Chapter 17
The feeling of his hand clasping hers was searing.
From the point of contact, a wave of unbearable heat raced through her body in an instant, as though every vein had been set alight.
Irene gasped sharply, her breath lodging in her throat as the overwhelming sensation pierced straight through her.
Once the initial shock passed, a low, smoldering warmth began to spread.
The heat that had poured into her powerless body now sparked into tiny flames at every point of contact.
“Hah!”
Her vision flashed white, and her whole body trembled.
Her lips, parted just slightly, could not stop the moan that kept escaping them.
Why… this…! It wasn’t like this before!
Irene remembered the sensation of purifying Michael from her previous life all too clearly.
Back then it had only felt hot…
Demonic energy was like an unquenchable fire. The more it accumulated, the fiercer it became, until it shattered reason and turned the holder into something inhuman.
Purifiers were the only ones who could extinguish that fire completely.
While knights simply enjoyed the overwhelming coolness that contact alone could bring, purifiers endured the burning agony as they had to absorb the demonic energy inside themselves.
To extinguish the fire that consumed reason was no easy task.
Moreover, because the influence of demonic energy never left them during purification, they often lost control of their minds.
Demonic energy tore away reason and dragged up the base instincts hidden in the depths of the soul.
So purifiers had to fight to keep their minds intact while purifying.
Yet not every purifier possessed strong enough power to fully resist.
A 10th-rank purifier like Irene had no idea how to hold back the flickering demonic energy.
Others claimed they simply clung on and endured it, but to her it was nothing more than an oddly hot force.
Since no one in her previous life had explained the process properly, she had turned to Wilhelmina, whom she knew best.
“It was simply hot?” Wilhelmina’s expression made it clear she was looking at the most pitiful person alive. She whispered in a small voice, “You’ll never understand, but purification actually feels quite pleasant. Other pairs don’t just mix bodies for the sake of purifying. It’s… almost like a caress.”
She clicked her tongue in pity.
At the time, Irene had thought Wilhelmina was simply teasing her.
How could purification possibly feel that way…
“Ah… ahh…!”
Still gripping her hand, Irene’s body shook violently.
The tiny flames bursting across her skin refused to die down.
Her breathing grew ragged, her vision blurred. Yet every other sense sharpened to an unbearable degree.
The demonic energy he held inside continued to flood into her through the point of contact.
How much had he accumulated…
Even when she had wiped through over ten dungeons a day in her previous life, the amount she felt from him had not been this overwhelming.
It felt as though the demonic energy itself had become Michael.
If this continued, she wouldn’t even complete the purification—she might lose her mind completely.
The greatest torment, however, was the sheer physical sensation enveloping her entire body.
“Ha… hah… ah…”
She realized, with a shock, that her moans had started to carry something other than pain.
I must let go…!
Then, somehow, pull herself together and try purification again.
Irene decided she had to release his hand.
But in that moment Michael tightened his grip.
“……!”
Shocked, Irene tried to yank her hand free, but it was useless. He held on with iron determination.
Long, thick fingers slid smoothly between her own like a living thing.
They rubbed gently over the calloused skin left from years of holding a sword.
Then, as though claiming her, he locked their fingers together tightly.
Michael began to caress her hand, squeezing and releasing it slowly.
“Ah… ugh…”
Every time his fingers tightened, the demonic energy rushing into her grew stronger.
“S-Stop! Let go!”
She could feel something terrible was about to happen and tried to pull away.
But the more she struggled, the harder he held her.
Desperate, Irene grew bewildered. This wasn’t like him at all.
As the contact area widened, the demonic energy she felt became even clearer.
The fire wrapped around her body once more.
The frantic sparks turned into delicate pleasure, spreading through every inch of her.
Michael’s movements took on a rhythm. He spread her fingers, pushed something inside, then withdrew.
Each time his knuckles brushed her sensitive skin, Irene’s body convulsed with a moan she couldn’t suppress.
Without meaning to, she curled inward, closing her legs.
“U-uh! Eugh!”
A sound that anyone could understand slipped between her cries.
The hand that had been gripping hers tightly was now slick with sweat.
Finally, Irene gave up resisting. Instinctively she realized that the more she fought, the more she would suffer.
She loosened her body and surrendered to the hand that held her.
The instant she realized the strength of that grip—she would never let go, even in death.
It was better to yield quickly and beg for mercy.
Had he noticed the movement had stopped?
He loosened his grip only slightly.
“Haa…!”
That alone made Irene let out a pained sound and collapse face-first onto the table, trembling.
A low voice came from above her head.
“Well done.”
Well done at what? Irene, already exhausted, had no energy left to wonder.
Her powerless body jerked once.
The outer robe draped over her shoulder had already fallen to the floor in a crumpled heap, but she had no strength left to care.
“I’m… very sorry I couldn’t treat you with respect. Please… accept my sincere apology.”
He leaned down and whispered near her ear again.
“Please continue the purification.”
* * *
“Haah… haah…”
Irene lay sprawled across the table, panting heavily.
She had no idea how long they had been like this or what exactly had happened.
The only memory she kept was that Michael had refused to let go of her hand.
“You must be exhausted,” his concerned voice sounded almost mocking.
It had all started because of him, hadn’t it?
“Still, you’ve stabilized a great deal. Please… just once more.”
Before she could prepare her mind, he gripped her hand again.
“Ah—!”
Because she had let her guard down, her entire body convulsed as if struck by lightning. Then she collapsed onto the table with a heavy thud.
Irene had no strength left to do anything.
Not even a single finger could twitch.
If her mind had turned into mush, would it feel like this? Her whole body felt like warm pudding, trembling uncontrollably as she lay there. Breathing alone was torture.
Finally, after a long time, he released her hand.
A calm voice followed.
“I am grateful for your purification.”
That voice… she remembered it from her previous life.
Whenever she had purified Michael after he had become heavily contaminated, he would look away and hide his discomfort. Once the purification ended, he would thank her that way and leave immediately.
Just as she thought he would leave right away, her body rose into the air.
Michael had lifted her in his arms.
He laid her gently on the bed and covered her with a blanket.
“You must have been exhausted. Rest well.”
As he turned to leave, Irene reached out with all her remaining strength.
“W-Wait…”
The frail gesture made Michael stop instantly.
“What is it?”
“P-Please… just one more time?”
“Speak.”
With a trembling lip, Irene managed to whisper the thought she had been turning over.
“Once a week… please.”
Michael’s face hardened instantly.
He asked in a tone that clearly questioned her sanity.
“Once a week?”