I Became the Hero While Paving a Flower Path for My Niece - Chapter 20

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

The Hero Who Paved a Path of Flowers for His Cousin — Episode 20
Upon returning to Yeongju Castle, Alex headed straight for the Mercenary Guild.
The moment he stepped through the door, he caught the eye of the receptionist Wilber, who wore a brief expression of surprise before gesturing him over urgently.
Alex, bewildered, made his way to the reception desk alongside Leo.
“When did you learn Magic?”
“Ah.”
Word had apparently reached the Mercenary Guild already.
It made sense—there had been mercenaries among yesterday’s spectators.
“Well….”
As Alex’s eyes darted about, struggling with how to explain something that had happened mere days ago, Wilber’s brow furrowed slightly.
While mercenaries typically kept a secret or two to themselves without question, this was something he needed to ask about, if only for Serena’s and Glick’s sake.
“You didn’t do anything dangerous, did you?”
“No, sir.”
He’d simply seized what turned out to be the Life Vessel of an otherworldly lich in order to survive.
“Well, that’s a relief, but….”
How had a boy who didn’t even know the first thing about Magic suddenly become strong enough to fell a goblin shaman?
Alex forced an awkward smile under Wilber’s gaze—a mixture of concern and admiration—and set a pouch of Medicinal Herbs on the reception counter.
“I brought the herbs. This means I’ve passed the qualifying exam, right?”
“Yeah. Here’s your Mercenary Guild Card.”
Wilber retrieved the card from beneath the counter and handed it over.
The copper Mercenary Guild Card fit in the palm of his hand and bore his name, origin, and Rank.
“Wait, Wilber. It says Rank 5 here?”
Alex asked upon seeing the number inscribed on the card.
“If we give a Rank 6 to a mage who defeated a goblin shaman, we’d be laughed at. But we can’t exactly give you a Rank 4 right off the bat with no experience, so Rank 5 it is.”
Alex nodded in understanding at Wilber’s explanation.
Then he felt an intense gaze from beside him.
It was Leo.
The boy’s sky-blue eyes gleamed with curiosity about the card.
“Here you go.”
With a smile, Alex handed the card to the boy.
“Thanks, Uncle!”
Leo exclaimed in delight as he examined the unfamiliar card.
“Here are the herbs.”
Alex placed the Medicinal Herbs he and Leo had diligently gathered onto the counter.
After examining them, Wilber handed over the Commission fee.
“Thank you. Wilber, do you have any Commissions related to the Northern Dungeon?”
“You’re planning to enter the dungeon?”
“Yes. For training purposes.”
Wilber nodded.
As a physically weak mage, Alex needed practical combat training all the more.
“As for dungeon Commissions, they’re all pretty much the same—hunting Slime to gather their body fluids, hunting Mushrat to gather Paralysis Powder, or collecting Lowest-Grade Mana Stones.”
Wilber laid out several Commission notices on the counter.
“You can sell what you gather directly to the merchants up north without going through the Guild either.”
There was a small market in the dungeon area.
“Of course, Guild Commissions pay better. We actually just got in a decent one for Lowest-Grade Mana Stones. Anything else you need?”
“I’d like to buy a Continental Map and an Eastern Region map.”
Wilber pulled two maps from a shelf and handed them to Alex, who immediately passed them to Leo.
“Wow!”
Leo’s voice rang with wonder as he gazed at the maps, bringing a smile to Alex’s face.
“Anything else?”
“Have you ever heard of a dungeon where strong, strangely-shaped monsters appear, like the one we just came from in a Lowest-Grade Corrupted Dungeon?”
Alex inquired about Corrupted Dungeons.
To prevent the world’s destruction and find Yi Baek’s bones, he would need to enter a Corrupted Dungeon.
“I’m not sure. You might want to head to the Royal Capital and ask at the Mercenary Guild there—that’d be faster.”
Right.
This was still an era when the term “Corrupted Dungeon” didn’t exist and knowledge of Demon Beasts had yet to spread.
But news would circulate soon enough.
“Then….”
After hesitating for a moment, Alex spoke up.
