The Uncle Is Sensitive (4)
The hero party’s lessons continued without Estia. Runa attended swordsmanship class, Hare took knowledge lessons, and Saten studied emotions. All three were producing decent results. Hare had already completed her current curriculum and was ready to advance, though an incident kept her confined to her room for the time being.
‘Anyway…’
Estia was the only one not attending class. The time had come to teach her. I could delay it no longer. Of all the party members, the Saintess lagged furthest behind.
I opened the door to her room and stepped inside. Estia had been lying in bed all day. The moment she saw me, her eyes widened in panic.
“Wh-what is this?! Oppa, what are you doing?! You didn’t even knock!”
“Estia, come out. Lessons begin today.”
“So suddenly? Isn’t this too abrupt?”
Incidents always arrive without warning. I pulled the reluctant girl from her bed and led her toward an empty room. The nature of her lessons demanded complete soundproofing.
As I guided her down the corridor, Runa appeared, looking frantic.
“W-wait! Uncle, where are you going?! I’m hearing things again! D-don’t leave! Stay by my side!”
“No.”
“Huh?”
“If you’re hearing voices, follow me.”
“Ugh…”
She looked crestfallen but eventually agreed to wait outside the door. Estia’s lesson would employ Void Magic: Silence, so no sound would escape. That meant one thing.
‘She can scream as much as she wants.’
I could teach without restraint.
The empty room held nothing but bare walls. I turned to the trembling girl and spoke her name.
“Estia.”
“Wh-why are you calling me?!”
“Stop shaking. I’m not here to scold you.”
“R-really?”
She must have witnessed Hare’s punishment. Estia was terrified. Had I become that frightening? Even though she knew I wouldn’t harm her, instinct still made her tremble.
“It’s the truth. I didn’t bring you here to punish you.”
“R-really…? Ahem. O-of course I knew that!”
I doubted she had known anything. Estia tried to cover her embarrassment with an awkward laugh, then thrust her golden eyes toward me in what she clearly thought was a threatening glare. Those golden irises still fascinated me every time I saw them.
“S-so! Oppa! Why did you bring me here?! To a place with no one else around! D-don’t tell me… you’re planning something weird?!”
“I’m not.”
“You’re trying to put me at ease first! Then you’ll stick a needle in my body, won’t you?! I know how this works… All adults are liars!”
“…That’s not it at all. Estia, calm down and look at this.”
“Eek…!! Don’t reach into your chest! Don’t take anything out…! Please!”
She cowered in the corner, pleading desperately. Her trauma had clearly surfaced. I ignored her protests and reached inside my coat anyway. The moment I produced the familiar vial, her fearful expression melted into pure bliss.
“H-holy Water! It’s Holy Water! You were going to give it to me?! Oppa, you’re the best!”
“…”
Her trauma vanished the instant she saw the Holy Water, replaced by open adoration. That alone proved how deeply important it was to her.
I swayed the vial slowly from right to left.
“Hehe… Holy Water…”
Her gaze followed it like a cat tracking a treat. Right. Left. Right again.
“You really are like a white cat.”
“Hehe… Cats like Holy Water too… So give it to me…”
“…If that’s what you want, I’ll give it to you.”
“R-really?! You’re actually giving it?! I’m so excited!”
She bounced around the room with glee. After the enormous amount she had consumed last time, her enthusiasm was almost impressive. I handed her the vial with no conditions attached.
“Here. Drink it, Estia.”
“Waa—! Holy Water—! It’s Holy Wa… ter…?”
“Is something wrong?”
“…”
I had offered it freely, yet Estia froze as if petrified. She didn’t move, as though time itself had stopped. Did she truly dislike drinking it that much? I began to withdraw the vial.
“If you don’t want it, then never mind.”
That snapped her out of it. She lunged forward, hand outstretched.
“N-no! Give me the Holy Water! Wait, more importantly—why is there only half a bottle?! You’re not supposed to drink it like this!”
“I’ll assume you don’t want it.”
“Ah, no! I’m sorry! I was wrong! Please, just give me the Holy Water!”
Whimpering, she clutched my trouser leg and begged. I couldn’t imagine what the stuff tasted like to inspire such obsession. I was curious, but not enough to try it myself.
“S-sorry! Oppa, I’m sorry! I messed up! Give me Holy Water! I’m begging you! This is a request from the great Estia-nim!”
“…Fine. Drink it.”
“Waa—!!”
Without the slightest suspicion, she took the vial, giggling as she uncorked it. Then she tipped it back and drank in one eager gulp. In that instant, she transformed into the picture of happiness.
“Hehe… hehehe… Holy Water is so good… But why is there only this much…?”
She shook the empty bottle desperately, determined not to waste a single drop. Unlike last time when she had drained an entire bottle, her mind still seemed relatively clear.
‘If I compare it to alcohol…’
She retained her memories and consciousness, but rational judgment had flown out the window.
“Why… no more Holy Water…? Estia is sad…”
She kept shaking the bottle. I called her name to regain her attention. The real lesson had to begin now.
“Estia.”
