My Husband Is Definitely a Paladin — Chapter 5

I HUMBLY BEG YOU

TO GRANT ME THE GRACE OF YOUR PURIFICATION.

WHA...

WHAT DID HE JUST SAY... ?!

BECAUSE HE CAME EARLIER THAN HE DID IN MY PREVIOUS LIFE,

THERE ARE STILL THIS MANY PURIFIERS LEFT,

SO WHY ME... ?

UM...

WHY ARE YOU ASKING ME FOR PURIFICATION...

RED DEMONIC ENERGY IS EVEN FLICKERING IN HIS EYES.

HE NEEDS PURIFICATION RIGHT NOW...

I...

NEED YOU.

I DO NOT NEED YOUR HELP AT ALL.

SO PLEASE DO NOT CONCERN YOURSELF WITH ANYTHING.

HE DEFINITELY...

...SAID THAT TO ME.

THE SAINT WHO SAVED THE PEOPLE OF THE CONTINENT AS THEY SCREAMED IN DEMONIC ENERGY.

THE ONE PRAISED ACROSS BORDERS FOR HIS STRENGTH AND BEAUTY.

AND THE ONE WHO SAVED ME...

IT WAS DIFFICULT NOT TO LOVE YOU.

EVEN THOUGH I KNEW IT WAS A SHAMELESS FEELING.

ONE DAY,

YOU, WHO WERE ALWAYS UNHARMED, SOMEHOW RETURNED WOUNDED.

SIR MICHAEL!

ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?! THERE IS DEMONIC ENERGY IN YOUR ARM...

WHEN I UNKNOWINGLY GRABBED YOUR WOUNDED ARM,

THE WAY YOU FORCEFULLY SHOOK ME OFF,

AND THE CONTEMPT AND DISGUST REFLECTED IN YOUR BLUE EYES.

...I AM FINE.

I AM RETURNING TO THE TEMPLE, SO PLEASE MOVE ASIDE.

AND ANOTHER DAY,

WHEN THAT ARM THAT ONCE SHOOK ME OFF HELD MY BODY TIGHTLY

AND NEEDED ME,

I CANNOT FALSELY TELL GOD

THAT THERE WAS NO JOY BLOOMING IN A CORNER OF MY HEART

AT THE FACT THAT I COULD SAVE HIM.

MY LOVE FOR HIM ALWAYS LED TO SELF BLAME AND REGRET.

THE MORE I LOVED HIM, THE MORE ASHAMED AND DISGUSTED I WAS WITH MYSELF.

THE MORE I LOVED HIM, THE MORE PAINFUL IT WAS.

IT WAS SO HARD...

AND SO LONELY...

...MAYBE BECAUSE I ACTED DIFFERENTLY FROM MY PREVIOUS LIFE,

SIR MICHAEL WAS AFFECTED BY IT AND ACTED DIFFERENTLY TOO.

OR PERHAPS THIS IS A TRIAL SENT BY GOD.

OTHERWISE, THERE IS NO WAY SIR MICHAEL WOULD ASK ME FIRST TO BECOME HIS PARTNER.

GET AHOLD OF YOURSELF.

SIR MICHAEL AND I

NOT MEETING EACH OTHER IS THE BEST PATH FOR EVERYONE.

...SIR MICHAEL.

THOUGH THIS IS OUR FIRST MEETING, I KNOW FROM YOUR REPUTATION JUST HOW STRONG YOU ARE.

I AM CERTAIN...

THAT YOU CAN FIND A PURIFIER FAR STRONGER THAN ME.

THEN...

NO.

I NEED YOU.

IT HAS TO BE YOU.

...PARDON? WHY EXACTLY WOULD YOU CHOOSE ME...?

MORE IMPORTANTLY, COULD YOU PLEASE LET GO OF MY HAND...

IT IS A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU, SIR MICHAEL.

I AM CECILIA VISCONTI.

I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU ARE SPEAKING WITH SOMEONE ELSE,

BUT YOU SEEMED TO BE LOOKING FOR A PURIFIER, SO I CAME TO INTRODUCE MYSELF.

...PRINCESS CECILIA!

1 YEAR AGO, VISCONTI KINGDOM

OLDER BROTHER, IT IS CECILIA.

