I Kidnapped the Hero Party – Chapter 29

—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
—————————————————————–

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

 
What would it feel like when talent and effort combined?

Would confidence overflow, making one feel like they could do anything, and everything in the world seem easy?

As a mere ordinary person, I couldn’t properly empathize with that feeling.

But I was witnessing the sight of tremendous talent and effort combined right before my eyes.

“Hyaah-!!”

Tap-

Luna’s swordsmanship was gradually finding its place.

Her wooden sword thrust towards my side.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that thrust resembled that of a knight who had honed thrusting for 10 years.

At least in form.

“Still, you’re weak, Luna. Your strength is lacking, and you have no technique.”

“Wh-What! How did you dodge-”

“Predict the dodge and continue your action. Otherwise, your mind will become empty.”

“Ack-!”

Clang-!

Even so, if she had grown this much, in a few years she’d be able to match upper-rank adventurers.

Luna rolled around the yard like a ball, holding her head.

I approached her and spoke quietly.

It was for feedback.

“Your posture today wasn’t bad. But your fighting skill was terrible.”

“Ow- My head… Tch, why are you hitting a growing child’s head, Mister! Will you take responsibility if my brain cells die?!”

“Your brain cells were few to begin with, so it doesn’t matter. If 10% of 100 disappears it’s 10, but if 10% of 10 disappears it’s 1, so it’s fine.”

“Wh-What did you say! Are you done talking?! Apologize to my brain cells!”

Growl-

The charging Luna was like a fierce Golden Retriever, but she was still just a puppy.

No matter how much Luna growled, in my eyes she still felt like a growing puppy.

It meant she still had a lot to learn.

“Work hard, Luna.”

“I am! I told you! I’ll beat you soon!”

“With that skill and talent, it’ll probably take more than 10 years.”

“Argh-!! So annoying-!!”

It was a lie.

Luna’s talent was so outstanding that I had to instill humility in her so she wouldn’t be buried in that talent.

If not, she would make a critical mistake in a real battle.

“Luna.”

“…What. Why are you calling the talentless Luna?”

“You have no talent. So, if you face an opponent in a real battle. Never let your guard down. You, who have no talent, must never let your guard down. Got it-”

“I got it-! Tch, I got it! I’ll never let my guard down. Happy?”

Luna seemed upset at being told she had no talent.

She was pouting her lips like a duck, the yellow color even made her look similar to a duck.

More precisely,

“It’s more like a chick.”

“Wh-What! What about me! Why are you making a fuss about me! I keep hearing strange sounds in my ears too! Why are you being like this to me!”

“Hmm?”

Strange sounds?

She didn’t drink Estia’s holy water, did she?

As far as I knew, that holy water had hallucinogenic and auditory hallucination effects.

Since Estia couldn’t fill up divine power alone, and wouldn’t share it with others, Luna probably didn’t drink it.

‘The auditory hallucination is probably just mishearing, for example, the voice of the confined Hare.’

Well, it was probably that kind of misunderstanding.

‘By the way, I need to feed holy water to Estia soon…’

If holy water was suddenly not supplied to a holy water addict, side effects and withdrawal symptoms would keep appearing, if I was not careful, she might lose her mind.

Whether to raid a church or a drug dealer, the thought that I had to do one of the two soon crossed my mind.

In the meantime, Luna asked me.

“Mister. I’m curious about something. This is something I’m really seriously curious about.”

“What are you curious about?”

“When are you going to let Hare out, who’s glaring at us from that window? Her eyes look a bit scary…? She doesn’t look well either.”

Luna pointed at Hare in the distance.

Hare was wistfully placing her hand on the window with sad eyes.

Her red eyes, bloodshot from crying so much, were staring directly at me.

Luna seemed to sympathize with Hare.

“Hare is pitiful, isn’t she? What she did was wrong, trying to help Estia escape, but it’s already been 5 days. In that small room without any conversation! Why don’t you forgive her and let her out now, Mister?”

“Letting Hare out isn’t for me to decide. It’s for Hare to decide.”

“What?”

Lightly ignoring Luna’s gaze that seemed to say ‘What is this crazy person talking about’,

I walked towards the house without saying anything.

‘I don’t hear her voice asking to be let out anymore. It’s about time to check on her.’

Luna urgently asked me as I walked away without saying anything.

“Mister! Where are you going?!”

“Home. I’ll listen to your opinion once.”

“Huh…? Is the day Mister dies approaching…? Why are you listening to my opinion…?”

“…Luna, run 30 laps around the yard.”

“Ca-Cancel! Please pretend you didn’t hear that!”

“There’s no such thing.”

Ignoring Luna’s screams, I approached Hare’s room.

Whether Hare had properly realized her mistake by now or whether she had reflected and repented her sins.

With the mindset of a correctional officer examining a criminal’s parole, I decided to open the door and face her.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

Day 1 of confinement.

I just cried with sadness.

I never dreamed Mister would dislike me so much.

“I-I’m sorry… I-I did wrong… Please don’t abandon me, Mister…”

I cried out to Mister to let me out, shouting that I did wrong until I felt like I would burst.

I considered it my fault for not being cunning and meticulous.

Perhaps because of that, Mister didn’t open the door.

Day 2.

I could see Mister and Luna through the window gap.

They looked happy, they seemed to be communicating emotions while training swordsmanship.

Their bodies were close, and Mister even embraced Luna.

“Is-Is Luna trying to take Mister away…? Wh-While I’m gone…?”

For a moment, I had the ugly thought that it would be good if I could get rid of Luna too.

Even though Luna had been kind to me, an unbearable jealousy welled up in me towards her, and I hated myself so much for being confined because of that reason.

