâ
She still didnât understand how she knew that.
Irene opened the safe where she kept her artifacts and pulled out ones that could block water-attribute attacks.
Since entering dungeons with Michael, the two of them had acquired quite a number of artifacts.
They had sold most of the offensive ones, but they had kept every single defensive artifact.
Because that was what Michael had wanted.
âMichael, seriouslyâŚâ
He never cared if he got hurt, but the moment Irene got even a scratch, he would go into a frenzy.
No matter how many times she told him she didnât need so many artifacts, Michael never listened. He simply handed all of them over to her.
Thinking of him, Irene absentmindedly brushed her fingers over the artifacts inside the safe. Just as she was about to close the door, she felt something strange.
âW-What!â
She felt the ring tighten, as if it were squeezing her finger.
It didnât hurt, but the pressure was unmistakably real.
âWhy is this happening?â
There was nothing in the notes from the Hand of Appraisal about this kind of reaction.
Actually, the notes themselves were completely nonsensical!
When she tried to pull her hand away and close the safe, the ring tightened again, as if urging her not to.
She wondered why the ring was suddenly behaving this way.
She repeated her previous actions, trying to understand the reason behind the ringâs reaction.
As her fingers brushed over the artifacts once more, they came into contact with an old dagger. The moment she touched it, the ring tightened around her finger again.
âThis? You want me to take this?â
The ring responded with another squeeze, as if confirming her guess.
Irene inspected the dagger.
Just like the ring, she had no recollection of ever placing it inside the safe.
âShould I take this to the Hand of Appraisal as well?â
The moment she murmured those wordsâ
Clatter.
A noise echoed through the room.
Irene froze. She was alone. There shouldnât have been any other movement.
She wondered if it was simply her imagination.
Clatter. Clatter.
The sound of metal clashing echoed again.
It was coming from the bottom-most drawer of a cabinet she rarely used.
Irene held her breath and reached for an artifact imbued with defensive power.
With this, she could withstand even the strongest attacks for at least an hour.
âWhat in the world is it?â
There was no way a monster could be inside the Fortress. If it were something that strong, the entire area would have been in ruins by now.
Then it had to be something small, but it didnât quite sound like a rat.
Clatter. Clack.
The metallic noise continued from inside the drawer.
As if something was desperately calling out, urging her to open it.
Irene didnât hesitate.
Activating the artifactâs power, she swiftly yanked the drawer open.
At that moment, she caught a glimpse of somethingâthin, tendril-likeâdarting deeper into the drawer.
âA worm?â
But before she could examine it closely, something shot out from inside.
The objects tumbled across the floor with loud clanking sounds.
âWhat⌠is this?â
They were fragments of metal, engraved with strange, unknown patterns.
The moment Irene picked one upâ
Screeeeeech.
A massive, interlocked mechanism groaned as if twisting out of place, its eerie sound resonating through the world.
It was a sound she had never heard before, and yet it felt eerily familiar.
And in that moment, Irene realized.
Somewhere in the memories she had lost, she had heard this sound before.
* * *
That night.
[Waaahhh.]
Chomp-chomp was crying beside the Hand of Appraisal
[Her Majesty called me a wormâŚ]
