Do Heroes Need Welfare Too? - Chapter 3

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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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Episode 3

After going down the winding stairs a couple of times, a large tavern came into view.

“Wow….”

The tavern, which appeared to be a converted two-story house, was very spacious. Even though it was broad daylight, several people who were already drinking noticed me and greeted me brightly.

“Ah, Eve. You look particularly disheveled today. Did you even wash your face before coming out? Haha!”

I was startled and quickly rubbed my face with my sleeve. Then the man who made the joke and his friends burst into laughter.

“Come here, Iberis. I’ll order you some milk.”

Iberis’s memories gradually came back to me. That person was someone who always drank until his nose turned red, then got smacked on the back by Violet and went home.

One day, he was drinking crookedly and almost got attacked by demonic beasts, but the Hero dramatically saved him.

‘This is roughly a memory from a year ago… It seems like the timing isn’t good?’

If my prediction was correct, the current time period was after the Hero had killed the Demon King. I had memorized everything up to that point through hundreds of attempts, but I knew nothing about what happened after…!

“Eat this.”

“Yes.”

I obediently received the steaming glass of milk, but the grim reality was hard to accept, so my eyes kept wandering to their drinks.

Even though he was drunk, the man somehow noticed and raised his voice while moving his drink out of my sight.

“Hey! No alcohol until your coming-of-age ceremony.”

Ah, yes. How petty.

“So, will the Hero not visit our village again? Still, since there’s a connection from when he saved us, I’d like to treat him to a proper meal….”

“Oh, you fool! I do the cooking, not you! Still, it would be nice if the Hero visited this small village again.”

“He did come down once to buy ingredients, right? I didn’t see him though.”

“Then does that mean he didn’t go to the capital after all?”

“Or maybe he bought food before going!”

“The Hero?”

Who would have thought such an event happened in this small village. I thought the Hero just unilaterally saved them and left, that this was just an extra village with no particular connection, but apparently that wasn’t the case.

I showed a surprised reaction in that sense, but it seems others interpreted it differently.

Then all the people who were drinking or eating brunch turned their attention to me. With all eyes on me, my neck turned red.

The man next to me spat as he spoke passionately.

“You were too young to see it back then! You should have seen how enthusiastic people were….”

“Oh my, to have missed that. Do you know how cool the Hero was that day? When he single-handedly drove away the demonic beasts and saved our village, all the villagers cheered. To have missed that spectacle! What a shame.”

Whether the word “Hero” held special meaning for them, they launched into their “back in my day” stories. I listened to their tales of the Hero’s heroic deeds with empty eyes.

Yes, yes, I know all that. I was the one who made it happen. About… 200 times.

Due to the tragedy of being the village closest to the Demon King’s Castle, the invasion of fierce demonic beasts after the Demon King’s awakening was an essential element signaling the Demon King’s intrusion.

‘So the Hero did visit the village after that too.’

If I was lucky, I might be able to meet the Hero who came down to buy ingredients.

“The Hero saved our village! He’s truly someone we’re grateful to.”

‘I know. I raised him!’

I felt somewhat proud and embarrassed. His praise felt as embarrassing as if it were my own praise.

Right, I got possessed after being backstabbed by the kid I raised, but so what.

The warm milk warmed my hands. Even if I denied reality, the pain and sensations were vivid.

It wasn’t a dream, so… I really didn’t want to admit it, but I accepted that I had been possessed into the game.

The price for just stamping a contract wrong was too high.

‘I don’t want to let the Hero off easy when I meet him, but first, if I want to return home, I’ll have to humor him as much as possible.’

An ordinary person would gather information about the Hero from the village, but I didn’t need to. I knew Adam best.

‘Of course, if you ask whether I knew he would possess me, I have nothing to say.’

Anyway, I knew his whereabouts that even the villagers didn’t know. I had been earnestly scolding him until just a few hours ago.

I looked at the top of the castle visible in the distance through the tavern window.

The Demon King’s Castle that appeared after crossing a small forest from Dainil Village.

The Hero was there.

“Well, we haven’t heard any news lately… Since he killed the Demon King, won’t he return to the imperial palace soon to receive recognition for his achievements?”

“Hmm, but is he recovering from injuries? He only sent word by messenger that the Demon King was dead, and hasn’t returned to the capital for weeks.”

“If he had returned to the capital, those capital schemers would have made a fuss! Goodness, his whereabouts are so mysterious that I’m worried.”

“It’s that Hero! What’s there to worry about? He killed the Demon King single-handedly!”

That great Hero was cleaning the Demon King’s Castle because I made him….

At the sudden change of topic, I swallowed the milk I almost spat out and perked up my ears.

Then I made an innocent expression and tilted my head curiously as I asked.

“So is there any movement?”

“Hmm, well. The demonic beasts suddenly disappeared near the Demon King’s Castle, so a hunter who approached thinking it might be the Hero’s doing seemed to have seen the Hero….”

“Why the questioning tone?”

“That person is a bit senile….”

“Ah….”

I understood completely. Then it couldn’t be helped. He would probably be at the Demon King’s Castle as they expected. Ordinary people wouldn’t think the Hero would still be staying at the Demon King’s Castle where the Demon King was already dead.

But such a thing had actually happened.

‘I think I need to meet the Hero….’

What excuse should I use to approach him?

Even though people revered and avoided it as the place where the Demon King lived, a castle was still a castle.

I remembered that even after spending a whole month at the Demon King’s Castle throwing away what needed to be thrown away, cleaning, and working on reconstruction, we hadn’t even finished half of it.

Having made the Hero do a lot of labor at the Demon King’s Castle, I knew well what kinds of roles were needed.

Cook, cleaner, gardener.

There were many options, but it was questionable whether the Hero would accept. Given Adam’s personality that I had observed in the game, he would definitely refuse.

‘But I have to try anyway.’

Adam, who was definitely very wary, would refuse, but whatever.

Even if I had to volunteer as a maid, I had to take responsibility for the welfare of the Hero at the Demon King’s Castle.

“Eve, take an order!”

“Ah, yes!”

However, right now I was busy dealing with the immediate tasks rather than the Hero.

* * *

Dainil Village was smaller in scale compared to other villages, but almost all the villagers knew each other’s faces.

There was only one house that had no interaction with the villagers. According to Violet, a noble lived there.

It was strange that there was a noble in such a small village so far from the capital.

When I asked why a noble would live in such a remote village instead of near the capital, she put her finger to her lips and said, “We don’t usually ask about such dangerous-looking pasts.”

Anyway, except for the noble with refined tastes, it meant that everywhere I went, there were familiar faces.

‘It seems like it would be easy to ask for help….’

Though there probably wouldn’t be any help for someone who was possessed.

And a young worker was good prey for them.

“Eve!”

“Iberis-“

“Eve, can you help me with this?”

Eve was even an all-around housekeeper.

She was skilled with her hands, and perhaps because the villagers had received a lot of help from Iberis, her name was called wherever she went. Especially since I was the only herbalist in the village who handled herbs.

Moreover, the only doctor in such a small village was an extremely old grandfather who used to be a hunter. However, as days passed, his personality became more eccentric and he would drive people away for no reason, so the villagers had no choice but to come to me.

‘This is for puncture wounds, this is for cuts… This herb is for headaches.’

Fortunately, Iberis’s memories remained, and thanks to her habit of organizing well, I was able to overcome the difficulties.

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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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