Nurturing the Hero to Avoid Death

translator: mii

editor: ASplashofMusic, Sleepchaser

When I return to Cheddars’ Ranch, the three kids are already asleep. It’s just as I expected, I guess. They tend to get sleepy once the sun sets and then wake up when the sun rises. All of them.

They probably gained that trait after living in the church… Or rather, it’s already become a habit for them since the beginning.

The cows and sheep in the ranch also have the same sleeping schedule as them… Those kids are basically a perfect fit for the ranch.

As I eat the vegetables, milk, and chicken soup that Cheddar-san’s wife has prepared along with the bread, I hand her the beer and the reward I received. But she returns the reward back to me.

As she laughs, she says, “It’s the reward for Al’s hard work today. You should keep it.”

Cheddar-san opens a bottle of beer and sits next to me before saying, “You’re too honest, y’know. If it were me, I’d just secretly pocket them, bwahaha. And drink these on my…” Before he can finish his sentence, his wife elbows his side. The sound is very loud.

Cheddar-san, who has defeated two-neck boar by himself, is now lying on the floor, crying in agony with a pale face and apologizing to his wife.

Cheddar-san is strong, but his wife isn’t someone to be taken lightly either. No matter how many times I look at it, I always find it amazing how she can strike her opponent’s vital points so quickly and precisely.

Anyway, I’m honestly glad I got some extra income.

I have some things I want to buy, so I need to save.

I take a bath, change into my pajamas, and walk up the stairs. When I’m around halfway up the staircase, Cheddar-san’s wife climbs up and stops me from behind.

Once I look back, she angles her head up at me, puts her index finger on her mouth, and shakes her head. Then she points up before opening her hand and shaking it, her palm facing me.

I don’t understand. What is she trying to say?

I ponder over the possible meaning of her pantomime-like gestures for a while, but… I can’t think of anything.

I tilt my head. She seems to notice my confusion because this time, she whispers, “Be quiet.”

…Ah. I understand, I think. Maybe she wants to tell me that the kids are sleeping, so I have to keep quiet.

But those kids sleep like a log. Once they go to bed, they won’t wake up even if there is a loud crash of thunder.

Perhaps thinking that I haven’t understood her message, she silently mouths the words again and expresses her message with gestures.

…At the very least, I understand that she wants to tell me not to wake them up.

I wonder what happened when I was out. Were they being bratty and couldn’t fall asleep as easily as before? That might be the case.

It will be a problem if they wake up and can’t sleep again, so let’s keep quiet.

I nod and gently raise one hand to tell her I’ll be quiet.

After seeing my gesture, she smiles in relief and nods back. Then she waves her hand and silently mouths, “Good night.”

I open the door to my room mid-yawn… Then I stop and tilt my head.

My room is illuminated by a dim light.

When I look around, I notice there’s a small fire in the table lamp on my desk. Why is it lit, though?

Ah… Maybe Cheddar-san thoughtfully turned it on for me? Or maybe I forgot to turn the fire off? If that’s the case, then that can be very dangerous. No, wait. If that really were the case, there’s no way the fire can stay lit for so long.

Then, after thinking about how it could have managed to stay lit for so long, I decide to think about it tomorrow since I’m already sleepy. So I head to my bed.

And then…

I see all my coats rolled up on the center of my bed in a pile. It almost look like a big dumpling.

…What is this?

After I woke up, I didn’t have the time to fold them, so I left it there for the time being. But… was it really this messy?

As I try to remember what I did this morning, I stare at the stacks for a while. For some reason, I feel like it’s slightly moving.

I quietly approach the pile.

When I peer into it from above, I can slightly see silver hair on the front side of the curled up dumpling.

Puzzled, I try to slide the coats down a little… And there, I can finally see Lian sleeping soundly and comfortably. I can even hear his even and rhythmic breath.

Huh? What does this mean?

No, wait. I need to calm down.

Maybe I’m too tired, and I’m actually already dreaming?

Or since I’ve been thinking about Lian for a while, I finally see him in my hallucinations?

As I’m caught in my whirlpool of thoughts, stiff from shock, I rest my hand on top of the rolled-up coats. I can feel his breath and the heat of his skin.

It’s warm.

It seems… he’s the real thing.

I’m happy, but why is he here?

“Lian?”

