Do Heroes Need Welfare Too? - Chapter 99

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 99

“Wow.”

The child who had been looking at Kyrillos as if honey would drip from their eyes now shifted their gaze to Adam.

Under that innocent, sparkling gaze untainted by the world, Adam’s movements quickened.

“The bravest child gets to ride on the Hero’s back.”

“C-can I really?”

“…Of course.”

Adam stiffly bent his knees and showed his back. The child hesitated before climbing onto his back.

Even while being carried on his broad back, the child kept checking Adam’s face as if unable to believe it.

“You’re really, really the Hero, right?”

“Really. I have the holy sword… too.”

The dagger that had been flying at them sharply just moments ago, trying to kill them, was thus transformed into a holy sword.

Adam awkwardly played along with his lie.

The chattering child, having exhausted all their energy from crying, fell asleep on Adam’s back.

“Are they asleep?”

“Yes. Their face has brightened considerably. It’s thanks to you, Hero.”

Kyrillos turned his head back to check the child’s complexion and spoke in a much softer voice.

“The description almost perfectly matches what I heard from the villagers.”

Despite having safely rescued the children, Kyrillos still looked thoroughly angry.

His expression was cold, but he seemed to be seething as if he would explode if anyone touched the wrong nerve.

“Of course, we couldn’t find the child His Majesty asked us to look for… But at least we found the missing children. And we found the real culprit behind the monster incident too.”

“Indeed.”

Adam responded to his words in his usual tone.

However, only Iberis, who was beside them, flinched.

The child the Emperor was looking for.

It was definitely Erwin.

Though she hadn’t heard it properly, he had certainly seen something he shouldn’t have in the Imperial Palace dungeons.

And he had escaped, and the Emperor had belatedly realized this and was trying to find him.

Hiding the truth and cleverly using Kyrillos.

Would it be okay to keep hiding Erwin?

They had caught the former Imperial Guard and rescued the children too.

But she couldn’t tell even Kyrillos, who had been through this series of events with them.

Because Erwin would be an important key to bringing down the Emperor.

Kyrillos returned to the village with the children.

He had said he was looking for missing children, and he had memorized all the villages where they had disappeared.

The village, which had been in a gloomy mood, began to brighten when they saw them bringing the children.

“Edna!”

“Rudy, thank goodness. You were alive. My baby…”

“Mama…”

“Thank you, truly thank you.”

They hugged their children and repeatedly bowed in gratitude. It was the nobleman who had been asking them about the missing children from before.

Back then, they had been suspicious and couldn’t believe that a nobleman would go to such lengths, but their children had really returned alive.

However, Kyrillos waved his hand and pointed to one side as he spoke.

“I didn’t do much. The Hero found them all.”

“…The Hero?”

Their gazes all turned to one place at once.

“Thank you, Hero. How can we ever express our gratitude…”

“It’s enough that the children returned safely.”

Adam bowed his head in return to those expressing their gratitude. Rough hands with completely bitten nails, showing how much worry they had endured, grasped his hands.

“You are the benefactor who saved my life. Thank you so much.”

Adam nodded with an awkward expression.

* * *

Even after parting with Kyrillos, Iberis remained troubled.

They had found the missing children and cleared Adam’s false accusations.

With such a big burden lifted, she should have felt relieved, but she had run into an even bigger problem.

Recalling his smiling face, Iberis scrunched up her face.

Kyrillos, who had been subtly probing her while talking about Adam.

She didn’t want him to only support Adam in words.

Knowing the past when Kyrillos and Adam could open their hearts and talk to each other, Iberis hoped they could become close friends again.

Even if that was her own selfish desire.

‘Adam doesn’t have any desires, so what’s wrong with me having some?’

However, for them to build a harmonious friendship, they had to overcome a huge mountain.

The Emperor.

It was the Emperor again.

Kyrillos, who hadn’t joined the Demon King Subjugation Force, was still a mage belonging to the Imperial Palace.

