Chapter 63

Your one and only god asks for your destination.

“……!”

Adam abruptly reined in his horse.

His reaction was noticeably different from when she had asked, and she felt a little offended.

‘Isn’t this too much? After everything I’ve done for you!’

She fed him, clothed him (well, he resisted that part, so it didn’t quite happen), and even forced him to sleep when necessary.

She had spoiled him plenty—yet he had the nerve to say she didn’t need to know?

But the moment a divine message asked, he immediately stopped to answer?

Your warrior replies that he is heading to the temple after hearing a prophecy concerning the Demon King.

She scowled at the innocent, translucent message box floating before her.

‘Wait—Demon King?’

Hadn’t they already killed him?

The Demon King’s castle was already under their control.

‘I know for sure he’s dead.’

But an uneasy feeling settled in her chest.

The emperor’s sneering voice overlapped with the message in her mind—

What if the Demon King isn’t actually dead?

Adam, who had left at dawn, returned just as the sun reached its peak.

As she approached him and took back the robe, its waterlogged weight nearly made her stumble.

Seeing this, Adam hesitated before taking the robe again, then turned back to face her.

“Eve, do you happen to know about the Demon King’s Submission Stone?”

The question came out of nowhere.

She had been staring at the damp robe in her hands, but now, she paused to think.

It felt like he was indirectly telling her about what had happened while he was away.

Or maybe it was an apology for how coldly he had treated her before leaving.

Rolling her eyes upward in thought, she eventually nodded.

“I do. Didn’t you use it at first to tame the demonic beasts?”

“I looked into it, and it seems it can also be used on people. And now the emperor has asked me for it—somehow, he found out about it.”

Eveline was horrified.

It could control people, too?

She could only imagine the atrocities that would unfold if it fell into the hands of an emperor who had no regard for life.

“What?!”

Your constellation is shocked and opens its mouth wide.

‘Agh! Why send that now?! Cancel synchronization! Cancel!’

Synchronization is deactivated.

Adam turned to look at her, and she hurriedly changed her expression.

“Hehe…”

Hoping he hadn’t noticed anything strange, she flashed an awkward smile.

Adam studied her with mild suspicion before speaking slowly.

“So even the gods didn’t know about this.”

Gasp—she hadn’t expected him to mention it so directly.

She considered playing dumb but instead gave a slow nod.

Somehow, he looked much calmer than the night before.

And that made her remember—

Adam, kneeling in front of the statue, weeping as he prayed.

She couldn’t begin to understand what had been going through his mind. She was always curious about what he was thinking.

But if she asked about it now, she felt as if he might break.

Instead, she focused on something else—his expression when he mentioned the gods.

He looked… at peace.

It was surprising, given that he believed he had been abandoned by his god.

‘Would he feel better if I just kept talking to him?’

Her hesitation didn’t last long.

She reactivated synchronization and quietly observed him.

Careful not to let her thoughts turn into a message, she deliberately kept her emotions in check.

Your one and only god is watching you.

Flinch—Adam’s shoulders twitched, and he quickly lowered his gaze.

Thankfully, the holy relic didn’t transmit her emotions.

And, as expected, Adam didn’t even glance in her direction.

Your warrior smiles.

But Eveline saw it—the faint smile tugging at his lips as he gazed into the empty air.

He looked relieved.

‘Fine. As long as you’re happy…’

For some reason, her chest ached a little.

* * *

The town had grown noisy.

An influx of new people had arrived, travelers passing through on their way to the capital.

“Sorry, miss. We’re swamped with customers today. Here, take this,” the shop owner said apologetically, handing over a bundle. She nodded in thanks.

The townspeople seemed unbothered by the visitors.

Only the Demon King’s castle remained the same.

“Why are there so many people all of a sudden?” she muttered.

As if on cue, Abraxas appeared from nowhere and answered.

“It’s the founding festival. There’s going to be a grand celebration in the capital.”

“You’ve been to one before?”

Abraxas shrugged, as if to say, Do you really think I have?

She realized her mistake.

She had spoken so casually with him that she had momentarily forgotten his situation.

He was bound by an oath—unable to leave, unable to go anywhere.

And as she thought about it, she found herself pitying him.

So, she decided to talk to him a little more.

Recently, the poor Abraxas had been restless, acting like a dog desperate to relieve itself.

Every morning, he tried to check on Adam’s well-being.

And every morning, he failed because she stopped him.

Fortunately, Adam hadn’t shown any more strange behavior since that night.

His stress levels were still high, though.

“Do you like festivals, Abraxas?”

“Well, I am a demon of pleasure and indulgence,” he replied vaguely.

But she easily caught the undertone of his words.

“What’s with that look?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Nothing.”

Hmph. Even a brief moment of sympathy was wasted on him.

As his sharp gaze turned suspicious, she quickly changed the subject.

‘A founding festival, huh…’

After listening to Abraxas talk about it, curiosity got the better of her.

But Adam would surely come up with a million excuses to avoid going.

So, she went straight to Ben and got her answer.

“You’re not going with the warrior? Fine by me.”

Apparently, it was Ben’s first time going to the capital, too. He was excited about the festival and the festivities.

“Alright. I’ll go tell the warrior I’ll be gone for a day.”

Her steps were light as she made her way to Adam’s room.

He had been much more stable lately, but to her, he felt like a glass of water filled to the very brim—

One more drop, and it would overflow.

It was better not to provoke him unnecessarily.

He had also been subtly avoiding her since that night.

Maybe if she left the castle for a bit, he’d be more at ease.

“Ive, do you want to go to the festival?”

“…Huh?”

The moment she entered his room, she nearly bumped into Adam as he was about to step out.

As she reached for the door handle, he opened it from inside, and she almost fell into him.

And just like that—he suddenly made an unexpected offer.

Her eyes widened in shock.

She had not expected him to suggest it first.

Seeing her delayed response, Adam gave a small, sheepish smile.

Wait, this was great!

But also… Why was he being so nice all of a sudden?

‘Hasn’t he been acting different ever since that night?’

Was he treating her well out of guilt?

‘If that’s the case, I’ll take full advantage of it!’

Still in his arms, she gave a small nod.

She only remembered Ben afterward—but when she mentioned him, Adam said something to him, and Ben waved her off, telling her to go.

Before she could fully process what was happening, she and Adam were leaving today.

She had initially planned to find a carriage heading to the capital, but when they reached the courtyard, a horse was already waiting.

The same horse Adam had taken out in the middle of the night.

Had it understood his thoughts even then?

As she stared blankly at the animal, Adam mounted first and extended a hand to her.

Hesitant, she took it, and with a strong pull, he lifted her onto the horse.

Before she knew it, she was sitting in front of him, looking out at the world from a higher perspective.

“Wow! Everything looks so clear from up here! Do you always see the world like this, warrior?”

“Is this your first time on a horse?”

“Yes! Ah, wait—no. The Crown Prince gave me a ride once.”

She nodded, then quickly corrected herself.

Right—Judis had let her ride a horse before, too.

At this moment, if Adam were suddenly replaced by Judis behind her, she wouldn’t have noticed the difference.

They were similar in height, in age, in appearance…

‘Now that I think about it, Adam and Judis really do look alike.’

Hadn’t she thought the same thing back then?