Chapter 17

 

“Would it be okay if the book were about a warrior as the protagonist?”

I grew curious, but Adam quickly covered the title by placing another book on top of it.

“If you’d like to read it too, Eve, you can.”

I had no idea what he was searching for, but in an empire where divine authority was so powerful, heresy was not something to be entangled with.

“I’ll go find it in the library myself later.”

One that wasn’t a book of heresy.

“Alright.”

Adam nodded agreeably.

‘What could Adam possibly want to know so badly that he’s reaching for heretical documents?’

Would I find out if I went to the library first? But I really wanted to read something about warriors.

Though I knew much about Adam, I probably didn’t know as much about ‘warriors’ as the people of the empire. In the game, Adam was simply one of the seven warriors, chosen by the gods, tasked with killing the Demon King.

I was curious about what happened to the warriors who had slain the Demon King so far.

At the very least, they wouldn’t have been left to languish in the Demon King’s castle, used for the gods’ amusement.

Leaving behind the somewhat melancholic-looking Adam, I headed outside.

* * *

The Demon King’s castle library.

It was the first time I had come to read in the morning. But the sight that greeted me made my jaw drop.

“Wow, how many rooms does this library have?”

The library was enormous, as if it were the size of three rooms combined. With so many books, no wonder Adam stayed up all night reading and still couldn’t find the information he wanted.

And it wasn’t like there was a book-finding system here either.

As I wandered between the huge bookshelves, a peculiar book caught my eye.

I moved a nearby ladder and climbed up.

I pulled out a thick book with no writing on its spine. It certainly stood out.

Unlike the other books, it had no title, and dust wasn’t piled on it either.

This meant someone had read it recently.

But it wasn’t Adam. The books Adam had read were usually strewn around his office, which I had scolded him about before.

So, it was likely that someone from the Demon King’s castle, like an Abraxas, had read it.

Or perhaps… the Demon King himself.

Of course, it was possible that Adam had read it and put it back.

‘Still, aside from not having a title, it doesn’t seem particularly strange.’

As I was flipping the book over in my hands, I heard a familiar voice from below.

“Eve.”

“Hello, Warrior!”

It’s the first time I’ve seen him from above—it’s fascinating.

It had been a while since Adam looked up at me.

In the game, Adam always seemed to gaze at the sky.

I think it was because he believed the gods would send their oracles from the heavens.

I always found it kind of cute.

‘If I reached out now, I could probably touch Adam’s hair.’

I stretched out one arm.

But before I could feel the soft touch of his silver hair, my body wobbled.

“Huh?”

“The ladder is dangerous, come down, Eve…!”

At that moment, I heard a cracking sound, and the rung of the ladder I was standing on broke.

Luckily, Adam, standing below, caught me as I fell. Awkwardly nestled in his arms, I gave him a sheepish thank you.

“Hehe, thank you.”

“Being with you, Eve, I’d need ten lives just to stay safe.”

I bowed politely and then quickly distanced myself from him.

‘Phew, I held it in.’

Adam seemed puzzled as I pushed away from him and fled, as though he were a stranger even though he had just saved me.

But I couldn’t help it.

Whether I was on the ladder or in Adam’s arms, it felt like if I reached out, I could touch his hair.

Without realizing it, I almost committed the offense of placing my hand on the head of the warrior I serve.

No, that wouldn’t be right. It really wouldn’t.

“There are many old, unused facilities in the Demon King’s castle. This ladder is one of them, so be careful when I’m not around.”

“Okay.”

So does that mean it’s fine when Adam is around because he’ll save me? Before I could ask, Adam spoke first.

“What’s that book?”

He pointed to the book I was holding.

“I just pulled it out because it seemed interesting! Do you want to read it, warrior?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Tch, I was going to tell him to let me know if it was good after he read it. I quickly followed closely behind Adam as he moved toward another bookshelf.

“Did you come to find a book too, warrior?”

“Yes. But it seems the one I want isn’t here.”

I opened my mouth slightly and looked around.

“There’s so much space here though.”

“Well, the former owner was the Demon King, so I thought perhaps what I’m looking for wouldn’t be here…”

If it’s not something the Demon King would have collected…

“Are you looking for something about the temple… or the warriors?”

“Yes, something like that.”

Then why did he have that expression? I rose onto my tiptoes and reached out toward the furrow in Adam’s brow.

Adam’s eyelashes fluttered, but he didn’t pull away.

“Oh, you’re frowning. If you keep doing that, it’ll become a habit.”

I answered before he could ask. He then rubbed the spot on his forehead where my hand had touched and muttered.

“Ah.”

“Are you thinking of going to the temple’s archive?”

“Well, I am a warrior, so eventually they’ll call for me first. I plan to go then. I don’t want to owe them anything.”

He frowned again, but Adam seemed unaware.

For some reason, it seemed like he really didn’t like the temple.

But for that to be true, there must be some reason behind it.

‘But in this timeline, we’ve had minimal contact with the temple?’

Since there weren’t many encounters, there hasn’t been any opportunity for conflict.

We didn’t even visit the imperial palace, and after Adam completed his growth, we headed straight for the Demon King’s castle.

‘Or maybe that’s the issue.’

By not making an impression or showing any devotion, the temple might have developed some grievances.

Adam, too, had little connection with the temple, so he didn’t seem to have any attachment to it.

Adam was strong and capable enough on his own that he didn’t need to ask the temple for help or maintain any sort of relationship with them.

“Does the temple maybe feel threatened by you, warrior?”

“Not yet.”

Adam responded as if it was no big deal.

‘Not yet?’

I gave him a pleading look, hoping he’d say more, but he remained silent.

When Adam got like this, it was impossible to dig deeper. But today, he’d already shared more than usual.

Does that mean he feels a bit more comfortable with me?

“But it’s nothing you need to worry about, Eve, so don’t concern yourself.”

Why does he always have to add those disheartening comments at the end!

I muttered silent words at the back of Adam’s quickly retreating head.

* * *

“Why does the warrior always distance himself from people like that? Can you tell me objectively from a third party’s perspective?”

After leaving the library, Eveline spotted her prey and dashed straight for him.

And thus, Abraxas, who had been sweeping the corridor with a broom, was forced to pause his work and listen to her vent her frustrations.

“I really don’t get it.”

It’s not like he lacks sociability or anything.

There’s no way our Adam could be like that.

Eveline sat down on the book she’d taken from the library and propped her chin on her hand.

Her shameless posture made Abraxas look at her incredulously.

But since it seemed to be something he’d been pondering as well, his response came quickly.

For a demon, one of the most enjoyable topics was gossiping about the warrior. Abraxas grinned widely and whispered in her ear.

“Usually, power and personality are inversely proportional.”

“Ah… I think I understand. I know someone like that too.”

Eveline nodded in agreement.

Yes, yes, I know all about that.

People—or demons—with inversely proportional personalities and abilities.

“Really? Then why are you looking at me when you say that?”

“Haha.”

Abraxas continued to prod, but Eveline just kept laughing.

‘But Adam has a good personality.’

If Adam didn’t have a good personality, he wouldn’t have bothered saving the world. He would have just stood by and watched as everything fell apart.

‘Let the world be damned,’ or something.

Oh, well, I did kind of force him to do it anyway.

But he didn’t even rebel when it came to killing the Demon King!