# 45. The Approaching Fog, Swept Away Emotions (1)
"I'm feeling a bit better now..."
The dark clouds of emotion that had been swirling gradually dissipated, replaced by a feeling like white clouds approaching. The aftereffects were slowly healing within me.
*...Though they'll flare up again if I see anyone related to the Church.*
The hatred toward the Church that had used my friends as experimental materials. That would remain inside me for life. If I ever came face to face with a Holy Knight, I'd have to control those emotions as much as possible.
"By the way, Saten."
"Yes, mister. Why are you calling me?"
"How's your emotion study going?"
Emotion study. Having her read books to indirectly experience the emotions hidden within them. Not everything in books is the correct answer, but for Saten, who can't experience emotions, this is the only method available. Without a word, Saten held out a pile of about ten books in response to my question.
"Did you read all of them?"
"Yes, I read them all. The one that helped me understand emotions best was this book."
"...It's a fairy tale."
A fairy tale. A children's story made up of events unlikely to happen in reality. The book cover showed a princess in deep sleep and a prince on a white horse. Around them were seven short dwarves. Somehow, it felt familiar...
"The title is 'The Sleeping Princess.'"
"Yes, it's about a prince on a white horse saving a princess who fell asleep after eating an apple."
"...Did Minerva read this from my memories? Saten, where did you find this book?"
"It was on the shelf in the previous house. This was the most interesting among the other books."
"...I see."
The author's name written on the cover was Mingnenglungbang. Isn't that a bit too obvious even with the name changed? Besides her duty to record, Minerva also has to spread knowledge to people. Well, she could bring in culture from Earth. Anyway, the conversation with Saten is more important than that.
"Saten, which scene in this book did you find interesting?"
"There was a lot I didn't understand, but I found the last scene most interesting. It's intriguing that a kiss wakes someone from sleep."
"Hmm, that scene..."
After this and that, the prince on the white horse kisses the princess. The princess who had fallen into deep sleep awakens. Snow White. No, it's the highlight of "The Sleeping Princess."
"Why did you find this part most interesting?"
"Everything else was boring, so the ending was the most interesting."
Huh?
"Then the reason you said this book was most interesting was also..."
"It's the shortest. Forcing myself to understand things I don't understand is boring."
"..."
That's true, I suppose. Saten spoke as if displeased.
"There are too many bugs in the book that move without thinking. Bugs swept away by emotions. Driving out her daughter out of jealousy, trying to kill her by feeding her a poisoned apple. It's truly pathetic."
"You can't understand the characters at all, can you, Saten?"
"No, I can't understand the characters' thoughts at all. Magic books containing only theory are much better."
"..."
Holding onto content she doesn't understand and reading for hours would certainly be boring. However, for Saten not to die, such boring stories were absolutely necessary. She needs to make an effort to regain her emotions.
"Read them anyway, Saten."
"But...!"
"That's the only way I can teach you magic."
"...That's true."
Saten reluctantly agreed. Because what I'm saying is the "right" thing. She doesn't say anything because we have a promise. After muttering to herself for a moment, Saten said:
"As expected... rather than books... listening... experiencing... experiments... might be better..."
She raised her head toward me. Though expressionless, I could find the emotion of curiosity on her face.
"Mister, I need to regain my emotions, right?"
"That's right."
"Then what's most important for finding the 'answer' in magic?"
"In magic...?"
Hmm... Aina shouted at me, "The most important thing in magic is the process!" Decide on a goal, calculate in the process, experiment to confirm what's wrong, and find the problems. The answer to Saten's question is...
"The most important thing in magic is the 'process.'"
"That's right. The process. Calculating and experimenting to see if it's correct. That's what's important."
"But why are you asking me this?"
"Then wouldn't emotion study be the same, mister?"
"Huh?"
To know what emotions arise from this action. Don't we need experiments? Saten pressured me with eyes filled with madness. Though I felt no emotion, at the end of those pitch-black eyes was curiosity. That alone constituted the emotionless girl called Saten. Saten stared at me with intense eyes.
"I need experiments, mister."
"...What kind of experiments do you need? If you need materials, I can..."
"No, the material must be you, mister. I've heard things, and I'm curious. It has to be you, mister."
What did she hear? What on earth did she hear to act like this toward me? Unaware of my confused heart, Saten asked a question. A question that couldn't help but fluster me.
"Mister, what emotion does kissing bring?"
"Wh-what...?"
"The princess in that fairy tale received a kiss from the prince and woke from sleep. She even got married. What kind of emotion must she have felt to get married?"
"Even if you ask me that..."
"It's probably 'love,' isn't it? That child also said so. That the ultimate goal of love is receiving a kiss."
So who exactly told you what? Saten spouting incomprehensible words. She approached me with a tone full of curiosity and said:
"So I want to confirm what emotion it is. Can I have such thoughts too? I'm curious. Mister, please kiss me."
"That's crazy talk, Saten. Saying such things to a grown adult..."
