Chapter 36
‘And yet I can’t even touch it!’
The ring hanging around that brat’s neck was unmistakably one Ahern knew well.
At first, he had wondered why that annoying divine power seemed to emanate from a dim-witted maid.
Even a brief contact with it had been enough to scorch his hand bright red, such was its strong repelling force.
‘Could she be a priestess?’
Maybe she was that Meriel or Marian or whoever, the one rumored to be a candidate for the next High Priestess.
But Ahern’s eyes widened as they fell on the holy relic hanging from her neck.
Wasn’t it the very artifact said to be as particular in choosing its master as the first Saintess herself?
‘That Saintess… Even in death, she’s a thorn in my side.’
It was undoubtedly the ring once belonging to the first Saintess, Aria.
The one she had passed down to her clingy little priest… or rather, one of the pair exchanged with the first hero.
In the end, as long as the sturdy holy relic protected the warrior’s hostage, Ahern couldn’t act rashly.
So, he resorted to his next-best strategy: persuasion.
‘Seduction, then.’
Ahern was confident in his looks.
A sharp jawline, glossy black hair—though his pallor betrayed his incomplete recovery, it was still striking. Objectively, even he could admit his face had its charm.
Surely, the only reason a socially inept warrior could have wooed her must have been his handsome face.
Without a shadow of doubt, Ahern moved to phase two of his plan.
“Am I not good-looking?”
“Yes.”
“…”
And then he was met with a gaze that regarded him as less than a bug.
Eveline wondered what absurdity he’d say next as he approached her. The answer left her wanting to scrub her ears clean.
‘If we’re talking good looks, the warrior is far more handsome.’
Apologies, but Ahern wasn’t her type at all.
His nonsensical rambling, his excessive confidence despite his deranged demeanor—it all strayed far from what she considered appealing.
Even if his face was on the better side, his habit of fiddling nervously with his short hair only made him seem more pitiful.
And his dull, gray eyes? They couldn’t even hold a candle to Adam’s brilliant golden ones.
“Ahem, ahem! Right. Appearance isn’t everything!”
“Yes.”
Her curt reply struck Ahern like another wound.
‘A pathetic human dares to…!’
This weak mortal, who would die with a mere touch of his recovered power, dared to insult him.
But in his current state, Ahern couldn’t so much as land a finger on her without using all his strength—and even then, victory was uncertain.
So, forcing a grin, he tried again.
“Even so, warrior’s maid, don’t you think we should have a conversation?”
“No.”
Once again, a quick response. That blasted warrior must have taught her only “yes” and “no.”
Suppressing his boiling frustration, Ahern pressed on.
“Still, you’ll have to talk to me eventually.”
“Why?”
Unable to hold back, Eveline finally responded.
Seizing the chance, Ahern shouted triumphantly.
“Because I’m the warrior’s friend!”
“Oh, really….”
Eveline’s face crumpled further at his words.
Why, why?!
The more Ahern spoke, the more disinterested the small human appeared, her expression turning into something akin to watching a peddler plying his wares.
And in fact, that was precisely how she felt.
Eveline inwardly scoffed, catching the all-too-familiar tactics of someone trying to bait her into a sales pitch before revealing their true intentions.
‘Friend? What a joke.’
Adam doesn’t have friends!
He doesn’t even have companions.
In this lifetime, she hadn’t bothered to create any for him. Judging from his interaction with Meriel at the temple last time, it was clear he wasn’t cut out for building friendships.
And now this fraud claimed to be a friend of the warrior? Laughable.
But the self-proclaimed “friend” of the warrior pressed on stubbornly.
“Anyway, as the warrior’s friend, I have some good information for you… He loves traveling!”
“No, not at all.”
Her expression grew even more disdainful, fully resembling someone addressing a street vendor.
“Come now, wandering across the continent, helping poor souls in need—what could be more inspiring for a warrior?”
“The warrior…”
Eveline carefully chose her words.
She wouldn’t normally share such things, but this man seemed so profoundly ignorant about Adam that it felt safe.
“He just wants to live a normal life.”
That was all Adam ever wished for.
[Your warrior responds with a smile.]
[Your warrior says he simply wants to live an ordinary life in an ordinary village and die peacefully.]
She remembered asking him once what he’d do after defeating the Demon King and bringing about a world without warriors.
It must have been in the early stages… Perhaps the fifth round? She’d asked countless questions, trying to keep him alive longer after his repeated sudden deaths.
She hadn’t asked again since.
“Anyway, what’s clear is that, unlike what you, a fraud, seem to think, the warrior has a kind and gentle heart. He helps others not to feel superior but because it’s the right thing to do.”
Adam didn’t help others out of a need to bolster his self-esteem. He did it because no one else would, weighed down by a sense of responsibility.
Thinking of Adam, her heart felt heavy.
But Ahern didn’t leave her to her thoughts.
‘Why does he keep poking me with a stick?’
Not even touching her directly, but lightly prodding with a thin branch, irritatingly enough that it was hard to get genuinely angry.
If she lost her temper and chased this stranger out of the village, she’d risk losing access to his shop’s goods. Considering how many items she received from him, Eveline chose to endure.
“The warrior seems so pitiful, stuck in the Demon King’s castle. Why not take him to some fun places in the capital?”
“He went out last week.”
He’d spent several days loitering at the temple. This man didn’t know anything.
Expecting better from a fraud was a mistake.
“What?!”
Ahern almost grabbed his neck in frustration.
Last week—that was when he’d been roughed up by a drunkard and spent days nursing his injuries.
‘Wasting such a precious opportunity!’
Once he regained his strength, he’d have to deal with that drunkard first.
Grinding his teeth, Ahern suppressed the urge to burn down the entire village.
He needed to grab hold of the warrior’s lifeline. Sneaking into the Demon King’s castle without the warrior noticing was urgent. Though his loyal subordinates hadn’t contacted him, he could faintly sense they were still alive.
Even in his weakened state.
Forcing his expression back to calm, Ahern spoke again.
“In that case, why don’t I introduce the warrior to some truly excellent items I have?”
“Oh, so you’re not just weird; you’re a merchant!”
“Yes! Exactly!”
Ahern felt triumphant, thinking he’d finally made progress as Eveline smiled back at him.
“I’m not buying.”
Her curt rejection wiped the smile off his face.
“…”
Where did this merchant think he was selling his goods?
Their warrior didn’t understand the ways of the world and would undoubtedly hand over everything—heart and soul—to a swindler.
‘I’ll protect Adam myself!’
This peddler had spotted her connection to the warrior the moment they met and shamelessly demanded to be introduced.
Whatever his intentions, they smelled fishy.
Feeling she’d humored him enough, Eveline confirmed his insignificance and stood to leave.
Claiming to be the warrior’s friend, yet spouting nothing but lies.
Relieved, Eveline rose to her feet.
But Ahern murmured something in a low voice.
“The warrior must be searching for something… and time is running out.”
Eveline froze mid-step.
The rest of his words had been empty nonsense.
But this—this wasn’t something she could ignore.
The Demon King’s library, where she sought the help of a priestess for answers.
How did this peddler know that Adam was searching for information about the Demon King?
“How do you know that?”
“As I said earlier, I’m the warrior’s friend.”
“…”
“So why not take me to him?”
Ahern’s smile turned sickeningly sweet.
