Chapter 372
At that moment, Michaelâs eyes narrowed, and he immediately drew the sword at his waist.
[Hkkyak!]
At Michaelâs perfect stance for attack, Chomp-chomp quickly scurried behind Irene and shouted,
[Y-Your Majesty! Look at His Majesty! Heâs trying to hit me!]
âStep back! Itâs a monster!â
[Of course Iâm a monster. Did you think I was humanâ Uwaaah! Spare the monster!]
Watching this, Irene sighed again.
Though sheâd been told his memories would return in a week, she worried about whether they could really get through that time without incident.
âAt least he didnât rush straight off to the temple. Thatâs a relief, I guess.â
Sheâd thought, since his memory was stuck in the past, he might leave at once to confirm the truth. But contrary to her expectations, Michael was simply in shock, utterly dispirited, yet he didnât leave.
âExactly one week. Until then, Iâll stay with you.â
Thatâs what heâd said that day, and now he was insisting on sleeping outside by himself.
âFor now, I should just sleepâŚâ
Maybe it was because so much had happened, but drowsiness washed over her, stronger than she could resist.
Irene went to the bedroom and lay down on the big bed.
Normally, strong arms would have wrapped around her from behind almost immediately.
Rolling alone in the spacious bed, she felt an ache of emptiness.
But it didnât last long. Overcome by sleepiness, Irene soon drifted off.
* * *
Some time later.
Click.
The door opened quietly, and Michael entered the house.
At the sound, Chomp-chomp, whoâd been left alone eating apples, perked up and spoke cheerfully,
[Oh? Your Majesty, youâre baâ hiieeek!]
But seeing Michael take out the dagger he had kept tucked away, Chomp-chomp yelped and disappeared under the sofa.
Of course, stubbornly clutching the apple in his mouth and even making sure to grab a tomato.
Michael checked the now quiet log cabin for any signs of life.
The presence of monsters had disappeared completely, and the only thing audible was the sound of steady breathing coming from the inner room.
He looked toward the room and carefully went inside.
Normally, he wouldnât have even dreamed of such a thing, but now he had no choice.
âGod, forgive me. But I must check if a monster has bewitched or brainwashed this gentle woman. I must ensure her safety as well.â
Praying far longer than usual, Michael made his way to the bedroom.
Through the slightly open door, he could see a woman curled up on the bed.
âShe said her name was IreneâŚâ
Michael mouthed the name silently to himself.
âIreneâŚâ
It was clearly a woman he was seeing for the first time and an unfamiliar name, yet strangely, his tongue formed the word easily.
As if he had called that name all day long.
Looking around the room, Michael saw that there was no sign of any other monsters and that Irene was safe, with nothing wrong. He breathed a sigh of relief.
âIs she really a harmless monster?â
She did seem a little absent-minded⌠and the more he looked, the more inexplicably familiar she felt.
Of course, that could be a monsterâs power, so he didnât let down his guard.
After confirming nothing was amiss, Michael turned to leave.
But strangely, his gaze couldnât leave the woman lying on the bed.
Then he suddenly noticed a ring on his finger, one he didnât remember at all.
Holding his hand out in the moonlight, he examined the ring.
Had it been precious to him?
The ring was spotless and shone brightly.
And on the womanâs hand was a ring identical to his.
âIsnât it a bit too plain for a wedding ring? If anything, it should be shinierâŚâ
As he thought this, Michael was startled by his own thoughts.
He was a Holy Knight⌠Why was he so naturally worrying about a wedding ring?
He looked up at the sleeping womanâs face.
âIreneâŚâ
As he watched her, he remembered her face and voice from earlier that day, when she had spoken to him.
Looking at him as if both troubled and fascinated by this strange situation, she had called his name with such familiarity.
Every time she did, Michael felt a tickle deep inside his chest.
When he had first come to his senses and understood the situation, he had been shocked.
There was no way he would ever have married. No, before that, he never would have approached a woman so closely.
ââŚIrene.â
He repeated the name again.
The woman lying on the bed looked more beautiful than anyone he had ever seen.
For just a brief moment, he almost accepted the fact that he was married.