He groans and slightly opens his eyes. His clouded ice-blue orbs slowly look up at me. When our eyes meet, he breaks into a soft smile and narrows his eyes in joy. “…Alfred,” he calls out in a soft voice.

He has a slight lisp, probably because he just woke up.

“Why are you here?”

In my room?

Wobbly, he extends both of his arms towards me. I crouch, coming closer.

He then circles his warm arms around my neck. The scent of grassland gently tickles my nose.

“Tomorrow, we’re going to the west…”

“West?”

“Mhm, it’s Saturday… So you have to prepare too…”

“Prepare?”

“We’re going from here…”

From what I can infer from Lian’s sleepy explanation, he’s probably telling me that since tomorrow is Saturday, we’re going to work in the western side of the village. And it seems like he came here because we’re departing from Cheddars’ Ranch.

“Okay, I understand. I’ll prepare and we’ll go tomorrow, right?”

“Hmm…” Lian nods. He tightens his hold around my neck and clings to me.

With Lian hanging around my neck, I slowly put my hand beside his face and kneel on the bed so that he won’t fall.

Trusting himself with the comfortable weight, Lian buries his face in my nape. I can feel the warmth of his skin and his soft scent… It’s making me dizzy.

And my throat… I realize that I feel thirsty.

The sound of my heart pounds in my ears. My breathing gradually becomes disordered.

Somehow, there’s a sweet scent emanating from his skin. It smells delicious.

I want to touch him right now. So much.

Unable to stand it, I lick his neck. Lian sighs, voice sickeningly sweet. Even though he’s half-asleep, his voice makes me excited.

I swallow my saliva.

Ah, this is impossible.

I can’t endure it.

I haven’t touched him properly for more than two weeks.

“Hey, can I touch you? Just a little…” I lick his skin, before moving to his lips and gently kissing him. Since we’re going out tomorrow… I know that we can’t do it too much.

Still, he’s not sleeping in the room next door that’s prepared for him. He’s sleeping here.

Since he’s in my room, that means… I can at least touch him a little bit, right?

After reaching this thought, I believe that it sounds reasonable. Yeah, definitely. Maybe.

If that’s true, then I’m very, very happy. I’m so happy that I feel like… I can’t think straight anymore.

Our kiss deepens. As I tease his tongue with mine, he licks back in response. Once our tongues entangle, he relaxes his body and entrusts it to me, as though in consent.

Even after I strip off the coats and the blanket and unbutton the outerwear of his nightwear, he doesn’t resist at all.

Doing things my way, I lick his nipple, bite it, then move down to his lower half. And yet as I lick his cock until it turns hard and starts to leak precum, he only twitches.

He tries to cover his mouth, wanting to muffle the sweet cries and gasps that he can’t hold back. He closes his eyes, but his cheeks are flushed.

I lift myself from my position, rummage through my bag on the side of the bed, and take out the salve for backside purposes.

Once I crack it open, I spot Lian looking at my hands. His eyes have changed color, now similar to melting ice.

I slip my wet hand under his body and toward the spot between his legs. Even so, he doesn’t show any unwillingness at all.

As I let my fingertip enter, his body may be shaking, but sweet moans and a slightly painful sigh can be heard through the gaps between the fingers that he’s using to muffle his voice.

He seems to be telling me that it’s okay to do it.

“…I’ll only do it once. Is it okay?” I whisper into his ears.

Lian shivers. Maybe it’s because he’s embarrassed, but he won’t meet my gaze. His cheeks are bright red.

“Ah… just once…”

No, wait.

I haven’t touched him for a while. So…

“…Nevermind. Twice,” I correct myself, pushing my fingers inside. Lian twitches once again.

“Ah, uhh… O-only once!” he immediately corrects.

…Even though he’s half-asleep, he won’t just go along with it.

So he’s negotiating? Well, fine.

“Three times.”

“Huh?! Why, why did it go up?!”

“Three times.”

“Hey! You idiot, don’t be unreasona—”

“We can’t do that! I told you we’re going out tomorrow morning, right?! My limit is two times…” Lian seems to have realized something and presses both hands against his mouth. But it’s too late.

I’ve heard his words.

He stares at me with a sullen face. I smile in satisfaction in response to his gaze.

It’s my win.

“What I said just now doesn’t count! That’s…”

Then I block his unreasonably stubborn mouth using my own lips.

Sorry for the lateness guys! Here’s two chapters at once.

— NHAD team