I bound with both arms tied,
opened the door to Saten's room where I heard signs of life and entered.
Bang—
"Saten, it seems you've finally woken up."
"...Uncle?"
Is she surprised I'm alive?
Saten's eyes widened in shock when she saw me.
Seeing her up close like this, I could tell at a glance she'd lost a lot of weight.
"Uncle, I'm glad you're alive. Wait just a moment, I'll come over to you."
Saten said this and tried to walk toward me.
However, Saten shouldn't come to me.
"Don't come, Saten."
"What? Are you rejecting me?"
"No."
She's misunderstanding again.
I pointed at the floor with my finger.
There, shards of the glass bottle Saten had broken were scattered freely about.
"You'll get hurt if you walk over barefoot. I'll come to you."
"...Yes, please do."
I slowly approached Saten.
Pale skin.
An emaciated body.
Had she not eaten while I was gone, immersing herself in books and magic?
Besides the glass shards, the room was quite messy.
It wasn't a room you could say the neat Saten had been living in.
"Your room has become very messy."
"...I'll clean it now. I've been too busy lately to pay attention to my surroundings. I'm sorry."
"It's your space, so you don't need to apologize. But it is better to live organized."
"You're right. I'll clean up the glass first. Please wait a moment."
Saten extended her hand toward the floor and gathered her mana.
"Decompose. Return to nature."
Swoosh—
Cold mana spread like mist and enveloped the glass shards.
As the mana swept across the floor once,
a clean floor without a speck of dust appeared.
*Has she made progress with Non-elemental Magic while I was gone?*
Judging by her grimacing expression, it didn't seem like an efficient technique, but it looked like she was finally getting a feel for how to use it.
Should I give her Non-elemental Magic Volume 2 as a gift?
Thinking this, I met Saten's eyes.
"It seems you've made progress with magic."
"Yes, though I had trouble concentrating, I had nothing else to do. But more importantly, Uncle."
"What is it?"
Chill—
Saten suddenly changed the atmosphere and asked.
"That rope binding your arms. Is it what I'm thinking?"
"...I don't know what you're thinking, but it's probably not that."
"Then should I consider it a misunderstanding? I don't think it's a misunderstanding. Looking at those two people's actions and past, there's a high probability my suspicion is correct. Right?"
"..."
Saten suspects Luna and Hare.
The fight also started because she suspected Luna and Hare had injured me to restrain and confine me.
That's why, seeing my rope, she seemed to have fallen into needless delusions.
"Luna and Hare. Those two plotted to kidnap you, right? Your mental confusion was because of Estia's Holy Water. You weren't possessed by the Demon King—you were attacked by those kids. Right?"
Grip—
Saten grabbed the rope tightly, interrogating and pressuring me.
*Why has she become like this...*
Originally, Saten only confirmed the truth of incidents and approached everything objectively.
She excluded her emotions as much as possible and found the best answer.
However, the current Saten was too biased toward one side.
She wasn't like this before, but the point when she started changing was...
*After emotions developed. Has she been swayed by emotions since then?*
Emotions that cloud the truth.
If subjective emotions intervene in an incident, the essence and truth of that incident become obscured.
Saten seemed to be swayed by the emotions that had suddenly emerged.
It seemed necessary to correct Saten's irrational behavior.
"Saten. Sit on the bed."
"I'm sitting."
"First, Saten, do you think I wasn't attacked by the Demon King?"
"Yes, there's absolutely no reason you'd let the Demon King take your body. You have strong mental fortitude, and you wouldn't think of handing over your dangerous body to the Demon King."
I know you well, Uncle.
Saten said this, emphasizing her opinion.
However.
"You don't know me well."
"What...?"
There are too many unnecessary ears.
I confirmed the presence of three people near the door and lowered my voice as much as possible to speak into Saten's ear.
"I was attacked by the Demon King."
"That can't be—"
"It's different if I did it on purpose. I lent my body to the Demon King to annihilate it."
I used this rope in the process.
And got wounded in the chest.
Saten listened carefully and responded.
"That's too hasty and reckless a plan for you, Uncle. There's another meaning hidden... Am I right in my guess, Uncle?"
