I Pretended To Have Amnesia and the Hero’s Party Becomes Obsessed

3 – 1. The Worst Reunion (3)

I drove my horse forward, charging at the undead clad in worn-out armor. I swung my sword, encased in the scabbard, forcefully towards their heads.

Clang!

With a refreshing sound, only the bone remains, shooting up into the sky, leaving behind a head. The remaining body is finely crushed by horse hooves.

However, the moment of pleasure is always short.

“Uwak-!”

Suddenly, the body is pulled backward.

Feet caught in the stirrups, the body falls to the ground without a gap.

“Arrrh!!”

With a strange sound, the narrowly avoided falling sword rolls away.

“Urr….”

As I hastily get up, the abnormal undead right arm comes into view.

That damn arm must have pulled me down.

Feeling pain in my back, I rush towards the damn child.

Splat-!

Twisting my body to avoid the arm swung like a whip,

Thud-!

I easily deflect the skillless blade.

Thud-!

The undead, knocked to the ground with a shoulder strike, is held by the collar, and I crush its skull.

“Ugh…!”

A strong impact on the back. Without a chance to waver, consecutive heavy attacks pour down on my back.

Snap-!

I reach out to grab what was poking my back. Turning around, I see an undead with a club.

“Urhhhh-“

Boom-!

Today’s common sense: when a sword is thrust into the undead’s skull through the eye socket, it dies.

I stagger to my feet. Pulling the sword out from the undead’s mouth and looking around.

The situation wasn’t as bad as expected.

As if proving they didn’t take the situation lightly, our kids were handling the ambush reasonably well.

As for the hero party…

Boom-!

I looked at the numerous undead exploding, burning, and melting from a distance.

Yeah, I have to do at least that much while getting paid.

The problem was the movement of the undead.

Originally, undead were creatures closer to beasts than humans, unable to do anything other than bite and attack.

However, now the undead were wielding weapons. There were even guys shooting arrows between the trees.

It meant that there was a necromancer controlling them from behind.

I shattered the jawbones of the charging undead. Shouting at the gibberish-speaking elf shooting undead skulls with arrows.

“Elf!!”

“My name is…!!”

“I get it, just protect me!!”

“You f***ing…!!”

Ignoring the curses coming from behind me, I ran towards the forest where the undead were surging.

“”Urrrr!!””

Sensing that something was not right, three guys blocked my way.

Swaack-!

However, the arrow that flew from behind pierced their knees and brought them crashing to the ground.

Even as a sitting duck, I kicked the skull of the guy trying to grab hold of me and headed towards the inside of the forest.

“rtcea”

Hands placed on the eyepatch again, reciting a spell.

In the vision filled with decay, a slender black energy was added.

“You corpse-loving bastards…!”

Drawing my sword, I ran along with the black energy leading into the forest.

Like that, I wondered how far I had gotten away from the noise of the battle.

A small clearing came into view through the trees.

There, robed figures casting ominous spells, clearly looking suspicious.

Their number was four.

I increased my speed and delivered a dropkick to the biggest guy’s back.

“Ugh-!”

One of the few good things about being a tough guy was that, thanks to the heavy weight, it was easy to break spines.

Leaving the cultist guy frothing at the mouth, I immediately left a knife mark on the neck of the guy choking next to him.

“…!!”

The warlock collapses, clutching his neck.

He tightens his grip on his sword and hurls it at the warlock standing behind him.

Thud!

“…”

The blade sticks precisely into his left eye. With a dumbfounded expression, the warlock’s body crumples.

Only one remains.

But life, as always, does not flow easily.

“Arrr!!”

As I leap forward, a hulking undead charges at me.

My breath catches and my face slams into the dirt.

I struggle to regain my senses and rise to my feet, but the undead is quick to strike my back.

“Argh…!”

The impact already shakes my throbbing back.

My vision flickers and screams boil up from my throat.

If only that was the end.

The undead grabs my leg with its thick arm. And…

Splat-!

“…!”

My vision flips and the strong impact constricts my airway.

Suddenly, it feels like I’ve moved a few steps away from the realm of the living.

Amidst the haze of the scattered thoughts, the feeling of the undead gripping my leg returns.

Damn it…this is really getting annoying…I didn’t want this…

Gritting my teeth, I untangle my legs. The undead momentarily freezes upon seeing my detached limb.

Seizing the opportunity, I chant a spell.

“psie…xolon”

Boom-!

