NOVEL NEXT Chapter 14
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“So, the Hero Grandma.”
“Hah, I’m not a grandma! Just look at me! Haven’t I maintained my 20s appearance all this time?”
“Um…”
Sure, she’s definitely as pretty as Eve, the most beautiful person I’ve ever met.
Her orange hair, despite likely not being cared for over the centuries, was as lovely as any royal, and her eyes were a stunning blue, reminiscent of the ocean.
And one thing that stood out when compared to Eve…
She definitely had some subtle muscles—no wonder she’s a Hero.
Standing next to me with her sleeves rolled up, her arms radiated health compared to Eve’s pale and slender ones.
Plus, her Hero pocket was quite large too.
Of course, it’s smaller than Eve’s, but that’s just because Eve’s is abnormally big, so let’s let it slide.
“You’re certainly pretty. Come to think of it, all past Heroes have been described as good-looking; does that include appearance in the Hero standards?”
I heard Latte came from commoner roots, but her beauty put most nobles to shame.
“…Agreed. Let’s correct ‘Hero Grandma’ to ‘Pretty Hero Grandma’ instead.”
“Don’t call me grandma!”
“That’s a bit much.”
“Ugh…!”
This is hilarious.
When I was just a simple pigeon, I almost suffocated from frustration, but now, I’m enjoying teasing her.
“Hehe, well, let’s stop the teasing here.”
“You dare to tease me..!”
“Haha, anyway! Now that the jokes are done, can we chat seriously for a bit?”
“…Alright.”
As soon as the atmosphere shifted, Latte took on a serious demeanor.
“First off, about my story. Can I really keep it this short? Sure, it’s great for someone like me who finds it hard to produce a lot, but I think we should consider the subject’s thoughts. If there’s more about the past or anything you want to share with the world, I can put in a bit more effort.”
“…You’re truly kind.”
“Huh?”
What’s that supposed to mean?
“I’m well aware that writing my story in a book is only possible because of your kindness. Even while requesting it, I knew it was a bit unreasonable. But you really care for me, worry for me, and want to do this annoying task without any reward.”
“Well… that’s because writing isn’t particularly hard work for me. You saw that when I wrote the first volume, right?”
“I know you hypnotize yourself to speed things up, but doesn’t that also have side effects?”
“That’s true…”
There’s no way increasing my writing speed with hypnosis is without consequences.
I use hypnosis to quicken my thinking, eliminating awkward parts and unnecessary thoughts to create sentences, which I then write down.
Others think I take seven days to write, but in reality, it’s just six days; one day is me suffering and delaying sending in the manuscript.
When I wrote the first volume of The Betrayed Hero Has Returned, I ended up with a headache right after I finished, leaving Latte quite startled.
“But hey, helping a world-saving Hero with just a day of headache seems like a steal, doesn’t it?”
Honestly, I think it is a huge steal. I’m really fond of this world that Latte saved.
“…Is that so.”
Latte’s lips curled into a smile as she heard my answer.
‘Look at her smile, it’s incredibly beautiful.’
Just that smile alone makes the headache seem worth it.
I couldn’t help but smile too, and as she leaned her upper body forward,
-Boom.
She hugged me tight.
“…What?!”
Stammering at her sudden action, she whispered in my ear.
“Thank you. My Hero is you.”
“Uh, well… yes.”
But it feels nice.
“I’m sorry…”
“If you’re that shy, why’d you do it…”
Eventually, it didn’t take long for both of us to feel embarrassed and keep our distance for a while.
***
“Your Highness, from the Eternal Marquess…”
Your Highness, from the Closer Count…”
Your Highness, from the Person Baron…”
After the Imperial announcement concerning the last Hero, Latte, the royal family had to endure frequent noble attacks and letters from other countries.
“Hoo… I thought I could handle this, but it’s just too busy.”
Even the Second Princess, Eve, became busier, taking on tasks meant for the absent First Princess, Riss.
“Hoo… When this is done, I need to go see Zech.”