“Do you know anything about the Commission my sister and brother-in-law received?”
Leo, who had been examining the map, instinctively lifted his head at those words and looked toward Wilber.
Wilber answered with a bitter expression.
“I don’t know the details either. The Royal Capital sent it as a commission for Serena and Glick to pass along. We’ll probably learn more once we get to the capital.”
“I see. Understood.”
Alex nodded, not expecting to uncover any crucial leads right away.
‘At least our next destination is settled.’
The Royal Capital of the Muichti Kingdom—Mitera.
That’s where he had to go.

* * *
After leaving the Mercenary Guild, Alex headed to a nearby restaurant with Leo. He’d left Max at the guild.
Leo, who had been a bit dejected at not hearing news of his parents, soon perked up and asked about something he’d been curious about earlier.
“Uncle, what’s a Mushrat?”
“Oh, you’ve never seen a demon beast before, have you?”
“I’ve seen a Slime in pictures! It’s all soft and looks like liquid!”
Alex smiled and nodded.
“A Mushrat is a demon beast that looks like a mushroom. It sprays things like Paralysis Powder that keep people from moving.”
“Really? I want to see one!”
Charmed by the child’s innocent curiosity, Alex chuckled and ruffled Leo’s hair.
“You’re still too young—it’s dangerous. When you’re bigger, Uncle will definitely show you.”
“Okay!”
Leo nodded eagerly.
‘But if we’re going to travel across the continent, we’re bound to face stronger demon beasts than Slimes eventually.’
‘Wouldn’t it be better to show him gradually so he gets used to it?’
That was true enough.
But as someone who wanted Leo to grow up as safely and happily as possible, Alex couldn’t help but wrestle with what was best.
“Your meal is ready.”
He set the worry aside for now and decided to fill his stomach first. After twelve years living as a spirit, three proper meals a day had become essential to Alex.
Alex took a bite first, then spooned some of the dish onto Leo’s plate.
‘This place is delicious too!’
‘If the inn’s cooking is mild, this place has a bold flavor.’
“This is tasty, Uncle!”
“It really is. Delicious. Chew it well, Leo.”
“Mm-hmm!”
Once Alex had eaten his fill, he pulled out a few copper coins and handed them to Leo.
“What’s this, Uncle?”
“Remember how you helped Uncle collect Medicinal Herbs earlier? This is the money you earned. It’s your share.”
“My share?”
Leo’s round eyes blinked in surprise, and Alex smiled warmly, nodding.
“That’s right. Your share. Uncle will buy you a pouch for it. Keep it safe in there. And whenever you want to buy something later, you can use this to get it.”
“Wow! Really? Can I buy anything?”
Leo’s eyes sparkled with wonder now that he had money of his own.
Back in the village there hadn’t been much to spend money on, but as they traveled through different regions, Leo would surely find things he wanted. Having his own money this way would help him understand the concept of economics.
“Of course you can buy anything. Just nothing dangerous. And beyond what you earn from work, I’ll give you a weekly allowance too.”
Alex smiled and pulled out more coins, handing them to Leo.
“This is your allowance for this week.”
“Wow!!”
In the blink of an eye, Leo’s money had doubled, and his eyes grew twice as wide.
“I’m so rich now, Uncle!”
Alex burst out laughing at Leo’s words.
‘Me! I worked hard collecting too.’
You don’t have anywhere to spend it anyway.
Alex let the comment pass in one ear and out the other.
After lunch was finished,
Alex bought Leo an Allowance Pouch.
Leo clutched the pouch he’d picked out himself in both hands, and the sight was so endearing that Alex reached over and gently patted his head.
“Max! We’re back!”
Alex and Leo returned to the Lake House Inn with Max, whom they’d left at the Mercenary Guild.
“Look, Sophia. I made Flower Bouquets!”
Sophia beamed at the bundle of flowers overflowing from Leo’s arms.
“Wow! That’s really pretty!”
“This one’s Sophia’s. And these are for Grandfather and Matthew!”
“Thank you.”
“Thanks, Leo.”
