Eve Nirvana Yggdrasil blankly stared in the direction where the pink-haired boy had disappeared.
Yona.
He was a boy who was unique in many ways.
Lemon and Apple, who had been neglected from a young age due to being the children of criminals, naturally lacked education and knowledge for their age, and they had no wealth or power to speak of.
That’s why Eve had brought them in, to feed them and teach them this and that….
Anyway, that was Yona about a year ago, who couldn’t even resist those two sisters.
However, it’s said that yesterday, he completely dismantled a raider, far surpassing Lemon and Apple.
Humans are a species that grow as fast as their short lifespans, but the speed felt clearly abnormal.
Moreover, it was about 8 coppers…no, it was a life-threatening amount for Yona at the time, wasn’t it?
He seemed to have harbored a grudge against the two sisters, who nearly starved to death because of something Lemon and Apple did without much thought, but when the twins were in danger of dying, he saved them.
Emotions aren’t something that cleanly disappear once they’re paid. But at the moment of the lucky strike, Yona truly forgot all his resentments.
That alone was surprising, but what was even more surprising was his attitude towards Eve.
“I have never told a lie.”
Eve knew very well herself. She has the appearance and habits that are prone to misunderstandings.
In the past, she actively used this to her advantage, but after retiring, it felt somewhat cumbersome.
As a result, Eve got used to being wary of those around her.
There are occasionally friendly and approachable people, but…the eyes of truth saw all such pretense as well.
Of course, she doesn’t think that lies are necessarily bad. How could Eve, at her age, be perturbed by such a thing now?
Basic manners, consideration not to hurt others, just habits ingrained in the body, etc.
Eve knows very well that not all lies stem from malice.
But because of that, she was even more flustered by the sincere kindness Yona showed.
Yona wasn’t like Lemon or Apple, who were clueless and unskilled at lying. If he wanted, he could hide his expressions and emotions at any time.
But he didn’t.
Yona, examined through the eyes of truth, was always sincere.
“…So there can be such a person.”
In reality, it was because Yona was aware of Eve’s powers and took care not to accidentally utter any lies.
It’s just that he became a writer who loved his own worldview and characters instead of human relationships and sociability….
The eyes of truth are a power that reveals intentional lies. It cannot read specific thoughts, nor can it detect when someone is truly being deceived.
Even Eve wouldn’t know how Yona was actually a writer planning to write a novel with the same setting as the continent they were on, and that he was supposed to be one of the characters in it.
She just thought of Yona as a transparent person.
To her, who has lived a thousand years…no, even more so because she is, the boy felt special.
But this was merely a personal impression, nothing more than interest.
…Until a little while ago.
“Haha. To defeat the guardian of the first floor and bring back the power of the World Tree. It sounds like a familiar story.”
Of course, it was something the elves had tried over hundreds of years.
Though it’s better now, the mental emptiness of elves was a bigger problem than expected. To the point where elves, despite their long-lived nature, often committed suicide before reaching 100 years.
Naturally, they struggled to somehow retrieve even a trace of the World Tree, and that’s why they made Eve, still young but the World Tree’s direct descendant, their queen.
Even if the elves at that time knew that the first floor of the labyrinth, where the World Tree blatantly existed, was nothing more than a shadow spanning dimensions and a mere illusion, would they have left it alone?
They flocked en masse to somehow reclaim their past lives. There were even elves who lived on the first floor for that reason.
Of course, all these attempts failed. The World Tree died to save the elves, and this was a proposition that could not be overturned by any means.
However, when the adventurers who first entered the second floor encountered the existence known as the guardian of the floor, and defeated it to embed a part of the perished god’s power into their own bodies.
The elves, half-given up, were turned upside down. Even without the World Tree, if they could find a trace of it, that would be enough.
Old elves would gain the strength to live by reminiscing about the past, and young elves would grow bigger by knowing their roots.
And if the one who obtained that power was a man…then, let’s marry him to the queen, the World Tree’s direct descendant.
The child born between those possessing the World Tree’s power would become the true leader, completely restoring the elves!
