—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“I feel a bit better now…”
The dark clouds that had been looming over my emotions gradually dissipated, replaced by the feeling of white clouds drifting in.
The aftereffects were slowly fading away.
“…Though they’ll probably resurface if I see anyone from the Church.”
The hatred towards the Church that used Estia’s friends as experimental subjects… that would remain within me for the rest of my life.
If I ever faced those guys again, I’d have to control those emotions with everything I had.
“By the way, Saten.”
“Yes, Mister? You called?”
“How are your emotion studies going?”
Emotion studies.
Having her read books to indirectly experience the emotions hidden within them.
The contents of those books weren’t always right, but for Saten, who couldn’t experience emotions herself, it was the only way.
Saten didn’t answer my question but presented a stack of around ten books.
“Did you read them all?”
“Yes, I read them all. This one helped me understand emotions the best.”
“…It’s a children’s book.”
A fairy tale.
A children’s story filled with events unlikely to occur in reality.
The cover showed a princess in a deep sleep and a prince on a white horse.
Surrounding them were seven dwarves.
It felt familiar, like I’d seen it somewhere before…
“The title is ‘Sleeping Beauty,’ isn’t it?”
“Yes. It’s about a princess who falls asleep after eating an apple and a prince on a white horse who saves her.”
“…Did Minerva read it from my memories? Saten, where did you find this book?”
“It was in the bookshelf at the old house. It was the most entertaining one among the others.”
“…Hmm, I see.”
The author’s name on the book cover was ‘Mieng’s Meow Room.’
Even with a changed name, wasn’t it too obvious?
Minerva wasn’t just the God of Records, she also had to spread knowledge to people.
Well, I guess she could bring in culture from Earth too.
Anyway, the conversation with Saten was more important than the book’s contents.
“Saten, which scene in the book did you find entertaining?”
“There were many things I didn’t understand, but I enjoyed the last scene the most. It’s fascinating how the princess woke up from her sleep after a kiss.”
“Hmm, that scene…”
After all the twists and turns, the prince on the white horse kisses the princess, and the princess, who had been in a deep sleep, awakens.
Snow White… no, it was the highlight of Sleeping Beauty.
“Why did you find that part the most entertaining?”
“Because everything else wasn’t entertaining, the ending was the most entertaining part.”
Huh?
“So, the reason you said this book was the most entertaining…”
“It’s the shortest one. Forcing myself to understand things I don’t understand is a tedious task.”
“…”
That was true.
Forcing herself to read and understand something for hours would definitely be tedious for Saten.
However, those tedious stories were necessary for Saten to survive.
To regain her emotions, she had to put in the effort.
“That’s why you need to read, Saten.”
“But…!”
“Only then can I teach you magic.”
“…That’s true.”
Saten reluctantly agreed.
Because what I was saying was “right.” She couldn’t say anything because of our agreement.
Saten muttered to herself for a while and then…
“Still… rather than books… listening… experiencing… experiments might be better…”
She lifted her head to look at me.
She was expressionless, but I could sense curiosity in her pitch-black eyes.
“Mister, I need to regain my emotions, right?”
“Right.”
“Then, what’s the most important thing in finding the ‘answer’ in magic?”
“In magic…?”
Hmm…
Aina used to yell at me, “‘The process’ is the most important thing in magic!”
She used to say that I had to set a goal, calculate the process, experiment to see if it was right, and identify the problems.
The answer to Saten’s question was…
“The most important thing in magic is ‘the process.'”
“That’s right. It’s the process. Calculating, experimenting to see if it’s right. Those are the important things.”
“But why are you asking me this?”
“Then, wouldn’t it be the same for studying emotions, Mister?”
“Huh?”
To understand what kind of emotion arises from this action…wouldn’t you need an experiment?
Saten pressured me with her manic gaze.
I couldn’t feel any emotion from her, but at the edge of her pitch-black eyes, there was curiosity.
That single emotion made up the emotionless girl named Saten.
Saten stared at me with intense eyes.
“I need an experiment, Mister.”
“…What kind of experiment do you need? If you need materials, I…”
“No, you have to be the material, Mister. I’ve heard things and I’m curious. It won’t work unless it’s you.”
What did she hear?
What on earth did she hear to act like this?
Saten, oblivious to my turmoil, asked a question that left me speechless.
“Mister, what kind of emotion do you feel when you kiss?”
“W-What…?”
“The princess in that fairy tale woke up from her sleep after being kissed by the prince. They even ended up getting married. I wonder what kind of emotion they felt to get married?”
“Even if you ask me that…”
“Isn’t that emotion simply ‘love’? That’s what the other girl told me. She said the ultimate goal of love is to receive a kiss.”
So who said what to you?
Saten spouted nonsensical words I couldn’t understand.
She continued, approaching me with a curious tone.
“That’s why I want to see what kind of emotion it is. Could I think like that too? I’m curious. Mister, please kiss me.”
