Chapter 6

“This isn’t it either… Why did I put this in?”

I took out a stuffed doll that took up space and tossed it behind. This wasn’t what I was looking for. Adam absentmindedly received the doll and fiddled with it.

“…A bear doll?”

Amidst the clutter, I took out some herbs. Adam, who had been silently watching, finally spoke as I pondered what good medicine to use in this situation.

“What are you doing?”

“Treatment!”

It was a natural response, but he continued to glance at me.

Adam responded strangely, “Why are you treating the horse?”

“Because it’s dying! I have to take responsibility.”

“…”

I have to save it.

In my mind, filled with that thought, fear had already vanished beyond recognition. If by any chance something were to happen, the warrior standing indifferently, as if it had nothing to do with him, would surely help.

From the beginning, the horse, already devoid of reason, seemed like an ordinary animal.

“Yesterday, it didn’t seem like it had any intention of attacking me.”

The horse seemed curious, as if it wanted to check the contents of the bag. It must have been attracted by the smell of the food I brought yesterday.

I pried open the horse’s mouth and pushed the mixed herbs inside. It tried to spit them out, but I forced its mouth shut and it obediently swallowed.

Adam, who had been silently observing, spoke up.

“In the perspective of the Miss Eveline, does this doll and the horse appear to be the same existence?”

Other than the fact that the horse resembled a jaguar and the bear doll shared the same color of brown, there were no similarities.

Considering that, Adam’s words seemed far-fetched.

However, I knew that the horse obeyed Adam’s commands due to its obedience syndrome.

And also, that a horse commanded by a warrior wouldn’t harm a human.

But Adam, who I thought knew nothing, was watching my actions with curiosity.

“Is it because I’m treating the horse? Still, I can’t just stand by and watch it die right in front of me.”

“It’s just a horse after all. Is the treatment finished?”

“Let’s wait for now…”

“Meh.”

At that moment, I thought the horse had fainted, but it licked my hand with its large tongue. Initially, I thought it was biting my hand, and both I and the warrior were startled.

Isn’t it acting like a spoiled child? I always thought that horses were creatures that would harm or devour humans. That’s why the Empire classified them as evil.

Adam was more surprised by the horse’s sudden behavior than I was.

With a dumbfounded expression, as if someone had hit him on the back of his head with a hammer, he murmured.

“…Was there really no need to kill it?”

It seems like the treatment was successful after all.

Exhaling a sigh of relief, I immediately shifted my gaze to the original goal.

“So, what do you think about the proposal I made yesterday?”

Adam grinned.

“Could he be thinking more positively than I expected?”

He must be, he’s smiling like that.

Uttering a rejection with such a smile would be a guilty verdict.

I pulled out the items I had prepared yesterday but couldn’t show him and handed them to him.

As I handed them over, he accepted them all, albeit with surprise.

“So… you’re going to help me with milk, biscuits, and a bear doll? Again, I don’t need a maid…”

“No! That’s bribery. I thought about it again, if you don’t want a maid, how about a friend? Like a comrade!”

“A comrade?”

Adam uttered the unfamiliar word as if tasting it.

I nodded in agreement.

Unlike other instances, this time, the warrior succeeded in conquering the Demon Castle alone, without comrades.

Currently, he didn’t have any relationships where he shared the sticky bond of camaraderie forged by overcoming countless limbs.

“Yes, I want to be a comrade like a friend to the warrior. You must have been lonely and tired being alone in the Demon Castle. I want to be your friend to make your heart a little more comfortable! Oh, of course, I’ll work hard as a maid too…”

For a moment, the expression disappeared from Adam’s face.

Though only the smile vanished, he seemed somehow angry.

In a low voice, he murmured.

“There was a comrade. But now it’s gone.”

“Yes?”

“…It’s nothing. Anyway, I’m saying I don’t need even a comrade.”

Then he laughed heartily. But for some reason, his smile seemed melancholic, and I found myself pausing unknowingly.

But Adam quickly hid his expression and returned to his usual self.

“Miss Eveline, what did you say when you came in here earlier?”

“Uh… Warrior, good morning?”

“Yes, thank you. Have a good evening, Eveline.”

And darkness fell once again.

Just moments ago, it was the Demon Castle, but when I opened my eyes, I found myself on a soft bed. Moreover, outside the window, it was already getting dark, with owls hooting.

‘Oh, so you’re coming out like this?”’

No one could stop me.

In the game, whether it was because of the system or his personality, the warrior would sigh and agree after being forced three times, even if he refused.

This time, I’ll have to give it a try. If three times doesn’t work, then five, and then ten!

But it seems I wasn’t the only one prepared for this.

“An… um…”

“Just accept my greetings…”

“Just a moment…”

After the fifth attempt, I finally entered into a private meeting with Violet.

Naturally,

Since the warrior had been dragging me around like luggage for days, even the most clueless person would notice.

Violet sat me down and finally spoke after much contemplation.

“Maybe, Eve, do you like the warrior… No.”

Violet, barely able to speak, eventually stopped herself completely and touched her forehead. It seemed she thought that I, like a child, had developed feelings for the warrior after listening to his stories of valor.

‘Could it be maternal instinct? Towards such a tiny pixel…’

But soon, I stopped thinking about it when I recalled the warrior’s face. In the game, he might have been pixels, but now he seemed like a real person in the complete reality of the world. He had a sculpted appearance, handsome to the point where the word beautiful would suit him.

If Eveline were an ordinary teenage girl, she might have really fallen for him at first sight.

In the end, Violet couldn’t say anything and left the room.

Confirming that she had completely left, I quickly sat at the desk and took out a notebook and pen. Then, tapping my cheek with the feathered end of the pen, I got lost in thought.

There’s a need to adjust the plan a bit.

‘I’ve waited a few times, but now, I can’t do anything when he faints before I even say anything and gets taken home.’

What should I do?

I pondered with my head buried in my arms on the desk.

In that moment, a brilliant idea struck me, worthy of shouting “Eureka!”.

I got up and pulled out a piece of paper. Then, as if possessed, I began to write down words. Just like the warrior in a game from some time ago.

“Hmm, perfect.”

Now that the insurance was perfectly set, all I had to do was go out.

“With this, warrior, you can’t refuse, can you?”

Satisfied with my thoughts, I packed up again. I also put the paper I had just written in the bag.

Just when I was about to charge back into the Demon Castle!

Click.

“Hmm?”

The door didn’t open. I tried turning it in various directions and pushing it up, but the door remained unchanged.

Thud, thud, thud.

Finally, I pounded on the door with my fist, calling out pitifully.

“Madam Violet? Madam Violeeeet-“

When I had been calling out like that for a while, it wasn’t Violet who appeared, but Tommy.

“Sister Eve.”

“Oh? Tommy?”

I lifted my head slightly from between the wooden door and the floor. In front of my face, a large plate appeared.

“Yeah. This is food.”

“Tommy, now’s not the time for food. Can you please open the door? It seems to be stuck from outside.”

“Sigh, it’s not that it’s not opening, it’s locked.”

I had a bad feeling about this. Thud, Tommy’s sound of hesitation sitting outside the door echoed.

“Mom said to keep an eye on you so you wouldn’t go out.”

“…”

“She said we can’t repay a benefactor in our village as an enemy. I don’t really understand what that means.”

Oh no, I overlooked the fact that everyone in this village is a fan of the warrior.