I Kidnapped the Hero Party – Chapter 15

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Saten Sicilia.

As she looked around the banquet hall, she thought to herself.

Boring.

People reacted like chimpanzee dolls clapping to voices.

To think that these things and her were the same species.

Saten didn’t like that fact.

‘Insects should live as insects. Why do these insects act like insects even though they’re human?’

They adorned themselves with useless shiny ornaments, yet their rotten hearts remained unchanged.

No matter how much they dressed up, their essence was the same stupid insect.

“To think I have to grace this place for such trash, how troublesome, Knight Commander.”

“..They are our precious source of money, Saten. Don’t use harsh words, this is a public place.”

Grind-

Saten’s father, Lennon, looked at Saten with a hateful gaze.

A gaze suppressing maximum anger, not looking like a father.

Saten received such unfavorable treatment within the family, but her talent alone was recognized, allowing her to live like a person.

‘Anger is better than indifference, I suppose.’

Because there was a time when she had wandered like a ghost in the family due to indifference, Saten didn’t find this situation too bad.

No matter how much they hated her, Saten couldn’t feel anything.

As long as they provided her with three meals a day, Saten had no complaints.

Lennon spoke to Saten with a hateful gaze.

“Saten. Soon, I will introduce you. Watch your mouth and show them your talent. Show that you have talent worth breaking tradition for.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Saten nodded with an emotionless expression.

Showing her talent was a very easy task, and she became curious about how people would react when she showed that talent.

However, more than the curiosity of showing her talent.

A situation that could arouse more curiosity appeared before her eyes.

‘What is that insect doing? He’s wearing a mask and using invisibility magic.’

No, perhaps that man wasn’t an insect.

‘Person’ would be a more accurate expression for that man.

Because he was showing his own behavior among many people, not acting while watching others’ reactions.

Saten saw a man approaching her in the darkness as the lights went out.

Although he was using invisibility magic, Saten, who was deeply versed in magic, could notice.

‘The masked man. I wonder who he is. Judging by how he’s approaching me in that form. He’s probably trying to kidnap me.’

Hmm.

He was a man who stimulated her curiosity.

Saten fixed her gaze on the man approaching her among the people.

And looking at him wearing a mask, she recalled the situation.

‘If I disappear from here. How will my family react?’

Will they get angry, sad, or perhaps happy?

That was worth pondering, unlike her treatment in the past, now that things had changed, how would the family members act if she was gone?

Curiosity.

Saten fixed her gaze on the approaching man with curiosity.

He seemed surprised that she was looking at him, but soon he steadily approached Saten.

And finally, the masked man Lee Jun-woo stopped in front of her.

Saten showed him a seductive smile and whispered.

“You. Kidnap me.”

With expressionless jet-black eyes, Saten told Lee Jun-woo.

It was a choice that only she, who had lost her mind, could make.

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What was this woman thinking?

Asking to be kidnapped.

She was not in her right mind.

I left the banquet hall wearing a mask.

In my arms, I was carrying the Hero party’s mage Saten like a princess.

Inside, they seemed to have finally grasped the situation, as there were signs of busy movement.

“…I should hurry.”

“Yes, please hurry. Mr. Kidnapper. We might get caught at this rate.”

Grin.

Saten showed a smile.

‘She’s making such an expression to her kidnapper. Can she not feel fear…?’

A smile that didn’t seem to feel any threat of death at all.

Her expression was smiling, but inside there was something that seemed hollow.

More than that…

“Why did you ask me to kidnap you?”

“There was no particular reason. I was just curious about their reactions. There’s no value in it beyond that.”

“You’re arrogant.”

“People say that talented people are arrogant. Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Kidnapper. More importantly, I sense movement at the entrance. Will we be able to get out?”

“…”

It seemed they had placed guards at the entrance in preparation for unexpected situations.

They must have sensed that something had happened inside, as they were on edge and concentrating.

They looked like knights at the very top of formal knights in terms of skill.

“Even if you’re Mr. Kidnapper, it’ll be difficult if a tracking team is attached. What are you going to do?”

“I’ll hide my appearance like when I approached you.”

“Ah, that invisibility magic? I could see through it. A magic circle described simply with free form. It was quite impressive. Are you a mage, Mr. Kidnapper?”

“…You could say that.”

I learned magic from ‘her’, and I’d studied a lot on my own.

