My Husband Was Clearly a Paladin
Chapter 50
“Look at this. It’s fascinating news!”
Reina placed a sheet of paper that had arrived from the Archive onto the table.
“What is it?”
Cynthia, who had been sitting beside her filtering through a list of people wishing to join their gathering, craned her neck to look at the paper.
The two had naturally become close enough to call each other unnie and dongsaeng.
Their appearances had also changed quite a bit.
Only a few weeks ago, Reina had possessed a certain frantic energy, acting as if she didn’t know what to do with herself after coming to a new place with the person she liked.
But now, she seemed quite accustomed to the Fortress, maintaining a composed demeanor.
As for Cynthia, it was her outward appearance rather than her attitude that had changed. Previously, her attire had been so modest it bordered on shabby, but now she looked every bit the wealthy purifier. Her pockets had become quite deep after receiving the payment from selling the Ring of Invisibility. Cynthia had immediately moved to a better room and procured new, clean clothes.
Her knight was the same. Her pair, a man named Rix, had replaced his old, worn-out weapons and armor with a set that was light and sturdy. Consequently, his skills improved, and his relationship with Cynthia grew even more intimate.
“I think I might end up pairing with Rix again next year.”
Cynthia had said those words with a slight blush, unable to entirely hide the faint red marks on her neck.
Not a single trace of the old shadows remained on Cynthia’s face.
Just as Irene was thinking what a wonderful change it was, Reina waved the paper in front of her eyes and spoke in a louder voice.
“They say a spatial distortion has been observed! It’s amazing—they can see landscapes from other regions instead of what’s actually across from them!”
At those words, Irene let out a groan. Cynthia’s expression also darkened.
“What’s wrong...?”
Reina, who still lacked knowledge about Dungeons, only stared at their reactions with a bewildered face.
“Dungeons usually appear suddenly. But for a spatial distortion like this to manifest beforehand, it means a Dungeon of immense proportions is about to appear.”
“An immense Dungeon? Then is this a high-rank Dungeon too?”
“We can’t know for sure. The only thing certain is that the scale is enormous. But why now...?”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing. For now, please keep reading.”
At that, Reina continued reading the contents of the paper. It stated that since yesterday, a spatial distortion phenomenon—where scenery from a different region is visible across the air—had appeared in the middle of the mountain range, about four hours away from the Fortress.
“According to what’s been identified so far, there are three distortions, and they plan to report more as soon as they are observed. Also, they are accepting applications for pairs to participate in the upcoming Distorted Dungeon... it says. What is a Distorted Dungeon?”
“Literally, a Dungeon that appears in the spot where a spatial distortion phenomenon occurred is called a Distorted Dungeon. Could you read out the coordinates written on the paper?”
Irene brought over a map and marked the coordinates Reina provided. The three points formed a large triangle encompassing three mountain peaks. Upon confirming this, Irene let out a deep sigh.
‘The range is exactly as I know it... but why has the timing of its appearance changed?’
According to her memory, this Distorted Dungeon wasn’t supposed to appear for another month.
The sixth spatial distortion observed in the Fortress's history was supposed to create the largest Dungeon ever recorded in that spot.
“But do these three points have any special meaning?”
“These three locations will become the entrances to the Dungeon. There might even be more later.”
In truth, one more entrance would appear. But she couldn’t say that now.
“Entrances? Then are three Dungeons appearing all at once?”
“No, these three are all entrances to a single Dungeon.”
“Whaaat?”
A startled Reina let out a loud exclamation. Although it was her first year at the Fortress, she had spent the last few weeks quite busy with Dungeon subjugations. Thanks to that, she had learned roughly how large Dungeons were based on their rank.
Generally, when subjugating Monsters, a low-rank Dungeon took about thirty minutes for a round trip, a mid-rank Dungeon around two hours, and a high-rank Dungeon usually took four hours or more.
But a size that covered multiple mountain peaks? The sheer scale was beyond words.
“Scholars say that Dungeons exist in a different world and are moved to our world for unknown reasons. So, before a Dungeon appears, that world and ours begin to mix for a short time, and that manifests to our eyes as this phenomenon called spatial distortion.”
As Irene continued her explanation, Reina's eyes sparkled as she quickly grabbed a nearby pen and paper. Seeing the posture of a diligent student, Irene went on.
