Chapter 62

Today, 2 chapters updated, Chapter 1

In the afternoon in the capital.

Lazy patches of sunlight were forming all over the city.

I had returned to the store.

The store was empty, with no customers.

Sophia, dressed in a monk's robe, was sitting at the counter, reading a book with her head down.

Upon closer inspection, it was a book on angelic magic. She must have borrowed it from Liricia.

As I walked into the store, she finally lifted her head, her blue hair swaying.

"Ah, welcome back, Mr. Alex."

"Back. Where's Tety? I need her to gather some herbs."

"She's probably in her room. She was taking a break in shifts."

"I see. We really need at least two people. Thanks."

"No problem, I'm being taken care of here."

"Then, I'll leave the store to you."

"Yes, sir!"

Sophia narrowed her eyes and nodded with a gentle smile.

I headed to the back of the store.

Behind the curtain in the kitchen, I entered the dungeon from the wardrobe.

I walked down the narrow corridor to the front chamber.

Since Tety wasn't there, I entered the back chamber.

I addressed the spherical orb that sat there.

"Koh, where's Tety?"

"She's in the right room. I'll call her."

There were two doors on the right side of the chamber.

The door to the back room clicked open.

Tety, with her golden hair, emerged, her white blouse and black skirt swaying.

She then ran over, waving her slender arms and legs.

"Welcome back, Mr. Alex! What's up?"

"Liricia won't be back for a while due to some business. Can you gather the herbs on your own?"

"Hmm, at least seven leaves, right... I think I can do it, but I'm not confident yet."

Tety furrowed her thin eyebrows and tilted her head.

I nodded firmly.

"It's fine. If you don't have enough, you can use the herbs from the store."

"Okay, I'll try!"

She spun around, spreading her golden hair, and was about to run off.

So, I called her back in a hurry.

"Wait a moment."

"Huh? What is it, Mr. Alex?"

"Koh, I remember there was an extra core, right?"

"Yes, there is."

"Make a sub-device for Tety."

"Sure thing."

A bluish-white light ran across the surface of the sphere, and a small treasure chest appeared.

I opened it and took out a thin, board-like sub-device.

I handed it to Tety, who was staring at it with wide, emerald eyes, frozen in place. I forced it into her hand.

"If anything dangerous happens, use this to let me know immediately."

"R-Really!? Is it okay...? Cores are valuable, aren't they...? --Wait, I'm a slave!?"

"Even if you're a slave, you're family. It's only natural to protect you from danger."

"No way... I can't believe it. To go to such lengths for someone like me..."

Her eyes still wide, she shook her head slightly. Her golden hair swayed delicately.

I shrugged and said:

"Don't worry about it. I can only fight monsters, so if you have any monster troubles, just let me handle it. --Anyway, I need you to gather the herbs."

"Mr. Alex... Okay, I'll do my best! Thanks!"

She gripped the sub-device tightly with her small hand and smiled with tears in her eyes.

Then, she suddenly turned and ran off, leaving a trail of sparkling light particles behind her.

--There's no need to rush so much. And what kind of light is that?

Feeling curious, I slowly walked home.

◇ ◇ ◇

By the time the afternoon sun had tilted.

I was sitting on a sofa in the living room of the mansion.

I had already informed Liricia that she had arrived at the house in the forest.

All that was left was to wait.

Apparently, resurrection can be hindered by movement, so I couldn't go out much.

Not being able to even work at the store in the capital was a bit boring.

--It's been a while since I had such idle time.

I thought about various things.

Is the princess's resurrection going well?

Edgar said he would be executed when he returns to the country, but what does he plan to do after bringing her back to life?

Will she live here?

Ah, I should have hired Cheryl when I went to the slave market.

It would be easier if Tety got a bit stronger...

Actually, I should have practiced compressing holy waves.

Since it's basically harmless, I left it alone...

Should I try it? Like this? Or like this?

...No, I can't tell.

Ruber's flames were visible, so it was easier to understand.

