Morning.
When the first ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds and bathed Adam, the halo enveloping his body gave him a sense of divinity.
He sat upright on a garden bench, reading intelligence reports he had asked Neith to collect. Having just arrived in this world, he needed this information to determine the timeline and make proper arrangements.
"I see, so I'm the 7th Campione who has killed a Deity... which means Godō Kusanagi hasn't slain Verethragna yet."
As a Campione, Adam knew that even without his request, those people would have informed him about others of his 'kind'.
And naturally, they would tell other Campiones about him too.
"Wait, didn't Pandora already tell me I was the 7th Campione?" Adam unconsciously touched his lips, which still seemed to retain a lingering taste and softness.
He had obtained his Authority in the Netherworld and promised to help Pandora break free from her constraints.
These memories remained clear to him, whether due to his own nature or Pandora's influence.
Of course, he also remembered his "Mother's" reward.
Another matter concerned Adam — the young woman, the busty "nun" he met when he first arrived in this world.
He described her appearance to Neith and requested an investigation.
From the compiled intelligence, he discovered that the young woman had actually lived for over a hundred years and was, like himself, one of the seven Campiones — the Mysterious Queen of Caves, Madame Aisha.
He also learned that his first appearance was in a place called the Fairy Realm, from which humans could rarely escape once they entered.
"As I thought, she was trying to save me."
Adam wasn't angry about Aisha throwing him out back then — after all, it had been to save him.
Upon reflection, her desperate explanations and apologetic gestures likely stemmed from her inability to control where she would send him. She apologized in advance to secure his forgiveness — that must have been the only reason.
Aisha possessed an Authority called〚Fairy's Corridor〛, which could open interdimensional/time travel portals.
She couldn't control this Authority at will. It typically led to places where people needed help, which probably explained her delight upon seeing him.
As for the rest... Adam couldn't believe that Aisha, who was as meek and gentle as Wiz, would deliberately send him to his death.
Therefore, being thrown to Crocodilopolis to battle the Sun God Ra must have been purely coincidental.
"No... it must be connected to her somehow." Adam instinctively felt something was off.
He suddenly recalled that Aisha had another Authority called〚Grand Luck〛.
This Authority brought extremely good fortune whenever she performed good deeds, while simultaneously bringing terrible misfortune to those who hindered her — an incredibly powerful Authority related to [Fate].
Ah, by the way, this Authority could be voluntarily deactivated.
But due to Aisha's oblivious personality and her Authority's tendency to spiral out of control, Adam might have been affected.
However... had he actually hindered her?
He couldn't figure it out. It was their first meeting — could her Authority have detected some unconscious ill intent and automatically counterattacked?
No, no, no, she was the one who made the first move! It had nothing to do with him! Absolutely nothing!
"My King, Neith has prepared breakfast. Please come and enjoy it."
"Hmm, thank you for your trouble."
Following Neith's footsteps, they arrived at an elegant and luxurious dining room.
This might sound like nouveau riche talk, but truly, every corner of this vast estate exuded magnificent opulence.
And there wasn't a single man in the estate! All were maids — beautiful young ladies with diverse appearances!
Having lived here for three days since regaining consciousness, Adam had received royal treatment. Whatever request he made, the maids would immediately fulfill.
No matter what!
But Adam understood this was merely a façade, a necessary means to please him. It might even be an attempt to control him indirectly.
He could let power go to his head and behave like a beast, doing all sorts of inappropriate things to these beautiful young maids. But that would not only tarnish his reputation as both a 『 Campione 』 and a 『 Hero 』 and lower his standards — it would also expose his weaknesses to other power holders.
Looking at the table filled with various rich dishes, Adam sighed slightly.
"Too greasy. Who could eat such heavy food early in the morning? Shouldn't breakfast be light?"
And every meal was extravagantly abundant — no matter how delicious, having the same thing every day made it hard to eat.
He issued an order to the maid standing beside him who was waiting to serve him.
"Neith, tomorrow's breakfast should be simple and light, understand?"
"But! My King, this would diminish your..."
Not giving her a chance to continue, Adam firmly said, "This is an order."
"...Yes, yes. I obey the King's command." Neith lowered her head and responded softly.
Seeing her slightly trembling body, he couldn't help but wonder if he was really that frightening. Although his appearance might look somewhat imposing, his personality was rather amiable, wasn't it?
After thinking for a moment, he beckoned to the few maids standing nearby.
"Neith, and all of you — sit down and have breakfast together."
"No, no, no! You are the King, and we are mere servants..."
"This is an order." Adam didn't want to waste any more words; one sentence made it impossible for them to refuse.
"Yes... yes."
Led by Neith, the other maids looked uncomfortable as they tremblingly sat down.
They sat far from Adam, only daring to eat the food placed directly in front of them.
