146. The Atmosphere is Suspicious (3)
Creak—
Late evening.
Hare opened the door and entered the dark room.
Even though they had fought, there were still things that needed to be done.
*I don't even want to see her face... but I have no choice...*
It couldn't be helped.
A promise was a promise.
Entering the room, Hare saw Saten sitting at the desk reading a book by a single candle and spoke.
"...I can't stand the sight of your face. Let's just talk quickly."
"I feel the same way, Hare. Fortunately, it's dark enough that I can barely see your face. BlackMeow doesn't like it either, so let's finish this quickly."
Thud—
Saten closed her book and moved the candle to the floor.
Hare sat down across from her with a familiar motion, facing Saten.
The two began talking with the candle between them.
"Today, Uncle gave us a punishment. And he didn't impose it directly. He gave us the right to decide."
"...Why did he give us the right to decide? Because we're all grown up now...? To kick us out...? What is Uncle thinking...?"
"I know, right? To me, it felt like he was broadening our range of choices."
Broadening the range of thought.
Making them think directly about how the Hero Party operates.
Based on Uncle's actions, Saten made a sharp judgment.
"I think he's trying to reduce the parts where we depend on him."
"...So we can walk on our own?"
"That's right. Uncle has always tried to strengthen our own judgment."
"...That sounds like he wants us to leave."
Crunch— Crunch—
Hare bit her nails anxiously.
From the circumstances, it seemed like Uncle was going to leave them and go somewhere far away.
"Why does Uncle... keep doing things that make me anxious...?"
"I know, that makes me anxious too."
"Meow—"
Saten also stroked BlackMeow anxiously.
She didn't want to believe it and didn't want to think about it.
But Uncle's actions kept seeming suspicious, so Hare and Saten, who were both quite perceptive, couldn't sleep comfortably.
"Without a compass, the Hero Party will eventually lose its way."
"...Saten, is that all you can think of regarding today's punishment?"
"Yes, to conclude—Uncle is trying to gradually make us independent. That's all there is to it."
"...Then that's enough. Let's talk about something else."
The moment the burning candle was reflected in Hare's eyes.
Hare frowned as if she couldn't understand and asked.
"Why did you do that to Uncle when he was unconscious? Are you crazy? Be honest. Did you drink holy water or something?"
"Why would I take medicine if I were crazy? I was just being honest with my feelings."
Saten answered calmly as if it were no big deal.
Naturally, Hare couldn't be pleased with that answer.
"...Being honest with your feelings? What feelings?"
"I wanted to hug the person in front of me. I wanted to kiss them. I wanted to always be together. Since I had those thoughts, it must be love. My feeling is love."
"Wh-what...?! Wh-what are you saying...!! I, I liked Uncle first...!! You know that...!!"
"Yes, I know. So what does that have to do with anything?"
"Hey, your conscience is dead, Saten...? I should have killed you back then...!!"
"Ha."
Saten let out a derisive laugh.
"Could you even kill me? You lost to me and yet you talk so much."
"Wh-who lost...!! You had more injuries...!? If I had really tried to kill you, you'd be in heaven right now...!!"
"Still, the fact that you say heaven means it's not hell, I suppose."
"...Anyone who helps Uncle goes to heaven. You'll die by my hand soon, but you'll still go to heaven. Consider yourself lucky."
"That's quite scary. But since I took Uncle's lips, I suppose it would be okay to die."
"Y-you bitch...!!"
Whoosh—
Hare stood up from her seat and looked down at Saten as if to kill her.
*I don't have my dagger... Can I subdue her right now...?*
She checked her surroundings and ran simulations on how to fight.
However, Uncle's voice suddenly flashed through her mind, so she calmed herself and sat back down.
"...Uncle made a rule not to fight. I'll let you off this once."
"Good excuse. Actually, I don't want to fight either. I just wanted to let you know."
Saten declared war in Hare's ear across the candle.
"Acting like a good girl to win Uncle won't work. Don't act like you already have him when you're only targeting him alone. Understand?"
"...You really are annoying."
"I don't want to have what I want stolen by someone else, just like you. That's why I'm warning you. Don't underestimate me."
If someone else is taking lightly what I cherish.
Nothing is more infuriating than that.
After whispering to her heart's content, Saten returned to her seat.
The two sitting face to face exchanged glares while growling at each other.
It was the moment they recognized that they were both comrades and competitors at the same time.
"...If you interfere with my plans, I'll kill you."
"Yes, do as you please. More importantly, what did you tell Uncle about why we fought?"
"I said you touched my family."
"Hmm, not a bad answer. Thanks for hiding the truth."
"..."
She's thanking me.
Saten, what is she thinking?
