I Became the Hero While Paving a Flower Path for My Niece - Chapter 3

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Cousin’s Flowery Path Paved, and He Became a Hero — Episode 3
[Wow! I can feel the wind!]
Yi Baek, dwelling within Alex’s body, marveled at the cool breeze, the warm sunlight, and the fresh scent of grass washing over him.
But Alex’s eyes held only the Village, drawing steadily closer.
Alex was overwhelmed.
The serene, peaceful landscape he could never have dreamed of in the Age of Destruction nearly brought tears to his eyes.
His pace quickened.
“…!”
Then, all at once, he stopped.
The sun was setting.
He had caught sight of a child playing with friends at the entrance to the Back Mountain.
A six-year-old boy with golden hair.
“…Leo.”
Though he had called out that small name without meaning to, Leo — who had been drawing pictures on the ground with his friends, waiting for his uncle — turned his head toward the sound of Alex’s voice.
The movement seemed to unfold in slow motion.
Alex watched the child without blinking.
Swaying strands of golden hair, plump soft cheeks flushed with pink, bright blue eyes that sparkled, and a smile radiant as a flower.
Not the “Hero Leo” lost to eternal sleep, but a living, vital Leo stood before him.
His heart raced.
It felt like a dream.
Afraid that any movement might shatter it, Alex held even his breath — so different from the spirited rush he had made just moments before.
There.
Leo was there.
My nephew, alive and well, was standing right there.
The child’s face, which had glowed with recognition of his uncle, swiftly shifted to wonder.
“Uncle!”
Seeing Leo call out to him with those bright blue eyes fixed steadily on his face, Alex felt tears threatening to spill, but he forced them back.
Not when he looked like a beggar — Leo would only worry.
“…Leo!”
But the weight of longing and overwhelming emotion made his voice heavy, and he could not help it.
“Uncle! What happened?”
Leo, seeing his uncle return from the Back Mountain looking like a vagrant, rushed over with a startled, distressed expression.
Alex instinctively dropped to his knees and pulled the boy into a tight embrace.
“Ah! You’re so cold!”
Leo cried out as the wet fabric touched him, and though Alex felt sorry, he could not bring himself to let go.
He felt the warm body heat that spoke of life, the steady thump-thump of Leo’s heart against his chest. Vitality radiated from that small frame.
‘…Ah!’
Only by holding that small, warm body close could Alex truly feel that this was real.
He had truly returned to the past.
“Uncle, what’s wrong? Are you hurt anywhere? Does it hurt a lot?”
At Leo’s concern for his uncle despite the cold, Alex fought hard to push down the surge of emotion.
His nephew — the one he could not hear, no matter how he called to him, for more than a decade — was speaking to him first.
Tears and laughter seemed ready to burst forth unbidden, but Alex held them back, and with reddened eyes, smiled brightly as he spoke.
“No, I’m not hurt. Look — it’s just the clothes that tore.”
Alex showed the unmarked skin beneath the torn fabric. The children looked here and there as he said, and found not a single wound.
“Your uncle dodged every which way!”
“Wow!”
As Alex swayed his body side to side, exaggerating his evasions, the children’s eyes sparkled with wonder.
“So, Leo? Isn’t your uncle amazing?”
“Yeah! Uncle’s the best!”
Seeing Leo smile brightly, his worry forgotten, Alex made a vow to himself.
Whatever came, he would protect that smile.
[Your nephew? How cute!]
[How old is he?]
But first, he had to rid himself of this Otherworldly Lich.
“Good heavens. What happened?”
The commotion of the children drew adults over, who started in alarm at the sight of Alex looking like a vagrant.
People who had all died in the Future, people he missed — seeing them, Alex suppressed the expression threatening to distort his face and whispered so the children could not hear.
“I heard a wolf’s howl, so I ran away and tumbled about.”
At that, the adults looked Alex over from head to foot once more.
“How many times did you roll around to tear your clothes like this?”
“Right? They’re not even fit for rags anymore.”
“Ha ha ha.”
Alex laughed awkwardly.
“So a wolf showed up?”
“I only heard the sound.”
In truth, in the Future, only one wolf ever appeared in the Village, but since he’d lived and the wolf had died, there was no telling what might happen now—so it seemed wise to warn them like this.
Wolves hunted in packs, after all.
“Then we’ll need to notify the Neighboring Village and Lord’s Castle. Tell everyone to stay away from Back Mountain for a while.”
The villagers nodded at Mark’s words—Alex’s next-door neighbor.
“But why are you soaking wet?”
“I waded into the creek to wash away the scent.”
“You’ve had it rough. Go change your clothes quickly, before you catch cold. You too, Leo.”
“Yes.”
After saying goodbye to the villagers, Alex took Leo’s small hand and headed home. It struck him anew just how tiny six-year-old Leo was.
