The Central Clock Tower in the Fortress
The clock tower in the heart of the fortress chimed loudly, striking exactly ten times.
Ten o'clock.
The time when everyone departed for the dungeon raid.
“Make way! The seventy-fifth dungeon is ours first!”
Among the many pairs gathered in the square before the fortress, one whose temper was short already sat mounted and fuming when the bell rang. He galloped out at once.
The other pairs watched him go with envious sighs, grumbled a bit, and then followed in a mad rush.
Watching the surging crowd, Irene swallowed her own disappointment.
‘It’s a mid-tier dungeon with no special treasures anyway.’
But mid-tier dungeons did not always yield good rewards. The chance of rare artifacts was only slightly higher than in lower-tier ones, and the basic spoils were merely a little more stable.
In exchange, the monsters were far stronger and far more numerous than in lower-tier dungeons.
Ten teams would enter that dungeon anyway. Even if they went first, the difference would be negligible.
‘That’s why veteran pairs who never dreamed of striking it rich usually preferred to leisurely tackle lower-tier dungeons.’
But no one had come here hoping for stable income by entering a dungeon in the first place.
‘Besides, most of them died before they reached veteran status…’
Of course, purifiers faced less risk of death than knights.
That meant there should have been more purifiers than knights, but reality was different.
The power of purification usually grew strong around adulthood and then disappeared completely after more than ten years.
Purifiers therefore threw themselves into dungeon raids while their strength lasted.
Irene watched the pairs preparing for lower-tier dungeons.
Lower-tier dungeons were numerous and attracted fewer people, so no two pairs competed for the same one. The atmosphere felt relaxed and intimate compared to those who had already left.
Normally they would have chatted casually before heading to their chosen dungeon, but today that was not the case.
“It is an honor to meet you, Sir Michael.”
The reason so many people surrounded him was that they were all trying to squeeze in a single word with the great holy knight.
‘This sight is still fresh after all these years.’
Irene stood a safe distance away and waited for him to finish greeting the others.
He had also been much less cold toward her than in her past life, having already spent a long time talking with the knights of other pairs.
‘At least this time fewer people were eyeing me.’
Perhaps because Michael had been the one to request the pair this time.
Unlike her previous existence, the contemptuous or mocking glances she had once received from him were clearly gone.
Instead, other eyes now fixed on her.
Irene idly touched her cheek. The sharp gazes of other purifiers, full of jealousy, prickled her skin.
She forced herself to ignore them and returned her attention to Michael’s surroundings.
Besides the knights, even their purifiers were trying to approach him.
‘They probably just hope for a chance.’
Even a one-rank upgrade would only make them ninth-rank purifiers.
Knights naturally wanted higher-ranking purifiers.
‘A holy knight who has already found a partner probably thinks he can build connections this year and find another opportunity next year.’
But the purifiers would find their opportunity much sooner.
Right now, if Michael said he would stop pairing after he obtained the artifact, how much chaos would erupt as everyone fought for his side?
‘It would be extremely noisy.’
Honestly, Irene already knew what would happen.
Michael had decided to pair with her and come to the fortress. Even if she left, he would search for another purifier.
Countless purifiers would then break their current pairs and try to form new ones with him.
The fortress would see a commotion never before witnessed here.
‘Even so… it is none of my business.’
The thought of finally gaining the freedom she had never possessed before filled Irene with nothing but joy.
At that moment, one of the knights circling Michael approached her.
“Hello, Purifier-nim. My name is Maksim from the Kingdom of Solveig.”
“……Hello.”
Irene answered while feeling a sudden tension she could not explain.
Among all the knights who had ever approached her from the past to the present, none had been genuine.
Most had looked at her with wonder at whether a tenth-rank purifier could even exist.
That would have been fine.
But some had grabbed her hand or pulled her arm without hesitation, claiming they just wanted to see how weak her purification truly was.
‘At that time, even if Michael and I were paired, he almost never sought me out…’
To the knights, she had been no more than a purifier without a pair.
A stray dog. That was exactly how they had seen her.
Remembering that time, Irene stared at Maksim while keeping her tension in check.
When he finally spoke, she wondered why he had approached her in the first place.
“Um, actually… Does Sir Michael use the training ground in the fortress? If so, do you know when he will be using it?”
“Eh?”
Totally unexpected, Irene let out a dazed sound.
“I wanted to ask him directly, but he is surrounded by so many people and no one will move aside…”
As he spoke, Maksim scratched his cheek with embarrassment.
Unlike the other knights she had seen, he showed no lewd or mocking looks.
He simply felt the shyness of being unable to ask his admired person directly.
Maksim was a knight who had only just reached adulthood and still showed traces of boyishness.
Every knight on the continent knew Michael’s name and idolized him. Meeting the legendary figure in person for the first time at the fortress had left him trembling with excitement.
Seeing that expression, Irene’s tension eased. The sight was almost cute, and she smiled as she answered.
“I’m afraid I don’t know. I don’t know Sir Michael’s schedule very well either…”
She had no idea what time of day Michael spent his hours and would not tell him.
At that exact moment, Michael, surrounded by people, turned his head and looked straight at her.
The next instant, he ignored everyone around him and walked straight toward Irene.
He stepped between her and Maksim, then shielded her behind himself as if protecting her.
“What is the matter?”
A voice completely different from the polite one he had used moments earlier—cold and commanding.
Both Irene and Maksim flinched and looked at him.
“Um, I was just…”
The atmosphere, so close to finally speaking with the object of her admiration, had become nothing like she expected.
Maksim was utterly lost for words and could not speak properly.
Irene felt sorry for him and stepped forward.
“I was only asking about Sir Michael’s schedule.”
“If that is all, you could have asked me directly.”
Even after hearing her explanation, Michael’s tone remained icy.
Irene could not understand his attitude at all.
‘Why is he acting like this?’
Michael was always polite to everyone.
He only grew sharp when someone did something improper or stood on the verge of demonic corruption.
Every other time he treated people with respect, which only made him more admirable.
But right now his behavior made anyone watching pity Maksim.
‘Is he not already infected by demonic energy?’
Irene leaned over to look at him, but she saw no red eyes swollen from demonic corruption.
Finally, Maksim muttered something unclear and slipped away.
Watching his retreating back, Irene felt a pang of sympathy.
Michael asked,
“Is he someone you know?”
“No. I met him for the first time today.”
“Then why…?”
“Eh?”
Before he could finish, the pairs departing on horseback made the words hard to catch.
Irene did not hear what he had wanted to say and turned away.