43. The Old Man is Sensitive (3)
It's a morning like any other.
Preparing meals for the children, following the plan—an ordinary daily routine.
Within that ordinary routine, dark clouds were gathering in my emotions.
"...A whole week in this state. This won't be easy."
Lightning strikes at unexpected moments, and with these sensitive emotions where I don't know when the rain will fall, I hurt Hare.
She seemed to have composed herself and gone to her room, but...
Seeing the firmly closed door, it appeared Hare still needed more time.
"...She needs to eat properly to grow."
The dinner I prepared yesterday remains untouched.
She hasn't taken a single bite.
Either she has no appetite, or the food just won't go down.
Children need regular eating habits for growth, but...
I won't force Hare to eat.
She must be having a hard enough time as it is, and it was my fault for saying such harsh words.
I decided to respect her wishes.
"...Eat when you're hungry, Hare. If you don't like it cold, I'll cook fresh and bring it to you."
Uttering words mixed with guilt.
I cleared away the plate of food from the night before and set down the newly made breakfast in front of her door.
But as time passed and lunchtime came.
On my way to the yard for Luna's training.
The food remained untouched.
*She still hasn't eaten.*
The food in front of her door was still completely untouched.
Judging by the signs of presence, she seemed to be awake.
No matter how hard things are, she needs to eat...
A worried feeling began to creep up on me.
Meanwhile, Luna, completely oblivious to my concerns, drooled and said:
"Old man! It looks like Hare left her food! Can I, can I eat that...? Training takes a lot of energy, you know!"
"..."
You just finished eating.
You're going to eat all that and Hare's leftovers too?
Come to think of it, she seems to have gained a bit of weight as she's built muscle.
Should I control her diet?
At this rate, Luna might become a pig Hero.
I left Luna, whose attention was fixed on the food, and walked toward the yard.
"Heh, hehe... This morning's meal was delicious... Right, Old ma— Huh?"
"..."
"O-Old man! Where are you going! At least answer me! L-let's go together!"
A yard more spacious than the previous house.
The overgrown weeds have all been removed, leaving a nice yard with clean grass.
There's even a high fence so she can't secretly escape.
In terms of security, this house could be considered better.
I stood still and spoke to Luna, who was looking at me.
"Luna."
"Yes!"
Perhaps because it's been a while since we've done sword training.
Luna's blue eyes sparkled as she listened attentively to my words.
She usually pretends not to hear my nagging, but she concentrates when it comes to swordsmanship because she finds it fun.
It was quite rare.
"Luna, I told you your swordsmanship is a protective sword. You remember, don't you?"
"Yes! I remember!"
"Then, when you saw your family's deaths, how did you feel?"
"What?! Th-that's!"
Luna frowned as if she didn't want to remember.
But to grow, she must recall it.
So she never experiences that emotion and that situation again.
Pain that doesn't kill makes people grow and become stronger.
Luna answered in a sorrowful tone.
"I wished it wasn't real... I was incredibly sad and upset that I couldn't protect them..."
"If that situation comes again, will you protect your family?"
"Yes! Absolutely! I'll definitely protect them!"
"Then, think of me as that red-haired man. And imagine your family is behind you."
"Old man as the red-haired man... my family behind me..."
Is she recalling the emotions from that time?
Luna gripped her wooden sword in proper stance and her eyes sharpened.
Her will seemed determined not to let me pass behind her at any cost.
I gripped my wooden sword and slowly approached Luna.
"Think of me as the red-haired man who killed your family. I'm holding a sword and I'm going to kill the family behind you."
"Th-that can't happen! I-I'll stop you!"
"Good, try to stop me."
Good eyes.
Luna swung her sword at me as I approached.
*Whoosh—*
*Sharper than before. And there's a killing intent.*
Was she frustrated at having to just stand still last time?
These movements suggest she's been training diligently whenever I wasn't watching.
Her swordsmanship still lacks form, but I could understand the intent behind her swings.
"It seems you've been training quite hard."
"Of course! Do you know how frustrated I was! Just standing still... I don't want to just wait like that time...!!"
When I try to advance, she pushes me back.
Not moving first, a defensive style trying to protect the family behind her.
Luna was executing her own version of "protective swordsmanship" with this push-and-pull tactic.
Of course, there were gaps since she hadn't learned systematically.
But I could see very clearly what form of swordsmanship Luna wanted and what needed to be corrected.
"Your defensive swordsmanship that pushes opponents back and targets those who approach suddenly is excellent. However, you haven't considered the terrain."
"Huh?"
"If there are people to protect, move backward toward a wall. That way, you won't have to worry about attacks from one side, making it easier to defend."
Luna currently had too many open spaces.
I circled around Luna as if playing ring-around-the-rosy.
Luna circled along with my movements to protect her family.
"Huff... O-Old man...! How long are you going to keep circling...!"
"The defender has more to worry about than the attacker, Luna. The choice is always the attacker's, and they'll just wait for you to tire out."
So.
*Thud—*
Luna collapsed on the ground, exhausted from following my movements.
She was sweating and breathing heavily.
"Haah... O-Old man... that's so mean...! Haah... M-making me run... until I'm exhausted...! You could've just told me...!"
"It's better to experience it once than to explain with words."
"Geez, not a single word gets through...!"
"You can't even win an argument because you lack skill. Work hard, Luna."
"Aaaah—!! So frustrating—!!"
Luna rolled around on the grass like a child demanding to be bought a doll.
My clouded emotions were also reaching their limit.
