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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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With his arms still bound, he entered Saten’s room, following the sound of her movements.
Slam-
“Saten, it seems you’ve finally awakened.”
“…Mister?”
Was she surprised he was still alive? Saten’s eyes widened in surprise. Seeing her up close, he noticed how much weight she had lost.
“Mister, I’m glad you’re alive. Please wait a moment, I’ll come to you.”
Saten started to walk towards him.
But she shouldn’t have.
“Don’t come any closer, Saten.”
“Excuse me? Are you rejecting me?”
“No.”
She was misunderstanding again. He pointed to the floor. Shards of broken glass littered the ground.
“You’ll hurt your feet if you walk over here barefoot. I’ll come to you.”
“…Alright.”
He slowly approached Saten.
Pale skin.
Emaciated frame.
Had she been neglecting her meals, focusing solely on books and magic while he was gone?
Besides the broken glass, the room was a mess. It didn’t look like the room of the usually tidy Saten.
“Your room has become quite messy.”
“…I’ll clean it right now. I’ve been too busy lately to pay attention to my surroundings. I’m sorry.”
“It’s your space, there’s no need to apologize. But it’s good to keep things tidy.”
“You’re right. I’ll clean up the glass first. Please wait a moment.”
Saten extended her hand towards the floor, channeling her magic power.
“Decomposition. Return to nature.”
A cold mist of magic power spread across the floor, enveloping the shards of glass. As the magic swept across the surface, the floor became spotless.
‘Has she made progress with her null magic while I was gone?’
Judging by her grimace, the spell wasn’t very efficient, but it seemed she was finally getting a grasp of how to use it.
Should he give her the second volume on null magic as a gift? He considered this as he met Saten’s gaze.
“It seems you’ve made progress with your magic.”
“Yes, it was difficult to concentrate, but I had nothing else to do. More importantly, Mister.”
“What is it?”
Saten’s demeanor suddenly changed, her voice turning cold.
“The ropes binding your arms. Are they… what I think they are?”
“…I don’t know what you’re thinking, but you’re probably wrong.”
“Then, should I assume I’m mistaken? I don’t think so. Judging by their behavior and their past actions, my suspicions are most likely correct. Aren’t they?”
“…”
Saten suspected Luna and Hare.
She believed they had injured and restrained him as part of a plan to imprison him.
That’s why she seemed to be caught in a web of delusional thoughts about the ropes.
“Luna and Hare. They plotted to kidnap you, didn’t they? Your delirium was caused by Estia’s holy water. You weren’t possessed by a Demon Lord, you were attacked by them. Isn’t that right?”
Saten gripped the ropes tightly, her voice accusatory.
‘What happened to her…?’
Saten usually focused on facts, approaching everything objectively. She always prioritized logic over emotions. But now, she was far too biased.
When did she start changing…?
‘After she developed emotions. Is she being swayed by them?’
Emotions clouded judgment. Subjective feelings interfered with objectivity, obscuring the truth.
It seemed Saten was being controlled by her newly acquired emotions. He needed to correct her irrational behavior.
“Saten. Sit on the bed.”
“I’m sitting.”
“First, Saten, do you think I wasn’t attacked by a Demon Lord?”
“Yes, there’s no reason for you to be possessed by a Demon Lord. You have a strong spirit, and you wouldn’t willingly hand over your body to a Demon Lord.”
I know you well, Mister.
Saten spoke with conviction.
However…
“You don’t know me that well.”
“Excuse me…?”
He had good hearing. He sensed three presences near the door and lowered his voice, whispering in Saten’s ear.
“I was attacked by a Demon Lord.”
“That’s impossible-.”
“It’s different if I did it on purpose. I offered my body to the Demon Lord to destroy him.”
He had used the ropes as part of the plan.
And received the wound on his chest.
Saten listened carefully, then replied,
“That’s a rather hasty and reckless plan for you, Mister. There must be another reason… Am I right?”
