My Husband Was Clearly a Paladin
Chapter 42
“The appraisal failed?”
“Yes. To be precise, the appraisal was performed, but…”
The employee, looking troubled, handed Irene the paper that the Hand of Appraisal had written upon.
As she took it, Irene’s expression twisted.
“What language is this?”
“As far as we can tell, it is a language that has never existed on this continent throughout history. And I should tell you in advance—just in case, we tried again, but the Hand of Appraisal wrote down the exact same thing, without a single character being different.”
“Sigh…”
At his answer, Irene wiped her face with her hand.
A language that didn’t exist in the world. That meant deciphering it was impossible.
“It would have been nice if there were at least some numbers.”
Whether the language used by the Hand of Appraisal wrote numbers as characters or simply didn’t require them for the description, there wasn't a single digit to be found.
Regardless, since the appraisal couldn't be interpreted, it was impossible to tell if the item was an artifact or just a piece of junk.
Irene, receiving the dagger back, asked with a dark expression.
“By the way, in cases like this, isn't there a discount on the appraisal fee?”
* * *
“Right, the appraisal office is run by the people of the fortress too. There’s no way they’d give a discount.”
Far from giving a discount, they had replied that they were debating whether to charge an additional fee for using the Hand of Appraisal multiple times.
At those words, Irene had to retreat quickly without being able to ask for a further reduction.
Returning to her room, she sat at the table and examined the dagger.
‘I have no memory of an artifact like this.’
Irene recalled the records of artifacts she had seen in her past life. She remembered most of them, from the precious ones to the trivial ones.
However, such a dagger did not exist in her memory.
‘Limitless Healing didn't exist in the past either.’
Had the appearance of that artifact brought this dagger along with it?
Since both were now in her hands, it wasn't a bad thing, but she began to worry that these two artifacts might change the future significantly.
Lost in thought for a long while, Irene swallowed a sigh and inspected the dagger.
She called it a dagger, but to be precise, it was a dagger and a sheath.
There seemed to have been decorations on the surface made of a metal that felt like iron, but due to countless scratches, it was impossible to tell what the original pattern had been.
“The blade is a mess, too.”
At least it wasn't rusted, but the blade was chipped in places, making it look impossible to cut anything properly.
“Just what on earth is this…”
Irene leaned over the table and opened her palm.
The ring on her ring finger looked no different than usual, as if it had never constricted her finger at all.
“You’re alive, aren't you? You can see your surroundings and think, right?”
Irene tried talking to the ring, but naturally, there was no response.
When there was still no reaction after several more attempts, Irene turned her gaze back to the dagger.
‘What do I do now?’
She had expected something incredible to come out, just like when she appraised Limitless Healing.
Thinking that, she had impulsively commissioned the appraisal.
‘It was a mistake to leave it just because they said I could pay the fee later.’
The staff had welcomed Irene warmly when she brought in an unappraised item. They had assumed she obtained it from the dungeon she entered with Michael.
Only after receiving the unintelligible appraisal report did she mention it was from a box bought at the auction house—and their faces had contorted instantly.
“I’ve never seen anything good come out of those. It’s all a marketing gimmick, a gimmick.”
Even though the auction house staff were fellow employees of the Alliance, the staff at the appraisal room spoke of them like street peddlers.
“Anyway, I’m completely in the red…”
Even if she finished the settlement for the Stone of Silence at the auction house tomorrow, it wouldn't be enough to pay back the 1,550 gold she borrowed from Reina and the 10,000 gold appraisal fee.
‘When I went to find the Stone of Silence, I used up my once-a-week chance to go to a dungeon, so there won’t be any money coming in for a while.’
The only silver lining was that, thanks to the Stone of Silence, she had confirmed that the dungeon information she remembered wasn't all wrong.
Irene thought of other artifacts. Fortunately, there was a dungeon where a useful artifact would appear in a few weeks.
‘If I get that and sell it, it should fetch about 30,000 gold.’
Then it suddenly occurred to her how Michael had questioned her obtaining the artifact.
Though he had called it extraordinary luck, it was certain he was suspicious of her.
But if another artifact appeared…
This time, it wouldn't be suspicion; it would be a certainty.
‘Then would I be dragged off to the Temple?’
Irene stood up and approached the chest of drawers.
From the deepest part of the bottom drawer, hidden behind other items, she pulled out something wrapped in cloth.
The black metal she had been clutching at the moment of her death.
The thing that had returned with her when she traveled back in time.
“Nothing has really changed.”
Since it was metallic, she wondered if it might have rusted or changed color in the meantime, but there was no such change.
The patterns engraved on the surface were the same as well.
For a moment, Irene was seized by a sudden impulse.
What would Michael say if she showed him this and told him that she had actually died once and returned through time?
Since returning to the past, most things had been going well.
But every time they did, a sense of pride was followed by an unknown fear creeping up from behind.
Would things really continue to go this well?
Would everything turn into a mess again at some point, just like before?
If so, would the people who had approached her now turn their backs again?
If everything she remembered turned out to be wrong, would her current relationships be maintained?
If everything went back to the way it was…
“…”
Irene stared at the metal, then wrapped it back up and put it in the drawer.
Then, she gripped the ring on her finger and twisted it.
It usually refused to come off her finger, but sometimes it would slide right off.
Was it because it had used up all its power during the day?
The ring, which normally wouldn't budge as if asserting it was a bound artifact, came off easily.
Going to the bed, Irene lifted the blanket and wrapped herself in it. Then she sat in the corner of the room, leaning her back against the wall.
Just like a long time ago, when she spent her days alone without being able to say a single word.
* * *
Creeak.
“…Ugh.”
At the sound of the door opening, Irene struggled to open her eyes.
When she fell asleep, the sunset had just begun to settle, but the room was already shrouded in thick darkness.
‘How long was I asleep?’
Perhaps because she had slept curled up, she felt pain all over her body even with just a slight movement.
However, she didn't particularly feel like getting up.
Irene blinked quietly in the darkness.
She was confused about which life she was living right now.
Was it her past life, where she huddled alone in a small room?
Or was it her current life, where she met many people and fell asleep in a large room feeling a pleasant lethargy?
While she was struggling to regain her senses, a large shadow moved in the darkness.
“…\!”
The moment she was about to scream, startled by the unauthorized intruder.
“Irene.”
The person called her name. It was a familiar voice, and because of that, she became even more tense.
Because it was Michael’s voice.
He always used to ask for permission politely before entering.
If she hadn't answered, he would have assumed she was asleep and turned back, yet he had entered despite her having no memory of granting him permission.
Thud.
He collapsed into a seated position in front of Irene as she tried to back away.
Since the only light was the faint glow coming through the window, she couldn't see him clearly.
But even in that darkness, his eyes were vivid.
The deep blue eyes that had approached her closely at the auction house. But now, those eyes were laced with red.
The moment she recognized that red light, Irene held her breath.
It was a familiar red. The characteristic color of those poisoned by demonic energy.
At first, it was easy to mistake it for bloodshot eyes from mere excitement, but as the poisoning grew stronger, the entire eye would be dyed red.
Fortunately, since it was a clearly visible trait, purifiers would notice the state of their pairs and attempt purification.
Irene, too, had seen the state of those poisoned from afar and learned how serious their conditions were.
But now Michael was…
“Mi, Michael…?”
Her voice trembled miserably as she called his name.
Then, the eyes staring at her instantly turned completely red.
At that change, Irene wanted to scream.
In her past life, she had seen those who were completely consumed by demonic energy and were no longer human.
Just before they turned into monsters, their eyes would be dyed completely red.
And now, Michael’s eyes flashing before her were the same color as theirs.
