Nurturing the Hero to Avoid Death

Ch 27.4

I turn my head in the direction of the familiar voice, where I see an equally familiar blond with sky-blue eyes, down on one knee beside me.

His white sleeves are rolled up. Hanging over his shoulder is a large, heavy-looking hammer, enough to make me stagger if it were to be placed in my grasp. “Alfred…”

After setting the large hammer on his shoulder aside, he takes a peek at me and breaks into a smile. He appears somewhat relieved. “Construction of the fence is over for the day. We’ve already used up all the materials we brought with us.”

“Ah…”

The fence.

I turn my head to take in my surroundings.

A verdant hill. Before me, a river with gentle waters. On the other side of the river, a  dense forest. And behind the forest is a mountain range, its slopes slight.

I also feel the soft sensation of grass against my back. Its fresh scent drifts through the air around me.

The next thing that registers in my mind is the black jacket over my body.

It’s the coat of the Owen family. Embroidered on both the back yoke and the right shoulder is the Owen family’s emblem, a plump bird with a stalk of wheat, spun with silver thread.

It’s wide enough to envelop the full length of my shoulders, long enough to reach my ankles.

At that moment, I finally remember.

That’s right. I came to install fences in the village’s western border in order to fortify the defense line there. These fences will be used to repel the demons once they come charging on the day of the disaster.

Then, I seem to hear some faint voices, so I look to the side. There, I spot eight men up on the hill. They’re pretty far, but I can still discern their figures and facial expressions. They’re energetically waving at us, their smiling faces showing their satisfaction and accomplishment

Ahh.

Those are the four workers I hired, along with the other nearby villagers who came to help me.

Driven into the ground behind them are thick and sturdy wooden stakes, each reaching the chest of an adult and lined up in a row three to four meters away from one another. And connecting adjacent stakes are iron wires.

The fence stretches approximately two hundred meters from here. The plan is to extend it all the way to the riverside.

I also intend to install iron wires and waterproof stakes across the river in the following week.

My plans are progressing very smoothly. I feel very pleased.

It’s nice, but—

“Did I…”

Did I fall asleep?

And since when? How long have I been sleeping?

“After we had our lunch, you said that you’d lie down and take a short nap. You also told me to wake you up after a while, but you slept so soundly that I didn’t want to rouse you. So I just let you be.”

“Huuhh?! You idiot! You should’ve woken me up sooner!!”

“Well , you appeared very tired earlier, and you were having such a good sleep. Besides, everyone also agreed to let you keep sleeping.”

“Uhh….”

I take another look at the hilltop. Upon noticing my gaze, the men once again wave at us, smiles on their faces.