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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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There were people who didn’t grow even as time passed, remaining stagnant.
On the other hand, the Hero was a character who moved with time.
No, she might even move ahead of time.
Clang!
The Hero’s sword clashed with mine.
“It seems your talk of being scouted by the Knights wasn’t just bluster.”
“I told you! I can easily beat someone like you, mister!”
Her growth rate was fast.
Unlike before, the Hero’s posture was now stable.
She used her legs to support her entire body, and her once sloppy swordsmanship had found its footing.
But it was still far from enough.
He swept the Hero’s legs.
The Hero rolled on the ground.
“Yelp!”
“I told you not to be arrogant. Today’s sparring is over. From now on, follow my training.”
“Th-That’s cheating..! We were fighting with swords, but you keep using your feet-”
“Using feet is also part of swordsmanship. Don’t make excuses, Hero.”
“Grrrr…”
The Hero growled like a fierce golden retriever.
Once a day.
He was sparring with her, but the sparring seemed to have little meaning.
‘I should change it to once a week.’
Thinking that, I helped her up.
He put his hand on her leash and naturally undid it.
The Hero asked with round eyes.
“Huh? Are you letting me go?”
“Of course not.”
As if he would carelessly undo your leash when you might escape.
Removing the leash that interfered with training.
He introduced a new method of control to the Hero.
It was a very effective way to get rid of the cumbersome leash.
“Look at the top of that fence over there, Hero.”
“…? I looked, but there’s nothing there.”
“Barbed wire. Look at it closely.”
“Hmm..?”
The Hero stared at the fence, squinting her eyes hard.
She seemed to strain her eyes as if they hurt, but.
Something seemed to be detected in her eyes.
“There seems to be something on top of that barbed wire… Something wriggling?”
“It seems you can sense magic at a basic level. That’s electric magic.”
“…What?”
“Electric current is flowing through the barbed wire with magic. If you touch it, you’ll be fried to a crisp.”
The Hero looked at the fence with vacant eyes.
She flinched once, perhaps imagining getting electrocuted by the fence.
Then, she soon withdrew her gaze.
She looked as if she wouldn’t even dream of escaping.
“I don’t want to die as electrical barbecue. I’ll just train in swordsmanship.”
“An excellent choice.”
He clapped for the Hero.
It seemed like hearing that she had become stronger would always be pleasing to hear.
Between my claps, the Hero asked a question.
Her eyes looked curious.
“By the way, what’s your identity, mister? You use swordsmanship, and you use magic too. You’re completely versatile, aren’t you?”
“…Are you curious?”
“Yes! I’m curious!”
The Hero answered energetically.
Eating delicious food every morning, lunch, and dinner, and resolving her depression through conversation, she seemed to have adapted to life in confinement to some extent.
To the Hero waiting for an answer, I replied in a light tone.
“I’ll tell you my identity if you beat me.”
“What’s that about!”
“Now then, let’s start training! Put the wooden sword on your head and run 30 laps around the yard!”
“Whaaat?!”
The Hero protested as if it was nonsense, but it was useless.
Time flowed and the Hero had to move.
He pushed her back and ran around the yard with her.
At first, the Hero seemed bewildered, but gradually she started to increase her speed.
“Y-You said you wouldn’t do anything to me-”
“Faster! Run faster if you want to beat me! Build up your stamina before talking!”
“Uh, uwaah-!”
Next was 100 sit-ups.
The wooden sword was with her during this process too.
“Why, why is the wooden sword with me…”
“Think of that sword as the holy sword.”
“How can a wooden sword be a holy sword…”
“It becomes so if you think it is.”
“Wh-What are you saying…”
Next was 100 push-ups.
Again, she held the wooden sword.
Luna let out a voice as if she was dying.
“Huff… I’m, I’m dying…”
“People don’t die so easily.”
“Y-You psycho… Kidnapping and torturing, you psycho…”
“Watch your language. This is training.”
Training to build basic stamina and muscle to defeat me, the Hero was exhausted from the subsequent high-intensity training.
After the training ended, she crawled like a caterpillar into her room, completely limp.
“Tomorrow… I’ll definitely beat you…”
“Sure, keep trying, Hero.”
Though all her strength was drained, the Hero’s competitive spirit to beat me was still alive.
Seeing that, I felt inexplicably satisfied for some reason.
“Is this what it feels like to raise a disciple…”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
After finishing the tough training.
Lunch.
To maintain regular meal times, 5 hours after breakfast, at 12:30 PM, the kidnapper Lee Jun-woo knocked on the Hero’s door.
Knock knock-
“I’m coming in.”
-W-Wait a moment! Please wait for 1 minute!
The Hero shouted urgently.
It seemed like she needed some time for something.
Lee Jun-woo leaned his back against the door for a moment.
1
2
…
60
After counting to 60 in his mind, he opened the door without hesitation.
“It’s been 1 minute. Eat your food.”
“Ah, food. Yes, thank you…”
The Hero received the plate while shaking her wet hair.
It seemed she had showered in the bathroom inside.
Lee Jun-woo hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“…About that letter I gave you before.”
“Ah, yes! Did you send the letter? To Arden Village! My farm!”
“…I haven’t sent it yet.”
“What?! Why, why not..!? If you don’t send it soon, my parents will worry..! I, I came to the capital to not cause them worry…”
Luna paced around anxiously.
Lee Jun-woo scratched his head as he watched the anxious Luna.
He should tell her the truth.
