CH 19 Reyna

There were no such scars on Michael’s body in his previous life.

‘And that magic…’

Even a lesser purifier could tell that the magic that emanated from his hand was far from ordinary.

‘What kind of monster did that to him?’

Irene also wondered how remarkable the dungeon must have been for the royal family to express such gratitude.

After perusing the list of dungeons occurring outside the fortress for quite some time, Irene scratched her head and approached one the archives staff.

“Excuse me, is this list all of the dungeons that have occurred during this time?”

“Yes, it is. Is there a problem, miss?”

“It just seems to be missing a record of a dungeon that emerged in the Kingdom of Tyrenia. It should be something like an intermediate or higher-level dungeon…”

At Irene’s words, the employee shook his head in disbelief.

“It’s unlikely that a dungeon of that caliber wouldn’t have been logged. If it wasn’t, then… they may have requested confidential handling from that kingdom.”

“Confidential handling? Is that even possible?”

It was continental law to share information about dungeons. The details such as the types, forms, and attributes of monsters within were crucial for strategizing future dungeon conquests. Naturally, everyone was curious about the rewards as well.

“Even though it was an intermediate or higher-level dungeon?”

Low-level dungeons may be private, but everyone is hungry for information about mid-level and higher dungeons.

“Shhh. Keep your voice down.” The staff member shushed Irene, looking quite nervous. “After all, laws always have loopholes. It’s not entirely impossible with a considerable amount of money. Still, to keep it off the records, they must have spent quite a sum. I wonder if there was a reason for that.”

“A reason… What usual reasons are there for wanting confidentiality?”

“Usually, it’s when they want to monopolize the information themselves. If not that, then…” The employee whispered in a voice so low that it wouldn’t be heard by anyone else. “Sometimes, it’s when a truly powerful monster appears inside. In such cases, the monster is named after the region where it appears.”

What he said made Irene recall the names of monsters she remembered. Initially, monsters recorded during the first dungeon outbreaks were given names based on their appearance or abilities. “Blade-toothed Rat” or “Enchanting Mermaid” types of names.

However, as dungeons continued to appear and similar species of monsters emerged, naming them became a bit of a chore.

‘So names like ‘Zionian Blade-toothed Rat’ started popping up.’

That was for a dungeon that appeared in the city of Zion. There, a subspecies of Blade-toothed Rat appeared. To the casual observer, it looked like it just had a pair of larger teeth. However, due to the jaw strength, it proved to be a much more formidable monster to deal with.

Because they failed to eliminate the dungeon in time and left it unattended, the monsters poured out, ultimately resulting in the city of Zion being reduced to ruins.

‘But Michael took care of it all in the end.’

Regardless, after that incident, people naturally started associating that monster with Zion.

‘The Tyrenian Kingdom probably wants to prevent such incidents.’

As if picking up on Irene’s thoughts, the staff member continued, “For a country like Tyrenia, which is heavily involved in trade, it’s not that unusual. Think of it buying off that dishonor and instead passing off to the next country that discovers that type of monster. But really, what was inside that they decided to cover it up?”

The staff member muttered to himself, then returned to his duties without waiting for a response.

Irene also returned to her seat.

‘I can’t be of more help to Michael without knowing what it is.’

With that thought, she chuckled softly.

‘Get a grip. I’m not exactly in a position to help anyone else.’

100,000 gold.

The accommodations improved, the clothes became softer, and the food became more abundant, but the amount she owed the Count remained the same.

‘Since I missed out on the Invisibility Ring, I have to make up 100,000 gold with something else.’

Fortunately, Michael had changed the contract conditions in exchange for yesterday’s purification. Otherwise, she would have been in hot water.

‘It’ll be difficult if things that are supposed to be there don’t appear in the next dungeon.’

She recalled the pebble that they had found instead of the Invisibility Ring. Even if she had a hundred of those, they would still amount to nothing.

‘Please, please… At least let the Stone of Silence appear exactly like it did before.’

Praying to an unknown deity, Irene gathered up the papers. Now that she had obtained the records that she wanted, it was best to return to her room and sort things out alone.

Just as she was about to get up, a pair entered the archives. The purifier was about Irene’s age, with a youthful face that reflected the innocence of someone who had just come of age.

