:::[Adam POV]:::
When I woke up the next day, my mind was clear, and I regained some of my strength.
I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was the luxurious ceiling above.
Then I sat up and stretched my arms, feeling a little bit heavy here and there.
Some images flashed back in my mind and everything that happened on the previous day seemed like a distant dream.
However, I was sure that I finally found the right start line.
To describe it simply, I woke up as a person who had a strong determination and clear goals.
'Well, I still need to think about an effective way to handle things from here though...' I thought, as I stood up and walked toward the wardrobe, picked up some clothes, then changed my pajamas into formal attire fit for the son of a Lord.
Various thoughts emerged inside my mind while I was changing, but I was calm and more confident about the decision I was about to take.
I needed to change things step by step. Change my way of thinking, my way of doing things, my way of interpreting the things I saw.
I needed to do that, slowly, but with a clear destination in mind.
After all, having this kind of mindset was the first step to the next level of my existence, or so I thought.
'Then, I must find a way to become stronger and also search for a method to ascend to the next level. Sounds like a lot of work.'
Furthermore, I needed to discover the reason why this universe was on verge of destruction and about the girl that would be the cause of it.
"Will she be the one direct causes though, or is she an important key in the circumstances that will lead to it?" I said to myself. "Well, I can't even remember the face of the one who told me about all this and it's annoying... Where is that girl and how can I meet her? Unfortunately, I don't have the answer to these questions."
I had a lot of things to do, and honestly, I would never have bothered with all of this if it were the old me.
'Even now, I still feel reluctant because there are many things that I can't understand, but it's time to change that way of thinking.' I thought, as I stood in front of the mirror and looked at my reflection.
This time I observed every detail of my face and my body.
I had decent muscles, unlike how my fat body in my previous life. My face didn't have any acne scars and my skin was clear. My pitch-black hair was smooth but a bit messy, and one of my black eyes was now slightly tainted with a crimson red color.
'Well, at least I managed to work hard on my physical appearance.' I thought, satisfied with the result of my physical training.
Inside of the mirror was my current self, and I should accept it and be proud of it. However, I couldn't take everything for granted, just because of this new body and my power.
My training was not enough and what happened was undeniable proof of that.
I shouldn't think naively anymore from this point onward.
After finishing changing, I walked toward the window and opened the curtains.
The morning light instantly brightened the room, indicating that a new day was about to begin.
It was still early in the morning and everyone thought that I still needed to rest, so no one tried to wake me up.
After tidying my bed, I walked to the door, opened it quietly, and excited my room.
Then, I walked along the hallway, descended the stairs, strode confidently to the main entrance, exited the building, and stepped outside.
When I was outside, I began to wander around the whole castle, following the roofed walkway connecting all of the buildings of the Royal castle of Kepalta.
I observed the people who worked inside of the castle, I looked at the details in the walls, the decorations, the plants, the shape of the buildings, everything…
…I felt like this was the first time I seriously observed the place where I lived in. 'This is not a dream. I need to be completely convinced of that and act accordingly.' I thought as I saw the people working day and night to keep this Castle in perfect state.
They were not extra characters, they were living, and I was not living in a dream world; it was the reality that I needed to face.
As I walked around, some people looked at me with puzzled eyes but I just smiled at them curtly.
I continued to walk until I arrived at the door entrance leading to the plaza.
People were working hard to repair the damages caused by the minotaur.
From the look of it, they had already begun to work while I was sleeping.
Many people lost loved ones during that incident, so they had to take care of the bodies of those who lost their lives.
I could see various emotions on the face of the people who were present on the plaza at that moment.
Sorrow, anger, regret… Everyone had their share of anguish.
The whole place was also covered with monsters' dead bodies, so there was a lot of work to do.
However, standing out from all of these people, there was one particular person who didn't show any particular emotion on her face.
I didn't know her name, but I remembered that she saved me from crashing to the ground so I wanted to thank her.
Moreover, she was an outstanding woman and a high-level gift holder.
It had been a long time since I tried to approach a woman to begin a meaningful conversation and not for the sake romantic relationship.
I took a deep breath and walked in direction of the woman.
When I approached her, it was the baby that she was holding who reacted. The baby let out a happy-sounding giggle and then reached her hand toward me.
I didn't know why, but this baby seemed like she liked me.
Then the woman turned and look at me too. She didn't show any particular emotion, but I felt like she was observing me.
Her face was extremely beautiful, and her long eyes lashes flickered a little when she looked at me.
I didn't think deeply about how to begin the conversation with her, but I managed to not show any sign of nervousness on my face.
I straightened my back, filled my lungs with hair, then talked with a clear voice.
"Good morning, my name is Adam. I am thankful for what you did to save my life yesterday. Could you please tell me your name?"
"…"
The woman stayed silent for a while as if she was thinking about something. Her face still didn't show any emotions, but her eyes were looking at me with interest.
'Did I manage to give a good impression?' I thought to myself.
"It's Liu." The woman finally answered.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Liu," I replied, but I felt like Liu was not interested in talking to me.
However, I knew that it was just my perception, and I needed to talk to her and find out her true intentions rather than overthink it myself.
"So, is she your sister? What's her name?" I asked with a faint smile on my face as looked at the baby in Liu's arm.
Liu stayed quiet for while again before answering. "No, she isn't. Call her Verte." She explained.
Liu's answer was short and straight to the point, and her face didn't show any particular expression.
She was really hard to talk with, and if it were the old me, I would have thought that it was because of my face and gave up.
Now I realized that my face was not always the only problem even if it was undeniably a disadvantage.
"I see, can I hold her? She looks really cute." I asked, with an unfazed smile on my face.
Liu looked at me for a while, and then nodded and handed Verte to me.
I picked up Verte in my hands, and as soon as I did, she grabbed my clothes tightly with her little hands and buried her head on my chest.
"Gugugu.."
'S-so precious!' I didn't know why she was acting like that, but Verte was just too adorable.
I couldn't help but stroke her head gently, feeling her smooth unusual green hair.
"…"
Liu didn't say anything and just stared at Verte and me.
I still couldn't read her face, but I knew that she was constantly thinking about something while looking at me.
"Verte is a very sweet child," I commented with a faint smile, looking at the emotionless Liu.
I knew that it was not the right time and the right place to talk about such a thing, but I had the feeling that I wouldn't have the chance to talk to Liu again if I didn't do it at that moment.
Then I handed Verte back to Liu.
Verte was unwilling to part with me at first, and I began to wonder why, but she finally let go after Liu held her with both hands.
"Thank you again for saving our city yesterday, Miss Liu. It would have ended in a more sinister way if it weren't for your intervention." I said, with a grateful voice, and I meant what I said.
If it wasn't for Liu then I would have died, and wouldn't have had the chance to overcome my biggest issues.
Liu didn't say anything and just nodded slightly.
After talking to Liu, I looked around and observed the surroundings more carefully, estimating the extent of the damage, and more importantly, I thought about what I would do to find the culprits behind all of it.
Because if I found them, there would be no hesitation in the decision that I would take.
'I will use everything I have to kill them all,' I thought.
However, before that, there was still one thing that I needed to say to Liu.
I turned my head and glanced at Liu again. "Miss Liu, you look gorgeous today," I said.
This time, I could see a slight change of expression on Liu's face.