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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Alright! Let’s go to the market! Follow me!”
“H-Hey, guys? What’s with this collar on my neck? I’m not a dog!”
“Quiet. Estia, from today onwards, your name is Dog-stia.”
Led by Luna’s confident voice, the boisterous children set off towards the market.
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The house felt incredibly empty without the children.
I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.
“It’s finally quiet…”
Those noisy kids.
I finally had some time to myself.
Before kidnapping them, I had lived alone in a silent house.
It had been a long time since it had been this peaceful.
“Tsk, I’ll only be able to enjoy this peace once the Hero’s party grows up and leaves… Minerva?”
“Number 1. I have something to say. Or rather, something to ask. When will the Hero’s party finally leave this place?”
To be precise, when will the children finally grow up and be strong enough to defeat the Demon Lords?
I wanted to know through Minerva.
There was a difference between seeing the end and not seeing it.
However, Minerva, who had sent another problem, didn’t seem willing to answer my question.
“…They both mean the same thing. Number 1.”
Anyway…
To summarize Minerva’s words, the Hero’s party’s future was still uncertain.
They had reached the ultimate goal of defeating the Demon Lords, but the events within that journey were still undetermined.
And that included Saten’s death.
Thinking about the future only made my head hurt.
“…Damn it, this is giving me a headache…”
Why did I even bother thinking about such complicated things?
My body was burning up, cold sweat dripping down my cheeks.
My eyelids felt heavy.
As my consciousness faded, I spoke to Minerva one last time before falling asleep.
“…Minerva. I have one last favor to ask.”
“Since I’ll be asleep, I won’t be able to do anything. So please keep an eye on the Hero’s party with your power. You can help them if anything dangerous happens.”
They were only going to the market to buy ingredients, a simple errand…
But after witnessing their cooking skills, I couldn’t trust them.
I was so worried I couldn’t even rest properly.
So if Minerva kept an eye on the Hero’s party, I could at least get some peaceful sleep.
Minerva responded to my request, her tone slightly grumpy.
“Thank you, Minerva.”
Now then…
I could finally get some sleep…
Minerva was watching over them from afar.
Relieved of my worries, I slowly closed my eyes.
It was the first time in a long time that I could enjoy a peaceful sleep in the quiet atmosphere…
But…
“…It’s too quiet.”
For some reason, I felt a sense of emptiness.
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In the bustling marketplace…
Luna, her hood pulled low, looked up at the sky and shouted,
“There’s an owl on the roof! It’s huge!”
“C-Can we eat owls…?”
“It would make a good experimental subject.”
“H-Hey, guys? Forget the owl, can you please take this chain off my neck?!”
Of course, their reactions to the owl varied greatly.
Saten was holding Estia’s leash, controlling her movements to prevent her from running away.
Leading Estia, Saten pointed to a shop in the distance.
“There it is. Ma Pamu’s Vegetable Shop. What are we supposed to buy there, Hare?”
“W-We have to buy… vegetables…”
“That’s not what I asked. What kind of vegetables are we supposed to buy? What does the note say? Can’t you read?”
“N-No! I-I can read…! I-It says… carrots… and… green onions…! ”
Carrots and green onions.
Memorizing the ingredients, Saten walked towards the vegetable shop.
Then, facing Ma Pamu, the shop owner, she confidently declared,
“I’d like some carrots and green onions.”
Her tone was filled with certainty.
Ma Pamu, the shop owner, responded nonchalantly,
“Hmm? Carrots and green onions? How much do you need?”
“…”
How much…?
Saten was immediately faced with a hurdle.
Her pupils trembled slightly as she turned around and asked,
“…How much carrots and green onions are we supposed to buy? Wasn’t it written on the note?”
Hare buried her face in the note, scanning the words.
But all it said was “carrots” and “green onions.”
There was no mention of quantity.
“I-It’s not there…? W-What should we do…? I-I don’t know how much to buy either…”
“That’s not a helpful answer. Luna? What do you think?”
“Hmm…”
Luna pondered for a moment.
Then, as if a brilliant idea had struck her, she exclaimed,
“We have five people to feed! So we should buy five of each!”
“…”
“…”
Five carrots.
Five green onions.
One carrot and one green onion were enough for five servings of the porridge Lee Jun-woo was planning to make.
The other children thought it was too much…
‘But… it’s quite convincing?’
Luna’s words held an incredible amount of persuasive power for the clueless children.
“I-I used to eat carrot tops…! And M-Mister always used a lot of ingredients when he cooked…! I-I think she’s right…!”
“I agree. One piece of meat per person. My family’s portions were quite large, even though I couldn’t finish mine.”
