# 16. The Third Companion. As Always, the Moment of Choice Arrives (3)
"Hurry! She can't have gone far! Find her no matter what!"
The banquet hall.
The Black Crow Knights moved busily, searching for Saten.
Lenen, the Head of the Cecilia Family, was more annoyed about the ruined party than worried about Saten.
Lenen shouted firmly at the moving knights.
"Move. The kidnapper can't have gone far. Find Saten immediately. That's an order from the Knight Commander."
"Y-yes...! Understood, Head of Family!"
The knights departed to search for the kidnapper.
Lenen, feeling something odd about his father's words, asked.
"...Father. I have a question."
Lennon looked at his son Lenen with a blank expression and half-closed eyes.
A question at such a busy time.
He answered with an irritated air.
"We don't have time, so speak quickly."
"...I'm curious why you think Saten was kidnapped. Couldn't that demon have run away? She's someone who doesn't even know the grace of us raising her."
"Do you truly think Saten ran away, Lenen? If so, you still don't understand that demon."
"What do you mean...?"
"That demon would never run away. Tools don't know freedom."
Tool.
That was Saten's designation as the family's magic storage.
Head of Family Lennon thought that Saten, who had never experienced freedom, would never have run away on her own.
"In that sense, Lenen. Do you think magic golems are people?"
"...No. Magic golems are just tools that move with Mana Stones. They're definitely not people."
"Then isn't Saten also a 'tool'? Just a tool that can't feel emotions. No different from a magic golem."
"..."
If feeling emotions makes one human,
then Saten, who couldn't feel emotions, wasn't human.
Cecilia Lennon's eyes held hatred as he said this.
"She's a tool we kept because she was useful, but I hope she returns quickly. I don't know who stimulated that demon's curiosity, but when the time comes, the child will return."
"...You're right, Father."
Lenen agreed with his words.
That child would definitely return.
Saten had lived without knowing freedom, and her home was here in the Cecilia family.
They firmly believed that the tool who left home would experience the harshness of the outside world and return.
"When she comes back, we'll have to give her a stern punishment."
And they couldn't even imagine they would regret this moment later.
Cecilia Saten, the Mage of the Hero Party.
The name of the girl held in my arms.
I didn't know what her past was like, but I could be certain of one thing.
"Cecilia Saten."
"Yes."
"Aren't you afraid of me?"
"Should I be afraid of you?"
She's definitely crazy.
Her screws are loose—really loose.
She's not even trembling with a kidnapper right in front of her.
Even Hero Luna, who should be lying in her room now, had trembled when I kidnapped her.
But this mage, whether she didn't know the emotion of fear or not, was calmly held in my arms, feeling the cool breeze.
She even tapped my arm, urging me to move faster.
*What kind of past does she have?*
Luna was Villager A.
Hare was an alley thief.
What kind of life had the mage lived to have this personality?
Should I ask?
"A good family, looks, talent. You should have nothing to envy, so why did you want to run away?"
"Hmm, do you think I lived a happy life?"
"People who grow up in wealthy families usually grow into good people. Am I wrong?"
"That's prejudice. A very terrible prejudice."
Saten said that and went back to admiring the scenery.
She remained expressionless.
She was a woman I couldn't figure out at all.
*Still, I learned two things.*
First, she hadn't lived a particularly happy life.
I could tell from her calling it prejudice.
And second.
Emotions.
Saten had no emotions.
*I'm certain. Saten has no emotions.*
Perhaps it's more fitting to say her soul is empty.
Though it was a short time, I couldn't detect any negative emotions like fear, terror, anger, or sadness from her.
Positive emotions like joy and happiness were the same.
Even when she smiled, it looked like she was forcibly using her muscles to do so.
Unnatural acting, or perhaps it felt like she was wearing a mask.
Anyway.
"I think this is far enough now."
Tap.
I released my invisibility and stopped walking.
Seeing me stop, Saten lifted her head and asked as if it were strange.
