I Kidnapped the Hero Party – Chapter 62

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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When I saw the ingredients the children had brought back to the kitchen…

I couldn’t help but be bewildered.

I had asked them to buy ingredients, but…

There were only five of us, why did they buy so much?

“Cough- Saten… did you check the note I wrote…? Explain why you bought this many ingredients…”

“Hmm, since you didn’t specify the quantity on the note, I bought five carrots, five green onions, and five abalones. One for each person. Is there a problem?”

“…”

Was I wrong?

I thought they would only buy one of each if I didn’t specify the quantity…

I failed to consider that they had different upbringings and common sense.

But I couldn’t say they did a bad job, especially since they were looking at me with such proud expressions.

‘…I’ll definitely write down the quantity next time.’

Seeing their faces filled with a sense of accomplishment, I couldn’t bring myself to tell them the truth.

So I decided to pat their heads and praise them for completing their errand.

“Good job, Luna.”

“Stop patting me! I’m not a child!”

Luna’s mouth refused my touch, but her head didn’t.

“Good job, Hare.”

“He, hehe… I did my best for you, Mister…”

Hare closed her eyes, quietly accepting my praise.

“Saten, good job.”

“It was nothing. It wasn’t difficult. It was too easy for me.”

Even though there was a misunderstanding, it was still a success…

I decided not to hurt Saten’s pride by telling her the truth.

So Saten received my touch with a blank expression.

And as for Estia…

“Brother-!! Take this off now-!!”

Growl-!!

She had become like a dog, perhaps because of the leash.

Estia growled like a guard dog, her eyes filled with suspicion.

She probably wasn’t much help to the Hero’s party, but I couldn’t leave her out, so I patted her head.

Strangely, Estia calmed down when I patted her head.

It made me wonder if she had actually turned into a dog.

‘She does turn into a dog when she drinks holy water…’

Well, anyway…

I needed to start cooking before my condition worsened.

Irina was waiting in the dining room, ready to interrogate me.

I untied Estia’s leash and said to the children,

“Wait outside while I prepare the food… you can talk to Irina out there…”

“I’ll just stay in my room, since I’ll be in the way in the kitchen.”

“I-I’m finally free! Hehe, I’m going to ask that lady for help! You bad brother!”

Scamper-

Saten and Estia left, as I instructed…

But Luna and Hare remained in the kitchen.

They were both holding kitchen knives.

It seemed like they wanted to help.

“I’ll help too! I’ve helped my parents chop vegetables before!”

“I-I don’t really know how… b-but… I’ll try my best…!”

“…Thank you for your help.”

If they could help me chop the vegetables, it would save me a lot of time.

Their help was meaningful.

So, receiving help from the Hero’s party, who I was supposed to be helping…

I taught Luna and Hare how to prepare the ingredients and shared the recipe, and together, we made six servings of abalone porridge.

And then…

“Where I come from, we used to eat abalone porridge when someone was sick.”

“Hmm! I’ll remember that! If Mister gets sick again-”

“N-Not Luna! I-I’ll make it for you next time, Mister…! I-I can make it better…!”

“Don’t steal my words, thief!”

“…Just make it together.”

I felt like I had come to a realization…

That even the kitchen could become a place of learning.

Since we had a guest today…

I gathered the Hero’s party in the dining room to enjoy the warm abalone porridge we had just made.

Apart from the odd proportions of the ingredients… it wasn’t a bad meal.

Irina, who had quickly finished her bowl, spoke to me in a satisfied tone,

“Jun, it’s been a while since I’ve tasted your cooking. It’s not bad. In fact, it’s quite delicious.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“And the most surprising thing is… It tastes exactly like the porridge you fed me when I first got sick.”

It hadn’t changed at all.

She could vividly remember the taste from back then.

Irina said, pointing at the bowl with her spoon,

“Except for the fact that there’s too much stuff in it compared to the rice.”

“…”

It couldn’t be helped.

The ingredients would go bad if we kept them for too long.

I decided to tease Irina, who seemed to have relaxed,

“…Eat a lot. You’re a knight.”

“…Yes, I’m a knight. I need to be strong.”

