My Husband Is Definitely a Paladin — Chapter 1

SOMETHING IS STRANGE...

THE SOUND OF WATER BEYOND THE BATHROOM DOOR,

CLOTHES SCATTERED EVERYWHERE.

THE MESSY ROOM,

THE SWORD OF THE TEMPLE KNIGHTS LYING CARELESSLY ON THE FLOOR.

AND...

IRENNE.

S-SIR MICHAEL...!

YOUR CLOTHES...!

...IRENNE.

DID WE NOT AGREE THAT YOU WOULD STOP ADDING "SIR" TO MY NAME?

W-WE DID, BUT...!

HERE,

THESE ARE THE WOUNDS I RECEIVED IN TODAY'S DUNGEON, ALONG WITH THE DEMONIC ENERGY THAT HAS BUILT UP INSIDE ME.

IF YOU DO NOT PURIFY THEM, THEY WILL EAT AWAY AT MY LIFE.

SO, IRENNE.

MY PARTNER,

MY WIFE.

PLEASE ALLOW ME TO RECEIVE YOUR PURIFICATION...

...AGAIN TONIGHT.

WAIT, SIR MICHAEL, NO, MICHAEL...!

AH, MICHAEL, PLEASE...

...THIS REALLY IS STRANGE.

MICHAEL AND I WERE NEVER IN THIS KIND OF RELATIONSHIP...

MICHAEL, HE WAS DEFINITELY...

IN MY PREVIOUS LIFE, HE DID NOT WANT SO MUCH AS ONE FINGER OF MINE TOUCHING HIM—

HE WAS A PALADIN, WAS HE NOT?!

DUNGEONS HAD APPEARED ALL OVER THE WORLD.

BECAUSE OF THE DEMONIC ENERGY POURING FROM THEM, MY PARENTS DIED EARLY,

AND I WAS SENT TO AN ORPHANAGE AT A YOUNG AGE.

IN A PLACE WHERE EVEN ONE LOAF OF BREAD A DAY WAS A LUXURY,

I LEARNED LONELINESS AND HELPLESSNESS BEFORE DREAMS OR HOPE.

IRENNE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING OVER THERE!

HURRY OVER HERE AND HELP THE TEMPLE PRIESTS!!!

Y-YES! I AM COMING!

THESE ARE CLOTHES AND FOOD SENT BY THE TEMPLE.

PLEASE MOVE THEM TO THE STORAGE ROOM.

YES!

THESE ARE MUCH HEAVIER THAN THE USUAL SUPPLIES.

I HAVE TO GET THEM TO THE STORAGE ROOM SAFELY.

BUT I HAVE NOT EATEN PROPERLY SINCE YESTERDAY, SO MY BODY FEELS...

SISTER, ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?!

S-SORRY! I WILL MOVE THEM RIGHT AWAY...!

NO, YOU CAN TAKE YOUR TIME GETTING UP...

SISTER, YOU ARE A PURIFIER!!

A PURIFIER...?

YES. YOU KNOW ABOUT THE DUNGEONS AND MONSTERS THAT TAINT THIS WORLD, DON'T YOU?

KNIGHTS WHO SUBJUGATE DUNGEONS

NEED A PARTNER WHO CAN PURIFY THE DEMONIC ENERGY CLINGING TO THEIR BODIES,

MEANING A PURIFIER WITH THE POWER OF PURIFICATION.

THIS IS DONE THROUGH SKIN-TO-SKIN CONTACT.

I CANNOT MEASURE THE EXACT STRENGTH OF YOUR POWER YET,

BUT YOU WERE CLEARLY BORN WITH THE POWER OF PURIFICATION.

IS THAT REALLY TRUE, PRIEST?

COUNT RODIAM.

YES. IT WAS FAINT, BUT I FELT THE LIGHT OF PURIFICATION FROM THIS CHILD.

YOU WERE BORN WITH A FINE GIFT.

LITTLE ONE.

HOW OLD ARE YOU?