"What are you doing, Mr. Kidnapper? You need to kidnap me. You remember my face, right? If you don't want trouble, you'll have to kill me, you know?"
"No, that's not it."
"What?"
"There are guys nearby who've been following us."
Tailing us.
At first I thought it was the knights' pursuit team.
However, the subtle atmosphere they gave off was different from proper knights.
In my memory, guys with this kind of atmosphere were...
Grimoire.
It was definitely those guys who worship the Demon King.
"The gloomy and unpleasant atmosphere is always you bastards."
"Wow, you noticed this? You're pretty sharp, aren't you?"
"...I hate sharp guys."
Two men descending from the rooftop to the ground.
One was skinny with a frivolous voice.
The other had a huge body with a serious voice.
They were guys I'd heard of.
*Was it Fatty and Skinny?*
That's roughly how I remembered them.
"Recently, a Grimoire duo operating together. I heard the rumors. First-class believers?"
"...You know quite a bit in detail? Then you must also know we have this?"
The frivolous man pulled out a book from his chest.
A black magic tome.
The book's name was 'Grimoire.' The same as the organization's name.
Using a Grimoire allows one to use power bestowed by the Demon King.
Well, it was a book with that kind of ominous power.
"First-class believers. Even the Apostles above them. I've known for a while that you carry Grimoires."
"Kekeke, you annoyingly know everything? This won't do. You have to die. We'll take good care of that kid next to you."
"I never said I'd go with you. You don't spark any curiosity in me at all."
Saten shot out hurtful words with an expressionless face.
The reaction from the frivolous man, who seemed to have weak mental fortitude, came immediately.
"Fuck. We were going to take you easily since you're the Hero Party, but you're talking pretty harsh to us? Is it because you're young, or can't you read the situation?"
Wait.
Hero Party?
"...Wait. Did you just say Hero Party?"
"Kekeke, since you're going to die soon, I'll tell you specially. That woman you're holding. She's actually the mage of the Hero Party in the distant future~ But our Demon King says the Hero Party will kill him? So we believers have to kill that woman or send her far away. The Demon King is our god."
"...Suu. Don't spill information."
"What does it matter, we're going to kill him with our own hands. It's more comfortable to die knowing than not knowing, kekeke."
...Do they think they can kill me?
The grinning frivolous man.
His name is Suu.
A pretty name that doesn't match his frivolous face.
From their perspective, I must have seemed like a weakling.
"Being treated like this does feel bad."
"What are you going to do about feeling bad~? Are you going to fight~?"
The two men drew weapons from their Grimoires.
The frivolous man drew a long rapier, the serious man a huge greatsword.
So it really is Fatty and Skinny.
They had their concept down well.
"You play according to how you look."
"...That bastard. I'll kill you and send you to the Demon King."
"Wait, before that. Which Demon King do you worship?"
"We worship the Demon King of Greed, 'Greed.' He's also the one you'll soon meet."
...Not the guys who worship that traitor.
Unfortunately, they worship a different Demon King.
Then they're guys with nothing to extract even if I kill them.
*The Demon King of Greed among the five Demon Kings... How annoying that they know about the Hero Party.*
The Demon Kings don't get along with each other, so information exchange wouldn't happen.
I spoke arrogantly to the guys rushing at me with rapier and greatsword.
"I understand well that you're looking for the Hero Party. But it seems you didn't read the revelation carefully. Do you remember what was written at the back of the Grimoire book?"
"I don't know that shit!!"
They wouldn't remember.
That revelation is a lower version than Minerva's ability, and people rarely read to the end of book pages.
It only tells them the mage is here.
It can't predict their future.
As the sword tip entered my vision, I checked Minerva's question.
[Two Grimoire members targeting the Hero Party's mage Saten. Even Goddess Minerva hates these two bastards~ What will Lee Jun-woo do?]
[1. Defeat them with a sword.]
[2. Defeat them with magic.]
Perhaps because they're guys Minerva hates, she gave a very simple question.
I postponed the answer key and clicked option 2.
The reason was naturally for Saten behind me.