“You see. I didn’t know how much to send…”
“Whaat..!? You could just send a little bit!”
Could it be that you didn’t send it because you were worried about that?
Luna was able to see Jun-woo in a new light, seeing his seemingly thoughtful side.
He wasn’t just a psychopath, but someone who could also think carefully…
Unaware of Luna’s thoughts, Jun-woo asked directly.
“How much money would be enough? 2.5 million peri? 3 million peri?”
“Th-That much?! A bit less than that, 1.5 million might be enough..”
“1.5 million peri would barely sustain a rural family of 4 for a month. Didn’t you say there was no money at home? How many people are in your family?”
“5 younger siblings, parents, grandmother, grandfather, and me, so 10 in total…”
The Hero hung her head as if embarrassed.
It was difficult to talk about one’s family situation even to close friends.
Then, to talk about such family matters to a kidnapper who kidnapped you?
It was much more difficult.
“Is there a severe lack of money at home?”
“…Yes. There’s a lack. Although the cost of living isn’t high since it’s a village on the outskirts of the capital… There are too many family members, so there aren’t enough mouths.”
“Then, what about your parents? Don’t they work?”
“…No, they do work, but they can’t work for long because they have to take care of my grandfather and grandmother..”
“I see.”
“…Yes.”
The Hero tightly closed her mouth.
It felt like all her weaknesses had been exposed.
A feeling of thorns pricking her arose.
Just when she was wondering when this uncomfortable situation would end.
The kidnapper blurted out very easily.
“While you’re here. I’ll send 3 million peri to your family.”
“Whaat?! That’s close to the starting salary of an apprentice knight?!”
“It’s fine. This much is possible. You can’t see your family while you’re confined here. Compared to that, this is easy. Just focus on improving your skills.”
Jun-woo knew better than anyone the sorrow of not being able to see family.
He had resented them, hated them, but.
Family is family.
He, who had fallen into this other world, always wanted to see his family.
“B-But 3 million peri is too much..”
“Be quiet. I’ll send 300. Just eat your food.”
“No you can’t, lowering your voice and ordering again..”
“Shut up.”
Bang-!
The kidnapper closed the door and left the room.
What remained was the lunch on the plate.
Omurice.
Luna ate it one spoonful at a time.
It was delicious as always.
“Sniff… Damn, it’ll taste bad if tears get in it…”
Was this kidnapper kind even though he was a kidnapper?
Did kind kidnappers even exist in this world?
Luna was confused, unable to grasp that man’s intentions at all.
Whether she should be grateful or resentful.
To the extent that she couldn’t even confirm how her heart was judging…
But one thing was certain.
“Thank you…”
The Hero’s small, choked voice echoed in the room.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
One day passed.
Two days passed.
Three days passed.
Hare stood in that place without missing a single day.
“Buy matches…! Selling matches…!”
Waiting for her grandmother’s medicine money and that mister.
Hare was selling matches again today.
“Today… Will he come…?”
Haa- Haa-
Hare exhaled cold breaths in the cold night air.
Unlike the warm matches she was selling, her body was cold.
“…Have I been pushing myself too hard lately? This isn’t good…”
Grandmother was critically ill…
She needed to get money…
Hare pulled herself together and started calling out to people again.
Her gaze always scanned her surroundings, wondering if that mister might appear.
If she could talk to that mister again.
Hare wanted to meet him again and apologize.
She wanted to ask for forgiveness.
“But, it seems he doesn’t want to forgive me…”
She had waited for him at this place late into the night, but he hadn’t appeared even once.
It seemed as if he was disgusted with her.
As if he didn’t want to meet her again.
Even though he was the first person to show interest in her.
Hare was deeply pained by the connection she had severed with her own hands.
“Buy matches. Matches… I have warm matches…”
Nevertheless, she called out for warm matches to melt hearts.
Living kindly and not forgetting happiness, as per her parents’ last words.
Hare tried not to give up.
At that moment, she felt a weight on her shoulder.
Hare turned around in surprise, with expectation.
“Ah, mister..!?”
“Who’s mister?”
“…Ness.”
But that person wasn’t the mister.
It was the alley thug Ness.
With bandages all over his body, he murmured lowly while looking at Hare.
“The boss wants to see you. About your ‘debt’. And also, that man. My medical bills were quite high, you know.”
“…”
Medical bills.
Money.
It was always about money.
Hare thought this while looking around.
The mister was still nowhere to be seen.
“…I’ll go to the boss. But the mister didn’t come.”
“Oh, if he didn’t come, it can’t be helped! Follow me, Hare.”
Hare followed behind Ness.
‘Perhaps, the only way I can atone to the mister is that.’
Medical bills.
I’ll pay the mister’s medical bills instead.
By any means necessary.
In the alley, Hare’s blood-red eyes glowed bleakly.
And then…
“What? Where did she go?”
When Jun-woo arrived to kidnap Hare.
Hare was already gone.
Time limit: 4 hours.
Jun-woo started running to find Hare.
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Wonder if she got raped in the alley scene in the alt choice, making her hold a grudge against the last person that didn’t buy her matches right before that.
If he didn’t buy the matches, she wouldn’t have gone into the alleyway since she wouldn’t have stolen the wallet from him, meaning she wouldn’t have been able to get raped by Ness. Rather, it’s likely something happened after her grandmother died and something about the MC, perhaps his unusual appearance or personality, stuck with her and she tracked him down for that.
Why he waited until last hour?