Chuckle-

Irina smiled, seemingly lost in nostalgia.

But her eyes looked a bit sad.

Perhaps she was also reminiscing about the past.

“Anyway… let’s get down to business. You’re not my former colleague, Jun, anymore. You’re a citizen of the empire who kidnapped the daughter of a noble family and the future Saintess of the Church. So you better explain yourself if you don’t want me to arrest you.”

Irina’s gaze shifted as she looked at me.

The main topic.

The truth and the conclusion of the kidnapping.

If she was my colleague Irina before…

She was now Irina, the Knight Commander of the Sylvester Knights.

“Irina.”

“…Why are you saying my name?”

“You’re free to believe me or not. But just remember one thing.”

I won’t lie about anything from now on.

Seeing Irina nod at my words…

I told her everything that had happened.

Hiding what I had to hide as much as possible.

“…So that’s what happened. The resurrection of the Hero’s party. And the encounter with a Demon Lord… I understand why you kidnapped the children. In fact, I want to commend you for it. To think that the Black Ravens and the Church were so corrupt…”

There were a few missing pieces in my explanation…

But Irina knew that I had reasons for not telling her everything, and she seemed to understand everything after listening to my explanation.

‘…Is this a good thing?’

Irina seemed convinced, as she lowered her guard.

She had returned to being my colleague Irina.

‘I wonder how the kids reacted…’

I checked the Hero’s party’s reaction to the story they had just heard.

“Hmm, so that’s what happened!”

“I-I was a rogue…? I-I didn’t know that…!”

“A mage… That means more troublesome tasks for me…”

“I’m… the Saintess…? The Saintess who saves the world with holy water…?”

…Their reactions were all over the place…

But it seemed they understood that they were the Hero’s party, and that they each had a role to play.

Although they hadn’t yet grasped the weight of that responsibility…

Irina tapped her fingers on the table, lost in thought. When she seemed to have reached a conclusion, she looked at me and said,

“I’ll acknowledge it. Your kidnapping was justified. The cause of saving the world. It’s for the sake of the empire, so I won’t punish you.”

…She had no intention of doing that in the first place.

Perhaps embarrassed by her words, Irina whispered softly,

“By the way, Jun, you’ve been through a lot. Why didn’t you ask for my help when we met at the banquet?”

“It was the first time we had met in a while, and at that time…”

I didn’t want to see people from my past.

I was trapped in the past.

I didn’t want to face them because those memories would resurface.

But now that those memories were the reason for my existence…

I could finally face Irina properly.

Sensing my somber mood, Irina offered me a sympathetic smile.

“…That’s understandable. I also don’t like facing unpleasant memories from the past. For example, that time we-”

“The Goblin Cave?”

“Y-Yes…! Never speak of that…!”

The Goblin Cave.

Back when we were a four-member party without a porter…

Our newly formed party had entered a dungeon inhabited by goblins.

Inside, we found a scene of carnage, with small goblins huddled together, having brutally murdered people.

I had seen Aina’s experiments often back then, and witnessed even more gruesome things, so I wasn’t particularly fazed, but…

‘J-Jun… Ugh…! Blargh…!! W-Wait… Hold on…’

‘Keeek-? Kieeek-!?’

The smell of Irina’s vomit attracted goblins…

And we fought them off. Irina had lost consciousness, leaning against the wall.

A noblewoman who had run away from the Sylvester family, dreaming of becoming an adventurer…

That was how I first met Irina.

“If it hadn’t been for the money you brought from your family, you would have been kicked out of the party…”

“I had received a lot of knight training from my family…! But I had never seen such a gruesome scene before…! That’s why…! I taught you swordsmanship out of guilt…!”

“…You learned how to deal with it quickly. Luna is learning that swordsmanship now. Cough-”

“Learning the Sylvester Knights’ swordsmanship…? That’s good to hear…”

Irina’s face brightened up.

How devoted was she to her Knights?

She ran away from her family at the age of 20 because she hated them.

But now that she was back, she loved the Knights?

I couldn’t understand Irina’s way of thinking.

As we reminisced about the past…

I failed to notice the children’s reactions.