BECAUSE OF THAT, I BECAME THE ADOPTED DAUGHTER OF COUNT RODIAM, THE ORPHANAGE'S GREATEST PATRON.

IT FEELS LIKE A DREAM...

I CANNOT BELIEVE I HAVE A FAMILY.

I CAN'T BELIEVE COUNT RODIAM, THE ORPHANAGE'S PATRON, IS BECOMING MY FATHER.

HOW SHOULD I THANK THE COUNT...?

U-UM...

YOU ARE PRETTY ENOUGH, AND FOR A COMMONER ORPHAN, YOU DON'T LOOK TOO LOWBORN.

YOU ARE EIGHT NOW, SO YOU SHOULD HAVE YOUR COMING OF AGE CEREMONY IN ABOUT TEN YEARS.

THE TIME I NEED TO INVEST IS RATHER LONG,

BUT IN THE END, KEEPING A PURIFIER ALWAYS PAYS OFF.

ONCE YOU ARRIVE AT THE COUNT'S MANOR, DO NOT THINK YOU CAN JUST EAT MY FOOD LIKE A PARASITE.

GROW UP QUICKLY AND MAKE YOURSELF USEFUL.

...YES, MY LORD.

LATER, I LEARNED

THAT ADOPTING A PURIFIER CHILD WITH NO FAMILY AND SENDING HER INTO DUNGEONS

WAS AN INVESTMENT QUIETLY POPULAR AMONG NOBLES.

"A COUNT'S DAUGHTER IN NAME ONLY..."

IN PLACES WHERE OTHERS COULD SEE ME, I SMILED BRIGHTLY AND UPHELD THE COUNT'S DIGNITY,

AND ELSEWHERE, I WORKED LIKE A MAID AS LONG AS IT LEFT NO MARKS ON MY BODY.

"DO NOT THINK ABOUT ANYTHING."

YOU ARE NOTHING MORE THAN THE COUNT'S POSSESSION.

OBJECTS DO NOT THINK OR FEEL ANYTHING.

SO THERE IS NOTHING TO SUFFER OVER.

LIKE ONE OF HIS PRIZED PORCELAIN BOWLS

OR A HOLLOW PORCELAIN DOLL...

LOWEST GRADE?

NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES YOU TEST HER, THE RESULT IS THE SAME.

LADY RODIAM'S PURIFYING POWER IS LOWEST GRADE.

YOU USELESS THING!!!!

I FED YOU, HOUSED YOU, AND CLOTHED YOU LIKE MY OWN DAUGHTER FOR TEN YEARS,

AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY MY GRACE!!!!

AT LEAST YOU HAVE THAT FACE AND BODY GOING FOR YOU!

THANKS TO THEM, THERE IS STILL AN OLD MAN WILLING TO PAY TO TAKE YOU AS HIS WIFE!

"DO NOT THINK ABOUT ANYTHING."

"DO NOT FEEL ANYTHING."

NO

THING...

I HATE THIS.

I WANT TO LIVE.

I WANT TO LIVE AS A PERSON, BY MY OWN WILL!

P-PLEASE GIVE ME ONE YEAR!

I WILL FIND A PARTNER TO ENTER DUNGEONS WITH ME AND REPAY THE PRICE YOU PAID FOR ME!

WHO WOULD EVER BECOME PARTNERS WITH A LOWEST GRADE WRETCH LIKE YOU!!!

EVEN IF SOME FOOL AGREED TO PARTNER WITH YOU, DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU COULD EARN BACK EVERYTHING I INVESTED IN YOU?!!

WE WILL NEVER KNOW UNLESS I TRY! PLEASE, JUST GIVE ME ONE CHANCE!!

ONE YEAR, NO, EVEN SIX MONTHS!!

100,000 GOLD.

THAT ENORMOUS SUM WAS JUST BARELY ENOUGH TO CONVINCE THE COUNT.

OTHER THAN RECEIVING A SHARE OF DUNGEON REWARDS THROUGH A PARTNER CONTRACT,

THERE IS NO WAY I CAN PAY BACK THAT MUCH MONEY.

