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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Most of the restaurants in town were closed, either due to the fear instilled by the Demon Lord’s attack or because the owners had fled to other cities. Some were closed permanently, due to the owners’ deaths.
“The atmosphere is certainly grim.”
“A Demon Lord attack isn’t something to be taken lightly. The adventurers in Henesys will be starving for a while.”
Irina frowned, her expression showing her displeasure with the situation. She seemed deeply angered by the destruction of the city.
Then, she turned to me and asked,
“Jun, are you okay with anything on the menu?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s go to that place we used to frequent. I’m not sure if it’s still open, but it’s quite far from here, so we’ll have to walk a bit.”
Thud, thud-
Irina informed me and quickened her pace, her gait stiff and heavy, like a knight’s.
‘…We must have been close, if she knows what I like to eat.’
The missing memories… who was I to this stern knight? Lost in thought, we arrived at a shabby-looking restaurant. It looked like it had been around for at least 40 years.
“Restaurants that have stood the test of time usually have good food.”
“You said that before, too. When we were talking about… gukbap? I remember.”
“…”
So she really was my former comrade. I opened the door and entered the restaurant. An old woman was preparing food alone.
“We’ll take a seat inside.”
Irina nodded politely and led us to a table in the back. She seemed quite familiar with the place. Estia sat down excitedly.
“Brother, I’m hungry from using my divine power! Give me food!”
“I’ll order soon, so be patient.”
Estia sat next to me, while Irina and Luna sat across from us. Luna seemed displeased, but I ignored her. I looked at the menu and asked Irina,
“You seem familiar with this place. What’s good here?”
“Stew. The potato and meat stew is delicious.”
“Then I’ll have that.”
Stew was a safe bet in any restaurant.
If a restaurant couldn’t make a decent stew, it would probably go out of business within three months. I turned to the children.
“What about you two? Luna, Estia. Stew?”
“I’ll have the same as Brother!”
“…I want something different, hmph.”
Was she still sulking about not getting enough dinner last night? Luna was clearly pouting. I made a mental note to talk to her later and placed our order.
“Three stews and a salad, please.”
“I said I wanted something different! Salad isn’t different!”
“…And a roasted chicken.”
Nod-
Luna finally nodded.
She wouldn’t eat vegetables for dinner. That was Luna’s food principle.
“…”
“…”
Silence filled the air as we waited for our food. Neither I nor Irina spoke. After a while, the old woman brought our stews.
“The chicken will take a little longer…”
“Thank you.”
“But where is that red-haired woman? You three used to come here often…”
“…”
Irina fell silent.
The old woman, realizing her mistake, apologized.
“M-My apologies… I’m old, and my memory isn’t what it used to be…”
“It’s alright. Don’t worry about it. Thank you for the food.”
Irina replied stiffly.
So I used to come here often with Irina and a red-haired woman. I felt a pang of pain in my chest.
“We used to come here often?”
“…We did. It was a long time ago, but we came here almost every day. Before your cooking skills improved, we relied on this place.”
Then…
“Did the red-haired woman come with us?”
“…Yes.”
“Where is she now?”
What was the reason for her silence? I knew what Irina would say, but I wanted to hear it from her.
Luna looked at me anxiously. Estia, oblivious, continued to eat her stew. Irina, ignoring them, said,
“The red-haired woman’s name is Aina. She was your… master… and she is… no longer in this world. She’s dead.”
“…”
Irina’s words filled another blank space in my memory.
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“Jun, where do your memories stop?”
“I don’t know. I just know there’s a blank space.”
I was telling the truth. I didn’t know which part of my memory was missing. Irina considered where to begin.
‘…I have to explain. I have to explain everything to Jun.’
But…
The opportunity was right before her.
If she missed it, it might never come again.
Would she regret it if she let this chance slip away?
‘Damn it.’
Irina, biting her lip to suppress her self-loathing, began to fill in the blanks.
“Judging by the fact that you don’t remember me or Aina, Jun, you seem to have lost your memories of your time as an adventurer.”
“My time as an adventurer… I vaguely remember being an adventurer… but I don’t remember the details. You’re right.”
I nodded.
