The Hero Luna's Awakening (2)
What does it feel like when talent and effort combine? Does it bring a surge of confidence that you can do anything, making the whole world seem easy? As nothing more than a mediocre person, I cannot truly empathize with that feeling. Yet I was witnessing the fusion of extraordinary talent and effort right before my eyes.
"Haaap—!!"
Tap— Luna's swordplay was gradually finding its proper form. Her wooden sword thrust toward my flank. It was no exaggeration to say that thrust resembled one honed by a knight who had spent ten years perfecting the technique. At least in posture.
"Still too weak, Luna. Your strength is lacking, and you have no technique."
"Wh-what! How did you dodge that—"
"Predict the dodge and chain your next action. Otherwise you'll leave your head wide open."
"Eek—!"
Clang—!
Even so, if she had grown this much already, she would be able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with high-ranking adventurers in a few years.
Luna clutched the crown of her head and rolled across the training yard like a ball. I walked over to her and spoke calmly. This was for feedback.
"Your posture today wasn't bad. Your actual fighting ability was terrible, though."
"Ugh— my head… Geez, why would you hit a growing child's head! What if my brain cells die? Will you take responsibility?!"
"You never had many brain cells to begin with, so it doesn't matter. Ten percent of a hundred is ten, but ten percent of ten is only one. So it's fine."
"What did you just say! Are you done talking?! Apologize to my brain cells right now!"
Growling, Luna charged at me like a fierce golden retriever. She was still nothing more than a puppy, though.
No matter how much Luna growled, in my eyes she still looked like a puppy in her growth phase. It meant there was still plenty left for her to learn.
"Work hard, Luna."
"I am working hard! I told you! I'll beat you soon!"
"With that level of skill and talent, it will probably take more than ten years."
"Aaaack—!! So annoying—!!"
It was a lie, of course. Luna's talent was so outstanding that I had to instill humility in her so she would not be consumed by it. If I didn't, she would make a fatal mistake in real combat.
"Luna."
"…What? Why are you calling talentless Luna?"
"You have no talent. Therefore, if you ever face an opponent in real combat, never let your guard down. You, who lack talent, must never become complacent. Underst—"
"I get it—! Tch, I get it! I absolutely won't let my guard down. Satisfied now?"
Luna looked sulky after being told she had no talent. She was pouting like a duck, and with her yellow hair she really did resemble one. To be precise, she looked more like a chick.
"What, what is it! What about me! And why do I keep hearing strange noises in my ears! Why are you always so mean to me, Mister!"
"Hmm?"
Strange noises? She hadn't drunk Estia's Holy Water, had she? As far as I knew, that Holy Water also induced hallucinations and auditory hallucinations. Estia could not generate her own divine power alone, nor would she share it with others, so there was no chance Luna had consumed any.
'The auditory hallucination was probably just a mishearing. For example, the voice of the imprisoned Hare or something like that.'
Yes, it must have been a misunderstanding of that sort.
'That aside, I need to give Estia Holy Water soon…'
If a Holy Water addict is suddenly cut off from supply, the side effects and withdrawal symptoms would continue to appear. In the worst case, she could lose her mind entirely.
Whether it meant raiding the church or shaking down a drug dealer, the thought that I would have to do one or the other soon crossed my mind.
In the middle of those thoughts, Luna asked me a question.
"Mister. There's something I'm curious about. This is a serious question."
"What are you curious about?"
"When are you going to let Hare out? The one staring at us from that window over there. Her eyes are kind of scary…? And she doesn't look well at all."
Luna pointed at Hare in the distance. Hare had her hand pressed wistfully against the window with sorrowful eyes. Her red eyes, bloodshot from so much crying, were staring directly at me. Luna seemed to pity her.
"Hare looks so pitiful. Even though trying to help Estia escape was wrong, it's already the fifth day. Trapped in that tiny room with no one to talk to! How about forgiving her now and letting her out, Mister?"
"Deciding whether to release Hare is not up to me. It's up to Hare herself."
"Huh?"
I lightly ignored Luna's gaze that seemed to say 'What is this crazy person talking about?' and walked toward the house without another word.
'I can't hear the voice begging to be let out anymore. It's time to check on her.'
Luna hurried after me as I walked away in silence.
"Mister! Where are you going?!"
"Inside. I'll listen to your opinion for once."
"Eh…? Has your death day finally arrived, Mister…? Why would you listen to my opinion…?"
"…Luna, run thirty laps around the yard."
"Cancel! Pretend you didn't hear that!"
"There are no take-backs."
Ignoring Luna's screams, I approached the door to Hare's room. Had she properly realized her mistake by now? Had she reflected and repented for her sins? With the mindset of a warden reviewing a criminal for parole, I decided to open the door and face her.
I could only cry from sadness. I never dreamed Mister would hate it that much.
“I-I’m sorry… I was wrong… Please don’t abandon me, Mister…”
I wailed for him to let me out, screaming at the top of my lungs that I was sorry. I believed my mistake had been failing to be cunning or meticulous enough. Was that why Mister refused to open the door?
Through the window I could see Mister and Luna. They looked happy. They were training with swords and seemed to be sharing emotions. Their bodies were close, and Mister even held Luna in his arms.
“Are you trying to steal Mister from me, Luna…? While I’m not there…?”
