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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“I’ll follow you anywhere. Please don’t leave me alone.”
Saten pleaded in the park as dawn approached. She begged him not to leave her alone, to see her, to prioritize her over the others. And her words reached the ears of a certain pink-haired girl, hidden in the shadows.
“…Traitor.”
Trying to monopolize Mister all to herself…?
She was trying to suppress her own desire to do the same…
Saten, who had been talking with Mister…
‘You’re doing this to me…?’
Hare had been following them since they left the house. She recalled what had just happened.
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Late at night.
Hare, always listening intently at Mister’s door before falling asleep, heard an unusual sound. She was especially alert tonight, worried that an assassin might attack Mister while he was bound.
-Mister, are you there?
“…Saten?”
At this late hour…
What was Saten doing visiting Mister?
What if she was doing something inappropriate to Mister while he was tied up? Hare’s heart pounded as she imagined all sorts of scenarios.
‘No… if I show up now… Mister will definitely suspect me…’
Staying awake and eavesdropping on other people’s conversations.
He would think she was rude.
She didn’t want Mister to see her that way.
Hare pressed her ear against the wall, listening quietly.
-I’m going to sleep here tonight. Is that okay?
“Saten…?”
Did she just…
Ask to sleep with Mister…?
Something even she hadn’t done…?
“That black cat… is trying to steal Mister…?”
Hare clenched her fists, suppressing her anger. She wanted to burst into the room, but she took a deep breath, controlling her emotions. Emotional control was Hare’s specialty.
“But… Mister refused… that’s a relief…”
Even though Mister had refused, she couldn’t let her guard down. Hare quietly erased her presence and continued to eavesdrop.
-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…
-It seems you’ve hit a wall.
“Saten has hit a wall…”
So that’s why she’s been acting so strange…
Hare listened to Mister’s and Saten’s thoughts.
‘Eavesdropping is wrong, but…’
This was to protect Mister from Saten.
“It’ll be okay…!”
Hare nodded to herself, somehow convinced by her own reasoning. As she was observing the situation, she realized that they were getting up and leaving the room.
“I-I have to follow them…!!”
Saten might do something terrible to Mister while he’s tied up…!
Hare recalled something Saten had said before.
‘Hare, as you know, I use blood for my magic. I can use your blood too, but the effect is weaker.’
‘…So? What are you trying to say?’
‘But what if I used Mister’s blood? Wouldn’t the efficiency of my magic increase if I used Mister’s blood, which is filled with potent magic power?’
‘T-That’s not allowed…!’
Absolutely not…!
She wouldn’t let Saten turn Mister into a magic circle again…!
With that thought, Hare followed them as they left the house in the middle of the night…
She managed to remain undetected, listening to their entire conversation.
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“That traitor. Trying to seduce Mister while I was gone…?”
She couldn’t stand it.
But she had to endure.
Mister hadn’t noticed she was following them, and if he found out, he would scold her. She had to endure to stay in his good graces.
‘I was so heartbroken when Mister distanced himself from me after the last incident… I can’t let that happen again…!’
Hare made up her mind.
She would bury this incident deep within her heart.
She wouldn’t tell anyone to avoid being discovered.
She would keep it a secret.
“Saten… I’ll never forget what you did today…”
Trying to monopolize Mister.
She would never forget.
Hare vowed to remember this day.
“My plan is a four-year plan… I’ll endure for now…”
She might appear to have let go of her greed, but…
She was the greediest member of the Hero’s party.
Her methods were different, but…
Her nature remained unchanged.
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“Now, Mister, say ah~.”
“…”
“Come on-! Being picky is bad! Open your mouth!”
No.
He absolutely didn’t want to eat this.
He couldn’t bring himself to put that spoonful of vegetables into his mouth.
“Luna, are you seriously trying to kill me?”
“You won’t die from eating it! Salad is good for your health!”
“It looks hazardous to my health.”
“I-It’s just your imagination! Healthy food usually looks weird!”
But why…
Was the salad dressed in black?
Even black sesame dressing wasn’t this dark.
What kind of sauce had Luna concocted?
Seven days since he had been tied up.
He still couldn’t get used to their cooking.
“Now! Eat first, think later! Open your mouth!”
“…”
If he had to be punished, it was better to get it over with quickly. He reluctantly opened his mouth and swallowed the… salad.
