Chater 54

As they were being chased by the royal guards, the rain suddenly fell, obstructing their pursuers’ vision. And just as Adam’s injuries worsened and further exposure to the rain could have become life-threatening, the downpour stopped.

Thanks to that, Judis had been able to find them with ease.

“How was Mia’s Forest formed?”

“I’ve heard that it holds the power of the first Saintess. She entered the uninhabited forest to refine her abilities, but after prolonged exposure to divine energy, the land transformed into what it is now.”

“It’s similar to how animals exposed to the Demon King’s magic turn into beasts.”

“Now that you mention it, I suppose it is.”

Eveline, who had been quietly listening, nodded in understanding.

Then, a thought crossed her mind, prompting her to ask,

“Then… how were we supposed to escape? Judging by the Crown Prince’s reaction, this wasn’t planned in advance…”

“The holy relic you carry, Eve. Since it once belonged to the first Saintess, I thought it might be of some help. As for the Crown Prince coming… that was unexpected.”

“Does the Crown Prince oppose the Emperor?”

Eveline deliberately omitted the honorific His Majesty when referring to the emperor.

Adam noticed the subtle change but chose not to comment on it.

“A son doesn’t always follow his father’s will. Especially when it involves something unjust.”

At his words, Eveline finally broached the real question that had been lingering in her mind.

The person who had pushed through the storm to reach them.

Regardless of whether he knew a way out of Mia’s Forest, he had still willingly entered it to save Adam.

“Then… is the Crown Prince on your side, Warrior?”

“…Yes. It seems so.”

Adam wasn’t lying.

And his expression wasn’t the one he usually made when talking about Judis.

“Pity is something that fades easily when the other person isn’t truly pitiful, so I never trust it…”

Your warrior

recalls the past.

“But it’s strange how some people never change.”

If anything, he looked more at peace than before.

* * *

Thud, thud, thud.

The rhythmic sound of the carriage rattling along the road woke Adam from his sleep.

His brow furrowed slightly, but upon seeing Eveline in front of him, his guard eased.

‘The hunting competition is over, and the sight of the emperor’s twisted expression was truly worth seeing.’

A faint chuckle escaped him as he recalled the emperor’s face.

His gaze then shifted toward Eveline.

Would he have been alive to witness that moment if she hadn’t come for him?

“…….”

Eveline had been sleeping with her head resting against the carriage wall. Each time the carriage jolted, her head bumped into it.

So that was the sound he had been hearing.

It probably didn’t hurt much, but if she kept knocking into it, she might end up with a small bruise.

Adam sat up.

A dull ache throbbed where the arrow had struck him.

But when he looked down, he noticed something unusual—his abdomen had been wrapped with a splint and bandages.

That hadn’t been there when he got into the carriage.

Before, he had only managed to wrap a bandage over the reopened wound, but now…

Was this Eveline’s doing?

Rubbing his abdomen absentmindedly, Adam shifted toward her.

Adjusting her posture so that her head rested against his shoulder, he watched as her eyelashes fluttered slightly, revealing sky-blue eyes.

She blinked a few times, then gave him a drowsy, questioning look.

She wasn’t fully awake yet.

Adam casually chose his words.

“The luggage is heavy. It’s uncomfortable.”

“Mm… okay…”

Her voice was drowsy and muffled, still caught between sleep and wakefulness.

“Go back to sleep.”

There was no response.

But Adam could tell from her uneven breathing—she was awake, just pretending to be asleep.

Was it uncomfortable to lean against him?

Yet, before long, the steady rhythm of soft breathing filled the space.

Adam simply listened in silence.

“Mm…”

A short while later, Eveline’s face scrunched up.

Was it because of the sunlight?

Raising a hand to block the light from her face, Adam soon discovered the real culprit.

He reached out and gently tucked a stray strand of her pink hair behind her ear.

Her frown immediately disappeared.

Her expression, so drastically different from before, made Adam chuckle softly without realizing it.

The sound of the rattling carriage and Eveline’s steady breathing filled the quiet space.

