The Reckoning of a Noble Gaze

The seating arrangement had changed, hadn't it?

Naturally, the atmosphere of the gathering had taken an entirely different turn from the past.

In the old days, no one had ever spoken a single word to Irene until the very end of the meeting, let alone shown her any attention.

But now it felt as if every pair of eyes pierced straight through her face.

Cecilia, the princess, appeared displeased by the mood, yet she could not voice a single complaint.

After all, she herself had been staring at Irene the entire time.

"That is the rumor ring, is it not? If you do not mind, would you grant me the honor of examining it in greater detail?"

"Of course, Your Highness."

Irene answered politely and extended her hand before the princess.

The ring remained unchanged from the moment it had first been discovered in the dungeon. Its form was still plain and unadorned.

Yet now this was no ordinary artifact. It was the most peculiar one in history, an item that would forever leave its name upon the annals of dungeon discoveries.

At first I had mourned, believing such a valuable treasure had fallen into Irene's possession and lost its worth.

But now, watching the avaricious stares raining down upon my finger, I felt nothing but relief that it had been bound to me.

*If it had not been an artifact bound to a master, it might have been stolen long ago.*

Such thefts were unfortunately common.

Artifacts lacking a bound master released the same power into whichever hand held them.

In other words, they were stolen with frightening frequency.

But those with the nature of a bound artifact behaved differently. Should their master be slain and the artifact taken, the power would vanish instantly.

*Perhaps even severing a finger to claim it.*

Looking at the stares pouring over me now, that possibility did not seem exaggerated in the least.

Perhaps Cecilia had decided that lingering too long in admiration was improper, and simply averted her gaze.

She had not hidden her desire to examine the ring more closely, yet she still offered a respectful greeting.

Once their conversation ended, the other purifiers gathered around Irene once more, eager to speak to her in turn.

While Irene answered with proper etiquette, someone suddenly asked:

"You are paired with Sir Michael, the Holy Knight, are you not? Do you still ask him for purification? After all, he has been trapped in the dungeon all day, and his demonic energy must be far more corrupted. Purification must be difficult for him, no?"

The purifiers beside her exchanged awkward smiles. The question was rather rude and biting.

Irene regarded the woman for a moment before answering.

"He asked me to hold his hand. So I have done so often."

That was no lie. Outside the night he had sought her out, there had been no prior request.

Yet he had frequently extended his hand to her.

Even without proper purification, mere skin-to-skin contact had undoubtedly carried some faint purifying effect.

"...!"

The surrounding purifiers stiffened at Irene's reply.

They all thought the same thing.

On the Night of the Contract, Michael had simply seized her out of desperation, but afterward he should never have come again.

Yet now he requested her hand so frequently.

The purifiers grew uneasy, wondering how close Irene truly was to Michael, and what they should do about it.

*If she had simply been lucky enough to pair with him, then...*

Might she continue to pair with him next year as well?

If Michael completed this expedition with Irene and remained satisfied, he would likely request her again rather than seek another purifier.

After all, a pair bond was only a temporary marriage. Even if he had been forced into one by necessity, switching partners repeatedly would invite harsh gossip.

Perhaps it would be better to cultivate a close friendship with Irene. But what if Michael decided to be more cautious next year and paired with someone else?

While the purifiers debated this, Irene herself grew lost in thought.

*How will Cecilia act from now on?*

Unlike in the past life, the princess was behaving with great restraint.

Perhaps she had decided that Irene was worthy of her attention.

*She intends to invite Michael into a raid this way.*

Until now, Michael had never participated in any raid.

But if Irene asked him to join as she asked him to purify, he would accept—at least once.

Irene imagined the prestige such a raid would bring to this already renowned gathering.

A gathering of the era's greatest knights. And Irene now held the ring of a rare artifact that would be remembered forever in history.

Of course, Cecilia would lead the raid.

*And she would surely demonstrate her purification power to Michael.*

She would show what even a ninth-rank purifier like herself could achieve if she were chosen as the next partner—how easily she could heal wounds and purify demonic energy.

*Then Michael and Cecilia would both benefit. After all, I will never be able to raise my own rank easily.*

In truth, when I first obtained the ring, I had hoped it would make purification easier for Michael.

But the moment I examined the ring's power, that hope shattered.

*It would require absorbing an absurdly large amount of demonic energy.*

Irene had tested it by purifying the blood of monsters kept in storage at the fortress.

She had tried to determine how much demonic energy it would take to increase her rank.

She had purified several large containers of blood, yet her rank had not risen in the slightest.

When she finally collapsed from exhaustion, the temple priest monitoring her purification had sighed.

"Even with this much demonic energy, there is almost no change. If it raised your rank, you would need to purify thousands of monsters alone."

In other words, it was practically impossible for her rank to improve.

Irene swallowed her bitterness and gazed at the ring.

How terribly sorry I felt for Michael now that I understood its power.

*If only I had known this existed, I would have let someone else claim it. At the very least, I would not have worn it...*

Although I had put it on at his urging, the thought that I had ruined such a precious thing made it impossible for me to meet his eyes.

At that moment, Michael had spoken.

"No. A thing seeks its rightful master. This ring was surely meant for you."

He had spoken with absolute conviction, as if he had known from the beginning that such an item would appear.

*Indeed. I would not resent someone who took it, with no reason to feel otherwise.*

I was no man praised without cause. I lived a life that gave to all without selfish desire.

It was impossible to imagine Michael resenting anyone.

Irene pulled her thoughts back and looked toward the princess seated beside her.

The ill feelings from the past life still burned vividly within me. The only problem was that they had not occurred in this life.

*Of course, it was hard to accept that she had deliberately given me false information...*

But no matter how I considered it, there was no reason Cecilia would have lied to me in the past life, only to kill me in the dungeon.

*Besides, she had countless opportunities before that day to do so.*

Moreover, although Cecilia was not kind, she had never murdered anyone. After all, with the power she held, there were far more effective ways to torment her foes.

There had been no need for her to do anything to me that day. Perhaps she had truly been mistaken.

But there was no way to verify it now. I could never return to the past.

*Very well. Then let us set that incident aside and think only of what comes after.*

In that case, there was no need to make enemies of Cecilia right now.

On the contrary, it would be far better to cultivate a warm relationship.

Just as in the past life, Cecilia would not ignore or belittle Irene. So if I played along, she would include me in her raids and generously share part of the rewards.

*If she did that...*

I might even be gifted ten thousand gold coins.

Should I value emotion or take what I could?

While Irene remained lost in thought, someone entered the hall at last.

A figure Irene remembered only vaguely from her memories.

*A seventh-rank purifier.*

She was of higher rank than Irene yet still considered low among purifiers, and she had shared the same narrow room with Irene.

She had divided the rewards fairly with her paired knight, yet because his strength had not been great, she had earned little money.

*Still, I remember she had sent most of it to her family...*

She entered hesitantly, then bowed deeply before the princess.

Cecilia glanced at her once and merely acknowledged the greeting.

"Thank you for inviting me. This is nothing much, but it is my small token of respect..."

"It is truly nothing."

At that moment, one of the ninth-rank purifiers seated around Cecilia sighed upon seeing the gift box.

The others beside her covered their mouths, stifling their laughter.

The moment Irene saw it, she froze.

Another person was experiencing the exact same scene I had.