I Kidnapped the Hero Party – Chapter 100

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“It’s so dark when you die.”

Is this what death is like?

Cold, lonely.

Trapped in a dark space, alone.

“I wonder how long it’ll take for the ending to play out…”

At least…

I’m less tired than Luna, who’s struggling out there.

I can endure this.

I took a step forward into the darkness. The ground was disgustingly squishy.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been alone like this.”

The children were always so noisy. They would make useless comments and giggle. They would cling to me, saying they were scared to be alone.

I never had time to organize my thoughts.

“Maybe this is a good opportunity to reflect.”

Until Luna follows the path I’ve laid out…

I’ll just organize my thoughts.

But even that was denied to me. A loud, nagging voice echoed through the darkness.

“Jun-woo, how does it feel to be dead? People are born only once, but you get to die twice! Hehehe.”

“…Stop laughing, Minerva. My body is still alive.”

My soul was attacked, so I wasn’t in pain, but… it still felt bad. Minerva stuck out her tongue and mocked me.

“So what? You keep doing what I tell you not to do. Serves you right! Serves you right!!”

“Alright, stop it.”

“You got your soul hurt! You were lucky the Hero threw herself in front of you and you only got hit in the shoulder! If it had hit your heart, we wouldn’t even be able to have this conversation!”

“…Alright, stop getting angry. It was the only way.”

“Pfft! Whatever, idiot!”

Pout~

Minerva crossed her arms and pouted. She was clearly angry. But then she threw a book at me.

“Here! Take it! You wanted this! I’m giving it to you before you even ask!”

“Thanks.”

“…Take care of your body and your mind! I’m going to come check on you! Wait for me! You stubborn fool!”

“Okay.”

Minerva disappeared into the darkness. I used magic to illuminate my surroundings, even though I couldn’t see very well.

I held a small book in my hand.

“The Beginning of Hero Luna.”

It was Luna’s story, being written in real time. I read it carefully, not wanting to miss a single word.

“…So you’ve been through the most, Luna. Even if no one else knows, I’ll remember.”

I’ll guide you to the destination.

That was the best I could do as the Hero’s guardian.

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While the children were overcome with grief…

Estia bravely declared,

“I still have some divine power left! It’s not much, but! Maybe I can do something!”

“Sob… W-What do you mean…? I-If you have… divine power… can… can you save Mister…?”

“Maybe I can!? Divine power is the power of the Goddess! It can do anything!”

Estia asserted herself confidently.

Her divine power had just defeated a Demon Lord, so her confidence was through the roof.

Saten, however, poked a hole in her balloon.

“Estia, your divine power is no different from the drugs in the back alley. Just like that holy water.”

“…That’s right. Mister told you to be careful of Estia. He said it was an irreversible drug.”

“N-No! My divine power is holy! Don’t compare it to those drugs! It’s insulting!”

Estia protested, but the Hero’s party didn’t trust her.

They had seen too much. But then, Saten spotted the two unconscious boys.

“…We might be able to avoid returning to my family.”

“Sniffle… W-What do you mean-“

“Be quiet and stop crying, Hare. It seems we have a new option.”

Saten pointed at the ground. The two boys who had been attacked by Sloth before Lee Jun-woo.

“Luna, let’s take those two home.”

“S-Saten, you…”

“They’re as good as dead anyway. If they live, great. If they die, it’s whatever. Think carefully, Luna.”

Those two lives, or Mister’s life.

Which is more important?

Luna didn’t take long to answer.

“Mister’s life comes first…! But I’ll save them if I can. They’re the first people I ever saved.”

“I’m disappointed that it wasn’t my will, but fine. Let’s go home, Estia. Our work here is done.”

Thud, thud-!

The Hero’s party returned home. The streets were in ruins, but the sky was clear now that the Demon Lord was gone. But Lee Jun-woo, who had always led them, was absent.

The Hero’s party had witnessed the Demon Lord’s threat firsthand.

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How should I use my remaining divine power?

How can I wake up Mister?

Saten knew the answer.

“Estia, do you see these two lying on the table?”

“Yes, I see them!”

“Experiment.”

“Huh?”

“Experiment with your divine power to see what it can do.”

“Ah…?”

If we gather data…

We might be able to wake Mister with your divine power.

“We need to experiment to move forward. So we’ll use these two as test subjects. Can you do it?”

“T-That…!”

Estia shouted,

“I-I can’t do it!! E-Experiments are…! I can’t do it!!”

“Hmm, really?”

“My friends… died because of experiments! How can I do that! I can’t! I can’t do it!”

Estia knew about the deaths caused by experiments.

She hadn’t seen their final moments, but she remembered the sounds from behind the bars. Experiments never ended well.

“I… I can’t do experiments…”

“Even if Mister has to lie there forever? You don’t want to experiment?”

“I need to experiment… but I can’t…”

“This is unexpected. I didn’t think Estia would refuse to experiment.”

Saten was momentarily lost in thought.

How could she make Estia use her divine power on these two? She couldn’t force her to do something she was unwilling to do.

‘…Unfortunately, I don’t have divine power or the ability to persuade her.’

I’ll have to leave this to someone else.

Saten opened the door and entered Lee Jun-woo’s room, where he was lying unconscious.

Creak-!

“Hare, Luna. Estia refuses to experiment. She doesn’t seem to want to save Mister.”

“I’ll go…”

Hare, her energy drained, walked towards the brothers. Her eyes were vacant, her skin pale.

She had cried so much that her eyes were red. She looked like a homeless person wandering the streets. In other words, someone with nothing.