“That’s crazy talk, Saten. Saying something like that to a grown man…”
“It’s alright, this is the first time I’ve said it to you. I won’t say it to anyone else. And your goal is for me to gain emotions, right? So let’s experiment once. Let’s see how it feels, what kind of emotion arises from a kiss.”
“…”
Saten, who had been sitting on the chair, stood up and stood in front of me.
She was taller than the other kids but still only came up to my chest.
Saten closed her eyes, as if asking me to kiss her.
‘She’s definitely crazy. I thought her eyes had changed lately…they’ve changed for the worse.’
As if agreeing with me, Minerva sent a problem.
It was a very simple problem.
…
If I checked option 1, I’d have to watch myself kissing Saten, right?
That was something I could never do.
Without much thought, I checked option 2.
‘Hmm…’
Nothing much happened.
The only concerning thing was that Saten’s curiosity remained unsatisfied.
I looked down at Saten, who was quietly closing her eyes.
“…”
She closed her eyes and slightly lifted her chin, waiting for me.
Just like a prince in a fairy tale, she was waiting for me to kiss her.
Maybe it was because of her dreamy appearance, but she really did look like a princess from a fairy tale who had fallen into a deep sleep.
But I…
I had no intention of helping with that experiment.
No matter how much I thought about it, the answer was option 2.
Creak-
“Mister?”
“I’ll get you another test subject later. Let’s do the experiment then.”
Well, a cat would be enough.
She can do the kissing experiment with it.
Bang-!
I closed the door and rushed out of Saten’s room as if running away.
“Where did she even get such an outrageous thought…?”
I couldn’t understand.
Though it was part of Saten’s charm…
Before leaving, I glanced at Saten’s room.
From within, I could hear Saten’s emotionless voice.
“Hmm, that’s too bad. It could have been a good experiment.”
Creepy…
Experimenting to understand emotions was one thing, but… that kind of emotional experiment was a bit much…
‘I’d be okay with a healthy experiment.’
But not today.
Dragging my body that had gone cold from Saten, I headed towards my room to rest.
Her room was on the second floor.
As I climbed the wooden stairs, I reached the hallway leading to my room and there she was, the little girl I hadn’t seen in a while.
“Mister…”
“Hare.”
Hare hadn’t left her room for seven days.
She had lost so much weight from not eating properly.
She had a mature air about her and said confidently.
“I… I won’t bother you anymore… I, I know what I did wrong… It won’t happen again.”
Could I really trust her?
Hare, who stole my wallet, tried to electrocute Estia, and threatened her… could I really trust her again?
‘…Even if I can’t trust her words, I have to trust her actions.’
She was showing me that she was reflecting.
From now on, she just needed to act right.
‘Forgiving’ Hare ‘for now,’ I said, suppressing my doubts.
“…You must be hungry. Follow me to the kitchen. I’ll make you something to eat.”
First, eat.
Hare was so thin from hunger that she looked like when I first met her.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
While Jun-woo and Hare headed to the kitchen…
Adventurers on the 4th floor of the Henesys Dungeon were panicking.
An unexpected being had appeared despite it being a lower floor.
“H-Help me! Someone, please!”
“Nelson! Henry! Are you, are you all dead?!”
Clatter- Clatter-
Holding the severed heads of two men in her hand, a seductive woman walked towards them.
Wearing revealing clothing and with horns on her head, she was a member of the lower demon race, a succubus.
She was Rust, the Demon Lord who had risen to her position despite her racial difference.
She was approaching the two adventurers who had nowhere to run.
“You’re cute, like hamsters running away.”
“St-Stay back! Put, put Nelson and Henry’s heads down!”
“Hmm? Why would I? I’m smiling so happily, why would I let them go?”
Clatter- Clatter-
Rust, the Demon Lord of Lust, approached them with the sound of her heels clicking.
The two adventurers in her grasp had expressions of pure bliss, as if they had no regrets even in death.
Realizing their imminent demise, the two remaining adventurers sprang into action.
“Aaahhh! I’m dying!”
“This is for revenge!”
“I just want to make you happy. You guys are so mean.”
Lick-
Rust licked her lips and gazed seductively at the novice adventurers and the moment their eyes met…
“…”
“…”
“Sweet dreams, cute adventurers.”
Just like the adventurers whose heads had been severed, the resisting adventurers froze, smiles plastered on their faces.
They must have been having sweet dreams.
Thud-
Two heads fell to the floor.
Rust watched their lifeless bodies and let out a delighted laugh.
“Hahaha! As expected, novice adventurers have the best energy…The younger they are, the tastier they are…”
Lick-
Rust, who had once again reaped a plentiful harvest of energy, looked at the bodies stripped of their vital essences and exclaimed happily,
“That was a delicious meal!”
But perhaps it wasn’t enough.
Rust, catching the scent of other adventurers, began to roam the lower floors of the dungeon once more.
Rust, the Demon Lord of Lust…
“I feel like I’m going to meet a wonderful man soon. Hehehe…”
She had a premonition of her encounter with Lee Jun-woo.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
[Your Text Here]
