# 37. Moving Preparations! The Saint Who Can't Hold Back (1)
The train station was quiet and peaceful.
I'd worried they might cause trouble, but the three children were sitting obediently on the wooden bench.
Had Hare been watching for me already? She was the first to notice my arrival.
"Ah, mister's here...! K-kids...! M-mister's here...!!"
"...Say it once. I heard you."
"My holy water is here!? Wh-where?! Where is it?"
"S-stay still...! Estia...!"
Hare looked like she was training a wild dog. Instead of a leash, she had her arms linked, restraining Estia. It seemed she'd been blocking Estia from causing trouble, just as I'd asked.
"You've been watching Estia well, Hare."
"Y-yes...! I, I worked hard...! I, I did well, right...? Praise... please praise me...!"
Swoosh—
Hare stuck her head out as if asking to be petted. It would be good to praise her at times like this. I patted Hare's head.
"Hehe..."
That should be enough. If praise goes on too long, it becomes expected, so keep it short. Hare looked disappointed, but I removed my hand from her head. This wasn't the time for that.
Time was tight.
"Originally I planned to rest a day in Aden Village... but that won't be possible. We're heading straight to Henencia."
"Why? Why did the plan change?"
Saten asked in a displeased tone. She really hated when plans got disrupted. However, just because Saten disliked it didn't mean I could follow a plan that had already gone awry.
"I'll explain later. Just follow me for now."
I led the children straight toward the train platform.
"Everyone follow me. It's not evening yet, so there should still be trains to Henencia."
"Y-yes...!"
"Okay, mister."
Tap- tap-
Leading the children, I walked toward the ticket seller. A man with glasses and a sluggish impression. I conveyed my purpose clearly.
"Five tickets to Henencia today. Any seats available?"
"Yes, yes... there are seats, but..."
Fortunately, seats remained. However, seeing the seller trail off, something felt off. The seller scratched his head and said:
"One seat will have to be separate..."
"What? No seats together? Not even one?"
"No... all the 5 and 6-person rooms are taken... There's a 4-person room available, but... one person will have to sit in a different seat..."
"...Haa."
One person has to sit separately.
"I'll take that then."
"Yes, understood..."
Better to buy them before they all get split up. After receiving the tickets from the seller, I checked the seat names.
'A-1, A-2, A-3, A-4'
And then.
'C-8'
Fucking hell.
There's a B car between A and C, and you can't move between cars while the train is moving. Basically, the closer to A, the better the seat quality and the more expensive, and to prevent terrorism or fights between nobles and commoners... I didn't know who made this law, but I wanted to tear it up.
"Shitty law. Having to sit separately in this situation."
"M-mister... then what do we do...? One person has to sit alone...? Who will sit...? C-can't you stay by my side...?"
Hare's gaze as she spoke was blatantly directed at Saten. I never asked for a vote. The only person who could sit alone was me. I distributed the A car tickets to the kids.
"I'll sit separately. You all sit together as quietly as possible."
"Y-you, mister?! What about me?! I hear strange voices! What about Estia?"
"...If you can say that after seeing her condition, then I've misjudged you."
Estia was staring at the floor with vacant golden eyes. She looked like she was watching ants on the ground, but there were no living creatures on the floor. She just seemed to have stopped thinking.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking, haha..."
Seeing Estia's state, Luna immediately realized her mistake. At that moment, Saten raised her hand and declared confidently:
"I'll sit alone. It'll just be noisy together anyway. I actually prefer it."
"...Are you sure, Saten?"
"Yes, being together would be torture for me."
Luna and Hare shouted something at that "noisy" comment, but it wasn't particularly important. What I needed to consider was whether Saten would be okay alone...
"Hmm..."
Could I trust Saten with this...?
'...No.'
Honestly, I couldn't trust it. My seat was C-8. Someone with a C-7 ticket would sit next to me. What if that ordinary citizen rubbed Saten the wrong way? Though the answer wasn't clear, a future naturally formed in my mind. The image of Saten slapping a civilian.
Perhaps because of the strange education from her family, Saten tended to dislike commoners. It would be better for me to sit alone after all.
I placed my hand on Luna's shoulder, the one I was most worried about.
"Luna, it takes an hour to Henencia."
"Yes?"
"Endure until then. Can you do it?"
"I've never tried, so I don't know...?"
"Then try enduring this time. You can do it."
"Eh..."
Leaving behind Luna making dazed sounds, the magic train to Henencia stopped to board passengers. The children to A car. Me to C car. We had no choice but to sit separately. Luna with an anxious expression, Hare with a regretful expression, Saten expressionless, Estia with a crazed expression. What a variety of expressions from the Hero Party members.
'Come to think of it.'
Wasn't this the first time the four of them gathered in one place without me? This is a bit curious.
