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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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.This place was a dangerous safari, on the verge of an explosion.
Growl- Grrrr-
A golden retriever and a black cat exchanged sharp glances.
They sat on chairs, glaring at each other.
“Stop staring. You’ll ruin your eyesight.”
“Mister! I was just defending myself! She started it!”
“To say that after hitting me first… You clearly have no conscience.”
“Enough. Both of you, be quiet. I’ll hear each of you out.”
Sigh…
The two had been rolling on the floor, pulling each other’s hair.
Luna and Saten, their long hair a tangled mess…
To make them reconcile, I had to hear both sides of the story.
I started by brushing Luna’s hair and asking,
“So, Luna, why were you two rolling on the floor, pulling each other’s hair?”
“…Because I was annoyed!”
“Annoyed? Does that mean it’s okay to hit Saten if you’re annoyed?”
“N-No, it’s not that! She wasn’t listening! I told her to clean, but she just sat there reading! I was the only one cleaning! It’s so unfair! I worked hard to get my reward!”
She cleaned alone?
Did Saten refuse to use the dustpan?
Saten, who had a strong sense of her noble status…
I had anticipated this might happen…
But I didn’t expect it to escalate into a physical fight.
“Even if you were annoyed, it’s not okay to hit someone, Luna.”
“B-But she hit me too!!”
“You started it. Next time, try to resolve conflicts through conversation, even if you’re annoyed.”
“You’re always so strict with me…”
“Answer me.”
“Okay! Okay! I was wrong! I’ll talk it out next time! Are you happy now!?”
Smirk- Smirk-
Luna replied, raising her voice in frustration.
She seemed upset that she was the only one being scolded.
As I talked to Luna, I untangled her golden hair.
“There, your hair is no longer tangled. And Luna, it seems you think you’re the only one who did something wrong, but that’s not true.”
“Huh?”
“You made a mistake, and Saten made a mistake too. So let it go.”
You’re not the only one being scolded.
Fights didn’t happen because only one person was at fault.
Either one person was overwhelmingly wrong, or both parties were at fault.
That’s how physical altercations happened.
After making sure there were no more tangles in Luna’s hair…
I turned to Saten.
“Saten, what do you think you did wrong?”
“My fault?”
“Yes, tell me your mistake.”
“Hmm…”
Saten pondered for a moment.
She remained calm and composed, even though she had just been in a physical fight.
There was no trace of anger in her expression.
Saten replied confidently,
“I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“H-Hey…! How can she say she has no conscience! She’s the one who has none!”
“I told you I couldn’t use the dustpan. Or the broom.”
“Then why can’t you use them?!”
“I told you I can’t do things that peasants do-”
“…That’s enough.”
Now I understood why they were fighting.
They kept repeating the same arguments, which eventually led to a physical confrontation.
I silenced them and spoke to Saten,
“Saten, do you really think you didn’t do anything wrong in this situation?”
“Yes, I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Saten didn’t even know what the problem was.
One last time…
I asked Saten again,
“Do you honestly believe you didn’t do anything wrong?”
“…Yes, my answer remains the same.”
Saten understood the atmosphere.
But she had no idea what she had done wrong, or why it was wrong…
A crack appeared in her emotionless facade.
“It seems you really don’t understand what you did wrong, Saten.”
“Exactly! She’s an idiot!”
“Luna, be quiet. I’m talking to Saten.”
“Okay.”
I locked eyes with Saten.
Her black eyes wavered like leaves in the wind.
“Saten.”
“…Yes.”
“You’re saying you didn’t clean because… you can’t do things that peasants do?”
“…Yes, I’m a noble. I can’t engage in actions that are beneath my dignity.”
Status.
Saten was indeed a noble.
Looking at her past, she had received a lot of education on “dignified” behavior.
Like walking with a cup of water balanced on her head…
Or not being allowed to bend her waist or lower her head…
Such incomprehensible noble education.
And if she failed, she was punished with a whip… It was only natural for Saten to be obsessed with her dignity.
So I had to correct Saten’s warped perception, which stemmed from her upbringing.
“Saten, then I’ll ask you this.”
“Yes.”
“Why do you think cleaning is beneath your dignity?”
“Because it’s dirty.”
Cleaning was dirty.
Her words clearly showed what kind of education the Secilia family valued.
