The Icy Hero is Yearning for LoveCh3 - You’ve worked hard.〚Ilya〛

Translator: mii

Editor: Katie_WanderingFujoshi, sleepchaser KQBik8


“Riley? Why are you crying?” As soon as I had said that, I closed my mouth in a panic. Those words had spilled from my lips on the spur of the moment.

Although the man before me hardly resembled the angel I had known, I could tell he was still the same inside.

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As silent tears flowed down his cheeks, only his scarlet eyes trembled, the rest of his body motionless.

It troubled me to see him like this. Out of reflex, I stood on my tiptoes, reaching toward him. Slipped my hand under his hood and ruffled his hair. 0pR3nh

My body had moved on its accord, following my heart.

After all, Riley was crying. I had no choice but to comfort him.

I didn’t even think about how I was ruffling the hair of an adult man, or the reason for his tears.

Because my highest priority was to have him stop crying. 

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“Err, sorry about my companion,” said the swordsman. “Are you an acquaintance of his?”

“Um, something like that, I guess?”

“Huh, I see. But this guy and I haven’t been in this country these past ten years. So how is a young man like you acquainted with him?” asked Riley’s companion in a sharp manner.

“Uhmm, that’s—” gzJF i

All of a sudden, Riley threw his arms around me in a tight embrace, shocking a scream from my lips. 

Large, hard, and hot. I could easily tell just how fit his body was, just how muscular, even with the layers of clothes over his body.

My thoughts completely halted as I scanned the room, eyes darting left and right.

Riley’s companion cut a shocked figure. H3V na

On the other hand, most of the customers seemed amused. My father and brother were… wait, wait, what’s with that kitchen knife? They’d be killing their renowned hero!

I tried to get Riley’s attention by calling his name, but he wouldn’t release his hold on me. However, I somehow managed to take a deep breath.

I looked at my father, my brother, and Riley’s companion. Then as clearly as possible, I said, “Sorry, Dad, Brother. I’ll need a short break. Mister Companion, please excuse me as well. Riley, let’s go.”

Pulling the hem of Riley’s cloak, I led him to my room. JEsjYN

How should I deceive him? Try as I might, I couldn’t think of an answer, and the further I climbed up the stairs, the more at a loss I felt.

 

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

  WN8mKE

Riley had not stopped crying since the tears fell, and once he had seen my room, his sobs only grew.

This was just my guess, but maybe my room reminded him of our room at the orphanage? The desk and bed were arranged in the same way. Even the space of the room, or lack of it, was similar.

I wasn’t completely sure, but the scent lingering in this space also seemed similar.

That’s because I used a blend of olive oil soap since young. A blend that smelled suspiciously similar to the one Riley and I used to make together. NU4gV7

Then finally, a single word escaped Riley’s lips. “Allen.”

“No, you’re wrong, Riley. Allen is already dead. I’m Ilya, the son of the tavern owner.”

I helped remove his cloak, making him sit on the bed. I brought over a chair and sat in front of him.

Although his bright honey-colored hair was now duller, and his body had grown so large and muscular that it couldn’t be called angelic anymore… dkS3F0

He was still Riley.

I reached out to this awkward man. A man whose tears rolled down his expressionless face, a face that seemed frozen. 

With a hint of hesitation, I ruffled his hair once more. “…Have you been well?”

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

Tfr, atja tjv yffc j rilq bo atf abcuef. Qbgvr atja tjv vfolclafis yffc atbeutaifrr. Tfa, atfs tjv ralii ifoa ws ilqr. Yp2tdc

Ktf wbwfca P tjv rjlv atfw, Elifs’r ojmf mbcabgafv klat j gjuf P tjv cfnfg rffc lc tlw yfobgf. Llr jcufg raecu.

Ct, P mbeiv qlmaegf la cbk; tf kjr vfolclafis ublcu ab gbjg, “Lbk mbeiv sbe rjs atlr joafg vslcu ilxf atja?!”

