Reincarnated Hero System

“Evan, would you consider joining the ‘Demonic Hand’?”

That single question resounded in Evan’s head multiple times over and he just stared dumbfoundedly at Agnes before him.

The silence in the room was palpable and even the waiter who brought the first course of their meal sensed this and tacitly didn’t say a word.

He just placed the food on the table and walked out.

The room remained silent until Agnes’ body suddenly jerked and she raised her hands to slap her cheeks.

“Ah…my bad…I kinda lost myself there…”

The girl spoke with a blush and seeing this, Evan was initially confused. Then, he remembered she had just removed her blindfold, which meant her Unique Eyes were now capturing the sights of the soul in front of her which was none other than his.

Last he checked; Agnes didn’t exactly have a normal reaction to the sight of his ‘Unique’ soul so he guessed she might have fallen into a daze again.

‘Even two Soul Protection Artifacts synergizing together can’t block her sight, huh?’

Once again, he was reminded just how powerful Agnes’ ability was.

He moved his gaze down to the food before him and picked up his cutlery before asking.

“So, what did you come here for?”

Evan completely ignored the question she had asked him earlier, but Agnes casually tore his plan to avoid reality in two.

“I came to ask you to join the Demonic Hand.”

“It seems I didn’t mishear you the first time.”

“No, you did not.”

“…”

Agnes’ greyish-white pupilless eyes did not move from his body and he sighed softly before asking in the calmest voice he could muster.

“Have you gone mad?”

“That’s rude, Evan. I’ll have you know I’m very sane.”

“Nahh, I doubt it.

If you were, you wouldn’t have come all the way over here just to ask that.”

Anyone who was called insane would certainly not be happy about that, and Agnes was no different. However, she didn’t flip out in anger but heaved a sigh and shook her head.

“Oh, well. Not like that was gonna work anyway. Right now, the relationship between you and the Demonic Hand is irreconcilable.

You’ve killed two of their Executives, after all.”

“Glad to see you remember that.”

Evan was genuinely curious about what was going on in Agnes’ head when she asked him this, while she continued speaking, ignorant of his thoughts.

“Even if it was me who requested, that Old Man wouldn’t agree.

The ‘Second Finger’ barely even knows anything about you, but that dwarf, Kranul, hates your guts. Cellica would probably throw you down a Volcano, Deram would want to bite your head off and Seith would not hesitate to split you in two with his sword the moment he sees you.”

Agnes casually spoke of the First to Sixth Fingers’ views on Evan, however, Evan couldn’t help but ask something else.

“Is the Demonic Hand gonna be okay with you around? You just revealed the names of the Third to Sixth Fingers to me…”

“I’m assuming you already know who they were. Even if you didn’t, their names would be trivial compared to what I plan to say next.”

True, Evan already knew the full names of all the Demonic Hand’s Executives, so Agnes’ words weren’t revealing anything to him.

Her reply, however, got him curious about what she wanted to say to him that trumped revealing the identities of the Third to Sixth Fingers.

Agnes could ‘see’ his curiosity and she didn’t edge him and started talking.

“Hey, Evan. Do you hate the Demons that come from beyond the stars?”

“No. I don’t have any particular likes or dislikes towards them. I wouldn’t be contracted with some if I hated them, after all.”

“But you fight against them.”

“To stop them from conquering this World like they’ve done hundreds, perhaps thousands of others.”

Evan noticed Agnes seemed ‘relieved’ upon hearing his reply, and this only intensified his curiosity even further.

“Hey, Evan.”

“I’m listening.”

“What if I told you that stopping the Demons from entering Aidos might be cutting off one of this World’s chances at averting a fate worse than being conquered?”

“An even worse fate, you say? Is that why you joined up with a certain group of lunatics?”

“Haha! I agree, some of them are crazy.”

As Evan casually dissed the entire Demonic Hand, Agnes only laughed and even concurred with him on this. Certainly not the kind of attitude one would expect from an affiliate of theirs.

“You’re laughing? You know I consider you to be part of them, right?”

“Wait…so you’re calling me a Lunatic as well? That’s not very nice of you, Evan.”

Agnes’ laughter ceased and her lips twisted into a pout; a gesture that while Evan admitted looked objectively cute, was completely mismatched with their topic of conversation.

“Maude refused to tell me why, so I’m hoping you’d enlighten me.”

