Nurturing the Hero to Avoid Death

Lian practices with his sword every Wednesday afternoon.

I once told him he didn’t need to train anymore now that he already graduated from school, but he answered, “Brother, we don’t know whether something unexpected will happen in the future. If I stop training, my skills will quickly grow dull. Then I’ll eventually forget them. Unless I train properly every day, I won’t be able to move my body however I wish when the situation calls for it.”

Whenever he has no extremely important tasks to finish, he always uses the time to delve himself into training, not taking any breaks at all. My Lian’s very diligent.

And it seems that his personal escort Fram practices with him to ensure that his fighting skills also won’t grow dull and continue to improve.

That makes sense. No monsters roam near this boring rural area. Without any monsters to fight with on a regular basis, his skills may become dull. If a critical situation arises in the future, it’ll be dangerous if he can’t react fast enough.

Hm, that reasoning sounds about right.

I’m surprised that Lian has thought things out that far. He has thoroughly considered all the possible situations that may happen. My younger brother Lian sure is really attentive to detail.

Although it’s not noon yet, I’m already feeling hungry, so I decide to take a break from work to have lunch. I descend the stairs to head to the dining room. Along the way down, I see Fram and Lian talking about something.

Fram has golden hair, which is rare in this area. I can easily spot him even from a far distance.

It isn’t only his hair color that’s quite unusual. The color of his eyes—blue—is also clear proof that his origins lie in a foreign country.

I rarely see that hair color and eye color combination. Actually, I don’t know anyone else who has blond hair and blue eyes like him.

I asked him about it during his interview, but it seems even Fram himself doesn’t know where he’s from. Nobody, not even his parents, have told him about his lineage.

And so I can’t ascertain where exactly he’s from, but my guess is he’s the child of two poor immigrants from a small island in some far away place. Maybe even from some savage tribe out there. Maybe his family moved to this continent to search for a living.

Oh yeah, he also has an outstandingly strong physique.

Maybe his parents belonged to a community that lives deep within the forest and hunts for survival.

In fact, Fram’s body is sturdier than ours. He’s also very strong and… frustratingly tall.

However, he doesn’t know his origins, he has no social status, and he has no money!

…And yet for some reason, he’s popular with the mansion’s maids. I often hear the maids say with flushed cheeks, “Fram-sama’s so cool! And he’s so strong! It’s also very wonderful to see him silently hard at work!!”

Well… It’s good that he’s a flirt. That way, I’ll have reason to not let such a frivolous man become Lian’s personal escort, even if he was especially chosen by my little brother.

As I watch their exchange, Lian points his finger at Fram, face bright red as he says something.

I wonder what’s happening over there.

He looks angry. Maybe Fram did something wrong?

On the other hand, Fram only listens to Lian with a calm demeanor. Sometimes, his lips curl in a slight smile.

If I remember correctly, he’s the same age as Lian. Though he has a more mature aura around him.

…Somehow, it irritates me.

Fram removes his leather gloves before lightly tugging at Lian’s collar to expose his neck. Then he brings his face closer to Lian and peers at his nape.

Astonished by Fram’s sudden action, Lian clings to his chest, face still bright red.

What are they doing?!

And why is that guy touching Lian so naturally?! How envious!

Fram says something into Lian’s ear, a smile on his face.

Lian’s shoulders tremble, like he’s enduring something. He averts his eyes from Fram.

His teary ice-colored eyes and light-pink skin look very very aro—I mean, very coquettish. All of a sudden, my heart skips a beat.

No, now’s not the time to admire my cute little brother.

Fram doesn’t look very educated. Maybe he did something bad in his ignorance and angered Lian. Also, I can’t forgive him for touching his master in such a rude manner. Even I’m not able to touch him that often. This sight makes me so jea—I mean, I have to strictly warn Fram of his limits!

I run down the stairs and approach them. “Hey, Fram! What are you doing to Lian! Get away from him!” I question in a loud voice.

In response, Fram only lifts his head and stares back at me.

“I’m asking you what you’re doing! Even if you’re from a lower social class and ignorant about proper manners, it’s still inexcusable for you to touch my Lian so casually. Know your place!”