“Bye! See you tomorrow!”
“Yeah! Take care! Leo!”
This small child, for whom play with friends was his whole world, would one day grow to become a warrior who defeated monsters and the Demon Race.
‘I’m starting to feel proud—but I shouldn’t be.’
He wanted to prevent Leo from becoming a warrior.
‘…Though I’m not sure preventing it will actually work.’
But he had to try.
Alex resolved to do so.
“Hey, Uncle! Today my friends and I had a contest to see who could catch the most fish. Guess who caught the most?”
Leo bounced excitedly, swinging his joined hands with Uncle Alex as he spoke.
“Hmm… our Leo?”
“That’s right! I caught the most!”
Giggling, Leo chattered on about what he’d played with today, what he’d had for lunch, and how well he’d done an errand for the elderly neighbor.
As Alex listened to his prattling, he tried to quiet the churning in his chest.
The Future—now erased.
Six-year-old Leo must have wanted to tell his uncle these things when he returned from Back Mountain.
But all that came back was the corpse of his uncle, mauled by wolves.
He never got to tell anyone that he’d placed first in the fishing contest, or that he’d eaten a sandwich made from scratch for lunch, or that he’d done the neighbor’s errand well—only tears and cries.
Alex, dead and become a Ghost, could only watch.
The sight of that young face overwhelmed him, and he scooped Leo up without thinking. He hugged the boy fiercely, making up for all the embraces he couldn’t give back then.
“My Leo is the best!”
“Aah! You’re so cold, Uncle!”
Even as he protested, Leo burst into delighted giggles.
“Right, I’m all wet, aren’t I? Let’s go change my clothes.”
“Okay!”
Alex wanted to spend this time, returned to him like a miracle, with Leo in joy and happiness.
“Leo. What do you want for dinner?”
“Um. Meat!”
“Meat! Perfect!”
[I like it too!]
…If only this one would disappear, everything would be fine.
I need to figure out how to get rid of him fast.

* * *
Alex and Leo, now dressed in fresh clothes, headed to the Kitchen to prepare dinner.
Along the way, he forgot he had a physical body and tried to pass through a door, banging into it instead—but Leo thought it was a joke and laughed, so Alex laughed along.
Though more than a decade had passed in Alex’s time, the Kitchen remained unchanged.
The leftover Stew from this morning and neatly cut portions of Meat were well-preserved.
“I’ll get the bread!”
Leo went naturally to fetch the bread.
“Our Leo is such a good boy.”
At his uncle’s glistening green eyes, Leo tilted his head and let out a small laugh. The emotion in the look seemed more intense than usual, but thinking about it, his uncle had always been like that.
Alex placed a frying pan over the fire. Then he was about to put the Meat on immediately.
[Wait!]
[Season it first!]
Salt! Pepper!
If Yi Baek hadn’t suddenly inserted himself into the conversation, that is.
While Leo set down bread and a fork on the table with his small hands, Alex whispered.
“What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”
Since it’s been so long since I’ve had a proper meal, I should enjoy it!
Koreans say a meal is the spirit of life!
Though Alex couldn’t quite understand what Yi Baek meant, he could feel his determination to eat something delicious.
“Have you ever cooked before?”
Of course I have!
I used to cook all the time, even after I became a Lich.
Though I couldn’t taste it!
A Lich who cooked—it was hard to picture.
Harder still to imagine.
In contrast, Alex had wandered about with his sister when he was young and had little concern for food; once they’d settled in the Village, his philosophy was simple—as long as the seasoning was right and it was cooked through, that was all that mattered.
Leo had been raised the same way.
‘That’s how our Leo became a Warrior who’ll eat anything, I suppose.’
Every time Alex watched Warrior Leo eagerly consume even poorly made dishes, he found himself regretting all those years he couldn’t provide better meals.
‘Though to be fair, because of that, he managed fine even when food supplies ran short….’
From now on, Alex decided, he’d make sure Leo ate plenty of delicious food.
First, season the meat. Sprinkle salt and pepper on it!
Alex obeyed Yi Baek’s instruction while eyeing it skeptically, sprinkling salt onto the meat.
“We don’t have pepper—it’s too expensive.”
There was no way a commoner farmer’s house would have pepper, something that sold for its weight in gold.
Well, that can’t be helped then.
Ah, what about herbs?
Something like Rosemary.
Alex paused for a moment. It would be a bit of a bother, but if Yi Baek was right that it would make the food delicious, it seemed worth it.
“Leo, could you go ask Grandmother Jessie if we can borrow some Rosemary?”
“Yep!”
Leo nodded his head eagerly at his uncle’s request.
While Leo headed outside, Yi Baek began explaining the cooking method.
First, sear the meat on high heat on one side, then when you flip it, add Butter, herbs, and Garlic.
