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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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It was late at night.
Knock, knock-
Saten’s voice accompanied the knocking.
“Are you awake, Mister?”
Clear and curt, Saten’s voice was unmistakable. He hadn’t been able to sleep, his body too restless, his mind too active.
What could she possibly want at this hour?
He answered simply.
“It’s cold in the hallway, come in quickly.”
You’ll catch a cold.
Saten opened the door as if she had been waiting for his response.
Creak-
She was carrying something.
“…Why did you bring a blanket and pillow, Saten?”
“I thought I might need them.”
Need them…
Saten, holding a pillow and blanket in her arms. She wasn’t planning a pillow fight, so… there was only one reason she could have brought them.
“Saten.”
“Yes.”
He spoke to stop her from approaching him… or rather, his bed.
“Are you… planning to sleep here?”
“Yes, is there a problem?”
A problem?
There were more problems than he could count.
Even though she was still young, sleeping together, outside of specific circumstances like with Luna, was inappropriate unless they were very close. And if it was a man and a woman?
Even more dangerous.
Even if he didn’t harbor any feelings, others might misinterpret the situation. Luna, Hare, and Estia would see it differently.
He spoke gently to Saten, who was getting closer to the bed.
“We can’t sleep together.”
“Why not? I even brought a pillow and blanket. Are you telling me to leave?”
Flap-
Saten unfolded the blanket like a flying squirrel, her expression clearly showing her displeasure.
“Still no.”
“I was alone for three weeks while you were gone. Can’t you do this much for me?”
“…I’ll make it up to you in another way. Go back to your room and sleep.”
“I won’t do anything. I’ll just sleep.”
Why was she so insistent? Saten acted as if she wouldn’t back down.
‘Suddenly appearing in the middle of the night and asking to sleep together… what is she thinking…?’
While he was gone…
Did she want to make up for that lost time now, in the middle of the night?
Was that it?
“The pillow and blanket are heavy, Mister. Can I put them down?”
“No, wait. Let me think about it.”
If he gave in to Saten’s request…
He would have to deal with Luna and Hare, who always woke up early, while still bound by the ropes.
Could he handle that?
‘I didn’t take a nap because I had nothing else to do…’
He had been kept awake until dawn because they had confiscated his alcohol.
And now this.
Saten asked again.
“I’m going to sleep here tonight. Is that okay?”
“…”
“If you really don’t want me to, I’ll go back to my room. I wanted to talk to you alone, without any interruptions, since it’s been so long. But if you won’t allow it, I can’t help it.”
“Sigh…”
…He had no choice.
Saten had appeared in the middle of the night with an unreasonable request. But she seemed to have struggled during his absence, and he couldn’t refuse her outright.
He looked at Saten’s expressionless face, which now held a hint of dejection.
“Alright, if you just want to talk… you can sleep in my room tonight.”
“Thank you, Mister.”
Saten gave a stiff, small bow.
“But.”
“Yes?”
“I’ll sleep on the floor. You can sleep on the bed.”
“…Excuse me?”
He had shared a tent with Luna.
And Hare had witnessed it.
He had to offer a compromise to prevent a repeat of that situation. Saten seemed displeased with the compromise, hesitating before answering.
“…The floor will be cold.”
“You’ll be warm with the blanket. It’s fine.”
“…The floor will be hard.”
“I like sleeping on hard surfaces.”
“…Then, let’s do that.”
Very rarely…
Saten pouted as she walked towards the bed. It was less like a duck’s pout and more like a platypus’s. The expression was subtle, but he could clearly sense her emotions.
‘I hope that emotion doesn’t turn black and rot, but grows beautifully…’
Could she move forward without him?
He was a little worried.
He lay down on the floor after Saten settled into the bed. The silence of the night filled the room. Saten, unusually emotional, spoke first.
“Mister.”
“Go ahead.”
“Why were you still awake?”