Beside her was a knight who was large as a bear and twice her size.

“Watch the stairs.”

The knight casually held out his hand to her as he led her up the stairs. They were such an affectionate pair that anyone who saw them could tell that the knight truly cared about his purifier.

As she blushed and took her knight’s hand, Irene murmured the name of the woman who had just entered.

“Reyna…”

She was a purifier Irene knew—one the ten Grade 2 purifiers in the fortress.

‘And one of the few who was kind to me.’

Irene remembered Reyna from her past life. At that time, Irene was doing everything possible to repay 100,000 gold. She drastically reduced her food intake.

Everything else was bearable, but whenever she saw the fruits taken to the rooms of higher-ranked purifiers, Irene stared blankly and swallowed hard.

At least the Count’s estate had been in the warmer part of the country, so there was always a surplus of food. At night, Irene would pick fruits and eat them in secret, away from prying eyes.

But in the fortress, that was impossible.

As Irene drooled over the fruit that was being taken to other people, it was Reyna who walked up to her and asked if she wanted to eat with her.

“You know, I don’t know anyone here either, so…”

As she said that and handed over the fruit, Reyna lowered her head, feeling embarrassed. Reyna also faced ridicule from others, but for the opposite Irene was.

‘In Reyna’s case, she was a powerful purifier who chose a knight with no dungeon raiding experience.’

She had arrived at the fortress this year and formed a pair with a knight named Felix, a friend from her childhood. As a result, she attracted attention right from the start.

As a Grade 2 purifier, she could have paired with a skilled and seasoned knight and made both of them a fortune from dungeon conquests. But she chose to forgo all those opportunities just for a boy. Most of the people in the fortress scoffed at her choice to pair up with her young first love.

“All good things must come to an end. I guess she just plans to sit and watch while others deal with the high-level dungeons.”

“People think she’ll fall behind other Grade 2 purifiers over time. I wonder if she can handle it.”

But despite people’s expectations, their relationship only grew stronger.

Then one day, when Irene sought a secluded spot in the fortress’s deep corners, she came across the two engaged in conversation.

“Do you have to go to the higher-level dungeons? I can heal you, but I really hate seeing you get hurt.”

Reyna pleaded with Felix, clinging to him. Felix gazed at her affectionately, gently brushing her hair as if to reassure her.

“But if I push myself a little more this year, I won’t have to come back here next year. And… I don’t want us to be together just for the sake of purification anymore.”

The two hoped to earn money in the fortress only for this year and return to their hometown for a peaceful life thereafter.

In her heart, Irene cheered for the two. They wanted a relationship where they could be together for each other even without being a pair. Such a bond genuinely seemed so lovely.

But it wasn’t meant to be.

“Felix! Felix!”

On the day he entered a higher-level dungeon, Felix fell victim to a powerful monster’s attack, losing his life.

Healing is only as good as the breath you hold. A cold, lifeless corpse would not breathe again, no matter how much she held onto it.

‘And Reyna crumbled just like that.’

The shock of losing her beloved, the one she had known since childhood, the one she had just paired with, was enough to drive her to madness. People witnessed her roaming within the fortress, calling out to her knight, and commented with a tinge of cynicism.

“We knew it would turn out like this.”

Not long after, Reyna’s family took her away. Rather than sympathizing with their daughter, they were infuriated by her foolish actions, forcefully putting her on a carriage.

The last thing Irene remembers of Reyna was watching her carriage pulling away as she called out her pair’s name.

Just then, a clerk entered the archives and handed a piece of paper to the staff inside. Those who received it became visibly agitated.

To those who approached wondering what was going on, the staff member said, “A high-level dungeon has appeared. It’s the first high-level dungeon this year, and it has been assigned a number starting with 0.”

Upon hearing this, Felix turned to Reyna and said, “I think I’ll apply for that dungeon.”

Reyna replied, “Do you have to go to the higher-level dungeons? I can heal you, but I really hate seeing you get hurt.”

It was a different place and time, but the same words came out of her mouth.

In an instant, Irene, almost unconsciously, turned to them.

“Don’t go to that dungeon.”

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