Harlone and Matthew broke into broad smiles as Leo handed out the flower bouquets. When Leo mentioned that there were bunches for his parents and the baby too, Sophia’s grin widened even further.
“And what’s this?”
Leo pulled out a new pouch with a flourish, as if showing off a prize.
“What is it?”
“This is my allowance pouch! Uncle bought it for me!”
“Wow! An allowance pouch! I have one too!”
The children beamed as they compared their allowance pouches, and the adults couldn’t help but laugh.
“Leo, let’s pool our money and buy candy!”
“Candy! That sounds delicious! How much does it cost?”
“Candy is super expensive. It costs this much!”
Leo’s face registered shock at the price of such luxury sweets.
Ha-ha-ha!
So cute!
Yi Baek burst out laughing, and Alex chuckled along.
They watched with amusement as Leo and Sophia continued their earnest debate about which snacks to buy.
Then the inn’s door swung open, and a new guest arrived.
“Welcome—!”
Matthew began his reflexive greeting, but his eyes widened at the sight of the newcomer.
Alex, Harlone, the children, and the other guests all turned to look at the door, their expressions shifting to surprise.
“Pardon my intrusion.”
A young man stood in the doorway—his clothing refined and elegant, distinctly different from anything the common folk would wear.
Wow.
He’s definitely from a noble house.
“Is this the inn where the Mage Alex is staying?”
At the man’s words, everyone’s gaze shifted at once toward Alex, who sat in his chair.
Alex rose and approached the man.
“I am Alex.”
“Good day to you, Mage Alex. I am Norton, butler of House of Baron Caldis.”
Norton bowed respectfully and spoke.
“The Lord of Small Territory wishes to invite you and your nephew to dinner tomorrow evening. Might that time be convenient for you?”
The Lord of Small Territory had remembered to include Leo in the invitation as well.
“Tomorrow evening? That’s sooner than I expected.”
Alex spoke with mild surprise, and Norton smiled faintly in response.
“Since you are a mage, it is difficult to predict when you might depart the territory, so we arranged the dinner as soon as possible.”
That made sense.
Alex nodded in understanding.
“The time suits me fine.”
“Then I am relieved. There is no need to worry about your attire—we shall see to it. Please come in comfortable clothes.”
“Understood.”
“Then I shall come to collect you personally tomorrow evening.”
Norton presented a pristine invitation and bowed before departing the inn.
“Phew…”
The tension that had been subtly hanging over the room evaporated in an instant, and everyone seemed to deflate.
“There’s something distinctly different about nobility.”
“Indeed.”
The guests, who had been holding their breath, gradually began to speak again. Harlone and Matthew both let out quiet sighs of relief.
“Wow! I’ve never seen a noble’s butler before!”
“Me neither! He was so cool!”
Leo and Sophia, flushed with excitement, hurried to the door to watch the Baron’s carriage disappear into the distance.
The only one who remained unperturbed was Alex—the only one who had encountered numerous nobles in the ‘future’ (though they would never know it).
He was quite polite, wasn’t he?
I thought he might look down on a commoner mercenary a bit.
Perhaps it was because Alex was a mage and the benefactor who had saved the Lord of Small Territory’s life.
‘Of course, even benefactors sometimes face contempt from nobility.’
Recalling how the Lord of Small Territory had remained courteous even in the dungeon’s dire circumstances, Alex thought House of Baron Caldis seemed like reasonable nobility.
‘And sending a butler himself shows consideration.’
Normally, he’d send a servant to fetch it.
Alex, still lost in thought, tore open the envelope of the invitation.
“Oh!”
His bold gesture startled the onlookers instead. Alex stifled a quiet laugh at their reaction.
The invitation itself held nothing extraordinary—exactly as Norton had described.
[Ooh!]
[So this is what a fantasy noble’s invitation looks like!]
“Can I look too, Uncle?”
“Sure. Here, take a look.”
Leo and Sophia crowded in with Matthew and Harlone, and even the other guests gathered around to examine the invitation.
[I haven’t gotten a good look yet!]
It was hard not to smile at the sight.

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