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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“…It’s finally over.”
He would be waking up soon.
The plan to trap the Demon Lord of Avarice in his body and bring him home had been risky, but thanks to the Hero’s party, it had succeeded.
“Four Demon Lords remain. I don’t know when it will end, but I feel like we’re getting closer.”
“Has it been a little over a year? Considering the time frame, we’ve defeated them quite quickly.”
Minerva nodded in agreement.
With Greed gone, the dark space was collapsing, and Minerva’s form was becoming increasingly translucent.
“Jun-woo will be waking up soon. This Goddess is clocking out! I’m going back to the library, so take care of the rest. Fighting!”
“Fighting?”
That was an expression of encouragement…
It was time to rest, so why was she telling him to work hard?
Minerva’s words were baffling. She waved goodbye and vanished.
“…What was that about?”
Her behavior was unsettling.
Why was she acting like that?
Honestly, the Hero’s party wasn’t in good shape. He had observed them through Greed’s eyes, and they all seemed… broken in some way.
‘Luna and Hare, who were with me, are relatively okay, but…’
Especially…
Saten and Estia.
Their condition was concerning.
‘Saten tried to kill Luna and Hare the moment she saw them… and Estia has started using holy water again…’
Saten looked even thinner, as if she hadn’t been eating properly.
And Estia had been drawing instead of studying.
With him gone, the Hero’s party seemed to have fallen apart, like a clock with misaligned gears.
‘Are they still just children…?’
Children who lost their way without an adult to guide them.
What should he do first after waking up?
The answer was already firmly planted in his mind.
‘That method would be best.’
With that thought, he began to wake up, seeing light at the end of the dark space.
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‘…That method would have been good.’
Why…
Couldn’t he move?
He had planned to reward them for their efforts.
But he couldn’t.
“…Girls.”
“Yes, Mister!”
“Y-Yes… M-Mister…!”
“Could you untie these ropes?”
He couldn’t do anything while he was bound. But unfortunately, the Hero’s party didn’t seem inclined to release him.
“M-More importantly…! Are you alright, Mister…? A-Are your wounds okay…?”
Hare stammered, her tone and demeanor drastically different from when she was facing Greed. She was like a different person around him compared to when she was with others.
She fidgeted nervously, touching his body.
“Y-You have so many scratches from the fight… I-It must have been painful… Are you okay, Mister…?”
“I’m fine, so just untie the ropes-.”
“B-But! We can’t leave your wounds untreated…! I-I’ll go get the first aid kit…!”
Hare dashed out of the room, promising to return with the first aid kit.
‘Judging by the lack of a door, this is Estia’s room.’
When he opened his eyes…
The room’s owner was gone, leaving only Luna and Hare.
Curious, he asked the yellow-haired girl before him.
“Luna.”
“Y-Yes?”
“Where’s Estia?”
“She abandoned Saten… I mean! She went to put Saten in her room!”
As if to confirm her words, Estia’s voice echoed from Saten’s room next door.
-“G-Get away! You cat! I’m trying to help your owner! Why are you attacking me! D-Don’t use your claws! You little-! Aaah!!”
A crash followed by Estia’s scream.
‘Is she being assaulted by a cat? How weak is Estia?’
Estia seemed to be engaged in a fierce battle with Kitty. He decided to leave her be and addressed Luna again.
“Luna.”
“Yes!”
“I’m curious why you haven’t untied the ropes.”
“Hmm…”
Luna hesitated, her lips moving as if she wanted to speak. If she wanted to say something, she should just say it.
Why was she hesitating?
“Luna, just in case… did you come up with some kind of plan while I was unconscious?”
“P-Plan?! I didn’t make any grand plans!”
“So you did make plans, just not grand ones?”
“U-Uh…”
She was being too obvious.
Luna groaned, realizing her mistake. Then, with newfound resolve, she approached him.
“Since I’ve been caught! I have no choice! Mister! Answer my questions truthfully! If you lie, I’ll never untie you! Understand?!”
“Hmm… if you have questions, I’ll answer them even if you untie me.”
“No! This is an interrogation! Stay still!”
An interrogation.
This was getting interesting. If this was the “reward” Luna wanted, he was willing to play along.