Instead, the words that would leave his lips shocked me. “Allen.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. Bf95WU

“I won’t forgive you.”

“I’m really sorry.”

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

In one fluid motion, Riley yanked me toward him. I fell into his embrace.

I had thought about this earlier, but he really had a thick chest now. Then again, it made sense since he had defeated the demon king. YHIRPp

Rather, was I thin? Probably. Like my mother in this life, I had light bones. Although I had some muscles, I looked delicate because of that.

Still, as a sixteen-year-old young man, I felt complicated being held like this.

…I’ll forgive him since it’d been a long time.

You’ve worked hard,” I whispered, wrapping my arms around his wide back. As if on cue, the strength of his embrace increased.  kGE5i0

Sorry, but you’re kind of hurting me, Sir Riley.

 

  XESd3z

There was a vacant room next to mine.

It mirrored my own and had been my elder sister’s room before she married.

The room was too small to be a guest room, so it was mainly used for emergencies, like giving shelter to drunk guests. The fee was also cheap. 

Why did I talk about this so suddenly? The answer was obvious. amlBh6

It was because the hero had started working as an assistant for our tavern.

…No way. I couldn’t believe it. How could we possibly let the hero who saved this country, and possibly this world, do this kind of work?!

Didn’t he have something else to do?! Like, something related to whatever was important in this country? Ordinary people like me wouldn’t know, though!

Although he technically worked as an assistant here, he received no salary. In fact, he had refused it. FKtrJ

On the contrary, he paid the rent of an ordinary room for that small room. I had tried to refuse, but he didn’t allow any room for negotiation.

Furthermore, Riley basically didn’t use that room. He rented it for the sake of appearances in front of my parents. It became a place for just his luggage… And his luggage was just one bag. It was so small that I felt miserable looking at it, but I left that issue alone for now.

Chrysanthemum Garden.

If you asked where Riley was sleeping… it was with me.

“Riley.” 3GIU6P

“Yeah?”

“It’s too cramped here.”

“Yeah.”

Don’t just reply with “yeah!” I was distressed by how much the bed was squeaking! Kl1PgB

If he continued to sleep here every night, wouldn’t my bed break? Cut it out already!

While we did sleep like this back when I was Allen, we had only been twelve then. We’re much larger now!

I was sixteen and Riley was twenty-eight. We had both changed. Only our hearts remained the same.

And it was because of this softening heart that I couldn’t refuse him no matter what. Ch21c

“Hey. Why did you believe that I’m Allen so easily? Didn’t you think I could be lying?”

Riley was a hero now.

It was needless to say how amazing he was. The hero who defeated the demon king and received a triumphal return.

“Hero Allen” was always somewhere in the newspapers, and his picture was a common sighting all over the city. The play recounting his tale was so popular that they had decided to extend the performance for many more days.  xum483

There would surely be many people who wanted to get closer to him. Even if they had to lie.

…I had considered this. To outright say I was the reincarnation of Allen sounded like a bad joke.

But Allen subverted my expectations again. “The moment I saw you, my heart grew chaotic.”

“Is it because our hair is the same color? There are plenty of brunets in this country.” XmjaTI

“Ah. Well this was the first time I had experienced this, so I’m not sure how to explain… Now that I think about it, I might have noticed it through instinct. That you were Allen.”

“…Instinct?”

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“The ‘Tobol’s Vegetable Stew’ made me feel nostalgic. In my opinion, no other dish tastes better,” muttered Riley, joy thick in his voice. It sounded completely different than it had in the past.

His voice was quiet, as if he were showing off an important treasure. tpmKdn

But my heart lay heavy with sadness from the loneliness and suffering I could make out from it. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t speak.

He had not received a happy ending. Not at the slightest.

The village had burnt down and everyone there had perished in the flames. The soft-hearted Riley had to take up the sword to avenge their deaths. But in the end, no one would return.

Riley, who used to laugh shyly, could no longer laugh. TfcZXt

“Ilya, say my name.”

