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

38 – 6. The First Piece (2)

A sage is ultimately a being that pursues virtue. The thread of wisdom is intertwined with that of morality, and knowledge functions as the basis of virtue.

Thus, it is only natural for a genius of the century, like myself, to bow my head and apologize. It means that I am absolutely not being humiliated.

“I-I’m sorry… I didn’t know…”

And this also applies equally to expressing gratitude.

“And, thank you. For… moving me to the infirmary when I fainted…”

Therefore, the reddening of my face now is clearly the effect of some illness, and my voice crawling up is also the same.

I never felt like I was being humiliated to the point of death.

Never.

However, the boy, no, Lem is the owner of a skeptical mind. He looked at me with an expression of disbelief and sighed.

“Well, I guess there were problems with my response. It wouldn’t make sense to prove that I’m blind by pulling out a bill in that way.”

Then, Lem crossed his arms and changed the subject.

“So, can you properly explain why you suddenly came to see me now? If possible, use words. If you have a magical pen, you can use that too.”

“Uh, yeah… well…”

And so, I was finally able to pour out the questions I had kept in my mind. They were about the creative ideas and expertise that were revealed in the answer sheet.

And Lem’s response was truly clear and detailed. He answered the questions I threw at him without any difficulty. It was a reaction that couldn’t be produced if someone was just pretending.

The boy was not a dirty opportunist, but another intellectual of this era, just like me.

How embarrassing was my behavior of not recognizing him and suspecting him without reason!

As the conversation continued, I could feel the touch of conscience weighing down on my mind.

How can I make up for this…

“By the way, you were the former top student, right?”

Former top student.

That vulgar word scratched my mind with an incredibly unpleasant feeling.

However, Lem seemed to lack empathy as much as he had intelligence. He continued to select words that would test my patience and spoke them out.

“Professor Kilian said so. If I took the top student position, the one who was originally the top student would cause a commotion.”

Distant.

“Well, I understand being upset about having your position taken. What can you do? Competition is like that. It’s not uncommon to dislodge a rolling stone.”

Distant.

“Still, don’t worry too much. I won’t be here for long. Just think of it as temporarily taking over the position.”

Distant.

“But if you’re really upset…”

“Oh, I haven’t won yet!!”

Oh, gods,

How have you brought me down into despair.

Unbeknownst to me, I stood up from my seat. I shouted at him, poking him with my finger.

“The reason I didn’t do well this time was because, because my physical condition wasn’t great! Normally, I would have easily defeated someone like you!”

However, what rose on his face was not a sense of crisis, but rather scorn.

It was like a lion looking at a mouse approaching it.

The relentless ambition gnawed at the throat once again.

“Just you wait!! Next time, I’ll be the top student!!”

And like a frenzied warrior, I dashed out the door.

It was a question of existential importance, pondering why intelligence and arrogance were inversely proportional.

***

“Boss, why did you do that?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why did you provoke him for no reason? You knew he would react like that.”

“Well… um… just because?”

“…Boss, are you an idiot?”

“No, it’s not like that… The director had to see Parsley at that moment. There was something about the child that felt different.”

“What was it?”

“A feeling of wanting to prick her with a knife for no reason…?”

“Prick her? The daughter of a martial arts master? How did you plan on handling the consequences?”

“I didn’t really think about that. I said it before. I only planned on staying for one month.”

***

Only the lazy chief desires a dramatic victory in a fight. It is the epitome of laziness and proof of a foolish heart that longs for miracles.

Wise ones know.

The outcome of a fight is determined not in the moment of battle, but long before the fight even begins.

Before the first bugle sounds, the victor must already have the victory in hand.

And, to achieve that, three elements are necessary.

One, a resolute will to fight and win.

Two, an objective evaluation of one’s own abilities.

And three.

“…Tell me about Rem?”

Detailed information about the enemy.

Marian narrowed her eyes, seemingly perplexed by my question.

“Well, I can tell you, but… why?”

Another ignorant response. I sighed at her lack of insight and replied.

“Obviously, to regain the top position, you fool.”

“…Then shouldn’t you go to the library and study hard? You idiot? Instead of finding out about that person?”

That’s why conversations with ignoramuses are tiring. They don’t even understand the simplest things, let alone the teachings of the ancient sages.

“You reap what you sow, don’t you know that?”

“I don’t think that’s the intended meaning…”

“So, are you going to tell me or not?”

“Well, I can tell you, but…”

Marian looks at me with her chin in her hand.

