Chapter 23

On the shoulder of the knight’s gray pauldrons was the same temple emblem as the one engraved on the carriage.

It was clear—this man was a knight of the temple.

A simple coachman wouldn’t bear such a mark.

‘But why is a holy knight personally driving the carriage? Where did the coachman go?’

Wanting to act properly as a maid serving the warrior, I stepped forward to greet him before Adam could.

“Nice to meet you. I’m the maid serving the warrior.”

“Oh! Nice to meet you too. I am Ahwen, a devoted knight of the Azure Sky Temple.”

He reached out his hand enthusiastically.

Was he asking for a handshake? I hesitantly extended my hand, but Adam’s arm intercepted, blocking it.

“Oh, and greetings to you too, Warrior! I’ve heard stories about you, but seeing you in person is something else. That must be the holy sword at your waist?”

“Yes.”

“….”

Adam responded curtly.

Ahwen, who had been as energetic as a big, friendly retriever, suddenly looked confused at Adam’s cold reaction. He glanced at me, bewildered.

‘Is the warrior in a bad mood today?’

‘I… I’m not sure!’

We communicated through our eyes.

It didn’t seem to be solely because of the nightmare this morning. Every time the temple was mentioned, Adam’s mood soured.

But telling a knight of the temple that wasn’t appropriate, so I quickly changed the subject.

“Do holy knights normally drive carriages?”

Of course, the answer was no.

Ahwen shook his head vigorously, then raised his voice dramatically, as if on a mission.

His previously dejected expression vanished, and his eyes sparkled once again.

“Well, this is the warrior we’re talking about! I’ve heard so many stories about his feats but never had the honor to meet him in person. I couldn’t miss such a glorious opportunity!”

I nodded in understanding.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve kept the temple at arm’s length in this timeline. Even when I visited, I only collected items and left. I even ignored the high priest’s request to stay another day.’

It seemed that had sparked the temple’s desperate efforts to woo the warrior.

After all, a warrior who could hear the voice of God (which, of course, was me) had appeared after decades, but instead of visiting the temple, he only came to resolve issues.

Even after killing the Demon King, he didn’t return to the temple or the imperial palace to receive recognition for his deeds, choosing to stay at the Demon King’s castle instead…

‘If I were them, I’d send a carriage this grand to meet him too, just to show how much I value him.’

It was a gesture to say, ‘Look how precious you are to us!’

Ahwen’s mouth, once opened, seemed unable to close. Like an excited child eager to show off, he began to rattle off all sorts of things, many of which were unsolicited.

“And let me tell you, I won! After an intense competition, I came out victorious.”

“Did you kill them?”

I whispered to Adam, covering my mouth so the knight wouldn’t see.

He looked at me with wide, doe-like eyes and recoiled in shock.

“This young lady has some terrifying ideas! No, it was a fair and honorable contest. We settled it with a match of rock-paper-scissors. It was quite the spectacle.”

He went on and on about how thrilling and legendary the rock-paper-scissors match was, and I, naturally, let his words go in one ear and out the other.

With so many people who admired the warrior, why did he stay cooped up in this barren Demon King’s castle?

‘It seems my redevelopment plans for the capital’s prime land appeal to him.’

I casually concluded and scurried over to Adam. Covering my mouth like before, I whispered.

“He doesn’t seem like an enemy!”

“Well, he shouldn’t be. What do you think would happen if the temple raised a blade against the warrior?”

“…The temple would be smashed to pieces?”

I mean, you’re the protagonist after all.

“Who knows? I can’t even hear the voice of God anymore.”

Adam’s voice carried a hint of bitterness, despite the casual tone in which he spoke.

Though the words were said lightly, they held weight.

I glanced at Ahwen, hoping he hadn’t overheard what Adam said.

‘Now that I think about it, this must be so frustrating for the warrior.’

With me, the player, having been pulled into the game world, the entity that once communicated divine oracles to Adam had disappeared.