My vision blurred through the tears threatening to spill, distorting the view of the desk in front of me. I could feel Riley’s body heat through our clothes. Hot. So hot. I bit my lips and kept silent.

I held back my tears, but my eyes still burned from them.

Suddenly, darkness. Riley had covered my eyes with his hand. His palm was rougher than in the past, littered with calluses, and it reminded me of the time we had spent together. 7zDaRh

“Ilya.”

The tone of his voice was too gentle.

As if he were coaxing me not to cry.

But my tears wouldn’t stop. clzVKC

I didn’t regret what I had done back then.

If not for my actions, Riley would not be here today. I wished we could have survived together, but the demon wouldn’t have given up until they killed the “hero.”

I didn’t want Riley to die.

…But because of that, I gave Riley a deep trauma. He suffered so much that he couldn’t even laugh anymore. AuDGra

What should I do?

What should I do to make Riley laugh again?

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RJMXWl

 

The tavern was bustling today.

This was probably due to the increasing number of people flocking to the royal capital as a consequence of the hero’s fame. Every inn was occupied, and even selling linens was profitable.

Of course, I still felt uncomfortable making the hero work in the tavern. But to be honest, he was also a great help. EBf5KR

If he only did some small errands, that would be great, but… he just did too much.

“Welcome! I’m sorry, but we are about to close—ah.”

The person who had opened the door just before closing time was Riley’s companion.

His eyes widened as soon as he had caught sight of Riley in uniform identical to mine… Well, of course he would be surprised. When all was said and done, he was aware of Riley’s identity as the hero. mHgKnj

Our excuse of “he’s just a regular guy who resembles the hero” wouldn’t work on him.  

“Err, I’m sorry for putting the hero to work like this…”

“This is in accordance with my own will, Ilya,” said Riley. Then he turned to the swordsman. “Why are you here?”

But his only response was his expression. Wqf0B6

If I had to put it in words, Riley’s companion seemed to be saying, “Isn’t it because of y-o-u! You always do things as you please!” 

I understood his feelings.

Seven days ago, Riley had suddenly hugged a waiter at a bar and… that was that. We didn’t explain anything to him before running off together. I even had the sinking suspicion that he could not be any more infuriated than now.

But his face did it. I couldn’t help but laugh. Just what kind of face was that? ds18 6

“This is how Allen makes me look bad, always getting on my nerves. Isn’t he cruel? Ahh, by the way, nice to meet you. I’m Elmer, a swordsman.”

“I’m Ilya… Riley, it’s hard to talk with you here. Go upstairs first.”

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Just as I had expected. Elmer, the master swordsman. One of the great warriors who defeated the Demon King with the hero. He must’ve stood next to Riley during the return parade.

Slightly nervous, I laughed. But Riley’s gaze concerned me more. TLDxbi

If he kept staring at us with that faintly displeased expression, we wouldn’t be able to talk.

“Ilya.”

“It’s alright. I won’t disappear from your sight anymore,” I said.

It’s a promise. I tilted my head to convey that, and Riley’s face softened just a hint. Hb2Cwu

He headed to the door as he untied his apron, glancing back at us only once. His gaze swept past me to Sir Elmer. Then he turned away, his hair fluttering in the breeze.

As I braced myself for Riley’s response in the future, I turned to Sir Elmer.

 

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His cheerfulness from prior had probably been an act. As soon as Riley had left the room, Sir Elmer’s gaze grew sharp with displeasure, piercing through me in scrutiny.

It stung my skin, but I composed myself. For his actions were reasonable.

Unlike Riley, who was convinced of my identity, Sir Elmer saw me as a suspicious person who had deliberately approached the hero. UBXbSE

Perhaps during the seven days since we had last met, he checked my identity. Some of the customers might have also come to check the situation of the hero.

“Ilya, sixteen years old. The second son of the owner of this tavern. We’ve never crossed paths before. Am I wrong?”

“No, you’re correct.”

