CH 4 Meeting Him this life

Irene wasn’t the only one shocked.

“Wh-who…!”

“Aaaah! Blood, blood!”

Everyone in the banquet hall recoiled in horror at the sight of Michael, drenched in blood from head to toe.

While others couldn’t recognize who the blood-soaked man was, Irene could identify him immediately.

‘Michael.’

Recognizing the grim figure, Irene’s mind became even more confused.

‘This can’t be happening.’

Since the beginning of her new life, major events from her past were unfolding just as they had before.

The only things that had changed were trivial matters directly related to her. So today, Michael was supposed to appear just as he had in her previous life.

Irene thought back to when he had arrived.

‘It was definitely around the end of the banquet.’

It wasn’t a mistake. He deliberately arrived late at the banquet. He was known for being punctual, but today there was a reason for his delay.

‘He had no intention of obediently complying with the demands of the Alliance of Kingdoms.’

The Alliance of Kingdoms had a strong grip on Michael. He ventured alone into dungeons that other knights wouldn’t even glance at, dealing with the monsters inside.

The commoners whose livelihood were restored thanks to him would try to express their gratitude, but he would say:

“I am only guided by the divine. Therefore, all glory should rightfully go to Him.”

So people visited the temple, made offerings, and prayed. Naturally, the more Michael’s name was praised, the more the temple’s reputation soared. The temple distributed the offerings and goods it received to those who were suffering because of the dungeons.

As a result, his god gained more sincere followers, and among those whose lives were saved, some even offered their lands to the temple.

The kingdom strongly disapproved of this.

“The temple’s territory keeps expanding. At this rate, they might establish a whole country!”

“It was on the brink of extinction, and now it’s revived because of a single paladin. Isn’t there any good solution?”

“A single paladin caused its rise, so if we take that one paladin down, the temple will fall of its own accord, right?”

So, the Alliance devised a plan to somehow bring Michael down. However, they couldn’t assassinate the continent’s most powerful man, and killing a knight that could deal with high-level dungeons that even regular knights found hard to defeat seemed a waste.

“Actually, it would be enough to destroy his faith and make him fall from grace.”

So, the Alliance decided to tarnish his reputation.

Once wouldn’t be effective, but if they spread rumors about him consistently performing deeds unbecoming of a holy knight, people would gradually lose their trust in him.

‘Then we’ll have to make him a knight of our kingdom.’

Each with their own agendas, the Alliance of Kingdoms notified Michael. They informed him that a continent-wide law had been enacted, unanimously agreed upon by all kingdoms, stating that knights without a pair could no longer enter dungeons.

Even though he was a paladin, he couldn’t escape from this law, so Michael was also instructed to come to the fortress and find his pair.

It was a humiliating demand. A paladin was originally no different from a priest, a noble figure. Naturally, Michael refused the Alliance’s request. In response, as if they had been waiting, they dispatched knights to prevent him from entering any dungeons.

Meanwhile, the voices of commoners groaning over the lowest-level dungeon, which nobody bothered to enter, grew louder and louder.

Eventually, unable to bear the suffering of the people, Michael sent word to the Alliance of Kingdoms. He would attend the banquet to find his pair.

‘That was today… He intentionally arrived late after other purifiers had already found their pairs. He attended intending to request that since there were no purifiers left to pair with him, he would go alone until the next banquet.’

All of this was information Michael had revealed during moments of vulnerability, back when he wasn’t in his right mind.

“But you had remained, so…”

Michael had moved his hips wildly on the bed as he said it. As the intense sensations of pl**sure and pain swept through her body from head to toe, accompanied by screams, Irene thought:

‘Ah, if only I wasn’t there, he would have preserved his honor.’

Her throat tightened as she remembered the things she’d regretted over and over again in her past life.

‘I don’t know why Michael’s condition has changed from his previous life, but…’

There was no way she could get involved in his life now.

***

Biting her lip, Irene took the hand of the knight she had negotiated with.

At that moment…

Thud, thud.

Michael, who had been standing still and observing the banquet, turned his gaze towards Irene and immediately approached without hesitation.

“What’s, what’s going on all of a sudden…”

As the ghastly figure, soaked in blood, strode towards them, the knight next to Irene recoiled in terror. Irene, on the other hand, did not shy away from his approach.

‘Michael.’

His partially exposed golden hair, no matter how soaked in blood, was dazzling. The deep and clear blue eyes, untainted by any impurity, were unmistakably Michael’s. She knew at a glance that it was him.

A dull ache settled in her chest as memories of him resurfaced. In her past life, Irene respected and loved him.

‘It couldn’t have been any different.’

To him, however, she was the one who had tarnished his honor. If Irene hadn’t clung to him in tears, he might have continued his noble life as a paladin, walking away from her.

Although she embraced him to save his life, her actions eventually led to dire consequences, resulting in the death of his soul. Despite everything, he remained polite and bowed, stepping away with grace during their final moments together. Anyone else might have spewed curses and insults, but he bowed respectfully, even in the face of excommunication.

How could she not love such a man?

Amidst the emotions from the past welling up in her throat, he stood before Irene. But when the repugnant scent of a monster’s blood overwhelmed her, she snapped out of it.

“Why…”

Why did he show up in this state, so differently from how he did in her previous life?

Before Irene could bring herself to ask, he dropped to one knee and addressed her.

“Please, grant me the grace of your purification.”

At those words, there were murmurs of astonishment. It was something knights usually said before making a pact with a purifier.

“What? Why are you asking me for that…”

Irene was stunned as well. It was an absurd situation. There were still many purifiers remaining in the banquet hall. So why did he immediately demand a contract from her?

Irene’s confusion was met with Michael lifting his head.

“…!”

At that moment, Irene trembled. In the past life, he always looked at her with eyes as calm and blue as a placid lake. However, now, behind his eyes, there was a flash of light like a stormy sky. Something close to madness. Something like this had been seen in those addicted to magic…

Startled, Irene took a step back, but Michael’s blood-soaked hand grabbed hers. Then, shivering, he placed her hand on his face.

“I… need you.”

Upon hearing those words, Irene recalled her past life. Back then, in the banquet hall, he had said to her:

“I have no need of you.”

He had clearly said that. Why, then, was the same person saying completely different words now when nothing tied him to her in this current life? Why?

Irene looked at the bloody hand holding hers. The overpowering scent of the demonic blood brought her back to her senses. She had to let go. She cannot dishonor him in this life as well.

Irene tried to release his hand.

“Please.”

Michael begged, clutching at her hands like a man with nothing left in the world to hold on to but her, his face pressed against her hand.

“Please, purify me.”

Frozen in place, Irene couldn’t move in the face of his desperate plea. Why had he come directly to her?

‘Could it be that Michael has memories from that past life as well?’

However, she quickly dismissed such silly thoughts. If he remembered the past, he would have distanced himself even further, not approached her among all these purifiers.

Irene opened her mouth, swallowing down dozens of questions that arose in her mind.

“Why…are you making such a request to me?”

Michael smiled and said, “Because you are the purifier closest to me.”

It was an incredibly disappointing answer.

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