“Hehe…? What is it, Oppa…?”
“The remaining half bottle. Do you want more?”
“…!!”
She scrambled toward me at once.
“Holy Water! Give it! I need more! Give it right now!”
“Wait. Step back first.”
Her clinging grew irritating. The sweet scent of Holy Water brought back memories of the future version of myself I had witnessed. It carried the stench of nightmares. Even after I told her to move away, she continued pressing against me. I had no choice but to resort to extreme measures.
“Estia.”
“Holy Water! Holy Water! Give me the Holy Water!”
“If you keep clinging to me, I’ll smash this vial on the floor.”
“…”
She retreated instantly without another word. Even in her addled state, she understood what truly mattered. With her tongue still slurred, she sulked and shuffled to the far side of the room.
“…Holy Water. It fell. So give it to me.”
I would give it to her—provided she behaved properly.
Currently, Estia could not produce divine power even when she prayed. The reason was simple: she held distorted beliefs and warped knowledge. I had seen fragments of her past, but I needed to confirm a few details.
“Estia. Why do goddesses exist in this world?”
“For happiness… The goddesses exist to give us Holy Water…”
“Then what is the purpose of the church?”
“To make m-money… To give happiness to people… Collecting Holy Water is the most important…”
I was speechless. If Minerva had been present, she might have beaten Estia black and blue. After all, Minerva was the only goddess who refused to remain inside the church. The others lived comfortably within its walls while she alone took risks in the outside world.
When I had asked her about it in the past, her answer had been blunt.
‘I don’t know. They’re all tired after living for thousands of years. They just dump everything on me since I have no believers… Those bitches.’
That was probably why the church had fallen into such corruption. The goddesses themselves had grown weary.
In any case, Estia could not obtain divine power outside the church. To help her wield true divine power, I needed to completely rebuild the Saintess’s doctrines.
“…Is this really the right thing? Me teaching the Saintess?”
“Hehe… Holy Water is good… Hurry and give it…”
“No answer from you, Estia.”
“Hmm…?”
“We will now study the scriptures.”
I promised her the remaining half bottle once we began. She would complete today’s assigned portion, followed by a simple test. If she passed—
“I will give you the rest of the Holy Water. Here is the scripture. Study up to page fifty.”
“…!! Holy Water…!!”
Estia dropped to the floor and immediately began reading aloud.
“Chapter One. The goddess exists for the safety of her believers…? Lies! It’s for the believers’ happiness!”
“…”
Her knowledge was badly distorted. It would take time. Still, the Saintess began relearning the scriptures step by step. She occasionally grabbed my trouser leg and begged for Holy Water, but my resolve remained unshaken. And then—
“Scripture Chapter Two. Why does the goddess watch over humanity?”
“H-happiness! It’s because drinking Holy Water makes you happy!”
“Incorrect. It is to allow them to live human lives. This test is a failure. Better luck next time.”
“A-aaaagh—!! Lies—!! It’s all lies—!!”
Having failed, Estia let out a wail of pure despair. Today’s lesson was over. Yet she could not abandon her craving. She followed me around for the rest of the day, clutching my leg and pleading.
“P-please… Holy Water… Please give me Holy Water…”
“…Go back to your room and sleep.”
I did not yield to her pleas. The door slammed shut.
‘Endure the obsession with Holy Water. Redirect her attention elsewhere.’
Patience. That was the core lesson for Estia. If she could overcome it, she would finally obtain what she desired.
Buu-! Buu-!
Myeong-i carried a warm new volume toward Minerva. The title read Lee Junwoo’s Future (New Edition).
The Old Edition had contained his future before he kidnapped the hero party. After that encounter, his fate had diverged so sharply that a new volume became necessary for proper classification.
“Buu-! Buu-!”
“Hmm? A new release? Let me see.”
I wonder what our Junwoo’s future holds! I’m so excited! Please, let it be filled with happy moments only!
Minerva flipped the pages with a bright smile.
“Hmm… hmm…”
Recently there had been no incidents requiring intervention, but this new future seemed to demand quite a few corrections.
“Why are there so many dangerous events…? Saten and Hare… These two are doing strange things.”
Still, if it aided their growth, there was no need to inform Junwoo. Love was an excellent emotion for fostering development. Saten might not empathize with feelings, but she could understand them. For the sake of the future, there was no reason to interfere. At least until now.
“…However.”
This part looked dangerous.
The dungeon city of Henencia. To think those beings were there of all places.
Pages scorched by black flames.
Junwoo’s future continued onward, but on the final surviving page among the charred remains, one sentence had endured like a flower blooming on a cliff.
Minerva found those last words deeply unsettling.
“What does this mean…? Infidelity? Junwoo…?!”
Has he lost his mind?! What on earth is the future Junwoo doing in front of the children?! No matter that the boy was her apostle, Minerva could not comprehend him committing ‘infidelity’ before them.
“Y-you pervert—!! Excommunication! This calls for excommunication—!!”
Her anguished cry echoed throughout the library. Myeong-i quickly covered its ears and fled. It was used to this. Such outbursts were hardly rare.