The Splendor of the Princess's Quarters
The most opulent place within the fortress would be pointed to without hesitation—the princess’s residence.
She was already twenty-five years old.
Dungeons typically erupted in mass waves once a year, so she had entered this fortress five times this very year.
She was a rank 1 purifier. That alone made her a figure worthy of being looked up to in this fortress.
Among the rank 1 purifiers, she possessed purifying abilities strong enough to stand out in any gathering.
Other rank 1 purifiers existed, yet they had naturally come to be treated as subordinates beneath the princess.
But they harbored no particular grievances.
The princess had invited them into her gatherings and treated them with utmost respect.
Among them, the one who allowed them to use this enormous residence—nearly equal to a noble estate—was the princess’s favor toward the rank 1 purifiers.
Yet today, it seemed she had no intention of extending that favor.
“Can we enter?”
Riosa frowned. She was a rank 1 purifier, just like the princess.
“Is something happening?”
“That… it seems she has some important business to attend to.”
At that moment, a shattering sound echoed from inside, as if something of value had been smashed to pieces.
“What’s that sound?”
Riosa’s eyes widened in shock at the noise.
She knew the princess was always quiet, gentle, and aloof.
Of course, she occasionally summoned lower-ranked purifiers to wander the fortress and teach them proper manners, yet even then she treated them with constant smiles and kindness.
Such a noise coming from inside the princess’s residence was unthinkable.
“It appears someone’s hand slipped. The interior must be in disarray, so I must ask you to please return today, Lady Riosa.”
The princess’s maid bowed deeply with the same polite posture as always.
It was impossible for a subordinate to block the way so forcefully of her own accord.
She must be following the princess’s orders. There was nothing to gain by going in now.
“All right, we’ll leave for now.”
Riosa turned with the air of having nothing left to do.
Her mind raced all the same.
What could have shaken the usually composed princess so deeply?
There was only one answer.
Riosa walked to the window and looked outside. Directly across stood a building of identical structure.
Naturally, the top floor of that building held a space almost identical to the princess’s.
Of course, the princess’s residence also featured a grand reception hall and space for simple banquets, yet the opposing building was no less luxurious than her own.
“Irene Rodiam, wasn’t it?”
Unlike the princess, whose purifying power ranked her among the elite, this was a purifier who had once been judged rank 10, closest to the bottom.
No, now she was rank 8.
A purifier whose rank had changed twice, a number that never fluctuated.
Someone who might climb even higher in the future.
And…
“A new gathering.”
The fortress had once been an unchanging power structure, assuming no changes until the princess retired.
But recently, the gathering she had created had grown remarkably in size.
“Hmm.”
Riosa’s eyes, fixed on Irene’s residence, held complicated emotions.
Not a single rank 1 purifier had joined the other side yet.
The highest among them was Reina Ortega at rank 2.
A newcomer who had only just arrived at the fortress this year.
They had no experience worth advising others.
Apart from them, there were numerous rank 3 to rank 5 purifiers.
The gathering was centered on a rank 8 purifier, so calling it properly organized was impossible.
But Michael was there.
One person was enough to turn the tide.
She sank into thought.
A gathering with power equal to the combined strength of her own knights.
Yet lacking proper purifiers to lead the purification side.
“If I were to go over there…”
Suddenly, countless futures flashed through Riosa’s mind.
With so few members on that side, the rewards would be divided far more generously than now.
And unlike the current situation where everyone praised the princess, she could become the most respected purifier among them.
Then…
“Michael chose a pair this year, so he will likely choose another next year as well.”
Once someone had experienced purification, there was no escaping it.
Moreover, dungeons had to be cleared continuously, so he would need a purifier next year without fail.
If she made connections now…
“Rather than the princess, it would be me who becomes his pair?”
The princess had been highly valued, and she herself was one of only three rank 1 purifiers in the fortress.
“Michael doesn’t seem particularly attached to the current purifier.”
A pair was a temporary marriage, after all.
That was why knights mixed with purifiers to obtain purification and satisfy their physical needs.
Of course, as a holy knight, he would maintain distance. Still, with the rights of a pair, it would be appropriate to enjoy this opportunity…
“The woman’s face was quite beautiful, yet she didn’t seem particularly pleased.”
All she had seen was the noblewoman being held by the hand as if escorting her.
The maids she had planted on that side said they had never seen him visit at night and that the bed had never been dirtied.
That meant, as a holy knight should, he obtained purification with the bare minimum of contact.
“I’d like to enjoy it myself.”
Just watching would make her admire it.
Her own pair was a knight worthy of praise, yet compared to Michael he looked like a child.
“If I shared a night with someone possessing such a body, it would be extraordinary.”
Because she trusted her own purifying power, she sometimes deliberately drove knights to the brink of insanity.
Then the other party would lose half their reason and attack like madmen.
She ran her tongue over her lips.
“If I were to share a bed with Michael, even once…”
Moreover, Michael was the most devout. Even if he regretted losing his physical purity, he would take responsibility to the end.
“The continent’s strongest holy knight as my husband…”
From childhood, she had entered the Temple’s knight order, where only men existed, and she had kept her distance from men until now.
What kind of man would he show at night?
Riosa’s eyes, gazing at the opposite building, sparkled with anticipation.
***
Clang!
Another vase flew through the air and smashed into the wall.
Items worth hundreds of gold coins each turned in an instant into worthless ceramic shards scattered across the floor.
The princess’s maids sighed deeply, estimating the sum of the ruined pieces.
This was the first time she had lost her temper inside the fortress.
The fortress was an indisputably important place she controlled.
Every person in it lowered their heads after watching her eyes.
But not long ago, a purifier had left the gathering on her own, without her permission.
At the time she had thought it was enough to endure the princess’s daily irritation…
“That woman dared to grow such a group.”
When she learned they had created a gathering, everyone had laughed.
But the moment the news arrived that they had succeeded in raiding a mid-tier dungeon under Michael’s leadership and had distributed the artifacts fairly, everything changed.
The first to disappear from the gathering were the purifiers around rank 5.
The ones who had always bowed their heads, claiming they could only reach high-tier dungeons thanks to the princess.
Thus they received the lowest share of rewards.
When the news of fair distribution reached them, they completely forgot the favors they had received from the princess and rushed in droves to Irene Rodiam’s gathering.
At first they had been mocked as moths.
But yesterday’s raid by the princess on a mid-tier dungeon revealed the truth.
Only half the usual participants had shown up.
Everyone claimed they were sick or would go to a low-tier dungeon instead, but investigation showed they had simply not come to attend Irene’s gathering.
And now, the princess, upon receiving the news, could not hold back her anger and was throwing the residence’s furnishings about as she liked.
It was not the wild behavior of a madwoman. No, that would have been better. Anyone could see how furious she was.
But the princess calmly picked up the porcelain with her usual composure, then slowly smashed each piece one by one.
Having broken everything breakable, she sat on the chair with elegant grace.
At that moment, the staff member from the document storage room entered carrying the latest dungeon information sheet.
The princess’s eyes lit up as she accepted it.
A short time later, she gave orders to her maids.
“Contact every member of the gathering. Within a few days we will arrange a large-scale raid, so those who wish may apply.”