Nurturing the Hero to Avoid Death-Chapter 34.4

translator: mii

editor: ASplashofMusic, Sleepchaser

Schwede’s arrival must be the Goddess’ doing.

Otherwise, the strongest person in the Knights’ Templar wouldn’t have come to this small church in a small remote village just to help a nun.

Schwede shrugs and lets out a laugh before nodding. “The Goddess of Genesis herself entered the archbishop’s dream and gave us a few oracles.”

“Oracles…”

The Goddess’ message. The Goddess’ word.

Maybe… No, I’m sure that after flying away in tears the last time we met, the Goddess resorted to appearing in the dream of the Fortuna Church’s archbishop… If I remember correctly , she calls it whispering, right?

To ask for my help.

…That must be it, right?

I feel like that’s the case, but for some reason, a chaotic mix of emotions swirl in my heart. I can’t seem to calm down.

“Then… what did she say?”

“The Goddess said, ‘In the farthest western region of a distant and calm little country called Elden lies a village named Leis, in which I have sent a gentle angel clad in silver and shrouded in bright light. That person is in the process of changing the dark future and guiding it into a brighter path. Please save and protect his life.’”

I chew over what Schwede said. “That means, you’ve come to help me, right…?”

The knight looks down for a moment, stroking his chin. Then he raises his head again, gazing straight into my face. “Well, I guess that’s right. The archbishop ordered me to become your sword.”

…As expected, my new suspicions are roughly true.

I greatly appreciate any help. As such, I’m very grateful that he’s here to help me, but…

I feel like there’s something more to this matter. Or maybe I’m just thinking too much into it? Besides, what’s with this subtle anxiety oozing out of the depths of my heart?

I know that the Goddess is in her energy-saving mode and lacks divine power, but she never explained anything about this to me… I feel like she’s hiding something from me.

Come to think of it, the knight told me that the Goddess gave the archbishop a few oracles. Then, aside from a request to help me, the Goddess must have also said something else.

So what on earth are they?

“Schwede-sama, other than that, what else…”

The knight smiles and gently puts his index finger against his mouth. Then he raises his palm toward me, as though telling me to stop talking.

Afterward, he turns around and directs his gaze toward the door at the back of the worship place. Behind that door is the corridor leading to the library and the warehouse.

When I follow the knight’s line of sight, I notice faint footsteps coming from the corridor. I also hear the voices of two girls chatting with each other.

Marie and Efa.

After watching the door for a while, the door opens and they appear in our sight.

The moment Marie notices me, she flashes a smile. I felt a little tired after my conversation with this unrelenting knight, but her soft smile manages to heal my heart. I smile back.

“Good afternoon, Lian-sama… Oh dear, Schwede-sama is also here?”

The knight graciously puts his hand on his chest and bows to Marie. “That’s right. Marienne-sama, Efa-sama, is it alright if we go out for a while? Lian-dono told me he will guide me around the village,” says Schwede, resting a hand on my back.

…But I never said that, though. What’s he doing saying whatever he wants? Well, he probably did that so we can continue talking alone. I can understand his thoughts and intentions.

Besides, I still have many questions for him… And so, I decide to go along with his improvised lie. “Yes, and I have a lot of things I want to ask him about the city as well.”

Marie and Efa exchange glances before looking up at me and the knight in turns.

“Is that so? I don’t mind, but… please pay attention to where you’re stepping on. The ground outside is still covered in a little snow,” says Marie.

Meanwhile, Efa tells us, “Be careful not to slip! Have a safe trip!”

“Yes, thank you for your consideration. Well then, shall we go now, Lian-dono?” The knight smiles and lightly pushes against my back. When I stare into his eyes, I can see him silently saying, “Of course you’ll go, right?”

I want to continue our conversation, so I nod in consent.“…Let’s go.”

I decide to have Marie take care of my bag for now. After all, it’s compact and heavy.

Once I hand my bag to Marie, the knight pushes my back again, urging me to go. This time, I don’t resist and let him guide me.

Approaching the church doors, we leave the worshipping area.

Once we’re outside, the warm sunshine falls on us. The knight walks ahead, while I follow him.

Along the way, a wagon loaded with winter-grown vegetables passes by us. Soon after though, it stops in place.

The young couple sitting in the coachman seat smile and greet us. They then give both of us a ripe winter mandarin orange before waving their hands and leaving.

I eat my mandarin orange as I walk side-by-side with Schwede. The orange the couple chose for me is a little small, but it’s very sweet.