But after days of dark circles under my eyes working, I managed to find time to visit Zech after finishing work by evening.
-Knock, knock.
“Zech, it’s me.”
She knocked, and as usual, the door opened, and Zech greeted her-
“Huh..?”
-or so she thought, but no one was there at the door.
“Shh.”
Only the Hero, Latte, sat on the bed, and…
“Mmm…”
Zech was fast asleep with his head resting on her lap.
“…”
-Crack.
The mask she wore in front of the Emperor cracked under the circumstances.
As much as she was dissatisfied with her current situation, Latte lowered her voice to ask her.
‘What’s going on here?’
‘As you can see, Zech finished his writing and fell asleep resting on my lap.’
‘That much is clear; can you explain why he’s doing that?’
‘Uh, it seems every time Zech writes a book-length piece, he ends up with a headache, so I was hoping to find a solution, and this is how it turned out.’
‘So, does he feel better when resting his head on a beautiful lady’s lap?’
‘N-no, it’s not like that!’
Latte blushed and waved her arms around.
‘As a Hero, I possess the ability to soothe minds and alleviate pain. It’s a magic I developed using my divine power. The more areas in contact, the stronger the effect… but I can’t just hug Zech, can I?’
‘So that led to using your lap?’
‘Exactly. This was the only method that allowed for some contact without being too embarrassing.’
‘…Understood. I’ll let it slide this time.’
‘This time…?’
Latte tilted her head at the ambiguous words, but Eve ignored her, standing by the sleeping Zech.
“Hehe…”
Whether it really worked or not, seeing him look so peaceful, Eve sighed and gently stroked his cheek.
‘Thank you, Hero. Zech’s abilities are a secret, so he kept suffering from headaches without telling anyone. Every time he felt pain, it broke my heart, but thanks to you, I got to see him sleep so peacefully.’
‘Hehe, it’s nothing, really.’
‘But still, I can’t go as far as using your lap.’
‘W-wait…?’
‘Please think of another position instead of using your lap. I’ll be on my way now.’
‘No, other than this…’
Eve ignored her words and left the guest room.
“Hoo…”
Contemplating whether to believe in a god to gain divine power, she thought.
***
“Hmm…”
‘What’s this soft feeling against my head…’
Was my pillow always this way? Unlike my usual pillow, it felt warm and plush…
“D-Did I wake up…?”
“Urg-!”
Upon opening my eyes to see Latte’s face, I immediately rolled to the side.
But I was lying at the edge of the bed, so in the end,
-Thud!
“Ugh!”
I fell under the bed.
“Are you okay?!”
“Ugh… I’m fine, no injuries…”
The embarrassment of having my face pressed against a woman’s thigh was far worse than the pain.
“I’m glad to hear. So, did you sleep comfortably?”
“Ah, yeah…”
She asked that right away.
Honestly…
“That was the most comfortable sleep I’ve ever had.”
I slept like a baby.
At first, when she suggested I lie on her lap, I almost short-circuited, but realizing she did it to relieve my headache made me embarrassed for thinking lewd thoughts.
She was willing to bear embarrassment for me, so why was I being weird?
Ultimately, I fell asleep resting on her lap, and my headache and fatigue vanished completely.
“You really are something, Hero. Surely, priests can’t do this easily.”
“It’s nothing special. When you fight against Demon King troops, fewer people can do this. But lately, since the Demon King hasn’t shown up in a while, it seems extraordinary.”
“That’s amazing.”
“You don’t need to keep giving me compliments. This used to be normal in my time.”
“Still, honestly, while I always hold back, feeling like my head is about to explode once a week never gets easy no matter how many times I experience it. Thanks to you, this week has passed without headaches.”
“Is that so…”
As Latte kept expressing her gratitude, she seemed to be deep in thought, resting her chin on her hand.
Then she suddenly flushed and opened her mouth.
“If you want, I could do this for you every week. It’s not a difficult task for me…”
“…”
In the end, I decided to borrow her thigh once a week.
…Honestly, it was incredibly comfortable.
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