The shockwave of the explosion sends my body flying backwards.

My vision spins a few times before capturing the image of the undead being blown apart. The stumbling undead eventually crashes to the ground, making a wheezing sound.

A rather satisfying sight, but there is no time to rest.

“_!”

I quickly rolled my body to the side in response to a dangerous spell.

In the spot where I was just standing, a black orb immediately embedded itself, causing the surrounding grass to rot and turn yellow.

As I lifted my head, I noticed a calm sorcerer reciting the spell again. They pulled out a throwing dagger from their pocket.

Ssak-!

“Oof…!”

Blood gushed from his shoulder, and the stray spell hit the tree next to me.

I jumped up with my remaining leg and shoulder charged the stumbling guy.

Both the inept me and the sorcerer rolled on the ground. Suppressing our heavy breaths, I quickly climbed on top of the guy’s body.

“Kruh…!!”

And then, with both hands, I strangled his neck with force.

Blood vessels bulged in his eyes, and his desperate hands reached for my face.

His nails scratched my cheek and face, then firmly gripped my cheek. Then, his thumb covered my left field of vision.

Pook-!

Having someone’s finger intruding into your eye is far from a pleasant experience, even if it’s through glasses.

Thud.

Even though my eye had fallen into the bushes, and my hand firmly choked his neck, his eyes expressed despair.

And then, immediately.

“Keeuh…”

Making a sound reminiscent of an animal, he weakened his grip.

“Hah… Hah…!”

Only then did he release the suppressed breath and lay down on the ground. At the same time, the postponed pains rushed in.

“…!”

Suppressing a scream, tears trickled down my cheeks. And without realizing it, I murmured while gazing at the high autumn sky.

“Emily…”

And as if that were enough to finish the job,

I fainted right there.

***

I woke up from sleep, feeling the excruciating pain coursing through my entire body.

Whether I had my glasses on or not, the world existed only as the cozy sensation of the blanket and the musty smell of the inn.

I rose, retracing scattered memories.

“Umm… Master? Have you awakened?! Are you feeling alright?!”

Pea’s voice suddenly reached me. I tried to respond, realizing there was no voice output, so I pointed to my throat with a blunt wrist.

“Oh! S-sorry! I’ll get it right away!”

A rumbling voice followed by hurried footsteps. It seemed to fade away but quickly approached again.

“S-sit still, please.”

I felt Pea’s trembling hand placing the voice output device around my neck.

“There, done.”

“Ah, can you hear my voice clearly?”

“Yes, I can hear well. And, bring the artificial arm and eye here. I’ll fill them in shortly.”

I nodded, and Pea obediently placed the prosthetic arm in my hand and inserted the artificial eye into my socket.

My entire body tingled; I needed to be able to move…

And a moment later…

“What are you doing?”

The first thing that entered my recovered sight was Pea, kneeling and staring at the floor.

Pea spoke in a somber tone, clenching her fists.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry that your right arm and you ended up like this…”

“What… Hey, I went out alone, got injured alone. How is it your fault?”

“But…”

I interrupted her with a raised hand.

“Enough. Just give me a brief idea of the current situation.”

“Yes…”

Pea began to explain what happened after I fainted.

The necromancer I dealt with seemed to be the root of the problem. During the battle, the undead suddenly lost control, Pea explained. And undead creatures turning into a group of beasts posed no significant threat, especially when the warrior party was our ally.

We managed to conclude the battle with only a few minor injuries.

However, I was the issue.

Whether it was the undead’s retaliation or something else, when Pea found me, I was in a serious condition.

The leader decided we couldn’t continue the journey like this and diverted to the nearest city, Phoenix, for a temporary stay.

At this point, I heard an unexpected story from Pea.

“Was it Clara who treated me? And baldy something or other?”

“Originally, as always, Mr. Clebance was going to treat you. But suddenly, Clara came running over…”

For some reason, considering it was a bald guy who treated my body, my condition seemed better than expected.

But why?

Wasn’t it members of the warrior party, including Clara, who were disdainful towards me?

“Oh, right. Clara said to call her brother as soon as he wakes up…”

“Why bother. It’s fine, just give me a moment to rest…”

“I’ll call him right away! Please wait a moment, sir!”

“Hey!”

Despite my shouting, Fae, without regard, swiftly got up and rushed out of the room.

Honestly, that one’s hard to deal with as well…

With a sigh, I wiped my face.