“That’s an interesting statement, Saten. Cleaning is dirty?”
“Then is it not dirty to bend over and pick up trash?”
“Of course not.”
“…You’re saying it’s not?”
Saten tilted her head, her eyebrows furrowed in disbelief.
She wouldn’t understand why it wasn’t considered dirty through words alone.
So…
“It would be better for you to experience it yourself, Saten.”
“…Yes?”
“Follow me.”
I’ll show you what cleaning is all about.
If she didn’t learn from this experience… I wouldn’t be able to give her the “reward” we agreed on.
The spot where the two had been rolling around was covered in dust and trash.
It was a testament to their fierce fight, hair scattered from their struggle.
“Saten, come here and pick up the cleaning tools.”
“…By myself?”
“I cleaned by myself just now! You can do it too!”
“…”
Luna was making a valid point for once.
Saten reluctantly picked up the broom and dustpan.
“…Here.”
“Yes, you brought them.”
I took one of the cleaning tools from Saten’s hand.
“H-Hey, why are you taking the broom?!”
“Watch closely, Saten. I’ll show you why cleaning isn’t a dirty task.”
“…?”
The two children looked at me with puzzled expressions.
I quietly swept the floor, their gazes fixed on me.
I gathered the dust and trash into a pile.
It was a task I had been doing since my days as Aina’s apprentice, so my movements were skilled.
“M-Mister is using a broom…!!”
“…Is that so surprising?”
“No, he’s good at it! Mister is good at cleaning too!”
“…Really?”
Luna and Saten chatted behind me as I cleaned.
It wasn’t important, so I ignored them.
Anyway, I swept the floor with the broom.
As a result, I was able to gather a considerable amount of trash into a pile.
Now it was Saten’s turn.
“Luna, even though you cleaned like this, Saten didn’t help, right?”
“Yes, that’s right! 99% accurate!”
“Why is 1% missing?”
“Because my effort isn’t there!”
I see.
I ignored Luna and spoke to Saten,
“Saten, you said you couldn’t pick up the dust and trash with your own hands? Because it’s a dirty task that requires you to lower your head and bend your waist?”
“Yes, I can’t do that. It’s beneath my dignity. I can’t lose my dignity in front of others.”
“Then if I pick up the trash? Does that mean I’m doing something beneath my dignity?”
“Th-That…”
Saten couldn’t answer easily.
Her magic teacher, the person who kidnapped and raised her… doing something undignified?
It seemed unacceptable to Saten.
“If you won’t do it, then I will.”
“Why don’t you make that peasant do it…”
“Hey, don’t look down on me because I’m a peasant!”
“Saten, everyone has their own responsibilities. We shouldn’t demand more than that. If you can’t do it, then I will.”
“…”
Saten remained silent.
I took the dustpan from her hand.
If Saten wouldn’t do it, then I would.
And if she didn’t react to my actions…
She wouldn’t receive the “reward” we agreed on.
“This is your last chance, Saten. No regrets, right?”
“…”
She didn’t answer.
I swept the dust and trash into the dustpan.
The dustpan was filled with dirt.
The floor, once covered in dust, was now clean.
“Cleaning isn’t a dirty task, Saten. It’s about making a dirty place clean.”
“E-Even so, I can’t-”
“I understand you. But I can’t condone your actions.”
Especially after seeing that “notebook” in your room.
“Th-That…”
“I understand your intentions, so I won’t say anything. But don’t experiment again.”
“Huh? Experiment? What are you talking about?”
“It’s better if you don’t know.”
Ignorance is bliss.
It’s better not to know.
Just reading about it made me realize how cruel those experiments were.
It was better for Luna, who was naive and innocent, to remain oblivious.
‘…Cleaning lesson: Hare and Estia passed. Luna and Saten failed.’
But I couldn’t fail Luna.
I had to reward her for her hard work.
Technically, only Saten failed.
She would learn from this failure.
“Everyone except Saten will receive a reward for cleaning. Let’s end our cleaning session here.”
It was time to eat.
We needed to go to the dining room.
And I needed to give Saten a chance to redeem herself.
With those thoughts in mind, I turned to leave.
But Saten didn’t move from her spot.
“…Not dirty… but clean…”
Her gaze was fixated on the clean floor, where the broom had swept away the dust
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