CH 18 Promised

Irene nodded in response.

While she had momentarily forgotten due to the purification, she originally had planned to approach him and discuss matters. The contract conditions, which initially requested rewards from the dungeon once a month, needed to be changed to once a week.

As she pondered how to phrase her request…

‘If he’s making someone go through purification to this extent, wouldn’t he at least consider listening?’

Given the intense purification session she endured, Irene felt she could ask for a bit more. And he would probably be more inclined to listen as a show of gratitude…

“That won’t be possible.”

Contrary to Irene’s expectations, he firmly rejected her request. She was surprised he would refuse so outrightly.

She was about to turn away in embarrassment when he continued.

“Once a week is insufficient. I’d like to request at least every three days.”

“What?”

What on earth was he saying?

The plea seemed to be coming from him rather than her.

“Weren’t you talking about purification?”

“No, it’s not that… It’s about the dungeon rewards. Instead of once a month, could we change it to once a week?”

She didn’t mean for it to happen like this, but with her body weakened and trembling, she found herself sounding pitiful and begging.

“Ah, you were referring to the rewards. I see. Let’s do it that way.”

To her surprise, he promptly accepted the request, making the time she spent agonizing over it seem pointless.

‘If I’d known he would give in so easily, I’d have said it sooner.’

She felt a twinge of resentment.

‘Still, it’s a relief. I’ll be able to enter the dungeons more often.’

With this change, she would have more opportunities to acquire the coveted artifact she had been eyeing.

Relieved that the ongoing issue was resolved, Irene relaxed somewhat. Simultaneously, a wave of fatigue overwhelmed her, much more intense than moments before.

“Anyway… You promised…”

She tried to see him off, but instead of bidding farewell, her eyes closed softly.

“Of course. In return, it seems we’ll be doing purification more often.”

In response to Michael’s words, Irene nodded weakly. Entering more dungeons would naturally require more frequent purification.

“Okay…”

“You promised.”

Through her fading vision, it seemed like Michael was smiling. She felt relieved seeing him at ease.

‘I only went up one level from Grade 10 to Grade 9.’

But unlike in her past life, it appeared that the purification was working properly now. As Irene succumbed to slumber, Michael’s voice, growing distant, reached her ears.

“…I’ll make do with this for today.”

Without comprehending the meaning behind his words, Irene’s consciousness plunged into complete darkness.

* * *

Thud.

As Michael stepped into the hallway, he glanced back at the room before slowly closing the door. The dimly lit corridor showed no signs of activity, but in the distance, shouts and excited whispers could be heard. Probably other pairs returning from dungeon conquests, busy with purification. It was the usual nightly scene in this fortress.

For him, it was something not allowed.

“…No need to rush.”

Michael mumbled to himself as he looked at the closed door. Tonight, Irene had purified him. It was her duty, and it would continue to be so in the days to come.

That was enough for now.

* * *

“Haa…”

Lying on the bed, Irene let out a long sigh. Moments ago, the bells had rung throughout the fortress, announcing noon.

“I should get up…but…”

Struggling, she tried to rise from the bed and stretched out her legs to stand. However…

Thud.

Her legs gave way, and she sank back onto the bed, unable to rise. Eventually, she laid herself flat on her back, blinking her eyes.

“I can’t get up…”

It felt like she had engaged in some heavy labor all night. At least she was feeling a bit better now. When she woke up in the morning, she could hardly do anything beyond blinking.

After lying in bed for a while longer, Irene managed to muster the strength to get up and headed towards the table.

Thump.

As she settled into the chair, a variety of dishes greeted her. The servants had prepared a feast for breakfast and lunch. She didn’t recall ordering anything, yet the table was filled with her favorite food.

Looking at what had been prepared for her, whoever arranged this must have been well-acquainted with her preferences. Maybe they also noticed that she couldn’t eat quickly?

Sipping on a refreshing cold soup that could be consumed slowly, Irene became lost in thought.

‘So that’s what proper purification is like.’

While she knew that purification experiences varied from person to person based on their abilities, the events of last night felt as if…

“Haa.”

Irene let out a deep sigh, running her hand across her face which had turned red without her noticing. What she felt last night was indescribable.

‘It felt like… we were having s*x.’

She had only touched one of Michael’s hands. Still, with every grasp, she moaned, and as his fingers glided between hers, it felt as if her mind was melting away.

Thinking back to last night’s purification, Irene couldn’t help but feel a bit troubled. Did others feel the same, or was there something wrong with her?

Suddenly, she remembered something he’d said to her before she fell asleep.

‘He said he would receive purification more frequently.’

As long as the scar on his chest remained, it seemed the magic would persist in his body. On top of that, he would enter a dungeon at least one more time because of her request…

‘Do I have to purify him every time?’

At that thought, Irene involuntarily trembled. The time spent touching him had been challenging. It would have been fine if it were merely painful, but becoming soaking wet from excitement down below was embarrassing beyond words.

‘If Michael were to find out about this…’

Irene’s face turned crimson to the tips of her ears. If he were to notice her body’s response, what would he think of her? In this life, she was barely managing to maintain a decent relationship with him. If he were to witness such a sight during every purification, she was sure he would see the contempt in his eyes once again.

‘I’ll have to bear it somehow.’

Irene resolved never to show herself coming undone like that before him.

* * *

After finishing her meal and lying down for a few hours, her strength gradually returned.

Instead of staying in bed, she got dressed and headed out.

‘I need to check on a few things.’

The place Irene headed to was the fortress’s archives. Records of past dungeons and monsters, as well as information on currently emerging dungeons, were all organized here.

As she entered, the staff slightly nodded and greeted her.

‘In my past life, they wouldn’t even look at me.’

In her previous life, Irene had stopped by every day to say hello. But she could count on one hand the number of times she’d been greeted in return. More importantly, even though anyone, especially purifiers, could freely access the data, whenever she requested specific information, it was often denied.

‘Even these trivial things have changed.’

In this life, she no longer had to ask Michael to be her pair. Additionally, the clothes she wore now were no longer plain and drab thanks to Tyrenia’s sponsorship.

‘Perhaps this more the clothes’ doing than anything else.’

After all, money was absolute within the fortress. A strong purifier could earn a lot here.

In any case, it was a good thing.

The staff brought all the records Irene requested without showing any signs of annoyance. They even kindly urged her to let them know if there were any necessary parts, as they would quickly transcribe them for her upon request.

But Irene simply smiled and declined.

‘It’s all about money.’

That’s why in the past she always transcribed the documents herself as she could never afford their services. Now, it was safe to assume that the Kingdom of Tyrenia would likely shoulder the payment for whatever transcription she requested.

Still, she didn’t want to create any unnecessary debt. Besides, she needed to personally verify if the records matched what she remembered anyway.

Irene examined the list of dungeons and all the rewards obtained from them during this period.

“It’s not there.”

Just in case, Irene checked all the dungeons reported today, but the Invisibility Ring did not appear in any of them.

‘Well, if it had, it would have caused a stir in the fortress.’

Irene rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought. Except for Dungeon 181, there were hardly any changes in the other dungeons.

‘But why only that one?’

She would have accepted it more if the ring had appeared in a different dungeon, but the ring vanished on its own.

‘It’s really strange.’

If only she had the ring, she could have left the fortress immediately.

However, her feeling cheated didn’t make the ring suddenly reappear. Irene wiped her face with both hands and reached for another record.

‘There was another thing that changed.’

It was Michael.

‘What happened with the scar on his chest?’

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