My Husband Is Definitely a Paladin — Chapter 2

IS THIS... A DREAM?

SIR MICHAEL IS REALLY GOING TO BECOME MY PARTNER... ?

THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY TO PURIFY DEMONIC ENERGY IS FOR CONTRACTED PARTNERS TO HAVE A PHYSICAL RELATIONSHIP.

BECAUSE OF THAT, EVEN IF ONLY TEMPORARILY, PARTNERS ARE RECOGNIZED AS A SPECIAL KIND OF HUSBAND AND WIFE.

AND SIR MICHAEL, OF ALL PEOPLE,

IS GOING TO BECOME MY HUSBAND...?

I... I AM...

I MEAN, MY NAME IS...

SIR MICHAEL, "THE NOBLEST MAN ON THE CONTINENT," IS TAKING A PARTNER?

A PALADIN IS NOT ALLOWED TO EMBRACE A WOMAN, IS HE?

HE MUST ONLY BE PRETENDING IN ORDER TO SAVE THAT POOR LADY FROM THOSE THUGS!

THIS IS SIR MICHAEL WE ARE TALKING ABOUT. HOW CAN ANYONE BE SO FAITHFUL TO CHIVALRY?

IT WOULD BE ONE THING IF SHE WERE A 1ST GRADE PURIFIER WHO COULD DISPEL DEMONIC ENERGY JUST BY HOLDING HANDS,

BUT IF HE BECOMES PARTNERS WITH A LOWEST GRADE PURIFIER LIKE HER, HE WILL HAVE TO SLEEP WITH HER EVERY DAY, WILL HE NOT?

I GUESS EVEN A NOBLE PALADIN IS STILL A MAN IN THE END~

BECAUSE OF ME, EVEN SIR MICHAEL IS BEING TALKED ABOUT LIKE THAT...!

........ THERE ARE TOO MANY EYES HERE, SO LET US MOVE SOMEWHERE ELSE FIRST AND TALK.

AH, YES...!

EXCUSE ME.

HOW MUCH IS IT TO HIRE THIS CARRIAGE?

WHO... GASP...!

GOODNESS! SIR MICHAEL!

NORMALLY, I WOULD HAVE TO CHARGE 20 SILVER,

BUT FOR SIR MICHAEL, I WILL ONLY TAKE 10 SILVER~

PLEASE, GET IN!

PLEASE GET IN.

AH, YES.

AS SOON AS HE CONFIRMED I HAD CLIMBED IN, HE WITHDREW HIS HAND.

IT WAS AN ESCORT AS GENTLEMANLY AS ONE COULD ASK FOR,

BUT SEPARATE FROM THAT, PERHAPS HE DOES NOT LIKE TOUCHING PEOPLE...

I AM SORRY FOR ASKING SO RECKLESSLY FOR YOU TO BECOME MY PARTNER...

NOT AT ALL. I HAPPENED TO NEED A PARTNER MYSELF BECAUSE OF THE DUNGEON ENTRY LAW FORCED BY THE KINGDOM ALLIANCE.

MORE IMPORTANTLY, YOU SAID YOU MUST ENTER A DUNGEON NO MATTER WHAT.

MAY I ASK WHY?

AH, SO HE CHOSE ME BECAUSE OF THE LAW THAT SAYS ONE CAN ONLY ENTER A DUNGEON AFTER FORMING A PARTNER CONTRACT...

AH... UM... WELL...

IT IS...

MO...

BECAUSE OF MONEY...

...MONEY?

YES...

...I SEND EVERYTHING I GAIN FROM DUNGEONS TO THE TEMPLE.

THAT WAY, EVEN A FEW MORE PEOPLE CAN HAVE A WARM MEAL AND A PLACE TO SLEEP.

AH, R-RIGHT...! I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU MEAN.

BUT I... I WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE EVEN A SMALL SHARE...

AROUND 5%, IF POSSIBLE...

IF IT IS ONLY BECAUSE OF MONEY,

THEN THERE IS NO NEED FOR YOU TO ENTER DUNGEONS YOURSELF.

UNDERSTOOD. I WILL GIVE YOU 10% OF THE REWARDS.

I ONLY NEED A PARTNER IN NAME,

SO THERE IS NO NEED FOR YOU TO ACCOMPANY ME INTO DUNGEONS OR PURIFY ME.

PARDON? BUT TO PURIFY THE DEMONIC ENERGY THAT CLINGS TO YOU IN DUNGEONS...

