I Kidnapped the Hero Party – Chapter 114

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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It’s my fault. I was needlessly greedy. I tried to erase Mister’s memories, even if it meant deceiving him. Even though I knew it wasn’t for his own good.

“Why… why did I do that… aghhh!”

Bang, bang!

Luna banged her head against the wall. Her forehead turned red, but she didn’t stop.

“Ugh! You idiot! Why did you do that! Why were you so greedy?!”

Luna wanted to rewind time. She wanted to undo her mistakes. But she knew the Holy Sword wasn’t that convenient. She could only hate her past self.

“Stupid Luna… you call yourself a Hero… you can’t even control your own greed…”

Sigh-

Luna sighed in frustration. But she couldn’t just sit there and do nothing. She decided to make amends.

“Mister seemed really angry… if I work harder than usual… he’ll forgive me, right? No, I’m being shameless…”

Thinking about being forgiven already…

“You idiot!”

Bang, bang!

Luna banged her head against the wall again. The house seemed to shake with each impact, but no one complained.

The children were grateful for the noise, breaking the oppressive silence that had fallen over the house.

Luna stopped banging her head and leaned against the wall.

“I disappointed Mister… idiot…”

But…

If I work hard and show him I’ve changed, he’ll forgive me.

“So I’ll…! Train hard…!”

Luna picked up her wooden sword, her resolve renewed. She started training in her room, determined to improve and earn Mister’s praise. But things didn’t go as planned.

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The next day, Luna arrived in the kitchen earlier than usual.

“A-Alright! Time to fix my mistakes!”

She clenched her fists, determined to finish preparing all the ingredients before Mister arrived.

“Mister and Hare usually do this, but! Today, I’ll do it alone!”

Chop, chop-!

Luna focused on her task, her movements awkward and unfamiliar.

“Ow! I cut myself… it’s fine…!”

She had a small cut on her finger, but she ignored it. She finished preparing the ingredients before Mister and Hare arrived. And when Mister entered, she greeted him with a bright smile.

“M-Mister! Good morning! I prepared all the ingredients! Hehe!”

Luna proudly presented the chopped vegetables. But Mister’s expression was cold.

“Good job.”

“Yes?”

“Good job.”

“…”

It was praise, but it didn’t feel like it. There was no warmth in Mister’s voice. It was monotonous, like a robot’s. Luna turned away, trying to hide her disappointment.

“The… the temperature… is different…”

It’s not warm like usual… it’s cold.

This…

This isn’t the praise Mister usually gives.

Luna’s face fell. The change in his demeanor hurt.

‘I-I know I was wrong…!! I was wrong…!!’

I wish he would just yell at me.

If he punished me, and things went back to normal…

I would gladly accept any punishment.

Luna glanced at Mister, who was preparing breakfast. His expression was even colder than before.

Fear gnawed at her heart.

‘What if… Mister stays like this… and never goes back to normal…?’

What should I do?

How can I earn his forgiveness?

The fear of never being able to go back to the way things were… Luna bit her lip.

“I don’t want that…! I like the old Mister better…”

It must be because I didn’t try hard enough today.

Undeterred, Luna renewed her resolve. She would make amends.

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The atmosphere in the house was definitely… subdued. A week had passed since the incident, but the Hero’s party was still gloomy.

“The only one who seems normal is Estia.”

“Huh? Me? Why?”

“Nothing, just checking. Continue what you were doing.”

“Okay~!”

Estia cheerfully returned to her book, or rather, to the drawings she was making inside the book. Her teacher still hadn’t arrived, so I decided not to say anything.

“That teacher… when is she coming?”

“I know, right! Maybe she’s dead!?”

“Don’t say such morbid things so cheerfully, Estia.”

“Okay~!”

“…”

Her cheerful obliviousness was even more annoying. Estia’s confidence was stratospheric. I was worried she might become arrogant.