Someone with nothing to lose and nothing to gain.

“…Estia.”

“Y-Yes?”

“…Won’t you do it?”

Clatter!

Hare placed the dagger Lee Jun-woo had given her on the table between the brothers.

Her red eyes stared at Estia.

“…If you really won’t do it… are these two useless?”

“Eek…!”

Hare picked up the dagger and raised it high.

“…This is your last chance. If you don’t need them because you won’t help… then it’s okay, right?”

I’ll save Mister.

If you won’t, then I’ll kill them.

Someone who has nothing to lose is the scariest in the world.

Estia, realizing the meaning behind Hare’s words, shouted,

“O-Okay… don’t do that…! Leave them alone…! I-I won’t experiment…! I-I’ll just try it on Brother…! Is that okay…?”

“…If you fail, I’ll kill myself. Please… save Mister…”

“Okay…! I’ll do my best…! If anything happens to Brother…!! I’ll take responsibility…!!”

Estia, not wanting to experiment, took responsibility and promised to save Mister.

Hare put down the dagger.

Then she knelt down and started crying again, silently. The scene was chilling to Estia.

‘What does Brother mean to that Hare…? Ugh, everyone’s insane.’

Estia glanced at Hare, then walked towards Lee Jun-woo’s room.

Luna and Saten followed her, and Estia faced Lee Jun-woo, lying in bed. She took a deep breath and declared,

“I won’t experiment. I hate experiments. I’ll use my divine power directly on Mister. I’ll take responsibility.”

“Good luck.”

“Do your best.”

“Thank you for your cooperation.”

With words of encouragement from her friends, Estia reached out towards Lee Jun-woo.

“Goddess! Please help Brother wake up! Open his eyes!”

“Will that really work?”

“…Just be quiet, Saten. Estia’s divine power is moving.”

Unlike Saten’s doubts, Estia’s divine power flowed towards Lee Jun-woo.

The warm golden light enveloped him, examining his condition. Estia clasped her hands together and prayed.

“Please let Brother open his eyes! Heal his injured soul! Please! He’s no fun when he’s like this! He saved me from that boring Church!”

He told me it was okay even if I didn’t have holy water.

He told me it was more fun without holy water.

I don’t want to go back to just drinking holy water.

“I like warmth much better!”

So please help Brother!

Estia prayed, her hands clasped tightly. But perhaps because she had used too much divine power defeating the Demon Lord, the light surrounding Lee Jun-woo began to fade.

“N-No… this can’t be happening…”

“What’s wrong?”

Luna quietly drew her sword.

She was prepared to rewind time if necessary. Estia, sensing that something was wrong, frantically searched for a solution.

‘I-Is this… not enough…? Is there a way to give him more divine power…!? Is there…!?’

Huh? What’s this?

Estia noticed something.

A mirror reflecting her image. Her disheveled white hair. Her lips, red and swollen from biting them in her anxiety.

Estia made a decision.

“I-If I have to do this!!”

Kiss~

“…Ah?”

“Hmm.”

“…”

Estia climbed onto the bed and kissed Lee Jun-woo, transferring the divine power in her mouth to him.

The room fell silent.

“Hmm, CPR. There’s a lot of divine power in the mouth, I suppose.”

“…”

“…”

Objectively, it was the optimal solution. But emotionally, it was a different story. Time seemed to stop as Estia and Lee Jun-woo’s lips met.

The divine power transfer continued for a long time, and just as the sun was setting…

Lee Jun-woo’s eyelids fluttered open, and he spoke.

“Where am I…”

“B-Brother…!! I-I saved you! Brother!!”

Estia, relieved, hugged Lee Jun-woo, who looked softer than usual.

“O-Oh… you did well, Estia. You worked hard.”

“Don’t do that again… sob… I don’t want to do this again…”

“You did well, but stop crying. And the promise about the holy water…”

I’ll give you holy water when we meet again. Lee Jun-woo, remembering his promise, started to speak, but Estia shook her head.

“Sniffle, I don’t need holy water anymore…! Well, sometimes…! But I don’t need it that much anymore…!”

Estia, having grown mentally, answered confidently, feeling the warmth of Lee Jun-woo’s embrace.

Saten stood silently, observing to make sure Lee Jun-woo was okay.

Lee Jun-woo, puzzled, asked Estia,

“By the way, where are Luna and Hare?”

“Luna is behind me…! And Hare… is lying on the floor.”

“…Can someone move Hare to her room?”

Perhaps the tension had released, and she had cried too much. Hare had fainted, and Saten carried her away.

Lee Jun-woo was worried about Hare, but he had something more pressing to deal with.

“Luna.”

“Yes, Mister…”

“You did well.”

“…”

Lee Jun-woo smiled, as if he knew everything. Luna remembered the painful past.

The countless deaths, the wrong choices that led to her friends’ deaths, even choosing to run away. She couldn’t approach him easily.

“Mister, I… I…”

“You don’t have to say anything.”

“…”

“The fact that you’re here means you did well.”

“…”

Even though I strayed from the path…

I was able to come back.

Because you showed me the way.

‘Mister knows everything…’

Relief washed over Luna, and tears streamed down her face.

“I-I… sob… I wanted to give up… b-but… I thought about you, Mister… a-and I endured… sob…”

“…You did your best.”

You hated the past me. Luna buried her face in his embrace, seeking warmth. She didn’t want to feel that loneliness again.

Snuggle~

“Don’t… don’t leave us… Mister…”

Never again.

I never want to feel that again.

The Hero Luna, from the bottom of her heart, desired this with all her being.

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