Of course, since he had said with his own mouth that he had entered for fun, he would have to return his imperial position when he inherited the ducal title.

But now was premature.

Hiding Erwin’s existence from Kyrillos, who had received a commission from the Emperor, was also one of her concerns.

‘Then we’d end up opposing Kyrillos, who received orders from the Emperor.’

She couldn’t let personal feelings interfere in a matter of life and death.

However, Adam, who seemed strangely comfortable when he was with him, looked good to her eyes too.

Iberis groaned as she worried.

There were too many complications to tell him to quit now.

“Why are you so troubled?”

Adam pressed her forehead with his finger.

Her furrowed brows naturally relaxed.

“Hero? When did you get here?”

“A while ago. But since Eve was suffering, I was watching from the side.”

“When someone is in trouble, you should help them, not watch.”

“Then I’ll help you, so why don’t you tell me?”

His expression was gentle as he spoke to Iberis, who was pouting and grumbling.

She was having these worries because of someone, yet the person in question was so bright.

Iberis hesitated for a moment before opening up to him.

‘I don’t know about other cycles, but the current Adam probably doesn’t know much about Kyrillos…’

Just a nobleman they briefly shared the same goal with… perhaps?

“Then shall we ask him directly?”

Adam, who had been pondering like her, gave an answer more easily than expected.

‘What if Kyrillos doesn’t trust us and reports us to the Emperor?’

Iberis couldn’t decide easily.

“Kyrillos doesn’t tend to keep his thoughts to himself. So there’s no need for Eve to suffer like this.”

“Still…”

“Haven’t you been thinking about Kyrillos all day?”

“Not all day…”

Iberis spoke while furrowing her brows as if gauging the time period.

Adam touched her brow with his finger, just as she used to do for him.

Sky-blue eyes that sparkled as if her thoughts had ended looked up at him.

“About a week or so?”

“…”

Perhaps because her period of worry was longer than expected, Adam’s expression hardened.

“Do you think about him that much?”

“No, I…!”

‘Of course I’m worried about Adam more than Kyrillos!’

However, she couldn’t bring herself to say those final words.

She could only let out a small sigh.

Adam stared at her intently, then suddenly grabbed her face.

“Mmph? (Hero?)”

What are you doing? Iberis glared at him with raised eyebrows.

She tried to look fierce in her own way, but with Adam’s hands squishing her lower face, her expression became comically distorted.

‘What is this all of a sudden!’

I’m dying of worry here, and he’s just playing around without knowing anything!

“Is it really worth worrying about that much?”

“Mmph?”

“I’d prefer if Eve only thought about me.”

“Uh…”

Iberis stared at Adam blankly.

She met those vivid golden eyes that had been focused solely on her from earlier.

Iberis moved her mouth as if to protest, but when he poked her cheeks, she tried to get angry instead.

“Do you think differently, Eve?”

“Mmph, mmno, let go first and then talk… (No, let go of this first and then talk…)”

Even when she tried to speak properly, her pronunciation was all slurred because Adam kept fiddling with her cheeks randomly.

Adam seemed to find it amusing as he kept smiling while watching her face crumble.

“So soft and squishy.”

Iberis’s still-youthful cheeks stretched nicely under his touch.

Adam’s lips curved into a pleased arc.

Iberis had no choice but to stop resisting.

It had been a long time since she looked at his face this close.

They had been busy investigating the disappearance case, after all.

More than that, she had told him not to smile at just anyone.

Surely he can’t hear my heartbeat, right?

Iberis turned her head away as if sulking at his teasing.

Well, she tried to turn away, but Adam was holding on firmly, so she couldn’t turn and only averted her eyes.

“Geez, do whatever you want…”

The gaze piercing her cheeks felt burning hot.

Iberis deliberately pretended not to notice that gaze.

Because of their rather close position, she hoped and hoped again that he wouldn’t hear her heartbeat.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————