# Saten of the Cecilia Family. And, Mage Saten (2)
Even after hearing the other children's explanations, Saten couldn't properly understand what family meant. Since everyone's words about family were different, she couldn't reach a clear conclusion.
*Still, I need to find the answer.*
After finishing dinner, before everyone fell asleep, Saten knocked on a door.
Knock knock—
"Mister, it's Saten. Please open the door."
—Saten? Wait a moment.
Before long, Lee Jun-woo opened the door. Without a word, Saten entered through the open door and sat in a chair. Lee Jun-woo asked with a bewildered expression.
"...What brings you here at this late hour, Saten?"
"I came to see you because I'm curious about something. May I ask?"
"It's almost time to sleep..."
"It's okay, I go to bed late."
"...I see."
Saten, an extreme individualist. Unable to even understand Lee Jun-woo's words, Saten looked at him and continued asking questions about the lesson.
"Mister, there was 'What is family?' in the lesson content. I asked the other kids but I still don't really understand."
"You did well to ask. By the way, what did the other kids say?"
"Luna said it's noisy, Hare said it's warm. Estia didn't answer."
Estia probably couldn't answer rather than chose not to. Lee Jun-woo looked at Saten and thought about how to explain this to her.
*As expected...*
It would be better to organize her thoughts. Lee Jun-woo sat in a chair and spoke to the pondering Saten.
"First, know this. While all families have common elements, not all families are the same."
"You mean the same word can be interpreted with different meanings?"
"You could say that."
"Yes, I understand."
Nod—
Saten nodded, saying she understood. She was concentrating on Lee Jun-woo's words with an expressionless face.
"It might take a bit longer... Saten, what do you think about your family?"
"Hmm, my family taught me about nobility. They punished me if I didn't do it properly, but it was much better than living in a shack."
"Saten, I'm not asking about your past situation, I'm asking what feelings you have about your family."
They taught you about nobility. You could eat. He wasn't asking about those circumstances. He was asking how Saten's heart felt experiencing those circumstances. Lee Jun-woo asked Saten in a direct tone. Saten couldn't easily answer that question.
*What feelings do I have about my family...?*
I've never thought about it. I was curious about the outside and wanted to leave at least once... But eventually the opportunity came and now I'm living with Mister. Saten honestly shared her thoughts.
"I don't really know, Mister. No feelings come to mind."
"Then let me ask this way. Do you want to go back to your family?"
"No."
Saten answered without much thought. It was so fast that even she was surprised by her own answer. Lee Jun-woo went a step further with his question.
"If you answer just this question, I'll tell you what your feelings are."
"...Yes, please tell me. Mister."
"Saten, do you want your family to suffer?"
"..."
At first, when she was kidnapped and sent a letter to her family, it was curiosity. How would the family live without her, and what reaction would they show? It was just a thought close to an experiment.
*But the experiment didn't go as I expected.*
She thought they would negotiate by offering money, but the value Saten thought she had was different from the family's value. When she learned that she wasn't a precious existence to others, even if Saten had no emotions, she was still hurt. Because Saten didn't completely lack emotions. Saten answered in her usual blunt tone.
"As you said, Mister, I think I do want my family to suffer."
"Do you wish the family would be completely ruined?"
"Yes."
"...I think so too, Saten."
That Cecilia family deserves to be ruined. I briefly experienced it by borrowing Saten's memories. That place was a trash family that abused Saten under the name of punishment. Thinking this, I patted the expressionless Saten.
"Now can you understand why the other kids' families had different meanings?"
"Yes, now I can understand. It's because their growth environments were different."
"That's right. If I had to summarize the conclusion..."
Impressions of family are similar but all different. You could see it that way. Lee Jun-woo organized Saten's thoughts like that, then looked at the window and said.
"It's gotten late at night. I need to sleep early, so go back to your room now, Saten."
I have a lot to do tomorrow. Saying this, Lee Jun-woo took a swig of strong vodka from the refrigerator and lay on the bed. It was to fall asleep easily. However, Saten sat in the chair without moving.
"Saten? What are you doing not leaving...?"
"It's not my bedtime yet."
"...So?"
"I'll watch you sleep, Mister. I won't do anything, so sleep comfortably."
Why on earth would she watch him sleep? Lee Jun-woo couldn't understand, but he lay on the bed as drowsiness from the alcohol washed over him. If Saten conducted experiments while he slept, Minerva would have woken him.
