Do Heroes Need Welfare Too? - Chapter 5

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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 5

When the girl he thought had gotten lost and unluckily ended up in front of the Demon King’s Castle suddenly introduced herself confidently, he looked flustered.

Well, of course he would be, since he had gained a maid he didn’t know about.

“…? I haven’t hired any maids though.”

Looking at the Hero’s face as he asked back in bewilderment, I patted my chest twice.

“Yes! I came here on my own initiative. A prepared talent! That’s me, Iberis.”

While passing through the forest, I had thought about it and concluded that I really couldn’t take responsibility for his happiness in the short term.

Being happy once doesn’t make all of life beautiful, and being unhappy once doesn’t turn all of life into a rotten swamp.

I thought I needed to stay by his side and regularly care for and look after him.

“Just give me any task. I’ve been doing odd jobs around the village since I was young, so I can do anything above average!”

“….”

At my bold words, the Hero rubbed his face with his hand. Then he smiled that familiar smile again and approached me.

“Ah, I see. Miss Iberis. Which village did you say you came from?”

Oh? He’s understanding more easily than I thought?

“From Dainil Village… Wait, hold on. Why the carrier pigeon?”

“Ah, just because.”

‘Just because’ my foot? He’s writing something incredibly fast though?

“Dainil Village… That was definitely a small village near here.”

“Yes, that’s right!”

I didn’t expect the Hero to remember it. From his perspective, Dainil Village was just one of the many villages he had saved.

“You remember everything, Hero?”

“I’ve heard village names to the point of boredom.”

Indeed, the Demon King’s Castle and Dainil Village were close. That’s why it was the village that received monster attacks as first priority, but after the Hero killed the Demon King, such worries completely disappeared.

I peeked my head up to sneak a look at the interior of the Demon King’s Castle beyond Adam’s shoulder. The carrier pigeon that had been on Adam’s arm had disappeared at some point, but I was too busy admiring the hall of the Demon King’s Castle visible behind Adam.

“Miss Iberis.”

“Yes? …Eek!”

Just then, feeling like something was pulling me, I checked behind me and saw that monster from earlier biting my bag.

Then a low, deep voice resonated from behind.

“I’m sure I told you to leave.”

I couldn’t believe it was the same voice as the person who had been talking with me earlier.

It was that scary and cold.

When he muttered quietly, the monster tore the bottom of my bag, took some of the food, and backed away.

“Oh my, are you alright?”

“I’m, I’m fine.”

Adam approached me one step closer with a determined expression. This shouldn’t be happening, but I seem to be enchanted by his face. Fortunately it’s dark around here. My reddened face probably won’t be very visible.

And more important than his handsome face.

‘As expected, it’s really floating there.’

The number was higher than I thought.

Stress – 49%

If I bring that down to ‘0%’, I should be able to go home. He had a lot of stress accumulated for some reason. I was spacing out, staring at the number floating above his head for a while.

Adam snapped his fingers to draw attention.

“More importantly, Miss Iberis, can you see that chandelier on the ceiling behind you?”

“Huh?”

I turned my head toward where Adam was pointing with his finger.

And then it went black.

“Argh, this bastard forgot the kindness of being raised and knocked me out?!”

Chirp chirp. Looking outside, sparrows were chirping happily, oblivious to my feelings.

“Iberis, are you awake? If you’re up, eat this.”

Rubbing my still-aching nape, I looked at Violet. She pushed cold porridge in front of me. I naturally spooned it into my mouth and asked.

“What is this?”

“He even bought porridge in case your throat hurt. I was so surprised when you came tucked under the Hero’s arm….”

“….”

I don’t know if he’s kind or has a bad personality. I offer to be a free worker and he immediately hits the back of my neck to knock me out?

I’m someone who cleared even the hidden route of Hero’s Awakening, that notoriously terrible game.

No one can surpass me in stubbornness and persistence.

I busily moved my spoon to eagerly eat the pumpkin porridge, then jumped up from my seat.

“A sudden carrier pigeon with your name on it flying in at dawn. You being carried here by the Hero. What on earth happened?”

I laughed sheepishly and evaded the answer.

“Violet, I’ll just go out for a bit and come back.”

“You’re not planning to go into the forest again, are you?”

Violet asked with a worried voice.

If I said Demon King’s Castle, she’d faint, so I guess I made an excuse about the forest.

I decided to graciously accept this inexplicable kindness.

“Hehe. I left my bag in the forest. I’ll just find my bag and come back!”

“Oh my, this child really.”

Since I raised him diligently, what’s the Hero’s is mine, and what’s mine is the Hero’s.

“Also Eve, I know you’re bored, but you can’t play around with food.”

“Huh?”

I was steeling myself to visit the Demon King’s Castle again when I tilted my head at Violet’s out-of-the-blue comment.

“You made some strange food with Ben at dawn yesterday, right? Oh my, I almost collapsed after one bite. If we had eaten it properly, it would have been a taste where two eat and three die.”

“….”

I slowly recalled yesterday evening’s memories. After sending out the last customer, I started cooking with Ben.

Ben, who had only been helping with words, started nodding off halfway through, and when I asked which of the spices in the kitchen was the right one, he just handed me any random one and went inside to sleep.

This liar!

I should have been suspicious from when he was teaching me half-heartedly.

“How much seasoning did you put in? When I asked Ben, he played dumb. You can’t get confused. You didn’t give it to anyone, did you?”

“I didn’t feed it to any people.”

Fortunately.

Yes, really fortunately. Yesterday I fainted right away so I couldn’t even take out what I had prepared for the Hero.

‘…Ah, but the monster did eat it.’

Still, even if it was just a small fry, it was one of the monsters opposing the Hero, so I didn’t think it would die from just one dish.

I ran back to the Demon King’s Castle with half worry and half determination to meet the Hero.

Still, since it was a place I’d been to once, this time I could save half the time compared to my first attempt.

Even in the morning with the sun high in the sky, his unrealistic appearance remained the same. Rather, Adam seen under the bright sky looked sacred like a divine manifestation at first glance.

“Hero, good morning!”

I greeted him with a bright smile.

“…You came again. I escorted you all the way home though.”

Adam welcomed me with a displeased expression.

I widened my eyes seeing the large object at his feet.

“Is this yesterday’s…”

Gone was the fierce gaze that looked ready to devour, and the monster was collapsed on the ground breathing roughly.

When the Demon King existed, monsters usually lived in the forest near the Demon King’s Castle and were beings that attacked people who entered there.

However, recalling what the Hero showed yesterday, the monster was following his commands. Probably the power of the Subjugation Stone, just like the Demon King had.

As long as the Subjugation Stone existed, it was like an ordinary animal in the Hero’s grasp.

Seeing the monster that had boasted proud majesty until yesterday now rolling on the ground, I unconsciously knelt down and examined the monster.

It was a habit ingrained from living as an herbalist for a few days with Eve’s memories.

“Is it sick somewhere? Is it okay to just leave it like this?”

“Ah, I think it’ll die soon.”

Unlike Adam who replied nonchalantly, I fell into panic.

‘Don’t tell me it’s dying because of my food?’

Or maybe it was because the monster had eaten spices that weren’t safe for it to consume.

Since it looked like an enormously large animal on the outside, that seemed even more likely. I had seen several videos of animals getting sick after eating human food.

I slowly approached the monster. It seemed to be in a lot of pain, only able to make small growling sounds. I used my fingers to open its closed eyelids to check, then began opening one by one the bundles I had packed again to give to the Hero.

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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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