'What will the children talk about when I'm not there?'
With Lee Jun-woo gone, the four Hero Party members gathered in one place. Luna and Hare sat on one side, with Estia and Saten across from them. An awkward atmosphere flowed through the Hero Party. Four girls who would later have to defeat the Demon King. Among them, the party leader, Hero Luna, spoke first.
"K-kids. This is the first time we're together without mister! Right?!"
"..."
Silence—
Why, why aren't they answering? Did I say something strange...? Party members not responding to the Hero's words. As Luna expressed her confusion, the Holy Sword kept talking in her ear.
—Not bad, Hero. Your party members have talent. Perhaps they'll die much less than the previous Hero.
'Wh-what does that mean?! Die less?!'
—You'll find out later.
The Holy Sword's basically creepy voice was something she could get used to... but the screaming sounds that played as background music whenever it spoke were hard to endure. Luna clenched her fists and suppressed the voice. Then, his face automatically came to mind.
'W-wait... why is mister coming to mind...!? Go away, mister!'
I don't want to see him! I absolutely don't like mister! Luna, who always found mister unpleasant, but right now wanted to see him more than anyone. She desperately denied that fact.
"No way, me missing mister? That can't be...! This is hypnosis!"
"Luna...? Wait, I have a question..."
At that moment, Hare asked Luna timidly. What question was Hare trying to ask? Luna nodded and answered.
"A question? What question!?"
"Where did you go with mister...?"
"Ah, I went to my house for a bit. Something big almost happened..."
"...What kind of big thing?"
"Huh? That's a bit awkward to explain..."
Should I explain in detail to them that I saw a brutal future where my family died, and then came back? No matter how I think about it! There's no need for that! Luna decided to gloss over it to Hare. Not anticipating that choice might not be good.
"I just helped my family! It was almost dangerous!"
"I see, dangerous... s-so mister helped Luna...?"
"Uh-huh, he helped me. But Hare, why that expression?"
Why, why are you looking at me so scary? Is mister helping my family such a problem? Hare had a shocked expression as if she'd been bitten hard by a dog she trusted, feeling considerable betrayal.
'Saving other kids... I, I don't like that... I wish mister would only save me...'
What could Luna's feelings be? Hare bit her lip tightly. Then, to know Luna's true feelings, she asked:
"What does Luna think about mister...?"
"M-mister? Mister's just a kidnapper."
"That's not what I mean... let me change the question. Then does Luna like mister...?"
"Eh...?"
Gulp—
I wish mister only liked me. I don't like it when other people like mister. I don't want mister stolen by someone else. Hare waited tensely for Luna's answer. That way, when mister wasn't around, she could decide whether to make Luna an enemy or an ally. After thinking briefly, Luna shouted as if it were absurd.
"Wh-what! Hare! R-really! A kidnapper with a broken personality who's completely blunt! There's no way I'd like a mister like that!"
"Are you serious...?"
"O-of course! Usually there are okay parts but... a-anyway I don't like him! Absolutely! It's not like I like him! As if I'd like mister?!"
Luna's face turned red as a tomato. From Saten's perspective, spouting such a passionate speech in response to whether she liked mister didn't make much sense.
'...In books, children like that secretly like someone. Or don't realize their own feelings. That's what I read.'
Well, even if she likes mister, it's not particularly related to me. Not even properly knowing what kind of emotion it is. Saten watched them briefly before returning her gaze to her book. Saten was the same in not knowing her own heart, so to her, mister was just mister.
"Luna, is that true? That you dislike mister..."
"Of course! I dislike mister! Totally dislike him! He s-seems kind but I, I dislike him!"
"I see... Luna dislikes mister..."
Joy—
Hare smiled brightly. Before, she would have been angry if someone said they disliked mister. But now when someone says they dislike mister, it puts her mind at ease.
"Luna, you're not my enemy..."
"Eh? What do you mean..."
"Let's get along well...?"
Squeeze—
Hare linked arms with Luna as if to say we're friends.
'F-finally. Hare opened her heart to me!'
Luna responded with a beaming smile, returning the arm link. It felt like the hallucinations were disappearing. Though it was an absurd misunderstanding.
'Luna, let's get along well. As long as you keep disliking mister...'
We'll be able to get along. Even Estia, who likes holy water the most, can get along. Unlike that Saten girl. Saten is the 'enemy.' That expressionless Saten will cling to mister someday. Hare sensed it intuitively. And then.
—This train will stop at the Dungeon City 'Henencia.' Those disembarking, please exit through the right door.
While hiding their feelings from each other, the moving train finally reached its destination. A very important city that would mark the beginning of the Hero Party. They arrived at Henencia. And...
'P-please, holy water... give me holy water...'
Estia had reached her limit.