Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 45
Translated by Elphie
“Just the two of us?”
Unintentionally, Irene’s voice rose a pitch higher. She’d assumed there would be others exploring the unstable dungeon, but hearing the only the two of them were going in made her confused and uneasy.
“No need to worry too much,” said the Alliance representative. “I’ve already done a quick preliminary search inside with artifacts.”
As if to prove his claim, a blue orb of light floated beside the Alliance representative standing at the entrance.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve seen one of these.’
This was one of the artifacts jointly owned by the Alliance of Kingdoms, commonly known as the Eye of Exploration. Whenever a new dungeon appeared, this artifact was placed inside it without fail.
It would quickly scan the dungeon, mapping its layout and identifying the creatures within. Once the Eye finished making its rounds, the staff would look at the report and record the dungeon’s level and make a rough list of its monsters. Knights can then apply for dungeons that match their abilities based on those records.
“Even though it’s an unstable dungeon,” continued the Alliance representative, “it’s not much different from a regular one.”
“That’s fine, but…”
Then why even bring Irene along?
While Irene found it puzzling, she didn’t voice her thoughts. After all, it was natural for a pair to enter a dungeon together, and she couldn’t refuse his request for companionship.
It was then that Michael offered her his hand.
It was a natural gesture to allow him to escort her—still, Irene couldn’t help but instinctively take a step back. It reminded her of the purification she had given him last night, an act that seemed so distant from stability and peace. And what if others were to see the embarrassing state she had been in…
Goosebumps broke out all over her body.
When Irene hesitantly shied away, Michael reluctantly withdrew his hand. The purifiers around them glared sharply at her. It seemed that the other purifiers believed that Irene, with her lack of power, was merely causing trouble to her pair.
Feeling the weight of their disapproval, Irene followed behind Michael. As they approached the entrance of the dungeon after completing a brief verification process, Irene’s mouth went dry.
‘Is this really…fine?’
The frantically changing shapes, sizes, and colors of the entrance all seemed to scream that this was a very dangerous place.
However, since the Eye of Exploration deemed it safe, Irene had no reason not to enter.
Once again, Michael held out his hand.
“…”
Irene stared at his outstretched hand. She thought he wouldn’t insist any further, so why?
As if reading her thoughts, he spoke with a concerned tone.
“Unstable dungeons may have separations during the crossing, so…”
Immediately, Irene grabbed his hand before he could finish his sentence.
“I wish you would have informed me about such an important matter sooner.”
She tried to speak as calmly as she could, but her voice came out strained and small. She knew better than anyone how helpless a purifier would be left alone in a dungeon without a knight.
“I should have told you right away. I’m sorry.”
Michael apologized as he glanced at Irene’s hand holding his.
Irene shook her head. “No, I think I’m being too sensitive.”
Michael did nothing wrong. She was just being emotional and defensive due to her memories from the past.
Irene composed herself and looked to the dungeon’s entrance. With a firm grip on her hand, Michael led her past the threshold.
As soon as they crossed the oddly lit entrance and could no longer see the other side, the air inside felt completely different than what it had been on the outside.
‘So this is an unstable dungeon.’
Honestly, Irene was a bit relieved once they had entered. She felt a little dizzier than usual, but that was the only thing that was different. The interior was no different from any other dungeon.
‘It feels embarrassing that I was so nervous earlier.’
She had never entered an unstable dungeon, so she couldn’t help it. A normal dungeon was scary enough, but an intermediate unstable dungeon was a world of unknowns no matter how many records Irene studied.
‘But…it seems fine.’
Reassured, Irene looked at Michael’s hand that she was holding. Despite gripping it tightly out of fear, she was still concerned what might happen if purification happened spontaneously like it did on Contract Night.
Thankfully, nothing like that happened. From what she could tell, it seemed like all the demonic energy that had accumulated in him had been cleansed by the last purification, so there was nothing left to purify.
‘But now I’m even more concerned.’
Now that her mind was clear, his large, rough hand felt all the more real. From the thick knuckles of his fingers, to the calluses that had formed from years of holding a sword, and even the scars from old wounds—everything was more palpable beneath her touch even when it wasn’t visible.
Irene blushed and gingerly withdrew her hand.
