Do You Want to Escape...? Shall I Help You...? (3)
Thud. Thud.
“Uncle…! P-please open the door…!! I was wrong! I won’t do it again!!”
Please. Just open the door.
Thud. Thud.
Hare pounded desperately on the door. Her knuckles swelled, her voice grew hoarse from calling for him, yet the door remained mercilessly shut.
“Uncle…? Please… look at my face and talk to me. Treat me kindly like you always did…”
She called out with aching longing. No answer returned.
Why had things come to this? All she had wanted was Uncle’s attention.
“The only thing I did wrong… was trying to kill that girl who tried to kill you…”
Had that crossed the line? Had acting out of concern for him been too much?
Tears soaked in regret spilled onto the floor. Her vision blurred, and only dark, heavy emotions swirled inside her head. If only she could turn back time—she wanted to turn it back so badly.
“I should have stayed a good girl… hic… I betrayed you, Uncle…”
If only she could turn back time. She would have remained the good child and stayed by his side. But now she had become a bad child to him. And she had done it with her own two hands.
“It’s my fault…”
Hare did not blame anyone else. She was the one who had carried out the escape. She was the one who had tried to kill Estia. She was the one who had let go of Uncle’s warm hand. Because she herself was the culprit behind this entire situation, the pain was unbearable.
“I was wrong… Uncle… I’ll be a good girl from now on… so…”
Please look at me again and smile kindly. Please open the door and hold me tight.
Hare pounded on the door violently as she begged.
“N-next time… I swear I won’t get caught by you…! So… please…”
Yet even as she pleaded through her tears, Hare still hadn’t truly understood the real nature of her mistake.
The morning after the Saintess’s escape incident, I woke at half past six as usual. After using the bathroom, I headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
…Is Hare asleep now?
As I passed by her room, I noticed it was quiet. The voice that had cried out until dawn was gone. She must have exhausted herself and finally fallen asleep. That was my guess.
…Thirteen days left. She’ll have plenty of time to reflect and repent.
Sunlight came through the window, the bathroom was inside the room, and Runa would occasionally speak to her. The loneliness shouldn’t be too bad. When I finally looked Hare in the eyes again, I hoped she would have returned to the good girl I once knew.
After finishing the cooking, I carried a plate of toast and fried eggs to her room. The door creaked open. I set the plate down and closed it again.
The moment I did, Hare—who had been lying on the bed—must have sensed my presence. Her hoarse voice rang out at once.
“U-Uncle…? I-I’ll be a good girl now…! I won’t ever do it again… Please let me out of here…!! If you can’t, at least say something… Just let me hear your voice…!! Uncle…!!”
It hurts.
But I could not open the door. The price for trying to kill a comrade had to be paid in full.
I locked the door without a word and headed upstairs.
“D-don’t go… Please… talk to me, Uncle…”
I’m sorry, Hare.
I forced myself to ignore her pitiful cries and went to Saten’s room to deliver her breakfast. The inside of her room was pitch black.
…A child of darkness indeed.
Saten’s room was darkness itself. All light was blocked, and the only illumination came from a single candle on the desk. Like a black cat, Saten sat in a chair reading a book. Dark circles hung beneath her eyes.
Wait. This kid…
“Saten.”
“Yes, Uncle.”
“…Did you not sleep at all?”
“Correct. I didn’t.”
“Then when do you plan to sleep?”
“After I finish this book.”
Saten continued reading with a completely expressionless face. Perhaps because she lacked emotion, she didn’t seem particularly entertained. Then why was she reading it?
I asked lightly, “The title is My Sister-in-Law Was Strange Last Night. Is the content interesting?”
My Sister-in-Law Was Strange Last Night
Page 144
“Hmm. I’m not sure about interesting. But there is a part I’m curious about. Will you explain it?”
Saten turned the book toward me without changing expression. Page 144. She pointed at a passage she couldn’t understand.
“I don’t understand this section.”
“Hmm…”
Let me see…
The novel’s content was simple. Just as the title suggested, it was nothing more than a man and a woman entangled together—an ordinary erotic story.
Junwoo, I left these books in the study. Read them when you’re bored. A gift from me.
Just what kind of books had Minerva stocked the study with? And more importantly, why was Saten reading an erotic novel?
With a slight headache, I asked, “Saten… why are you reading something like this?”
“Because it helps me understand emotions.”
“…By reading about a man and woman rolling around together?”
“That would be one way to see it. But if you view it as sharing deep emotions, the perspective changes.”
Saten remained utterly expressionless. And completely serious. This was no joke. She was genuinely studying emotions through this obscene novel.
She asked curiously, “Uncle, in this part the woman says ‘it feels good.’ What kind of expression is that?”
“…I wouldn’t know. I’m not a woman.”
“Hmm. Then I suppose I’ll have to ask the others.”
“No, don’t do that…”
They wouldn’t know either. And that expression where their eyes roll back—don’t imitate it. Just imagine it in your head.
I stroked Saten’s hair so she wouldn’t sink any deeper into the subject and answered, “Stop reading this book for now. As for the expression you’re curious about, you’ll understand it when you’re older.”
“So I have to grow up first. Is that what you’re saying?”
“…Yes, more or less.”
“Hmm. Then the others probably don’t know either. I’ll ask again if I have more questions later. Please leave the plate beside me and go.”