As expected, she's quick-witted.
The reason I let my body be taken was to maximize the Hero Party's growth.
Saten figured there must be another meaning to my dangerous action.
It seemed impossible to deceive her.
Anyway.
"Keep that story to yourself. And don't tell Luna and Hare."
"What about Estia?"
"It doesn't matter since she won't understand the meaning even if you tell her."
"Understood."
Saten nodded as if she understood.
However, the misunderstanding still didn't seem resolved.
"Then, Luna and Hare have been keeping you tied up until now... Is the reason to confine you?"
"..."
That's not a misunderstanding though.
Luna, Hare, and Estia are indeed restraining and confining me.
Though not in the way Saten is thinking.
"Those kids are confining me. Not to possess me or kill me, but because they want me to rest, so they won't untie the rope."
"...The situation is hard to believe. But I'll trust your words, Uncle. I understand those two didn't have that intention."
Saten accepted it surprisingly cleanly.
She then said something she couldn't have said before.
"Since I misunderstood and caused an unnecessary fight, I should apologize."
"...You've thought a lot during this time."
"Yes, while you were gone, Uncle... I deeply reflected on my mistakes. I'm sorry for trying to erase your memories, Uncle."
Bow—
Saten bent her always-straight back.
This was the first time seeing Saten apologize like this.
A truly deeply repentant appearance.
It was a moment that made even me feel proud.
"Yes, my heart has completely softened too, so I'm truly fine. You apologized well, Saten."
"Thank you for accepting my apology. Then, I need to clean my room now and time is short, so I'll go apologize to those two first. Where are they—"
Before Saten could finish speaking,
the two people who wanted to receive an apology burst out from behind the door.
"We're right here! Apologize right now!"
"A-apologize, Saten. Apologize for your wrong thoughts...!"
"Yes, I will."
Saten bowed her head 'lightly' toward the two.
It wasn't a bow from the waist, but compared to the old Saten, it was closer to angelic.
To such an apology from Saten, Luna responded magnanimously.
"Alright! The Hero will accept your apology with broad generosity! Now, accept this handshake of reconciliation!"
"...Sure."
Has she really changed sincerely?
Saten lightly grasped Luna's extended hand.
At that moment.
"Ow—!! Hey! Fingernails! Ugh! Let go! Uncle! Saten's bullying me!"
"That can't be. I'm nothing but bones, so how could I press down on these muscular hands? Luna's exaggerating, Uncle."
Is it really an exaggeration?
I don't think so.
Saten showed a faint smile as she shook hands with Saten.
It was closer to an annoyed expression than an amused one.
I felt like I understood the slightly changed Saten.
*She's clumsy at controlling emotions, but...*
Is she in the process of learning how to 'express' emotions?
Saten expressing anger through the handshake with Luna.
As long as she doesn't get overly emotional and fall into strange thoughts like earlier,
Saten's future might be okay.
*What was that condition called...*
Anger management disorder.
Saten is probably in that state.
Thinking I'd teach her how to control it later,
I asked Saten, who had finished apologizing to Hare.
"You've finished apologizing and cleaning. What do you think about untying my rope now, Saten?"
"At first, I thought the rope wasn't a good idea. But if that method can give you rest, Uncle, I think it's good."
"...I see."
"Yes, go to your room and rest comfortably, Uncle. I'll come find you later. Everyone please leave now."
Because I need to clean.
Bang—!
Saten firmly kicked us out.
She must have been embarrassed about showing her messy room.
*This Estia is still lying down.*
Is there still an hour left until she wakes up?
I passed by Estia lying in the hallway and headed to the dining room.
"Then, for tonight's dinner I'll—"
"No!"
"Y-you can't...!"
"Uncle, go back to your room and rest comfortably! We'll cook!"
Of course.
I couldn't reach the dining room due to the Hero Party's interference.
After much time passed and I had a terrible meal,
Saten's words that she'd come find me...
Knock knock—
"Are you awake, Uncle?"
Were fulfilled in the very late dawn when all the children were asleep.
I don't know why she came to find me at such a late hour, but
I answered Saten waiting at the door.
"The hallway is cold, so come in quickly."