It was a reasonable deduction. Luna, fidgeting, shouted,
“Mister! How’s the stew!? Is it delicious?!”
“It is. Don’t interrupt us, Luna. We’re talking.”
“…Tsk.”
Annoying!
Luna, not interrupting at all, glared at Irina, her cheeks puffing out.
‘For Mister to be happy! He needs to forget those memories! Sister Knight! The memories of that red-haired woman! They torment Mister!’
It’s better for Mister if he doesn’t remember those painful memories!
Luna decided to interrupt their conversation. But then, something caught her attention.
“Roasted chicken… it’s hot, so eat slowly…”
“Ch-Chicken!”
It might not be as good as Mister’s chicken, but! It’s still delicious!
Luna, whose dinner had been halved the previous night, couldn’t resist the temptation.
“The food is here. Irina, where were we?”
“I was saying that you seem to have forgotten your memories of our party. I’ll tell you everything I remember.”
Irina began to recount their past.
“You were a beggar on the streets.”
“…What?”
“The chicken is delicious- wait, Mister was a beggar?!”
“What! Brother is just like me!”
“Calm down and listen.”
Irina quieted them down and continued,
“I don’t know the details, but you were begging on the streets when Aina found you and took you in as her disciple. You were incredibly lucky.”
“Taking in a street beggar as a disciple… Irina, what kind of person was this Aina?”
“A crazy woman. To be more specific, she initially wanted to use you as a test subject. When we formed a party, she would throw you into hordes of monsters for ‘training.’”
“A benefactor… is a bit of a stretch.”
A benefactor.
A faint smile touched Irina’s lips, but her eyes were filled with sadness.
“She was undoubtedly your benefactor. She made you strong, despite your weak mind. And she was… special to you.”
“Special? Don’t tell me… she was your lover?”
“…”
“They weren’t lovers. They were close, almost like lovers, but… not quite.”
‘I’m… just telling the truth… I’m not lying…’
Irina’s self-justification disgusted her. But she knew there was hope in this deception. She pushed down her self-loathing and replied,
“We weren’t lovers. We were… close. A close master and disciple.”
“…That’s… strange.”
I felt a strange sensation in my chest. Not lovers, but special. Master and disciple, but I didn’t remember learning anything from her.
We spent years together, but I didn’t remember a single moment. Frustration filled my heart.
Luna, listening to their conversation, whispered to Estia,
“Estia…! Did you hear that…? That Aina person wasn’t his lover…! That’s good…!”
“Really? But why is that good? Is it bad if Brother has a lover?”
“W-Well… it creates restrictions! People with lovers have walls around them! I read it in a romance novel!”
Luna, an avid reader of Hero stories…
‘In the book…! The Hero and the Saintess were dating…! So the mage couldn’t get close…!’
…had also read her fair share of romance novels involving the Hero’s party. She was relieved that Mister didn’t have a wall around him. But Estia didn’t care.
Munch~
Estia, eating her stew, said,
“What restrictions? Are you stupid, Luna?”
“Huh?”
“Even if Brother has a lover, he’ll still warm my heart! I don’t care as long as he warms my heart!”
“If Mister gets a lover, he won’t warm your heart…? He won’t cling to you…”
“Then I’ll cling to him! Be quiet, Luna, I’m eating!”
“Huh…”
So Estia is okay with infidelity.
Luna, realizing that romance novels weren’t a reliable source of information, continued to eavesdrop on their conversation while eating her chicken. It was oven-roasted and quite delicious.
I, who hadn’t touched my stew, asked Irina,
“So, Irina, can you tell me everything you know about this woman?”
“…I’ll tell you everything I know.”
“Thank you.”
We continued our conversation, delving into the past. I began to understand, intellectually, why I was living with the Hero’s party.
‘But it’s not enough.’
I understood with my head… but without my memories, I couldn’t truly understand. Irina, seeing my persistent questioning, felt a pang of pain in her chest.
‘…Even without his memories, the first person he asks about is Aina.’
He’s more curious about Aina than me…
It hurts.
No matter how much she trained her heart to be strong, in front of Lee Jun-woo, Irina was just a woman.
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I hate unrequited love. Which is why I am an avid fan of harem