“Enlighten you about what?”

“Why the Demonic Hand thinks Demons would be this World’s ‘Salvation’?

Why do they believe Artemisia has forsaken Aidos? I’m very curious about the source of the belief. The confidence you guys have in that conviction astounds me; you see.”

Evan’s questions for Agnes were of the same kind he had asked Maude (Chapter 671) though the circumstances were starkly different.

He wasn’t piercing a sword through her chest, after all.

“I know you as someone who knows a lot of things, but I guess it was wrong of me to assume you know everything.

You’re only Human, after all.”

Agnes reached out to Evan and tapped the top of his head, as if trying to check if something was there as she continued.

“Well, you’re part dragon now, but my point still stands.

On a side note, where are your horns, I can’t feel them.”

Evan grabbed Agnes’ hands and moved them back down to the sides of the plate before her, then he replied.

“I retracted them. Now, can we not stray from the main topic?”

“A pity, I wanted to see how your soul would react when they’re outside…”

The girl spoke in an almost dazed voice, as she subconsciously reached out to him once more. Evan narrowed his eyes and feeling his stare growing colder, Agnes quickly snapped back to reality.

‘Hold yourself, Agnes. Now’s not the time to get him pissed again.’

With Evan ignorant of her thoughts, Agnes spoke up once more, repeating words she had spoken to him during their first meeting.

“Evan…I don’t want to be enemies with you.”

“Oh, cool.

Leave the Demonic Hand and we have zero problems whatsoever.”

The boy replied casually as he sliced his steak in two, but he used a bit too much force and nearly split the plate beneath it in two as well.

“I…also can’t do that.”

“‘Course you can’t.”

Evan rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh, taking a bite of his food before asking.

“Mind telling me why, Miss Misguided?”

“?”

Agnes was confused as to why Evan called her that, but she didn’t ponder on it too much and replied.

“It’s a bit complicated.”

“Well, un-complicate it.”

The waiter entered to deliver a special wine order Evan had made and the boy asked the man a few questions before dismissing him.

He then returned his gaze to Agnes before him and gave her a look that said ‘I’m waiting’.

“Evan, you want to save this World, don’t you?”

“You’re asking a lot of questions, Miss. And you haven’t answered any of mine.

Anyway, Yes. I do.”

He gave a wordy reply, not adding any snide remarks and hearing this, Agnes nodded with a satisfied look as she spoke to the boy raising his glass to take a sip of his wine.

“Then we have the same goal.”

“Guk-pfft!! Sorry, what?”

Evan nearly spat out his drink when he heard this.

“No, we do not, Agnes.

You’re joining up with the people trying to break open the rift that keeps away an army of Planet-Conquering Demons who have been in the business of conquering worlds for millions of years, and just so happen to have a liking for ‘Prime Worlds’ like Aidos.

I, am trying to stop said Planet-Conquering Demons from coming through.

We…are NOT the same.”

“Well, like I said earlier, what if letting in these Planet-Conquering Demons is the only way we can ‘Save’ this world from the real threat it faces?”

Agnes’ statement brought memories of Arlan Maddox to the forefront of Evan’s mind. He ‘recalled’ the scenes where the original members of the Demonic Hand had claimed that ‘Artemisia had forsaken Aidos, and the Demons were their only means to Salvation’.

“Is this related to that whole schtick of Artemisia forsaking this World?”

This was a minority belief that the Barbarian Priestess did NOT agree with, despite her affiliation with the Demonic Hand.

“Artemisia did not forsake Aidos. There exist Saintesses of the Churches who are living proof that goddess Artemisia’s eyes are still on this World.

I do feel that it’s a carefully crafted pretence to avoid suspicion.”

Evan was a bit surprised to hear her statement, but before he could speak up, Agnes continued.

“Artemisa doomed Aidos to certain destruction.”

Now this…this was a new one.

Agnes’ choice of words and the emphasis she placed on them piqued Evan’s interest. It felt to him as if she considered her belief to be a completely separate thing.

The boy wanted to know just why she thought this. Perhaps, it may give him insight as to why she did not have the designation of ‘Enemy of Aidos’.

‘Does “Aidos” think her desire to save this world is genuine?’

Evan kept that question to himself and silently finished the first course of his meal, setting the plate and cutlery to the side before looking right at Agnes.

“You have my full attention.”