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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Despite hearing the other children’s explanations, Saten still couldn’t grasp the concept of family.
Their answers were too varied, and she couldn’t draw a clear conclusion.
‘But I need to find the answer.’
After dinner, before everyone went to bed, Saten knocked on Lee Jun-woo’s door.
Knock, knock
“Mister, it’s Saten. Please open the door.”
-Saten? Wait a moment.
Lee Jun-woo opened the door.
Saten walked in without a word and sat down on a chair.
Lee Jun-woo, looking surprised, asked,
“…What is it, Saten? It’s late.”
“I have a question. Can I ask you something?”
“It’s almost bedtime…”
“It’s okay, I stay up late.”
“…I see.”
Saten, the ultimate individualist, didn’t even register Lee Jun-woo’s concern. She looked at him and continued her inquiry.
“Mister, in today’s lesson, we talked about ‘what is family?’ I asked the other children, but I still don’t understand.”
“It’s good that you asked them. What did they say?”
“Luna said noisy, and Hare said warm. Estia didn’t answer.”
Estia didn’t answer because she couldn’t, not because she didn’t want to.
Lee Jun-woo looked at Saten, considering how to explain this to her.
‘As expected…’
It was best to organize her thoughts.
“First, understand this. All families have common elements, but not all families are the same.”
“So the same word can have different meanings?”
“You could say that.”
“I understand.”
Nod~
Saten nodded, her expression blank, but her attention focused on Lee Jun-woo’s words.
“It’s getting late, but… Saten, what do you think about your family?”
“Hmm, my family taught me about being a noble. They punished me if I didn’t do things properly, but it was much better than living in a shack.”
“Saten, I’m not asking about your past circumstances. I’m asking about your feelings towards your family.”
Not about what they taught her, or whether she had food to eat. He wanted to know how Saten felt about those experiences.
Lee Jun-woo’s question was direct.
Saten couldn’t answer immediately.
‘How do I feel about my family…?’
‘I’ve never thought about it. I wanted to see the outside world… and now I have the opportunity to live with Mister…’
Saten answered honestly.
“I don’t know, Mister. I don’t feel anything.”
“Then let me ask you this. Do you want to go back to your family?”
“No.”
Saten’s answer was immediate, surprising even herself.
Lee Jun-woo pressed further.
“Answer this question, and I’ll tell you what you’re feeling.”
“…Okay, Mister.”
“Saten, do you want your family to suffer?”
“…”
Her initial letter to her family after being kidnapped was driven by curiosity.
How would they live without her? What would their reaction be? It was an experiment.
‘But the experiment didn’t go as planned.’
She had expected them to negotiate with money… but Saten’s perceived value… was different from her family’s.
Realizing she wasn’t precious to them… even someone without emotions like Saten could be hurt. Because Saten wasn’t completely devoid of emotions.
Saten answered in her usual monotonous tone,
“Like you said, Mister, I think I want my family to suffer.”
“Do you want your family to be completely ruined?”
“Yes.”
“…I feel the same way, Saten.”
The Secilia family deserved to be ruined.
I had experienced a glimpse of Saten’s memories. They were a garbage family who abused her under the guise of discipline.
I stroked Saten’s hair.
“Do you understand now why the other children have different meanings for family?”
“Yes, I understand now. It’s because of our different upbringings.”
“That’s right. To summarize…”
Even though feelings about family might be similar, they are all different.
Lee Jun-woo organized Saten’s thoughts and then, looking out the window, said,
“It’s late. I need to sleep early, so go back to your room, Saten.”
‘I have a lot to do tomorrow.’
He took a swig of strong vodka from the refrigerator and lay down on the bed, hoping to fall asleep quickly.
But Saten remained seated.
“Saten? Why aren’t you leaving…?”
“It’s not my bedtime yet.”
“…So?”
“I’ll watch you sleep. I won’t do anything, so sleep well.”
Why would she want to watch him sleep?
Lee Jun-woo didn’t understand, but the alcohol was making him drowsy. If Saten tried any experiments while he was asleep, Minerva would wake him up.
‘…It should be fine.’