After that blunt announcement, Saten returned her focus to the book. She had completely ignored my suggestion to stop reading. Her face was so blank it was hard to believe she was reading erotica, and the sheer concentration she displayed earned a strange sense of respect from me.
I’m going to have to reorganize the study.
Throw out all the erotic novels and replace them with proper romance.
I was about to set the plate down and leave as she had instructed when I realized there was one more thing I hadn’t asked.
“Saten, one last question.”
“Yes. What is it?”
“Why did you help the others escape yesterday?”
“Hmm. That’s simple.”
A brief silence passed. Then Saten answered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“Because it wasn’t a loss for me. It was a gain.”
A gain.
“Even so, don’t help them next time. Thank you for answering, Saten.”
“Yes.”
I closed the door to Saten’s room and headed next to Luna and Estia’s room. On the way, I pondered what Saten had meant by “gain.”
She absolutely refuses to take any loss.
Saten was calculating. She never suffered a loss. It felt as if I had begun to faintly understand the way her mind worked.
In Luna’s room, Estia stared at the iron chains around her ankles and greeted the despair of morning.
“D-did the escape really fail? T-that can’t be…?”
“It can. You both failed spectacularly.”
Huff. Huff.
Luna was doing warm-up stretches while answering Estia. Unlike the despairing Estia, Luna’s eyes sparkled with energy.
Hehe, finally—swordsmanship! Goodbye, basic stamina training!
Luna had been eagerly awaiting sword training. Basic training had been nothing but repetitive running and jumping. To her, it had felt like the monotonous ticking of a clock. Swordsmanship, on the other hand, would be varied and fun!
And once I learn swordsmanship… I’ll be able to beat Uncle soon…
Then the kidnapping would end! Uncle’s defeat! My victory!
Wait.
“If I beat Uncle and escape, I won’t get any money…?”
If there’s no money, my family will starve…?
“Huh?”
Luna fell into confusion. At that exact moment the door opened, and Lee Junwoo entered carrying breakfast.
Estia instinctively shrank into the corner. She looked terrified.
“O-Oppa…? W-wait! D-don’t come…! I-I’m sorry! I’m sorry for trying to escape! I won’t do it again! S-so please spare my life…”
“…What’s wrong with her? Luna, what exactly did you do? How hard did you hit her?”
“I didn’t hit her! Why do you always assume I did something?! I didn’t do anything!”
Estia was curled up in the corner, trembling violently.
“D-don’t come near me…!!”
She held her hands up in a desperate defensive posture. Junwoo roughly understood why Estia was reacting this way.
The church basement. So that’s where she was raised.
If she had grown up in a place where inhumane experiments were conducted, this kind of reaction to an escape failure made sense. He wasn’t entirely certain, but it fit.
Junwoo approached her gently. “Estia, come out of the corner. It’s dusty over there.”
“N-no… You’re going to kill me…”
“Why would I kill you? I have no intention of punishing you for yesterday’s escape attempt.”
“L-lies. Even when adults smile and say things like that, my friends never came back… All adults are liars… The Goddess is the only one who doesn’t lie…”
You have the wrong information, Estia. Minerva lies quite often.
Junwoo took another step closer.
Estia flinched. “D-don’t come any closer…!!”
“Estia, listen without fear. I won’t do anything to you.”
“L-lies! Stop lying!”
“It’s not a lie. Whether two years or four, you will simply stay here. I won’t hurt you.”
“He’s right. Uncle is bad, but he’s not that bad!”
Luna chimed in from the side, lending support. Thanks to her, Estia seemed to gain a sliver of trust and cautiously opened her heart.
“R-really? Apostle Oppa won’t hurt me…?”
“Of course. In fact, I’ll make you happy. You don’t have to believe me right now. Believe me later. I won’t do anything to you. So eat first.”
Clatter.
Junwoo set the plate on the desk. Estia still looked wary, but when she saw Luna dash forward, she slowly rose from the corner.
“F-food! Breakfast!”
Luna ran like a dog that had spotted a treat. The hungry Estia followed. After watching Luna eat the toast and fried egg, she picked up her own fork. Her hands trembled from withdrawal.
“I-I was so hungry… thank goodness…”
Estia ate the toast and eggs with relish. Even after scraping the plate clean, she still looked hungry.
…Estia.
This was the moment the direction of the girl’s education was decided. More important than correcting her distorted faith was treating her addiction first.
The girl chewed with puffed cheeks. Estia had to break free from her holy water addiction—the substance that acted like a drug.
After breakfast, at lunchtime, Estia was left in the room while only Luna came out to the yard for her new training.
“Alright! Uncle! Hurry up and teach me swordsmanship!”
Luna stood with sword in hand, brimming with energy. She urged Junwoo to begin immediately.
Before teaching her, Junwoo posed a single heavy question.
“Before I teach you swordsmanship, I have one question for you, Luna.”
“Yes! What is it?! Ask me anything!”
Luna answered excitedly. She was thrilled to finally move on from basic training, unaware that swordsmanship was an even more demanding stage.
Junwoo asked the core question to the ignorant girl.
“Luna.”
“Yes!”
“What is your sword?”
For what did you pick up the sword? For what will you swing it? For what will you take the lives of others?
“Where is your sword pointed?”
It was a question about Luna’s direction. Because Junwoo’s expression was serious and the topic wasn’t simple, she fell into deep thought.
The arm holding the wooden sword gradually began to lower. At that moment, Luna gave her answer.
“I…”
Junwoo couldn’t help but be stunned by Luna’s reply.