Chapter 20

 

Adam’s cryptic words left Abraxas looking puzzled.

However, Adam was not the kind to offer explanations. He released his rough grip on Abraxas’s collar and calmly walked out of the room.

Left alone, Abraxas massaged his neck.

If Adam had really used his full strength on him, he could have snapped his neck without even drawing his sword.

“Annoying… I didn’t even get to use my powers on the warrior. But could he really know about my abilities?”

Abraxas’s power involved using his voice and instruments to manipulate and bewitch people.

For fun, he often made those who entered the Demon King’s castle kill each other or drove them mad.

What he did to Eveline was just a small prank, merely bewitching her enough to get her to spill whatever information she had.

‘That’s why I pretended to get her drunk and even prepared two glasses of wine.’

But Adam, seeing Eveline in her dazed state, acted as if he had immediately detected Abraxas’s influence, grabbing him by the throat without hesitation.

It seemed as though Adam was ready to strangle him on the spot to stop him from speaking, just in case he tried any tricks.

Abraxas’s power could only be activated through his voice.

There was no way Adam should have known that.

‘Seriously, he’s strange.’

Unlike previous warriors, Adam approached the Demon King’s castle in a bizarre way.

Where past warriors would slay the beasts outside the castle to gain entry, Adam had snuck through a small hole in the wall, humiliating himself to avoid confrontation.

‘That’s why we only realized the warrior was here much later.’

Abraxas was certain that neither he nor the Demon King had expected the warrior to enter the castle alone, without any companions.

Moreover, there had been no confrontation between Abraxas, who usually guarded the main entrance with the beasts, and Adam.

By the time Abraxas had realized what was happening, Adam was already dragging the Demon King’s corpse out of the hall.

Not wanting to die, Abraxas immediately surrendered and made a vow to the troublesome warrior.

‘It still doesn’t make sense…’

How had he figured it out?

Even the vow itself was unnatural.

What kind of warrior makes a vow with a demon instead of killing them? It would have been easier to just kill me.

“Adam, no, the warrior is… really, really kind, you know? I’ve tried hundreds of times, but he hardly ever resists…”

‘Even that human says strange things sometimes.’

Eveline had fallen asleep, mumbling incoherently.

As a result, Abraxas’s plan to uncover the warrior’s weaknesses or past through her had failed.

“Well, there’s nothing I can do for now.”

At least, not until the great one returns.

The moonlight streaming through the cracks in the window illuminated Abraxas’s red eyes, which glowed with a sharp, dangerous light.

* * *

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

As soon as I woke up, I went straight to Adam’s office.

Unlike the usual times when he would be buried in books, searching for useful information, Adam was sitting at his pristine desk, waiting for me.

As if he had known I would come, he greeted me with a smile, his expression unchanged.

On a normal day, I might have been captivated by his beautiful, picture-perfect face, but right now, Adam looked scarier than a demon from the depths of hell.

The moment I saw his face, an apology slipped from my lips.

I didn’t remember exactly what I had done, but I knew for sure I had messed up somehow.

I couldn’t even look him directly in the eye, so I fixed my gaze on the wall.

The intricate patterns carved into the wall seemed very refined.

“…Was it the drinking?”

“And?”

“…”

Was there more?

I racked my brain as hard as I could.

“Did I… cause a scene?”

I vaguely recalled Adam’s face looking blurry, maybe because of the alcohol.

So, I cautiously offered the guess, and Adam smiled.

“That too. And?”

“I don’t know! Ugh!”

I slammed my forehead onto the floor. Well, I tried to, but Adam’s hand intervened before I hit the ground.

In the end, my forehead was safe, but Adam’s hand had collided with the floor, and it was turning red.

“I’m sorry for that too!”

How could I dare harm such a precious person?! But Adam waved it off, saying it was fine.

“Did you talk to him about anything?”

“Uhh…”

At Adam’s question, I clutched my aching head and thought hard.

After entering the room and hearing Abraxas whispering something, my memory went blank.

No matter how much I tried to recall, there didn’t seem to be anything strange I had said…

‘Besides, if I had said something odd, Abraxas wouldn’t be so quiet about it.’

Glancing at Adam, there didn’t seem to have been any conflict between them either.

“I don’t think I said anything special.”

Adam let out a sigh of relief.

“Thought so,” he muttered softly.

“No matter how friendly he acts toward you, don’t forget that Abraxas is a demon. He’s dangerous.”

“I’ll be careful…”

As harmless as Abraxas seemed, he was still a demon. I understood Adam’s concern.

But now that I thought about it, there was something odd Abraxas had said before my memory faded.

After leaving the room, I suddenly burst back in, forgetting the embarrassment of my previous behavior.

“But Warrior!”

“…”

Until I was met with the sight of the shirtless warrior.

Somehow, this felt familiar. Hadn’t this happened before?

The last time I barged into Adam’s room, I was greeted by the same sight: the gap in his shirt revealing his muscular chest as he was in the middle of changing clothes.

I froze, my eyes wide, unable to look away from the scene unfolding before me.

His tightly woven muscles captured my gaze. Normally, his loose shirts hid them from view, but now I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

His skin was covered in scars.

“Ah!”

Suddenly, a light blanket flew through the air, landing squarely on my face.

Only then did I come back to my senses, hurriedly pulling the blanket off and turning around as I shouted.

“I-I didn’t see anything!”

“You seemed to see plenty.”

“Well, that’s…”

I had seen everything. My vision, once that of an ordinary village girl, had somehow sharpened into an eagle’s, taking in every detail.

‘Be gone, foul thoughts.’

I shook my head vigorously, trying to dispel the lingering images in my mind.

Feeling embarrassed, I avoided his gaze and mumbled quietly.

“Maybe I didn’t? I mean, if you need help dressing, I can—”

“Eve…”

Adam didn’t say much more.

He just called my name while I stood there in a daze, completely entranced.

“Yes?”

I instinctively responded, not fully aware of what I was saying.

The moment our eyes met, his golden gaze snapped me back to reality.

It was more sobering than drinking several bottles of wine.

In that instant, Adam finished dressing and gently nudged me out of the room.

“Surely, you don’t want to see more? Something’s been odd with you lately.”

“Of course not!”

At his words, I bolted from the room.

Only after slamming the door behind me did I realize he had been teasing me, and I felt wronged.

‘Adam has changed!’

He didn’t used to enjoy teasing me like this! Is this some new way he’s invented to get rid of people?

I clutched my forehead as I walked away.

“Ugh…”

Whatever I had drunk last night, it was making my head throb.

Forcing my legs to move, I stepped outside. The late afternoon sun shone brightly, drying me out under its warmth.

“This hangover is brutal…”

But as soon as I thought about Adam’s body again, my face heated up.

‘No, stop thinking about it!’

It’s just the headache making me feel this way.

I sat down by the herb garden and pulled out a plant known for curing hangovers.

Since I hadn’t used any pesticides, I just brushed off the dirt and popped it into my mouth.

‘This feels more painful than a regular hangover. My stomach feels weird too.’

I sat there for a while, chewing on the herb absentmindedly. Potato, who had been wandering around the forest, noticed me and came trotting over, lying down next to me.

I offered him some of the herb, but after a few chews, he spat it out, disgusted by the bitterness. He even used his front paw to wipe his tongue clean.

“Sorry, I thought you were interested since you were staring at me.”

He had been watching me so closely, I assumed he was curious. But now, Potato simply glanced over me, then laid his head back down on the ground.

Just then, I heard familiar footsteps approaching.