For a moment, an ugly thought crossed my mind: it would be better if Luna disappeared too. Luna had always been kind to me, but unbearable jealousy welled up inside me toward her. And because of that, I hated myself for being locked up.
“How bad have I become…? Hic, Mister… I’m sorry… I’m such a bad child…”
That day, too, I spent the hours crying. I didn’t want to do anything. I hugged my pillow, pretending it was Mister, and let time pass.
I pounded on the door that would not open and scratched at it with my fingertips. It hurt terribly, but Mister gave no answer.
‘When… when can I get out…? What if Mister never looks at me again…?’
It felt like sinking into a bottomless lake. I grew afraid of myself as I kept falling. It would be better to die. If it came to that, I would rather just die. The reason I live is Mister, after all.
“Let… let me out… please… I was wrong… Mister…”
All day long I called for Mister. The taste of blood filled my throat, and at times my voice would not come out at all.
‘Why… why won’t you look at me, Mister…’
Even so, Mister did not open the door. And I began to seriously contemplate what my mistake had been.
I realized Mister was not going to open the door. I decided to stop calling for him. This was the moment I truly began to reflect.
“My… my mistake… was doing something Mister hates…”
Helping someone escape. Trying to kill a friend. That must be my wrongdoing. Because those are the actions of a bad child.
“Then… my mistake was becoming a bad child…”
In front of Mister. Doing something he hates. That was my sin. I finally understood exactly what I had done wrong.
“If I was truly going to be a bad child… I should never have been caught by Mister… I needed to be meticulous, planned. I shouldn’t have acted on impulse…”
Never think about killing a friend again. Because Mister hates it. But if I am confident I will never be caught by Mister…
“Then it’s okay to do it…”
As long as I am not caught. As long as Mister does not know. I can deceive him cunningly.
Lying in bed, I realized my mistake one hundred percent.
Creak— Light slipped through the gap in the door. The door opened, and the Mister I had waited for so desperately appeared.
Her condition was a complete mess. Just looking at Hare made it obvious she was not well. Dark circles hung beneath her eyes. Her pink hair was disheveled. Her red eyes were bloodshot. She had not eaten properly, so the weight she had already lost was even more noticeable, and the tips of her fingers were covered in wounds.
That disheveled Hare looked up at me with eyes full of joy.
“Mister… you came… I missed you so much…”
“…Hare, are you feeling all right?”
“Yes… I’m fine… I’m happy to see you…”
Hare answered with a smile. Her physical state looked terrible, but compared to the beginning she seemed far calmer.
'The confinement definitely had an effect.'
Just as I had achieved rapid growth during the thirty days I was locked up, Hare appeared to have matured in a short period. On the surface, at least.
'The truth will only be clear once I dig deeper.'
Had Hare truly identified her mistake? If she had not, I would have no choice but to begin the confinement again. That was why I had given her time to reflect.
To Hare, who was forcing a smile, I asked seriously.
“…Hare. While you were in this room, how did you feel?”
“I hated it so much… I couldn’t see you, Mister, or hear your voice… It was too painful… Not knowing when I would get out made it even worse…”
“…Then, did you realize anything during that time?”
Hare nodded vigorously at my words. As if she had accurately identified her mistake, tears rolled down her cheeks. With a hoarse voice and a pitiful tone, she began to confess her wrongdoing.
“I… I was wrong… No matter how much I hated it, I should never have thought about killing my friend… That… that was wrong… Helping with the escape was bad too… I’m such a bad child for having those thoughts… Hic, I’m sorry…”
“Who are you sorry to?”
“…”
Hare paused for a moment. Then she smiled brightly again and answered.
“I’m sorry to you, Mister, but I’m most sorry to Estia. I almost took her life.”
“…”
Excellent. With this level of reflection, it should be fine to let her out of the room. The Hare I saw now had the perfect attitude of someone who had truly repented. She perfectly understood both the person she needed to apologize to and why the apology was necessary. If her current behavior was an act, she would have no trouble winning Best Actress back in Korea.
'Minerva hasn’t said anything about releasing her either…'
It looked like she had reflected properly. It was time to end the confinement.
Hare was kneeling. I approached her and held out my hand.
“You did well. If you make a mistake, you reflect and apologize. Knowing your mistake exactly is what matters. You endured five days admirably, Hare.”
“…N-no. Mister… it was my fault… I was simply being punished… But… still…”
The truth was it had been too hard. Being alone was unbearably lonely, and I was terrified you would abandon me. So…
“Just once… could you hug me…? I… I was in so much pain, Mister… I was so scared of being abandoned…”
“…”
Drip— drip— Hare reached out with both arms, tears falling as she begged to be held.
'That solitary room was too much for you to bear. Especially for someone as soft-hearted as you.'
Still, since she had realized her mistake and returned, it should be all right to give her this much as a reward instead of further punishment. Even though Hare harbored feelings toward me that she should not, she had suffered until now. So I warmly embraced her.
“You… hic, you won’t abandon me, right… Mister? Hic…”
“As long as you do not leave me, I have no intention of abandoning you, Hare. I promised your grandmother I would take responsibility, didn’t I?”
“Hic… I-I’m sorry… Hic… And thank you…”
Hare buried herself in my chest and poured out her sorrowful tears. She must have missed me terribly; both hands clutched the back of my clothes tightly, as if she would never let go. Inside my arms, Hare melted away all the miserable emotions she had endured during her confinement. Right now she looked exactly like a small child.