Do Heroes Need Welfare Too? - Chapter 144

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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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Part 2, Chapter 11

Was she shocked?

Meriel looked at me, then made an “oops” expression and bit her lips.

And in an instant, she changed her gaze.

Suddenly, Adam came to mind.

I couldn’t understand Adam’s inner thoughts either, but that didn’t mean I understood Meriel’s either.

Meriel, who had been smiling with her eyes, broke into a bright smile.

“Lord Iberis?”

Startled by the sudden change, I slowly nodded my head.

And spoke in bewilderment.

“Lady Meriel, have you returned?”

“Lord Iberis!”

She had been trying to push away the bothersome Adam, but when he wouldn’t budge, she turned around and approached me.

The two who had clearly been baring their teeth and growling childishly became strangely docile.

Of course, they were still fighting childishly.

When Meriel pushed with all her might, Adam staggered pitifully half a beat too late.

‘Your reaction seems too slow, Adam.’

Meriel wrinkled her eyebrows as if his behavior was disgusting, then looked at her own hand.

“Ouch, did I hit a rock or something? My hand hurts so much…”

And she cradled her perfectly fine hand.

‘Lady Meriel, you’re also late…’

And you got the wrong hand position…

When I tapped my left hand, indicating it was the left hand, not the right, Meriel quickly switched to cradle the opposite hand.

“When I heard the news that Lord Iberis was at the temple, I thought it was a lie! Do you know how shocked I was when someone who said they’d just go to the capital briefly suddenly disappeared?”

“Ah, I was in a rush. I’m sorry. Were you very worried?”

I smiled gratefully at Meriel’s rapid-fire concerns.

“No, it’s okay. I had to come back anyway…”

It wasn’t a mistake – Meriel really did let out a cynical sigh as if annoyed, then remembered the person in front of her and went “oops.”

“Hehe, so I was busy doing what that damn, I mean, what the Hero asked me to do. You understand my feelings, right?”

Meriel smiled brightly and took my hand.

Her hand was as beautiful as her face, as if she had never done any hard work.

However, unlike her beautiful face, her way of speaking was rough as sandpaper.

“Lady Meriel.”

“Yes, Lord Iberis.”

Meriel drew out her words and answered prettily.

I couldn’t spit in a smiling face, but I had to let her know this one thing.

“…I saw everything.”

“Tch.”

When I told her the truth in a crawling voice, she clicked her tongue softly.

As they say, blood can’t be deceived – she was exactly like her grandmother.

Her angelic face and personality were all an act.

I smiled bitterly at this unbelievable reality.

Indeed, Adam was the only one I could trust!

I looked at Adam with that meaning.

As if he had been watching me, our gazes met immediately.

As soon as our eyes met, he smiled softly, his eyes crinkling.

Then Adam reached out his hand to me.

Without knowing why, I placed my hand on top of his.

Adam slipped his fingers between mine and intertwined our hands.

Then he squeezed firmly and smiled.

As if he would never let go.

“Ahem.”

One of the elderly High Priests who had been watching the scene cleared his throat.

As if it were contagious, once one started coughing, it spread like a cold.

‘Are they all catching colds?’

Even Meriel turned bright red and coughed violently.

I looked at the High Priests with concern.

The High Priests were already old, so what would happen if they kept coughing like that?

“So what’s the reason you called me? There must be a reason you made me return to the temple, even forcing troublesome tasks on me.”

Meriel asked Adam in a somewhat blunt tone, unlike when she spoke to me.

Adam brushed off her question lightly and said.

“A reply came from the Emperor.”

Though the area was open and passing High Priests were watching him, he spoke openly.

Adam took out Judith’s reply from his chest and showed it.

The content was that the appeasement of the remaining loyalist nobles who had been passive was going smoothly.

But the most important thing remained.

The remaining nobles and commoners did not acknowledge Judith as the true Emperor.

“This time, we’ve decided to hold a ball. He’s asking for attendance, planning to finish it perfectly so no gaps show in the early succession.”

