Do Heroes Need Welfare Too? - Chapter 56

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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 56

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“Since you’re hurt, it’s time for recovery!”

“….”

Ben, who was carrying food, nodded repeatedly at her declaration made in broad daylight.

Adam had returned from attending the hunting competition with bloodied bandages wrapped around him as if he were injured, so it was natural for Ben, an ordinary citizen, to be shocked.

Today, at least, Ben became a reliable ally and took her side.

Your Hero harbors dissatisfaction.

Oh please. Where do you get off being dissatisfied when I’m giving you a vacation?

Adam silently fidgeted with his bandaged abdomen.

Having seen what happened yesterday, I entered his room from the morning to change his bandages.

Whether it was because the ointment the Prince sent had good performance or thanks to the Hero’s healing power, fortunately his wounds were healing quickly.

‘I don’t see that strange black smoke either, so I must have been seeing things because I was tired back then.’

Even so, my gaze was directed toward various parts of Adam’s body.

Perhaps sensing that gaze, Adam deliberately moved his body and said.

“I don’t think there’s a need to recover. This level of wound will heal in a few days anyway….”

Adam tried to timidly object, but it was no use.

Just as she was about to open her mouth with widened eyes, Ben interrupted first.

“What are you saying, Hero! You absolutely must rest.”

That’s right, well done. Ben!

“Since you don’t sleep, your personality seems to be getting sensitive. Last time too, I felt some kind of black aura? Aura? Something like that from the Hero who looked tired from not being able to sleep! Haha!”

“So you’re badmouthing the Hero for being sensitive?”

Iberis glared at him with sharp eyes.

And as if to prove her point, she stretched her arms toward Adam and said.

“Look, even now he can’t eat properly because he’s in pain! At this rate, he’ll be nothing but bones!”

“No, Eve. Objectively speaking, the Hero has gotten plumper.”

Ben said with a serious expression.

“Look at these bony wrists!”

“Where exactly do you see nothing but bones left?”

Ben clicked his tongue at Iberis’s words.

In her eyes, Adam must look like a skinny scarecrow who would collapse if poked.

To Ben’s normal vision, he could only see a Hero with sturdy forearms packed with lean muscle.

Even his wrists were too thick for Ben to dare grasp with one hand, yet Iberis was treating him like a grandmother looking at a child who had been starving for days.

What was even funnier was that Adam, who was being treated this way, seemed accustomed to such situations.

If he used to deny it before, now he didn’t even care what Iberis said.

Rather, he was defending her.

Instead of actually supporting Iberis because her words were right, it was more like he was shouting that she was right just because she was the one saying it….

It seems like I’m the only sane person in this Demon King’s Castle.

Ben came to a conclusion with a half-resigned expression.

Meanwhile, Iberis’s worrying continued.

“You even caught a cold and were groaning for several days!”

“That wasn’t a cold… No, it was a cold.”

See! Iberis held her chin up more confidently than before.

A few days ago, she had completely banned him from entering the room, saying it was contagious.

Indeed, getting severely soaked in the rain when trapped in that downpour was the problem.

The fever didn’t leave Adam for a while and kept burning hot. Even at night, I could hear him muttering something inside, as if in pain.

Though I couldn’t bring myself to enter, I made plenty of medicine for him.

Anyway, perhaps because of that, Adam’s complexion was still pale.

Ben was muttering beside us that it only looked that way to her eyes, but she lightly ignored him.

Right, leaving quickly would be the helpful thing to do.

Ben decided to withdraw from this energy-draining fight.

“As I mentioned earlier, I’m going to visit my mother. I’m also curious about how much our Tommy has grown.”

“Tommy said he wants to grow up strong and manly. They say being so doting isn’t good for his emotional development.”

“That’s right.”

Adam also chimed in from the side.

Iberis stood on her tiptoes to pat the good Adam’s head.

Since accidentally touching his head once, there had been several occasions where she almost naturally petted him.

Judging by Adam’s action of naturally lowering his head to match her height at her gesture, he didn’t seem to entirely dislike this behavior either.

So since then, she had continued to pet his head.

“Who exactly is the one doing the doting….”

Watching this scene, Ben shook his head.

Apparently Iberis had no idea how much she was doting on Adam.

But since the two looked so happy, he decided to leave them be.

But it feels like tears are coming to my eyes….

I wonder why….

Ben left the Demon King’s Castle desolately without a single person to see him off.

Upon exiting the main gate, he saw Potato rolling around on the garden floor under the pretext of guarding the Demon King’s Castle.

“Potato….”

At least you’re on my side, right?

This was the monster that had knocked him unconscious by grabbing the back of his neck from their first meeting.

Looking at how Iberis and the Hero treated it, they seemed to see it as just a gentle large cat, but Ben was still scared.

He didn’t know much about it, but there were times when monsters formed groups and attacked villages before the Demon King died….

Though they said there was no damage because the Hero stopped them.

It was an instinctual hierarchical relationship.

Nevertheless, with emotions welling up inside, Ben expressed his bitterness to Potato.

No matter what, Iberis didn’t even see off her own brother going home!

And the Hero… was just staring intently at Iberis.

“Right, I have to go home alone and lonely. It’s really lonely….”

Potato listened to what he was saying with perked ears, then tilted its head.

Right. No matter how intelligent a monster is, how could it understand human speech?

Just as Ben was about to pass by Potato.

“Ahhh!”

Potato swiftly leaped in and grabbed the back of his neck.

Ben’s complexion turned pale as he realized what this meant.

“No way…. No! Potato, I want to go alone and lonely. I absolutely didn’t mean for you to give me a ride… Ahhhhh!”

Ben ended up being forcibly carried by Potato and escorted to the village.

It was a happy ending anyway.

* * *

When Ben left the Demon King’s Castle after a long time, the castle became quiet.

He said he had prepared potato sandwiches in case he wasn’t there, but for some reason, Potato returned to the castle triumphantly and devoured them all.

I caught Potato at the scene and severely punished him by stretching both his cheeks.

‘Adam will definitely try to eat stale bread again.’

I couldn’t let our Hero eat such things.

As I was troubled by this dilemma, a good idea soon came to mind.

I glanced around to make sure Adam wouldn’t notice and read the glowing numbers above his head.

Stress – 49%

Looking at the number that was neither low nor particularly high, I firmed up my plan.

Today I would make him delicious food and change the first digit of that number.

Since Ben had also gone down to the village to meet Violet after a long time, it was finally time to show my skills.

I had learned by secretly watching Ben cook over his shoulder all this time.

I proudly put on the apron Ben used to wear and looked at the food ingredients laid out before me.

‘Ben definitely added this.’

I recalled Ben’s image from my memory and tried to follow his actions. Since Adam likes sweet things, I added more sugar, and because some of the sauce combinations were wrong, I poured in more water.

After a brief commotion, when a decent-looking dish emerged, I put it in a bowl and showed it to Adam.

When clattering sounds came from the kitchen, Adam came out to check and his face was deathly pale.

No, Adam originally has a pale face since he doesn’t get much sunlight.

I smiled brightly and handed him the bowl.

Adam slowly moved his spoon.

And he swallowed the food that entered his mouth at such a sluggish pace that a turtle would have been faster.

“…It’s delicious.”

Adam let out a short, blunt comment.

Stress – 51%

Hey.

Why is the stress going up?

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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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