“How bad of a child have I become… Sniff, Mister… I’m sorry… I-I’m such a bad child…”

That day too, I spent the day crying, and I didn’t want to do anything.

I spent time hugging my pillow, thinking it was Mister.

Day 3.

I knocked on the door that wouldn’t open and scratched it with my fingertips.

It hurt so much, but Mister didn’t answer.

‘Wh-When will I be able to get out…? Wh-What if Mister never looks at me again…?’

It felt like I was falling into a lake of unknown depth.

I became afraid of myself falling deeper and deeper.

I’d rather die.

I’d just die rather than that.

Because my reason for living is with Mister.

“Le-Let me out… Please… I-I did wrong… Mister…”

I called for Mister all day that day.

My throat tasted of blood, and at times my voice wouldn’t even come out properly.

‘Why… Why won’t you look at me, Mister…’

Still, Mister didn’t open the door, and I started to seriously think about what my mistake was.

Day 4.

I realized Mister wouldn’t open the door.

I decided to give up calling for Mister now.

It was the moment I started to properly take time for reflection.

“My-My mistake… My mistake was doing something Mister dislikes…”

The action of helping someone escape, the action of trying to kill a friend.

That must be my mistake.

Because it was the action of a bad child.

“Th-Then… My mistake was becoming a bad child…”

In front of Mister, my mistake was doing something Mister dislikes.

I properly realized what my mistake was.

“If I was going to be a really bad child… I shouldn’t have been caught by Mister… Meticulously, systematically. I shouldn’t have acted impulsively…”

Never think about killing a friend, because Mister dislikes it.

If I was confident I’d never be caught by Mister.

“Then it’s okay to do it…”

Because it’s fine if I don’t get caught.

Because it’s fine if Mister doesn’t know.

Because I just need to cunningly deceive Mister.

I could realize 100% of my mistake on the bed.

And, Day 5.

Creak-

Light came through the gap in the door.

The door opened, and Mister, whom I had been desperately waiting for, appeared.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

Hare’s condition didn’t look good at all at first glance.

She had dark circles under her bloodshot red eyes, and her pink hair was disheveled.

She hadn’t eaten properly, so her already thin body had become even thinner, and Hare’s fingertips were covered in wounds.

That messy Hare looked at me as if she was happy.

“Mister… You came… I missed you so much…”

“…Hare, are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine… I’m happy to see you, Mister…”

Hare answered with a smile.

Although her condition didn’t look good, unlike before, she seemed much calmer.

‘The effect of confinement was definitely there.’

Just as I had achieved rapid growth when I was confined for 30 days, Hare was showing a matured appearance different from before in a short period.

On the outside.

‘I’ll have to see what’s really inside.’

Had Hare grasped her mistake?

If she hadn’t grasped it, I would have no choice but to start her confinement again, because it was time for reflection for that purpose.

I seriously asked Hare, who was trying hard to smile.

“…Hare. While you were in this room. How did you feel?”

“I hated it so much… Not being able to see Mister, not being able to hear your voice, it was so painful… Not knowing when I could get out made it even worse…”

“…Then, did you realize anything during that time?”

Hare nodded her head vigorously at those words.

As if she had accurately grasped her mistake, she shed tears.

She began to plead her mistake in a pitiful tone along with a metallic voice.

“I-I did wrong… Even if I disliked it, I shouldn’t have thought about killing a friend… I-I shouldn’t have done that… Helping with the escape was bad too… I’m such a bad child for having such thoughts… Sniff, I’m sorry…”

“Who are you sorry to?”

“…”

Hare paused her answer for a moment.

And then.

Smile-

She smiled again and answered.

“I’m sorry to Mister too, but Estia. I’m most sorry to that child. I almost took her life, didn’t I?”

“…”

Excellent.

With this level of reflection, perhaps I could let her out of the room.

The Hare I saw now had the perfect posture of a person reflecting.

She perfectly grasped who she should apologize to and why she should apologize.

If this behavior was an act, there would be no objection to her receiving a Best Actress award in Korea.

‘Since Minerva isn’t saying anything about letting her out…’

She seemed to have reflected properly.

I guess I could end her confinement now.

Hare was kneeling.

I approached her and held out my hand.

“You did well. If you did wrong, you should reflect and apologize. Acknowledging your mistake accurately. That’s what’s important. You endured well for 5 days, Hare.”

“…N-No. Mister… I was the one who did wrong… I just received punishment… Bu-But… S-Still…”

Actually, it was really hard, being alone was so lonely, and I was scared that Mister would abandon me.

So…

“Just once. Could you hug me…? I-I was so tired, Mister… I was so afraid of being abandoned…”

“…”

Drip- Drip-

Hare stretched out her arms asking for a hug while shedding tears.

‘That solitary confinement was hard for you to bear. Especially for you with a weak heart.’

Still, since she realized her mistake and came back, instead of punishment, it should be okay to do this much as a reward.

Although Hare had feelings for me that she shouldn’t have, for Hare who must have been struggling until now.

I hugged her warmly.

“Yo-You… Sniff, won’t abandon me… right, Mister? Sniff…”

“If you don’t leave, I have no intention of abandoning you, Hare. I promised your grandmother, didn’t I? That I would take responsibility.”

“S-Sniff… I-I’m sorry… Sniff… And thank you…”

Hare poured out tears as if sorrowful in my embrace.

Whether she had missed me so much, she tightly gripped the back of my clothes with both hands as if she would never let go.

Hare melted the sorrowful emotions she had during her confinement time in my arms.

She looked exactly like a young child now.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