Chapter 67: A Quiet Revelation

Yulim led the way to a secluded stall within the stables. Dry straw was spread across the floor, and while the ceiling was enclosed, the four walls were merely draped with cloth, allowing the wind to whistle through.

‘It was difficult to imagine anyone living here,’ Eve thought.

‘Wait, no! This place was clearly meant for horses, not humans!’

Eve realized she must have spent too much time with Anna that evening, her own thoughts nearly assimilated by the other woman’s peculiar logic. She hadn’t even processed the obvious at first glance.

Meanwhile, Yulim had already tidied the scattered hay, unfurling a picnic blanket from her backpack to lay over it. She was just about to retrieve two sleeping bags.

Mid-reach, she suddenly recalled there were three of them tonight.

It wasn’t just her and Anna; Luosha was present as well.

Yulim knew Luosha slept in a coffin. However, glancing at the limited space on the stable floor, she realized that while the coffin might fit standing upright, it certainly wouldn’t if laid flat.

Still, by any normal person’s reasoning, who could possibly sleep standing?

Even if Luosha’s sleeping arrangements were unconventional, she still required a horizontal surface.

Eve gently laid Anna, who had been leaning on her, onto the picnic blanket Yulim had arranged. When she turned, she found Yulim gazing at her, a look of profound indecision etched onto her features.

‘That expression always precedes something unfortunate,’ Eve mused.

Nonetheless, Eve steeled herself and asked, “What is it, Yulim?”

The young girl sat in a cute ‘duck-sit’ posture, her gaze flickering away. A lingering blush still painted her cheeks, one hand covering her face while the other nervously clutched the hem of her simple skirt.

“Th-that…”

“Luosha…”

“Tonight… could you… sleep with us?”

Oh, those familiar words.

The last time Eve had received such an invitation to share a sleeping space, it had been from a certain Saintess.

Though that particular ‘version’ of events had passed, the memory of her voice and face remained vivid.

Eve understood that Yulim’s meaning, despite her social anxiety, was quite straightforward. It was simply that there was no room for Luosha’s coffin here. Still, Eve couldn’t resist a small mental grumble.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Eve simply nodded. “Of course,” she replied.

Eve’s swift agreement, however, was what truly surprised Yulim.

In Yulim’s mind, Luosha slept in a coffin most likely because of the mask she wore. Only within the confines of a coffin, shielded from prying eyes, could Luosha find a moment’s respite and remove her mask.

Thus, Yulim had fully expected Luosha to refuse, or at the very least, not agree so readily.

After much deliberation, the only reason Yulim could conceive was that Luosha must have been considerate of their feelings.

She was willing to squeeze in with them, simply to ensure a proper sleeping place for a drunken Anna.

Luosha truly was a benevolent soul!

Yulim’s gaze, fixed on Eve, brimmed with gratitude.

Though Eve, who typically slept in a coffin, didn’t possess a sleeping bag, Yulim had thoughtfully packed a spare in her backpack.

As Yulim produced yet another sleeping bag from her backpack, much like a certain blue robot cat’s magical pouch, Eve was plunged into profound astonishment.

‘How could such a small backpack hold so many items, yet remain so utterly inconspicuous when you carry it?’ Eve wondered.

“Yulim,” Eve asked, “is your backpack some kind of spatial storage artifact?”

That was the only plausible explanation.

Just as Eve suspected, Yulim nodded, clutching the backpack to her chest. She glanced at the peacefully sleeping Anna. “This… Anna bought it for me a while ago,” she murmured softly.

“She said she saw me struggling with so many heavy things every day… so she specially bought it as a birthday gift for me.”

“She saved up for a very, very long time to afford it.”

The small, enclosed stable seemed to provide the socially anxious girl with a rare sense of security, allowing Yulim to speak at length for once.

Eve followed Yulim’s gaze, her eyes softening as they fell upon the quietly sleeping, blue-haired girl.

“I never would have guessed Anna could be so considerate,” Eve remarked softly.

To think she would prepare a spatial item for Yulim, and present it as a birthday gift, was truly remarkable.

One glance at Yulim’s demeanor was enough to confirm how deeply she cherished the present.

Taking the sleeping bag from Yulim, Eve carefully lowered the coffin from her back, propping it against a wall where it wouldn’t impede their rest.

“Wennya, I’m sorry, but I won’t be sleeping with you tonight,” she whispered gently to the little maid within the coffin.

After her quiet apology, Eve slipped off her shoes and returned to the picnic blanket. She unrolled the sleeping bag, slid inside to test it, and finding it suitable, rose once more.

Only after helping Yulim remove Anna’s excess clothing and shoes, tucking the sleeping girl snugly into her bag, did Eve finally settle back into her own.

The stable stall was indeed cramped. Though each girl was nestled in her own sleeping bag, they were practically pressed against one another.

In the deepening darkness, a few slivers of moonlight pierced through the unsealed gaps, casting a silvery sheen over them.

Eve narrowed her eyes, ready to drift into slumber.

Just then, Yulim’s soft voice broke the silence.

“Luosha…”

“Are you…”

“…a demon?”

In that instant, all traces of Eve’s drowsiness vanished.

She opened her eyes, turning her head to gaze at the girl beside her.

Yulim was watching her with extreme caution, her eyes filled with apprehension and unease.

She didn’t appear entirely certain of her own question.

Eve didn’t deny it. Instead, her voice remained calm as she asked, “How did you find out?”

Eve wasn’t surprised that the girl had discerned her identity as a member of the Demon Lord’s army.

From their very first encounter, Eve had sensed Yulim’s strong wariness towards her, suggesting that the girl had been alert to something amiss even then.

Seeing that Eve showed no anger or murderous intent, Yulim breathed a sigh of relief.

Her suspicion had been correct after all.

Luosha, much like herself, was truly a good person, despite her ‘villainous’ identity!

With renewed courage, Yulim began to recount every anomaly she had observed over the past few days.

She hadn’t, for instance, ever seen Eve relieve herself. Luosha carried a heavy coffin constantly, yet never seemed to tire. She would sleep an entire night sealed within that coffin, only to rise the next morning as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. And then there was her apparent disinterest in virtually all food.

“And… from the very first time we met, Luosha, I never sensed the vitality a living being should possess from you,” Yulim continued, her voice growing softer. “Even now, I can’t hear your heartbeat…”

“So… I just felt that you, Luosha, aren’t like a normal person at all.”

“More like… an undead demon… something that has already died.”

Not everyone possessed Anna’s oblivious nature. Yulim was incredibly observant; though she rarely vocalized her thoughts, it didn’t mean she was oblivious or lacked understanding.

Over these past few days, through Eve’s many peculiar habits that deviated from those of ordinary people, Yulim had gradually confirmed her suspicions.