Nurturing the Hero to Avoid Death

utumn touches the leaves of every tree, turning them beautiful shades of red and brown until they tumble to the ground.

Soon it will be winter.

Stepping outside without a thick coat is just asking to catch a cold.

And the Goddess still hasn’t contacted me.

Hey, did you really forget all about me?

I’ve got four more years until I can finally go home!

Above is a cloudy sky and before me is a path where the leaves have fallen.

Coupled with the scenery of the wintry town, and the shivering folk all around, the whole scene is pretty depressing.

The municipal school’s “intermediate magic ceremony” class is a lecture open to a limited number of students. It’s because without magical talent, there is nothing you can do in that class.

That said, the elementary level alternative is open to anyone, even those with poor magical ability. It is for people whose abilities, at their height, are about as good enough to light a match or purify water to drink. These abilities seem to be useful for everyday life, though.

The gap between the intermediate and elementary classes is tremendous. Students at that level are expected to burn large objects like logs, raise a sudden gust of wind, and freeze things. It seems like a sudden jump to real magic.

As such, not many students make the cut. Even if you gather all the students eligible for the class, there would only be twenty people there, with a mixture of both young and old. Of the ninety people in the first grade, a mere five were accepted into the intermediate level class.

Unfortunately, the three stooges are held back in the elementary class, and cry all the way to the practical agricultural lessons.

In my class of thirty people, only Alfred and I made it into the intermediate level class.

According to the rumor mill, the Royal Academy of Magic would occasionally visit that class and scout students with great magical talent.

Even if you don’t get scouted, apparently you could ask your teacher to write you a recommendation letter. Mages with high potential are indispensable and rare. For that reason, they’re all in great demand and the country is eager to gather them all.

In any case, it’s like a special elite class, and only those chosen could enter the royal capital in the future.

I always sit in the center three rows from the front in the intermediate magic ceremony class. The blackboard is easiest to see from here.

My goal is to study hard so that I’d be capable of setting many traps around the village. Traps for the demons that would invade in a few years. That should cut their numbers back. At least I hope so.

Although it wouldn’t hold them back for long, if we could slow them down for just one night that would buy us enough time to seek relief from the municipal knights.

Luckily, I also know where the largest wave of demons would come from. I’d set two, three, no, maybe even more than four times the amount of traps there.

However, that’s if this world follows the same development as the game.

I have no choice but to gamble.

Please. Let it be so.

Alfred’s usual seat is at the back by the window. It’s hidden from the teacher’s view and perfect for sneaking in a nap! He’s uninterested in receiving money from his caretaker, the nun, downright refused it, but it’s such an obvious choice!

Take what belongs to you, bastard! That’s an important lesson you’d need from now on! You need to learn this as soon as you leave the village!

But today, Alfred doesn’t come to class.

Although it would be troublesome, I’d give him an honest lecture about this.

I really wonder what happened.

Speaking of which, Alfred seemed a bit odd today. There were dark circles around his eyes. And he yawned a lot.

Since he’s usually expressionless, it’s hard to read him. But he did come off as not feeling well.

The other day in the library, he said something about a nightmare.

I recall the other things that happened in the library and sigh.

He seems to enjoy reading books. I often see him in the library.

I have no choice but to go there anyway since I want to borrow books too.

Every time I go there I’d immediately jump into the shadows to stay out of his sight. But sooner or later he’d see me.

He appears to be into mystery and adventure stories packed with action. And ancient history.

Since we like similar genres, naturally we would bump into each other often in the library.

And since for some reason he would talk to me, we’d engage in conversation.

We usually discuss the plot and contents of the books. Then I’d realize I’d talked with him too much and run away.

I don’t like this kind of irregular contact. It’s because I don’t want to expose any faults! I don’t want to be thought of as weird or suspicious.

Because of this, I have to check if he’s around every time I want to go to the library so as to avoid being seen by him. Oh dear.

Even after the lesson ends, Alfred does not show up to the classroom. And it seems the two wealthy upperclassmen who always hang around Alfred are absent too. I’m a little concerned.

The sky is still overcast from the morning.

Currently, I’m riding in my family’s coach. There’s even a coachman. Being rich is amazing.

