70. The Hero Party Needs Training (8)
This place was a dangerous safari on the verge of eruption.
Grrr- Grrrr-
The Golden Retriever and the black cat were exchanging sharp glares.
They sat in chairs, glaring at each other.
"Stop glaring. You'll ruin your eyesight."
"Mister! I was acting in self-defense! She's the one who did wrong!"
"You hit me first and then say such things. Your conscience must be dead."
"Enough. Don't even open your mouths. I'll listen to each of you slowly, one at a time."
Haah...
The two who had rolled on the floor pulling each other's hair.
Luna and Saten, their long hair now disheveled.
To reconcile them, I'd need to hear both their stories.
I asked while tidying Luna's hair.
"So Luna. Why exactly were you two rolling on the floor, fighting while pulling each other's hair?"
"...Because I was annoyed!"
"Annoyed? So if you're annoyed, it's okay to hit Saten?"
"N-no, that's not it! She wouldn't listen! I said let's clean! But she just kept reading her book! I was the only one cleaning! It's totally unfair! I worked hard to get a reward too!"
She cleaned alone.
Did Saten refuse to do the work of holding the dustpan?
Saten, with her firm ideas about social status.
I expected something like this might happen.
But I didn't think it would escalate to a physical fight.
"Still, being annoyed doesn't mean you can hit someone, Luna."
"Sh-she hit me too!!"
"You started it. Next time, even if you're annoyed, resolve it through conversation."
"You're always so strict with only me..."
"Answer."
"Fine! I got it! I was wrong! Next time I'll talk it out! Happy!?"
Hiss- Hiss-
Luna answered with her voice raised high, as if wronged.
She looked upset that she was the only one being scolded.
While talking with Luna, I untangled all of her golden hair.
"No more tangles. And Luna, you seem to think you're the only one who did wrong, but that's not the case."
"Huh?"
"You did something wrong, and Saten did something wrong too. So let go of your anger."
You're not the only one being scolded.
In the first place, fights don't happen because only one person did wrong.
Either one person did something terribly wrong, or both people did wrong.
That's how it escalates to a physical fight.
After properly confirming there were no problems with Luna's hair,
I made eye contact with Saten.
"Saten, what do you think you did wrong?"
"What I did wrong?"
"Yes, I'm asking about your mistake."
"Hmm..."
Saten thought for a moment.
Despite having just fought while pulling hair, she looked calm and rational.
Not a trace of emotion like anger showed on her.
Saten answered confidently.
"I didn't do anything wrong."
"Y-you...! Who has no conscience! You have even less!"
"I told you I couldn't hold the dustpan. Same with the broom."
"So why can't you do it!!"
"I told you I can't do commoners' work-"
"...Enough."
I understand why you two fought.
No matter what was said, the same answers repeated, so it eventually led to physical communication.
I stopped the children's voices and spoke to Saten.
"Saten, do you really think you did nothing wrong in this incident?"
"Yes, I didn't do anything wrong."
Saten, who doesn't even know what the problem is.
One last time.
Really one last time, I asked Saten again.
"Do you truly think you did nothing wrong?"
"...Yes, my thoughts are the same."
Saten did read the atmosphere.
However, since she had no idea what she did wrong or what kind of mistake it was,
Cracks began to form in her expressionless face.
"You really don't know what went wrong, do you, Saten."
"Exactly! She's a total idiot!"
"Luna, you stay quiet. I asked Saten."
"Fiiine."
I made eye contact with Saten.
Her black eyes wavered like they were shaking in the wind.
"Saten."
"...Yes."
"The reason you didn't clean. Was it because you can't do work that commoners do?"
"...Yes, I'm a noble by status. I can't do actions that lower my dignity."
Status.
Saten's status is clearly noble.
Looking at her past, much of the education she received was related to such 'dignity.'
Walking with cups of water balanced on her head.
Not allowing her back or head to face downward.
The completely incomprehensible education of nobles.
If she failed, 'punishments' like whipping would follow, so it was natural that Saten was obsessed with such dignity.
Therefore, I had to correct Saten's thinking that had been twisted by education.
"Saten, then let me ask."
"Yes."
"Why do you think cleaning is an action that lowers dignity?"
"Well, because it's dirty."
Cleaning is a dirty action.
