Chapter 47

Though an arrow had pierced his abdomen, Adam managed to roll to the ground without falling from his horse or suffering further injury.

But could he stand a chance against someone armed with a bow? Before he could even approach, he’d be struck down by another barrage of arrows.

To make matters worse, rain began to fall.

In a standoff against a knight, heavy rain could provide him with some cover, but unfortunately, his body was already wounded.

If he stayed in the rain much longer, the bleeding wouldn’t stop, and he’d collapse soon enough.

‘Damn it…’

He hadn’t expected the emperor’s dogs to be sent after him under watchful eyes.

These madmen, who would bloody their hands without hesitation even if ordered to kill their own children, were here under the emperor’s command.

Their title as imperial guards was only nominal; in reality, they were nothing more than assassins.

To bring such men to a place where people gathered—it was an oversight on Adam’s part.

Still, he’d anticipated this possibility, which allowed him to stay calm.

Without panic, he swiftly dismounted, ducking into the bushes to get out of the sniper’s line of sight.

‘I suspected this the moment I saw the emperor’s face.’

Why else would the emperor, known for rarely moving from his throne, bother to visit this place?

It was to witness his death firsthand.

‘Do you think I’ll die so easily for you?’

If he were destined to die at the hands of such mediocre opponents, he wouldn’t have become a hero in the first place.

Nor would he have defeated the Demon King.

He’d survived dozens, even hundreds, of life-threatening situations.

‘How is it that, in every iteration, you wish for my death so fervently?’

But Adam had no intention of dying willingly.

If it came to it, he’d throw himself off a cliff, ensuring they couldn’t even recover his body.

Even in death, he’d make sure the emperor never knew peace, haunted by the fear that Adam might return to strangle him in his sleep.

Adam moved cautiously, keeping low to the ground.

The arrow hadn’t passed cleanly through his body, likely fired from a considerable distance.

Breaking off the arrowhead and pulling it out, Adam grimaced in pain.

He tore a strip of cloth from his sleeve and hastily wrapped it around his wound.

Just then, he sensed movement nearby and crouched lower, drawing his sword.

Rustle, rustle—

The figure moved swiftly, but it failed to conceal its sound.

Was it because they underestimated him, or was it a disposable pawn?

Either way, it didn’t matter.

Suppressing a bitter laugh, Adam gripped his sword tightly.

“Hero!”

“…Eve?”

Adam, prepared to strike down the approaching assassin, quickly withdrew his blade when he recognized her voice. Instead, he used his free arm to catch her.

“Why are you here, Eve?”

She should have been safe in his camp. The fact that she was here made him wonder if something had happened outside.

He scrutinized her closely for any signs of injury.

“You’re not hurt, are you?”

“I’m fine, but… Adam, what about you?”

“…I’m fine as well.”

Adam recited his obvious lie, suppressing a bitter chuckle.

He raised his hand to gently cup Eveline’s cheek, subtly guiding her head to turn toward his face, ensuring she wouldn’t see his wound.

“Well, the emperor stopped by the camp, and… I had a strange feeling, so I came here. Are you really okay?”

“How did you even get here? Did you run into any of the other nobles?”

Adam frowned, thinking about the noble who had lured him here.

If that same noble, brimming with hostility, had found Eveline instead…

‘I should’ve just killed him.’

He could’ve dumped the body inside Mia’s Forest, where no one would dare search for it. The forest had been used to hide bodies in the past, though that had lessened after a few survivors managed to escape.

“I didn’t meet anyone…”

“That’s a relief. But things aren’t safe right now. Someone’s hunting me, and—”

Adam cut himself off, his eyes darting to their surroundings.

“Eve, come here!”

Without hesitation, he scooped Eveline into his arms and ran.

He dove behind a large tree far from their original spot, keeping them hidden.

Near the bushes they’d just left, a horse’s neigh broke the silence, followed by a figure bursting into view.

“There was definitely someone here…”

The voice was close—too close.

As Eveline’s breath quickened in fear, Adam clamped a hand over her mouth.

This pursuer would pick up even the faintest noise.

It was his rotten luck that this particular imperial guard, the most relentless of the emperor’s hounds, was the one after him.

The man with the large scar on his face was fiercely loyal to the emperor. If ordered to die, he’d smile while plunging a blade into his own gut.

“Where has my prey gone?”

Even breathing had to be silenced.

Adam tightened his hold on Eveline, pulling her closer into his chest.

The guard, astride his horse and armed with a crossbow, scanned the area but eventually turned away, heading in the opposite direction.

Only then did Eveline pull away from Adam’s arms, gasping for air. She pointed toward the direction the guard had gone, her expression a mix of shock and confusion, before clutching her head.

“Do you… do you know who that is?”

“I’ve seen him before.”

“Is he a noble? Why are the nobles so obsessed with tormenting you? They don’t even know anything about you…”

Her voice trailed off, words breaking apart under the weight of their dire situation. Was it frustration or anger? Adam couldn’t tell.

“He’s a noble, but also an imperial guard.”

“Why would the emperor send someone to attack you?”

“…Who knows.” Adam’s response was vague, deliberately evasive.

“I mean, you went and killed the Demon King for them, and this is how they repay you?”

Though Eveline stopped short of outright cursing, her words about the emperor were sharp and scathing. She glanced around before lifting her hand, now wet with a liquid that was unmistakably not water.

The realization struck her like lightning. Her face turned pale as she looked at the substance.

“H-hero… is this blood?”

Before Adam could answer, Eveline stepped back and frantically examined him. He tried to say he was fine, but she was faster.

“I’ve stopped the bleeding for now, I’m fine, Eve—”

Ignoring his words, Eveline stripped off his vest and lifted his shirt.

The sight of the arrow wound, still fresh and raw, left her speechless.

“You ran like that with a wound like this?”

“If I’d stayed there, it would’ve been a pointless death.”

Even now, they had to either flee before the guard spotted them again or kill him.

If Eveline weren’t here, Adam could have approached the guard with the resolve to lose an arm if necessary to close the distance and end it.

But for now, calming Eveline was the priority.

She wasn’t used to seeing such injuries, which explained her panicked state.

Adam spoke hurriedly, words spilling out without much thought.

If he delayed any longer, Eveline might…

“And this wound isn’t even that deep. A few days of treatment, and I’ll be fine.”

“…”

“So there’s no need to cry, Eve.”

* * *

At Adam’s words, I began to cry, tears falling uncontrollably.

I didn’t even realize I was crying at first, as the tears mixed with the rain streaming down my face.

When I met Adam’s concerned gaze, a surge of sorrow and frustration overwhelmed me, inexplicably welling up from deep inside.

Your hero is under attack!

The desperate message that had flashed in my mind as soon as I stepped into the forest’s edge.

I had no idea how I’d managed to run all the way here after seeing those words.

As if the message itself was pleading with me, urging me to save the hero, I had searched frantically for Adam.

And yet, Adam didn’t understand any of that, and it made me unbearably upset.

“…We need to stop the bleeding first.”

Wiping the tears from the corners of my eyes with the back of my hand—careful to avoid the bloodstained one—I pulled out a handkerchief.

In mere seconds, the white cloth turned a deep red.

My expression twisted at the sight, prompting Adam to speak with a teasing tone.

“It feels like a waste to use something so nice here.”

“Is this really the time for jokes?”

If his intention had been to provoke me, then I’d say he succeeded splendidly.

Still, remembering that it was no use getting angry at an injured man, I gritted my teeth and focused on pressing the handkerchief against his wound to stem the bleeding.

 

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