The Third Companion. As Always, the Moment of Choice Arrives (4)
The chill in the air was unmistakable. Hare could not welcome Uncle back. Or more precisely, she could not welcome the girl holding his hand beside him.
The sight of Uncle and that Saten girl clasping hands filled Hare with pure disgust. I have to separate them.
“U-um, come inside first, Uncle. It’s cold out here…”
“Yes, and you too, Saten. Come in.”
So her name was Saten. Junwoo and Saten began taking off their shoes to step inside. That was the moment.
Now! This is my chance!
With a light shove, Hare naturally pushed Saten aside and claimed the spot right next to Uncle. The suddenly displaced Saten tumbled to the floor. She let out a stunned breath. This was a first for her.
“…Huh?”
“Ah, Uncle! How was the party today? Did you have fun…!?”
Operation success! He didn’t notice!
Hare, now firmly occupying the spot beside Uncle, flashed a victor’s smile and glared at Saten.
Uncle’s side isn’t for you. This spot belongs to me.
It was an icy warning: Stay away from Uncle.
There was just one thing Hare had miscalculated. Saten had no intention of letting the matter slide.
Why did she push me?
Devoid of emotion, Saten could not comprehend the situation at all. So she turned directly to Junwoo and asked,
“Kidnapper. That child pushed me. Why do you think she did that?”
“…Hare? Did you just push Saten?”
“N-no…? I-I mean, that’s not…”
That rotten little—! How dare she tattle to Uncle!
Even when she had been caught stealing, Hare had never truly gotten angry. After all, she had done something wrong. But this time, when Saten reported the push, Hare felt a rage she could barely contain.
What if Uncle gets disappointed in me…?
That was why.
“Hare. Did you really push Saten?”
“W-well…”
It wasn’t me. She fell on her own.
Hare desperately wanted to lie her way out of this. But she had promised Uncle. She had sworn never to lie again.
With no choice left, Hare lowered her head.
“…I-I’m sorry. I… I pushed her, Uncle.”
“Friends should get along. What’s the reason, Hare?”
“…Honestly, I don’t like her.”
A lavish dress. Jewelry adorning her entire body. An aura of refined nobility. Saten shone no matter who looked at her. In contrast, Hare wore plain clothes, had no accessories, and carried the frail look of malnutrition. No matter how kind Hare was, such a comparison was bound to breed inferiority.
“Why did you bring her here, Uncle…? Did you kidnap her again…? Why…? Are we not enough…? I-I’ll try harder, Uncle… I’ll study even more, so… there’s no need to bring her…”
Hare was terrified of losing her place. Afraid that this girl might study better than her, afraid Uncle might abandon her, she clung to his pant leg with desperate pleas.
“I-I’ll work even harder—”
“Hare. That’s enough.”
“…Yes?”
“I have no intention of sending Saten back. You’re a good child, so you can get along with her, can’t you? And apologize directly to Saten, not to me.”
But Uncle’s voice was firm. There was no sign he would yield, and Hare felt crushed by that tone.
“Now, apologize, Hare. You were wrong to push her first.”
“…U-Uncle.”
“Hurry, Hare.”
It hurt that Uncle hadn’t taken her side. She knew she had done wrong, but the disappointment still stung. With no other choice, she approached Saten.
“…”
“In our family, when you do something wrong, you slap your own cheek as an apology. Go on, try it.”
“…I’m not going to slap myself. I’m sorry for pushing you.”
Grind. Hare clenched her teeth and offered the apology first. Saten found the method of apologizing without self-punishment strange, but she had no desire to waste time, so she simply ignored it.
“Well done, Hare. That’s how you apologize when you’ve made a mistake.”
“Yes… I-I’ll head inside now, Uncle.”
Overwhelmed by humiliation, Hare dashed into her room. She threw herself onto the bed and buried her face in the pillow.
“I hate you, Uncle… I waited so long. And you brought another girl… You’re mean…”
Still… the worst one is that girl. She made me look like the bad kid in front of Uncle.
“Saten.”
Grind. Hare swore she would never forget this day. And someday, she would get revenge. For once, the usually fragile girl hardened her heart with resolve. The thief of the Hero Party was a child full of greed.
Runasia Runa has awakened a new obsession.
I guided Saten to the room on the second floor. The layout was identical to Runa’s.
“This is your room, Saten.”
“Hmm. It’s larger than my room back home. Not bad.”
“What?”
This five-pyeong room was larger? How many rooms did the Sicilia mansion even have? Yet judging by Saten’s expression, she didn’t seem to be lying. There was no reason for her to lie about her own room.
She must have had a truly terrible past.
Judging her words as truthful, I tapped the desk and said,
“For now, you will stay in this room and learn magic from me. The duration will be until I say otherwise. You cannot leave the house during that time. Is that acceptable?”
“Yes. It’s no different from my family. I understand. However, I have one question.”