Even if it was not a top-tier mage, I should be a skilled mage at least.

So I cast the spell and approached the main gate where the knights were guarding.

‘…These knights don’t seem to have any magical aptitude.’

I was using magic that made the body invisible.

A knight who has reached a certain level should be able to sense the presence of magic intuitively, but these guys guarding weren’t like that.

Because of that, it was very convenient to be able to escape from the banquet hall safely.

‘Should kidnapping be this easy?’

There was no one with magical aptitude inside either, and the only person who saw through my magic was Saten in my arms…

‘…Wait.’

Surely, that person was in the banquet hall…?

That person who had reached a level where they could penetrate my magic.

As if confirming my prediction.

On the path to return home after passing through the knights.

A silver-white knight was standing there.

It was my old companion Irina.

Damn it.

“You there, masked one. Stop.”

“…”

“To kidnap in front of everyone. You’ve got guts. Even though I, Irina, the commander of the Sylvester Knights, am watching.”

Irina glared at me with sharp eyes from afar.

It was the sharp eyes of a knight who had been through thick and thin.

“If you have a mouth, why don’t you speak?”

“…”

“Answering with silence, eh. So that’s how you’ll play it. I understand well. Then, I’ll take that girl. Pay with your life for the crime of attempting to kidnap a noble lady.”

No, if I spoke, she’d recognize it was me.

Irina could immediately identify my voice.

That was why I couldn’t say anything.

Saten whispered to me in this situation.

“Speak, Mr. Kidnapper. At this rate, the knight will kill you?”

“…I can’t speak.”

“Hmm, then how about this? Since you’ve taken me hostage, threaten that knight saying you’ll kill me.”

“…”

Aren’t you being too cooperative?

This woman.

She was giving kidnapping consultations to me, her kidnapper.

She seemed frustrated by my hesitation, so she began to take action herself.

Stab.

“Ky-Kyaah…!! Th-This man. He’s trying to kill me…!!”

“Wait! You, kidnapper…! Stop your actions! To stab the lady with a dagger..! Y-You coward…!!”

Perhaps Irina couldn’t see from far away.

That Saten had taken out a dagger from my waist and stabbed her own shoulder herself.

Blood dripped down from her and she was grinning as if feeling no pain at all.

It was a self-made act.

She was using me by creating a situation convenient for kidnapping.

“What are you doing? I’ve created such an opportunity for you… You should use it…?”

“…Damn it.”

With no choice, I pointed the dagger at Irina.

And expressing ‘I’ll stab if you come!’ as best I could with my body, I stepped back.

Seeing this, Irina raised both hands above her head and nodded.

“A-Alright. I won’t approach. Instead, please spare the lady’s life. Although she belongs to my rival knighthood, she is still a citizen of the Empire. I hope you will protect her life at least.”

The honest knight Irina.

She was looking at me with a tense expression.

‘It’s good I wore a mask.’

In that state, I moved away from Irina, walking backward while pointing the dagger at Saten’s neck.

“…I’ll let you go this time, but if we meet again in the Empire, I will certainly arrest you. Masked man.”

“…”

I hoped we would never meet again.

Irina’s figure, unable to grasp my identity, grew smaller and smaller, and disappeared around the corner.

After quickly fleeing from there, when I could no longer sense Irina’s presence, I shouted at Saten.

“Are you crazy? To do such a thing in your right mind…”

“Others say I’m not in my right mind, but I think I am.”

“…Should I just take you back?”

I was worried she might have a bad influence on Luna and Hare.

Saten seemed to be bothered by my words, as she frowned for a moment and reached her hand towards my face.

There was no impact, but the mask covering my face had disappeared.

Saten, holding that mask in her hand, said to me.

“So this is what my kidnapper looks like. Unexpectedly neat and handsome.”

“…Give me back the mask.”

“Here you go.”

Saten obediently returned the mask.

If you were going to do this, why did you take it in the first place…?

After that, she began to strangle my neck while explaining her intention for taking off my mask.

Saten’s expression was coldly emotionless.

“I remembered it.”

“…What?”

“Your face. I can draw it and show my memory to people. So…”

If you don’t want to be wanted by the entire nation.

You should either kill me.

Or kidnap me.

Saten, seemed to have no fear of death.

She was rather pressuring me, her kidnapper, with a two-choice dilemma.

“The world seems to be turning upside down…”

It was a truly bold and crazy action.

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