I Became The Novel's Biggest Antagonist

Chapter 88 Adam Being Bothered

"may i take a picture with you?" agatha asked nervously, her hands clasped tightly together.

lunevy, setting down her fork, gave a small nod.

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"thank you!" agatha beamed as she hurried to lunevy's side. the latter made no effort to stand, so agatha crouched slightly to frame them both in a selfie.

"could i get one, too? thank you!" luke couldn't help but join in dragged by agatha's excitation.

irisdina, watching her friends, offered an apologetic smile. "i'm sorry about them. it's just that we've heard so much about you. you're only a little older than us, and you've accomplished so much already. we can't help but admire you."

"that's right!" agatha added in, her excitement bubbling over. "you didn't even attend an academy, right? and yet you made it to the elite ranks of the order on your own! that's incredible. we're students at ocryphia, and, honestly, i'm a huge fan of you and the others in the world order!"

"ocryphia?" lunevy repeated, the name sparking recognition. "the academy of exorcists?"

"yes! you should visit someday!"

"for what? she's got nothing left to learn," luke joked, eliciting a laugh from irisdina.

"hey! i'm trying to invite a star here!" agatha protested.

suddenly, adam stood. "let's leave."

his tone drew everyone's attention. the growing number of people watching them—some even filming—was far from ideal.

"but i haven't finished..." lunevy muttered, eyeing her half-eaten plate longingly.

"..." adam stared at her.

she really was a big eater.

"what about krainel?" he asked pointedly.

lunevy seemed to snap out of her reluctance at the mention of the name. rising to her feet, she nodded. "let's go."

she wasn't hesitating anymore—focused on krainel salvador.

before they could make their exit, an unwelcome interruption arrived.

"oh, there you are!"

adam narrowed his eyes as he recognized the newcomers—three individuals who had once been part of lunevy's team tasked with taking down krainel.

a headache threatened to surface, though he knew better than to let it distract him. he hadn't summoned them, which meant...

"adam! long time no see!" ophelia greeted with her usual wide grin.

"tch. looks like you're all eating well," stephen grumbled, his stomach growling audibly as if in protest.

"no way! is this a date?" julius asked, his exaggeratedly wide eyes drawing even more attention from onlookers. "are you two dating already?"

the question only fueled the curiosity of the crowd. thankfully, the three were in casual clothing, sparing them from being mobbed for autographs. still, adam's irritation wasn't diminishing at all.

"what is the meaning of this?" he asked lunevy.

"they're part of the task," she replied. "i have to keep them updated on the search for krainel salvador."

she had a point. however, adam himself couldn't be entirely sure how dangerous this mission might turn out to be.

"you shouldn't underestimate us, adam. that hurts, you know," julius said with a chuckle, scratching the back of his head.

"exactly! don't worry about us—i'm much stronger than before!" ophelia added.

stephen, meanwhile, scoffed, crossing his arms. despite his usual prickly demeanor, there was a faint blush of embarrassment on his face. it seemed he understood, in his own way, that adam's sternness was rooted in concern.

adam's gaze lingered on them for a moment before he finally gave a reluctant nod.

he wasn't entirely convinced, but he knew they were right about one thing: they were still strong. the last time had been exceptional—they'd faced krainel salvador.

still, he wasn't taking any risks. if the situation turned dire, he could always 'switch'. yet that ability carried a critical weakness: the moment of switching. during that brief window, a powerful enough attack could kill him for good.

"let's not waste any more time. we're heading to long street," adam said, naming a location within ocryphia city.

"why there?" julius asked.

"i'll explain later," adam replied, his sharp glance darting to the bystanders still snapping photos and videos of them. "for now, just know it's currently a restricted area—they're preparing to build an apartment complex there. i assume you can bypass security since you're with the world order."

"um... i don't think we can actually do that, adam," ophelia said hesitantly seeking confirmation from her mates.

"yeah, we'd need authorization from whoever's funding the construction," julius explained with a chuckle. "to be honest, the world order doesn't have much influence here in arcadia. on new earth, sure, but the governments here don't exactly love us meddling in their affairs. in this world's affairs."

adam furrowed his brows, the unexpected limitation irking him. how long would it take to track down the financier of the project? and even if they managed to contact them, would they agree to let them investigate the site?

"um... excuse me, did you say long street?" irisdina suddenly asked, her hand raised.

"yes. why?" ophelia asked, turning to her.

"well... my father is the one funding the apartment complex there," she said hesitantly.

"what? seriously?" julius blinked, visibly surprised.

irisdina nodded. "so... maybe i can help you?"

adam stepped toward her. "call your father and ask him to grant us permission to access the site."

irisdina's expression faltered, her gaze dropping momentarily. "that... might not be the best idea," she said hesitantly. then, with renewed confidence, she added, "but i might be able to get you in. they know me there."

"so we're bringing these brats along now?" stephen grumbled.

"what about him?" luke countered, pointing at adam. "he's the same age as us—or maybe even younger."

"yeah, but he works for horizon, idiot," stephen retorted.

luke groaned, muttering something under his breath.

adam turned his attention back to irisdina, who seemed earnest in her offer to help. after a moment's consideration, he nodded. "fine. if you can get us in, the world order will ensure you're properly rewarded."

"huh? really?" irisdina's eyes widened in surprise.

"this guy!" stephen growled. "why's he making promises on behalf of the world order?! you are from horizon! get them reward these guys yourself!"

"ahaha, relax," julius said, laughing as he gave stephen a gentle shove forward.

without further delay, the group exited the café together, leaving behind the curious stares and whispers of onlookers.