The elves, running their happiness circuit full throttle, staked the fate of their race and literally invested everything to investigate the first floor.
…And so, 800 years passed.
The elves overcame depression on their own, embraced the doctrine of materialism, and.
Eve, who had left the position of a partner vacant, became a historic old maid.
“……”
Eve, perhaps still angry about the events of that time, clenched her jaw tightly. She took a deep breath, deciding to forget the unpleasant things and remember the good ones.
For example…the promise Yona made at the end.
“I didn’t expect him to say such a thing.”
The first floor exploration plan, staked on personal life and the future of the race, yet no one truly believed in it with sincerity. It was just full of wishes.
But Yona was different.
That small boy declared with clear certainty, as naturally as the sun rises in the morning and the moon at night.
He would bring back the power of the World Tree and use it for Eve.
Yona himself might not understand what that means. How would a young boy born in this era know about something that happened hundreds of years ago?
But Eve is different. As the person who has maintained her purity for 800 years, almost like a blank check in terms of marriage proposals.
And then, that last smile.
Yona, who always had the cuteness fitting his age and a strangely charming expression due to his pink hair.
But the last moment of shaking hands was different.
A smile so arrogant and ferocious as if to swallow everything in the world.
No, can that even be called a smile? If anything, it was closer to the growling of a beast.
A smile filled with primitive violence, wanting to possess what he desires at any cost and mercilessly bite anyone who interferes.
Eve was overwhelmed by the scent of a ‘male’ she had seen for the first time in a thousand years.
“Ah…”
Because Yona took Lemon and Apple with him, Eve was left alone in the all-encompassing Eden.
Although small and shabby, her smile deepened in that space, clearly isolated from the outside.
“Haha. It should be okay for a moment. It’s not urgent.”
Eve stood up, locked the door of the shop, and covered the windows with thick curtains.
Then, she estimated the size of the horn on the desk, and took out an adult toy of a similar size from the shelf.
This place is an all-encompassing shop. As it sells all kinds of items, it naturally also sells tools to alleviate the loneliness of solo adventurers.
These were items she had considered clearing out because they weren’t selling well, but…
“It’s time to check what the problem is before we clear them out.”
Having rationalized her decision, Eve bit into the sizable model.
Having protected this place for so long, there was a bit of fear below…and more than anything, Yona had said he liked virgins.
Ssshhh-
The sound of fabric falling could be heard.
It was only after Eve had selected two shots with Yona’s wild smile and the strange horn that she could start her work.
***
Although I felt like I had overused the blank checks, I had successfully entrusted the unicorn’s horn to Eve almost for free.
All that was left was to wait leisurely…but regardless, the fact that I’m penniless hasn’t changed.
Even if I scrounge around, I might find a few coppers, but it’s far too little to stir the heart of someone who has already tasted silver.
“So, from now on, I’m going to make money.”
Lemon and Apple, who were dragged here almost like they were kidnapped, looked at each other and then tilted their heads in unison.
“Are we going to the labyrinth today as well?”
“Then, I’ll briefly go and grab our gear.”
“No, it’s not the labyrinth but the labyrinth city where I plan to make money. I need you two for efficient farming.”
“What does farming mean?”
“Oh, have you returned to your original way of speaking? Is that okay?”
“We’re the only ones here, so of course. And farming is…well, you’ll understand once we try it.”
The difficulty is indeed different when you have collaborators.
I narrowed my eyes and scanned the surroundings. A place that was bustling enough but not particularly upscale.
There were quite a few adventurers walking around, but at best, they were on the same level as Lemon and Apple.
In other words, the neighborhood felt just right for unstable security.
Such places always have one thing in common…
After focusing my search around alleyways, it didn’t take long to find what I was looking for.
Wild thugs!
“Go Lemon! Apple! Start some trouble with anything!”
“So you’re finally showing your true colors!”
“From today, this place is ours!”
The twin elves charged forward excitedly at the command, bewildering the local thugs. Watching their confusion, I loosened my fingers.
Crack-
This cool, heavy sensation.
“It’s been a while.”
It’s time to return to being a pickpocket, not an adventurer.
Thanx for the update