Chapter 67

“Excuse me—coming through!”

Like a knight charging into battle, Eveline bravely forced her way through the crowd, but in the end, she started getting jostled by the ever-growing wave of people.

Just as her grip on his hand began to loosen—

Adam firmly laced his fingers with hers.

“…!”

Eveline flinched in surprise, her shoulders twitching, but she didn’t pull away from his touch.

She had been walking straight ahead the whole time, but now she stiffly turned her head and spoke in a quiet, crawling voice.

“Hero, you’re still holding onto the lantern, right?”

That clearly wasn’t what she actually wanted to ask.

Blushing, she switched the topic herself.

Adam was tempted to tease her for it—but the moment he realized what he was about to say, he held his tongue.

“Of course.”

In the end, something meaningless spilled from his lips.

Back on the hill where they had first settled, Eveline flopped down, completely drained.

There were just way too many people.

Staying here from the beginning would’ve been the smarter choice.

Even now, in this relatively quiet spot, Adam still hadn’t let go of her hand.

Eveline only just noticed and mumbled softly,

“H-Hero. Time to make a wish…”

Only then did Adam slowly release her hand.

As soon as she sent her lantern up into the sky, Eveline pressed her palms together and began to pray.

From the side, she looked so solemn and sincere that it almost seemed holy.

Adam found her seriousness over a simple wish a little too adorable—he nearly laughed out loud.

But he knew that if he did, Eveline would open her eyes wide and glare at him.

Grateful that her eyes were closed, Adam quietly reached up and pushed down the corners of his lips, which had started to curl upward.

At that exact moment, Eveline’s sky-blue eyes popped open and turned toward him.

“Wish complete!”

“That was really fast.”

She hadn’t even finished counting to ten before opening her eyes again, sparkling like glass beads.

“I’ve been thinking about this wish for a long time. It just popped out naturally.”

She beamed, proud of herself.

Adam, who had been quietly staring at her face, finally came back to his senses when she spoke again.

“Wait, Hero—you haven’t made your wish yet?”

“I will now.”

With her watching him so intently from the side, there was no escaping it.

Adam chuckled softly and began to think over what he wanted.

She said her wish came out easily because she’d held onto it for a long time.

Adam had a wish like that, too.

Always alone, he had wanted just one person on his side.

He thought back to the last time he ever made a prayer.

When had it been?

His first, distant prayer had long since crumbled into nothing.

The last one… was probably when his god had abandoned him.

Because of his own selfish desires, he had tried to possess her—and as if she had seen through him, she disappeared.

So Adam, as if atoning, stayed behind alone in the Demon King’s castle.

He chose a path with no glory, no honor, no legacy.

And still, his god never returned to hear his prayers.

But now…

Adam smiled faintly.

Just as Eveline had done earlier, he closed his eyes and brought his hands together.

The prayer didn’t last long.

When he opened his eyes again, even more lanterns had filled the sky.

“Aren’t they beautiful? I think this might be the most gorgeous thing I’ve seen since we came here…”

Eveline’s gaze followed the lanterns drifting far into the sky.

They glowed with a soft, radiant yellow, just like Adam’s eyes.

Her voice was filled with wonder as she watched.

“What did you wish for, Adam?”

“…It’s a secret.”

Seeing her leaning over, trying to sneak a peek at his lantern, Adam hurriedly let it go and sent it flying.

…He wasn’t sure why he’d suddenly changed his wish.

Thinking himself foolish, Adam looked up at the lantern ascending toward the heavens.

‘Just… that days like this could go on forever.’

He didn’t need noble honor, or endless wealth, or even to reclaim the place that had been stolen from him.

All Adam had ever wished for…
was to see his god one more time.

 

At the very least, he wanted to know why she had left him.

Had it been like with the others—because he failed to meet her expectations? Or had she simply grown tired of him? He wanted to ask.

But strangely, at this moment… none of it seemed to matter.

It was one of the rare nights when the absence of his god didn’t haunt him.

Adam gazed at Eveline’s back, then lifted his eyes toward the sky.

Countless lanterns were rising into the heavens.

Just as Eveline had said—it was a moment he would never forget.

He would have never come to a festival like this on his own.

Crowds meant noise, mess, chaos.

He had spent so many years as a hero that he thought he was long past being moved by such trivial things.

Killing the Demon King was the only way to meet the expectations placed on him.

Adam fidgeted with the inside of his robe, where he had tucked something away.

It was an impulsive act.

He hadn’t planned to give it to her so soon, but right now, he felt he could do it without hesitation.

She had simply come to mind, and before he knew it, he’d been drawn to it like a spell and bought it—he didn’t expect he’d actually hand it over so soon.

He thought it would end up like all the other gifts he never managed to give, piled in some forgotten corner of his room.

“Eve, this is for you.”

“Really?”

Eveline’s eyes went wide in surprise at the unexpected words.

She held the earrings delicately, as if afraid they might shatter if she gripped them too tightly.

They were the color of her own eyes.

Her blue irises shimmered with the reflected light of the surrounding lanterns.

“Actually, I prepared a gift for you too, Hero.”

Perhaps it was the lantern light, but her cheeks were slightly flushed as she shyly pulled something out.

It was a golden cufflink, adorned with a small lion—the imperial family’s crest.

“Of course, I know you might not like things like this…”

“No, I like it. More than anything.”

Adam smiled like someone receiving a gift for the very first time.

Eveline quietly waited for his reaction.

Adam slowly brushed a finger across the cufflink, then held it out to her again.

“I’d like you to put it on me.”

“Alright.”

With a thoughtful expression, Eveline took the cufflink from him. Adam extended his arm, and with gentle hands, she fastened it to the cuff of his shirt.

The golden cufflink matched the white shirt effortlessly, as if it belonged there all along.

“I think it really suits you.”

It was the same color as his eyes.

When she had seen it sitting among the display, Adam had immediately come to mind.

Being pressed in a crowd and watching fireworks could’ve been fun—but watching them with Adam was even better.

Eveline found herself smiling without realizing it.

Firelight flickered across her face, dancing and fading.

Adam watched her quietly, endlessly.

Until the fireworks ended.

And even after that…
he kept on watching.

* * *

Since the incident on the rainy day, Adam had been making frequent visits to the imperial palace.

It wasn’t as if he stood before the public—he seemed to be having private audiences with someone.

Most likely the emperor, or someone close to him. Conversations about the Demon King, perhaps…

‘How frustrating.’

He killed the Demon King all on his own.

An incredible feat, beyond reproach. But to achieve it quickly—and to see the hidden ending—I hadn’t assigned him any companions. He killed the Demon King in secret, with no witnesses.

And the backlash was severe.

‘Is the Demon King really dead?’ That was just the start. Some even speculated that the hero had become the Demon King’s servant.

‘He didn’t slay any demonic beasts like the other heroes did. That makes it even more suspicious.’

Had he killed any demons other than Abraxas?

Usually, the path involved slaying the beasts near the Demon King’s castle, then the demon guards stationed there—

And finally, killing the Demon King himself.

But Adam was different. He’d killed the Demon King first.

The other demons, except Abraxas who couldn’t leave the castle, likely fled.

‘What was their name again…?’

Since killing the Demon King was Adam’s role alone, the others—like Abraxas, who always guarded the gates—were usually dealt with or distracted by other companions.

I sat idly, my thoughts drifting toward Adam, who had once again gone to the palace without me.

Unlike before, he didn’t ask me to come with him.

Was it because it was the imperial palace?

If I tried to think positively, maybe it was because he was worried I might be in danger if I appeared before the emperor.

But if I thought negatively…

‘Maybe I’m just a nuisance to him.’