"Really, you all are too formal."
This inherent fear of powerful people was something that even he couldn't help them overcome in just three days, so he decided to let them gradually discover that he wasn't actually that scary.
Adam's anger wasn't directed at these maids but at those in power who refused to treat people as humans and had indirectly sent over a hundred thousand people to their deaths.
These maids were just pitiful people sent to "satisfy his desires". If he were to act inappropriately toward them, he would truly tarnish his reputation as a Hero.
"Hmm, this bread is delicious! Who made it?"
"I-I did."
Neith's face brightened with delight; as someone in a position of weakness, she felt honored to receive praise from someone powerful.
"Because I noticed my King showed interest in bread during meals, I specially learned how to make it. I'm so glad you approve."
"In such a short time?!" Adam was surprised, "3 days... no, 2 days to reach this level. Neith, you're truly a genius."
"Your praise makes me feel unworthy, my King." Neith lowered her head with a touch of shyness, "You're the real genius. In just 2-3 days, you can speak Arabic so fluently. I truly admire you."
That's right. Since earlier, Adam had been communicating with her in Arabic.
But she misunderstood; this was actually the effect of the Campione's exclusive ability to learn all languages in a short period of time, including non-human languages, and had nothing to do with his personal abilities.
Although〚Analyze and Copy〛could also achieve this, it would take longer than this "Thousand Tongues" ability.
{T/N: In case you're thinking this was a downgrade of his skill, it only works after seeing the complete "ability". That is, he couldn't learn a language without first reading an entire dictionary and practicing a bit. Just like he did in Demon Slayer with the breathings.}
"No, no, no, I have special reasons. You, Neith, are the real genius... ah, in culinary skills, that is."
The added words were meant to tease her.
Adam had known from the first day that she was actually a holy maiden. Not the kind of "holy maiden" from monasteries who served dual purposes day and night, but a genuine holy maiden with spiritual power.
Just like the shrine maidens of Shintoism, she possessed a special ability called [Spirit Vision].
This ability allowed her to see information (Authorities) related to Gods and Campiones. She had been deliberately sent by those in power to please Adam, with the simple intention of having him use her as a convenient tool.
Whether in bed or in battle.
"No, no, no, you are the one, my King. You who are called the King of Miracles are truly a powerful being selected from the vast sea of humanity." Neith hurriedly waved her hands.
Her words always made Adam suspect she might be speaking sarcastically.
"King of Miracles... huh." Adam knew that this title concealed a derogatory meaning.
The polite interpretation was "miracle", but the less flattering one was "dumb luck".
In their eyes, his ability to slay the Heretic God was purely due to dumb luck, not even a stroke of extraordinary fortune. Since they didn't dare say it openly, they could only address him by this title.
"I imagine there must be power holders coveting Authorities who are furious now. Some unknown youngster snatched the Authority before them, surely making them hate me to the core. Isn't that right, Neith?"
"No, no..."
"But have they ever considered that I also hold great prejudice against them?" Adam's demeanor suddenly changed from gentle to cold, his eyes emitting a chilling light.
This caused all the maids, including Neith, to fall to their knees in fear, trembling and afraid to speak.
"For their own selfish interests, they sent so many people to their deaths. Do you think I'll let them off, Neith?"
"...Yes, yes! My King, your determination is absolute, your commands are absolute, your will is absolute, and Neith is willing to follow in your footsteps!
But... if you want to vent your anger, please direct it at me, at us. We will accept any punishment! Please, please... don't take out your anger on the ordinary people of Fayum Province! I beg you, my King!"
Neith lowered her head and closed her eyes tightly, large beads of sweat running down her forehead and dripping onto the floor.
She was terrified. Yet for the sake of the people, she was willing to sacrifice herself!
"...Fool, I wouldn't go so far as to harm innocent people." Adam gently patted her head, "But you're right, we need to be careful not to hurt others. Hmm... Neith, do you know of any open spaces nearby that wouldn't matter if damaged?"
"...Eh?" Neith was momentarily stunned.
Adam explained with a smile, "I want to test my Authorities before negotiating with them. We can't risk a battle breaking out where my power accidentally destroys the entire city."
Although his words were frightening, Neith actually felt grateful toward him.
"Compared to other Campiones, it's so good that you have common sense!" Neith said sincerely.
Seeing her relieved smile, Adam became irritated and pinched her cheeks while asking fiercely.
"Ah… Hey, what's that supposed to mean? You thought I was crazy or something, Neith? You got a problem with me?"
"No, how would Neith dare! I was wrong, I was wrong, I was truly wrong!" Neith began to beg for mercy.
But imperceptibly, the sense of oppression dissipated. Even the other maids kneeling behind her showed grateful smiles toward Adam.
It was such a relief that the new King wasn't a brutally ruthless person.
✧✧✧
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