It seems Alfred and the three bullies also ride a carriage.

On the way home, one second it’s cloudy and in another it starts to shower. Furthermore, thunder rings from above.

I lean against the window, watching the gloomy scenery pass by.

Then it strikes me.

“Ahhhh!”

Shurio, my driver, jumps out of his seat from the sound of my scream. And so did I.

“Woah, that surprised me. Young Master, are you okay?”

Oh, I remember something!

I was so busy following Lian’s routine to a T that I let slip from my head a very important event!

It doesn’t involve me, so I couldn’t do anything even if I tried. As a result, I didn’t pay much attention to it. I wasn’t where it’s supposed to take place either. Basically, I had no idea when it would happen.

But what if the event occurs today?

Despite Alfred always being lazy, his grades are at the top of the class. He also has good looks, so of course he’s popular.

He has poor manners and his face is expressionless by default. But if he’s handsome, then apparently everything else didn’t matter. Just go and explode, why don’t you?!

Even I think this way, so it goes without saying that other guys do too.

It’s unavoidable that Alfred attracts a lot of attention. For this reason, the upperclassmen usually find fault with him. But they always get the tables turned on them, so their resentment piles up. That’s the status quo.

Then, an upperclassman who was already in a relationship grew a crush on Alfred and wanted to break up with her boyfriend, whose name was Dil if I remember correctly. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Dil hired some shady men to attack him. Alfred, who was unstable during his growth period, was about to be killed when his power ran wild.

He somehow defeated everyone, but he was all beaten up.

In a pitch-black forest that no one frequented, Alfred was injured and unable to move.

He waited until he could walk on his own the next day. He was in that forest for all that time, all alone, with no one there for him—

But that event has nothing to do with me.

That’s why, I should just ignore it, pretending I don’t know about it, and go straight home.

I wonder if Alfred and Dil started fighting by now.

He said he was in bad shape. That recently he couldn’t sleep well.

I peer out the window. The rain hits hard against the windowpane, slamming in a diagonal path.

“Y-young Master Lian? Excuse me but what do you have in mind?”

“Shurio.”

“Y-yes?”

“We’re taking a detour. Head to the place I tell you.”

I’d just take a look, see if the event is actually taking place.

Check what’s going on.

Yep. Once I confirm it’s taking place, then I’d head home. No doubt about it.

At the edge of the uninhabited and dark road, the forest, dim even at day, spread thickly.

The sound of a ground-shaking impact fills the air. And then, the splintering of tree branches.

A while later, I catch the figures of two boys rushing out of the forest, their brand name clothes scorched to tatters.

There are tears running down both of their faces, and they stumble around desperately as they run from something.

Upon closer inspection, I see that the two boys are upperclassmen. Dil and his friend.

They pass by my coach without taking notice of it, sprinting determinedly to the halted carriage off to the side.

“W-what the hell was that? That guy’s a m-monster!”

“Yes, absolutely! That guy was so strange! That kind of power can’t be human!”

The voices of the two boys tremble as they spoke.

Shurio turns his neck to catch them in his line of sight.

“W-what happened? They were so flustered.”

“Indeed. Shurio, stop the carriage.”

“Y-yes.”

I crack the window open slightly, straining my ears.

I can only hear the sound of thrashing rain.

No.

There are screams mixed in with the showers.

I throw my gaze toward the direction of the noise.

From the dark forest, I can see a figure running, approaching the carriage. He’s bloody, right arm swinging loosely from its socket. A large man with a sturdy body.

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Attached to his waist, arms, and thighs are leather holsters for carrying weapons. The man appears to be a mercenary.

Like Dil and his friend, this man seems frantic as well.

What is going on?

Is the story event really like this?

Since I haven’t played the game in a while, the details are fuzzy to me.

Oh that’s right, I failed this event once.

Yes, I messed it up one time.

Then I reset it.

But in this world, there is no reset button. None at all.

So if the story event failed—

I feel the blood drain from my face.

“Shurio!”

“W-what is it?”

“Can you wait here for a while? I’ll be back quick.”

“Huh? Y-young Master?”

So that I’d look as unruffled as I could, I put on my usual cocky smile. “It’ll be okay. I’m just going to take a look. Please stay on standby here, Shurio.”