THE HOLY POWER I POSSESS WILL ALLOW ME TO WITHSTAND THE DEMONIC ENERGY.

I DO NOT NEED YOUR HELP AT ALL.

SO PLEASE DO NOT CONCERN YOURSELF WITH ANYTHING.

...YES, I UNDERSTAND.

THANK YOU FOR ACCEPTING MY REQUEST, SIR MICHAEL...

PLEASE ESCORT THE LADY IN THE CARRIAGE TO THE PURIFIER LODGING.

YES, UNDERSTOOD.

FOOL.

HE ACCEPTED MY REQUEST TO BECOME PARTNERS,

AND HE EVEN SAID HE WOULD SHARE 10% OF THE REWARDS WITH ME.

SO WHY DO I FEEL THIS WAY?

WHAT WAS I EXPECTING IN THAT BRIEF MOMENT,

AND WHY DID I GET SO EXCITED...?

AFTER WE BECAME PARTNERS, SIR MICHAEL FAITHFULLY KEPT HIS PROMISE.

HE TOOK THE LEAD IN SUBJUGATING HIGHEST GRADE DUNGEONS,

WHICH WERE SO DANGEROUS THAT EVEN SEASONED KNIGHTS WERE RELUCTANT TO ENTER, WITH REWARDS AS HIGH AS THE RISK.

THE 100,000 GOLD I THOUGHT I WOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO FILL BEGAN TO PILE UP LITTLE BY LITTLE.

IT WAS NOTHING COMPARED TO THE AMOUNT I RECEIVED FROM SIR MICHAEL,

BUT I WAS ALSO EARNING MONEY BY HELPING THE MAIDS AT THE LODGING,

SO I THOUGHT I COULD FILL IT EVEN FASTER.

...IT IS TOO COLD TODAY AS WELL.

I WONDER IF SIR MICHAEL DRESSED WARMLY ENOUGH...

EVEN THOUGH HE TOLD ME HE DID NOT NEED ANYTHING,

I ALWAYS MADE SURE TO SEE HIM OFF, EVEN IF ONLY FROM AFAR.

AH, IT'S SIR MICHAEL!

MY BENEFACTOR.

MY SAVIOR.

MY... PARTNER.

THOUGH UNLIKE OTHER PARTNERS, WE NEVER TOUCHED AT ALL,

AND WE BARELY EVEN MET EACH OTHER'S EYES, LET ALONE HAD CONVERSATIONS.

ALL I COULD SEE WAS HIS BACK.

AS LONG AS HE RETURNED SAFELY,

THAT WAS ENOUGH FOR ME.

SOMEDAY,

ONCE THE JAR OF GOLD COINS I HAD TO PAY THE COUNT WAS FULL,

AND I BECAME FREE TO EARN MONEY WITHOUT ANY RESTRICTIONS,

I WOULD REPAY HIM SOMEHOW.

THAT WAS WHAT I THOUGHT, BUT...

SIR MICHAEL!!!

WHAT HAPPENED?

WHY IS SIR MICHAEL...

HE SUFFERED FATAL INJURIES IN A HIGHEST GRADE DUNGEON.

EVEN SO, BECAUSE HE IS SIR MICHAEL, HE MANAGED TO DESTROY THE DUNGEON AND SURVIVE.

THE ONLY OTHER SURVIVORS ARE PRINCESS CECILIA AND A VERY SMALL NUMBER OF PURIFIERS.

AS FOR THE KNIGHTS BESIDES SIR MICHAEL... THEY WERE ALL ANNIHILATED.

THERE IS A LIMIT TO THE TREATMENT THE TEMPLE CAN PROVIDE, SO WE HAVE HANDED HIM OVER TO LADY RODIAM, HIS PURIFIER.

THEN...

SIR MICHAEL, SIR MICHAEL!

CAN YOU HEAR ME?

HE IS COMPLETELY POISONED BY DEMONIC ENERGY AND UNCONSCIOUS...!

I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING, ANYTHING.

I HAVE TO SAVE THIS MAN!

NO...

NO MATTER HOW MUCH I INCREASE THE AREA OF CONTACT, SIMPLE TOUCHING LIKE THIS IS NOT WORKING AT ALL.

THERE HAS TO BE DEEPER CONTACT...

SIR MICHAEL, I KNOW YOU HATE TOUCHING ME...

I KNOW YOU REALLY... HATE IT...

PLEASE LIVE!

SIR MICHAEL...?