"It's okay, this is the first time I'm saying this to you, mister. I won't say it to anyone else. And your goal is ultimately for me to gain emotions, isn't it? So let's experiment once. What it feels like to kiss, what emotions arise."
"..."
Saten, who had been sitting in a chair, stood up and came before me. Though taller than the other children, she only reached my solar plexus. Saten closed her eyes as if asking me to kiss her.
*She's definitely crazy. I thought her eyes had changed lately... but they changed in a bad direction.*
As if agreeing with my words, Minerva sent me a problem. A very simple problem.
[Pervert, lolicon, sex offender. There are so many words to describe Lee Jun-woo. Will you really do as Saten wants? Choose.]
[1. Kiss Saten.]
[2. Run away.]
...If I check the future of option 1, that means I'd have to see myself kissing Saten. I absolutely can't do that. Without much thought, I checked the answer for option 2.
*Hmm...*
Nothing particularly happens. The only concern is that Saten's curiosity remains unsatisfied. I looked down at Saten, who was quietly waiting with her eyes closed.
"..."
Eyes closed, head slightly raised, waiting for me. Waiting for me to do it like the prince in the fairy tale. Perhaps because of her dreamlike appearance, she really felt like a princess from a fairy tale fallen into deep sleep. But I had no intention of helping with Saten's experiment. No matter how I thought about it, the answer was option 2.
Creak—
"Mister?"
"I'll get you an experimental material next time. Experiment with that."
Well, a cat should do. Do your kissing experiments with that. Bang—! I closed the door and fled from Saten's room.
"Where on earth did she get such an audacious idea...?"
I can't understand it. Though that's part of Saten's charm... Before leaving, I glanced at Saten's room. From there, Saten's emotionless voice flowed out.
—Hmm, that's unfortunate. It could have been a good experiment.
Chilling... Experimenting to understand emotions is fine, but experiments about those kinds of emotions are a bit...
*If it were experiments with wholesome content, I could go along with it.*
But not today. Leading my body, chilled by Saten, I headed to my room to rest. Her room is on the second floor. Going down the wooden stairs, I faced the corridor leading to my room. And there was a small girl I hadn't seen in a while.
"Mister..."
"Hare."
Hare, who hadn't come out of her room for seven days. She had lost an incredible amount of weight from not eating properly. With an atmosphere that had somehow matured, she spoke to me confidently.
"I... I won't bother you anymore, mister... I, I realized everything I did wrong... I'll make sure it never happens again."
Can I really trust her? Hare, who stole my wallet, tried to turn Estia into an electric roast, and blackmailed me. Can I trust her again?
*...Even if I don't trust her words, I should trust her actions.*
She just needs to show she's reflected. From now on, she just needs to act properly. "Temporarily" forgiving Hare, I spoke without withdrawing my suspicion.
"...You must be hungry. Follow me to the kitchen. I'll prepare you a meal."
Eat first, at least. Hare had starved so much she was as thin as when I first met her.
At the time Lee Jun-woo and Hare moved to the kitchen, on the fourth floor of Henencia's labyrinth dungeon, adventurers were panicking. An unexpected being had appeared despite it being a low level.
"A-aaah—!! S-save me—!!"
"Nelson—!! Henry—!! Are, are they all dead—?!"
Tap— Tap—
Holding the severed heads of two men in her hands, an enchanting woman was walking. A low-class Demonic Being with vulgar clothing and horns on her head. A succubus. Having overcome racial differences to rise to the position of Demon King of Lust, she was approaching two adventurers with nowhere to escape.
"Cute, like fleeing hamsters."
"D-don't come—!! L-let go of Nelson and Henry's heads—!!"
"Hmm? Why should I? They're smiling so happily, why would I let them go?"
Tap— Tap—
The Demon King of Lust, Lust, walking with the sound of heels. The two adventurers in her hands wore happy expressions as if they had no regrets even in death. The two men who couldn't escape and were in despair sensed their end. Therefore, they immediately took action.
"A-aaah—!! D-die—!!"
"Revenge—!!"
"I just want to make you happy. You're really too much, you know?"
Slurp—
Lust flicked her tongue and looked at the novice adventurers enchantingly. And the moment she made eye contact with them.
"..."
"Have happy dreams. Cute adventurers."
Like the adventurers whose heads were severed, the resisting adventurers stopped still and smiled happily. Surely they're having good dreams.
Thud—
The two heads fell to the floor. Looking at the adventurers' corpses, Lust smiled with joy.
"Ha, hahaha—!! As expected, vitality from novice adventurers is the best... The younger, the more delicious..."
Slurp—
Having collected plenty of vitality today, Lust looked at their corpses with important parts missing and happily exclaimed:
"Thank you for the meal—?"
But perhaps because it wasn't enough, Lust caught the scent of other adventurers and wandered the low-level dungeon again. The Demon King of Lust, Lust. She...
"I feel like I'll meet a wonderful man soon. Hehehe..."
Was sensing her encounter with Lee Jun-woo.