A passage that reveals at once what kind of education the Saten family pursues.
"That's an interesting thing to say, Saten. That cleaning is a dirty action."
"Then isn't bending down to pick up trash a dirty action?"
"Of course it's not."
"...It's not?"
Saten furrowed her eyebrows and tilted her head, as if she couldn't believe it at all.
Explaining with words why it's not a dirty action wouldn't make her understand.
For that...
"It would be better to experience it directly, Saten."
"...What?"
"Follow me."
I'll show you what cleaning is.
If you don't gain enlightenment there, I'll have no choice but to not give you a 'reward.'
The place where the two had rolled around vigorously was scattered with dust and trash.
Traces of a fierce fight, apparently scattered while grabbing each other's hair.
"Saten. Come here and hold the cleaning tools."
"...By myself?"
"I just did it by myself! You try doing it alone too!"
"..."
For once, Luna is saying something right.
Saten had no choice but to hold the broom and dustpan in her hands.
"...I brought them."
"Yes, you brought them well."
I grabbed the cleaning tools in Saten's hands.
Just one item.
"Huh, why are you taking the broom, mister!?"
"Watch carefully, Saten. I'll show you why cleaning isn't a dirty action."
"...?"
The two children with questioning looks.
I quietly swept with the broom in the center of their gazes.
I gathered the dust and trash in one place.
Since I'd been doing this since my days as Aina's disciple, my movements were very skilled.
"M-mister is using the broom...!!"
"...Is that so surprising?"
"No, he's good with the broom! Mister is good at cleaning too!"
"...Is that so?"
Luna and Saten chattered behind me while I cleaned.
That wasn't particularly important, so I didn't pay attention.
Anyway, I swept the floor with the broom.
As a result, I was able to gather quite a lot of trash in one place.
Now it was Saten's time.
"Luna, even when you cleaned like this, Saten didn't clean?"
"Yes, exactly the same! 99% match!"
"Why is 1 percent missing?"
"Because Luna's effort isn't there!"
I see.
I ignored Luna and spoke to Saten.
"Saten, you said you can't pick up that dust and trash with your hands, right? Because it's dirty work that requires bowing your head and bending your waist?"
"Yes, I can't do that. It's work that doesn't suit my dignity. I can't lose my dignity in front of others."
"Then, if I pick up that trash. Does that mean I'm doing work that doesn't suit my dignity?"
"Th-that's..."
Saten couldn't answer easily.
Her magic teacher and the person who kidnapped and raised her doing work that lowers dignity?
That seemed to be something Saten couldn't accept.
"If you won't do it, I will."
"Um, making the commoner do it..."
"Hey, don't look down on me for being a commoner!"
"Saten, people have work they must do. You shouldn't demand more than that. If you can't do it, I will."
"..."
Silent Saten.
I took the dustpan from Saten's hands.
If Saten won't do it, I will.
If Saten doesn't react even after I do this...
The 'reward' I promised to give would be gone.
"This is your last chance, Saten. No regrets?"
"..."
She doesn't answer.
I swept the gathered dust and trash with the broom.
Dust piled up high in the dustpan.
Then, the floor where the dust had been gathered became clean.
"Cleaning isn't dirty work, it makes dirty places clean, Saten."
"B-but I still can't-"
"I understand you. But I can't view it favorably."
That 'notebook' in the room too.
"Th-that's..."
"I understand your intention, so I won't speak of it. But don't do that experiment again."
"Huh, experiment? What's that?"
"You don't need to know."
It'll hurt if you know.
It's better not to know.
Just from reading the words, I could feel how cruel that experiment was.
It was better for Luna, whose head is a flower garden, not to know.
*'...The cleaning lesson was successful for Hare and Estia. Luna and Saten failed?'*
Still, I can't leave Luna as a failure.
I should give a reward to Luna who cleaned hard.
Strictly speaking, this failure is Saten's alone.
Now she just needs to learn from failure.
"The reward for this cleaning goes to everyone except Saten. Now let's end cleaning time."
Now it's time to eat.
I should go to the dining hall.
I need to give Saten time to make up for her mistake too.
Thinking that, I moved my feet to leave.
However, Saten didn't move from that spot.
"...Not dirty, but a clean action."
Her gaze was fixed only on the clean floor the broom had swept.