[Your Only God is worried about you.]

[Your Only God is searching for you.]

[Your Only God is watching you.]

As Adam absentmindedly watched Eveline’s peaceful sleeping face, he drifted into thought.

For a moment, her figure overlapped with God.

No… that wasn’t quite right. He didn’t even know what God’s face looked like.

The statues in the temple never depicted a face for a reason—

An unfinished form was considered its perfect state.

At one point, he had been curious enough to ask.

[Your Only God says they are an unparalleled beauty.]

That had sounded like a lie.

Somehow, God had sensed his skepticism and had thrown a fit, repeatedly insisting on their looks—
“You’d be stunned if you saw me!”

“You have no idea how divine I am!”

Adam couldn’t help but smirk at the memory.

‘I really do have some blasphemous thoughts.’

If God could read his mind now…

Would they smite him?

He had wished for that, time and time again.

When he had plunged the holy sword into the Demon King’s heart, the familiar sensation of God’s presence had disappeared.

Yet, he hadn’t returned to that moment in time.

He was still alive.

The cold, miserable rain had pelted his face, reminding him of reality.

“…….”

Adam clenched and unclenched his fist out of habit.

The rough calluses on his fingers pressed against his skin before peeling away.

There was no pain—just the lingering sensation of existence.

He had survived, but he had no idea when he might die.

Living in a reality where the future was uncertain was terrifying.

Yet, strangely enough…

He didn’t want to return to that day.

To the past, before he became a warrior.

His eyelids grew heavy, and without realizing it, Adam drifted back into sleep.

* * *

He dreamt a very, very old dream.

He had become the warrior and met companions who shared his purpose.

The Mercenary Queen, who wished to return with honor for her persecuted mercenaries.
Kyrillos, who had admired the warrior.
And Meriel, who had vowed to assist with healing.

They were the ideal comrades.

With their combined strength, nothing could stand in their way.

…Or so he had thought.

Killing the Demon King wasn’t difficult.

He didn’t know why, but he had a strange certainty that it would be that way.

The feel of the holy sword in his grip, the sight of the Demon King seated atop his throne, and this moment of confrontation—

“Leave this to us!”

It all felt… familiar.

Even before it happened, he instinctively knew what would come next.

The waves of beasts, held back as if it were only natural by the Mercenary Queen.
The three great demons, countered by Kyrillos.
And whenever they began to tire, Meriel’s divine power appearing at just the right moment.

Slaying the Demon King had been oddly easy.

And in the end, he successfully plunged the holy sword into the Demon King’s heart.

Before dying, the Demon King had smiled and whispered something to him, but Adam hadn’t had time to dwell on it.

Instead, he had rushed to his comrades, who lay battered and exhausted.

They were sitting atop piles of beast corpses, but when they saw him, they beamed and waved.

Adam immediately reached out to pull them to their feet.

Kyrillos, his voice trembling with exhilaration, said,

“We’ve finally vanquished the evil of this world.”

“It was all thanks to you.”

Adam chuckled lightly as he replied.

He meant it.

If not for them, he wouldn’t have even made it to the Demon King’s throne—he would have died long before.

‘…Wait. Has that ever happened?’

A hazy memory, like a half-forgotten dream, pressed into his mind.

But before he could grasp it, Isella pulled him into a firm side hug, jolting him from his thoughts.

“Hah! Hearing that from the warrior himself—I don’t know what to do with this honor!”

“You think I don’t notice you secretly leaning on me? I don’t even have the strength to hold a sword right now. Get off.”

“Come on, just let me lean on you this once!”

None of them had come out of the battle unscathed.

If the fight had dragged on even a little longer, Adam would have been the first to collapse.

“Let’s go home. And I’ll even make an exception—you lot can come with me.”

Kyrillos’s teasing tone made Adam grin as he grasped his outstretched hand.

And then, just as they were about to leave that hauntingly familiar forest—

“By order of His Majesty… Kill them all.”

Everything went black.

 

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