Translator: Nox

My Husband Was Clearly a Paladin

Chapter 34

At Michael’s words, Irene felt a wave of bewilderment.

Even if her purification power had increased thanks to the ring, there wasn’t much a Rank 8 purifier could do.

‘Maybe later, if a useful artifact appears in a dungeon I’ve designated, he might ask me to hand it over.’

If that happened, her goal of saving 100,000 gold would become even more distant, but she had no choice if she wanted to break through this current situation.

“I understand. However, I’m worried whether I’ll be able to fulfill whatever request you might have, Sir.”

At Irene’s words, he gave a bitter smile, as if her concerns were entirely unnecessary.

“Do not worry about that. It is something only you can do.”

Having said that, Michael turned and headed back into the banquet hall.

The few people remaining in the hall approached him with delight the moment they saw him. Cynthia and Reina’s faces also brightened upon seeing Michael.

“Sir Michael! I am Dennis Hopper. It is an honor to meet someone I have always admired like this!”

“My name is Gilbert Owen. I’m not sure if you remember, but I once followed behind you during an advanced dungeon subjugation last year.”

Those who had looked ready to leave just moments ago now crowded around Michael, clamoring to speak with him.

For now, that alone was a relief.

‘I’ve managed to hold onto at least five pairs.’

If so, she had to subjugate a dungeon with them and ensure they walked away with substantial rewards.

Only then would they go to other pairs and brag about what they had gained. The fact that they had conquered a dungeon with Michael would also become a point of pride for them.

‘The problem is whether they can be satisfied with just an intermediate dungeon.’

In truth, there were many reasons why the pairs here today hadn’t joined the Princess’s Faction.

There were pairs like Reina’s, who couldn’t join because of a fallout with the purifiers on that side, but there were also those who had been kicked out for demanding more rewards.

Aside from them, there were those who felt no need to enter dungeons with others because their own abilities were superior.

The knight named Gilbert, who was currently talking Michael’s ear off, was one such person.

‘That man—it took him a long time, but he once cleared an intermediate dungeon with only his purifier.’

Of course, it was only possible because it was one of the smaller intermediate dungeons, but even so, he was likely one of the top five knights in terms of skill within this fortress.

‘To satisfy people like that, intermediate dungeon rewards might not be enough.’

Irene tried to recall the currently unconquered intermediate dungeons and those yet to appear that might yield appropriate rewards.

No matter how much she thought about it, there wasn’t any place that stood out besides the intermediate dungeon where the Stone of Silence—her original target—appeared.

‘And even the Stone of Silence might not be enough to satisfy them.’

Perhaps it was because Michael had subjugated so many dungeons.

He was the person with the least greed, yet ironically, in terms of reward profit, he was a knight who undeniably earned the highest income on the continent.

‘That’s why they say some knights even call out Michael’s name before entering a dungeon, praying they’ll earn as much reward as he does.’

Michael probably didn’t want it, but to the knights, he was a symbol of wealth.

Given that, if they earned only mediocre rewards in the first dungeon they entered with him, they might end up even more disappointed.

Just then, Michael, who had been conversing with the crowd, looked toward Irene.

Their eyes met for a moment, and then he turned back to the knights surrounding him.

“We will head out for a subjugation first thing tomorrow.”

“Oh! Which dungeon are you planning to head to?”

To that, Michael replied with a smile.

“It is the No. 02 Advanced Dungeon.”

At those words, not only the knights but even Irene tilted their heads in confusion.

The advanced dungeon he had subjugated not long ago was No. 01. Therefore, No. 02 shouldn’t exist yet.

At that moment, someone rushed in, clutching a paper issued by the Archive.

“Look at this! They say the No. 02 Advanced Dungeon just appeared moments ago!”

The room erupted in a commotion at the news. To think that the No. 02 Advanced Dungeon had actually appeared.

Irene felt her heart drop.

She hurried over to Michael and asked urgently.

“How… how did you know an advanced dungeon was about to appear?”

She tried her best to stay calm, but she could feel her voice trembling pathetically.

Irene knew what dungeons would appear in the future because she had traveled back in time.

But Michael shouldn’t have any way of knowing such things…

In response to Irene’s question, Michael spoke in a nonchalant voice, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Because I informed the fortress before I came here. I happened to witness it forming while returning from subjugating another dungeon nearby. As the discoverer, I have the right of first refusal for the subjugation.”

“Ah…”

Irene felt embarrassed by his answer.

Just because she knew the future, she had assumed others would be the same as her.

‘There’s a limit to delusions.’

“I considered heading there immediately, but I decided to return so the Alliance could formally assign it a number and so I could get some rest before entering. If it is alright with you, how about we go there together?”

“That sounds great!”

“It would be an honor for us if you would have us!”

These were people who couldn’t even dream of an advanced dungeon because they weren’t part of the Princess’s Faction.

But now Michael was saying he would go there with them.

The faces of every pair standing there lit up. Amidst them, only Irene wore a troubled expression.

“Sir, I asked for an intermediate dungeon…”

“It is fine. I was planning to subjugate it anyway, and this is an opportunity for the other knights to gain experience against stronger monsters. Besides, seeing the recent disaster, I felt I should help the other knights become capable of handling stronger monsters.”

