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“Hmm….”

I stretched as I got up from my spot and immediately started moving.

My business in Samuel and Gluttony’s territory was finished.

Now, it was time to visit the Bares family again.

I was already worried sick.

There were many reasons for that, but the most concerning one was meeting Crete again.

*Sssk-*

I quietly spoke to Gu poison, who was sleeping in my arms.

“You absolutely cannot reveal yourself for the time being.”

—…….

Whether Gu poison understood my words or not, it remained asleep.

*Sigh*.

It wouldn’t understand even if I told it now.

I had no choice but to emphasize it again right before entering the Bares family estate.

I roughly tidied up the bedding and looked around.

Samuel, in his new body, was leisurely sipping tea while reading a book.

Noticing that I was awake, Samuel opened his mouth.

“You’re up. You slept well even though the bedding must have been uncomfortable.”

“Well, it’s better than sleeping on the streets.”

“Is that so? I couldn’t sleep a wink because of your snoring.”

“…….”

It seemed I snored because I was so exhausted.

As Samuel’s sharp gaze landed on me, I slightly turned my head away.

Come to think of it, I was quite hungry since it was morning….

I glanced at Samuel again, giving him an unspoken look.

*Thud-*

Samuel closed his book with a sigh.

“I was preparing rice cakes and soup anyway. Eat your fill before you go.”

“I wasn’t particularly hoping for it, but I shall eat since you’ve offered.”

“……This bastard really.”

*Whizz, whizz-*

Samuel stopped himself from cursing and shook his head.

“Talking to you is a losing battle.”

“……Your words are harsh.”

“Hmph, you brought this upon yourself.”

Grumbling, Samuel rose from his seat and walked past me.

He was headed towards the pot where the soup was simmering.

Samuel came back to me with a plate of neatly arranged soup and rice cakes.

However, it was a bit of a stretch to call this a rice cake.

“Is this a rice cake?”

I pointed at the yellowish food that resembled a ‘buchimgae’ (Korean pancake) and asked Samuel.

At this, Samuel frowned and answered,

“It’s a rice cake made by finely grinding the flower buds and roots of a plant that grows underground. It doesn’t taste bad, so try it.”

“Hmm….”

I was expecting something like ‘jeolpyeon’ (sliced rice cake) or ‘injeolmi’ (rice cake covered with bean flour) when he said rice cake.

Still, I shouldn’t complain about free food.

I took a bite of the unfamiliar-looking rice cake.

And then,

“It’s delicious…!”

My small eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected taste.

Samuel coughed awkwardly at my reaction.

Ignoring him, I focused on eating the rice cake.

What a wonderful harmony of flavors…!

With each bite, the scent of flowers filled my mouth.

The bittersweet aroma strangely suited my taste.

I almost wanted to ask Samuel for the recipe.

As I looked at him with such feelings, he shook his head.

“Unfortunately, the ingredients for this rice cake can only be found here. Well, I’ll pack some for you if you want.”

“That would be much appreciated.”

I finished off the rest of the rice cakes and nodded.

Samuel got up from his seat for a moment and handed me a piece of paper with the ingredients for the rice cakes and a simple recipe.

*Sssk-*

I carefully tucked the paper into my pocket and started eating the soup.

The soup was the same underground plant soup I had yesterday.

…Since it wasn’t exactly to my liking, I didn’t ask for the recipe.

As Samuel and I were engrossed in our meal.

“Ugh, huh…? Everyone except me…!”

Miriam, who had been lying in bed, sat up and whined.

It seemed the smell of food naturally woke her up.

“You should have woken me up…!”

“Of course, I saved some for you.”

“Families should eat together!”

“…….”

As I watched Samuel bickering with Miriam, I fell into thought.

Last night.

Miriam asked me for help, saying that Samuel might be consumed by his ‘wisdom.’

I wasn’t sure if that was also something Miriam ‘prophesied.’

From the moment I entered this world, her ability to foresee the future was practically useless.

Then,

‘…Miriam might know something about the King of Wisdom.’

Or more precisely, the ‘Miriam I saw last night’ might know.

The Miriam I saw yesterday might not have been the real Miriam.

More precisely….

‘I should say she was divinely possessed.’

If I asked her now, she probably wouldn’t remember why she said such a thing.

My senses were sharp, so I could clearly tell.

The Miriam from last night was different from the one I usually knew.

Well, perhaps that was Miriam’s ‘true form.’

No matter how clumsy she usually was, Miriam was still a priestess who served a Demon God.

But now, that wasn’t really important.

What Miriam asked of me.

‘…Save Samuel.’

I couldn’t really answer her because I didn’t know what it meant to be consumed by wisdom.

However, one thing was certain: I would do my best to help Samuel.

…This was the price I had to pay for troubling Samuel in the past.

But last night’s Miriam wasn’t certain that Samuel would be consumed by wisdom.

Whether it would happen or not was still unknown, so I shouldn’t be too scared.

Anyway.

“Thank you for the meal.”

After finishing the soup, I rose from my seat.

Samuel glanced at me as I got up and said,

“Are you leaving now?”