Lian jumps in surprise, then turns to me in a panic. “B-Brother! Uh, this is… this isn’t what you’re thinking! T-this is… uhh, uhm… ah right! An insect! An insect bit me, so…”

“Insect?”

“Yes! An insect! That insect bit me. I was wondering whether the bite had already healed or not… So I asked Alfred—uh, Fram to check for me…”

Come to think of it, Lian’s neck and shoulders were red the other day.

“Is that right, Fram?”

Fram raises an eyebrow lowering his gaze toward Lian. “Yes, that is… truly the case, Lian… sama.”

Probably because he’s from the uncivilized lower class, he doesn’t seem to be accustomed to addressing people with their titles. The way he added that honorific to Lian’s name is somewhat unnatural. Like he’s forcing himself to say it.

Still with a red face, Lian breaks into a frown. He glares at Fram through the corner of his eyes before turning back to me. “Yes! This bad insect keeps on biting me! It’s very awful! And it always bites hard enough to leave marks! Isn’t that just cruel? The bites really hurt too!”

“So it’s a bad insect’s fault! I see… Were they painful? How distressing. Hey, Fram. Have you been healing him properly?”

Fram looks at me and smiles. “I am. From what I’ve seen, the bites look pretty serious. Should I heal the areas that were bitten by that bad insect?”

“What?” asks Lian.

“Yes, do that,” I respond.

Fram nods. He then takes out his healing ointment from his waist bag and applies the thick cream onto Lian’s neck, spreading it all around with his big palm.

“Ah…”Lian shivers and clings to Fram’s chest.

Hey. This guy’s making me jealous for quite a while now.

Just how long has it been since Lian last hugged me… We haven’t hugged in the past five years.

Fram’s long fingers spread the ointment fromLian’s fair neck to the area below his earlobes. With each of Fram’s movements, a soft luscious moan leaves Lian’s lips.

From bottom to top and top to bottom. Fram’s palm slowly goes back and forth and back again.

A twitch runs through Lian’s body. His skin turns even redder. “Haa… ah…”

I unconsciously gulp.

Woahh! As expected from Lian, the most adorable little brother in the world. He’s looking very sexy—No, this thought is too dangerous!!!

“N-no… Stop it, you idiot!”

“Oww!” Fram lets out a sudden groan of pain.

Focusing back on them, I see Lian tugging at Fram’s right ear.

The moment Fram lowers his guard, Lian slips out of his arms and jumps back, placing a considerably big distance between them, out of breath and with a flush on his face.

Then he pulls his long sword out of his scabbard and points the tip of his sword toward Fram with vigor as if he’s declaring war on him. Lian furrows his eyebrows and angrily says, “D-damn it, you idiot! You better believe that I’ll return the favor next time! You have to taste my pain and embarrassment too!!”

After he’s done venting his rage, he turns and runs to the backyard.

For a moment, I’m confused by what Lian just said. What does that mean?

I unconsciously look up at Fram. He’s stroking his right ear, which has gone bright red. Woah, that looks painful.

Noticing my questioning gaze, he stares at me with a happy expression. Why’s he happy? He shrugs his shoulders, saying, “Maybe Lian’s hoping that I’ll also get bitten by that bad insect and feel the pain he felt.”

Afterward, he walks toward the training area in the backyard, following after Lian.

Hm.

It seems Lian has a really strong hatred for insects.

So basically, he’s angry because an insect kept targeting him and never Fram, even though that guy always accompanies him.

For Lian to grow that angry just because of such a silly thing… Looks like he still has his childish side, huh.

Hehe. Isn’t that cute? But it’s a bit impossible for your escort to protect you from insects, Lian.

Alright. I’ve decided. I’ll give him an effective insect repellent next time.

He’ll surely be delighted. Maybe he’ll tell me, “Thank you, Brother! I knew Brother’s the only person I can always count on!” Then maybe also hug me with red cheeks.

Good… That’s very good.

Okay. Since I’ve already decided on this, I’ll have Lowendal search for the best insect repellent available as soon as possible.

I call out to a nearby servant and order her to call Lowendal as soon as possible.