“I’ll answer. Ask me what you want to know.”
“Then, I’ll ask without holding back! Mister! Why did you torment us?!”
“Explain it clearly.”
“Why did you make us do such difficult things! We could have dealt with the Demon Lord of Avarice later! You were too hasty this time! Putting the Demon Lord in your body! It was so painful to attack you! Why did you do it?!”
She seemed to have bottled up a lot of frustration. Now that he had asked her to explain clearly, Luna unleashed a torrent of complaints.
He hadn’t realized she was this upset about the incident. He looked directly into Luna’s blue eyes.
“Do you think I made you do difficult things?”
“Of course! We didn’t have to take such a risk this time! It was incredibly dangerous for you to let the Demon Lord possess your body! If you hadn’t been able to control him, we would have lost for sure!”
It was a big risk.
He understood Luna’s frustration, considering her risk-averse nature. But he couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t untie him just to ask such a question.
“That was indeed dangerous.”
“Right! It was hard for us too! You made a wrong judgment-.”
“However, I never give you tasks you can’t handle.”
“…Huh?”
“I entrusted you with the Demon Lord because I believed you could do it. If I made a mistake, it was trusting you.”
“…Huh?”
Luna seemed to short-circuit, her white skin flushing crimson. She seemed embarrassed. Then, as if wanting to confirm his words, she asked again.
“Y-You… trusted us?”
“Yes.”
“What about us did you trust? I’m the Hero, but Hare isn’t that strong. She’s faster than me, but she lacks destructive power!”
“You have excellent physical abilities, but Hare is smarter than you. She might not be as strong in combat, but she’s far better at grasping the overall situation.”
If Luna saw ten people, she would say, “It’s just one person gathered together ten times!”
Hare, on the other hand, would simply say, “There are people gathered,” without much interest.
They had different perspectives on individuals and the whole.
“There’s a difference in speed between analyzing things individually and grasping them as a whole. That’s why Hare’s judgment is faster, and that’s why she can compensate for your shortcomings.”
“Perspective! We see things differently!”
“You could say that.”
He had trusted them because he had seen their potential in the future. If they had defeated the Demon Lord by sheer luck, he would never have put them in such a dangerous situation.
“Besides, Luna, if you consider that a difficult task, you should quit being the Hero right now.”
“I didn’t become the Hero because I wanted to! I would quit if I could!”
“Even if the world would be destroyed if you quit?”
“…Sorry, I’ll just stay the Hero.”
Luna slumped her shoulders, defeated.
She seemed to have misunderstood his intentions because she was still reeling from being beaten up by his body. But he hadn’t lied, so she must have understood his reasoning.
‘I just want to see him quickly, but…’
There was no need to talk about such trivial matters.
The Hero’s party needed to function properly until all the Demon Lords were defeated. They shouldn’t learn about his impending death until it was all over.
“Have I answered your question sufficiently, Luna?”
“Yes, I’m a little touched… I mean! That was a good answer!”
“Then, the ropes-.”
“I’m not untying them yet! I still have more questions! Let’s see…”
Luna pulled a piece of paper from her pocket.
She seemed to have written down her questions so she wouldn’t forget. But she didn’t get a chance to read them.
“Oh, Mister, you’re awake! Good afternoon!”
Estia greeted him cheerfully. Perhaps due to her fierce battle with Kitty, her face was covered in scratches.
“…Your face is quite scratched.”
“I-It’s okay! It’ll heal with holy water! But don’t get up, Mister! You need to rest!”
“No, I’m fine now. So, the ropes-.”
“Quiet! I’m the doctor! The patient must obey the doctor’s orders!”
Estia pulled him up from the floor and laid him on the bed. Luna helped, since Estia wasn’t strong enough to do it alone. Estia, too, had no intention of untying him.
“I don’t understand what you’re thinking…”
“It’s okay! Mister doesn’t have to think! I’ll protect you from now on!”
From today onwards!
She would protect Mister!
Estia declared confidently, taking his hand.
“Mister, just stay in bed and rest! You need to rest! Leave everything to us and rest!”
Estia smiled brightly, urging him to rest. But something felt… off about her words.
‘Something…’
Rest forever.
It felt like she was saying that.
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