“Yes, it’s getting late. The lady must be waiting anxiously for me.”

“Hmph, I’m just glad you’re alive. If I were the head of the Bares family, I would have sentenced you to death immediately.”

“…….”

I couldn’t refute Samuel’s words, considering I had practically abandoned Rene, despite being her escort.

However, I felt wronged.

It wasn’t that I didn’t look after Rene, but that she avoided me.

Why was I being treated like the perpetrator?

It was unfair.

The more I thought about it, the more unfair it felt….

‘…Should I not go?’

But that was impossible.

I wanted to take Kyle, who must be at the Bares family estate, and leave this place, but that was impossible.

Kyle would probably be restrained by Crete by now….

Kyle, the human spy who tormented Luna, had formed a contract with me and gone to the Bares family to obtain information about the Demon Realm.

To help finance Kyle, I had written a letter slightly provoking Crete, but I didn’t know how effective it had been.

Kyle hadn’t sent me a letter about it.

Hmm,

For now….

*Gulp-*

I decided to calm my mind by drinking the tea Samuel had brewed.

As I sipped the fragrant tea, time passed.

“I’ll be on my way now.”

It was time to go.

I rose to my feet and said goodbye to Samuel and Miriam.

Samuel nodded, as if expecting this, and stood up.

Then, he said to me,

“Here, I modified it myself this morning.”

*Thud-*

Samuel tossed something to me.

My shoulders flinched.

“You’ve already modified the Orb of the Flame Emperor?”

I was astonished.

Samuel had handed me the blackened Orb of the Flame Emperor.

I thought it wouldn’t be possible to modify it until after the vacation.

Did he modify it in a few hours, not even overnight?

“I don’t know why you’re so surprised.”

“……I’m sufficiently surprised.”

Samuel said it as if it were nothing, but I couldn’t help but be shocked.

The Orb of the Flame Emperor was an artifact I had personally written about in the original story.

To think he changed the ‘nature’ of a high-ranking artifact in just a day.

I quickly put it in my pocket, worried someone might take it.

Miriam, who had been watching Samuel and me with a pleased expression, exclaimed,

“Then I’ll open the way for you. Follow me!”

By ‘way,’ she meant opening the giant maw of the temple, just like she did when I first visited the Temple of Gluttony.

I followed Miriam as she started walking ahead.

*Thump, thump-*

After walking for a while.

*Thud-*

Miriam stopped, and Samuel and I stopped as well.

Then, Miriam clasped her hands respectfully and began to pray.

“…………….”

Incomprehensible chants flowed from Miriam’s mouth, and

*Rumble, rumble, rumble-*

The Temple of Gluttony began to shake violently.

And then.

*Fwooosh-*

The Temple of Gluttony ‘spat’ me out.

With a tremendous roar, my body was flung into the air.

Looking down from the sky, I saw Miriam waving her hand and Samuel gazing at me silently.

‘Adel, be safe.’

I couldn’t hear Samuel’s voice, but his mouth seemed to be saying those words.

Although it was a short time, I had grown quite fond of them, so I waved back.

Later,

We would meet again when the vacation was over.

As the ground drew closer.

‘Move.’

To avoid crashing into the stone floor, I swapped places with a nearby leaf.

And so, I landed safely and let out a sigh of relief.

“……?”

Countless somethings came into view.

I couldn’t help but blink at the slimy malice they emitted.

What…

What was going on?

***

Soon after Adel was spat out of the temple.

Miriam asked Samuel, who was left alone,

“Are you sure you don’t want to follow him?”

“…….”

Samuel didn’t answer right away and fell into thought.

He also wanted to follow Adel and join him on his adventures.

However,

That wouldn’t do.

“……This isn’t enough.”

“What do you mean?”

“I realized it when I clashed with him earlier. I’ll only be a burden to him as I am now.”

When Adel had suddenly provoked him and clashed with him.

On the surface, it was Samuel who had sustained more injuries.

However,

‘…To think it slowed down the regeneration of my thorns.’

The killing intent Adel emanated was still roughly tearing at some of Samuel’s thorns.

Moreover, the kid possessed unknown skills that even he himself wasn’t aware of.

“……The next time we meet, I’ll be different.”

Samuel decided to stay in the Temple of Gluttony and hone the new powers he had gained.

So as not to hold back his companion.

To protect those precious to him.

He decided to temporarily suppress his desire to follow Adel for now.

“Well, it’s fine with me! It means I get to spend more time with Samuel!”

“……That’s truly unfortunate.”

“What was that?!”

*Squeeze-*

Miriam grumbled and pulled at Samuel’s cheek.

And the moment a sharp pain shot through him,

Samuel recalled something he hadn’t told his companion.

‘…When the temple entrance opened and when I spat him out, the recoil must have attracted the surrounding Eater Birds.’

If it were just one, it wouldn’t be a problem.

But Adel wouldn’t be able to handle hundreds, thousands of Eater Birds.

Even Samuel had barely managed to escape by using a secret passage he knew when he left this place for Sytan.

However, Samuel decided to have ‘faith’ in his companion.

“Well, he’ll figure something out.”

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