I wanted to show her magic, and honestly, I was much more confident in magic than swordsmanship.
"Cecilia Saten, you said you're a genius mage?"
"Yes, people call me that."
"Really? The genius I know was more amazing than you."
She was.
The woman who taught me magic was a genius.
The remnants of her magic remaining in my memory rose up.
A magic circle that was free-spirited, crossed boundaries, and efficient.
It was drawn on the canvas of my mind, and a magic circle floated toward the air.
Right now, I was demonstrating the same magical skill as her in my memories.
*'Please live, Jun. I... you...'*
Her final moments, with her blue hair fluttering, trying to speak but stopping.
With that distant emotion, mana wrapped around my fingertips.
And it gently transferred to the magic circle in the air.
A gentle breeze brushed my fingertips as the magic circle manifested.
"Disappear without a trace. Lonely dust."
Ssssshhh—
The wind manifested from the magic circle wrapped around the two bodies.
They didn't realize it, but the body parts touched by the wind were turning to powder and decomposing without a trace like dust.
The final moments of Grimoire members who didn't even notice their own deaths.
Mage Saten just watched the scene blankly.
"This is how you use magic."
It took 5 seconds for them to completely decompose.
But the time Saten spent looking at the space where they disappeared far exceeded 5 minutes.
Blankly.
Whether analyzing or recalling the memory, she just kept looking at that spot.
Then, as if she couldn't find an answer, she turned her head to me and asked.
"Earlier, you said there was a genius more amazing than me."
"Yeah."
"Where is that person?"
"Dead."
"I see."
Saten had no particular reaction to hearing about the death.
My heart ached a little from saying it myself.
Still.
I extended my hand and said to Saten.
"If you're curious about that magic, I can teach you."
"You'll teach me magic? Why?"
"Just because."
"...What?"
"Because you're a mage."
A sentence with many meanings compressed within.
Because you're the Hero Party's mage.
Because you could perfectly master her traces.
Because that magic is the last trace she left in the world...
Saten, who didn't know those meanings,
looked at my hand with suspicious eyes.
"If you'll teach me, I'll try learning."
Soon, she grasped my hand.
It was the moment the third companion of the Hero Party joined.
The party.
"Mister must be having fun at the party, right..? There are probably many nobles prettier than me there, and Mister might forget about us... What should I do..? What if Mister abandons us, Luna..? What should I do..? What should I do..?"
—St-stop!! Let's sleep, Hare..!! What time is it now..!!
"12:56. It's been 4 hours and 34 minutes since Mister left... Mister still hasn't returned..."
—It's time for me to sleep...! I'm not interested in Mister, so stop..! Stop..!!
"...Luna isn't interested in Mister. Then never be interested. Luna is an ungrateful, impudent child."
Hmph, I'm not playing with you.
Three hours of continuous delusions about Lee Jun-woo.
Luna, who had listened to all of it, could finally regain her freedom when Hare left.
"When is Mister coming..."
Hare headed to the living room, his sanctuary, to wait for Lee Jun-woo.
That place was filled with Lee Jun-woo's scent, so she could feel a strange sense of stability.
"My heart feels at ease... It feels good..."
While he was gone, Hare had cleaned in her own way, so the living room was fairly clean.
The sofa where Lee Jun-woo lay and slept.
Hare felt warmth and savored his scent.
"Hehe..."
It would be nice to live this happily forever...
With this happiness she was feeling for the first time, Hare felt like she could die right now without regrets.
Hare was passing time looking at the old picture of Lee Jun-woo in the photo frame on the desk when—
Creeeeak—
The sound of the door opening rang out.
"Oh? Mister must be here..!"
Reacting to the sound of the door opening, an excited Hare bounced over.
To welcome Lee Jun-woo returning from the party!
"Mister..! You're back..!"
However.
"...Mister? Who's that next to you..?"
Thud—
Hare felt as if a huge rock was crushing her heart.
Two people, a man and woman, holding hands.
Lee Jun-woo returning from the party wasn't alone.