“…I took a nap in the afternoon because I had nothing to do, and the little chicks confiscated my alcohol, so I couldn’t sleep.”
And he was tied up. Saten looked down at him from the bed, her eyes filled with curiosity as she examined the ropes.
“That’s an interesting magical tool. Restricting the physical abilities of the person bound. Very versatile.”
“It’s useful for completing adventurer quests and extracting information from opponents.”
“And you’re currently bound by such a useful magical tool.”
“…”
She had a point. Saten leaned on the edge of the bed, looking down at him.
“Is this the first time you’ve been bound by that magical tool, Mister?”
“…Why do you ask?”
“You seem very relaxed. If Hare stabbed you with her dagger right now, you would die.”
“…Hare doesn’t stab people randomly.”
He wondered what Saten truly thought of Hare. He knew they were relatively close. Anyway, he decided to answer her question.
“You asked if this was the first time I’ve been bound by this magical tool, right?”
“Yes.”
“It’s not the first time. I’ve been tied up before.”
The day Aina used him as an experiment subject. He had been tied up then, too. It hadn’t been life-threatening, but he had felt the fear of death for the first time.
“I was tied up and directly hit with null magic.”
“Did you… consent?”
“Of course not.”
It had been a forced experiment. As a result, he had made progress with null magic. It was easier to understand by experiencing it firsthand rather than just reading about it.
When he later asked Aina why she had done it, she simply said,
“Just get stronger quickly.”
“You made progress with null magic by being tied up and attacked. How peculiar.”
“It was peculiar and painful.”
“Then, Mister, would you do it to me? It would be beneficial for both of us if my magic improved.”
“W-What?”
Had Saten finally lost her mind? He sat up abruptly, startled by her words. It was hard to believe those words had come from Saten.
‘The proud Saten, asking to be hit with magic?’
It was absurd.
But Saten was always sincere. She would rather injure herself than be hurt by others, never allowing her opponents to land a blow.
It was strange that she was willing to be attacked to improve her magic. And appearing in his room in the middle of the night… Could it be…?
“Saten.”
“Yes, Mister.”
“Just in case… I have to ask…”
Could she see the wall?
The thick, high wall of magical talent.
Saten, with her vast magic power and brilliant mind… Judging by the current situation…
“While you were gone… I tried to study magic on my own… The book on null magic you gave me. I can’t understand the last page at all.”
Saten bit her lip in frustration.
“Estia is learning from her teacher and making progress… Luna and Hare are training… It was difficult… knowing that I was the only one standing still…”
She had struggled without him.
And now, even her lifelong companion, magic, had hit a wall.
Her emotions were in turmoil.
Had the unyielding Saten finally broken? She lay on the bed, expressionless, but she seemed deeply depressed, as if trapped in a mire.
‘I’ve hit quite a few walls myself.’
This might be Saten’s first time reaching the last page, but…
He had hit a wall at least four times before.
The talent for null magic allowed one to see the limits of magic.
Finding someone with that talent was like finding a diamond on a sandy beach. But Saten was walking a path he had already trodden. He would show her a new way forward.
“Saten, you said you hit a wall?”
“…Yes, I can’t understand the last page at all.”
“If I tell you how to interpret it, you’ll have to explain everything that comes after.”
Saten had to interpret the last page herself. The final page, connecting the end and the beginning, was too important.
So…
He reached into the closet and pulled out his coat.
“Mister? What are you doing?”
Saten looked at him curiously. If he was getting his coat, the answer was obvious.
“Shall we take a walk?”
“A walk… at this late hour?”
A late-night walk was even better. For this reclusive mage, the quiet darkness of night was preferable.
“When you hit a wall, it’s good to look for another path.”
To clear their minds.
He and Saten snuck out for a late-night stroll.
“It’s cold, so take my hand, Saten.”
“…Alright.”
It was colder at night. Perhaps that’s why…
Saten’s usually pale cheeks were flushed a light pink.
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