*...There probably won't be any problem.*
Lee Jun-woo fell into alcohol-dependent sleep and departed for dreamland. In that darkness, Saten sat in the chair and watched the sleeping Lee Jun-woo intently.
"My family is an object of hatred. Different from the other children. Surely, Mister's family is different from mine too."
Rustle—
Saten stood up from the chair and headed to the bed. Lee Jun-woo had his eyes closed and seemed to have fallen asleep.
"Why is my family like that, Mister? Is it because I was born killing my parents? Is it my fault?"
The family said it was my fault, but Mister would say it's not my fault. Maybe that's why.
"Though not much time has passed living with Mister."
You feel closer to me than my family. Saten sat on the edge of the bed and watched Lee Jun-woo sleep. That gaze didn't disappear even as the night deepened, and vanished with the sound of morning approaching. Perhaps because of that.
"Ugh, uugh... stop..."
"This is the first time seeing Mister's weak side."
The drunk Lee Jun-woo seemed to be having sleep paralysis in his sleep, and Saten, though expressionless, watched even that sight with great interest.
The land of the Demonic Beings covered in terrible darkness. The reddened land was polluted with no hope in sight, and the Demonic Beings drooled looking at other races. Watching them from a high castle, one male demon spoke.
"Tsk, why is the meeting place always here? Can't we live in human lands too? It's comfortable and so nice."
Demon King of Sloth, Sloth. He complained as he took his seat at the round table. It was a meeting attended by all Demon Kings except one seat. Sloth, who had doubts, asked the Demon Kings.
"More importantly, when is Lust coming? I didn't expect there'd be a Demon King later than me, who's three hours late."
Wrath, positioned at the center of the Demon Kings, answered in a firm tone.
"Lust is not coming."
"Why?"
"Lust is dead."
"What, then we can just meet when she revives—"
"No, she won't revive."
"..."
At Wrath's voice saying she wouldn't revive, the hall froze. Because the complete extinction of a Demon King had a clear meaning.
"...Has the Hero appeared?"
"Yes, as the Grimoire prophesied. The Hero has appeared."
Thud—
Demon King of Wrath, Wrath, threw the Grimoire toward the desk. In his red eyes dwelled anger that could never be resolved.
"Those fucking bastards have appeared. If we stay still, it'll end up like what's written at the end of the Grimoire."
"Wh-what bullshit! My Grimoire has no ending!"
Demon King of Sloth, Sloth, opened his Grimoire and showed it to all the Demon Kings. His last page was completely empty. However, all the other Demon Kings' Grimoires had endings written in them.
"Death by the Hero's Holy Sword piercing the heart. This is the ending given to all Demon Kings. The reason your Grimoire has no ending, Sloth, is because you don't fucking work."
"D-don't curse... What's wrong with not working a bit..."
Sloth lowered his head at Wrath's profanity. Greed, whose entire body was wrapped in bandages, struck the desk with his crutch and shouted.
Bang—!!
"When the Hero was young, I tried to kill him, you know? I tried to kill his family first... but there was another guy around that Hero... Lust probably got done in by that bastard."
"What's his name?"
"I don't know... We just fought as soon as we made eye contact. That bastard, for some reason... knew all my attacks."
At that voice, Envy, who had been hanging his head since the meeting started, whispered to himself.
"That bastard... like that bastard... who stole my love..."
"Hey, Wrath. That psycho is starting again."
"I-if only that bastard wasn't there... we'd be holding hands by now... I can't even hold them now, it's so regrettable..."
Wrath said with a disgusted expression.
"That will be resolved later. So stay quiet, Envy."
"O-okay..."
"Now that Envy has calmed down, let's get to the main point. The Hero has appeared, and there's one bastard protecting the Hero's surroundings. We've planted eyes all over the continent. If one of those eyes reacts..."
We'll go there and kill the Hero.
"We'll change the ending written in the Grimoire, and even if it doesn't change, we'll add one more page. And, Sloth."
"Huh?"
"You're next. Kill the Hero. If you can't kill him..."
Kill at least the man next to him. At Wrath's voice, Sloth had no choice but to nod. At that moment.
"It's out! A new edition of Lee Jun-woo's Future!"
A new book was printed in Minerva's Library. That new book was pointing to a crisis for the Hero Party.