# Translation
"Jun."
"Yeah."
"How does it feel to be tied up with rope and dragged along by your disciples?"
"..."
Currently, my body is being restrained by Luna and Hare and dragged home.
I couldn't answer the question about how I felt.
Because it's not actually me being dragged—it's the Demon King of Greed, Greed.
Luna and Hare muttered as they hauled Greed along with their exhausted bodies.
"Mister is heavier than I thought! Is it because of his muscles?"
"No, Mister isn't heavy... It's all because of that Demon King..."
Greed being dragged along the ground.
Since my vision had returned, he was clearly conscious.
But for some reason, Greed wasn't moving at all.
*...He must be looking for a chance to escape.*
It's not the kind of rope that would just come loose easily.
He's scheming something pointless.
As they hauled me home with the rope like that.
Night inevitably fell, and the two stopped walking to find a place to rest for the day.
"This should be good enough! Mister must have rested here too, right?"
"...There are no creatures around, and there's water nearby. Probably, yeah."
"Great! Then let's sleep here tonight!"
Luna immediately set down her bag and began preparing a base camp.
She grimaced and groaned, her body aching from the continuous fighting.
But she endured well, perhaps due to her determination to bring me home.
Watching this scene, Minerva placed both hands on my shoulders and smirked.
"How well did you train them? They're holding up incredibly well?"
"...Of course, they're the Hero Party—they need to endure at least this much to defeat the Demon King."
"That's true."
Minerva nodded as if agreeing with my opinion.
However, soon displeased, she tightened her grip on my shoulders.
"Right, they need to be at least that good to defeat the Demon King. But those kids don't really know why they need to defeat the Demon King. At best, only Luna and Estia properly understand it—the others don't know the meaning."
"..."
She was right.
Luna clearly recognized that her family was in danger and the world was becoming chaotic.
Estia also witnessed with her own eyes people suffering.
However, Hare and Saten didn't properly understand.
"Hare is just doing it because you want to kill the Demon King. Saten doesn't really have any thoughts—she just wants to learn magic and emotions. Jun, do you think this is right?"
"...I think it's correct."
Not right, but correct.
The best method available in the current situation.
The best method for the Hero Party after I leave.
Minerva seemed to grasp the intent of my words, sighing and releasing her grip.
"I can't even persuade you anymore. You stubborn idiot!! You're just a blockhead! A stone-brain! Just defeat the Demon King and get lost already!"
What's with her?
Minerva screamed and left the consciousness space.
Does even a goddess go through puberty?
Her mood swings have been severe lately.
While I was conversing with Minerva, the two seemed to have finished preparing for sleep.
"The tent is ready! Hare! How's Mister's body?"
"...I stopped the bleeding with bandages, so there's no blood flowing. There might be scars. But if we ask Estia, it'll heal."
"R-right? Estia is a Saint! Sh-she can heal wounds, right!?"
"...I don't actually know. But if there are scars, I'll hate Luna."
"How could you! You agreed to attack together!"
"I don't care about that... I'll curse you... Whenever I see Mister's wounds... I'll always think of Luna..."
"Eek..."
Luna recoiled in horror from Hare.
I too found it quite difficult to adjust whenever I saw Hare like this.
*Will they be able to get home safely in that state?*
As if my worry was unnecessary.
Hare picked up my body and walked toward the tent.
"First, let's put Mister's body in the tent and tie him up. He seems unconscious."
"Really? Okay!"
Hare placed my body in the tent as carefully as possible to avoid injury.
Like placing a newborn baby on a bed.
Setting me down gently to avoid harm, Hare muttered in a murderous tone.
"How dare you inhabit Mister's body...? If it weren't for Mister's body, I'd kill you painfully with my dagger... I'd stab deep enough so you could never approach Mister again... Such a shame..."
Eyes glowing red with murderous intent in the darkness.
Clenching her fists while suppressing her emotions, she was quite different from the Hare I knew.
*Is that Hare's true nature?*
Hare's murderous intent that I was feeling for the first time.
That murderous intent was aimed not at me but at Greed.
I found Hare's murderous intent a bit disappointing.
*Hmm, it would be better to hide murderous intent as much as possible...*
That part is unfortunate.
Hare released her unrefined murderous intent and turned to leave the tent.
"...Even if you're inhabiting Mister's body. You're absolutely not Mister."
Leaving those small words behind.
Eventually, only my body remained alone in the tent.
However, this Demon King of Greed strangely took no action.
I couldn't understand what he was thinking.
"You're back? How's Mister? Is he still unconscious?!"
"Yeah, he's unconscious. And Luna. Don't call 'that' Mister."
"Why?"
"Because that's not Mister. That's... just Mister's body. The shell isn't Mister. Got it...?"
"O-okay!"
He just lay quietly in the tent, eavesdropping on the conversation of the two from the next tent.
He took no action.
