MSHK 06

Chapter 6

Irenne slowly opened her eyes, feeling the softness of the blanket covering her.

For a moment, she couldn’t remember where she was, who she was, or even what time it was.

Then her last memories slowly returned one by one.

Without realizing it, she let out a groan and closed her eyes again.

How did this happen?

She clearly remembered everything that had happened before she lost consciousness.

The Night of Contracts.

Mikhail appearing covered in blood.

Princess Cecilia.

The Light of Purification.

And…

The Pair.

The Night of Contracts, which had begun completely differently from her previous life, had still ended the same way.

She had become Mikhail’s Pair.

“Why…?”

“Oh! You’re awake!”

The maids who had just entered the room saw that Irenne was awake and immediately hurried outside to bring others.

Most of them were officials from the Allied Kingdoms, but there were also several priests.

They politely spoke to her.

“It seems the purification ability reported to us is different from what we witnessed. We need to verify it.”

Testing a purifier’s power was simple.

They only needed to bring monster blood and have the purifier use their purification power on it.

The clearer the monster blood became, the higher the purifier’s rank.

Ranks ranged from the highest to the lowest.

To make it easier to understand, they were numbered from Rank 1 to Rank 10.

Rank 1 was the highest.

Rank 10 was the lowest.

Naturally, in her previous life, Irenne had been a Rank 10 purifier.

And after waking up in this life, Count Rodiam had once again shouted that a Rank 10 purifier was completely useless.

So her rank should still be Rank 10.

That was also what had been written on the registration papers she submitted before coming to the fortress.

But then…

She had displayed the Light of Purification, something only a Rank 1 purifier could normally produce.

No wonder everyone was in an uproar.

“I know you’ve only just woken up and must still be tired, but the entire fortress is in chaos because of the Light of Purification…”

The officials carefully watched her expression as they placed a container of monster blood before her.

Irenne had wanted to refuse.

But she herself couldn’t understand the Light of Purification she had seen.

Nor could she understand why the purification had happened as naturally as if she and Mikhail had been Partners for years.

Slowly sitting up, she purified the monster blood they had brought.

The result came immediately.

“Rank… 9?”

Even Irenne and the Allied Kingdoms’ officials were stunned by the priests’ measurement.

It had increased by one rank compared to her previous life.

But…

It was still among the lowest ranks.

Unable to believe it, they asked her to try again.

And again.

No matter how many times she purified the blood, the result never changed.

In the end, because she had repeatedly used her power so soon after waking up…

Irenne fainted once more.

When she opened her eyes again…

The room was empty.

It looks like everyone left after finishing what they needed.

Thinking that, Irenne slowly sat up.

She covered her face with both hands.

“This isn’t how it was supposed to happen…”

All the way from Count Rodiam’s estate to the fortress, she had thought about how she wanted to live this new life.

There had been no need to think deeply.

Find a suitable knight.

Become their Pair.

Earn one hundred thousand gold as quickly as possible.

When this dungeon expedition ended, gain her freedom.

Leave for somewhere far away.

And never again have anything to do with dungeons or purifiers.

That had been her goal.

That was why she had deliberately approached a knight whose intentions were easy to understand and offered him an irresistible deal.

He could keep every dungeon reward.

She only wanted one reward from a low-rank dungeon.

Everyone would think she was making a terrible bargain.

But she wasn’t.

Because a priceless Artifact will appear in a nearby low-rank dungeon in just a few days.

Irenne remembered it clearly.

Five days after the Night of Contracts…

A low-rank dungeon with an entrance barely large enough for one person would appear near the fortress.

The Allied Kingdoms would assign it Dungeon No. 181.

Later…

That dungeon would become legendary.

Who would have imagined that a dungeon expected to contain nothing more than a piece of scrap metal would produce an Artifact… the Ring of Invisibility?

The knight and the Rank 6 purifier who had entered it simply for practice had become unimaginably wealthy overnight.

The Ring of Invisibility had been sold at the Allied Kingdoms’ official auction for the third-highest price in history.

If I obtain that ring, I can not only repay Count Rodiam… I’ll have enough money to live comfortably for the rest of my life.

That was why Irenne had deliberately offered such one-sided contract terms to an ordinary knight.

She could simply make an excuse, avoid spending the night together, collect her reward, and leave.

But instead…

She had become Mikhail’s Pair.

The very first mistake she had wanted to correct had happened again.

She couldn’t help sighing.

Still…

She had no choice but to accept reality.

The other knights and purifiers had probably already formed their Pairs.

And the rumor that she had purified Mikhail had surely spread throughout the fortress.

There was no changing it now.

