Chapter 8: The Hidden Truth

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The man's name was August. He was a knight in armor who was close to Eve. The woman explained that she met August right when she was on a guard mission in the western region of Camelot.

"My unit is different from him. He's one of the royal armies while I'm in the regional forces."

Royal army? Regional forces? What's the real difference between the two?

"What caught my attention was his amazing spear-wielding skill. There isn't a single person in the kingdom who can beat him," said Eve; she smiled sincerely, something I'd never seen before.

"So, are you like his skills? Not the person?"

"I like both of them!" Eve groaned, pouting with a bright red blush on her face.

"Haha, alright. You can continue talking."

"At that time, the chaos between Camelot and Necron was happening. The border gate in the west is at stake for the two kingdoms," Eve explained.

The woman began to explain the battle that had taken place between her and the demon army. She occasionally sounded grumbled when telling about the casualties that fell from her armies; the woman continued to blame her commander for being unable to read the situation.

"After we were pressed, came the royal army with gold armor. They arrive just like angels who come to help."

"The first person to help me up—"

"It must be August, right?" I asked, interrupting.

"No. One of my friends reached out his hand to help me up," Eve explained.

I was shocked. I thought it would be a cliché like the scenes I've seen. The woman again told about her meeting with August until the war's end.

"August and I have agreed to live together. He dared to give up his highest status to live under the same roof with me." Eve's eyes filled with tears. She must have been touched when she reflected on the beautiful moments with this man. I couldn't say anything. Instead, I chose to go to my bedroom, get a clean napkin and give it to Eve.

"You don't have to hold back, Miss Eve."

Eve smiled sadly. She immediately grabbed the napkin and burst into tears with her face buried in the white cloth. I sat down, a little awkward too seeing the current situation.

For a long time, Eve enjoyed the time to miss August's presence. Then she lifted her head and looked back at me with a big smile.

"But now I can live with you. You look very similar to him," explained Eve; I was certainly surprised to hear what the woman said.

"Seeing you every day is like celebrating my life with a child I've always wanted," Eve said.

She kept my white napkin and said she'd return it when she cleaned it. I don't mind it at all.

"Then about his death, I'm still upset."

I listened carefully to every sentence from Eve's mouth; this was not without reason. I'm sure I'll slowly know what a Paladin is by listening to the woman's explanation.

"He died with a severed head."

I was shocked; I didn't think such cruelty could even happen in a place like this. The wrinkles on Eve's face became more visible, her brows pointed, and her eyes fixed on the oil lamp on the wooden table.

"I went to look for witnesses. But, unfortunately, no one said they saw what happened," Eve replied.

"Didn't you go to the police?"

"It's a waste. They won't move because there are no witnesses to see," Eve replied.

"Then did August ever get into trouble with someone? Is he being hated by a group?" I asked, getting more intense.

"I don't know. He didn't tell me anything," Eve replied curtly.

"If you don't know, you'll have a hard time finding the truth about August's murder."

"Don't give me advice, Arthur!"

"Is he a Paladin?!" I asked firmly.

Now Eve's sharp eyes began to glance at me. Her face was angry with his eyebrows bent sharply; from the wrinkles on her face, I could tell she was uncomfortable with my words.

"Why do you think that?" asked Eve.

"Since the other spear users weren't killed, why was he the only one killed?" I explained, analyzing the results from taking a look around the village.

There weren't many, but some of them used spear weapons. They are ordinary people, like Eve. However, it's different with an Adamas like me.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" moaned Eve.

"Of course you don't! You're too busy blaming yourself and not trying to take risks to—"

BUGH!

It hurts!

Eve stood up and kicked me so hard that I heard a loud banging sound. Eve's kick was so strong that I bounced off the house window and landed on the pool of water.

"AHH! It's painful."

My eyes closed tightly; I never thought the pain I received was more than the pain I could handle. Footsteps were heard on the squeaky wood. I tried to open my eyes and saw the woman walking with both eyes glaring at me.

"How dare you tell me that!" moaned Eve.

Not only from her kick, I can also feel the anger that comes out on her face and the tension she shows. I seem to have stepped on a lion's tail.

"I didn't mean to. I want you to realize that if you keep blaming yourself, you won't be able to escape the grief surrounding you," I explained; I wouldn't back down even if she had to beat me.

"His death was my fault. I'm not by his side to deal with his problems."

"YOU'RE BIG WRONG!"

"A person cannot determine a death. We can only lessen the pain or slow him down so he can be with us longer," I continued, saying in a high-pitched voice to Eve.

It was clear. She would continue to sink if she kept thinking about August. It's okay to grieve, but don't let it get in the way of your continuing to seek the truth.

The steps are getting closer to me. My body is still in pain, and quite hard to move. So I just raised my hands, trying to dodge ifs he tried to hit me at any time.

When I was ready, something that surprised me happened. She, instead of beating, finished me with the strength of her hands and feet but chose to hug and hold me tightly.

"M-Miss Eve."

"You really look similar to him," Eve said softly.

I was silent; I couldn't move my body because my access to move was limited. I feel her body is so warm, in contrast to my body which is quite cold from the effect of falling in the middle of the night into the fish pond.

"Are you no longer angry with me?" I asked, curious.

"I realized something."

She pulled me from the fish pond. Both of our eyes looked at each other; somehow, the change in attitude shown by Eve was very fast, even faster than the change in temperature in my body.

Her right hand stroked my hair gently. I don't know why the surface of her palms is so smooth, even though her work is a heavy job.

"W-What's that?" I asked; honestly, I was terrified by Eve's attitude tonight. The wide grinning lips she showed me reminded me of some horrific psychopath movie.

"I'll stop grieving for him and focus on helping you by finding the truth about the Paladins."

What she said took me by surprise. It seems my high voice made her realize it. I'm happy to see her willing to change himself for the better.

"August must be pleased to hear that."

She nodded slowly. Suddenly the fingers of her right hand grabbed my left ear tightly, frightening. I'm confused. Did she train her entire body so hard to be strong like this?

"Aww! It hurts."

"And this is punishment because you raised your voice against your teacher," Eve insisted, acting like my mother.

"I-I apologize. You nearly broke my ear!"