I don't know why.
But Greed eavesdropping on the Hero Party's conversation seemed...
"Hehe... We fought really well at the end! Right? Will Mister praise us for this? I did really well!"
"...It took two days, so praise might be difficult, but he'll still give it, won't he? I want to receive Mister's praise after so long."
"Me too! I want praise too!"
Somehow pitiful and sad.
—*I've wanted things before... but has anyone ever truly wanted me...*
With those final words.
The Demon King of Greed, Greed, didn't open his mouth until we arrived home.
A dark room.
In a room lit only by a single candle, a black-haired girl whispered.
"Mister is too late. Why is he so late?"
Thud—
Saten closed her book and checked the calendar hanging on the wall.
Two days later than the expected date.
"How should I think about this situation?"
Saten stroked BlackMeow lying on the desk.
It felt calming.
But only for that moment.
Anxiety began to wash over her again.
"In this state, I can't even read books. Why am I like this, BlackMeow?"
—Meow?
BlackMeow tilted her head, seemingly not understanding Saten's words.
Saten felt self-loathing at herself like this.
"Hah, what am I doing talking to a cat like this? There's no way she'd understand. I must have really lost it."
My wrists, too.
My mind, too.
Without Mister, I'm not in my right mind.
"When will he come back..."
—Meow!
At that moment.
BlackMeow got down from the desk and escaped through the slightly open door.
Saten didn't like that.
"BlackMeow? Where are you going? You're my pet. I won't tolerate you running away carelessly. If you're going to be like that, there's no snack for you today."
Thud—
Saten stood up to catch BlackMeow.
Opening the door and going outside was blinding.
But she could quickly spot BlackMeow.
"The stairs are dangerous, where are you going? This won't do. If I catch you, I'll have to use you as experimental material."
Saten chased BlackMeow while constantly muttering to herself.
Perhaps because Saten was so noisy.
Estia from the next room opened her door to check outside.
"Saten, what are you doing! You're being loud! Can't you see the Saint is studying!?"
"Do Saints study drawings too?"
"Wh-what!? How do you know that—"
"You're noisy. I need to go find BlackMeow. You're in the way."
Leaving behind Estia, who had been absorbed in studying drawings.
Saten followed BlackMeow down the stairs.
"For a cat... to bother me like this..."
This is all the Saint's fault.
She drank holy water saying Mister wasn't here.
And now she's being noisy at night.
That's why BlackMeow ran away.
"She must have run away because the next room was noisy."
Saten came down to the first floor and turned her head to check the hallway.
BlackMeow was running toward the entrance leading outside.
Saten quickened her pace following behind.
*Should I have exercised a bit?*
Breathing heavily, Saten ran.
Finally, she was able to apprehend BlackMeow who had reached the entrance.
—Me, meow!!
"F-finally caught you. You cat. Hah... You get no snack today. If you run away next time, I'll use you as experimental material. Understand?"
—Me, meow...
"As expected, pets should be loyal to their owners like this."
Saten was satisfied as she held the dejected BlackMeow.
Just as she turned around to return to the dark, pitch-black room.
Creak—
The door opened and the person she'd been waiting for began to appear.
Saten spoke with subtle joy mixed in.
"Mister."
"Oh, Saten? Did you come out to greet us!? BlackMeow is here too!"
"...Move aside, Saten. I need to bring Mister in."
"Bring Mister in?"
Does that mean.
Mister can't walk on his own?
The joy was brief.
Saten's eyes sharpened as she checked on Mister hidden behind the two.
"...Mister?"
Bandages on his chest.
His body tightly bound with rope.
Decisively, he didn't look well.
*Ah.*
At that moment, Saten was certain.
The two had restrained Mister like this.
And injured him.
"...BlackMeow, go back to the room."
—Meow?
"I have something to do."
What if he doesn't come back?
What if he abandons me?
Or what if he sells me to my family?
While waiting for Mister, Saten had spent a difficult time fighting alongside her pain.
But.
The Mister she'd been waiting for.
Came back injured because of Luna and Hare.
It was natural that Saten, incomplete in her emotions, found it difficult to maintain reason.
"You two are too much. To make Mister like that."
I didn't want to cut this area because it's dangerous.
Saten scratched the 'artery' with her fingernail, which she rarely used due to heavy bleeding.
Seeing Mister injured and restrained, Saten couldn't hold back.
"You two deserve to be punished."
"S-Saten, what's wrong! Wait! Listen to us!"
"You're wrong, Luna. You can't talk to crazy people."
"Th-then what do we do? I prefer talking!"
"...We have to beat her back to her senses."
"Ehh..."
We brought back the Demon King.
And this is how we're treated.
"Geez, the Hero's life... no one appreciates it!"
Having no choice, Luna drew her Holy Sword.
Returning home after so long, Luna and Hare had no choice but to respond to Saten's intense welcome ceremony.