“L-Look! Skewers…! Yummy… Hehe…”
Excluding Estia, who was a lost cause…
The other three agreed.
Hearing their unanimous “Yes!”, Ma Pamu smiled broadly.
“You kids must be having a feast today! Hahaha! Good luck!”
The Hero’s party ended up filling Ma Pamu’s pockets.
Oblivious to their mistake, they smiled in satisfaction and moved on to their next destination.
“Where to next! Where are we going!?”
“N-Next is… Fam’s Seafood Shop… for abalone…”
“Let’s buy them all! Let’s go! Let’s go!”
Mister is rich anyway!
This is so much fun!
Luna…
And the Hero’s party following behind her…
Completed their errands one by one, moving forward with their mission.
However…
“Children wearing hoods. And one of them is on a leash…? A slave…? Anyway, one of them might be the target…”
Step- Step-
A shadowy figure followed behind them, crumpling a piece of paper with Saten and Estia’s faces on it.
Their footsteps were clearly following them.
“S-So heavy… Did Mister always carry this much…?!”
“I-I’m going to follow Mister next time…”
So heavy.
Unbelievably heavy!
The Hero’s party had purchased all the ingredients, completing their errands.
All that remained was to return home.
With their hands full of bags, the Hero’s party started heading back.
Estia, who looked like a slave with her leash, whined,
“H-Hey…! But…! Where’s the house…! Are we going in the right direction…?”
“I-I don’t know! I’m just going straight!”
“Why are you in front if you don’t know?!”
“I-I thought we might find it if we keep going! Hehe!”
Luna shouted confidently.
Hare shoved Luna aside and stepped forward.
“M-Move… I-I know the way… I-I learned how to draw a map in my head from Mister…”
“As expected of Hare! I-I had no idea where we were going, but I trusted you!”
Luna’s ridiculousness made Estia crave holy water.
“…I-I’m definitely going to escape this place and live in holy water forever… Hehehe…”
“That’s impossible. Mister will never let you go.”
“Sh-Shut up! Don’t crush my dream! Why do you guys even like that kidnapper!”
Estia couldn’t understand this situation.
Why would you like your kidnapper?!
He fed them well, taught them things, didn’t experiment on them, let them sleep… why would they like a kidnapper like that…
“Wait! Now that I think about it… he’s actually quite nice, except for not giving me holy water…!”
He might actually be a good person…!
Lost in her thoughts, Estia walked on.
The grocery bags were heavy, but not unbearably so.
The Hero’s party was getting closer to completing their mission.
And at that moment…
“…Hold on, can you stop and take off your hoods?”
A stern, knightly voice stopped them in their tracks.
A tall stranger, their face hidden by a hood, radiated an aura of someone who had undergone rigorous physical training.
Luna, remembering a past experience, shouted,
“Are you trying to kidnap us?!”
A deserted alley.
A stranger suddenly appearing.
Luna, triggered by her kidnapping PTSD, froze in fear.
However, for some reason, Luna felt like she had heard the stranger’s voice somewhere before.
‘Where did I hear it…?’
It wasn’t that long ago…?
As that question lingered in her mind…
The stranger approached the Hero’s party, the sound of their heels clicking against the ground.
They called out the names of the kidnapped children.
“Saten Sicilia, and Estia.”
Saten and Estia.
The names on the kidnapping list.
Hearing that, Estia realized her salvation had arrived.
Taking off her hood, Estia shouted joyfully,
“That’s right! I’m Estia!! I’m the Saintess of the Church!! Save me now!!”
“Y-You traitor…! A-After all the kindness Mister has shown you…!”
“Shut up! I’m going back to the embrace of holy water…!!”
Estia, who wished to return to the embrace of holy water, not the Goddess…
Reached out to the stranger, pleading for help, but…
Slap-!
“Put your hand away. You can’t run away unless Mister allows it.”
“U-Ugh-!! Just take this leash off me-!!”
“Be quiet. More importantly…”
‘Hare, you know what to do next, right?’
Saten and Hare exchanged glances.
Having studied Mister together, they had developed a silent understanding.
They knew what they had to do in this situation.
“Our destination is home.”
“Y-Yes…!”
The Hero’s party, facing the stranger…
Saten grabbed Estia’s leash…
Hare grabbed Luna’s hand…
Thinking the same thing…
They split into two groups and ran in opposite directions.
However…
“Why! Why are they chasing us!! Those wanted posters are over there-!!”
“I-I don’t know…! Sh-She’s so fast…!”
She’s like Mister…!!
For some reason, the stranger was chasing Luna, the Hero, and Hare, the Rogue, instead of Saten and Estia, whose faces were on the wanted posters.
It was an incomprehensible situation.
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[man im liking this little breather from the usual heavy shit]
