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

43 – 7. The Second Piece (2)

Have you ever been thrown into a strange world without any warning?

As an experienced person, I can say that it is a horrifying experience.

The common knowledge that you originally knew becomes utterly useless,

And the new knowledge is all strange and nonsensical.

The food doesn’t taste good, and the seasons are excessively harsh.

Furthermore, even the people are cold to the unfamiliar.

And the most dreadful thing is the possibility.

The possibility that the world I originally knew,

The place where the people I loved and relied on exist,

Might be nothing more than a simple delusion of mine.

The conjecture that living as a beggar and creating fantasies might be easier.

Of course, every time I’m faced with those thoughts, I desperately try to erase them. I tried to prove the existence of the world I originally belonged to as if fighting against evil.

However, there was no evidence.

I didn’t have that damn status screen, or knowledge about the original work, and let alone memories of meeting a god as the author.

All of that might have been my imagination, haunting me even now, 25 years later.

Well, at least until now.

Inside the tent as the sunset faded,

I and Irene,

No, ‘Kang Seo-joon’ and ‘Han Ah-young,’ smiled broadly, clinking glasses.

“When exactly did you start to catch on?” I asked Irene, taking a sip from my glass. Irene, still with reddened eyes, laughed heartily.

“When I saw that monstrosity outside and you said it was Howl’s Moving Castle.”

“Ah.”

“Just in case, I checked the books, and there’s no magician named Howl in this world. So, I gave it a try.”

Only then could I understand how she figured out my identity. Why my attire was so disheveled, too.

Rifling through the books in a frenzy, when she became certain, she would have come straight to find me.

“So, how exactly did Mr. Seo end up here?”

Irene’s cautious inquiry. I shrugged.

“I don’t know. I just woke up, and there was a newborn baby. Felt like being kidnapped in my sleep. And you?”

“Using the term ‘obvious’ might not be appropriate in cases like this, but it was blatantly a truck. Whether it was a sleepy driver or a drunk one, suddenly it rushed at me and boom! It passed by, and when I opened my eyes, here I was. Damn game world.”

I squinted one eye.

“Wait, so this is a game world?”

“Yes, didn’t you know? It’s a game called ‘The Porter’s Tale’…”

I burst out into a bitter laugh.

The Porter’s Tale, I’d never played or even heard of a game with that name.

But to be dragged into this world, not as a player or a fan of that game, but as myself, felt like an excruciating joke.

Then suddenly, a thought illuminated my mind.

“Wait, then, Miss Ah-young, you’ve played that game?”

“Not just played, practically lived halfway in it.”

“So, you’d know how the future unfolds? That… what was it called?”

“Original knowledge?”

I nodded vigorously in excitement.

“Yes, that’s it. Like where the treasure is or what’s going to happen. If you’ve played the game…”

“Then, would I have been the porter in an adventurer’s party?”

A smile appeared on Irene’s face.

“Whether it’s a penalty or whatever, all I remember is the game title and the fact that I played the game. I can’t recall what the game was about. I studied the game manual so diligently that I could recite it by heart…”

Her tone was filled with regret, and I realized I had misspoken.

But fortunately, she wasn’t a person to dwell on things for too long.

She laughed again, raising her voice cheerfully.

“Well, I’m living my life in my own way. So, I was going to say…”

Suddenly, she opened her eyes wide and leaned towards me.

“Seojun, how old are you?”

It was a somewhat random question. I didn’t hide my curiosity as I asked, “Why do you want to know?”

“Among the unique Koreans in this world, we can’t keep being so formal with each other.”

So, a decision had to be made—brother or sister.

Irene added with a sinister smile, “You have to choose. Am I your older sister or younger sister?”

I looked at her, chuckled, and shook my head.

“Isn’t there an option to be the same age?”

“I think relationships need to be clear-cut.”

“Well then, you can be my younger sister. I already have an older sister.”

“Oh? Seojun, you have an older sister?”

Her words touched a deep place in my memory. I avoided eye contact and mumbled, “Yes, well…”

“Hmm…”

Irene made a peculiar snorting sound and nonchalantly shrugged.

“Alright, then I’ll be your younger sister.”

Pouring herself a drink into her empty glass, she raised the corner of her mouth.

“From now on, should I call you Seojun Oppa?”

Casual speech came faster than I expected. Without realizing it, I raised one eyebrow.

“Aren’t you speaking too informally too quickly?”

“I’m just not the type to like being stiff and formal from the start.”

Irene poured herself a drink, smiling with her eyes. Perhaps the occasional mischievous behavior was her true nature.

Raising her glass as if affirming my speculation, she cheerfully exclaimed, “Well then! To the birth of the new siblings!”

I smiled awkwardly and raised my glass in the same manner. “To the birth!”

With a clink, the two glasses joyfully collided.

***

This took place just after Ray left the tent.

After hearing the plan devised by Ray, Rosaria, and Cilla, the events that followed his departure with a complex expression.

Rosaria looked at Cilla with concern and asked, “…I’m sorry to ask this repeatedly, but Cilla, are you really okay with handing that over to us?”

A subtle smile played on Cilla’s lips. “I’ve said it many times, Rosaria-sama, you don’t need to worry. I still have that level of authority.”

“It’s not just about authority; someone might take issue with it later…”

“Don’t worry about that.”

Cilla placed her hand on her chest. She looked at Rosaria with determined eyes and said, “Being able to serve you is a joy for me.”

