Chapter 69: Return (3)

Unlike Azazel, who had fainted at the mention of the Demon King, the remaining Archangels were surprisingly calm. They seemed more concerned about Evan.

“You’re alive, Evan.”
“Yes. I… suspected as much. Although I didn’t expect to… become a girl.”
“Ugh, I have so much to tell you! But there are… pressing matters. Let’s talk later, Evan!”

Metatron and Gabriel said casually, while Cassiel left the room, looking disappointed.

“I’ve been wondering… you two seem to have a lot of free time compared to the others.”

Metatron shook her head at Avalli’s question.

“The others are simply… inefficient. I handle all the truly difficult and complex tasks.”
“Is that so?”

“Meta has the largest workload. But there’s a significant difference in… processing capacity.”

Michaela said, smiling sweetly.

“What about you, Michaela?”

“I receive divine pronouncements. So, as you can see, I’m always… on standby.”

“Which means you’re slacking off. You could at least help out sometimes.”

“I’m handling Raziel’s work these days.”

“That’s not the point. You’re lazy.”

The violet-haired girl grumbled, and the blond boy chuckled.

“You two haven’t changed at all.”

Evan said, a faint smile playing on her lips.

“That’s how we were created.”

“But Meta has become more expressive. See? She even gets angry now.”

“Being poked in the cheek for 500 years would make anyone angry, Gabriel.”

Metatron swatted Gabriel’s hand away with her wing and then turned to Evan, her expression still sleepy.

“What are your plans, Evan?”
“…Plans? For now, I’m going with Avalli. She might be able to help me break this curse.”
“And after that?”

Metatron pressed, and Evan hesitated.

“I don’t know. I never expected to… return.”
“How about a grand celebration? The return of the legendary Hero!”
“Anything Evan wants.”

Evan shook her head at their suggestions. “I’m content with the peace we have now. My sudden reappearance would only cause confusion.”, “If you have nowhere to go, you can stay in the Holy Kingdom! We’d love to have you, Evan!”

Gabriel said, sensing the darkness in her voice.

“Thank you for the offer, but…”
“Well, we can decide that later.”

Avalli interrupted their chatter.

“If there’s no one else you want to see, should we leave?”

“Yes, let’s go.”

Evan, her mind still in turmoil, readily agreed.

“Come back and visit, Evan.”

Metatron said, flapping her wings and offering Evan her hand. Evan nodded reluctantly, then pointedly ignored the offered hand and stood up.

****

They visited Cassiel’s office next. He was in the middle of an important meeting, but he immediately dismissed the high priests.

Feeling like they were intruding, they kept their visit brief.

“Take care, Evan!”
“…You too, Cassiel.”

Cassiel waved enthusiastically as Evan left.

‘…Who are those girls?’

‘The silver-haired one is the Saintess, but… I don’t recognize the black-haired woman.’

‘An Archangel greeted her so warmly? And the name Evan…’

‘She’s incredibly beautiful… the Saintess is still unripe, but that Evan woman…’

Some were close to the truth, but—
—no one guessed that the legendary Hero had returned… as a girl.

“…I’m not used to… being stared at.”

Evan sighed after they left the office, the curious gazes finally gone.

“Stared at? What do you mean?”

“Like… they’re undressing me with their eyes. You don’t feel it?”
“I haven’t noticed anything. You’re probably being stared at because…”

Avalli’s gaze drifted towards Evan’s… chest.

“…”

“Because…?”

“Nothing. Forget it.”

Avalli shook her head, a strange sense of defeat washing over her.

‘I could change her appearance with magic, but…’

It would be a superficial change, a disguise she, herself couldn’t ignore, even if no one else noticed.

“…That feels like admitting defeat.”
“What are you even talking about?”
“Nothing. Just… ignore me.”

Avalli waved her hand, and a gray cloak materialized.

“…Material creation?”

Evan gasped at the casual display of power.

“Here. Wear this. There are a lot of pilgrims in the Holy Kingdom. No one will give you a second look.”

Avalli, as usual, acted like it was nothing special.

“…Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. Oh, there’s one more place we need to stop by. Is that okay?”

Evan nodded, wrapping the cloak around herself. As they walked through the city, she felt the stares, but thankfully, thanks to the cloak and Avalli’s more… childlike appearance, the attention was mostly directed at Avalli.

‘They’re not leering, at least.’

Unlike Evan, Avalli looked more like a girl than a woman. There was no lust in their gazes, mostly just curiosity and awe. A few people even approached Avalli, and she responded with effortless charm, seemingly at ease with social interactions, unlike the socially awkward Evan.

“Wait here for a moment.”

They stopped at a small building. Even after 500 years, the written language seemed to be the same. Evan recognized the word ‘Library’.

“You like books?”

“I do. But that’s not why we’re here.”

Avalli said, entering the building, then reappeared almost instantly.

“Finished already?”

“No, she was asleep. I just covered her with a blanket.”

“…If you have something to say, you should say it. You might regret it later.”

Evan’s voice was tinged with a familiar sadness, but Avalli just shrugged.

“It’s not like that. I already said goodbye. I just… wanted to check on her.”
“If you say so.”

“Ready to go?”

Avalli took Evan’s hand. She expected to be teleported, but Avalli started walking.

“You’re walking all the way to the Eastern Great Forest?”

“Yep. If it were just me, I would just teleport. But you’re here now, Evan.”

“…You don’t have to do this.”

Avalli paused, fiddled with her hair, and then whispered,

“You’re not… planning on coming back to the Holy Kingdom, are you?”
“Was it that obvious?”
“Extremely.”
“…That’s… a problem.”

Unlike before, she couldn’t hide her emotions as easily in this new body. Perhaps it was the change in gender, or perhaps just unfamiliarity.

“Well, think about it. You should at least meet everyone who remembers you before you make a decision.”

Avalli said, then ducked into a nearby alley. She closed her eyes, muttered something, and then her appearance shifted, her silver hair and vibrant green eyes replaced by the ordinary brown hair and dull brown eyes she had in Asha Village.

“A disguise?”
“I… caused some incidents on my way here. Ah, this is my normal appearance in the village. And my other form… is a secret. So, play along.”

Evan nodded, though confused. Back on the street, no one paid them any attention.

They almost had a problem at the checkpoint when asked for identification, but—

“Let them pass.”
“Sir Cedric?”
“I know them.”

—Cedric, the Inquisitor, intervened. It was less of a “help” and more of a “preventing something catastrophic from happening,” but—

“Thank you, Inquisitor.”

—Avalli was still grateful.

“I hope I never see you in the Holy Kingdom again.”

Cedric said, his voice filled with displeasure.

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible. I’ll be visiting the library occasionally.”
“…This is giving me a headache.”

Cedric rubbed his temples and then glanced at the cloaked figure beside Avalli. She looked like an ordinary pilgrim.

But to Cedric—

‘…So many monsters in this world…’

—she seemed… just as otherworldly as Avalli.

“Inquisitor, before you go… can I ask you a question?”

“…If it’s something I can answer.”

“Do you know about the Hero, Evan?”

The seemingly random question made Cedric relax slightly.

“The Hero Evan? Are you talking about the one from the legends?”
“I read about him in a book. I was…curious about the general public’s opinion.”
“I’m not sure if my opinion counts as ‘general,’ but—”

He found their childish conversation slightly amusing, but he answered sincerely.

“—every boy in this land dreams of becoming a hero, at least once in their lives.”