My Husband Is Definitely a Paladin — Chapter 3

-13 YEARS AGO

HURRY AND RUN, IRENNE!!!

AT LEAST YOU MUST SURVIVE!!!

M-MOM...

DO NOT LOOK BACK, JUST GET OUT!!!

IRENNE, LIVE!!

YOU HAVE TO SURVIVE!!

NO MATTER WHAT!!!

13 YEARS AGO.

THE ONE WHO KILLED MY MOTHER

WAS MY FATHER, WHO HAD BEEN POISONED BY THE DEMONIC ENERGY SPEWING FROM A DUNGEON

AND TURNED INTO A MONSTER.

HUMANS WHO ARE POISONED BY DEMONIC ENERGY AND DO NOT RECEIVE PURIFICATION IN TIME

USUALLY DIE INSTANTLY BECAUSE THEIR BODIES CANNOT ENDURE IT,

OR EVEN IF THEY DO ENDURE IT, THEY EVENTUALLY FALL AND BECOME MONSTERS.

THOSE IN THE PROCESS OF FALLING

HAVE THEIR REASON AND SOULS SLOWLY DESTROYED BY THE PAIN CAUSED BY DEMONIC ENERGY,

AND ONLY THEIR SURVIVAL INSTINCT, THE DESIRE TO RETURN TO BEING HUMAN, BARELY REMAINS,

MAKING THEM CRAVE THE LIGHT OF PURIFICATION.

THEREFORE, EVEN IF A KNIGHT IS POISONED BY DEMONIC ENERGY DURING DUNGEON SUBJUGATION AND LOSES REASON,

GUIDING HIM SO HE CAN CHASE THE LIGHT AND RETURN AS A HUMAN

IS THE ROLE OF HIS PARTNER AND PURIFIER,

MY ROLE...

SIR MICHAEL!

THERE IS STILL DEMONIC ENERGY IN HIS EYES, BUT HE HAS REGAINED CONSCIOUSNESS. THANK GOODNESS!

MICHA...

MI,

MI...CHAEL...

I... I CANNOT BREATHE...!

S-SIR,

I CANNOT... BREATHE...!

HE FINALLY LET GO OF ME...

HUH...?

SIR...?!

AH, THIS IS...

S-SIR MICHAEL... WAIT A MOMENT.

S-SLOWLY...

IT WAS A ROUGH, CLUMSY KISS DRIVEN BY SURVIVAL INSTINCT.

I HAD NO TIME TO BE CAUGHT UP IN THE PAIN FROM MY TORN, CHAPPED LIPS

OR IN HOW I FELT ABOUT MY FIRST KISS.

I HAD TO BECOME ONE WITH HIM.

I KEPT REPEATING IN MY HEAD, WHILE SUPPRESSING THE PAIN,

THAT I HAD TO SAVE HIM AS HE PUSHED INTO ME WITHOUT REASON.

AS IF HE WOULD DIE IF WE WERE EVEN SLIGHTLY APART,

HE CLUNG TO ME DESPERATELY.

FROM THE MOMENT MY BODY GREW SOMEWHAT USED TO IT,

I COULD NOT THINK OF ANYTHING BECAUSE OF THE PLEASURE HE GAVE ME.

I COULD NOT EVEN TELL HOW MANY TIMES DAY AND NIGHT HAD CHANGED.

AFTER REPEATEDLY FALLING ASLEEP AS IF FAINTING BECAUSE MY BODY COULD NO LONGER ENDURE IT, THEN WAKING AGAIN,

EVEN MY SENSE OF TIME AND SPACE SEEMED TO GO NUMB.

THE TIME I SPENT PRESSED AGAINST HIM FELT LIKE ETERNITY.

LADY IRENNE?

SIR MICHAEL?!

WHEN DID YOU WAKE UP?!

LADY IRENNE, WHAT HAPPENED HERE?

WHY ARE YOU...?

DO NOT TELL ME I DID THAT WITH YOU...

AFTER SIR MICHAEL REGAINED HIS REASON, HE LOOKED BEWILDERED

AND HURRIEDLY LEFT AS IF RUNNING AWAY.

ALL THAT REMAINED IN THE ROOM WERE THE MESSY TRACES OF THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS,

ALONG WITH THE CLOTHES AND BELONGINGS HE HAD NOT MANAGED TO TAKE WITH HIM.

IT DID NOT TAKE LONG FOR ME TO LEARN WHAT I HAD DONE.

I HEARD SIR MICHAEL WAS DISMISSED FROM THE TEMPLE!

WHAT? THEN HE IS NO LONGER A PALADIN?

HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?