Meanwhile, as the Knight of the Sword walks around, he clumsily peels his mandarin orange, which is too small for his big hands. This combined with the wheat field behind him just makes for a hilariously mismatched scene. So much so that I can’t help but laugh out loud. Then realizing my blunder, I clamp my mouth shut in a hurry.

“What is it?”

“Ahaha, it’s nothing. The mandarin orange is sweet and delicious, isn’t it?”

“Yes. It’s very delicious. I want to buy them as souvenirs before I return later on.”

“Sure. If you like the orange, I will prepare them for you before you leave.”

“Oh, that’s great! Thank you, Lian-dono.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Once we finish eating, I collect Schwede’s and my orange peels, wrap them in a handkerchief, and put it in my jacket’s side pocket. Seeing this, he laughs at me for some reason. What is it now? Littering isn’t good, okay? Since there’s no trash can around here, it’s good manners to take our rubbish home.

Before we teach waste management to the kids, we as adults have to show them a good example!

“This village is very peaceful and nice. The scenery and atmosphere here is also very beautiful. Just looking around makes me feel at ease. Not to mention, the villagers living here are also very laid-back and gentle…”

The knight gazes at the view around us before looking back at me with a smile. “I feel like I can understand why you would risk your life to protect them.”

…This man.

Just how much has he heard? How much does he know?

“Schwede-sama.”

“Please call me Schwede, Lian-dono. The archbishop has ordered me to become your sword. My life and sword are now yours.” Schwede grabs my right hand. “Like this village, you are also gentle… and very kind. You know, I can see a person’s nature just by looking at their eyes.”

“Wha…?”

He can tell? Hmm, he does also possess extraordinary magic essence and divine powers, albeit less than Alfred and Efa. Maybe he really has such a special power. Maybe, I don’t know.

“When I first met you, my impression of you was that you have very, very kind eyes. Fragile yet strong and warm eyes. They are also very clear and bright and the color of ice blue. Just looking at them brings pain to my heart. You are completely different from what I imagined. I was surprised and… happy. I can see why the Goddess considers your life dear. After all, the thought that you will dissipate in this world also makes me feel extremely sad.”

I gulp.

Dissipate… Why did he especially choose that word? Does he know about the original Lian’s set future?

If he knows that, then he should also be aware that terrible affairs will soon wreck this peaceful and gentle village.

…How much has the Goddess revealed to them? Is it okay to tell such things about the future to people who don’t know the truth of this world?

Is it really okay?

For now, all I know is that many decisions that the Goddess takes are in consideration of me and this village. But I don’t understand what her plan is. She didn’t even come discuss things with me.

That’s one of my concerns. But for now, I have to correct Schwede’s misconception first.

“What are you talking about? I’m not the kind of person you think I am. I may look gentle, but it’s only because I’m timid in nature… It’s just how I look. Usually, I’m just a miserable guy who’s scared of everything and can’t manage to take immediate action.”

After saying so, the knight smiles. “Lian-dono, that’s normal.”

“Huh?”

“Because we are just an incomplete ‘piece’ of this world, unable to climb up to the sky. Our journey is akin to walking in the darkness and trudging through mud. Some people can’t stand the gloom and succumb to the darkness, while others get stuck in the mud and become paralyzed, unable to free themselves. There are also times when we can’t move in the absence of light because we can’t see where we should go. However, life is a long, long pilgrimage. It’s our test and a criterion so that we can one day become a star in the sky after our time on this land is over…” Schwede looks at me with an affectionate smile, just like Marie when she’s watching the kids. “At least, that’s what my boss told me. Still, I think that even if someone gets dirty, hurt, and lost in the midst of that journey, they’re still amazing and beautiful for not giving up and persisting in their journey forward.”

Then he brings my hand toward his face and gently presses his forehead on the back of my hand. His face has a solemn expression, as though he’s making a vow or a prayer.

“H-huh?!?”

Surprised, I try to withdraw my hand, but I fail. Schwede’s grip on my hand is firmer than I expected.

“W-what are you…”

Schwede slowly raises his face. Looks at me and smiles, squinting his dawn-colored eyes.

This time, I pull my hand out of his grip with all my might. I take a step back, shooting him a glare. I really don’t understand what he’s thinking.

Despite me shaking off his hand in a clear rejection, Schwede still has a smile. Not even a trace of dismay on his face.

Then all of a sudden, he turns toward the grassy hill that stretches toward the end of the road.

Following his line of sight, I turn around and notice a big black horse on the hill. Seated on the horse’s back is a young man with golden hair, wearing a half-length coat that’s made of rugged fabric and has lots of pockets. He always wears that in cold weather.

As white puffs of breath leave his lips, the man has his sky-blue eyes narrowed at us.

“Alfred…”