“But—”

“I’ll leave it to you.” I retrieve my sword from the carriage, slipping it into the sheath on my waist. I hopped off.

Then I followed the path from which Dil and the others had fled.

Hurry.

I have to hurry.

The smell of struck iron and fire tackles my senses. My body shakes.

What should I do? What if they killed Alfred?

After tearing through the trees, I come to a clearing.

And I can’t believe my eyes.

There are several trees knocked to the floor, some with bark charred the darkest of black. Not only that, the ground is peppered with scorch marks.

If it isn’t raining, everything would be lit ablaze.

There are roughly seven men littered all over the floor.

A bloodstained body with a burn mark collapses.

There are knives, swords, and firearms clutched within those men’s grasps, and it is clear at first glance these are Alfred’s assailants.

No one is standing.

I bring a hand up to my mouth out of reflex, covering it.

The drifting rain could not wash away the thick smell of blood. And with it lingers a sense of uneasiness. A sickening feeling.

Right, Alfred’s condition.

Is he safe?

The rain is coming down too hard. I can barely see a thing.

“Ah!”

Leaning on the tree trunk is a boy with familiar, disheveled blonde locks. Alfred.

I stand before him in a flash.

“Alfred!”

He looks like shit.

His clothes are ripped into pieces and there are several lacerations and bruises over his body.

Because he’s hanging his head, I can’t see his expression.

“Alfred? Hey! Come on!”

After I call his name over and over again, his shoulder finally moves a little.

And then slowly, his face rises.

He’s looking this way, but his eyes have yet to focus.

“Are you alright Alfred—woah!”

His body tilts.

I quickly move my hands to catch him before he falls.

His skin is hot to the touch.

“You’re burning up! Come on, let’s go to the carriage. It’s over there. Can you keep going? Can you stand? Come on Alfred.”

No matter how much I talk to him, he gives no response. I’m just wasting my breath.

So I give up trying to get him to answer. Either way, I don’t have much time to think. I crouch down with my back facing him, drape his hands over my shoulders. Feeling the weight of his hot body, I breathe out hard then stand, relying on the generated momentum to ease my action.

“Okay! So h-heavy!”

The burden is too much for me and I fall over. But I manage to get back on my feet.

However, it’s heavy. It’s so, so heavy.

Naturally, I’m aware that an unconscious body would be hard to move around, and when I helped bring my grandfather who had fallen to the hospital, I struggled there too. But this is really too much.

My back feels hot from where his body meets mine.

This isn’t a fever to be ignored.

I need to take him to the hospital as soon as possible.

Right. I’d bring him to the old village doctor.

Although he liked to play dumb, he seemed like a decent person.

The old doctor treated everyone in the village, even severe injuries and illnesses, and he’s skillful enough in his craft.

He studied in the royal capital, returning to his hometown to care for the people there. Just an old doctor who loved his town.

Alright. Let’s do that then.

I rearrange Alfred’s position on my back to stop him from sliding down, and make my way toward the coach.

As soon as we break through the thickest part of the forest, the carriage straight ahead, I call out my coachman’s name.

“Wah!” Shurio jumps from his seat, his face the picture of surprise.

“Y-young Master Lian! You took your time! I was so, so, so worried! I was about to go look for you—oh! W-what’s wrong with the kid on your back?”

“Hah, it’s fine, hah, just hurry and, hah, take him into the carriage!” My lungs are about to give out.

“Yes, yes, understood!” Shurio grabs Alfred’s limp body and hoists him into the coach. Just as you’d expect from an adult man. His strength and mine are as different as night and day.

Alfred’s eyes remain closed as he lies on the seats. He still gives no reply to my prodding. Wasted my breath again.

I pull out a lap blanket and sit down next to him, wiping away the rain and sweat from his face and body.

Ah, I should’ve brought a healing potion. From now on let’s always carry some.

Shurio returns to the driver’s seat, wiping his face of rain as he turns around.

“Young Master, what are your plans?”

“Take me to the village doctor.”

“The village doctor?”

“Yes. Go as fast as you can.”

He watches me with a strange expression, then nods. “Hyah!”

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