Do Heroes Need Welfare Too? - Chapter 93

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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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Chapter 93

Having the opportunity to examine his appearance in detail, I realized anew that he was truly beautiful.

Thanks to this, as time passed, instead of getting absorbed in drawing, I found myself just staring blankly at Adam’s face.

When he asked me to draw him, I had been quite flustered, but being able to legally steal glances at his face didn’t seem too bad.

Before I knew it, my hand had stopped.

Only a faint sketch lay alone on the canvas.

‘Oh, right. I need to draw!’

Belatedly coming to my senses, I diligently refined the sketch of Adam’s face I had finished.

There was a gaze watching me do this.

However, I had no leisure to spare for a single gaze. No matter what he was thinking while looking at me, I focused only on the drawing.

After a long period of concentration, I completed the drawing.

I pretended to wipe away sweat I hadn’t even shed.

Adam approached my side and asked while looking at the finished drawing.

“Is this me?”

“…Yes.”

I hadn’t planned to show it right away.

Adam leaned his head close to my side where I was sitting.

At Adam’s scent that suddenly approached, I held my breath.

Adam was seriously looking at my drawing.

I also followed his gaze and shifted my eyes to the drawing.

Hmm, two eyes. One nose. One mouth.

Perfect.

“I can’t tell if this is Adam or if the Adam in the drawing is Adam. Hero! Why are you inside the paper!”

“…”

It was a finished work I couldn’t view objectively.

Afraid that Adam might evaluate the drawing, I hurriedly tidied up the picture.

I hid the paper intending to throw it away, but Adam stretched out his long arm and took the drawing away.

“Ah, give it back!”

“Why? It’s better to have just one of Eve’s heroes here.”

“Ugh…!”

Adam quoted and teased me with the comment I had carelessly blurted out earlier to avoid hearing his honest evaluation.

I hopped up and down trying to snatch the drawing from his hands, but Adam avoided me with the simple motion of raising his arm upward with a calm expression.

“Give up, Eve. Two won’t do.”

And that evening.

I sent Kyrillos away while swallowing tears as he brought a diamond the size of a child’s fist.

“This is worse than the Hero’s gift? What on earth could that be!”

But Kyrillos cleanly acknowledged that he had lost.

Only I couldn’t let go of my regrets.

“…Eve. If you’re going to be that sad, just accept it.”

“N-no… I’m not… sad at all…”

Ah, farewell.

I shed a few tears as I sent the diamond away.

* * *

The child woke up in the middle of the night.

Potato, who discovered the child just waking up and looking around the Demon King’s Castle with anxious eyes, naturally grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and brought him to me.

Having come out to drink water, I nearly spat it out when I saw this scene.

“P-Potato! You can’t bite people!”

I deliberately ignored Potato’s disgruntled look that seemed to say he had grabbed the clothes, not bitten him, and then checked on the boy’s wellbeing.

“A-are you okay?”

He seemed fine except for being quite stiff.

“S-sister…”

When I gestured for Potato to go back, he grabbed my hand tightly like a lifeline.

“Did you bring me here?”

“Ah, yes… I chased after you, and you tried too hard to run away and fell to the ground, so I had no choice. By any chance, where are your parents?”

Adam had said that children who usually pickpocket are orphans without parents, but I asked him with a glimmer of hope.

However, the boy only moved his lips without answering.

“What’s your name?”

“Erwin.”

He answered other questions obediently, but it seemed he didn’t want to talk about his parents.

Since there are various types of parents in the world, I nodded and didn’t ask any further.

Erwin, seeming a bit more relaxed, asked a question.

“Where is this place?”

“…The Demon King’s Castle.”

It would be better to tell the truth. I don’t know how much he wandered around before Potato found him.

“The Demon King’s Castle…”

Erwin muttered as if repeating my words.

“Then the Imperial Palace people won’t be able to catch me, right? They won’t come in here, right?”

The boy anxiously looked around constantly.

He had a firm belief that someone would chase after him.

“Why from the Imperial Palace? Who was trying to catch you?”

“Well…”

It was when Erwin was hesitating and about to speak.

“Eve.”

Then Adam appeared.

I looked at Adam and waved happily.

However, as soon as Adam appeared, Erwin grabbed my clothes and hid behind me.

And he shut his mouth tight, stopping what he was about to say.

“What’s wrong?”

“Mom said not to trust anyone…”

Erwin’s gaze turned toward Adam.

It was as if he wouldn’t speak if Adam was there.

I pointed at myself with my finger in bewilderment and asked.

“Huh? Then what about me?”

“…You helped me.”

Erwin said while fidgeting with his fingers.

I bent my legs and met his gaze to ease his suspicion.

“That brother is a Hero, so you can trust him! He’s a very cool Hero who killed the Demon King. He’s a trustworthy person.”

Then the child who had been keeping his head down suddenly looked up.

“Hero…”

Erwin’s gaze moved to Adam.

Without even blinking, he slowly took in Adam’s appearance with his eyes.

His gaze lingered especially long on Adam’s golden eyes.

Erwin gripped my skirt more tightly.

As if trying to hide behind me, he fidgeted and asked Adam quietly.

“Then will you also transform into a monster? Like that person?”

What is he talking about?

What was even more shocking was that Adam was visibly flustered.

I crouched down and met Erwin’s gaze as I asked.

“Did you see someone at the Imperial Palace?”

“Yes. People definitely called that thing a ‘Hero’…”

Erwin’s face turned pale as he recalled that incident.

What on earth had he seen to make the child look like that?

“It’s okay. You don’t have to remember.”

I pulled the ashen-faced Erwin into my arms and held him. As I patted his back, his trembling shoulders gradually calmed down.

Over Erwin’s shoulder, I met Adam’s eyes. He had a thoughtful expression as if something was bothering him.

After putting Erwin back to sleep, I went to look for Adam.

He wasn’t in the bedroom, the study, or the library.

It was difficult to illuminate the vast Demon King’s Castle with just one candle, so I planned to check just one last place.

‘Surely he didn’t go outside in this weather?’

I was pulling my thin shawl tight and heading toward the main gate when it happened.

“Ah.”

Just then, a gust of wind blew and extinguished the flame.

In an instant, pitch-black darkness engulfed the surroundings.

I closed my eyes to adjust to the darkness and counted silently to myself.

‘I’ll count to exactly 10 and then open my eyes.’

Standing alone in this empty place, strange thoughts kept creeping into my mind.

The sound of dry leaves rustling against each other in the wind sounded eerie.

Then someone grabbed my arm.

“Eek! Ahhh, don’t eat me… please don’t eat me!”

With my eyes still closed, I trembled violently. I hadn’t sensed any presence at all, but if someone suddenly appeared, who else could it be!

Obviously a ghost…

‘…No wait, it’s just Adam.’

As if to reassure me, he lifted up a lantern to show me his face.

“Eve. I’m sorry. Did I startle you?”

“Where on earth did you come from!”

I was so shocked that a single tear escaped, which Adam gently wiped away with his finger.

“I was just in the small storehouse. Trying to organize my thoughts. But I heard footsteps…”

So he came out and discovered me trying to go outside the main gate.

“But what’s wrong? Were you hungry perhaps?”

“No! I was just trying to find you…”

Just then, my stomach rumbled loudly.

Oh, that’s not what I meant! I really wasn’t hungry!

My face turned bright red as I bolted upright from where I was sitting.

I could hear Adam’s amused laughter.

Thank goodness it was dark, otherwise I would have made a complete fool of myself.

“I came out worried about you, and all you do is tease me!”

“Well, since we’re already out, would you like to have a simple sandwich?”

I nodded my head repeatedly.

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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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