THE NIGHT OF CONTRACTS, HELD ONCE A YEAR.

I HAVE TO FIND A KNIGHT HERE WHO WILL BECOME MY PARTNER!

YOU ARE LOWEST GRADE?

I AM SORRY, BUT YOU SHOULD LOOK FOR SOMEONE ELSE.

A LOWEST GRADE PURIFIER WHO WANTS A SHARE OF THE REWARDS IS JUST DEADWEIGHT...

I WOULD RATHER CLEAR A DUNGEON WITHOUT A PURIFIER.

AH, I ALREADY FOUND A PARTNER, SO...

I EXPECTED THIS, BUT...

I DID NOT THINK FINDING A PARTNER WOULD BE THIS HARD... WHAT SHOULD I DO?

HEY, LOWEST GRADE LADY! LOOKING FOR A PARTNER~?

Y-YES! I AM LOOKING FOR SOMEONE WILLING TO BE MY PARTNER...

HEEH~ IS THAT RIGHT?

THESE PEOPLE LOOK DANGEROUS!

WHY ARE YOU WRAPPED UP SO TIGHTLY INDOORS~?

LET ME SEE YOUR FACE.

W-WAIT...!

WHOA~

YOUR ABILITY IS LOWEST GRADE, BUT YOUR FACE AND BODY ARE TOP GRADE~?

SO YOU WERE ALL COVERED UP BECAUSE YOU WERE AFRAID SOME CREEPS WOULD HIT ON YOU!

WELL, IF WE ONLY CLEAR LOW GRADE DUNGEONS AND SPLIT THE REWARDS 99 TO 1, I MIGHT SIGN WITH YOU.

OH, AND ON THE CONDITION THAT YOU SLEEP WITH ME AS MUCH AS I WANT EVERY SINGLE DAY.

MAYBE THEN YOUR PURIFICATION WILL BE WORTH EVEN A FINGERNAIL'S WORTH~?

...DISGUSTING!

I CANNOT BELIEVE SCOUNDRELS LIKE THIS ARE ALLOWED TO ACT UNDER THE NAME OF KNIGHTS!

IT IS BECAUSE OF MEN LIKE THIS THAT DECENT KNIGHTS GET SLANDERED AS GOLD HUNTERS TOO!

BUT IF I CANNOT FIND A PARTNER LIKE THIS...

I WILL NEVER EVEN SET FOOT IN A DUNGEON. I WILL BE SOLD OFF EXACTLY AS I PROMISED THE COUNT.

WHAT DO I DO? WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO...?

IT IS SIR MICHAEL!

IS THAT REALLY SIR MICHAEL?

WHY IS SIR MICHAEL AT THE NIGHT OF CONTRACTS...?

PALADIN MICHAEL!

A HOLY MAN WHO SUBJUGATES MONSTERS SOLELY

FOR THE SALVATION OF THOSE IN NEED AND FOR JUSTICE...

I HEARD HE NEVER TAKES A PARTNER, SO WHY IS HE ATTENDING THE NIGHT OF CONTRACTS?

HE IS WALKING RIGHT TOWARD ME...!

MAYBE, JUST MAYBE...

.HE WOULD AGREE TO MY REQUEST!

EVEN IF IT IS COWARDLY, RELYING ON HIS GOODNESS

IS THE ONLY CHOICE I HAVE!

S-SIR MICHAEL!

PLEASE FORM A PARTNER CONTRACT WITH ME!

PLEASE... I AM BEGGING YOU!

I HAVE TO ENTER A DUNGEON!

I KNOW I AM BEING TERRIBLY RUDE RIGHT NOW, BUT...!

BUT... YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE I CAN ASK. PLEASE...!

IRENNE RODIAM, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?

PALADINS ARE BEINGS WHO SWEAR ETERNAL CHASTITY, SO THERE IS NO WAY HE WILL ACCEPT SUCH AN UNREASONABLE REQUEST...

UNDERSTOOD.

PARDON?

LADY.

MAY I ASK YOUR NAME?