APPARENTLY, HE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO SLEEP WITH THAT LOWEST GRADE PURIFIER WOMAN.

RUMOR HAS IT THAT WOMAN FORCED HERSELF ON SIR MICHAEL,

AND THAT SHE EVEN FORMED A PARTNER CONTRACT WITH HIM BECAUSE OF MONEY.

OH MY... HOW INDECENT.

SIR MICHAEL SPENT HIS ENTIRE LIFE SERVING GOD AND THE PEACE OF THE CONTINENT'S PEOPLE!

POOR SIR MICHAEL.

IF SIR MICHAEL HAD FORMED A PARTNERSHIP WITH A HIGHEST GRADE PURIFIER LIKE PRINCESS CECILIA,

HE WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN DISMISSED.

SIR MICHAEL DID NOT COME TO SEE ME.

HE MUST HAVE BEEN VERY ANGRY WITH ME.

EVEN IF I WERE SIR MICHAEL, I WOULD NOT WANT TO SEE MY FACE.

I HAD ALMOST NOTHING,

AND THE ONLY THING I HAD WAS THIS LIFE. THE MOST PRECIOUS THING TO ME WAS ALSO LIFE,

IRENNE, YOU HAVE TO LIVE!!

YOU HAVE TO SURVIVE!!

SO NATURALLY, I THOUGHT IT MUST BE PRECIOUS TO HIM TOO.

THAT WAS WHY I GAVE HIM THE MOST PRECIOUS THING I COULD GIVE,

BUT A LIFE THAT HAS BROKEN AN OATH OFFERED TO GOD

COULD BE MORE SHAMEFUL THAN DEATH.

WHY DID I NOT THINK OF THAT?

I SHOULD NOT HAVE DONE ANYTHING.

THAT WAS THE ONE AND ONLY THING HE ASKED OF ME...

THE THINGS HE GAVE ME ALL THIS TIME,

AND THE BELONGINGS HE LEFT IN MY ROOM.

I HAVE TO RETURN THEM.

I HAVE TO RETURN THEM AND APOLOGIZE SOMEHOW.

H-HELLO, YOUR HIGHNESS.

...IT SEEMS YOU ARE DOING WELL, LADY IRENNE.

I WAS STARTLED BECAUSE YOU SUDDENLY POPPED OUT OF NOWHERE. HOW SHAMELESS...

CECILIA MOCENIGO VISCONTI.

THE FIRST PRINCESS OF THE VISCONTI KINGDOM, KNOWN AS ONE OF THE POWERFUL NATIONS IN THE KINGDOM ALLIANCE,

AND THE STRONGEST PURIFIER WITHIN THE FORTRESS.

NORMALLY, SHE WOULD BE SOMEONE I COULD NOT EVEN SPEAK TO, BUT...

I AM TRULY SORRY, YOUR HIGHNESS.

UM... BUT BY ANY CHANCE, HAVE YOU SEEN SIR MICHAEL?

WHY ARE YOU ASKING ME THAT?

EVEN IF I HAD SEEN HIM, IS THERE ANY REASON I SHOULD TELL YOU?

...WELL, I WAS ON MY WAY TO APOLOGIZE TO HIM,

SO I WONDERED IF YOU HAD SEEN HIM...

HA...

DO YOU SEE THAT LOW GRADE DUNGEON LEFT OVER THERE?

SIR MICHAEL WENT IN TO CLEAR IT.

HURRY AND GO IN. ALL THE MONSTERS SHOULD ALREADY BE CLEARED OUT.

THANK YOU, YOUR HIGHNESS.

SIR MICHAEL, ARE YOU HERE?

SIR MICHAEL?

STRANGE.

THE REWARD ROOM IS AT THE END OF THE DUNGEON, BUT SIR MICHAEL IS NOT HERE EITHER.

What is this?

huh?

THERE ARE ONLY EMPTY BOXES AND STRANGE JUNK LYING AROUND...

SHOULD I GO BACK OUTSIDE AND LOOK FOR HIM... ?

SIR MICHAEL?

MICHAEL...?

AND SO,

MY PREVIOUS LIFE ENDED WITH HIS NAME AS MY FINAL WORDS,

BROUGHT TO A CLOSE BY A MONSTER'S ATTACK.

AND THEN...

ARE YOU LISTENING, YOU USELESS THING!!!

WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU ARE LOOKING?!!!

DO MY WORDS MEAN NOTHING TO YOU?!!!

MY SECOND LIFE BEGAN.

WHAT... IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON?

I DEFINITELY DIED IN THAT DUNGEON...

DID I... GO BACK TO THE PAST?

AM I DREAMING?

A revolving lantern?