“Should I knock her down a peg? Though she won’t grow any taller…”

“What was that, Brother? Did you just insult me?”

“I didn’t.”

“Really? Okay!”

Estia returned to her drawing. There was nothing else to discuss with her, so I stood up and walked towards the hallway.

Estia, absorbed in her drawing, didn’t even notice me leave.

“…I hope her teacher arrives soon.”

Estia’s use of divine power was limited. I didn’t know when her teacher would arrive, but once she did, Estia’s abilities would improve dramatically.

The power of the Saintess stemmed from her spirit. Once Estia learned to properly utilize her divine power, the Hero’s party would become much stronger.

“By the way…”

I heard the sound of wind and looked out the window.

“Luna is training again today.”

Every day.

Training diligently.

Taking initiative in other tasks as well.

She was probably trying to make up for her mistakes, but… her efforts didn’t move me.

‘…My emotions have… stagnated.’

The four of them, who had tried to erase Aina’s memories… my feelings towards them hadn’t settled yet.

Every time I saw their faces, my heart turned cold. I didn’t want to interact with them, only responding out of obligation.

That was the current state of my relationship with Luna, Hare, Saten, and Minerva.

And…

“Minerva, you shouldn’t have done that.”

I ignored Minerva’s summons, as usual, and continued to watch Luna training in the courtyard. I could see her efforts, her attempts to make amends, but…

‘It’s still not enough.’

I couldn’t face Luna and act like nothing had happened. Even after a week, I didn’t want to talk to her.

“…I can’t tell who’s the hero anymore.”

I looked at Luna, my expression blank, and walked away.

Luna, swinging her sword, seemed to be crying.

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Thud-

Saten closed the book. She had been reading, but she felt… different.

“…I can’t focus.”

Thump-thump-

A week had passed since the incident with Mister. At first, Saten hadn’t felt the rapid beating of her heart.

“I made a mistake, so it’s natural to be punished.”

Once the punishment is over, I’ll reflect on my actions.

And then Mister will forgive me and treat me kindly again.

That’s what happened with the others. But Saten realized she was wrong.

“Why aren’t you following the usual procedure, Mister?”

Her heart felt heavy. She could breathe, but it felt constricted.

“This is… unpleasant…”

Thud!

Saten impulsively threw the book on the floor. She felt a little better, but the discomfort remained.

What was the cause?

Her logical mind arrived at a single conclusion.

“Mister. You’re doing this to me.”

Why…

Why did you show me this pain?

Saten thrashed around on the bed.

“I was wrong. Why won’t you forgive me? I apologized and I’m reflecting on my actions.”

Saten continued to mutter to herself, even though Mister couldn’t hear her. It helped her breathe a little easier.

“…I would prefer it if you just punished me.”

And it would be more logical to erase that woman from Mister’s memories.

Why didn’t you do that?

Saten couldn’t understand the feelings between Lee Jun-woo and Aina. She repeated her apologies, trying to alleviate her guilt, but she couldn’t shake the feeling.

Slice-

“As expected, this is the best… the wrist is a good spot since it won’t kill me…”

Unable to bear the emotional pain, Saten cut herself with a knife. Her wrists were always bandaged, so Mister wouldn’t notice.

“Sigh… I can breathe a little easier now… when will Mister go back to normal? Or rather… maybe he was always like this…”

Maybe I’m the one who changed.

Saten sighed.

“There’s nothing good about painful memories… why does Mister hold onto them? I would erase all my bad memories if I could. Is this what they call a ‘difference in perspective’ in books?”

I want to go back.

To when Mister paid attention to me.

To when there was no indifference.

Saten closed her eyes, wishing she could go back. She couldn’t focus on her book, so she sought refuge in sleep.

“…How can I regain Mister’s attention? I should probably just ask him directly…?”

Saten, answering her own question, drifted off to sleep. The blood from her wrist stained her palm. She wished Mister would hold her hand.

She was undeniably lonely.

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