The Paladin's Exile
Michael's expulsion unfolded with astonishing speed.
Countless eyes in the fortress had witnessed him spending the night with Irene, and the truth of his purification burned behind every gaze.
The Temple could simply pretend ignorance, as it always had. Losing a knight like Michael would be too costly a loss. Yet Michael himself had made his decision crystal clear.
After confirming the priest could not sway him, he declared his own expulsion.
Michael handed over the Temple's blade he had always used and left the priest's room, its sighs heavy behind him.
He moved toward the fortress without a single moment's hesitation.
The fortress greeted him with an eerily quiet atmosphere unlike the one he had left.
The highest dungeon where he had taken a grievous wound had been the final one of the year to spawn.
Dungeons appeared at the start of spring and vanished by the onset of winter. The fortress remained open only until early winter, and pairs maintained their bond for that exact window alone.
Though no more had appeared, smaller dungeons still lingered in remote corners. Those deemed unworthy of payment, places knights had never bothered to enter.
The fortress now hired workers to finish those final cleanups. Places Michael would have handled himself in the past.
He first headed to the Temple within the fortress and announced his expulsion there.
The priests clutched at him, tears welling in their eyes.
Some among them grew indignant.
“It was all because of that woman dragging him down! She trapped him!”
The moment Michael realized the woman they meant was Irene, his expression froze.
“You have committed a grave misunderstanding. In the end, the one who broke the teachings was not her but I. So I ask you to direct your judgment toward me.”
To his surprise, Michael’s stern face, shielding Irene with unwavering conviction, left the priests speechless.
“Then we must conclude this matter here. May the gods always watch over you all on your path forward.”
Michael offered his final farewell to the priests and changed into the clothes he had brought with him, stripping away the Temple’s vestments forever.
Nothing of the Temple remained with him when he stepped out.
‘Irene is still there, at least.’
Upon returning to the fortress, he asked a staff member for Irene’s whereabouts.
Fortunately, she was still staying there.
He hurried to her side, ready to apologize for the coldness he had shown her and to confess the feelings he had kept locked inside.
At that thought, Michael swallowed dryly, tension gripping him.
‘…She might not want it, but…’
In the past she had looked at him with more than fondness, yet whether that feeling remained was unknown. Especially since she had stopped coming to see him and even avoided eye contact.
And during the night they spent together, no matter how his demonic energy clouded his mind, he had moved only on instinct, never caring for her.
If that sight had repulsed her so completely that she would never look back at him again, what was he supposed to do?
Michael’s mouth was bone-dry.
He had to reach her as soon as possible.
Yet when he arrived at the purifiers’ dormitory, the person waiting for him was not Irene, but Princess Cecilia.
She stepped forward with a smile, as if she had been expecting him.
“Sir Michael, I heard the Temple expelled you. Is it true?”
Her voice and demeanor carried genuine concern, but her eyes did not.
Joy flashed in Cecilia’s gaze, the happiness of finally getting what she had waited for.
“It is.”
“Then you no longer have any aversion to being paired, do you? In that case… would you reconsider the proposal I made long ago?”
She placed her hand on Michael’s arm.
“If we become a pair, every dungeon will belong to us starting next year. Everyone will look at you with new reverence.”
Her fingers traced his arm with growing secrecy.
“And I can teach you the pleasures of worldly life that you have never known.”
It was not a lie.
Having left the Temple, he would have to live by worldly rules. It made perfect sense to pair with the princess who held the most.
“I am indeed curious about worldly pleasures… but…”
Michael roughly brushed her hand away.
“Not with you.”
Now an expelled man, his former courtesy beneath the divine name was no longer his duty.
Michael let his contempt for Cecilia show without restraint.
Had she truly expected him to accept?
Cecilia’s face twisted in shock before she forced it back into place.
“Then what do you plan to do now?”
“I will take responsibility for my actions.”
As he spoke, Michael thought of Irene.
She had always been particularly sensitive to money.
‘I want to give her the wealth I earned from the Temple… but…’
The priest had shown him consideration upon his expulsion, offering a sizable sum he had judged necessary for surviving in the world.
He did not believe money could atone for everything, but he wished at least for her to feel even a little at ease if she accepted it.
And if possible, to continue as a pair and remain his formal wife…
Michael found himself overwhelmed by too many sudden choices, unsure where to begin.
Cecilia spoke again.
“Irene Rodiam is not here. She headed to the document archive early this morning. Perhaps you should check there.”
The archive. A place she frequented often.
“Understood. Then I’ll take my leave.”
Michael bowed slightly to Cecilia and turned to go.
The decision to head to the archive upon hearing her words would prove his greatest mistake.
Aside from a few staff members, no other purifiers or knights were present in the archive.
“Sir Michael, what brings you here?”
“I’m looking for Miss Irene Rodiam.”
“Huh? Why her…?”
The moment the name fell, the staff member’s frown deepened. Seeing Michael’s gaze—cold, judging—he answered hurriedly.
“She hasn’t been here today. She must be somewhere else.”
Michael felt uneasy at the answer. He had no idea where in this vast fortress Irene might frequent.
He had no choice but to search every corner.
Then, suddenly, commotion erupted from one side of the fortress.
“What’s happening?”
“Word is a victim appeared in an incomplete dungeon?”
“A victim? Who among the staff would be stupid enough to enter a dungeon not properly cleared?”
“I don’t know. They say the staff isn’t even from the fortress… just knights who went in to clean found the body.”
The moment Michael heard the passing staff members, his heart plummeted.
A dire premonition crawled up his throat.
He grabbed them and demanded, “Where is that dungeon?”
“Oh, Sir Michael! You don’t need to worry. The hired workers are finishing up now…”
“Where exactly was the victim found?!”
Michael’s shout startled the staff, who raised his hands in alarm.
“T-that low-level dungeon right in front of the fortress…”
Michael ran straight to the spot indicated by the staff.
The lowest dungeon still lingering at the fortress gates.
People gathered there in clusters, murmuring.
He pushed through them and stepped inside.
And he saw it.
Irene, bloodied and motionless, eyes closed as if sleeping.
She no longer breathed.
* * *
Michael’s breath caught at the memory of her final moments.
If he acted now, Irene would awaken beside his arm.
He paused, holding his breath to not disturb her rest.
Then, a long tentacle slithered up the dungeon wall toward him.
The very tentacle that had once held him back from leaving the dungeon.
It had to be stopped immediately, yet Michael simply looked at it and spoke.
“Stop.”
The tentacle froze in place, as obedient as a dog awaiting its master’s command.