Do Heroes Need Welfare Too? - Chapter 57
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Episode 57
Floundering in betrayal, I glared at Adam, but he stood up from his seat and walked toward me.
Then he went and picked up the apron I had taken off and naturally put it on himself.
And he grabbed my shoulders and led me to the seat where he had just been sitting.
When I looked up at Adam wearing the apron with a strange expression, he grinned.
“This time, Eve, please go sit down.”
Perhaps moved(?) by my cooking, Adam, who had been carelessly picking up and eating ingredients rolling around on the floor, showed a completely changed attitude.
‘He’s not just going to slice vegetables, put them on a plate, and tell me to eat, is he?’
As if reading my thoughts, Adam sat me down as if telling me to keep watch.
I stared at his hands moving busily beyond Adam’s large back.
‘Wow, the kitchen knife looks so small.’
Since Adam wielded the holy sword like it was nothing, the kitchen knife was bound to look small.
His neat fingers moved precisely.
I unconsciously raised my hand to compare the size with his.
‘If I held Adam’s hand, mine would definitely fit right inside.’
No, what am I thinking right now!
I shook my head vigorously to erase the improper thought I just had.
Grumble.
Just then, a loud sound echoed from my unruly stomach.
My face heated up from my neck.
I rolled my eyes to sneak a glance, and Adam was completely absorbed in cooking, not even looking this way.
It seemed Adam didn’t hear my resounding stomach growl, so I let out a small sigh of relief.
Then I thought I heard something like a small laugh from Adam’s direction, but it must have been my imagination.
Just then, the cooking was finished.
With a flushed face, I took the bowl he handed me and sat down.
I scooped up a spoonful of the stew with large pieces of meat and put it in my mouth.
‘…It’s delicious!’
The meat was clean without any gamey smell and wasn’t tough either. Plus the broth that went down smoothly.
It was perfect food.
“Hero, you’re really good at cooking? Then why have you been eating those things all this time?”
I bombarded him with questions in an excited voice. Adam, sitting across from me, smiled softly.
“Since I won’t die from eating anything, I judged there was no need to bother cooking. There’s no one to eat my cooking anyway.”
I listened to Adam’s words while eating the food continuously.
‘Then why now?’
Why did he cook when he didn’t need to bother eating properly?
I took in both the steaming hot stew and Adam in my field of vision.
Looking at his gentle face, it felt like the stew I had barely eaten a few bites of was sitting heavy.
With a face that seemed like he had grown up as a hothouse flower his whole life, he recited his less than smooth past.
Small misfortunes had accumulated to form Adam.
I couldn’t quite understand why such a person would show me kindness.
“Isn’t, isn’t it lonely living like that?”
“I’ve always lived this way. Hmm, was I lonely…?”
“…”
At Adam’s wistful words, the conscience I thought I didn’t have began to ache painfully.
“When was it… Didn’t you even have meals at the Imperial Palace?”
“I’ve never been to the Imperial Palace.”
‘…Ah, that was the XX round?’
Come to think of it, this time he hadn’t even been to the Imperial Palace, and had only visited the Temple a few times.
It made sense that Adam would think so negatively.
He would have been alone since before he could even understand the emotion of loneliness.
He only visited the Temple to use it purely as a means and method.
He didn’t build friendships with anyone, nor did he have the opportunity to do so.
Far from receiving luxurious Hero treatment, he got shot with arrows and was slandered.
If I had been the Hero, I would have immediately quit being a Hero and become completely twisted.
Even so, weren’t there any good things?
“Still…”
I opened my mouth to refute his words, but nothing came to mind.
Adam’s words were absolutely right in every detail.
‘Come to think of it, this round I definitely didn’t do anything. To reduce the probability of sudden death…’
But the reason for my passive attitude change wasn’t entirely my responsibility.
‘When I suddenly die from eating something at a tavern, I might avoid contact with anyone as much as possible.’
As a result, such an introverted Hero who avoided contact with people was born.
