Chapter 12
She would have ended up spitting the water she had been drinking directly onto the black dog if she hadn’t hurriedly covered her mouth.
Gulp.
Her throat visibly moved as she swallowed. After wiping her lips with her sleeve, she stared at him as if she couldn’t believe what she had just heard.
“Just what kind of conclusion did you come to for you to think that? A divorce? You and me?”
“If everything you said was true, I thought it might be possible. You seemed to have been fairly close.”
“No! It wasn’t anything like that! We weren’t even close in the first place!”
“Is that true?”
“It really isn’t. I’ll bet my entire fortune on it.”
You don’t exactly look like you have much of a fortune.
The black dog couldn’t say that out loud.
Because Rex was glaring at him as if she wanted to kill him.
But only for a moment. She refilled her glass and spoke quietly.
“You probably dated your disciple.”
The black dog couldn’t help but be surprised again.
“Were you perhaps a pervert?”
“What?! Erian and you are only one year apart! Not every disciple is a child!”
“Only one year apart… Is that normal?”
“It’s not a big difference, but it’s not unheard of either. In your case… I guess they set it up that way because the age gap being small made you two look good together.”
“Look good?”
“Ah, no, I mean… the two of you really did suit each other!”
A disciple.
Just like before, nothing came to mind.
But he did know the name Erian.
“Erian… the Mercenary King?”
“Yeah. You’ve never heard of her?”
“I’m not very familiar. I’ve never been particularly interested.”
Most mercenaries held great respect for her, but Dale and the black dog were exceptions.
For Dale, it was because he wondered what that woman had ever done to help him survive.
For the black dog, as he had said, there was simply nothing.
He had seen her briefly from afar before, but he had felt nothing.
If they had truly been lovers, shouldn’t something have come back to him?
‘Could this not simply be memory loss?’
An incompetent doctor he had met once told him that memory loss was usually caused by a great shock.
Knowing his own personality, the black dog knew he was unlikely to suffer a severe emotional trauma, so he assumed he had simply suffered a serious head injury.
Then the quack doctor had said:
Then it’ll probably return someday.
But even after a year had passed, the black dog’s memories remained completely blank.
Perfectly clean.
Could it be…
‘Did someone intentionally erase my memories?’
He was thinking about that when—
“If you remember anything about Erian, it’s okay to go to her.”
When he looked up, he saw Rex emptying her glass.
“Erian is also in charge of the Mercenary Guild now, so she’s technically cooperating with the Mage Tower… but she wouldn’t abandon you. Even if the two of you broke up badly, she wouldn’t hold it against you. She’s just that kind of person.”
“……”
“Besides, she has money, strength, and power. She’s a good choice in many ways. She’d probably protect you safely until your grandfather, Count Dilaik, returns. Maybe Erian is even desperately searching for you right now.”
She gave a small nod, as if even she thought her own guess was highly likely.
“So if even a little bit of your memories come back, go to Erian.”
“……”
“I’ll take responsibility for returning Bridin and Dale, so don’t worry too much.”
Actually, maybe it would be better if she took Dale with her.
Rex muttered the words under her breath.
Her tone was incredibly casual.
As if even if things turned out that way, it wouldn’t bother her at all.
“Why.”
The black dog disliked that.
Very much.
“Why are you the one deciding that?”
His sharp gaze made her eyes widen in surprise.
“Uh… I was just giving my opinion…”
“Do you think I would follow the words of someone who considers me an enemy?”
“Ah, that damn ‘enemy’ thing again! I’m not your enemy! Is that enough now?!”
“Then what kind of relationship did we have?”
Rex couldn’t answer immediately.
She stared blankly at the black dog with a troubled expression, then slowly turned her head away.
Her lowered voice quietly slipped out.
“Nothing… We weren’t anything. There wasn’t even a name for it.”
“……”
“Then all the more reason I have no reason to listen to you.”
The black dog clicked his tongue and turned away.
“Do not say something like that again.”
He left the room and went down the stairs with heavy footsteps.
Even after leaving the inn, his mood refused to improve.
He had never felt this kind of discomfort before.
And because he couldn’t understand the reason behind it, the black dog became even more irritated.
Phillion was angry.
‘Why?’
Because I told him to go to Erian?
‘But is there really any better option for Phillion right now?’
There wasn’t.
No matter how much I thought about it, that was the easiest path for him.
He should have been angry that I hadn’t suggested it sooner, not because I suggested it now.
‘Is it because he and Erian ended things badly? Even though he lost his memories, maybe those feelings remain?’
Why did they break up badly?
Was it because of me after all?
Did Erian leave him because she thought Phillion liked me more than her?
‘But… did he actually like me?’
I slowly turned my gaze away from the statue I had been staring at and looked behind me.
