My Husband Was Clearly a Paladin
Chapter 59
At Michael’s words, Irene looked up at him.
After a long silence, she made a request with a faint smile.
“I’d prefer to return with everyone, not just by myself. Including you, Michael.”
Though she had never considered herself the leader of this raid, people were relying on her.
If that was the case, she wanted to live up to their expectations as much as possible.
Nothing’s going to change by wallowing in self-pity.
Self-reproach could wait until after they got out. For now, she had to focus on getting everyone out of here without a single person being left behind.
“I will do my utmost.”
From Michael’s answer, Irene realized that what she had asked was quite a difficult task.
If it had been easy, he would have told her not to worry and promised to make it happen.
Feeling her heart grow heavy again, Irene gathered everyone in the center.
Fortunately, even amidst the chaos, no one acted out on their own or panicked in a way that made those around them more anxious.
Everyone agreed to the suggestion that they stay gathered here without moving recklessly until they had scouted the surroundings and found a way out.
Of course, there were other opinions.
“How about we split into about four teams to find the exit as quickly as possible?”
“That’s not a bad idea, but our numbers are already thin. If we split into four teams, the risk becomes too high even if we encounter monsters other than the one that caused the massacre.”
Furthermore, everyone had noticed that it was dangerous without Michael.
Understandably, they all wanted to move together with him at the center.
Everyone voiced their thoughts.
Some said they should send out a separate scouting party.
Others argued it was better for everyone to move together.
There was even a suggestion to wait here a bit longer until another raid party arrived.
It was simply a matter of choice; there was no single right answer.
“Come to think of it, where would the other teams be by now?”
The dungeon was structured like a giant cave, but strangely, there were no echoes.
Therefore, even if a slaughter had taken place, one wouldn’t know until they were close to the scene.
“Since we made it here safely, there’s a chance the other sides arrived safely too.”
At Irene’s words, Reina, who had been cowering in fear, spoke up cautiously.
“But… isn’t there a chance they’ve already been attacked, like the team that was wiped out? What if that monster moves by sound and attacks the largest groups first…?”
At Reina’s words, the expressions of the others hardened further.
Monsters that followed sound were common. If the monster that killed everyone was that type…
If we stay in the dungeon, it might come looking for us eventually.
However, there was another possibility.
“If that were the case, it would run into the raid led by Princess Cecilia, which has the most people. It wouldn’t be easy to defeat them.”
Even if the team that was wiped out had a strong purifier, they weren’t the strongest.
To be honest, their power was far weaker compared to the raid led by the Princess.
The Princess’s side was truly the elite of the elite.
She was someone who always surrounded herself with talented individuals to an almost perfect degree.
So, when entering a peculiar dungeon like today’s, she certainly wouldn’t have been lax in her preparations.
Besides, she openly boasted that she would show an overwhelming difference.
But strength wasn’t everything.
The most hopeful things in this situation were that Michael was on this side and that the remaining people were well-united.
Though everyone felt fear, they were encouraging each other with the belief that they would be okay as long as they stayed in this group.
But would the Princess’s raid have this kind of atmosphere?
Irene recalled the people who had incessantly complained about the Princess when she had visited.
If that side fell into a difficult situation, it didn’t seem likely they would stand by quietly.
After a calm discussion, their opinions were more or less settled.
“Then I will go and scout the immediate vicinity first.”
It was decided that Michael would be the only knight to go out on reconnaissance.
At first, it was suggested that at least one other person go with him, but he said that if they encountered a monster, it would be easier for him to fight and move alone.
And excluding him, it was better for the rest to stay together to contribute to their collective strength.
“I’ll leave all the food here. I might come across injured people, so I’ll only take simple medicine, water, and a signal flare.”
With his light pack—small enough to fit in his pockets—he finished his preparations to depart.
Irene hovered by his side as he finished getting ready.
“Do you have something to say?”
“That is…”
Irene, who had been hesitating, struggled to open her mouth.
“Please come back safely.”
It wasn’t a grand statement, but awkwardness and embarrassment washed over her all at once.
She had never seen Michael off like this before.
“…And don’t get hurt.”
She added those words to try and dispel the embarrassment, but instead, her face flushed even hotter.
At this rate, they really seemed like an ordinary pair…
Michael seemed equally flustered.
He wore an expression of bewilderment she had never seen before, and unlike his usual self, he looked restless, unable to keep his hands still.
To think they were both at such a loss over a greeting that others did naturally.
Regardless, there was no more time to linger. The faster Michael finished his scouting, the higher everyone’s chances of survival.
“Then, I shall be going.”
Michael bowed his head much deeper than usual as he bid her farewell.
Irene considered bowing back, but instead, she stepped toward him and reached out.
Her hand touched the waist of his combat uniform.
There, a splash of monster blood remained from when he had kicked the Tooth Box.
A faint light lingered at Irene’s fingertips, and soon, the monster’s bloodstain on his clothes vanished.
Michael stared at that spot for a long time before meeting Irene’s eyes.
The two looked at each other in silence for a moment.
Just as she thought he was slowly lowering his head—
“Sir Michael! Could you take a look at this for a moment!”
A knight who had been scanning the surroundings called out to him, having discovered something strange in the distance.
As if snapped back to his senses, Michael stopped his movement, gave a polite greeting as usual, and immediately turned around.
If no one had called him…
Left alone, Irene unknowingly touched her lips.
Fortunately, what the knight had seen was the corpse of an old monster. After Michael confirmed there were no other threats nearby and left to scout, those remaining opened and organized the reward boxes they had obtained on the way.
“Honestly, where do all these things even come from?”
Reina turned a gold coin—one that had never existed on the continent—over and over in her hand, looking fascinated.
With everyone’s consent, Irene intentionally distributed the gold coins one by one. She judged that hope was the only thing that could overcome a desperate situation, and that the gold coins would serve that role.
Even in this situation, people seemed to like money, as everyone’s faces brightened a bit more than before.
As a result, the atmosphere became warmer.
“I packed some fruit; does anyone want some?”
In a situation like this, it was common to hide food and not reveal it.
But when Irene took the lead and started pulling out things to eat, the others also brought out the snacks they had carried.
Seeing the people become much closer than they were before entering, thanks to facing a great crisis, Irene felt satisfied.
From now on, it would be best to maintain the raid with this exact group.
Having gone through such a hardship together, their camaraderie would grow deeper.
Besides, our side needs to establish some level of exclusivity anyway.
She didn’t know how many rewards the Princess’s side had gathered or how well they were dealing with the monsters.
However, if the results of the Princess’s side were less impressive than expected, there would be pairs wanting to come back to this side.
I must never let them join this raid.
She had to take better care of the people who were sincere about this gathering so that others would be more mindful.
As Irene was thinking about what to do once they left the dungeon, Felix, who was walking nearby, suddenly turned his body.
At the same time, the other knights also immediately looked toward one spot.
The sound of something approaching could be heard from the path labeled number 8.
The purifiers also grew tense and glared in that direction.
“Everyone, lower your voices.”
Irene said in a low voice, taking out the signal flare she had been given.
Then, the knight closest to path 8 focused on the sound for a moment and waved his hand.
“It’s the sound of human footsteps. I can hear voices too.”
At his words, a look of relief crossed everyone’s faces. It seemed the Princess’s raid had arrived here safely after all.
Before long, people began to appear beyond the path.
The knights, who were about to wave their hands in welcome, paused for a moment and muttered.
“That group… why do they all look like that?”