“I honestly find it surprising that you still don’t know that person.”

“Why?”

“That person is famous.”

“Famous for what?”

I asked the question with some anticipation.

On what basis does his reputation rest?

Intellect? Bold ideas? Precise planning skills?

However, Marian’s answer completely exceeded my expectations.

“For being good-looking.”

I must have instinctively shown disappointment on my face. Marian narrowed her eyes.

“No, you should know if you’ve seen him. He’s not extremely handsome or anything, but he’s definitely above average. He’s tall and well-built.”

I couldn’t help but be dismayed by the current reality.

Magicians who should be dedicating themselves to the study of magical essence, being infatuated with romance of all things!

Indeed, as my mother would say, this is a tragedy and a moral disgrace.

“Of course, it’s a bit of a flaw that he’s blind and doesn’t have hands…”

“Wait, he doesn’t have hands either?”

As I questioned in surprise, Marian looked at me with a bewildered expression.

“You didn’t know that either? That’s why he wears oversized robes, to cover his wrists.”

“Oh.”

It was the moment when the reason behind his ridiculous appearance was revealed.

Marian grumbled, furrowing her brows.

“He always says I lack insight and intuition, but he doesn’t even know these things himself…”

Why are ignoramuses so narrow-minded?

Even wise men make mistakes once or twice!

I decisively cut off Marian’s words and asked.

“Well, okay…! Start by telling me how that person ended up enrolling in Matap.”

Marian frowned, but soon gave me an answer.

“I don’t know the specifics, but I think Professor Killian brought him along. Originally, he was a separate disciple, but this time he just brought him to Matap.”

“Professor Killian?”

I raised a question mark.

It was because he seemed to be looking at a potion made by mixing Adalia extract and Delis oil.

In other words, Rem and Professor Killian did not go well together at all.

Professor Killian was not a worm, but in a sense, he was a more terrible person than a worm.

Strictness, gloominess, arrogance.

His body consisted only of bones and shell, and it appeared to be dry not because he could not eat, but as if it was being supplied with nutrients by some powerful force.

On the other hand, Rem…

Although there had not been much interaction, he seemed kind-hearted except for a slight lack of dignity.

He seemed lazy, with his eyes slightly slanted downwards, but did not appear lazy.

He laughed often but did not seem frivolous.

In particular, his unique gentle voice gave his words a strange persuasiveness.

An exemplary example of an intellectual.

It became clearer in my mind when compared.

Professor Killian and Rem were such different people that it was difficult to even imagine them having a conversation together.

“Right? They don’t really fit together, right? But you know what’s strange?”

“What is it?”

Marian lowered her voice as if sharing some secretive knowledge.

“Rem is almost always in Professor Killian’s laboratory.”

However, my reaction was completely indifferent.

“So?”

If Rem was truly Professor Killian’s immediate disciple, it would be natural for him to spend a lot of time in his laboratory. There was no need to make a fuss about it.

But like a worm, Marian grumbled with an annoyed expression.

“So, don’t you wonder what the two of them did in there?”

“Not at all.”

In a room, what else could a teacher and a student do besides passing on knowledge? I raised my head and blurted out.

“Other than those trivial things, don’t you have any more useful information? Like how to study, or how to approach magic with certain concepts…”

Now it was Marian’s turn to furrow her brow. She shrugged her shoulders and said.

“I don’t know anything beyond that. I told you, he usually stays in the lab. And besides, he’s not the type to talk about himself.”

Well, he’s a person who has lost both his sight and hands. It was safe to say that his past wasn’t rosy.

I guess he doesn’t want to bring up bad memories.

Of course, that didn’t excuse the fact that Marian’s answer was utterly useless. But that’s how it goes.

I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes.

“Are you absolutely sure you don’t know anything else?”

“I’m absolutely sure. If I did, I would have told you.”

Chimi sighed. Well, what did I expect from a worm.

As I was about to get up from my seat, Marian suddenly spoke as if she remembered something.

“Oh, when he’s not in the lab, I heard he’s at the library. In library C of the 7th library.”

Finally, some useful information.

***

The Matop is the pinnacle of wisdom.

The discerning ones must surely knock on that door at least once, while the unaware ones gaze up at its summit with adoring eyes.

Reason, rationality, insight, and above all, knowledge.

The currents of wisdom flow from all corners of the continent and gather here.

In that sense, the library that can be called a warehouse of knowledge needs no mention of how highly regarded it is in the Matop.

A massive library that houses books from various fields, a total of 7.

