Chapter 8

I closed my mouth shut and let out a sigh.

“No, that’s not… never mind.”

Adam bit his hand, drawing blood, and dropped it onto the contract. As it touched the parchment, the blood shimmered slightly before seeping into the paper.

Ripping open one’s own flesh to draw blood was a rather savage method.

Although the bloodstain on the paper disappeared, blood still dripped from his hand.

“So, if you want to survive here, you’re on your own. Don’t expect any special treatment from me.”

“It’s okay! I’ll take care of it myself.”

Special treatment? It’s my responsibility to ensure your welfare.

I boldly wrote my name with the fountain pen. But there was no response.

Finally, I pricked my finger with the pen nib and squeezed a drop of blood onto the contract. My blood quickly vanished, and a strange pattern appeared at the bottom.

“Oh.”

Come to think of it, oaths were important in this world. Once enacted, an oath required the consent of all parties to be dissolved. But even if I didn’t dissolve it, I doubted Adam would.

‘Oh dear.’

As I admired the pattern on the contract, I hastily took out bandages from my bag and wrapped Adam’s hand tightly. Since I didn’t have scissors, I just tore them with my hands.

Adam stared quietly at the bandages on his hand, then started unwrapping them.

“Hey! Don’t touch it!”

I exclaimed sharply, causing him to startle and lift his hand, which he was about to unwrap.

“It’s hard to use my right hand like this…”

“But you’re left-handed anyway.”

I cut off his excuse without mercy.

I’ve been watching you wield that sword for years. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?

Being left-handed was considered a disgrace in our family.

When he was young, we tried to correct it as much as possible because left-handedness was often associated with the use of magic.

‘It’s superstition, but many believe it.’

So when people were watching, Adam would usually hold the sword with his right hand.

It was still decent, but there’s always a comfortable hand.

Since we’ll be spending time together in the same place, there’s no need to hide it.

“Well then, please take care of me, warrior!”

“…Sure.”

With a bright smile, I reached out my hand, and after hesitating, Adam finally took it.

Now that I’m responsible for your well-being, don’t worry!

Stress – 52%

* * *

The next day, when I explained the situation to the residents of Dainel Village, Mrs. Violet’s mouth hung open, and Ben looked flustered.

“Oh my, did the warrior really hire you as a maid?! What luck.”

“…”

Seeing Mrs. Violet’s expression change immediately, I couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat.

So, Mrs. Violet, please keep that rope down for now.

“If this had failed again, I might have been tied up…”

I chuckled nervously, averting my gaze as if involuntarily drawn to the rope.

While Mrs. Violet was delighted and making small talk, Ben’s eyes trembled like the lifeline of an elderly person facing imminent death.

Poking his waist with my finger, I called out to him.

“Ben. Ben, are you there?”

“Uh… yeah.”

Ben, who seemed momentarily lost, grabbed my shoulder and led me into a small room.

Then he asked seriously.

“Eve. I’m really, genuinely curious, but that food… it wasn’t meant for the warrior, was it?”

“Yeah.”

“What did you say!”

Ben’s green eyes trembled uncertainly. He muttered incomprehensible words, wondering, ‘So the Warrior, then, isn’t dead? Did he get food poisoning… Or is it blasphemy?’

“You didn’t feed him… right?”

“Well~”

What the hell did I make? Had I made a poison that could take down a demon?

Seeing Ben clearly watching from the side without stopping me, I played a little trick on him.

Ignoring Ben, who was calling me from behind in a daze, I approached Mrs. Violet.

“She’s off to do what she wants, even before that Warrior. Alright, if you get hurt, be sure to come back.”

“Yes!”

Responding firmly, Mrs. Violet warmly embraced me.

As she wiped away her teary eyes, she murmured softly.

“When did you grow up like this…”

I’d only acted freely to go back home. But her warmth, which truly felt like it was enveloping me, made my eyes moisten unexpectedly.

If it’s long, it’s long; if it’s short, it’s short. We’ve spent that time together. It’s not that we’ll never see each other again, but once the quest ends, we will part ways forever.

“Still, we can see each other again! I’ll come visit whenever I have time.”

I deliberately smiled brightly to cheer her up, and Violet smiled back at me.

* * *

“So, to introduce myself again, my name is Eveline! warrior. Please call me Eve.”

“Understood. Eve.”

She had told him her name before, but this was the first time she formally introduced herself.

After a brief greeting, she stared intently at Adam.

“Warrior…”

“I don’t think I’ll be around long enough to reveal my name, so just call me by that title.”

Adam firmly drew the line.

‘Hmph.’

After all, the Warrior was in the palm of my hand. When was it that he first told me his name?

Ah, yes. I’ll keep it a secret until I die that you have a two-syllable name starting with ‘A’ and ending with ‘dam’. Hmph hmph.

I grumbled to myself and pouted my lips. After all I’ve done to raise you.

“Understood. Warrior. Then, may I look around inside the castle?”

I’ve wanted to look around ever since I first came here.

Although I’ve seen the Demon King’s castle to the point of tedium, it was only through illustrations and maps, not in real life.

You can easily see famous paintings on the internet, so why go to a museum to see them?

When I clasped my hands together and looked at him with sparkling eyes, Adam eventually nodded.

“However, you mustn’t touch anything. I’ve removed almost all the items imbued with magic, but just in case there’s something left.”

“Yes! I’ll just look around quietly!”

Before Adam could change his mind, I briskly walked inside.

‘Wow, it’s bigger than it looked on the map…’

Experiencing it firsthand really let me feel the size of the Demon King’s castle.

‘It’s so vast, yet really empty…’

I wondered what the lone human in this expansive castle, no, the once lone Warrior was thinking while staying here.

‘Well, maybe he was glad that there was no one to order him around. Since he hasn’t left the Demon King’s castle, it seems he liked it here.’

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be staying and eating in the place where he killed his eternal rival, the Demon King.

It was clear that he liked my plan for developing the castle. Otherwise, why would he stay in this gloomy, dark red and black castle without waiting for anyone?

‘I’ll respect your tastes, Warrior.’

It might also be a matter of taste that thick, black blackout curtains completely wrap around the hall’s windows, preventing even a speck of light from entering. The statues shaped like demonic beasts scattered around could be the same…

There could even be demons with red eyes inside the Demon King’s castle…

“Kyaa!”

Although there was clearly nothing there before, suddenly a man appeared out of nowhere and was looking at me.

“What is this tiny thing?”

“Eve?”

Hearing my scream, Adam came running and caught me as I was about to fall, losing my footing.

I just lost all my strength.

If he hadn’t caught me, I would have completely fallen on my behind.

“…Horns?”

It wasn’t a human. The man, slightly bending his knees to meet my gaze, had blood-red eyes with pupils slit vertically—a common trait among demons.

“This one is one of the great nobles of the Demon King’s castle, one of the three major demons serving the Demon King… Cough!”

“Just leave him be, he’s just a servant… like Eve.”

“Oh, okay.”

The Warrior quickly punched him in the solar plexus to silence his babbling, but I knew who he was.