Chapter 27

Honestly, Eveline hadn’t expected it to be this grand.

How sacred could a stone statue really be?

Having grown up as an ordinary person who had never truly felt divine energy, she had always been skeptical.

‘Now I understand what they mean by feeling something sacred.’

The face of the god was left veiled, as it was forbidden for humans to carve it. Instead, they had sculpted a flowing veil over the figure, and it was so masterfully done that it was hard to believe it was made of stone.

At first glance, the god seemed to be draped in real fabric, and this new impression left Eveline in awe.

‘Is this how Adam imagined the god that gave him the prophecy?’

He was just a seasoned player in a dying game, after all.

The priest beside her explained that the reason it was forbidden to carve the god’s face in detail was to prevent confusion when the god descended to the mortal realm.

As she listened to the priest’s explanation, Eveline nodded thoughtfully.

‘Maybe it’s for the best, considering I was reincarnated into an extra in a game.’

And an extra with no special abilities at that.

If only she had been given back the powers to receive the prophecies like Adam had.

As she listened, Eveline’s gaze drifted to the red cushion beneath the white statue.

“What’s that beneath it…?” she asked.

The High Priest, as if expecting her question, answered calmly.

“That is a sacred relic, said to have been left behind by someone who appeared during the founding of the empire. It’s used to select the hero, as ordinary people cannot touch it.”

“Are there impostor heroes?” Eveline asked, surprised.

The High Priest chuckled. “Oh yes, of course. Especially in times of peace, before a new Demon King arises, impostors claiming to be heroes are more common. But if they cannot touch the sacred relic, it proves they are neither chosen by the god nor truly awakened as heroes. It’s an easy way to filter out the fakes.”

“I see.”

Adam, as a chosen hero, had never once been rejected by the relic.

‘But why did he return the relic to the temple?’

The sole relic was meant to remain with the hero as long as they were alive. If the hero died, the priests would retrieve it.

So why had Adam, still alive, relinquished his right to it?

“You may take a closer look if you wish.”

One of the priests offered.

“Really?”

Eveline asked, excited.

Perhaps feeling sorry for her as she strained on her tiptoes to see, the priest readily allowed it.

“We don’t worry about theft. The doors are always left open since no one can steal it.”

‘How strange.’

Even though the relic could not be touched by anyone unchosen, it was still a symbol of the temple, and no one would have objected if they kept it locked away.

Eveline started up the steps toward the relic but paused to glance back.

Adam was busy talking with the High Priest, who wore a sly smile, while Adam looked weary.

It seemed like a continuation of the conversation they’d had the day before.

‘Could the High Priest be someone trying to kill the hero?’

Shaking her head to dispel the thought, Eveline continued her ascent.

On the red cushion sat a small silver ring, likely a woman’s, given its delicate size. For some reason, it looked familiar.

Inside the band, there were tiny engraved letters.

Eveline squinted, stepping closer to get a better look.

“Huh…?”

At that moment, she let out a dumbfounded sound.

As if it truly were a sacred object, the ring began to float into the air on its own.

When it rose to eye level with her, Eveline stood frozen in disbelief.

Eveline called out to the priest below.

“Does this thing usually move on its own—”

Before she could finish, a sudden flash of light enveloped her in an instant.

Adam only noticed what was happening when she disappeared without a trace, swallowed by the light.

“Damn it, Eve!”

With a desperate shout, Adam rushed toward where she had been standing, but he was thrown back by an invisible barrier.

“…!”

Stunned, he raised his hand to feel the air. It was an ordinary space, yet something was blocking him.

Adam’s gaze grew sharp.

He even unsheathed the sacred sword he hadn’t drawn since slaying the Demon King, attempting to cut through the obstruction, but it was futile.

“Eve!”

Adam bit his lip.

The sacred sword was deflected by something unseen. It wasn’t dark magic or anything malevolent.

‘And this… feels like *that* moment…’

Adam knew this situation all too well.

A moment from long ago, before he had awakened as a hero.

* * *

“Can’t you see me, warrior?”

The next thing Eveline knew, she found herself in this bizarre situation, surrounded by a brilliant white light.

She reached out her hand, touching the air around her. Something was there, solid under her fingers, but no one outside seemed to feel it.

Eveline placed her hand against the barrier where Adam had struck it with his fist.

There was no sensation of warmth or touch. It was as if a thin sheet of paper separated their worlds completely.

“Adam, you idiot.” she muttered softly.

Still, there was no response.

“Hmm, I guess he really can’t hear me.”

From her vantage point, she could hear everything. The voices outside were somewhat muffled, as though she were underwater, but they were clear enough.

‘But more important is this…’

Eveline’s attention shifted to the floating screen before her, a message window—an interface used for prophecies.

[Synchronization with the “Window Connecting Two Worlds” is beginning.]

[To cancel, say ‘Cancel.’]

Synchronization was starting…

The sacred relic she had been holding was gone.

Eveline patted herself down, searching her body like a raccoon washing cotton candy in water, but it was nowhere to be found.

[Synchronization complete.]

It seemed that the relic had vanished as it created this strange connection between two worlds.

The thought of explaining all this later already made her head hurt.

“The temple’s sacred relic disappeared in a flash of light”? That excuse would surely brand her as a thief.

“There’s no way out of this,” she mumbled without realizing it.

[Your God laments deeply over your current predicament.]

“…God?”

Outside, Adam’s frantic struggle stopped.

The priests around him were astonished at his muttered words.

“Oho! Hero, is it a prophecy?”

“Was that light a sign of something?”

“Has the sacred relic responded with a divine message?”

“Be quiet!”

Adam bellowed.

The unfamiliar sound of his anger silenced the room in an instant.

But Adam had no attention to spare for such trivial matters.

He didn’t know how long this connection would last with *that being*.

He wanted to speak as much as possible, even if it would be the last time.

“Can you hear me?” he called out.

[Your God responds, saying, “Yes, I can hear you perfectly well.]

‘Of course you can hear me. We’re practically within a step of each other.’

 

[Your God affirms this.]

‘I didn’t even say that yet!’

 

[Your God retracts the previous statement.]

 

‘Wait a second!’

Is this thing reflecting my thoughts in real time? Couldn’t it filter some of this out?

‘Cancel synchronization! Cancel!’

 

[Synchronization canceled.]

 

While Eveline was busy worrying about how to deal with the messages being sent without her control, Adam, in contrast, had become more composed.

The tension in his shoulders released with a soft sigh.

‘That’s more like my God.’

Unlike the perfect and compassionate gods written about in ancient texts, his god was… different.

[Your God apologizes for feeling lost along the way.]

 

They weren’t perfect,

 

[Your God mentions that it’s only fair to take spoils after defeating a group of bandits.]

and they weren’t particularly merciful either.

The fog clouding Adam’s thoughts finally cleared.

Now, he could assess the situation more calmly than before.

The sacred relic had gone berserk, and Eveline had been caught up in it.

Judging by the priests’ panic, this wasn’t some trap set by an enemy.

‘Then something really must have gone wrong with the relic…’

Was the brief communication with the god a side effect of that?

Adam began piecing his memories together.

The sacred relic had been dormant until it suddenly started glowing when Eveline approached it.

And the moment she touched it, a strange barrier separated her from the rest of them.

It reminded him of that day—the day he awakened as a hero.

Adam unconsciously clutched his left arm.

Back then, senseless violence had rained down on the young him, and suddenly, an unbridgeable gap had formed between him and the world.

Outside, his parents had screamed, but they couldn’t harm him.

 

{Your God offers you a choice.}