I should rest a bit.
I sat on the bench in the yard and said:
"Think about how you could beat me just now, and practice on your own. I'll rest here and watch."
"Huh? Rest? That's not like you, Old man! Are you already getting old?!"
"...First, you seem to lack stamina. Three laps around the yard."
"Ah! I was joking! Really, are you—"
"Start!"
Compared to the previous house, the yard is twice as large.
Luna ran diligently, sweating.
Judging by her running speed, I could physically feel that Luna was growing.
Her swordsmanship's sharpness too.
I should properly start training the one Hero Party member who will handle offense.
More than that.
*Why is Saten staring at me?*
I've always felt Saten's gaze before, but...
Today those black eyes were particularly blatant.
It felt like she was observing me piece by piece, like a magical formula.
*It's too obvious to be my imagination.*
What is it? Has something changed?
Saten does things I can understand, but sometimes things I can't, so...
I can't explain it precisely, but...
*The way she looks at me has changed slightly.*
I could tell that much—that Saten was beginning to change.
Late at night when the old man had fallen asleep.
There was a girl walking softly through the dark corridor.
A girl who had refused food and drink, working to remake herself in her room.
Hare.
She knocked on Saten's door to study the old man.
*Knock knock—*
—Come in.
Hare entered the room looking gaunt.
Saten observed Hare and smiled.
"Hmm, did you gain something?"
"...Y-yes, I did. When I closed the door... and thought in my room... I understood exactly what my problem was that you mentioned..."
"So you finally understood that. You're really slow."
"..."
An arrogant gaze.
However, Hare couldn't say anything.
It was actually true, and Hare was the one clinging on.
She was in a position where she had staked her life on fixing herself for the old man's sake.
*I-I absolutely... can't be abandoned by the old man... If, if I'm abandoned...*
I'll die. I'll die.
I can't imagine a future without the old man.
To Hare, who stood at the edge of such a cliff, Saten asked leisurely:
"So, what was the problem?"
"...I-I'm selfish. If it's for the old man... I shouldn't have done things he hates... behind his back..."
"And?"
"I-I shouldn't have shown... sh-shown emotions that the old man hates..."
"Hmm, that's wrong. It's okay to show emotions."
"Huh...?"
Is showing emotions wrong?
Saten thought so at first.
In her family, servants were punished if they showed emotions.
But after hearing the old man's words, she changed her thinking.
*Kids grow by making mistakes. I'll never abandon you.*
He won't abandon us even if we make mistakes.
The old man has a coldly rational side, but also a generous side.
Even today, he worked Luna like a dog but still praised her.
As a result of observing the old man, Saten realized:
"The old man won't abandon you even if you show the emotion called 'love.'"
"R-really...? Th-the old man won't abandon me...?"
"Yes, I'm almost certain. However, if you use that emotion to go against the old man, he might trample on your feelings."
"Th-then... what should I do...? T-to stay by the old man's side...?"
"It's simple."
Don't do things the old man would hate.
Only do things the old man likes.
Follow the old man's words better than anyone else.
And...
"You need to walk the line carefully so you don't get cut by the old man's blade-like personality."
Saten said this while slicing her wrist with a blade.
*Drip drip—*
The blood that fell to the floor formed a red apple.
She showed the red apple in her hand to Hare and explained:
"Wh-what's this...?"
"It's a model. If this were your love, the old man would cut it with a blade as soon as he received it."
*Slice—*
The red apple in Saten's hand split in half.
"Like this, if you give him an apple, it breaks."
"I-if I give the old man an apple... I-I shouldn't...?"
"If it's for the old man's sake, you shouldn't give it. The old man won't eat the apple on his own."
Forcibly shoving an apple into his mouth would be a selfish act.
The old man would definitely hate it.
So...
Saten sliced her wrist once more and created an apple.
This time she handed the apple to Hare and said:
"Don't give the old man an apple—receive one instead."
"H-how...?"
"I wouldn't know. But if you don't do things he hates, you'll automatically obtain it. If you don't give an apple until the very end, you'll have to forcibly take one, though."
Like me.
The things she had mentioned earlier were all things Saten had done to survive in her family.
She was sharing her experiences.
Hare listened to Saten's words and muttered:
"Don't do things the old man hates... and act to receive... an apple... Wh-what if the old man gives an apple to someone else...? What do I do then...? I-I don't like that..."
"Why do you think there's only one apple?"
"Huh...?"
"There could be three apples, or four. And that means..."
More apples than others.
More.
Get many more.
"M-more... I get the most... I won't do things the old man hates... the same everywhere... Instead... only do things that earn praise...?"
"You finally understand, commoner."
My frustration finally subsides.
Now that I've given you the solution, I should receive something too, right?
"Now that you've received it, tell me. What exactly is this emotion called love?"
The genius mage Saten was curious about the emotion called love.
*What kind of emotion is it that made my father, who loved my mother, abandon me?*
Saten, whose life had been twisted from the moment of birth.
The starting point she couldn't untangle no matter how much she wanted to.
She wanted to unravel it by any means necessary.
However, if there was one thing Saten overlooked...
"When I see the old man, my heart pounds, and if the old man isn't there, I want to die, and if the old man is with another woman I get incredibly anxious, and I-I always want him to pat my head—that's love..."
"Hmm, I see."
She failed to recognize that love has weight.
Hare's love was heavy enough to crush a person.
*So that's how to love...*
The brilliant Saten began absorbing Hare's knowledge of love like a sponge.