Come to think of it…

I also need to discuss how dungeon rewards will be divided.

Normally, people negotiated reward distribution before becoming Partners.

But everything had happened so suddenly.

She had fainted before they could discuss it.

It can’t be the same as last time.

Irenne remembered the agreement she had made with Mikhail in her previous life.

Nine to one.

After she had begged him to become her Pair, they had spoken privately.

Mikhail had sighed before saying,

“Everything I obtain from dungeons is sent to the Temple. That way, more people can have warm meals and a safe place to sleep. If you’re willing, Miss Irenne, would you also help those people?”

At his words, Irenne had no choice but to nod.

She had been the one begging him.

If she rejected his request…

He might simply give up this year’s dungeon expeditions, end their Pair, and leave.

That would only hurt Irenne.

Even so…

She couldn’t accept the division he truly wanted.

“I understand… B-but… I’d still like a small share… Even just… five percent…”

Even as she spoke, her voice had become quieter and quieter.

She was asking for a share despite being almost no help to him.

But this life was different.

She didn’t mind if the rewards were divided almost one hundred to zero, just as Mikhail had originally wanted.

I’ll offer Mikhail the same conditions I offered that knight.

As she organized her thoughts, the confusion in her mind gradually settled.

Unexpected things had happened.

But what she needed to do remained the same.

Obtain the Artifact.

Sell it.

End the Pair.

Leave the fortress.

It feels like a waste to leave all my future knowledge unused.

Irenne looked at the bag resting in the corner of the room.

The fortress maids had apparently brought it there.

Inside were the papers she had prepared at Count Rodiam’s estate.

With these… I could earn far more money.

They contained everything she remembered about future dungeons and the rewards hidden inside them.

She didn’t remember everything perfectly.

But even this much was enough to become one of the richest people on the continent.

Besides…

If her Pair was Mikhail…

Clearing those dungeons wouldn’t be difficult at all.

And Mikhail would never ask for my body.

Most knights wanted to spend as much intimate time as possible with their purifiers.

Mikhail never would.

Then…

Should I stay longer after earning enough money and clear more profitable dungeons?

She thought about it for a moment.

Then she shook her head.

Stop thinking nonsense.

Leave as soon as possible.

The more money she earned, the better.

But…

If Mikhail was seriously injured again like in her previous life…

Everything would only repeat itself.

An unwanted night together.

His disgust.

She never wanted to see the way Mikhail had looked at her after everything happened.

That decision wasn’t only for herself.

It was also for Mikhail.

If they remained Partners too long…

She might once again become a burden in his life.

It’s better to obtain just one Artifact… and leave immediately.

Just as Irenne made up her mind again—

Knock.

Knock.

Someone knocked on the door.

Did the maids come back?

Perhaps because she had become Mikhail’s Pair and caused such a disturbance with her purification rank…

Unlike her previous life, she had been given an unusually luxurious room.

They must have expected me to be a high-ranking purifier.

Now that I’ve been confirmed as Rank 9… they’ll probably move me somewhere similar to the room I had in my previous life.

The Allied Kingdoms provided rooms for purifiers inside the fortress.

A purifier’s room was extremely important.

After returning from a dungeon, knights needed a comfortable place to spend time with their purifier before heading out again.

Naturally…

The higher a purifier’s rank, the better the room they received.

A spacious bedroom.

A private bathroom with hot water whenever they wanted.

Anyone wishing to use a better room than the one assigned had to pay for it themselves.

That was another reason knights desperately tried to become Partners with high-ranking purifiers.

Because of that…

Irenne had never even dreamed of staying somewhere like this in her previous life.

Back then…

I had the smallest and simplest room.

The Allied Kingdoms’ official had muttered that it had been so long since they had a Rank 10 purifier that he hardly knew where to place her.

In the end, he had given her the room at the farthest corner of the fortress.

It contained only a rough wooden bed and a tiny bathroom.

Even so…

She had thought it was heaven.

At least she didn’t have to worry about being sold immediately.

And the room belonged only to her.

Knock.

Knock.

The knock came again.

Only then did Irenne realize she hadn’t told the visitor to enter.

She quickly folded the papers, put them away, got out of bed, and called toward the door,

“Please come in.”

Expecting one of the maids, she turned around.

Instead…

Standing there was Mikhail, dressed in the formal uniform of the Holy Knights.

“Ah…”

Irenne had never expected him to come.

She could only stare at him blankly, unable to even greet him.

Mikhail naturally walked inside.

After looking around the room once, he asked,

“Do you like your room?”

“…What?”

For a moment, Irenne couldn’t understand what he meant.

She blinked several times before asking in surprise,

“This… is my room?”