“You ate it! How is it?! Delicious, right?!”
“…”
“Your silence means it’s delicious! Hare, we finally did it! Clap your hands!”
“Yay…”
Clap, clap-
Hare’s clapping lacked any enthusiasm. His expression must have given him away. He gave Luna his honest assessment.
“Luna.”
“Yes!”
“This is my limit. I’ll die if I keep eating food like this.”
“T-That’s impossible! It’s delicious!”
Sniff-
Luna sniffed the salad.
“It smells delicious! It must be good!”
“Then you eat it.”
“I-It’s a little… awkward for me to eat since I put so much effort into making it, hee hee… I’ll just eat the steamed potatoes from the kitchen!”
…She knew it wasn’t edible. He was slightly annoyed that she had tried to force him to eat it, but…
He didn’t feel like taking revenge on the chick-like Luna. Taking revenge on a child seemed too cruel.
He addressed Luna, who was placing the salad bowl on the table.
“I think it’s time to remove the bandages on my chest and untie these ropes. I’ve rested enough.”
“Hmm… is that so? Hmmmmm…”
Luna adopted a Sherlock Holmes-like pose, deep in thought. After a long deliberation, she turned and walked towards the hallway.
“Doctor! I’ll go get the doctor!”
“…Alright.”
Even though she was a quack.
Luna had gone to fetch Estia, the so-called Saint. He and Hare were now alone in the room. Hare spoke first.
“…M-Mister, are you feeling better now?”
“I was always fine. You’re the ones who forced me to rest.”
“B-But you didn’t do anything for a while… wasn’t it… nice…?”
“Nice…”
Come to think of it…
Everything except the meals had been quite relaxing. He had just lain in bed, staring at the ceiling. And when he got bored, the Hero’s party would visit and chat with him after their training.
‘Twenty minutes of conversation was the perfect amount.’
Anything beyond that was tiring and noisy. But overall…
“It wasn’t bad. You could say that.”
“T-Then that means… it was good…!”
“You could interpret it that way.”
Hare smiled, seemingly encouraged by his words. She had recently mastered the art of erasing her presence and was becoming more agile, like a true rogue. Hare seemed to be in peak condition.
“Hare.”
“Yes!”
“Don’t cause any trouble and keep up the good work. You’re doing very well.”
“T-Thank you, Mister… I’ll work even harder…!”
Thank you…!
Hare clenched her fists, her voice filled with determination.
“T-Thank you, Mister… but… I have a question…”
“Go ahead.”
“How is… Saten… doing lately…? Is she… alright…?”
She had always been a strange child, but…
By her standards, Saten was doing relatively well lately. As he was about to answer Hare’s question…
Crash!
“Doctor! You called for a doctor! Estia, the Saintess, is here!”
Like an ambulance crashing through the door…
Estia made a grand entrance. She rushed over to him and started fussing over the bandages on his chest.
“H-Hmm…! I think…! They’re probably all healed!”
“Aren’t you being a little too careless?”
“I don’t have X-ray vision! How am I supposed to know what’s underneath the bandages! I have to see it with my own eyes! Mister! Take off the bandages!”
“I-I’ll help…”
Hare carefully unwrapped the bandages, revealing the wound underneath. But the Hero’s party’s reaction was unexpected.
“Huh…? Estia…? Didn’t you use your divine power?”
“I-I did! W-What’s going on?”
“The bleeding has stopped… but the scar is still there… It hasn’t healed…”
It hasn’t healed.
Was that really true? Were they teasing him? He looked at his reflection in the mirror, examining the scar on his chest. He couldn’t help but be surprised.
‘I used divine power… but why is the scar still there…?’
An inexplicable scar.
Divine power should have been more than enough to heal it completely.
Why hadn’t it worked? There was only one possible explanation. Hare, seemingly realizing the same thing, spoke first.
“…The Holy Sword.”
“W-What? T-The Holy Sword? Why?”
“…Because you were cut by the Holy Sword, Mister. That’s why the wound isn’t healing properly. I guess even divine power can’t completely heal a wound inflicted by the Holy Sword.”
“W-What…? T-That’s impossible…”
Luna touched the scar gently, as if in denial. But the scar was real, visible and tangible. She had to accept the truth.
“I… I gave Mister a serious wound on his chest…”
Luna’s face was filled with guilt as she lowered her head. She looked distraught.
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