“Then how did you ingratiate yourself with the hero?” KqnSxC

Where should I start? I was unsure how to narrate my experience…

I highly doubted he would believe me if I talked about my previous life, but lying to him was also not a good alternative.

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I gathered my thoughts, straightened my back, and stared back into those sharp, piercing eyes. 


Riley keep hugging Ilya after they reunited is just so… precious… And their relationship is just so… tender… :blobmelt: 5HcfM

By the way, what do you guys think of Elmer? I’m sure he only means well for Riley! But I hope he won’t bully Ilya! (⁎˃ᆺ˂)


Support the author! Here’s the tutorial made by “Shido Within” on how to buy digital books at CMOA. The tutorial specifies on how to buy digital manga, but I think it should work for novels too. After registering, you can click here to go to Icy’s CMOA page. Apparently, you can also buy this book at Bookwalker Japan! You’ll need to create a Bookwalker Global account first, then connect to VPN before clicking here to go to Icy’s Bookwalker page (or you can go there from the RAW Page on Icy’s ToC!). Here’s the guide on how to purchase books on Bookwalker JP Store! After the purchase, you can turn off the VPN and download to read the book on any device! (Thank you Shadow-san for telling me about this! ˭̡̞(◞⁎˃ᆺ˂)◞*✰) The difference is that if you’re using CMOA, you need to pay using your credit card, but with Bookwalker, you can pay using PayPal! Very efficient!

Support the translator! How about buying this translator a cup of bubble tea to give her a pat in the back?  ₍₍ ◝(●˙꒳˙●)◜ ₎₎

ufQP7V

Leave a Comment

49 comments

  1. they are so pure and sweet,,,, i just want them to be happy forever :ccc

  2. Yay, thank you for the chapter!

    “Large, hard, and hot.” Welp my mind went to the gutter.But I rejoice in this fluff. How will he explain to Elmer tho?

    • Oh my~ Maybe I should change it to something more… appropriate? Thick… hard, and hot??? How to describe man’s chest without making it oddly suggestive… (๑・`▱´・๑)

      Thank you for reading, Idle Bones-san!

      • It feels fun leaving it at that, it’s a tease. Hehehe.

        But if you’re looking for suggestions, might I suggest, “broad, firm chest”? Adding warm as adjective feels too to cluttered for me. Thank you again mii-sama!

  3. aahh I have mixed feelings the icy hero cried and mc also cried but theyre lovely together like its natural! (Well duh childhood friend)

    also love it that unlike other novels of the same genre and language this chapter is quite longer -so happy for that, thank you for the update~

    • Childhood friend with special bond like no other! How I really wish to have (((ikemen))) childhood friend to! ( •̀ω•́ )σ

      Yay, thank you for reading, LadySayuri-san! But this is probably the last time I’ll pick up a novel with each chapter this long, too short to cut but too long to not cut. (;`O´)o

      • Ahaha me too (honestly 😂)

        i ts fine its fine, im just surprised and happy to encounter a hero-themed one at this length XD Oh what a pickle (to cut or not to cut, that is the question jk 😂) gambatte Mii-sama whichever you decide im happy either way (since I read as long as theres an update lol)

  4. Elmer you aren’t Riley’s guardian..go away I really hope that Ilya doesn’t tell Elmer the real story tho😫

    Thank you for the chapter!!♡

  5. I failed my test but good luck finding your editor and thanks for the chapter (~ ̄³ ̄)~

    • Thank you for reading, Lurker-san! Really thank you for the interest too! :: ˓(ᑊᘩᑊ⁎) ::

  6. Awww, Riley acting all cute and childish! He wanting to sleep together with Ilya Just like two little boys, hehehe.

    Thanks for the chapter!

    • Riley needs to make up for their lost years by getting all cuddly~ ヽ( ・∀・)ノ

      Thank you for reading, Navleu-san!