‘Right. It’s all my responsibility.’
I laughed emptily and nodded.
Adam was innocent.
Tears blurred my vision and I touched my eyelids.
I had to quickly make friends for him that didn’t exist in this round.
High Priest Meriel, whom I had put on hold, or even Kyrillos.
…So that Adam wouldn’t be lonely even without me.
What if I returned to the original world in this state and suddenly disappeared?
If luck wasn’t on my side, I might not be able to send down oracles anymore, and Adam would remain alone in the Demon King’s Castle just like before I came.
That couldn’t happen.
Kyrillos always appeared at the Temple when rumors spread that a Hero had appeared, wanting to become his companion.
This time, because we quickly dealt with the Demon King before even spreading rumors, Kyrillos didn’t know of his existence.
And wasn’t it Adam who handled it alone before Kyrillos, who said his dream was to help the Hero kill the Demon King, could achieve his dream?
It was difficult to create a connection with him now.
‘Come to think of it, isn’t it about time for a reply from Lady Iselda?’
If it didn’t go to a strange place and found its proper owner.
She would definitely have read my letter by now.
Just then, Adam spoke up.
“Eve, from now on, don’t come into my room no matter what sounds you hear.”
I swallowed the stew remaining in my mouth and asked.
“Why?”
“Just in case.”
I thought for a moment and then nodded.
As if he didn’t expect me to obediently listen to his words, Adam looked inwardly surprised.
However, as if recalling recent events, Adam’s expression became complicated.
“…You must not sneak in.”
“What do you take me for!”
What had I even done? Adam had the face of someone looking at a shameless person.
I protested my innocence, but inside I was pricked because I had secretly thought such things.
So instead I raised my voice and shouted angrily.
“Even if you told me to come in, I wouldn’t!”
“Good attitude.”
Adam quickly changed his expression.
Normally he would smile gently now.
Today’s Adam strangely erased his expression and spoke seriously.
“Eve.”
Even after calling my name, he seemed to be pondering as his fingers twitched on the table.
I could feel his anxiety in the way he hesitantly folded and unfolded his hands.
The emotion was contagious, and I too felt anxious as I waited for his mouth to open.
“If you ever meet me in a state where I can’t come to my senses no matter what I do… go find Abracxas. He’ll handle it.”
‘Abracxas?’
At the name that appeared out of nowhere, I smiled softly and said.
“I’m sure it was you, Hero, who told me not to trust demons. Abracxas finds me quite bothersome and only listens to my trivial requests.”
Having me clean the Demon King’s Castle was something that wouldn’t have worked at all if it were an ordinary mansion instead of the Demon King’s Castle.
Even while cleaning the Demon King’s Castle as I instructed, Abracxas would brainwash himself with nonsense about how he could endure it because it was a sacrifice for the Demon King.
“…”
Come to think of it, this is totally like a Neapolitan ghost story.
‘If you can’t come to your senses, go find Abracxas. Even without explaining the reason, he’ll notice and solve it.’ You know, something like that.’
Recalling the ghost story that was once popular, I let out a quiet laugh.
“I’ll keep it in mind for now.”
“Yes.”
Adam smiled slyly.
It’s dangerous to smile like that at this hour of dawn.
Adam didn’t seem to properly understand the power of his own face.
Even during the Hunting Competition, didn’t he consistently play dumb, calling the young ladies’ attention “the gazes of strangers whose names I don’t know”?
‘Haah…’
I let out a long sigh inwardly.
It seemed Adam had no awareness of his own face.
Any human with properly functioning eyes couldn’t help but feel attracted to Adam.
I finally looked at Adam’s face and parted my lips.
His round yellow eyes shone clearly, unable to grasp the situation.
However, I spoke firmly.
“Hero, please don’t lean your face so close. It’s harmful.”
To my heart!
At my firm words, Adam looked shocked.
Still, what wasn’t allowed wasn’t allowed.
I pressed down firmly on my obliviously pounding chest to calm it.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————