Her first question as a disciple. In that case, it was only right for me, as her teacher, to answer.
“Go ahead. What is it?”
“Why did you try to kidnap me? If money was the goal, you wouldn’t have given me a room like this. Kidnapper—”
“…Call me Uncle.”
“Yes, Uncle. Your actions lack any clear motive. Why exactly did you attempt to kidnap me?”
A reason, huh. Saten didn’t seem angry. She looked genuinely curious. A question meant to satisfy her thirst for knowledge. I explained to such a disciple without any lies.
“You will become an outstanding mage someday.”
“Everyone who has ever met me has said something similar. They said I would become not just outstanding, but a great mage.”
They say geniuses are arrogant. Her arrogance could pierce the heavens.
“And there is one more reason.”
“…What is it?”
“That is…”
The fact that you are the mage of the Hero Party.
Saying that outright might make the already unstable Saten think I was the crazy one, so I decided not to speak it aloud. Instead, I set a single condition.
“The reason is this. If you get along well with your friends, I will tell you.”
“…How pointless. Still, the fact that you managed to pique my curiosity earns you points. That was quite effective.”
I had given a vague answer, but it seemed to work. Saten nodded with a thoughtful expression, saying she would at least try. However, I didn’t believe for a second that she would actually get along with the others.
“Then today’s discussion is over. It’s late, so you should sleep now.”
“It is only 1:30. What are you talking about? I still have much to say.”
“1:30. That is late.”
“…Pardon? What do you mean? At 1:30, it is time to be active—”
“1:30 in the morning is late at night. It is the time when everyone is asleep.”
“…”
Saten stood frozen with an expression as if her common sense had been completely overturned. I wondered if I had said something strange, but I felt no guilt whatsoever. Leaving the dazed Saten to her thoughts, I closed the door and stepped out. On my way back to the living room, I pondered.
“Sicilia Saten. That child…”
What kind of path had she walked in life? She was the daughter of a prestigious family. Yet every action she showed seemed… off. As if critical screws were missing from her mind.
The next day, early morning. I felt someone’s gaze while I was still sleeping. With great effort, I opened my heavy eyelids to see who it was. Dreamy, sanpaku eyes greeted me.
“Saten… what is it so early in the morning…”
“You are awake. I woke you because I have something to say.”
“…When someone is sleeping, you don’t have to stare at them like that to wake them. Just shake their shoulder.”
“Yes. Understood.”
I wondered if she truly understood. Only Saten knew the answer to that. So why had she woken me at this hour when the blue tint of dawn still lingered?
“What do you want to say, Saten…”
“Do you know why I asked you to kidnap me?”
“…Because you wanted to run away?”
“Half correct, half wrong. The truth is, I was curious.”
“Did you really have to tell me this right now when I’m so sleepy…?”
The alcohol I drank before bed last night made it even worse. Still, since I was already awake, I might as well listen.
“Fine. I’m quite curious about what you’re curious about. Tell me quickly…”
“Yes. It is this…”
Saten leaned in as if sharing a great secret and began whispering into my ear. The moment I heard the truth, my eyes snapped wide open and sleep fled completely.
That was the reason she asked to be kidnapped…?
“You’re curious about how your family will react…?”
“Yes. I am curious. What kind of reaction will they show when I disappear? I want to know so badly.”
Therefore, Uncle must help me.
Saying so, Saten held out a single sheet of paper. It was a letter covered in messy handwriting. The peculiar part was that the writing was red. As if written in someone’s blood.
No way!
“S-Saten. You right now…!”
I immediately grabbed her hand. Red blood smeared onto my palm. Her hand was already drenched in it. There were clear traces of self-harm on her palm.
Saten…
She had even deliberately altered her handwriting. She had written the letter using her own blood. No matter how I looked at it, this was far from normal behavior.
“You didn’t have to go this far…”
“It was necessary. To see their reaction, I had to deceive them thoroughly. Uncle, you simply need to send this letter to the Sicilia family.”
First, stopping the bleeding took priority. I quickly wrapped bandages around her fingers and read the contents of the letter.
If you wish to retrieve your daughter, bring money.
Whether I release her will depend on your sincerity.
If it does not meet my standards…
your daughter will never return alive, Lennon.
A letter threatening the head of the Sicilia family, Lennon. Written in Saten’s own blood, it demanded money and even threatened to kill the daughter if the conditions weren’t met. Seeing my reaction, Saten confirmed I had finished reading and smiled faintly.
“How much am I worth to my family? What kind of reaction will they show toward me? Will they regret it? Will they grieve? Or will they simply find it annoying? I want to see their reactions, Uncle.”
Saten’s eyes were serious. They were the eyes of someone speaking the truth. And as I stared into those dark eyes, I became certain.
This child had strayed far—far—beyond the bounds of normalcy.
Saten. I need to see her past.
As quickly as possible. I had to know what kind of life she had lived and why she behaved this way. Even if she was broken, she was broken beyond repair.