Chapter 24

‘As expected, that must be…’

Although the high priest wore the same white robes as the other priests, his garment was adorned with several golden stripes, and he was flanked by other priests, following closely behind him.

He was clearly a high-ranking figure.

The moment he spotted Adam, his expression softened, and he walked toward Adam with a warm smile, the lines around his mouth deepening.

Adam noticed him and bowed his head.

“High Priest.”

“Warrior, I’ve told you many times that you can speak freely with me.”

“I prefer not to, thank you.”

Adam’s formal tone and polite distance relaxed me a little, despite my earlier suspicion that he had some sort of bad history with the temple.

It didn’t seem like they had any ill will toward each other, and the other priests were also struggling to contain their excitement at seeing the warrior. Though they kept their heads bowed, I could tell from their sneaky glances that they were eager to get a look at him.

“But my visit isn’t worth troubling you to come personally, High Priest. I’m grateful for the invitation to the temple.”

“Haha, we’re all connected by fate. Warriors and priests, all gathered under God’s will.”

The High Priest skillfully grouped Adam with them, as if they were all part of the same team. Adam just smiled politely in response.

Seeing this, the High Priest chuckled warmly and turned to the other priests behind him.

“But if the warrior finds this uncomfortable, I can assign you some priests to accompany you. Feel free to choose anyone you like.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Adam bowed his head again.

Everything seemed to be going according to plan, and I was starting to feel relieved when the High Priest suddenly noticed me.

Our eyes met, and I instinctively tensed.

‘Uh-oh.’

The High Priest smiled and called out to me.

“Would the warrior’s companion please join us as well?”

“Huh?”

Me? I pointed to myself, silently questioning him with my eyes.

The High Priest slowly nodded in confirmation.

“I…”

“Yes, Eve should explore the temple since it’s her first time here,” Adam chimed in, smiling, though his tone was a bit sluggish, as if he found the situation bothersome.

“I’ll take care of some matters with the other priests.”

With that, Adam pointed out a few of the younger priests and walked away, leaving me with the High Priest.

‘He just dumped the High Priest on me because he couldn’t be bothered!’

The High Priest, chuckling, approached me with a friendly demeanor.

He’s definitely heading to the temple’s grand library! And he’s leaving me with the High Priest!

But knowing that Adam had stayed up all night reading, I couldn’t exactly stop him.

‘He must be stressed out, which is probably why he had that nightmare. I can’t burden him any further.’

So, I reluctantly walked alongside the High Priest, who dismissed the following priests and personally began guiding me around the temple gardens.

Given his high status, it was strange for him to handle such tasks directly, so I suspected he had some ulterior motive.

‘Still, he’s been smiling like a sly fox this whole time. I can’t tell what he’s thinking.’

At first, I thought he was simply a kind old man being generous to the warrior, but seeing Adam’s reaction made me doubt that.

“That over there is the chapel. It’s a good place to visit after the warrior finishes his duties.”

“Okay.”

The High Priest, still maintaining his gentle and grandfatherly demeanor, continued giving me a tour of the temple, explaining its long history and walking leisurely through the gardens.

It wasn’t until much later, after exhausting me with a detailed explanation of all the temple’s relics, that the High Priest finally asked me something.

“And how do you feel? Wouldn’t you like to live in the temple?”

He leaned in and whispered in a conspiratorial tone, an enigmatic smile on his face.

‘Huh?’

I raised an eyebrow, wondering why he was asking me such a question instead of Adam, but then it clicked.

‘He’s tried to convince Adam before, but since that hasn’t worked, now he’s trying to entice me.’

Even if I stayed in the temple, there was no chance Adam would follow me here.

The High Priest had definitely grasped the wrong idea.

Evelean smiled, mimicking the way the High Priest had spoken earlier, lowering her voice as though sharing a secret.

“If the warrior were to live here, I might consider staying. It’s truly a magnificent place.”

“Then perhaps…”

“But if the warrior doesn’t want to, neither do I.”

Before he could say more, Eveline cut him off.

It was clear that he intended to use her as leverage, a good strategy but with a fundamental flaw.

She had no desire to force Adam into anything he disliked. Seeing him shoulder the burden of guarding the Demon King’s castle alone had solidified that for her.

Eveline had no intention of making choices that could drastically affect someone else’s life.

‘No matter what happens, I’m on Adam’s side.’

Which meant that anyone Adam disliked, she too would dislike.

“Adam is the type who won’t outright say he dislikes something, so I suppose I have to do it for him, don’t I?”

“Hoho…”

The High Priest let out a hollow laugh.

“You seem to know him better than I do.”

“Maybe.”

The warrior she knew from the game was not exactly the same as the one she’d met in reality.

And the High Priest’s view of Adam might be entirely different from hers.

But at the core, Adam was still the same—irreplaceable.

“I think the warrior you know and the one I know aren’t too different. But as I said, if it’s something he dislikes, I don’t want to force it.”

“With someone so firm standing by his side, I can rest easy,” the High Priest chuckled.

“I’ve always been worried about him. The title of warrior brings great glory, but it also comes with the weight of risking one’s life.”

His face softened, as if recalling old memories, the wrinkles around his eyes deepening.

“But I couldn’t dissuade him. That glory was something he needed.”

As Eveline listened, it became clear that the High Priest spoke as if he’d known Adam for a long time.

‘That can’t be right…’

Eveline, having lived in a small village, had never encountered a priest, let alone visited the temple. The number of priests was small, and after the large-scale purge of heretical priests a few years ago, they had become even more reclusive under the High Priest’s leadership.

A common person like Adam, raised in a farming village, should’ve had no connection to them either.

‘Unless they’re setting the stage to manipulate him?’

For some reason, the temple and the royal family didn’t seem to get along well.

Perhaps they intended to use Adam to weaken the royal authority and strengthen the influence of the temple, elevating the temple’s status in the Holy Empire.

This made it more likely that Adam was avoiding the High Priest, who clearly had other intentions.

‘The pieces are coming together.’

It was clear—the High Priest was the culprit!

‘I’ll protect our warrior.’

Eveline’s eyes narrowed in determination.

She couldn’t allow the High Priest to exploit Adam.

Her stay at the temple now felt meaningless. Surely, Adam was currently surrounded by priests with no allies to back him up, likely facing an uncomfortable situation.

The thought of it made her want to return to him immediately.

“Shall we return to the warrior?”

“Yes, let’s.”

With a gaze full of suspicion and wariness, Eveline glared at the High Priest’s back.

But the High Priest seemed oblivious, letting out yet another amused chuckle.

* * *

The High Priest, despite his gentle demeanor, did not let Eveline go so easily.

She had begun to silently curse the endless expanse of the temple gardens when Adam finally appeared, allowing her to escape from the High Priest’s company.

Upon seeing Adam, her face lit up, and after bowing to the High Priest, she quickly ran to him and grabbed his arm.

She led him to a nearby secluded temple building, where she finally spoke.

“Warrior, warrior.”

“Yes, Eve?”

“I figured it out.”

Adam tilted his head slightly, as if puzzled by what she meant.

With a gesture, she beckoned him to lower his head, and when he complied, she whispered into his ear.

“The High Priest is the culprit, right?”

The truth is always one!

She grinned, as though she had just solved a great mystery like a famous detective.