Chapter 25: The Saint’s Curiosity

“Sigh…”

Eve stares at me, then at the giant raven outside her window, and sighs.

“You two are… a handful. Both equally exhausting.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“You could take it that way.”

She leads me to a plush sofa, looking tired.

“Tea or coffee?”

“Coffee, please.”

“Good choice.”

Pour.

The aroma of coffee fills her spacious office. She hands me a steaming cup and sits across from me.

“You know there’s a front door, right?”

“Of course.”

“And yet you chose to visit me through the window?”

“It’s romantic. And definitely not because I’m avoiding paperwork.”

“…You’re a strange one.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask, but you’re not saying I have a strange face, are you?”

“That depends on your perspective.”

“Excuse me?”

“Hee hee.”

Sip.

“This is good coffee.”

“It’s imported from the western continent. Enjoy it.”

We’ve become more comfortable with each other after the recent events, able to engage in casual banter.

As I finish my coffee…

“So…”

Eve gets straight to the point.

“Why are you here?”

I show her the deed.

“…This is…”

“I heard you were looking for a buyer. So, I bought it.”

The Wasteland, tainted by the Demon King’s magic.

“I heard someone bought it, but it was you?”

“It seemed… useful.”

Her surprise fades, replaced by a dismissive wave.

“That land is beyond saving. You wasted your money.”

“I disagree.”

She raises an eyebrow.

“Do you know why it became the Wasteland?”

“Van Zikmund defeated the Demon King there. Her dying curse tainted the land.”

I shake my head.

“It wasn’t Lilian Enslein’s magic that cursed the land.”

“…Explain.”

I recount the battle, Lilian’s suicide, and the true nature of the curse.

“Okay, I understand that. But how does that change anything?”

“You’re right. Even the Star Witch and the Saint can’t purify the Demon King’s magic.”

“Then how…”

“But what if it wasn’t her magic, but a curse born from her resentment?”

“…!”

Eve’s eyes widen slightly.

“I need a more detailed explanation.”

Before I tell her everything, I mentally review the original story. I had a theory before talking to Hera.

‘But I needed confirmation. Things might have changed since I arrived in this world.’

Hera’s account of Lilian’s death matches the ending of the third episode. There are two episodes featuring Lilian: the penultimate episode, Goddess vs. Demon King, where she battles the goddess Astraea, and the third episode, Demon King vs. Demon, a love triangle between Lilian, a common demon named Timut, and another demoness, Ramerin Sara.

Timut, having been saved by a human in the past, doesn’t want to fight humanity. Ramerin understands him, having spent years by his side. Lilian, bound by her duty as the Demon King, loves him but must lead her people against humanity. The conflict is unavoidable. They both ask him to choose, promising to wait for him in separate locations. Lilian chose the land that is now the Wasteland. Rejected, she took her own life, her anguish cursing the land.

I can’t tell Eve the whole story. She might consider the land a threat and destroy it to prevent Lilian’s resurrection.

‘It would be easier for her to destroy it than to purify it.’

So, I choose my words carefully.

“The Demon King… was betrayed.”

“Betrayed?”

“Yes.”

I skip the details, focusing on the core issue.

“…By whom?”

“I don’t know. Maybe a high-ranking demon, or a trusted subordinate.”

It’s not entirely a lie. She was betrayed by the one she loved.

“…The Demon King committed suicide because of betrayal?”

“…Yes.”

“And her resentment cursed the land?”

Eve’s blue eyes pierce me.

“…Fine.”

‘Did it work?’

Just as I breathe a sigh of relief, she taps my forehead and smiles.

“I’ll play along, just this once.”

“…Huh?”

“You’re hiding something, but it doesn’t seem malicious. And I’m curious about you.”

“Haha…”

I chuckle nervously and sit back down. It wasn’t easy to deceive the Saint.

‘…Or maybe she’s just humoring me.’

“So, assuming the curse is caused by betrayal… you bought the land because you can lift it?”

“I have… an idea.”

The author of Heroine Wars had a habit of including world-building trivia at the end of each episode. Two pieces of information are relevant: cursed lands have a source, destroying which lifts the curse, but demonic curses are impossible to remove this way. The second piece… I’ll need to do more research.

Eve’s face falls when I mention the nature of demonic curses.

“…Then there’s no way…”

“There is. I just need more information. That’s where you come in. And of course…”

“Yes?”

“This time, I owe you a favor. I’ll repay you properly.”

“Good. What do you need?”

“A permit, and… slimes.”

“…Slimes? Why slimes?”

“Big ones, if possible.”

“Thank you!”

“Be careful. Say hello to Vega for me.”

Flutter.

Eve watches Jaehan fly away on his raven. He claimed he could solve the Wasteland problem, something even she, the Saint, couldn’t do. He wasn’t present during the battle, yet he seems to know more than he lets on. And all he asked for in return was access to the Royal Library and some large slimes.

He’s sometimes foolish, sometimes insightful.

‘…I want to know more about him.’

He’s intriguing, like an old friend. She smiles. Their conversation was short, but she feels refreshed.

“…That was… invigorating.”

Her face brightens, and she returns to her work.