Holy Night: My Husband is Definitely a Paladin - Chapter 43
Of course, for ordinary pairs, entering dungeons together was a matter of course. But that wasn’t the case with Irene and Michael.
Not only was he so overpowered that he rarely got hurt, but he was also very slow to become corrupted with magic.
“It’s dangerous, so please wait at the fortress.”
In her past life, he had said that while refraining from taking Irene to any dungeon. Therefore, this time, she naturally assumed he would navigate the dungeons alone.
In fact, in the week they’ve been in the fortress, Michael had never gone into any dungeon with Irene save for Dungeon 181—the one she personally wanted to enter. So it was a bit of a surprise for him to suddenly request that they go together.
“There might be ice-elemental monsters, so dress warmly. I’ll be waiting for you outside.”
Having said that, Michael bowed and went back outside. Dumbfounded, Irene hurried to get dressed.
‘What’s really going on?’
Him taking her along felt strange. In her previous life, it was something she had fervently wished for. All pairs were supposed to enter the dungeon together to face any possible danger as a couple. But he had left her at the fortress, claiming it was too dangerous.
Looking at it positively, he was simply protecting her. But in reality, she knew it meant that she was staying out of his way because her abilities wouldn’t be of any use.
‘What kind of dungeon could it be for him to suggest that we go together?’
Even with her meager purification abilities, there must be some significant danger to warrant such a decision.
Irene nervously donned her warm clothes and basic armor.
* * *
And an hour later.
“This is…”
Even without asking the Alliance representative standing near the entrance, Irene could tell. This place…
“It’s an unstable dungeon.”
Unlike other dungeons, the entrance was not a neat circle but distorted several times, changing its shape even as they watched. Those witnessing an unstable dungeon for the first time were startled and stepped back, letting out astonished gasps.
It wasn’t just the shape of the entrance that was different. Unlike the entrances of other dungeons that were pitch-black, the unstable dungeon occasionally displayed different colors. Yet, regardless of these differences, what lay beyond remained unseen.
“Are you familiar with unstable dungeons?”
“Only a little.”
In her past life, unstable dungeons had appeared a few times. Hadn’t the dungeon that appeared in Tyrenia also been unstable?
Unlike regular dungeons, the structure inside was different, and new creatures often appeared. Hence, It was a difficult place to defeat.
What sent shivers down Irene’s spine, more than anything else, was the size and ominous atmosphere of the dungeon entrance.
“But, this… seems to be Intermediate level or higher, right?”
“It is.”
Michael responded as if it were nothing special, but Irene found it chilling. In her past life and this life, she had never ventured into an intermediate dungeon.
‘Even that low-grade dungeon I died in, which was close to the lowest tier possible, was terrifying…’
She wondered if she might just stand frozen in fear once they were inside. Regardless, since they had to go in, Irene mentally prepared herself and asked him a question.
“If it’s an intermediate unstable dungeon… how many other pairs will be going with us?”
While regular dungeons might not reveal such information, the danger posed by unstable dungeons was too high.
‘In the past, he never entered such dungeons alone.’
Ironically, while he went in with others before, Irene, his pair, had been left behind. After the dungeon was conquered, she only found out through records that he had participated. There were several times when she swallowed her bitterness while reading the expedition logs without her name.
Nevertheless, this time she thought she could finally have her name in the expedition log and participate in a dungeon raid.
“It’s just the two of us.”
“…What?”
His answer was something she never even considered.