Lee Jun-woo, relying on the alcohol-induced drowsiness, drifted off to sleep.
Saten watched him in the darkness.
“My family is an object of hatred. Different from the other children. Mister’s family must be different from mine too.”
Saten got up from the chair and walked towards the bed. Lee Jun-woo’s eyes were closed, he seemed to be fast asleep.
“Why is my family like that, Mister? Is it because I was born after killing my parents? Is it my fault?”
My family said it was my fault…
But Mister would say it wasn’t.
Maybe that’s why…
“I haven’t been with you for long, Mister…”
…but I feel closer to you than my family.
Saten sat on the edge of the bed, watching Lee Jun-woo sleep.
Her gaze remained fixed on him throughout the night, disappearing only with the first light of dawn.
Perhaps that’s why…
“Ugh… stop…”
“It’s the first time I’ve seen you so vulnerable, Mister.”
Lee Jun-woo, drunk and asleep, seemed to be having a nightmare.
Saten, her expression unchanging, watched with interest.
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The Demon Lord’s territory was shrouded in darkness. The crimson land was polluted, devoid of hope. The demons salivated, looking at the other races.
A male demon, watching from a high tower, said,
“Tsk, why do we always have meetings here? Can’t we live in the human lands? It’s so much more comfortable.”
Sloth, the Demon Lord of Sloth, grumbled as he took his seat at the round table. All the Demon Lords were present, except for one.
Sloth, looking puzzled, asked,
“When is Rust coming? I didn’t know there was a Demon Lord later than me, and I’m already three hours late.”
Wrath, sitting in the center, replied in a firm tone,
“Rust is not coming.”
“Why?”
“Rust is dead.”
“What? Then we can just have the meeting when she revives-“
“No, she will not revive.”
“…”
The room fell silent at Wrath’s words.
The complete annihilation of a Demon Lord had only one meaning.
“…Did the Hero appear?”
“Yes, as the Grimoire’s prophecy foretold. The Hero has appeared.”
Thud-!
Wrath, the Demon Lord of Wrath, threw the Grimoire onto the table. His red eyes burned with rage.
“Those damn bastards. They’ve appeared. If we do nothing, we’ll end up like it’s written in the Grimoire.”
“W-What the hell are you talking about?! My Grimoire doesn’t have an ending!”
Sloth, the Demon Lord of Sloth, opened his Grimoire and showed it to the others. The last page was blank. However, all the other Demon Lords’ Grimoires had endings.
“‘Pierced through the heart by the Hero’s Holy Sword.’ That’s the ending for all of us. The reason your Grimoire doesn’t have an ending, Sloth, is because you haven’t done shit.”
“D-Don’t curse… what’s wrong with not working…”
Sloth cowered at Wrath’s outburst.
Grid, his body wrapped in bandages, slammed his crutch on the table.
Bang!
“I tried to kill the Hero when she was young. I was going to kill her family first, but… there was someone else with her… Rust must have been defeated by that bastard.”
“What’s his name?”
“I don’t know… We fought the moment we saw each other. That bastard… he knew all my attacks.”
Envy, who had been silent until now, whispered,
“Sounds like… him… the one who stole my love…”
“Hey, Wrath. The psycho is at it again.”
“If… if it wasn’t for him… we would be holding hands right now… I can’t hold her hand now… it’s such a shame…”
Wrath said with a disgusted expression,
“That will be dealt with later. So be quiet, Envy.”
“O-Okay…”
“Now that Envy is calm, let’s get to the main topic. The Hero has appeared, and there’s a bastard protecting him. We have eyes and ears everywhere. If one of them reacts…”
…we will find them.
And kill the Hero.
“We will change the ending written in Grimoire. And even if we can’t change it, we’ll add another page. And Sloth.”
“Huh?”
“You’re next. Kill the Hero. If you can’t…”
…kill the man next to her.
Sloth reluctantly nodded at Wrath’s command.
At that moment…
“It’s here! The new edition of Lee Jun-woo’s Future!”
A new book was printed in Minerva’s library.
It foretold a crisis for the Hero’s party.
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