Chapter 66: The Adventurers’ Shelter

Eve couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle.

‘Come, come, let us congratulate our friend here, who correctly guessed the Demon King, on winning this year’s Prophet Competition! Their prize? The first kill in tomorrow night’s Werewolf game.’

The Demon King they spoke of, Eve had already encountered once before.

Though she didn’t know the Demon King’s current whereabouts, Eve imagined they were likely developing discreetly in some unknown corner of the Xigelili Grasslands, secretly assembling their demonic army.

After listening for a while longer, Eve noticed that most conversations revolved around the recent changes and various occurrences within the Xigelili Grasslands.

For instance, one person claimed to have seen a crimson light shoot into the sky over the grasslands one night. Another swore they’d heard the chilling cries of a young girl echoing across the plains.

Suddenly, Eve overheard someone boasting about a fierce battle they’d waged against a colossal monster, as tall as a five-story building, out on the grasslands.

Immediately, Eve’s interest was piqued, and she leaned in, eager to catch more details of their story.

However, the man concluded by saying he was ultimately no match for the beast, and thus had to make a swift escape, employing his exceptional sliding tackle technique.

Listening to his earnest recounting, Eve found herself unsure whether he was simply exaggerating or genuinely sharing a past experience.

Yet, as her gaze drifted to the pile of empty wine bottles at his feet, Eve realized the man was likely just indulging in drunken fantasies.

‘Of all he said, perhaps only the part about running away was true.’

Eve lowered her chin from her hand, no longer intent on eavesdropping on the drunkards’ ramblings. Just then, the skewers Anna had ordered began arriving at their table.

Before they could eat, Anna decided to stir up a little trouble.

She raised her glass high, addressing Eve and Yulim Wilivia. “This toast is to our bond and our friendship!”

‘Oh, great. She’s starting with the sworn sister routine again, isn’t she!’

Eve had come to realize that Anna was not only intelligent but also an absolute social butterfly.

Yulim Wilivia, head bowed, her small hand trembling, had already raised her own glass to humor Anna. Seeing this, Eve, with a sigh of resignation, poured herself some fruit wine and lifted her glass. “To our bond.”

*Gulp, gulp, gulp—*

The fruit wine went down smoothly. Aside from the faint aroma on her palate, Eve felt no hint of intoxication; the liquid simply transformed into a minute amount of magic, dispersing within her body.

‘Well, that was certainly to be expected.’

Eve set down her glass just as her order of fries arrived.

For the rest of the meal, Eve kept her presence to a minimum, speaking rarely. She simply munched on her fries, observing Anna and Yulim Wilivia feast with gusto. Only when Anna, in her drunken whimsy, demanded a toast, would Eve reluctantly join in.

Thus concluded the skewer party: Anna’s personal revelry, Yulim Wilivia quietly following along, and Eve playing the invisible observer.

****

“I… I’m a rabbit… Baa, baa, baa… I want to eat grass… Grass, ugh—”

As they left the pub, Anna, having downed three more bottles of fruit wine, was completely incapacitated. She had to be supported by Eve and Yulim Wilivia as they walked, periodically spouting nonsense like this and ‘spitting rainbows’ in between.

‘If you can’t hold your liquor, don’t drink so much, you idiot!’

“Anna is completely drunk. We should take her back to rest.”

“Yulim Wilivia, I’m not familiar with Xielan, so I’ll have to trouble you to lead the way again.”

Eve looked at Yulim Wilivia with a helpless expression. The girl had also consumed an entire bottle of fruit wine, but thankfully, only her cheeks were flushed. Her eyes remained remarkably clear, indicating she wasn’t truly drunk.

Seeing her nod slightly, Eve felt a sense of relief.

After all, Eve was a stranger to Xielan, unlike Yulim Wilivia, who had been an adventurer here for quite some time.

Moreover, Yulim Wilivia had already proven earlier that day that she didn’t suffer from Anna’s sense of direction, or lack thereof.

Thus, Eve trustingly followed Yulim Wilivia’s lead.

They continued northward through the city until they arrived before a stable.

Eve: ‘…?’

Staring at the sign above the gate, which read “Hermes,” and the stableman dozing on a table beneath it, Eve’s thoughts momentarily froze.

‘This isn’t right, is it?’

‘Shouldn’t we be heading back to the inn?’

‘Why are we at a stable?’

She glanced at Yulim Wilivia, who now held ten copper coins. The girl timidly approached the table, gently tapped it to rouse the stableman, and then stacked the coins neatly on the surface.

“The… the usual spot…”

The stableman squinted at Yulim Wilivia, then swept the coins into his pocket with his arm. He pulled an old key from his waist and placed it on the table. “Don’t be so late next time. Alright, go on in. Just remember to keep it down at night, don’t wake the others sleeping inside… Hah…”

Without waiting for a response, the stableman propped his head up, narrowed his eyes, and drifted back to sleep.

Yulim Wilivia took the key and gestured to Eve, indicating that she could follow.

Only then did Eve finally snap out of her daze and recall something important.

‘Anna had indeed mentioned earlier that they had been sleeping in the stables, and were eventually forced out when they ran out of money.’

Eve felt a pang of awkwardness.

Eve now understood why Yulim Wilivia was leading her back to the stables.

‘So, this is where they’ve been staying all along!’

Yulim Wilivia was already walking ahead, leaving Eve no choice but to continue supporting Anna and follow.

Along the way, Eve observed the entire stable. There were hardly any horses; instead, nearly every stall was occupied by people, most of whom, with a single glance, could be identified as adventurers by their guild tags.

‘Do you adventurers not bother with inns?!’

‘Seriously, this place shouldn’t be called Hermes Stable; it should be renamed the Adventurers’ Shelter!’

By this point, Eve felt utterly numb.

The image of adventurers in her mind had completely crumbled, replaced by that of destitute beggars.

And the stable, in turn, served as their slum.

She recalled the conversations she’d overheard at the pub about the monsters on the grasslands.

‘Why did it all feel so pathetic!’

‘Just imagine: if the Demon King were to appear, and the Adventurers’ Guild issued a quest to defeat them, what then?’

‘These adventurers, who barely ate, slept poorly, and lacked proper equipment, would they not simply be glorified experience fodder?’

‘They would rush to offer themselves as sacrifices to the Demon King!’

At that moment, two tiny figures materialized in Eve’s mind: a little demonic Eve, red and mischievous, and a little angelic Eve, pure and white.

After the angelic Eve finished her pronouncements, the demonic Eve, unwilling to be outdone, immediately stepped forward to retort.

“Adventurers’ lives matter, but do monsters’ lives not? What have those adorable slimes ever done wrong?”

The angelic Eve countered, “While that’s true, let’s think about who had the most fun slaughtering slimes just earlier, huh?!”

The demonic Eve retorted, “That couldn’t be helped! We farmed slimes to level up and get life-saving skills! And you yourself said adventurers are just ‘experience fodder,’ so what’s the difference between slimes and adventurers? Isn’t this world all about the strong preying on the weak?”

The angelic Eve accused, “You’re twisting words!”

The demonic Eve shot back, “You’re being unreasonable!”

Eve herself, never one to shy away from a good show, thought: ‘Fight! Fight!’

True to her wish, the two tiny Eves instantly lunged at each other, neither willing to concede.

Watching them each dissipate the other, Eve’s mindset shifted back. She had reached a realization.

Whether it was monsters or adventurers, it was all their own choice in the end. There was simply no need for her to worry about others.