“Garlic? How much?”
A handful!
Alex, about to retrieve two cloves of Garlic, froze at Yi Baek’s words.
“…How much did you say?”
A handful!
A full fistful!
A brief silence fell.
Alex went ahead with his original plan and retrieved two cloves of Garlic.
Garlic is the very life of a Korean….
“It’s not the life of a Mehti Kingdom citizen, though.”
Yi Baek’s voice was tinged with regret, but Alex ignored it. A handful of Garlic? That would ruin any dish.
“Uncle! I brought the Rosemary!”
“Good work, Leo.”
With a broad smile, Alex ruffled Leo’s hair and began searing the meat. He flipped the meat seared over high heat, added Butter, Rosemary, and two cloves of Garlic, and continued cooking.
Use a spoon to baste the Butter over the meat! Keep going!
Butter? Over the meat?
“I’m still skeptical about this….”
Yet since it didn’t seem like this would ruin the dish, Alex spooned Butter over the meat as Yi Baek instructed.
“Uncle, what are you doing?”
“Mm. Supposedly this makes it taste better.”
“Wow!”
Leo marveled at everything his uncle did, which made Alex smile despite himself.
“Uncle! It smells delicious!”
Ah! That’s steak smell!
How many years has it been since I’ve smelled this!!
Excited as Yi Baek was, Alex found himself beginning to drool at the aroma of good food for the first time in twelve years.
Now sear the sides too!
Yi Baek’s voice, full of anticipation, grew louder and louder. Leo’s blue eyes sparkled with excitement.
At last, the meat was fully cooked.
Golden-brown and glistening, it looked absolutely delicious.
“Let’s eat now, Leo.”
“Yes!”
“No, wait!”
Yi Baek cried out at that moment.
“You need to let it rest for about three minutes for it to taste even better!”
Alex glanced back and forth between Leo’s gleaming eyes and the meat, then sighed softly.
“Should we make a salad too, Leo?”
Since he’d come this far following Yi Baek’s instructions, it seemed best to see it through to the end.
“…Yes!”
Leo, whose eyes had been lingering on the meat with obvious reluctance, nodded obediently.
Alex and Leo washed the vegetables, cut them to size, and drizzled the sauce the village woman had given them.
By the time they sat at the table, the three minutes Yi Baek had mentioned had passed.
“Let’s eat!”
“Let’s eat.”
“Let’s eat!”
Among the stew, bread, salad, and meat, their forks naturally gravitated toward the meat.
Alex was curious what the meat would taste like now that it had been cooked with various additions, so different from his usual plain grilling.
Leo eagerly speared a piece with his fork and popped it into his mouth, his plump cheeks working as he chewed. The meat melted away almost without being chewed, and Leo’s eyes sparkled with amazement and delight.
“Wow! It’s so delicious, Uncle!”
Alex was just about to put a piece into his own mouth. For some reason, his hand holding the fork was trembling.
Since becoming a ghost, he had never eaten food. Not once.
Leo and his friends’ outdoor meals, the unique cuisines of the Matap Federation, the lavish banquets of the Knight Empire, the sacred feasts of the Holy Kingdom—as a ghost, Alex could only watch them longingly, his mouth watering.
But now, finally.
He could eat food again.
And Otherworldly cooked food at that!
The aroma alone from the grilled meat was so enticing that saliva seemed to pool in his mouth.
“Uncle, you’re drooling!”
“Ugh!”
He hadn’t realized he’d actually drool.
Alex wiped his mouth awkwardly and laughed in embarrassment.
“Uncle is just very hungry.”
“I see! Then eat quickly!”
Seeing kind-hearted Leo holding out a piece of meat on his fork, Alex felt tears prickling at his eyes.
“Eat it already!”
“Go on, eat!”
“Shove it in your mouth!”
Hearing Yi Baek’s voice, which seemed to echo his own inner feelings, Alex took the meat Leo offered and placed it in his mouth.
“…Ah….”
“Ahhhhhhh!!!”
The perfectly warm meat parted softly under his teeth. The meat juices mingled with butter, spreading richly across his palate. The fragrance of rosemary and garlic complemented each other flawlessly.
Alex chewed slowly, savoring every bite of the meat.
“So damn delicious….”
Even Yi Baek’s voice, brimming with emotion and sounding almost tearful, couldn’t disturb Alex’s moment of appreciation.
“…It’s delicious.”
It was a taste that filled the spirit starved for over a decade.
“Right! It really is delicious. Your cooking is the best, Uncle!”
With Leo smiling brightly with happiness right beside him, it felt all the more precious.
“Eat plenty, Leo.”
“Yes! You too, Uncle!”
Like all that had come before was just a nightmare, the evening was perfectly peaceful and ordinary.
“One more! Hurry! One more!”
…He’d ignore that.

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