"So he wants to lure the Black Monster out."
The woodcutter easily guessed the Young Scholar's intention.
"He really..."
The woman found it hard to believe. "Can you let him see it?"
"I don't know."
The woodcutter shook his head.
"...Once he can't see it, he'll give up."
"He'll listen to me."
"He'll forget all about some Black Monster..."
"What Black Monster?"
"It's just some delusion that boy made up to comfort himself..."
As he spoke, the woodcutter couldn't help growing agitated.
"He even believes in it completely."
"He's counting on a monster to bless him..."
"Heh."
"That foolish boy."
"If he spent that time reading a few more essays instead of making things up..."
"Maybe things would have turned out differently."
"Ah."
The woman understood. "Your younger brother is probably thinking the same way you are."
"What?"
The woodcutter didn't understand.
What did she mean, the same way?
It would be good if his younger brother thought the same way he did.
Then he wouldn't be troubled now.
"If he hadn't placed his hopes in the Black Monster..."
The woman sighed. "And had instead worked harder himself..."
"Do you think the result might have been different?"
"That's possible."
"Thinking about that would make your younger brother feel terribly unwilling to accept what happened."
"And he'd be even angrier at the Black Monster."
Oh~
A look of realization spread across the woodcutter's face.
So that was it.
He hadn't thought of that...
"No wonder..."
The woodcutter understood why his younger brother had acted so unusually this time.
But...
The woodcutter furrowed his brow.
"That was your younger brother's own choice."
"He chose to believe in that Black Monster..."
Then, when things didn't turn out as he'd hoped...
He'd lost control...
Wasn't he