Though Hare had many conversations with Saten, she still couldn't understand Saten's thought process.
Her personality had changed a lot from when they first met, and her emotional expressions had increased, making her difficult to understand.
*...I don't need to understand her anyway. I just need Uncle.*
After defeating all the Demon Kings.
I'll eat breakfast with Uncle in the morning, drink tea at lunch, and sleep together at night.
It wouldn't be wrong to say Hare lived only for that.
"We're done talking now. I'm leaving."
"Wait, there's still an unfinished matter."
"...What is it?"
Saten stopped Hare as she was leaving.
Saten looked directly at Hare and declared confidently.
"We need to settle the fight that ended in a draw. I won, but you won't acknowledge it. So we need to have a clean rematch."
"...So you want to fight now? While breaking Uncle's rule?"
Hare, on edge, answered sharply.
She was in a sensitive state from all the stress.
Saten shook her head sideways as if that wasn't it.
"Still, we shouldn't break the rules. It's Uncle's word."
"...Then what are you suggesting?"
"Let's do it like this."
Whoosh—
Saten blew out the candle.
Then she got up and headed to her desk.
She gently stroked Uncle's staff on the desk with her fingers and said.
"Let's compete over who helps Uncle more."
"...Wouldn't I obviously win that? I'm already winning now, aren't I?"
"That would be true for you, who sticks to Uncle like gum all the time. So let's compete based on just one day."
One day.
What that meant.
Hare understood without much thought.
"...The next Demon King. You mean the Demon King at the Goddess Church?"
"Exactly. That day. Let's see which of us helps more."
There's no reason for me to back out.
Hare was confident in that competition, so she nodded toward Saten.
And Saten, who had inherited the staff from Uncle, was also confident in the competition.
*I can definitely win that competition. Because I have information.*
Thus, Hare and Saten, unaware that if they defeated the Demon King quickly, Uncle would leave them sooner, burned with enthusiasm to eliminate the Demon King.
Estia had a dream.
A dream of living happily in the orphanage from long ago.
A dream of reciting doctrine at lunchtime and enjoying chorus singing.
Estia dreamed a dream she could never see in reality.
"Ugh... I don't want to..."
It's a good dream, but...
I don't want to see it again...
Estia tossed and turned in the moving carriage, groaning in her sleep.
"Go away... You all need to leave now too..."
The children reached out toward Estia and approached.
They had smiling faces, saying let's get along like old times.
However, behind them were the experiment tables she had seen underground.
"U-ugh... G-go away...! If you come, I'll purify you all...?!"
Don't come!
Don't come, I said!
Nevertheless, Estia's friends approached with bright smiles.
"D-don't come! D-do you want to die!? Are you ignoring me, the Saint?! E-eek!!"
Estia shouted louder.
Telling them not to come closer.
But she only shouted at the approaching children.
She couldn't push them away with violent actions.
"U-ugh... Let go..."
"Estia."
"U-Uncle... Where are you... Save the Saint right now..."
Finally caught by the children's hands, Estia.
She looked around desperately searching for Uncle and shouted.
However, there were only countless experiment tables around.
Estia couldn't see any hope at all.
"U-ugh..."
"Estia."
"D-don't talk...!!"
"Why did only you survive? Leaving us behind. How could you do that?"
"Ugh... I can't hear you...! I can't hear anything...!"
Estia shouted that she couldn't hear while hypnotizing herself.
The children looked at Estia and giggled, then opened their mouths grotesquely and said.
"Estia."
"Don't call my name..."
"Estia."
"S-stop...!!"
"Estia!!"
"Aaah—!"
Smack—!
Estia opened her eyes with a strong impact to her head.
She looked around and understood she had been dreaming.
"Wh-what? It was a dream? More importantly, who was it! Who hit my head!"
"You had no intention of waking up, so I told Luna to wake you."
"U-Uncle!!"
Estia looked at Uncle with joy.
But that was only for a moment.
Estia scrunched up her face and shouted.
"Why didn't you save me!"
"...What are you talking about?"
"You should have saved me even in my dream! The Saint almost died in her dream!"
"...Stop talking nonsense and get yourself together now, Estia."
"Huh?"
"Look out the window."
Estia checked the window as Lee Jun-woo said.
The tall building she always used to see was there.
"The Church!"
"That's right, the Church. And we're planning to destroy that tall building today."
Lee Jun-woo said this and handed Estia a believer's robe.
"Hurry and put it on. It's time to start your revenge."
"...Got it."
Estia stiffened her expression and received the robe.
Though she didn't have feelings of revenge.
*If there's a child just like me! I'll save them!*
The word salvation was firmly engraved in Estia's mind.
Though her thoughts were sometimes strange.
She was a Saint to her bones.