“In normal Dungeons, the range of distortion isn't wide and the duration is short, making it hard to observe. But it’s different when a massive Dungeon crosses over. Because of its scale, distortions start appearing several days in advance.”
“Aha, so that’s why instead of going in a set order like other Dungeons, everyone who applies gets to go in?”
“Exactly. It’s so massive and has so many entrances that it’s best for as many people as possible to enter and finish the subjugation quickly. However, there are some problems.”
“Problems?”
“Because of the massive scale, there isn't just one Room of Reward; there are several. According to records, they’ve even been found in the crevices of rocks. That’s why fights break out between people trying to claim the rewards first.”
“Then it’ll be the same this time.”
“Of course. Who wouldn’t lose their mind when there’s an expensive-looking chest right in front of them?”
Irene, who was saying this, was already fully intending to do just that.
A week ago, the Auction House had returned the Stone of Silence to Irene. Because the successful bidder had died before completing the payment, the transaction was voided according to Continental Law, and the item was returned to its original owner, Irene.
In the midst of that, they had notified Irene to pay the auction commission fee.
They were ruthless people.
Regardless, because the artifact hadn't sold, Irene was left with nothing but the auction fee and the bill for using the Hand of Appraisal during the dagger's identification. Instead of saving money, she was left with debt.
Fortunately, because she was Michael’s pair, the Fortress had given Irene a one-month grace period. They likely thought that would be enough time for Irene to earn the money.
But that was a huge mistake on their part.
‘I haven’t even seen his face for two weeks.’
Since the day after he had kept her trapped in his arms all night, kissing her incessantly, Michael hadn't shown so much as a single hair.
‘He probably felt embarrassed once he came to his senses.’
What Michael had done that night was something unimaginable for a Holy Knight. No matter how much he had been poisoned by demonic energy, she could guess the depth of the self-loathing he must have felt once he regained his clarity.
‘He must have felt humiliated.’
Even if no one else knew, was he not a man who served God? He might be offering prayers of repentance in a deep room within the Temple, thinking he could not hold his head high before the God who was always watching him.
While Irene was lost in thought, Reina and Cynthia were talking about the Distorted Dungeon.
“Reina, anyway, this is also a type of Unstable Dungeon. If you notice the surroundings becoming blurry or the ground shaking, you have to leave the Dungeon immediately.”
“Come to think of it, what happens if you can't get out of an Unstable Dungeon before it disappears?”
“That’s...”
What did happen? While Irene was searching her memory to see if there were any records regarding that, an answer came from elsewhere.
“They cross over into that other world within the Dungeon. And they must survive there until that Dungeon returns to our world once more.”
At the low, beautiful voice from behind, Irene jumped up from her seat in surprise.
“Michael!”
When she turned her head, he was standing there as usual, dressed neatly in his white formal uniform. It was only natural, perhaps, that under the bright light, his eyes held their original deep blue hue.
“Please forgive me for being away for so long without a word, Irene.”
Michael said as he bowed his head to her. Then, following the old knightly etiquette, he kissed the back of her hand.
At the sight of his polite demeanor, which looked like it belonged in an old fairy tale book, Reina and Cynthia rose from their seats with flushed faces.
“We’ll be going now.”
“Please, have a comfortable conversation. Well then...”
“Reina! Cynthia!”
Irene called out to them with a red face, but the two fled the room as if escaping.
Once they left, the room fell into a sudden silence.
The memory of the last day she had seen him—accepting all of him with her mouth—flashed through her mind, making Irene’s jaw feel dull and heavy again.
At the same time, a wave of embarrassment washed over her.
“Sir Michael. Where have you been all this...”
“Irene.”
He took a large stride toward her.
“You may simply call me by my name.”
“But...”
“Did you not call me so quite well when I last saw you?”
Realizing that the 'last time' referred to that very night she was thinking of, Irene’s face turned as red as an apple.
“But, that was...!”
Having said that much, Irene was so embarrassed she couldn't speak further.
Then, his hand cupped one of Irene’s cheeks, and he spoke with a serious expression.
“Irene. Please, welcome back the pair who has returned after a long time.”
As he said that, he smiled and gently stroked her soft lips with his thumb.
What he wanted was all too clear.