  7. Elmer is right it looks sketchy, and it’s good that he cares for Riley… but.. but still… DONT INTIMIDATE MY SON!! MY GOOD BOY ALLEN/ILYA (╬ಠ益ಠ)

    • If Riley’s the one who keeps healing Allen when they’re kids, now it’s Ilya’s turn to do so! ヾ(・д・ヾ)

      Thank you for reading, Ren-san!

  8. elmer… every time i see that name i think of elmer’s glue 😂 and he’s sticking to riley like glue too lmao.

    • Ah, I just realized it! That’s so cute! *。ヾ(。>v<。)ノ゙。

      Thank you for reading, hehe-san!

  9. It’s good that Riley has someone who cares for him this much! This man is 90% trauma so the more people who feel protective over him the better! #gongs deserve to be spoiled too!

    Thanks for your hard work translating!

  10. i just realized something important about the world they live in!!! if riley and ilya’s old village is part of a country which outlaws gays, and riley is the(cleric) hero chosen by that country’s god(s), then that’s a divine message to hurry up and accept the gays already!!!

    i also wonder what ilya could say to elmer that’d make him trust ilya with riley… maybe “i’d give my life for him without hesitation”? or is that too soon? anyways riley is just like: i’ve gotten allen back for 7 whole days now and if anything happens to him i’ll kill everyone in this pub and then myself. riley’s not used to having emotions that aren’t revengeful and it’s killing ilya to realize that.

    thanks for more angst, and good luck to both mii-sama and ilya!!

  11. It’s great to have multiple doting people for this cute Hero. 😍

    But please don’t intimidate our revived Allen, now named Ilya, Elmer! I hope you’re a good and reasonable listener!I also hope Ilya will be able to explain without having to reveal what shouldn’t be and show his sincerity to this concerned companion ☺️

  12. Elmer appears! aaah I really like him, i wish we had a manga just so we could see all his funny expressions!also in case someone wants to buy the novel but doesn’t want to use CMOA cause you want to pay with paypal, the book is also available on bookwalker!

    1) have a bookwalker account (you can make one on the global bookwalker site, they work for the japanese one too!)

    2) you need a vpn so the site thinks you’re in japan, so turn that on (it doesnt take much data and bookwalker doesn’t check ip so any vpn is fine!)3) log into your account, go to the bookwalker page of Icy Hero (its listed in the raw source page!) and add the book to your cart.4) pay for the book with the usual steps5) turn off your vpn and voila! you can now download and read the book on any device!

    the downside of bookwalker is that you can’t copy text so you can’t mtl it but you don’t need a credit card to pay so you can still suppor the author even if you don’t have one!

    • Ohh! Thank you for the tips, Shadow-san! I personally never bought anything from Bookwalker JP since my wi-fi won’t connect to VPN for some reason I can’t figure out… o(*≧□≦)o I’ll put it in the next chapter so everyone will know this very helpful information!

      Also, thank you very much for reading my translation!

  13. Noticed one error here:

    He had not received a happy ending. Not at the slightest. It should be ‘Not in the slightest.’

  14. I really enjoy this novel! Would you mind if I ask for your permission to translate you work into Thai language? I wanna spread how cute they were to my friends and other Thais. I have never translated any novel before, yet this gonna be my first translation (if you allow me to do so 😂) I’ll do this with a nonprofit purpose. So I would be glad if you allow me to do it. By the way, I plan to put my translation on Dek-D website, where everyone is allowed to read novel for free. Thanks in advance! ☺

  15. Elmer rubbed me off the wrong way. Like, yeah you are concerned about “hero”. But you had no right to dictate him. Like preventing him from going back to his hometown or even interrogating someone that he hugged and decided to be close with. Like, did you think the icy hero that dumb after so long? I hope Ilya won’t tell Elmer the truth. Because someone that had been calling Icy Hero as Allen had no right over Hero Riley and Real Knight Allen’s tale.

  16. Aww it’s really cute that Riley being a waiter for Ilya (о´∀`о)

    Also thanks for the translation