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Chapter 10
“…!”
It would have been better if she had only been surprised.
Instead, she suddenly stood up from the chair, lost her balance, and staggered.
Just as she was about to fall awkwardly, waving her arms without thinking…
A strong arm caught her around the waist.
“My apologies.”
Realizing that she had been startled because he suddenly spoke to her, Mikhail quickly caught her before she fell.
“…!”
Startled by his actions, Irenne instinctively pushed his arm away and stepped back.
Why?
In her previous life, Mikhail had never tried to touch her.
Except when he had no choice but to receive purification, he avoided touching her body.
He had even seemed uncomfortable simply being in the same room as her.
Yet now…
Not only had he approached her first…
He had even reached out to catch her.
“Irenne?”
Calling her name, Mikhail took another step toward her.
He said her name so naturally.
That alone shocked Irenne once again.
In her previous life, until the very end, he had always called her “Miss Irenne” or “Lady Purifier.”
The only time he had called her simply “Irenne” was during that one week when they had shared a bed, while he wasn’t in his right mind.
So why…
Why was he calling her by her name from the very beginning, as though they had always been close?
Unable to understand what was happening, Irenne tensed up and took another step away.
What is going on?
She needed to know why he was acting differently from her previous life.
As Irenne cautiously backed away, Mikhail looked at her with confusion.
“Is something wrong?”
“Something… wrong?”
There weren’t just one or two things.
There were so many that she didn’t even know where to begin.
“You just called me by my name…”
Hearing that, Mikhail looked slightly embarrassed before speaking.
“…I asked others, and they told me that after becoming a Pair, it’s normal to call each other by name. If that made you uncomfortable, I sincerely apologize.”
As he spoke, he politely lowered his head.
He wasn’t wrong.
A Pair was similar to a married couple.
Unless there was a huge difference in social status, it was normal for Partners to call each other by their names after forming a Pair.
He asked other people…
Now she understood why he had called her that.
But somehow…
It made her feel even sadder.
So… in my previous life, he never once asked anyone about being a Pair.
That must have been why he had remained so formal with her until the very end.
Perhaps he noticed the expression on her face.
Still looking uncertain, Mikhail continued,
“I also apologize for touching you without your permission. It looked as though you were about to fall and get hurt.”
“No, it’s alright. I’m the one who should apologize for being so startled.”
Irenne quickly pushed aside her troubled thoughts and answered even more politely than he had.
What’s the point of getting hurt over how different he is now?
We won’t be seeing each other much longer anyway.
I should focus on what’s ahead.
She repeated those words to herself once again, just as she did several times every day.
Then she smiled as though nothing had happened.
Mikhail seemed as though he wanted to say something else.
But instead, he turned his eyes toward the fruit platter on the table.
“You looked as though you wanted to eat it, but you were only staring at it. I was curious.”
“Ah… actually, I wanted to speak with you about these things, Lord Mikhail.”
“Please… just call me Mikhail.”
“No.”
Irenne politely shook her head.
“How could I casually call the Commander of the Holy Knights by his name? I’m much more comfortable speaking this way, so I hope you’ll understand.”
She firmly but politely refused his request.
In her previous life…
There had only been one time when she had called him “Mikhail” in front of other people.
During that week when she had purified him and shared his bed, she had become used to saying his name.
That had been the problem.
“Mikhail! Please wait! Just give me a moment!”
The moment she regained her senses, she had desperately run after Mikhail as he was leaving for the Temple.
But…
He had stepped back to avoid her.
Even now, she clearly remembered the people around them laughing as they watched the scene.
She had only called his name once by mistake.
Yet all she received in return were cold looks and contempt.
Even so…
Remembering her previous life no longer made her feel depressed.
Now it only reminded her…
Never make the same mistake again.
Perhaps because she had answered so firmly…
“…Very well.”
Fortunately, Mikhail accepted her decision without arguing.
“First… I think there’s been some kind of misunderstanding, and you should check it.”
“A misunderstanding?”
Instead of answering, Irenne pointed toward the pile of expensive items.
“I was told these were delivered because you paid for them. But… you donate all your dungeon rewards to the Temple, so I don’t understand how this happened. I tried to return everything, but the maids said they couldn’t handle it. So I hoped you could…”
“You don’t like them?”
Mikhail asked, looking genuinely confused.
“I asked around and learned that people here have to order everything they need separately. So I thought you would need these.”
“I do need them… but they don’t have to be this luxurious. And there doesn’t need to be so many. More importantly… they’re far too expensive.”
Mikhail answered in a voice just as firm as hers had been.
“Please just accept them.”
“But… shouldn’t all of this be given to the Temple?”
The Holy Knights were forbidden from seeking personal profit.
That was why, in her previous life…
He had never given her anything.
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
He continued calmly.
“These were most likely sent in my name by the ambassador from the kingdom that provided your room.”
That only made it seem even more troublesome.
“I refused their attempts to reward me several times, so it seems they chose to do this instead. If you’re alright with it, I hope you’ll accept everything. Otherwise, they’ll simply try to send it directly to me, and that would only make things more complicated.”
Once again, Mikhail called her simply “Irenne.”
But she had already missed the chance to point it out.
He was someone who always followed what he believed was proper.
Now that he knew Partners normally called each other by name…
He wouldn’t change the way he addressed her.
I only have to endure it for a few more days.
Thinking that, she decided not to worry about it anymore.
Irenne looked back at the mountain of gifts.
Just accept them…
When she truly needed things like these…
She could never have them.
Now that she no longer wanted them…
They had appeared in abundance.
“…Then I’ll gratefully accept them.”
Even to her own ears…
She didn’t sound very grateful.
Mikhail simply looked at her quietly.
Two Days Later
From early that morning, Irenne busily prepared herself.
Today is the day.
If her memory was correct…
The scouts would report the new dungeons that had appeared overnight this morning.
Among them would be the dungeon she had been waiting for.
Everyone else will be aiming for the new intermediate-rank dungeon.
It was the first intermediate-rank dungeon to appear near the fortress during this expedition.
Naturally, every Pair would want to challenge it.
They’ll want to make a name for themselves with a valuable reward from the very beginning.
Anyone with experience in dungeon expeditions wouldn’t ignore an intermediate-rank dungeon that might contain an Artifact.
Everyone would rush to enter it first.
Since so many people wanted to challenge it…
According to the laws of the continent, it would probably take a long time just to choose the first ten Pairs allowed inside.
While they’re busy with that… I’ll ask Mikhail to enter Dungeon No. 181.
Just yesterday, she and Mikhail had officially finished discussing how dungeon rewards would be divided.
An official from the Allied Kingdoms had even written everything into a formal contract.
The agreement was simple.
- Once each month, the purifier may choose one dungeon.
- The purifier receives all rewards from that dungeon.
- All rewards from every other dungeon belong to the knight.
There were a few smaller rules as well.
But Irenne didn’t pay much attention to them.
After all…
Today would be the last important day for her.
The rest no longer mattered.
Having completely prepared to leave the fortress…
Irenne quietly waited for the morning report listing the newly discovered dungeons.
When the time came, the fortress maids arrived carrying documents from the record office.
The papers listed every new dungeon discovered the previous day, along with each dungeon’s rank and the monsters found inside.
“There it is.”
Far down the list…
Irenne found the dungeon she had been searching for.
Dungeon No. 181 / Lowest Rank / Water-Attribute Monsters Confirmed
The location…
Was exactly the same as in her previous life.
Without the slightest hesitation…
Irenne wrote her own name and Mikhail’s beside it.