Phillion was sitting on the sofa.
Unlike yesterday, he wasn’t glaring at me like he wanted to kill me. He was reading a book.
But my back still prickled occasionally, so there was no doubt he was still watching me.
However, he never spoke to me.
From noon yesterday, when we arrived at this house, until now.
Not a single word.
The atmosphere was strange too.
That was why I assumed he was angry.
Well, it wasn’t like there was a major problem with the current situation.
I could continue my research like this.
For me, it wasn’t about securing a place where Bridin could stay safely…
No.
It was about repaying the debt I owed Phillion.
Just because the atmosphere was awkward didn’t mean I couldn’t continue my work.
With that thought, the moment I put on my coat—
“I’ll be leaving now.”
Phillion stood up again.
“I’ll come with you.”
What?
Was he walking me back?
Why?
“Are you worried about me?”
“Yes. I am worried.”
“N-no, it’s fine! Besides…”
“I’m deeply worried about your mental state for being comfortable living in such a place.”
“……”
“I’m also worried about the hygiene. I overlooked it today, but from now on, please shake your shoes before entering.”
Even after losing his memories, he was still annoying.
“Come or don’t come.”
I quickly turned around and left the house.
Judging by the sound of footsteps behind me, he really was following.
‘Is he worried because my lodging looked too shabby?’
I remembered his eyes trembling when I mentioned living with a rusty key.
I smiled slightly.
Should I show him just how strong I am?
The corners of my mouth rose.
If I showed him something truly impressive, wouldn’t I get a reaction unlike anything before?
Just imagining that emotionless expression finally cracking made me smile.
It would be fun to make him shout about how amazing I was.
And once his memories returned, how embarrassing would that be for him?
Just thinking about it made me feel good.
Yes, when his memories returned…
When they returned.
‘He probably… won’t get too angry.’
I did deceive him.
But he liked me, didn’t he?
If someone you thought was dead came back alive, that was still something to be happy about.
Of course, I should make it clear—
I had absolutely no intention of trying to make things work with him in the future.
I could confidently tell him right to his face:
“I don’t like you. Sorry.”
I could do that.
So.
‘I should help him recover his memories.’
Again, it had nothing to do with having feelings for him.
It was just…
A little pitiful.
Someone choosing to be another person’s slave was sad enough.
Getting slapped around was even worse.
If he wanted to forget his past, that would be different.
But he didn’t seem opposed to recovering his memories.
He was even constantly curious about them.
If he stayed under Dale and ended up dying, I would feel guilty.
‘Fine. I’ll keep trying to trigger Phillion’s memories.’
The next day, I immediately put my plan into action.
“Just because it’s called ‘Petrification’ doesn’t mean every type of petrification is the same. Medira’s petrification, especially, is intertwined with several different curses. When people think of monsters that use petrification, they usually think of cockatrices, but this is far more difficult and complicated.”
“……”
“It’s similar to unraveling multiple tangled knots. You have to analyze each layer one by one and then cancel them out in sequence with the appropriate healing magic. It’s honestly not an easy task…”
My plan wasn’t anything grand.
I simply decided to tell Phillion whatever I learned while examining the statue.
After all, he was annoyingly talented when it came to magic.
If I stimulated that curiosity—
“Does anything come to mind?”
“No.”
The next day.
And the day after that.
The answer was always the same.
I shared countless things with him and asked repeatedly.
Phillion’s response never changed.
“I don’t know. Nothing at all.”
Hearing that from Phillion was strange.
“You’re not lying, are you?”
“Why would I lie about something like this?”
“Maybe you’re pretending not to know just to annoy me…”
“Have I ever done something like that?”
“……”
“Apparently I have.”
Phillion let out an incredulous laugh.
I understood.
I really had been ridiculous back then.
“Let’s get up. It’s time to return.”
I nodded and cleaned up around the statue.
When we left the house, I once again felt his presence following behind me.
We had spent several days together all day long, but the atmosphere still hadn’t improved much.
Unless I started a conversation, he barely spoke.
That gave me plenty of time to think.
While wondering what I should use tomorrow to trigger Phillion’s memories—
‘Why are there so many people on the streets today?’
Every tavern was packed with people, and everyone looked cheerful.
There had been more people around during the day too, but it wasn’t enough to catch my attention.
Now, however, there were far more people than during the daytime.
And there was even a procession heading toward the plaza.
Unable to hold back my curiosity, I lightly tapped a nearby woman on the shoulder.
“Excuse me, is there some kind of festival today?”
She looked young, perhaps around twenty, and smiled.
“It’s not exactly a festival. It’s more like a party.”
“A party?”
What she said next was something I never expected.
“Today is Lord Lyell Folks’ birthday.”
