CH 11 Raids

The central clock tower in the fortress rang loudly, striking precisely ten times.

10 o’clock.

It was the time for everyone to embark on dungeon raids.

“Make way! We’re the first to enter Dungeon 75!”

Among those gathered in the square in front of the fortress, a pair with an impatient disposition swiftly mounted their horses upon hearing the bell and dashed out.

The other pairs watched, muttered something about the lesser pairs, and quickly followed suit.

As Irene watched the crowd surging forward, she swallowed her pity.

‘That intermediate dungeon isn’t anything special.’

Not all intermediate dungeons guarantee excellent rewards. The chances of obtaining a rare artifact were slightly higher than in lower-level dungeons, and the basic rewards were a bit more stable. However, the monsters in intermediate dungeons were much stronger and more numerous than those in lower-level dungeons.

After all, since ten teams entered the dungeon anyway, being the first among them didn’t make much of a difference.

‘So mid-level pairs who aren’t looking to make a fortune often take it easy on lower-level dungeons.’

But it’s unlikely that those who came here to enter the dungeons in the first place were merely looking for a steady income.

‘Besides, many of them die before reaching the intermediate levels….”

Of course, purifiers face less risk of death compared to knights. So in theory, there should be more purifiers than knights, but that really wasn’t the case.

This was because the power of purification tends to strengthen around adulthood, then suddenly disappears after about ten years.

Therefore, purifiers diligently engage in dungeon conquests while their power was still present.

Irene observed the pairs preparing to conquer lower-level dungeons.

Lower-level dungeons were plentiful, and the number of people aiming to conquer them were relatively small. As a result, since the dungeons they desire don’t overlap, the atmosphere was more relaxed and familiar than those who set out a little earlier.

Under usual circumstances, they would have engaged in casual conversation before heading to their respective dungeons, but today was different.

“It’s an honor to meet you like this, Sir Michael.”

He was surrounded by people trying to get a word in with him.

‘It’s quite a sight to behold again.’

Irene stayed at a distance, waiting for him to finish exchanging his greetings with others.

He, too, had been uncomfortable facing her, and had chatted for a while with the knights from other pairs.

‘At least there are fewer stares this time.’

Perhaps it was because Michael was the one who initiated their pairing this time around.

Unlike in her past life, there were certainly fewer glances of pity and contempt directed at her. Instead, a different set of eyes now focused on Irene.

Irene absentmindedly touched her cheek. Her skin tingled as the other purifiers glared at her with sharp, jealous gazes.

Irene made a concerted effort to ignore them and turned her attention back to Michael.

It wasn’t just the knights that surrounded him—even their purifiers were trying to speak to him.

‘They must be curious, just in case.’

Even if she moved up by one grade, she was still a 9th-grade purifier. It was natural for knights to want a higher-ranked purifier.

‘He’s a paladin who found a pair once, so they might be thinking of building a rapport with him this year so they might get their chance next year.’

However, that opportunity would come sooner than the purifiers might have thought.

If Irene were to declare today, right after obtaining an artifact, that she would quit being Michael’s pair, imagine the uproar as other purifiers vied for the seat next to him.

‘It would become quite chaotic.’

Honestly, she had a sense of what might unfold.

Michael had decided to form a pair and came to the fortress. Even if Irene were to quit, he would make an effort to find another Purifier.

In that case, many purifiers would try to break their current pairs and attempt to form a new pair with Michael. Perhaps it could lead to unprecedented chaos, the like the fortress has never seen.

‘Even so…it’s not my concern.’

Thinking that she would soon have the freedom she had never experienced before, Irene felt nothing but joy.

At that moment, one of the knights who had been hovering around Michael approached Irene.

“Hello, Lady Purifier. My name is Maxime from the Kingdom of Solveizie.”

“Hello.”

Irene greeted him, but she couldn’t help but feel tense.

From past to present, none of the knights who approached her first were entirely sound. Most of them sent curious glances, wondering whether she truly was a 10th-grade Purifier.

If it ended there, she would consider herself lucky. There were some who grabbed her hand or pulled her arm, wanting to see how poor her purification ability really was.

‘Back then, even if I were Michael’s pair, he rarely sought me out….’

To the knights, she probably appeared as a purifier without a pair. Like a dog without a master. That’s probably how it felt.

Recalling that time, Irene, still tense, looked at Maxime.

While she wondered why he was talking to her, he said, “Oh, it’s nothing… Um, I was wondering if Sir Michael uses the training grounds in the fortress. If he does, do you happen to know what time he might use them?”

“What?”

Irene made a startled sound at the unexpected question.

“I wanted to ask Sir Michael directly, but as you can see, everyone’s crowding around, and they’re not giving me any space.”

Saying that, he scratched his cheek as if embarrassed.

Unlike the other knights Irene had seen so far, Maxime didn’t have a conspiratorial stare or a mocking sneer. He seemed to be nothing more than embarrassed about not being able to ask a respected figure directly.

Maxime seemed like a knight who had just come of age—a knight who hadn’t yet outgrown his youth. Any knight on the continent would know Michael’s name and admire him. However, meeting the legendary figure in the fortress for the first time left Maxime trembling and unsure of what to do.

Seeing his nervous demeanor, Irene felt the tension release. Somehow finding it adorable, she couldn’t help but smile as she responded, “I’m not sure about that. I don’t really know Sir Michael’s schedule either…”

She truly had nothing to share about how Michael spent his day.

That’s when it happened.

Michael, who had been surrounded by people, turned his head and looked directly at Irene. In that instant, he ignored everyone around him and walked straight towards her.

Standing between Irene and Maxime, he positioned himself in a way that concealed her from view.

“What’s going on?”

His voice was markedly colder than when he was talking to other people just moments ago. Both Irene and Maxime turned to look at him, stunned.

“No, um, I was just…”

He was finally able to talk to the person he’d been looking up to, and it wasn’t at all what he expected. Maxime fumbled and stammered, unable to find the right words to say.

Irene felt somewhat sorry for the young man and intervened.

“He was just asking about your schedule, Sir Michael.”

However, even after the explanation, Michael’s voice remained cold. Irene couldn’t understand his attitude.

‘Why is he acting like this?’

Michael was known for being courteous to everyone. He only got stern when someone behaved improperly or was about to turn into a monster. Otherwise, he treated everyone with respect, which earned him even more respect in turn.

But now, anyone could see that he was reluctant to do so now.

‘Could he be already corrupted with magic?’

She leaned to the side to get a better look at Michael, but she couldn’t see the telltale signs of bloodshot eyes, typical of someone overwhelmed with magic energy.

In the end, Maxime stammered some more and hastily backed off, as if fleeing the scene.

Watching Maxime’s retreating figure, Irene felt an unnecessary sense of pity.

As she was lost in her thoughts, Michael asked, “Do you know him?”

“No. I met him for the first time today.”

“Then why…”

“What?”

Whatever he said, it wasn’t audible as a pair took off on their mounts, drowning out the conversation. In the end, Irene had to turn away without knowing what he wanted to say.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***