As expected, she was sharp. The reason he had allowed himself to be possessed was to maximize the Hero’s party’s growth.
Saten had realized there was another motive behind his dangerous actions. There was no point in trying to deceive her.
“Keep this to yourself. And don’t tell Luna and Hare.”
“What about Estia?”
“It doesn’t matter if you tell her. She wouldn’t understand anyway.”
“Alright.”
Saten nodded. But she still seemed to have some misconceptions.
“Then, Luna and Hare have been keeping you tied up… Are they doing this to imprison you?”
“…”
That wasn’t a misunderstanding. Luna, Hare, and Estia were imprisoning him.
Not in the way Saten imagined, but…
“They are indeed confining me. Not to capture me or kill me. They’re keeping me tied up because they want me to rest.”
“…That’s hard to believe, but… I’ll trust you, Mister. I understand they didn’t have any malicious intentions.”
Saten accepted his explanation surprisingly easily. Then, she said something she wouldn’t have said before.
“I should apologize for causing unnecessary trouble because of my misunderstanding.”
“…You’ve done a lot of thinking.”
“Yes, while you were gone… I reflected deeply on my mistake. I’m sorry for trying to erase your memories, Mister.”
Saten bowed her head, a gesture he had never seen from her before. It was a sincere apology, a sign of genuine remorse. He felt a surge of pride.
“It’s alright, I’ve forgiven you. You apologized well, Saten.”
“Thank you for accepting my apology. Then, I have to clean my room, and I’m running out of time, so I’ll go apologize to the others. Where are they-?”
As soon as Saten finished speaking, the two girls in question emerged from behind the door.
“We’re here! Apologize right now!”
“A-Apologize, Saten. Apologize for your wrong assumptions…!”
“Alright.”
Saten gave them a slight nod. It wasn’t a deep bow, but compared to her past behavior, it was almost angelic.
Luna, acting magnanimous, replied,
“Alright! This Hero will graciously accept your apology! Now, accept my handshake of reconciliation!”
“…Alright.”
Had she truly changed? Saten lightly grasped Luna’s outstretched hand.
And then…
“O-Ow!! Hey! Your nails! Oww! Let go! Mister! Saten is bullying me!”
“That’s impossible. I’m all skin and bones, how could I possibly hurt your muscular hand? You’re exaggerating, Luna.”
Was she exaggerating?
He didn’t think so. Saten smiled faintly as she shook Luna’s hand.
It wasn’t a smile of amusement, but one of annoyance. He felt like he was starting to understand the slightly changed Saten.
‘She’s not good at controlling her emotions, but…’
Was she learning how to express them? Saten was expressing her anger through the handshake with Luna.
As long as she didn’t lose control of her emotions and fall into dangerous patterns of thinking…
Saten’s future would be alright.
‘What was that condition called again…?’
Intermittent explosive disorder.
Perhaps that’s what Saten was experiencing. He would teach her how to manage it later. He turned to Saten, who had finished apologizing to Hare.
“Now that the apologies and cleaning are done, how about untying these ropes, Saten?”
“At first, I didn’t think the ropes were a good idea. But if it helps you rest, Mister, then I approve.”
“…I see.”
“Yes, go back to your room and rest, Mister. I’ll visit you later. Everyone, please leave now.”
I need to clean my room.
Slam-
Saten firmly shut the door, seemingly embarrassed about the state of her room.
‘Estia is still sleeping.’
Was it still an hour before her waking time? He passed the sleeping Estia in the hallway and headed towards the dining room.
“Then, I’ll prepare dinner tonight-.”
“No!”
“N-No…!”
“Go back to your room and rest, Mister! We’ll cook!”
Of course, the Hero’s party prevented him from reaching the dining room.
Much later, after another… questionable meal…
Saten, who had promised to visit him…
Knock, knock-
“Are you awake, Mister?”
…appeared at his door in the dead of night, when everyone else was asleep. He didn’t know why she had come at such a late hour, but he answered.
“It’s cold in the hallway, come in quickly.”
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