Adam continued calmly, as if the plan was already set.

Meriel spoke in an interested tone.

“A ball. Not a bad stage.”

“The ball will be open to anyone. The more audience, the better.”

“Won’t having too many audience members just cause troublesome incidents?”

“Because I’m going to say I won’t take the throne. Even though I’ve only told a few nobles, many people still want me to inherit the throne.”

There was no one left to raise their voice calling it treason.

Those who had sided with the Emperor had been purged long ago.

Now the problem was what came after.

Two suns cannot rise in the sky.

The Emperor was dead, and people were divided between those who supported his son, the Prince, and those who supported Adam.

Since Adam, the subject of the rebellion, had handed over the Emperor’s position to Judith, people were confused.

Of course, there were those who said Prince Judith should inherit the throne, but reactions also burst forth asking why Judith should ascend when Adam was the one who rebelled.

Also, as a result of staying at the temple, several High Priests were displeased with this situation.

Some reactions emerged saying Judith had bewitched Adam to take the Emperor’s position, that he was definitely a proxy.

‘And usually, such reactions can’t be spoken boldly unless someone higher up drops hints…’

They were all people who had attached themselves wondering if crumbs would fall their way if Adam became Emperor.

Of course, there might be a few who remained out of loyalty to Adam’s father, but as time passed, the original meaning was bound to fade.

Meriel, who had been quietly listening to Adam’s story, asked.

“Is this something coordinated in advance with the Elderly High Priest?”

“…Well.”

Adam mumbled and blurred his answer.

Meriel must have caught on to this too.

Naturally, the Elderly High Priest still viewed Judith unfavorably.

He seemed to think of Judith as someone who had stolen Adam’s throne.

Even if he was helping Adam now, he seemed to think Judith was someone who would someday betray him and stab him in the back.

‘He didn’t seem like that kind of person at all. Rather, he seemed to be struggling with guilt over something that wasn’t his.’

But three years can change a person greatly.

I glanced at Adam.

Even if that were true, Adam wouldn’t fall for such obvious schemes.

‘Unless he was deliberately letting himself be fooled.’

Because he was someone tender-hearted inside, even if he didn’t seem so on the outside.

If someone Adam cherished betrayed him, he would reflect on what problems he himself might have.

‘Did he think that’s why I left three years ago too?’

That’s why he’s even more anxious.

My head became complicated with thoughts of Adam alone.

Then Adam slightly lowered his head and whispered in my ear.

“Do you like my gift?”

“…People aren’t gifts.”

I held my head as something I had been dreading actually happened. But Adam seemed not to understand why I was reacting this way.

“I was sure Eve would like it.”

“Of course I like Meriel.”

But I was certain there must be some ulterior motive behind suddenly bringing Meriel, who had been complaining about the temple, back to the temple.

Adam didn’t seem like the type to use such scheming tactics, but…

“Miss Iberis. Does the Hero really seem like someone without such ambitions? Are you still seeing the Hero as you remember him?”

The Elderly High Priest’s words, muttered behind me as I was leaving his room, suddenly came to mind.

At the time, I thought he was just rambling as he pleased.

“You think the Hero truly doesn’t desire high positions? Haha! This rebellion plan was entirely the Hero’s will. I merely helped with the planning.”

It’s just the desperate struggle of an Elderly High Priest who didn’t want to lose to me.

“Then I understand that Meriel will also be attending.”

“Why would I go to such a place? I’ll earnestly pray to God that the Hero goes alone and suffers humiliation.”

“Eve will be attending too.”

“You should have said that first! I’m going.”

“What? I’m attending too?”

Lost in thought, I snapped awake in surprise.

Excuse me, what about my opinion?

“I’m not going. I said I’m not going!”

“Then Miss Iberis’s dress is…”

“Already prepared…”

However, my voice didn’t reach them.

They had clearly been pretending to fight, yet only got along when it mattered – they really were proper comrades after all.

Between these harmonious comrades, only my back was getting stabbed.

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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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