COME IN, CECILIA.

ARE YOU ON YOUR WAY BACK FROM AN AUDIENCE WITH FATHER?

YES, HE SEEMS DEEPLY TROUBLED BY THE RECENT CONFERENCE BETWEEN THE KINGDOM ALLIANCE AND THE TEMPLE.

IT IS UNDERSTANDABLE. THE SPEED AT WHICH THE TEMPLE IS EXPANDING ITS INFLUENCE THESE DAYS IS UNUSUAL.

IS IT BECAUSE OF COMMANDER MICHAEL OF THE TEMPLE KNIGHTS?

YES.

BECAUSE OF HIS ACHIEVEMENTS, THE TEMPLE, WHICH HAD BEEN FADING, HAS GROWN LARGE ENOUGH TO THREATEN THE KINGDOM ALLIANCE.

THE REASON THEY DESIGNATED THAT EVERYONE MUST FORM A PARTNERSHIP UNDER THE DUNGEON ENTRY LAW STARTING NEXT YEAR

IS NOT FOR THE SAFETY OF KNIGHTS, BUT SO THE KINGDOM ALLIANCE CAN KEEP HIM IN CHECK.

IF HE FORMS A PARTNERSHIP, HE WILL NATURALLY HAVE BREAK HIS VOW OF CHASTITY,

SO THEY ARE TRYING TO TARNISH SIR MICHAEL'S HONOR WITH THAT.

EXACTLY.

SO CECILIA, MAKE SURE YOU FORM A PARTNERSHIP WITH HIM.

WITH YOUR PURIFYING POWER, HE WILL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO PARTNER WITH YOU.

AND MAKE HIM ONE OF OUR PEOPLE!

WE MUST BRING HIM TO OUR SIDE BEFORE ANOTHER KINGDOM SNATCHES HIM AWAY.

BUT IF HIS FAITH IS TOO FIRM,

OR IF THERE ARE SIGNS THAT ANOTHER KINGDOM MAY WIN HIM OVER, YOU MUST KILL HIM.

WHENEVER RARE ARTIFACTS ARE FOUND,

SIR MICHAEL SECRETLY SENDS THEM TO THE TEMPLE, SO OUR KINGDOM HAS ALREADY BEEN STRUGGLING BECAUSE OF HIM.

I WILL GLADLY DO SO, OLDER BROTHER.

...THAT IS WHAT I TOLD MY BROTHER,

BUT IF HE HAD NOT BEEN TO MY TASTE, I HAD NO INTENTION OF FORMING A PARTNERSHIP WITH HIM...

SEEING HIM IN PERSON, HE IS AN EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL AND POWERFUL MAN.

HE MANAGED TO SLIP AWAY ALL THIS TIME, BUT NOW THAT THE DUNGEON LAW HAS BEEN REVISED...

YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A PURIFIER TO FORM A PARTNERSHIP WITH, ARE YOU NOT?

IN THAT CASE, I WILL BECOME YOUR PARTNER.

...THANK GOODNESS.

IF IT IS PRINCESS CECILIA, SIR MICHAEL WILL NOT BE DISMISSED.

THIS IS FOR THE BEST. I SHOULD LEAVE NOW...

WITH MY PURIFYING POWER, EVEN MINIMAL CONTACT WITH YOU WILL...

LIGHT FROM HER HAND...!!!

THAT IS...!!

IT IS THE LIGHT OF PURIFICATION!!

THE LIGHT OF PURIFICATION?!

THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE. I NEVER USED THE POWER OF PURIFICATION!!

AND WITH PURIFYING POWER AS LOW AS MINE, I SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO CREATE THIS KIND OF LIGHT!

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THIS...?!

THIS DIZZINESS COMES WHEN I USE THE POWER OF PURIFICATION TO ITS LIMIT...

NO...

IF I COLLAPSE LIKE THIS...

...AND AFTER LOSING CONSCIOUSNESS,

THE LAST THING I REMEMBERED THROUGH MY HAZY MIND

WAS HIS VOICE, FAINTLY REACHING MY EARS.

THANK YOU FOR BECOMING MY PARTNER.

THIS TIME...

I WILL DEFINITELY...