Liricia might be able to sense holy waves. Maybe I'll ask her to practice with me next time.

But Liricia is beautiful.

Has she been that beautiful since childhood?

Do angels even have a childhood?

How old is she...? Maybe I'll ask her next time...

It's so quiet...

In the house in the forest, the only sound is the light rustling of the wind through the trees, with no other noise.

Then I realized I didn't even know how to pass the time.

There was a book on the table, either Tety's or Liricia's.

But I didn't feel like reading it.

...Actually, I haven't done anything.

I didn't even have a hobby.

From the age of nine, I just silently fought monsters every day.

That's how I thought it would be.

But when I was a child—

I suddenly remembered the past and stood up.

I went out the front door and around to the side of the mansion.

A block of hay that a wyvern had held was leaning against the wall of the mansion.

I selected and pulled out several hundred of the dry, tough stems.

I returned to the living room of the mansion with my arms full and bundled a few of the hay stems together, holding them between my legs.

Then I rubbed them together with my hands to make a rope.

--Before I became a hero, I helped with the household chores.

Actually, we couldn't live without helping.

We were poor farmers who rented land from the village landlord and tilled the fields.

No matter how hard we tilled the fields, we hardly had anything left after taxes and rent.

So in the evenings after work, the whole family would sit on the floor of the small living room and do odd jobs.

I made strong ropes.

Beside me, my mother spun thread, and my father carved wood to make bowls and plates for daily use.

We did this to supplement our income.

Ropes were cheap, but if we made strong, long ropes diligently, the traveling merchants who came to the village would buy them at a slightly higher price.

My mother would smile and say, "Good job," and my taciturn father would pat my head with his rough hands.

This made me happy as a child, and I diligently made ropes.

I've always been good at focusing on one thing.

However, no matter how hard the family worked, we could only barely survive.

Our meals were mostly hard bread and salty vegetable soup, with tough meat only occasionally.

But I had a father who acknowledged me and a mother who praised me.

It felt like a happy life.

I added more hay stems to the rope and continued to make it diligently.

After becoming a hero at the age of nine, my life changed dramatically.

I always stayed in high-end inns and ate delicious food.

On long hunting trips, I enjoyed the local specialties of various places.

My parents' lives also changed.

The country gave them their own land and house, and all taxes were waived.

Healers and monks regularly visited the village to check on my parents' health.

Their lives became wealthy and healthy.

If they wanted more, they could have moved to the capital and taken on honorary positions like a merchant advisor or a government consultant.

They would have received money without working.

The hero system is designed to defeat the Demon King.

Since heroes are on the road and their whereabouts are unknown, they don't receive salaries or rewards.

In exchange, the families of heroes receive the maximum support in terms of finances, education, employment, and medical care.

This allows heroes to focus on defeating the Demon King without worrying about their families.

However, my parents stayed in the village and tilled the fields.

I could only see them occasionally.

But whenever I had a chance to visit the village, they welcomed me with nostalgic smiles.

My father would nod with kind eyes and say nothing.

My mother would praise me with a smile, now with more wrinkles.

"You're doing a great job, Alex. You're a good boy."

It seemed they were keeping up with my activities through the monks who visited regularly.

--Did I do enough to honor my parents?

Before I knew it, I had finished making the rope, which was about 15 meters long.

I absentmindedly looked out the window.

The sky was turning red, and long shadows were falling.

The room had become dim without me noticing.

I muttered softly:

"...If I have some free time, I might visit the grave—bring my wife along."

Suddenly, something vibrated.

The sub-device in my pocket was vibrating.

"Koh? What's up?"

『Mrs. Alex has returned to the store. She's calling you.』

"Got it. I'll be right there."

I ended the call and slowly stood up.

Then I went to the store through the dungeon.

This explains why, despite being a hero with no pay, there are still people who want to become heroes.

And since it exceeded 5000 words, I'll split it.

Thank you for the bookmarks and ★ ratings!

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The next chapter will be updated in the evening!

→ Chapter 63: Edgar and Princess Novara