“I understand. Thank you sincerely for your cooperation.”

Irene bowed her head deeply to him.

Because things were going better than expected, the corners of her mouth turned up despite herself.

Even though she was acting nonchalant, she really hadn’t wanted things to be a mess from the very start.

Then, her eyes met Michael’s again.

‘Did I look too greedy?’

Wasn’t he a man who offered his share to God?

So even if it was a request, he probably wouldn’t feel that comfortable, and she felt she shouldn’t show her good mood too openly in front of him.

Sure enough, Michael stared at her intently. Then, he spoke.

“I know the purpose of this dungeon trip. It is to ensure they receive sufficient rewards, is it not?”

“…Yes.”

“Then, how about we waive our shares for this subjugation? That way, they will receive even more.”

“Is that alright?”

It was actually something Irene had wanted to ask for.

Right now, the most important thing was to get these people even a little more reward, by any means necessary.

‘I can just get rewards from other dungeons later.’

In any case, since she had started this, she had to focus on increasing the power of this gathering.

“Of course.”

“Thank you.”

She was truly grateful for Michael’s consideration. To think he would go so far as to give up his own share to help the group.

“You are very welcome. Then, I shall take my leave to prepare for tomorrow.”

Michael bowed in greeting and turned away.

A smile that looked somewhat amused lingered on his lips.

After Michael left, Irene looked at the people flushed with excitement.

The heavy gloom that had hung over them had vanished in an instant.

Everyone was beside themselves with excitement at the fact that they were going to an advanced dungeon with Michael.

Even the knights, who usually maintained a dignified air, looked as thrilled as boys going on their first hunt.

Irene felt a strange sensation.

For the first time, she had attempted something here—and it was to stand against Princess Cecilia, whom she had spent her past life fearing and desperately avoiding.

She thought she had failed from the start, but…

‘It’s a success.’

Irene clenched her trembling hands. A sense of pride she couldn’t quite describe welled up inside her.

It was the first time in her life she had felt this way.

At first, she had only intended to do this for the people whose futures she had changed, and to make their remaining life at the fortress a bit more comfortable together.

‘I want to do even better.’

Irene found herself wanting to grow this gathering longer and larger.

---

The next day, everyone who had been at the banquet hall the day before stood in front of the ‘No. 02’ Advanced Dungeon, fully armed.

Just as they were about to report the raid personnel to the Kingdom Alliance staff, they saw people gallop toward them from afar.

“Oh my, those people didn’t come to the banquet yesterday.”

Reina’s eyes widened as she recognized the approaching figures.

They scrambled off their horses and bowed their heads almost subserviently in greeting.

“Hello, we weren’t able to attend the banquet yesterday because we weren’t feeling well. We came here like this to join you all, even if it’s a bit late.”

It was obvious they had come running at top speed after hearing the news that an advanced dungeon was being tackled by a small number of people.

It wasn’t just this person.

Looking back, several other pairs were also visible.

‘It makes sense.’

When the Princess’s Faction went on an advanced dungeon raid, at least thirty pairs went together.

Today, there were only a little over ten teams in total.

‘The rewards from advanced dungeons are relatively stable, so even if an artifact doesn’t drop, everyone can take home quite a bit.’

Since the number of people was reduced, the reward they would receive would be more than double what they would get if they went with the Princess’s side.

Furthermore, since there was no share being taken in the name of membership fees for the group, they could obtain even more.

And rewards weren’t the only important thing.

The knights could learn a great deal by watching how a person they admired handled monsters while subjugating alongside him.

The people participating in today’s raid would be able to learn the skills necessary to survive while facing stronger monsters in the future by watching Michael.

That was an experience money couldn’t buy.

‘Thinking about that, it would be foolish not to participate.’

That was likely why those who had been cautious and hadn’t come until yesterday had now shown up, casting their shame aside.

Irene didn’t like it, but she couldn’t turn them away. Now was the time to accept even one more person to increase the size of the gathering.

‘Surely at least one of them is someone sent by the Princess’s side, but that’s actually for the better.’

After subjugating the dungeon, they would go back and tell that faction what happened.

‘If they get a big reward, they’ll definitely brag to others, not just the Princess.’

Then this gathering would naturally become known without her having to hold another banquet or struggle.

The Alliance staff confirmed the numbers, and the entry began immediately.

Irene took Michael’s hand and headed inside.

It wasn’t an unstable dungeon, so there was no real need to hold hands.

However, since she needed to appear close to Michael on purpose, Irene firmly grasped the hand he offered.

Before entering, Michael leaned down slightly, bringing his face close to hers and whispering.

“Stay by my side at all times. Since there are many people to look after today, I might lose track of you.”

“…I understand.”

Since her last dungeon trip with him, Irene had moved past her previous trauma a little.

But even so, she hadn’t completely forgotten the terror of when she had died.

“Then, we shall enter.”

With that, Michael stepped into the dungeon with Irene.

A few hours later.

‘Does this even make sense?’

Irene couldn’t believe the sight before her eyes.