Young Scholar nodded.
"When I go to that house..."
"I'll go home."
"Don't go to that house anymore."
The woodcutter said bluntly.
"That house belongs to someone else."
"You were squatting there before, and it caused the owner a lot of trouble."
"If we hadn't found your older brother in time, the owner of that house was about to report you to the authorities."
"And have the soldiers arrest you."
"After this, the owner won't let you go in again."
"Why?"
Young Scholar blurted out.
"Who would welcome an uninvited guest?"
The woodcutter said bluntly.
"Have you forgotten what you did before?"
"The owner went to a lot of trouble to get you to leave his house."
A trace of confusion appeared on Young Scholar's face.
What had he done?
He only remembered...
Those dark, hollow eyes watching him.
At the thought of those eyes...
Anger flared up in Young Scholar's heart again.
"Ah."
Young Scholar let out a soft cry.
"What is it?"
The woodcutter hurriedly asked.
Young Scholar's eyes burned with intensity.
"...The first time it appeared when I hadn't prepared any food..."
"It..."
"Was it checking on the results of its work?"
"I trusted it so completely. It must have thought I was ridiculous..."
"That's why, in the end..."
"When I was at my most pathetic..."
"It appeared."
The more Young Scholar spoke, the angrier he became.
That Black Monster had thoroughly and utterly fooled him.
Young Scholar couldn't let it go.
He was about to lose his mind with anger.
"Enough!"
The woodcutter shouted.
His loud voice seemed to bring the air to a standstill for a second.
Young Scholar was startled.
He stared at the woodcutter with wide eyes.
It seemed...
Since he could remember,