"After a solemn vow, another ten years passed, and now we find ourselves in this state.

"Lean on me."

Kamian lowered himself in front of me, showing his back. It had been a long time since I had become accustomed to resting my body on his broad back.

"Leave."

Every time Kamian spoke, a warm resonance could be felt where our backs met.

"Why?"

"You didn't do your theology assignment, did you?"

Leaning my cheek against his comfortably stretched shoulder, I suddenly turned my head.

"Did you have an assignment? Why didn't you tell me?"

"You didn't ask."

"How am I supposed to ask about something I don't know? Oh, it's truly exasperating."

I pressed my forehead with aching betrayal. This child... only thinks of himself. I exerted strength on the arm that was lightly embracing Kamian's neck. Despite squeezing his throat with all my might, Kamian simply chuckled without showing any signs of difficulty. In the end, I was the one who grew exhausted and faltered first.

"Go and copy it then."

"Hey, then go quickly. Hurry!"

When I lightly tapped his thigh with my leg, my head tilted slightly backward. At the same time, a chilly breeze blew over my face. I told him to go quickly, but it didn't mean I wanted him to literally run away!

Afraid that my body would fall backward, I hastily pulled him close. The swiftly flowing stream between the overgrown weeds and the dirt path passed by quickly. We ran without stopping, covering the distance that would normally take an hour of walking.

Not far away, the academy building came into view. Kamian finally stopped and let me down.

"Start counting from 100."

He casually nodded and waved his hand dismissively. I understood, so I hurried off. Kamian left me behind and briskly walked away on his own. I counted silently as his black silhouette grew distant: 1, 2, 3...

We engaged in such behavior for a rather childish reason.

Due to my weak physical condition, I couldn't walk long distances, so Kamian carried me on his back every day to school. When our fellow academy students saw us like this, they made jokes, asking if we were a couple or if we planned to have our wedding ceremony at the temple. Kamian's face turned completely red, and he quickly left the scene.

And that evening, he unexpectedly entered my bedroom after dinner and said, "Starting tomorrow, we'll go to school separately."

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

That child, he's so shy.

"I know everything you like. Truly."

Having read the novel beforehand, I knew that, even without that knowledge, Kamian was incapable of concealing my love. Well, in his own way, he would tic-tic and pretend not to, but he did. However, no matter how hard he tried to contain the emotions that built up and overflowed like an explosive, it was futile. It would seep out from any crevice eventually, that's for sure.

According to the original story, when they both turned eighteen, Kamian and Liv confirmed their love for each other and became lovers. However, as someone burdened with a mission akin to preventing Kamian's corruption, I decided to feign ignorance of his affection.

Someone might raise their eyebrows, questioning the correlation between pretending not to know his affection and preventing corruption. Nonsense. Not entering into a romantic relationship with him is precisely the key to completing this quest.

Even if I, as "Liv," were to die, it should be remembered that as long as Kamian does not succumb to corruption, the quest is considered a success.

I didn't want to entertain the thought of the worst-case scenario, but I still needed to prepare. So, I pondered, "What if I were to die as in the original?"

It's not that I desired a tragic ending... but I arrived at the conclusion that the death of a neighborhood friend would be less agonizing than the death of a beloved partner. If Kamian doesn't harbor emotions for me beyond friendship, he may mourn my death but it won't lead to corruption.

Hence, I tirelessly strived to maintain a friendship with him.

However, despite the lack of similarities between the Liv in the novel and myself in terms of speech and personality, Kamian, like clockwork, ended up developing feelings beyond friendship for "Liv" as if it were preordained. Damn it. Is it impossible to alter the course of the original?

Nevertheless, all hope wasn't lost.

Although Kamian couldn't prevent himself from harboring an affinity for me, unlike in the novel, we continued to maintain a superficial friendship even after becoming adults.

"It must have been over a hundred seconds by now."

I strolled nonchalantly to the academy. Near the main entrance, I encountered familiar faces and greeted them warmly before entering the lecture hall.

As if possessed, Kamian raised an eyebrow and stared at me intently. When I stood still, he gestured towards the seat next to him.

...Why do you insist on sticking so close and yet arrive separately for school? This way, I can't help but know your feelings. You might as well write on your forehead that you like me, right? Tsk. I clicked my tongue briefly and turned my gaze towards Kamian. After all, I had to copy the assignment anyway.

"May I sit here?"

However, before I could even move to his side, the seat was already occupied. Blair's tightly bound red hair, flowing like flames, swung in front of me. It seemed like she had jumped over to sit next to Kamian. Since it was a common occurrence, I didn't panic and calmly took a seat behind Kamian. Then, I reached out and gently pressed my hand on the fellow's shoulder, conveying the message to sit quietly without moving to my seat.

Kamian turned around with an uneasy expression on her face.

"Show me your assignment."

"...."

"Quickly."

With a small sigh, a theological textbook was placed on my hand. Instead of expressing gratitude, I wrinkled my nose, and Kamian reluctantly glanced at me, then straightened her body.

I gazed at the back of Kamian's jet-black head. It was unbelievable that such a revealing soul could transform into a merciless villain who slaughtered humans. The dissonance I felt from the Kamian I had seen in novels and the Kamian who was upset about not being able to sit in the adjacent seat was tremendous.

Perhaps because Kamian's desired wish was a "good friend" as requested by "Liv," she grew up steadfastly like my childhood friend. Sometimes, I even forget that this guy was a demon. It's only natural since he has never used magic before and eats three meals a day just like a human.