Nurturing the Hero to Avoid Death

translator: mii

editor: ASplashofMusic, Sleepchaser

After I call out his name, Alfred guides his horse to slowly move down the hill, facing me. Eventually, he stops right next to me.

“Lian.” Alfred first looks at me and then immediately at Schwede. Just from his side profile, I can tell he’s not in a good mood. His eyes are narrowed in a sharp glare, and his mouth is set in a grim line.

“Al…? How unusual to meet you here around this time. Are you out on an errand?”

“Yeah. I’m heading to the store Cortura. The owner asked me to help repair the roof.”

Back when Alfred was a student, he worked part-time in house construction for a long time until he graduated. It seems like he has good skills in this aspect because many people still ask him for repair work even until now.

And every time someone approaches him for help, they also purchase products from Cheddars’ Ranch. Since accepting their requests improves the customers’ impression of the ranch, he does his best to fulfill them.

“I see.”

“How about you?”

“U-uh… I had some spare time, so… I visited the church. Then I started talking to Schwede-sama.”

“Talking?”

Alfred turns to the knight, eyes narrowed. Schwede only responds to his gaze… with merely a faint smile, not caring about how Alfred is glaring at him. For some reason, he looks like he’s in a good mood.

“…Have you finished talking?” asks Alfred.

“Ah, well… I guess so…”

…We were actually in the middle of a conversation. But if I tell him that, I’m sure his mood will worsen.

Schwede shrugs his shoulders as he flashes me a smile. “Ahaha. Maybe this is heaven’s will telling us not to speak about it any further?”

“Schwede-sama…?”

“Call me Schwede, Lian-dono. I want us to have a closer relationship. One where you address me in a casual manner.”

Alfred slowly moves his horse in between Schwede and me, leering at the knight. His gaze and gestures are like those of a vigilant beast determining whether Schwede is an enemy or not.

“You… Who are you?”

The knight folds his arms and grins. “My, why are you asking me that, Alfred Fram-dono? I’m just an ordinary knight who followed my boss’ orders and was dispatched here.” Afterward, Schwede turns to me. “Lian-dono, I will look around the village a bit more before returning to the church… Let us continue our conversation when the opportunity arises.”

“Hey, wait…”

But after placing his right palm on his chest and bowing as a gesture of farewell, the knight turns around and walks away.

The rest of this conversation developed in a direction that I don’t really understand… For some reason, I suddenly feel tired. Very tired. The muscles behind my shoulders and on my neck gradually start to hurt. Apparently, I was so nervous that I didn’t even notice I was nervous.

After relief and fatigue wash over me, I stare at Schwede’s long dawn-colored hair from afar with a feeling of reluctance.

Then, Alfred grabs my arm and lightly tugs.

“Al?”

“…I’ll send you back.”

“Huh? You don’t have to…”

The church is just right there. It’s within walking distance. But before I can finish speaking, Alfred has already looped his long arm under my armpit and pulled me up onto the back of the horse. As usual, his strength is ridiculous.

“Uwah!” All of a sudden, Al turns the horse in the opposite direction. Tremors wrack my body from the shock. Feeling like I’m about to fall, I circle my arms around his chest in front of me in a panic and cling onto him. Afterward, I raise my face and exclaim, “Hey, you’re really—!”

But the moment our gaze meets, he bites my lips. His tongue slips into my mouth and entwines his tongue around mine.

“…Mm…”

Our saliva collides and mixes together, making soft moist sounds. I shiver. It’s like he’s trying to excite me. To entice me to do that.

Panicking, I reprimand my body, which got excited from the kiss out of reflex and is currently losing strength in his arms, and hit his chest with great force. “Mph, you idiot… Hey! We’re outside!”

What if someone sees us?! Not to mention, doing something like this outside is just too much!

“No one is watching.”

“Hah?! What I’m saying is—”

This time, he wraps an arm around me in a tight hug and rests his head on my shoulder, as though asking me to spoil him. As though he’s dependent on me.

Since I can’t see his face, I heave a sigh.

Jeez. Both him and that guy. Just what is wrong with them? I really don’t understand what goes through their minds. How very troubling.

The warmth of his skin and the stiffness of his blond hair tickle me. I twist my body to escape from them.

Alfred grips the reins of the horse to restrain it. Faithfully following its master’s command, the horse slows itself into a leisurely trot.

“Alfred?”

Alfred tightens his hug even more, probably in lieu of a reply. It hurts a bit. Then, as he rubs his forehead against my neck, he shakes his head.

When it’s time for me to leave the church and go home, he’ll sometimes cling onto my back, behaving like a whining kid and telling me not to go home.

Seriously. Didn’t he proudly declare to me before that he’s already an adult? Just where has that attitude gone? Aren’t his actions the same as that of a kid?

Jeez.

“Al?”

“…”

“What happened?”

“…”

“Hey… Alfred?”

“…”

I don’t get any reply.

I don’t understand. But even if I can’t comprehend the cause of his bad mood, I can see that he’s in a slightly gloomy and desolate mood. And somehow, I can sense that he’s acting like this just because he wants to be spoiled.

Whenever he acts like a child, my parental affection always surges… and I can’t stop it. I have to scold him so that he won’t do this kind of thing outside again, but then the motivation to do that immediately disappears…

No good. I have to be firm.

That’s typical bad parent behavior. I have to treat him with more resolution. Just like how a lion dares to push down their child into the valley to train them. Even though the means used is strict, the parent is resolved to make its child become stronger regardless of the method─

Alfred gently rubs his cheeks against the nape of my neck and also my cheek.

…Ah, really.

It’s like he’s telling me to let him act spoiled and that he isn’t accepting any protests. Looking at his behavior, which is akin to a selfish child’s, I sigh again.

I guess we can stay like this until we arrive at the church gates.

Since it can’t be helped… I lean against his chest, letting him hug me as he likes.

Like what I do to the fussy kids, I continue stroking and combing his blonde hair with my fingers. His hair is a little stiff but still nice to touch.