Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 301
TL: Elphie / PR: Marm
Michael silently fidgeted with the Infinite Healing ring in his hand.
Gradually, the smile on his lips faded, and he bit down hard.
His dry lips cracked, a thin line of blood trailing down, but he made no move to wipe it away. Instead, he bit down harder, punishing himself.
āIām sorryā¦ā
His body trembled.
And in that moment, Irene understood.
He was crying. Not a single tear fell. Not a single sound escaped him. Yet, he was grieving more deeply than anyone ever could.
Alone in a world where everything had perished, mourning his own indifference.
Ireneās eyes welled with tears.
There was a time when she had resented Michael over and over again.
She had bitterly wonderedĀ why he was so cold towards her.
Why was the compassion he extended towards those who had committed greater sins not afforded to her?
Did he despise me that muchā¦
That was why, when Irene was brought back to life, all she felt was emptiness.
Everythingāthe misery, the pain, the unbearable moments she had enduredāhad been erased. As if they had never happened.
At first, she wanted to blame him, but the Michael she met after returning wasnāt the same man.
He was no longer the cold, distant figure she remembered. This Michael was gentle and loving.
She should have been happy. She should have forgotten the past and simply embraced the warmth of the present.
And yet, no matter how happy she was now, the scars of the past still remained.
There were moments when the resentment she had buried deep within her heart would suddenly rise to the surface.
No matter how much she tried to suppress it, it was still there.
That was why, whenever she saw Michael smiling before her, an ache spread through her chest.
Who was supposed to apologize for the wounds of the past?
No, he never would. The one who had inflicted those wounds would never offer her an apology.
At least, that was what she had thoughtā¦
A tear slipped down Ireneās cheek.
She had wanted him to say he was sorry. Had wanted him to regret his actions.
But she had never wanted him to suffer like this.
Trickle.
A tear rolled down Ireneās cheek and fell to the ground.
At that moment, Michael, who had been silently drowning in his grief, lifted his head.
“Ireneā¦?”
He staggered toward her.
His steps were unsteady, his body swaying as if he might collapse at any moment.
But there was no hesitation in his movements.
Even without sight, he moved unerringly toward her.
“Irene, why are you cryingā¦?”
His voice trembled as he called her name.
He lifted his hands, reaching for her again and again, but each time, just before he could touch her, he let them fall away.
As if she were the most precious thing in the worldāsomething his unworthy hands dared not taint.
At that moment, the ground beneath Ireneās feet darkened once more.
As the familiar sensation of falling washed over her, Irene watched Michael grow distant.
The speed of her descent made his voice fade into the distance.
He was calling her name, crying out in despair.
Just as he had in every world she had seen. He was desperate, like a man who had lost everything.
Soon, she could no longer see him.
Even the sensation of falling faded, leaving only darkness.
Irene closed her eyes and searched through her memories.
Almost all of them had returned.
She recalled what she had seen in the fragments of Michaelās consciousness.
Now, she understood everything.
After her death, Michael had moved heaven and earth to bring her back.
Again and again, he had repeated the same actions, creating and recreating new worlds.
And in the process, he had allowed himself to become completely consumed by miasma.
With her thoughts now in order, Irene opened her eyes.
She glared into the void, eyes blazing with fury.
She had seen all of Michaelās memories, except for one missing piece.
She knew now. It had deliberately hidden those memories from her.
She clenched her fists, staring into the abyss, and spoke its name with pure contempt.
āThe Impossibility.ā