And within it, the library is divided into smaller sections, totaling 51 branches.

The amount of books in the National Library of Titanis, touted by the ignorant worms, is only a seventh of what is found here.

The statement that all the books from the entire continent are gathered here is not an exaggeration but a statement that is as close to the truth as possible.

And in this true treasure trove, the 7th library, Library C, is where the highest treasures are kept.

A place that houses books on magic theory, especially magic circles.

And just as an archaeologist recognizes the greatest treasure at a glance, those with intellect recognize the value of this place.

I extended my gaze over a thick book and looked at Lem who was reading on the other side.

Assisting him, who had no hands, was telekinesis.

The azure glow of magic fluttered, turning the pages and guiding the pen to dance upon the paper.

And the characters he read and wrote each emitted a faint light of their own.

I speculated that it was a kind of auxiliary magic, allowing the blind man to read the words.

The script looked impeccably crafted at first glance.

It’s inevitable for a wizard to be drawn to a well-executed script. However, I deliberately averted my gaze.

Attempting to read that script might have alerted him to my presence.

Instead, I gazed at the stack of books beside him, recording each title in my mind.

It didn’t stop there. I also memorized the words Ray was putting on paper and the magical diagrams.

Some might mock my actions. How could such voyeuristic behavior help me reclaim the top position from him?

Honestly, I sympathize with them. With such limited insight, I feel compassion for their unfortunate fate of navigating a difficult life.

Like a sprout unable to grow without soil.

Wisdom, too, cannot blossom without knowledge.

In other words, his ingenious answers weren’t plucked from thin air but the culmination of the knowledge he had accumulated over time.

And where does knowledge come from?

Stacks of books piled high.

Those books, meeting his intellect, became ingenuity.

And who am I?

A genius of the century, the next Master of the Tower, a masterpiece created by the gods, the illegitimate daughter of the Sage.

When accumulating the same knowledge, I couldn’t imagine not coming up with more brilliant ideas than him.

The moment he leaves this library, I vowed to memorize the contents of those books down to the footnotes.

With that determination, I burned my eyes.

…

And before I knew it, I was sprawled in the chair, forgetting even to breathe.

I turned my gaze outside the window.

The moon, already risen to its peak, was slowly descending toward the western sky. It was proof that even the night could yield to dusk.

I turned my eyes back to Rem.

He was still reading at the same pace and posture as before. There was not a hint of fatigue on his face.

…Why isn’t he leaving…?

Of course, as a genius of the century with exceptional concentration, there are times when I also engage in such behavior. There was a time when I stayed up for three days, immersing myself in books only.

However, unlike him, I didn’t need to use magic to read books. Without auxiliary spells, I had eyes that could read the letters and hands that could turn the pages, even without telekinesis.

And, naturally, magic is a task that consumes both physical and mental strength. Proper reading is no different.

Even while utilizing my brain for an extended period, to maintain concentration without losing focus, a certain amount of willpower is required.

I glanced at Rem again. More precisely, I looked into his eyes.

Made of cold glass, it strangely seemed to be burning with something.

A spectacle proving that profound intellect cannot be achieved without effort.

It was undoubtedly brilliant, yet I felt my heart sinking.

… Perhaps it was because the image of a girl who used to wake me up by poking my thigh with a pen while I was in a daze came to mind.

As I absentmindedly swept my thigh, I found myself lying on the desk, pressing my cheek against it. And suddenly, I felt the approach of drowsiness.

It was something I usually postponed with drugs. I reached for the medicine in my pocket again but stopped.

Anyway, he didn’t seem to be leaving anytime soon.

Yes, just close my eyes for a moment.

And… when I wake up… the book he left behind… so that I can be the top student again…

And then, I tumbled into the dream without a moment’s hesitation.

.

.

.

The sharp sunlight pierces my eyes.

I groaned and struggled to get up with a sore body. And, I looked out the window where the sun had reached its zenith.

The noon sunlight bestowed warmth upon the dust particles in the air and the faded books.

Naturally, a feeling of comfort enveloped my heart… Wait, what? Books? And noon?

I got up abruptly and looked around.

The sight of the grand library greeted my eyes. However, Rem’s figure was nowhere to be seen.

Only the sensation of sharp paper against my neck remained.

I nervously grabbed the note stuck to my neck and unfolded it to read.

Written in the same handwriting as Rem’s answer sheet, it said:

[Sleep in the bed.]

…Shame and anger intertwined, it was a moment that tightened the back of my neck.