As I counted silently to around 20, the sound of footsteps approached, and Fae revealed herself again.

“I’ve brought him!”

And following her, Clara appeared.

The faint hope I had held onto,

That perhaps there might still be some remnants of our past bond,

Completely shattered in that moment.

“Are you feeling a bit better physically?”

Clara, with a dark expression, didn’t bother to look directly into my eyes.

Deep within my lowered gaze, there was an intense desire to get up from this place right away.

“…Yes.”

Suppressing the chilly emotions brewing inside, I replied.

“Just to be safe, I hope you rest now. Although we’ve connected the broken bones and ruptured vessels…”

Clara’s voice entered one ear and left the other, messing up my thoughts.

Then suddenly, a profound anger surged within me.

What did I do wrong to deserve this treatment?

I might not have been the best friend, but couldn’t I at least pretend to be?

Must I be treated this way upon meeting a friend after such a long time?

Gradually, the anger turned into words itching to escape my throat. I clenched my fists and forcibly pushed those words back down inside.

Suddenly, an unexpected thought came to Clara when she said these words.

“If there is even a small suspicion, please tell me right away…”

Suspicion.

The word brought forth a paragraph of distant memories.

[Then, how about pretending to have lost your memory?]

At first, I shook my head inwardly.

It was just another empty remark among many. A choice not worth considering.

But soon, I could feel my thoughts gradually changing.

What harm can it do?

They were the ones who pretended not to know me in the first place.

And if it doesn’t work, I can always claim to have regained my memories later. If it works, then it’s simply good.

Coincidentally, there is even a plausible excuse ready.

Clara was the one who delivered the final blow.

“Well then, I’ll leave now.”

Clara turned her back as if waiting.

Though her figure was distant, it brought forth memories that had not yet faded.

“In fact… There is something bothering me.”

“…Yes?”

Clara looked back at me without meeting my gaze. I scratched my cheek awkwardly and spoke.

“It may be nothing significant… but actually, since just now, I’ve been feeling like there are gaps in my memories.”

“If your memories are empty…”

“More precisely, it’s my childhood memories.”

I grabbed my head and twisted my face.

“I’ve been trying to remember… but I can’t recall anything before joining the mercenary group…”

I trailed off my words and observed Clara’s reaction. Indeed, this foolish plan was to test if it had even a tiny bit of effectiveness.

And I couldn’t help but be taken aback.

“Yes…?”

Her red pupils seemed as if an earthquake had occurred.

Her widened eyes were filled with an unknown emotion, and her clenched fist trembled.

“So… do you not remember anything about me either…?”

Each word seemed laborious, she stumbled, asking me.

Facing that question, I paused, setting aside my confusion for a moment and pondered.

An unexpectedly intense reaction,

A subtle nuance emanating from her tone,

And the repercussions this lie would bring.

Truly, can I be certain that what I’m doing now isn’t foolish?

Yet, soon I erased this dilemma from my mind.

As someone in the past said, the die is already cast.

I wore an expression as if I didn’t understand English.

“Yes…? What do you mean by that…”

I dare not express how Clara’s expression changed upon hearing those words.

An immeasurable conflict brushed across her eyes, conflicting emotions melted and coalesced upon her face repeatedly.

Before that expression, I was overwhelmed and couldn’t bring myself to speak.

“Um… Clara, are you alright…?”

Finally, it was Faye, quietly listening nearby, who broke the heavy silence.

Clara turned to Faye as if just now realizing her presence.

– Clack.

And suddenly, she bit her lower lip until it bled.

Perplexed, I opened my mouth upon seeing the blood flowing from her lips.

“Clara, what in the world…!”

“Rem, no, Rem.”

She cut my words off, grasping my false hand as if it were something precious.

Then, with eyes dripping with affection, she looked at me.

“In truth, I was your lover.”

…

…

… What the hell?

Bam!

Abruptly, the door opened, and the warrior, Amy, appeared, striding toward Clara.

“Oh, Warrior, you’ve come…”

“Come out.”

A voice stained with anger. Clara’s face, which had been sporting a bright smile, hardened.

“Sir?”

“I told you to come out.”

Amy’s oppression did not stop at words alone. As Clara showed no signs of moving, she grabbed her wrist.

“Just a moment…!”

And forcibly dragged Clara out of the room.

I stood there in confusion, staring blankly at the closing door.

“…What the hell is going on…?”

“…Do you understand now…?”