Do Heroes Need Welfare Too? - Chapter 126

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 126

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“Haa, I want to go to the capital too and see the prince and the Hero!”

I snapped back to attention at Lucy’s words, having briefly recalled what happened before coming to this village.

I smiled gently at the child’s whining, who had never left the village before.

Yesterday too, she had brought a fairy tale book about the Hero’s adventures and asked me to read it to her.

Even though she had read it so many times that she must have memorized every word, Lucy still delighted in it like a child hearing it for the first time.

“Do you like the Hero, Lucy?”

“Of course!”

Lucy nodded her head enthusiastically.

Whenever the Hero’s story came up, her innocent eyes would sparkle brightly.

Watching Lucy fondly, I brought my index finger to my lips as if sharing a secret and whispered softly.

“Actually, your sister was the Hero’s companion.”

When I winked at her, Lucy crossed her arms and snorted dismissively.

“Hmph, there you go again. Did sister really see the Hero? Liar! You never prove it even when I ask you to every day!”

“Hmm, but the Hero is busy, so even if sister asks him to come, he can’t visit. Be good, Lucy?”

“The Hero who killed the Demon King is busy?”

“That’s right! Because he’s such an incredibly strong Hero who killed the Demon King! Everyone desperately wants to see him. They love him.”

Reality was different from fairy tales, but I exaggerated to protect her innocence. Then Lucy opened to the last page of the fairy tale book and showed it to me.

“Ah, then he’s going to marry the princess? Like in this fairy tale book!”

“Hmm, there’s no princess, but there is a prince…”

“There’s no princess?”

A voice tinged with disappointment came back to me.

I was troubled about how to explain without damaging the innocence of a young child who believed the fairy tale was true.

“Then it would be great if sister married the Hero! Sister is the most princess-like person I’ve ever seen!”

Even at Lucy’s childish words, I couldn’t smile.

Only when Lucy called my name again could I finally escape from my thoughts.

“What’s wrong?”

“Mm, it’s nothing.”

I could only send Lucy away after making a firm pinky promise that I would really show her the Hero next time.

As I entered the quiet room, the stuffy air immediately pressed down on me.

Perhaps it was because I suddenly recalled what happened three years ago.

It seemed like I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.

Because if I closed my eyes, I felt like someone’s face would appear – someone who always suffered from nightmares.

But seeing how I could now casually lie to Lucy and bring up Adam’s story, it seemed I had somewhat sorted out my feelings about him.

I slowly closed my eyes.

And at that moment.

Ding.

A sound I had forgotten, and unknowingly missed, reached my ears.

Even with my eyes closed, I could feel the vivid Quest window beyond my eyelids.

Opening my eyes to check what was in front of me, I let out a small laugh.

Congratulations! You have succeeded in the ■■Quest.

“Haha…”

It felt like a homework assignment that would never be solved had finally been completed.

And whoever was sending this Quest seemed to have quite a nasty personality.

I had just managed to forget.

At this behavior that seemed to say they couldn’t stand to see me living a life where I had completely forgotten him, I gripped the blanket tightly.

At that moment, another sound followed.

Additional reward has arrived.

Ding.

Just as I was glaring at the Quest completion, a different notification sound appeared.

Without realizing it, I quickly lifted my head, and a single line of text appeared on the screen.

‘Additional reward?’

Unlike the unfair contract that had thrown me into this game, this was a generous reward.

Maybe they’d give me something unexpectedly useful like the Sacred Relic?

A new Quest has arrived as a reward for the ‘■■Quest’.

Hidden Quest: Protect the Hero’s welfare! The one sustaining this world is the chosen Hero, Adam Leonhardt alone. However, he is extremely exhausted from working all night for revenge. Please eliminate all of the Hero’s stress levels and make the Hero happy! Success Reward: Return to original world Failure: Death

As soon as the next message appeared, I bolted upright and started pointing accusingly at the air.

“Are you serious? Who is the Quest creator, really! Are you trying to pick a fight with me right now?”

The Quest that appeared next was identical to the content I had first received when I came to this world.

I threw the pillow I was holding and glared at the empty air.

Even as I gritted my teeth and stared at the air, the sparkling Quest window wouldn’t disappear.

‘If this was going to happen, why make me leave in the first place!’

I wouldn’t have needed to leave Adam at all.

Then he wouldn’t have been hurt, and I wouldn’t have had to worry constantly either.

However, my gaze honestly turned to the window showing Adam’s stress levels that had just started appearing.

These were numbers I couldn’t see while the error Quest was active.

‘What, what’s wrong with Adam’s stress levels!’

I picked up the pillow I had thrown and slammed it back down on the floor as I stood up.

Stress – 98%

These were numbers I hadn’t seen since the Hidden Quest disappeared.

Seeing these detestable numbers again after so long made them even more detestable.

I used the small key on the table to open the box that had been tightly sealed three years ago.

Inside was the Sacred Relic.

I couldn’t bear to use it or even keep it with me, so I had just stored it away.

Because I was afraid I might miss Adam if I kept it with me. In case I might unconsciously turn on the synchronization in the early morning and send him a message, I had sealed it away completely.

I held up the Sacred Relic I was seeing after so long and looked at it against the light.

The name written inside was still in Korean, as expected.

‘So there was another possessor besides me.’

And she was probably the First Saintess, the owner of this ring.

She was probably also the one sending those annoying Quests.

If not her, then the game company?

But if it was someone who understood and could utilize the game system, I could only think of someone who lived in the same world as me.

‘Then I really don’t know what the Saintess wants.’

At first she told me to take care of his welfare, but then suddenly told me to leave.

I had clearly been faithfully carrying out the Quest.

Something must have happened that didn’t please the Saintess.

Or maybe it was because Adam sometimes acted strangely.

I frowned as I recalled that day.

When Adam’s bright golden eyes were covered in red.

And the result was that he acted as if he wanted to kill me.

It was due to the curse, and after that, Adam’s eye color would change from time to time. But it was only briefly.

As soon as he was consumed by magic and changed, if I subdued him quickly, his eye color would return and he would regain his senses.

Though there were days when the intervals became shorter and I couldn’t respond fast enough.

‘Surely she wasn’t… worried about me?’

Worried that I might die at Adam’s hands before taking care of his welfare.

And that Adam, freed from the curse by my death, might be shocked by that fact and die.

…Like Laurence Evant.

Having thought of this unpleasant hypothesis, I quickly shook my head.

Whether the Saintess was doing this for me or for Adam, her distant successor, it wasn’t what mattered to me right now.

“Unfortunately, I have no intention of dancing in the palm of some unknown person’s hand this time either.”

She spoke loudly as if for the Saint to hear, should she truly be watching.

However, no Quest changes occurred, nor did any new messages appear.

I let out a small sigh.

Right, three whole years had already passed.

The ridiculous Quest was over, so I didn’t need to be manipulated anymore.

‘Still. This much should be fine.’

It was a simple whim.

‘Adam doesn’t even know I’m a god anyway, so what does it matter?’

Beginning synchronization.

A message window I hadn’t seen in a long time appeared. Strangely, I pressed down on my racing heart.

How had Adam been living?

Your Deity asks after your well-being.

With that, a single message was delivered to the Hero.

Without anticipating the consequences that would come from that impulsive action.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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