Perhaps that’s why…

“They’re only talking about things they know…! This is boring! Boring!”

“We have lots of stories too… M-Mister…! Remember that time…? T-The day you saved me…! That was amazing…!!”

Did we talk too much about ourselves?

It seemed Saten and Estia had left the dining room, leaving only Luna and Hare listening to our conversation.

They didn’t need to listen…

“Why aren’t you going back to your rooms? You can go back now.”

“N-No! I hate it when the Holy Sword talks to me when you’re not around! I want to stay close to you!”

“I’m worried you might collapse…! N-Nursing…! I’m nursing you back to health…!”

They were pouting and…

Their words were not wrong.

Perhaps because we had been talking for so long, oblivious to the passing time…

I felt my condition worsening the moment our conversation paused.

Irina looked back and forth between me and the children, then stood up.

“Well, I guess this is enough for today. I’ll be going now. I have a lot of work piled up from investigating Luna. I need to get back to it.”

“…Alright.”

“Thank you for the information about the Sicilia family and the Church. When you’re feeling better, come visit the capital and we’ll have a drink.”

A drink.

Now that I thought about it, we had never had a drink just the two of us.

The Priest didn’t drink, and if we ever did drink, it was always with Aina and Irina, until we passed out.

It wouldn’t be bad to have a drink together if we met again.

“I refuse! Mister is on a drinking ban!”

“T-That’s right…! Mister hates alcohol…”

“I thought he was a heavy drinker… Am I wrong?”

“You’re wrong! That’s the wrong answer!”

…Luna and Hare might object…

But I had no reason to refuse, so I nodded at Irina.

I walked her to the front door to see her off.

Looking at Irina, who was ready to leave, I said my final goodbye.

“…Don’t talk about harems. Just go. Live a good life in the capital.”

“Alright, Jun. Don’t get hurt, and take care of yourself. And…”

“And?”

“…Nothing. I’m leaving.”

Irina turned away with a bitter smile.

She left, as if running away, and disappeared from sight.

What was she about to say?

I couldn’t understand what Irina’s silver eyes were trying to tell me.

So…

“…I guess I’ll go back to my room and rest.”

“I’ll help you with your arm!”

“I-I’ll hold on too…!”

I headed back to my room to rest until I recovered, receiving something resembling support from the children.

It felt good to talk to Irina, my former colleague, after all this time.

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***+The Past.

Aina, Irina and Lee Jun-woo drank endlessly by the campfire, until someone passed out.

It was like a battle of pride.

“Jun~! You little brat~! How dare you try to surpass your Master~!! You ungrateful wretch!! You can’t beat me~! Ugh, ugh…!!”

Thud-

After a fierce battle, Aina collapsed to the ground.

But she was talking to Lee Jun-woo, who was already out cold.

She was so drunk that she forgot he had already passed out from alcohol.

“…I’m the only one left again.”

Sigh…

We drank a lot today.

My belly fat is going to increase at this rate…

“…I’m so envious of Aina. She doesn’t gain weight no matter how much she drinks, and she always maintains her figure…”

Aina would never understand my struggles and she would never understand my feelings…

As someone who had to watch them from the sidelines.

Irina smiled bitterly, watching Lee Jun-woo lying on the ground.

“Such a strange man. Why am I attracted to a man like you, who has nothing, rather than those arrogant nobles? I can’t understand it.”

She had known Jun for a long time.

She knew he was a good man.

But she didn’t realize that he had been slowly creeping into her heart.

This situation, where her heart raced, was both happy and sad.

It was a one-sided love with no chance of reciprocation.

“…Perhaps the heavens are telling me to pursue knighthood, a path where I don’t need a lover.”

Lee Jun-woo slept soundly, drunk.

Irina leaned towards his face and whispered, knowing he couldn’t hear her,

“If… Aina wasn’t here… would we have been together… I wonder…”

It was all pointless.

She was just wondering.

Irina said, gently placing her hand on Lee Jun-woo’s cheek,

“It’s impossible… It could never happen…”

Everyone had their destined partner.

From that day onwards…

Irina repeatedly suppressed her unrequited feelings and vowed to dedicate herself to the path of knighthood.

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