The warrior, revered for hearing the voice of God, no longer had that connection.

Now, Adam was nothing more than a hollow title—a warrior without the voice of God.

If this fact were discovered, the worst-case scenario could be dire… possibly even execution by fire for blasphemy.

‘No, no way. He’s the warrior who killed the Demon King, after all!’

But if the world worked solely on merit, there would be no such thing as betrayal.

Like hunting dogs that are discarded once they’ve served their purpose, Adam, with neither powerful backing nor influence, could indeed find himself in a precarious position.

If the temple, which sent this grand carriage to flaunt its authority, discovered that he no longer heard God’s voice, they would undoubtedly change their attitude toward him.

‘I need to keep a close eye on how the temple behaves…’

A new objective for this trip to the temple had emerged.

I clenched my fists in determination.

* * *

Despite my resolve, I fell asleep in the carriage on the way to the temple. I was awoken by a voice calling my name.

“Eve.”

“…!”

Waking up to Adam’s face right in front of me was… a bit dangerous.

Still groggy, I rubbed my eyes, his face looking unusually clear amidst my sleepy state.

Was this the effect of his beauty?

“Did I fall asleep?”

Ah, my voice was a little hoarse.

As I cleared my throat, Adam smiled mischievously.

“Yes, you did. You were sleeping soundly, even after we arrived at the temple.”

“We’re already here?!”

Indeed, I couldn’t feel the carriage moving anymore.

Outside, I could hear murmuring voices.

Since the carriage didn’t have windows, following temple regulations, I had gotten bored and ended up falling asleep.

“Shall we wake the sleeping princess?”

“Are you still trying to embarrass me into leaving?”

Adam had already stepped out of the carriage and didn’t answer, instead extending his hand to help me down.

I was about to take his hand when a sudden clatter and the voice of Ahwen, the holy knight, interrupted.

“Warrior! Allow me to assist.”

“No, it’s fine. I can handle this.”

Ignoring the offer, Adam gently took my hand, still hovering in the air, and helped me down from the carriage.

“Wow…”

As I stepped out of the cramped carriage and took in the sight of the temple, I couldn’t help but be impressed.

The pure white temple, with its unique architecture, was just as I had imagined.

‘I didn’t expect to see it again.’

I felt a sense of awe, much like when I first entered the Demon King’s castle. Even though I had been pulled into this game world, moments like these still amazed me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a familiar building.

“That’s the place…”

It was the temple’s grand chapel, home to a massive statue representing the image of God—a place that all warriors were required to visit when coming to the temple.

But, of course, someone like me, who had lived in a small village, shouldn’t have known about such things.

Realizing my slip, I quickly lowered my hand, hoping no one had noticed.

‘Hopefully, no one saw that.’

I couldn’t afford to raise suspicion by acting like I knew too much.

Better to act as though I didn’t know anything.

However, Adam’s sharp eyes seemed to catch everything. He narrowed his gaze slightly as he watched me move so confidently through the temple grounds.

“Have you been to the temple before?”

“…No? How could I? I lived in a small village. There’s no way I could’ve visited the temple.”

I felt a chill down my spine as I gripped Adam’s hand tighter.

‘I have to be more careful. Seeing everything from the game world in real life is just too exciting…’

It would be safer to stick close to Adam and only follow his lead. While it was normal for a warrior to move freely through the temple, a common maid wouldn’t have the same privilege.

“Eve?”

Adam called out, puzzled, when I suddenly fell back into step beside him, no longer eagerly running ahead to explore the temple.

“Warrior, we’ve been expecting you.”

Several priests stood lined up, waiting for him. All except for one elderly priest at the front had their heads bowed.

They wore the white robes of temple priests, embroidered with golden thread, giving them an aura of sanctity.

I slowly shifted my gaze to the elderly priest standing at the forefront, who seemed to be in charge.