Chapter 78
Chapter 78
Adam reached Dainel Village and ran straight to the inn before even catching his breath.
There, he spotted an old man slumped on the ground behind it.
‘A survivor?’
Adam immediately dropped to one knee and checked the old man’s condition.
Fortunately, aside from some singed clothing and soot-covered skin, there didn’t appear to be any major injuries.
“What happened? Why was there a fire?”
The old man, who had been blankly staring at the burning inn, suddenly lit up when he saw Adam’s silver hair.
“Why did you come only now! No—wait, no. Warrior, I’m glad you came, even now. Come, look with me.”
Grinning like a fool, the old man grabbed Adam’s arm.
Adam hesitated and instinctively took a step back.
But he had no one else to answer his questions now, so he kept his composure and asked calmly,
“Was there anyone inside?”
Judging by how cheerfully the man was smiling, it couldn’t have been anything serious.
Eveline had always said the people of Dainel Village were kind and gentle.
Surely he wouldn’t be smiling like that if someone from the village had been left inside.
But when Adam asked, the old man froze mid-smile and tilted his head.
“They’re probably all dead, aren’t they? Ah, Warrior! I killed them. I did well, didn’t I?”
“…What?”
“I killed the Demon King and his servant! I’m sure when I die and meet my family again, they’ll tell me I did well, right? Sniff… Mother, Father…”
Adam couldn’t make any sense of what he was hearing.
The man had lost his mind.
His hair had turned completely white with age and hardship, and now he clung to Adam, calling out for his long-dead parents.
Adam tried to shake him off, but for some reason, he couldn’t ignore the madman’s words so easily.
“What do you mean? Are you saying the Demon King and his servant were inside the inn?”
“Yes! I killed them on your behalf!”
“No. There’s no way they’d die from a fire like this. And if it’s true, then I need to put out the fire and finish them off properly.”
Adam spoke gently, as if soothing the old man.
He wanted to leave the man behind right then and there. But the mention of the Demon King made Adam anxious.
The Demon King, inside the inn where Eveline might be.
That was more concerning than the fire.
‘…Because the Demon King isn’t dead.’
The man, who had been laughing, suddenly began weeping and blaming Adam.
“You’re the problem. Warrior, this is your fault… No—if you’d properly killed the Demon King, this never would’ve happened! No innocent people would have had to die.”
Adam had been quietly listening to the man’s ramblings, but at those last words, his eyes went wide.
“Don’t tell me… someone was inside?”
“To kill the Demon King, sacrifices are unavoidable. That’s why you went to your death alone, wasn’t it? Pitifully, with no one to help…”
“…Eveline.”
He was out of his mind. The old man laughed and cried, blamed Adam one moment, and then looked at him with reverence as if seeing a noble hero the next.
But even in the words of a madman, there was information to be gained.
There had been someone inside.
Probably… Eveline.
Everything he cared about always ended up dead.
It was to avoid a situation like this that he had pushed her away so coldly.
He feared the Emperor might kill her, that she’d come back to him as a lifeless corpse—like the gift the Emperor had sent.
“Where are you going? Don’t tell me you’re trying to save the Demon King?”
The man’s bony fingers grabbed Adam as he tried to head inside.
“Warrior, you must be virtuous to all the people of the Empire. Don’t get angry recklessly. Be mindful of your conduct. It will help you later.”
The voice of the High Priest overlapped with the old man’s words.
Disgusting people.
Humans desperate to use him, unable to conceal their greed, were sickeningly tiresome.
“Let go. Eve!”
Adam shook off the whispering voice that tried to bind him, slapped the old man’s arm away, and charged into the flames.
He had endured insults to his face, walked into danger alone—and that had been fine.
But if Eveline were trapped in those flames…
‘Could I ever forgive this old man who started the fire?’
Adam’s steps, rushing toward the inn, slowly came to a stop.
Something was boiling from deep inside him.
“Ugh… Gah…”
“It’s your fault, Warrior!”
The old man’s crazed voice buzzed in his ears.
Adam clutched his chest, gasping for breath.
But it felt like his throat was closing, his breathing growing shallow.
‘Damn it… not now…’
Voices echoed in his head.
He had to pull himself together.
And yet, beneath his feet—where there should’ve been nothing—he thought he saw a thick trail of blood.
“They all died because of you.”
From Adam’s body, a black haze began to rise slowly, covering him.
The old man, who had followed him inside, was startled by the presence—the same kind he had once felt from the Demon King—and doubted his own eyes.
“You—You’re no hero! You’re the devil!”
The old man, who had collapsed with a thud, pointed at Adam and screamed.
The once gentle and kind warrior now murmured something strange and chilling, and the old man even stammered in fear.
The brave, pleading attitude he’d shown just moments before had completely vanished.
If Adam so much as pushed back, people called him ungrateful.
A commoner who might’ve died nameless in some back alley had become a hero by sheer luck, and yet he dared to act like he was someone important.
The old man must have been thinking the same thing, because he suddenly shouted,
“You arrogant bastard! Do you think you’re better than us just because you’re a hero?”
Adam stared silently at him and clutched his chest tighter.
His insides were suffocating.
“Get back… If you don’t want to die by this devil’s hand…”
Adam gritted his teeth and forced the words out.
The old man, who had tried to kill someone by starting a fire, now trembled in terror for his own life.
“P-please! Spare me! There’s someone… someone inside!”
Inside? Someone?
‘…Do I really have to save them?’
Suddenly, it all felt meaningless.
Maybe it would be better if all these annoying people just died.
After all, the people here just wanted a hero they could control—a puppet to ensure their own safety, someone disposable.
Should he really be risking his life for them?
Was there even anyone worth saving?
He didn’t want to run into the burning inn. Instead, he found himself thinking how badly he wanted to shut that noisy old man up.
“Why… Why are you coming at me? Didn’t you say you were going to save that Eveline girl?!”
The old man screamed one last time in desperation.
At that moment, it felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over Adam’s head.
‘Ah… Eveline.’
Goosebumps spread across his entire body.
He remembered exactly what he had just thought, and it made him sick.
‘Eve is inside. Of course—of course I have to save her…’
With the nuisance gone, Adam ran into the blazing building.
She was one of the few who saw him not as a useful warrior, but as a human being.
He didn’t want to see her dead because of him.
He didn’t want to face her lifeless body like he had so many of his fallen comrades.
If Eveline were to die…
‘Then… maybe I’ll start over.’
Adam shook his head violently.
No more thinking.
He had to force himself to stay focused, afraid he might actually become what the Demon King had once predicted.
It was, without a doubt, revolting.
