Chapter 654

In fact, it was a very shocking and complicated moment. But when Adriana saw Reinhardt, all other thoughts flew out of her head and she had to run towards him and embrace him. She knew he was safe, but couldn't help feeling overwhelmed with relief. They hugged tightly, but it soon became awkward and they separated. Adriana couldn't help but laugh and felt a surge of emotion. Reinhardt was still the same old junior who lacked confidence, but he had also become a hero who risked his life to save her. Adriana didn't know what had happened to him, but she knew that he had become someone important. She gently hugged his head and said that she knew he had a hard time. Reinhardt remained silent. The second embrace held different emotions than the first - not just joy, but also worry and tenderness. Adriana was a special presence to the demon king, even more so than she realized. She had seen the demon king's weak side and was the first person to lead him in a positive direction. Despite his bad first impression and unpleasant personality, she had taken his hand and led him. Therefore, to the demon king, Adriana was a special person who was the only one to see his weakness. They sat together in the moonlit field, both unsure of where to start. Adriana had also gone through a lot, and there were stories she couldn't tell with a smile. They talked about the events that had happened, including the deaths of the five popes. Of course, it is a puppet show where all the high-ranking officials in the church move according to Reinhardt's orders, and his power is so great that he can even conceal the deaths of the popes. Adriana knows that all of these events were tragedies that neither of them wanted. However, it was inevitable that they would end up making decisions to save or kill someone after all the unwanted events. Therefore, Adriana could only feel sad. She thinks of someone she can't help but think of in this situation - Illyon Vutton, the person who was called Hirine's dog. They had not known each other for a long time, but they had become close due to being involved with the Holy Order and the Divine Order, and after being taken hostage and rescued. However, that Hirine was actually Lycanslof. Adriana had no reason to ask why he had told her to run away. It would be painful for both of them to talk about it. And naturally, there is someone who can't help but come to mind in this situation - Royar, who was called the dog of Hirine. They had not known each other for a long time, but they had become close due to being involved with the Holy Order and the Divine Order, and after being taken hostage and rescued. Translation:

Summary of previous part of chapter only for context: In this chapter, the reader learns about the power dynamics within the church and how Reinhardt controls all the high-ranking officials like puppets. Adriana, a character in the story, knows that the events that have unfolded were tragedies that neither she nor Reinhardt wanted. However, they were forced to make decisions that involved saving or killing someone. Adriana feels sad about this situation and thinks about Illyon Vutton, who was called Hirine's dog. They had become close due to their involvement with the Holy Order and the Divine Order, but Adriana later learns that Hirine was actually Lycanslof. She doesn't ask why he told her to run away as it would be painful for both of them to talk about it. Royar, who was also called Hirine's dog, is another character that comes to mind for Adriana. They had become close after being taken hostage and rescued.

Translation:

"It's not about cutting down countless monsters, but breaking them," Reinhardt says, shaking his head.

"I know," Adriana responds.

"...Huh? How do you know?"

"I, I was watching..."

Reinhardt hesitates on whether or not to say something, before finally letting out a deep sigh.

"Do you remember the cat?"

"...The cat?"

Adriana raises an eyebrow at the sudden topic.

If someone were to randomly bring up a cat in this place...

It must be the only one.

Adriana opens her eyes wide, sensing something.

"Oh, don't tell me."

"That was me."

"...."

Adriana can only stare in shock at the surprising revelation.

A black kitten that suddenly appeared and disappeared, and then finally Ellen took it away with her to the temple.

"To be honest, it's not quite like a dog... but yeah, I admit it. It's kind of weird. I know. But..."

"I had a feeling."

Adriana interrupts Reinhardt's attempt to justify himself.

Reinhardt just looks at her quietly.

Despite the strange story, Adriana is smiling.

She smiles and pinches Reinhardt's cheek.

"That's why that cat only liked me and Ellen so much."

That little kitten followed Ellen and Adriana around, sitting on Adriana's lap to eat jerky, and Ellen took it to her room without any resistance.

It was definitely like that.

If it were Reinhardt, it would make sense that the kitten showed such behavior.

That fact says a lot.

The kitten's behavior shows that Reinhardt hasn't changed from before.

He still cares about Ellen and goes to such lengths to find her.

And not just Ellen, but he also tried to stick close to Adriana and not leave her side.

"Junior, Ellen is Ellen, but... I really missed you too?"

"...."

Reinhardt, or rather the demon king who is now a presence too high to look at, blushes at Adriana's teasing words.

It seems like he doesn't know what to do with himself after revealing such emotions.

In the end, even now, he summoned Adriana not just to talk, but because he wanted to talk to her.

"So, is there no reason in particular?"

"A reason?"

"Yeah, if there's something you need to talk about, you should probably say it soon. But it doesn't seem like there's anything."

They had hugged each other fiercely, talked about things they couldn't say, and even shared a little bit.

So if there was something to say, he should say it soon, but Reinhardt didn't have anything to say. "If you want to nitpick, having no reason was the reason. Since the Gate incident, everything I did had a reason. So, I didn't do anything I wanted to do. It was because I needed something. To become stronger. To form an alliance. To gather information. To obtain someone's power. To prevent a disaster. To prevent someone's death. Or to kill someone. All of it was for a reason. Rather than a reason, it was more accurate to say it was necessary. As a Demon Lord, it was something I had to do. It was the time to move towards a goal that I wanted to achieve. Even things related to Ellen were necessary because I had to see the situation of the heroes to predict what would happen later. But... there was no need to meet you, Adriana. Something that I just wanted to do without any reason or necessity... I wanted to do at least one thing like that before everything was over. Just because I missed you. That's why I came to see you." The protagonist reflects on his past actions and motivations, realizing that he never did anything just because he wanted to. He decides to visit Adriana without any particular reason, highlighting his growth and desire to do something just for himself. During their conversation, Linehart tells Adriana to stop fighting and either return to the Yellow Sea or follow him, but Adriana wants to fight. Linehart cannot force her to leave, but he can see the desire in her eyes. Adriana asks Linehart to promise that he will survive.