Chapter 32

“I hear it.”

“…! What sound do you hear?”

“The sound of the warrior’s endless nagging.”

“….”

Come on, I’m the one who gave you the divine prophecy; of course, I can hear it.

But she couldn’t tell him the truth, nor could she keep ignoring Adam. It left her in a tough spot, unable to predict his thoughts.

‘Should I just… synchronize?’

The thought flitted through her mind, but she quickly shook her head.

‘But if Adam realizes what I’m doing, it’d be dangerous. After all, I put him through a lot.’

Driven by a desire to reach the hidden route’s ending, Eveline had pushed Adam to do the work of several companions on his own, denying him even a single day off. She was convinced that if he sought out the god, it was surely for revenge.

“The priests have been taking good care of me, blessing me with divine power, so I’m absolutely fine. I don’t even have a faint ringing in my ears.”

“…I see.”

Adam’s voice sounded genuinely disappointed, and Eveline took the chance to sidle closer.

“So, when are we going back?”

“We’ll return tomorrow. I thought things might be different in the temple, but it seems that’s not the case.”

“Yay! That means I’ll finally get to eat Ben’s cooking! I’m so sick of the temple food—it’s nothing but greens.”

As Eveline raised her arms in celebration, Adam chuckled softly and picked up his pace.

“Actually, the temple doesn’t only serve greens. While vegetarian meals are encouraged, meat isn’t exactly forbidden.”

“What?! Then why was my plate…”

…only filled with vegetables?!

“Call it a minor punishment.”

“What? I didn’t catch that, warrior?”

Did he just say something about a punishment? Surely, I misheard.

But by the time she thought to ask him, Adam was already far ahead, a mere dot in the distance. She shook off her questions and returned to her room, intending to pack her belongings for their return to the Demon King’s castle.

“Wait…?”

Something caught her eye—a man she hadn’t seen before in the temple. Unlike the usual white robes, this man was dressed lavishly in gold, as if he were trying to rival the sun itself, striding boldly through the temple’s halls.

Two priests followed behind him, clearly flustered. They were torn, unable to stop him but also reluctant to let him roam freely.

“I hear the commoner warrior is here in the temple!” he shouted.

Quite the loud voice. In the quiet, serene temple, this intruder acted as if he owned the place, his voice booming through the halls.

“Hey, kid.”

Oh no. Whoever he was, he seemed unpleasant, and the poor kid he was addressing had her pity. She shook her head, silently sending her condolences.

“Hey! Are you ignoring me? Yeah, you—the kid.”

“…Uh… me?” Eveline looked down at herself. Ah, right. She was wearing the novice priest’s robes she’d been borrowing during her stay here, since there was nothing else that fit.

The two priests following the noble paled as they recognized her.

After a brief hesitation, Eveline approached him quickly.

“Yes, milord?”

“Judging by your robes, you’re a novice priest. Go fetch the warrior and bring him here. I’d do it myself, but these so-called priests, so reverent in their service, refuse to go themselves. But surely you wouldn’t defy me, given you’re just a novice.”

The priest she glanced at from behind the noble mouthed an apology with his entire body. Whoever this noble was, it seemed they’d gone to great lengths to keep him from encountering the warrior.

“Understood, milord.”

Eveline decided to play along. The noble looked like trouble, and it wouldn’t do to let him aggravate Adam unnecessarily.

“I’ll go find the warrior right away.”

With a polite bow, she turned to leave.

One of the priests pulled on her sleeve when the noble had his back turned. “Pretend to head to the warrior but actually go to the High Priest. He’ll help you.”

Eveline nodded slightly without responding.

The priest, perhaps still feeling guilty, kept bowing apologetically until the noble glanced back, and he quickly resumed a neutral expression.

‘Thanks, but… how am I supposed to know where the High Priest is?’

Wearing priestly robes didn’t make her an actual priest. The unfamiliar garb felt heavy on her shoulders.

‘I’ll just wander around and ask another priest when I see one.’

But somehow, she felt this was only the beginning of trouble.

‘The High Priest is always trailing after Adam, so if I find Adam, maybe I can find him, too.’

Adam had a knack for slipping away, maneuvering around the temple as if he’d memorized its layout. But Eveline knew the temple’s hidden passages even better than Adam, having explored it across numerous cycles. In all likelihood, she knew the place better than him by now.

Determined, she set off to find Adam.

To her surprise, she found him outside, lingering near the building’s entrance. He wasn’t there when she’d left earlier, but he turned as soon as he spotted her approaching.

“Eve, where have you been?”

“Warrior!”

She ran up to him, intending to ask for his help.

“Weren’t you supposed to be packing? Why are you here?”

“Well…”

Just as Eveline opened her mouth to explain what had happened earlier, an intruding voice cut in.

“Oh, so my instincts were right.”

“…”

Adam’s face visibly twisted in annoyance at the interruption.

Eveline quickly turned to see who it was that managed to provoke such a reaction. Adam, who usually regarded everyone equally—more like dust on the ground—actually had someone he openly disliked.

It was the nobleman she’d seen earlier, the one causing the priests so much distress.

“Been a while, hasn’t it?” the man sneered.

…Who is this guy, exactly?

“Didn’t I tell you not to follow strangers, Eve?” Adam muttered, ignoring the man entirely and addressing her instead.

“I didn’t follow him. He followed me,” she retorted, a bit exasperated by his strict tone.

How was she supposed to know that a nobleman would tail a novice priest?

The noble, however, wasn’t one to back down, even after being blatantly ignored. He pressed on, his voice dripping with provocation.

“You can ignore me now, but don’t forget that I can find you anytime.”

Adam sighed heavily, his distaste evident. It was unusual—normally, he’d mask his feelings, smiling politely even when dealing with people he disliked. But with this man, Adam made no effort to hide his displeasure.

Deciding it was best not to get involved, Eveline took a small step back, planning to watch from a safe distance.

“Greetings to the illustrious Crown Prince of the Empire. Is there some business you have with me that warranted such an esteemed visit?”

“Do you really not know?”

“I don’t, Your Highness. As a humble knight affiliated with the temple, I don’t understand what brings the Crown Prince here on my account.”

Adam’s expression was one of genuine confusion, though Eveline knew from his earlier sigh that he was far from oblivious. The feigned innocence was a bit too much, even for her.

Finally, the noble—no, the Crown Prince—lost his composure.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know…” he started, but then bit his lip, clearly holding something back. Adam’s indifferent face only seemed to irritate him further.

“Me? I’m just a lowly commoner knight, fortunate enough to be chosen by the gods. I really can’t fathom the profound thoughts of His Highness,” Adam replied with a mocking smile.

“Enough!” the prince snapped, reaching out to grab Adam by the collar, only for Adam to slap his hand away with irritation.

“Still, as the Crown Prince, shouldn’t you show restraint inside the temple?”

“Shut up,” the prince growled.

“Unlike some, I’m not one to raise my voice in the temple. So, when Your Highness speaks of noise, I assume he’s referring to himself, yes?”

Adam wasn’t usually one for long speeches, but here he was, calmly dismantling the prince’s arrogance, sentence by sentence. Even Eveline found herself gaping in surprise at this new side of him.

The prince, visibly frustrated, glanced around as if searching for something—or someone—to vent his anger on.

“What are you looking at?” he snapped, and his gaze landed right on Eveline, who had been standing quietly off to the side.