A slightly awkward smile appeared on Rosaria’s face. “Cilla, even if you say that…”

“I know.”

Cilla nodded.

“I already know that you have no intention of returning to Teyvat. I don’t have any intention of urging you either. It’s just how I feel.”

“…Thank you, Cilla.”

Cilla flashed a bitter smile at Rosaria, who was smiling softly. However, it was only for a moment.

Soon, Cilla hardened her expression and looked back at the map of Fontainebleau with determination. Tracing the path with her finger, she continued speaking.

“If you successfully steal the clock, come out through this route and return directly to Ezer. Even if I acknowledge Rosaria-sama’s ownership, there may be mercenaries blinded by greed, so be cautious.”

“Isn’t that desertion?”

“Just claim you’re on some plausible mission. So, don’t worry and…”

“We seem to be interrupting a quite interesting conversation.”

Rosaria and Cilla’s eyes turned towards the entrance of the tent.

It was an enigmatic woman.

I am not simply speaking of a woman dressed as a man because of her body. It is not because her arms are covered in tattoos.

Her strangeness emanates from her smile.

A paradoxical smile, appearing both frivolous and aristocratic.

She speaks, trailing off.

“May I intervene for a moment as well?”

“…Betty Ired.”

It was Silla’s words.

Silla looked at Betty, her face contorted.

“Did you eavesdrop?”

“It’s more accurate to say it accidentally entered my ear than to say I eavesdropped. I have sharp ears, you see.”

Betty smiled, holding onto my ear, and Silla’s frown deepened.

“And if I may add to the conversation earlier, I can say it’s quite a difficult plan for me to accept.”

However, Betty, seemingly unfazed by Silla’s reaction, casually continued speaking.

“You’re giving the clock to the mercenary. I wouldn’t have revealed the clock’s location just for that.”

“…Didn’t you say you were going to transfer ownership to me?”

“More precisely, to the Central Knights.”

Betty stroked her chin as she spoke.

“Then, the Central Knights will return the clock to its rightful owner, Matop. And then, my ’employer’ can freely study and use the clock.”

And she tilted her head as if she couldn’t understand.

“Didn’t the Commander meet with him yesterday and agree to it?”

Silla furrowed her brow once again but didn’t voice a rebuttal.

Instead, she responded, looking at Rosaria.

“…After this person uses the clock, that’s what he will do.”

“This person…?”

Only then did Betty’s eyes turn towards Rosaria.

In that moment, Rosaria felt a shiver run down her spine.

As if her body and thoughts were being dissected, observed from the inside.

However, that feeling was quickly dispelled, as a mischievous smile immediately appeared on Betty’s face.

“Oh my, to have the famous Rosarem Mercenary Corps’ Rosaria right in front of me and not recognize her!”

An exaggerated reaction, like that of an actor in a comedy. Betty bowed like a clown as she spoke.

“Please forgive this breach of etiquette in not even greeting the nobleman in front of me. I was the one who opened my eyes.”

Although it was clearly a polite apology, strangely, Rosaria could feel nothing but discomfort from it.

Suppressing the discomfort, Rosaria raised her head with effort.

“Please don’t bother with formalities. And, I heard you have some dissatisfaction with the passage of time…”

“No! No! That’s not what I meant.”

A sly smile crept across Betty’s face.

“I raised objections to the commander about handing out watches to those unscrupulous mercenaries, fearing they might turn greedy and sell the watches. It was my intention.”

With a dramatic gesture, Betty clapped her hands.

“But, with Rosaria, it’s a different story. How could I doubt someone who once led the vanguard of the Central Knights?”

“Fortunately. Well then, there’s no problem…”

“However.”

Another mischievous smile played on Betty’s lips.

“Unfortunately, my ’employer’ is a very suspicious person, so… regarding this matter, Rosaria, you should meet my ’employer’ separately…”

Sila’s forehead wrinkled, and she couldn’t hold back, her face flushed.

“That wasn’t part of our deal! It was clear that…”

“Sila.”

But with a word from Rosaria, Sila’s mouth closed again.

Rosaria clenched her fist and stared at Betty.

“Fine, who is this ’employer’ of yours?”

Betty laughed heartily as if waiting for just that.

“The next Matap Lord, Parsley.”

***

The drinking session with Irene ended when the night was in full swing. We had been drinking for a whopping 6 hours since before the sun started to tilt.

I did think at some point that we should stop drinking, but it was inevitable.

Our stories of hardship and tales of hometowns served as our drinking companions. How could we stop tilting our glasses over such appetizers?

In the end, Irene couldn’t withstand the alcohol, collapsed, and only then could our drinking session come to an end.

I laid Irene, who had collapsed on the table, on the bed and left the tent. Obviously, staggering.

Irene had poured the alcohol into her mouth with enthusiasm, so her tolerance was similar to mine.

Eventually, I couldn’t walk much and ended up sitting on the ground. I raised my head, looking at the sky full of stars.

Suddenly, a laughter bubbled up from my chest.

The past few months flashed before my eyes.

Reunion with people I thought I would never see again,

Clara’s suicide attempt and dramatic reconciliation,

An accidental encounter with Parsley,

And even meeting someone whose existence I didn’t know.

Unbelievable things happening all at once.

Things I had given up on even in my dreams.

Because of that, I suddenly feel afraid.

Life always thrust sweet happiness in front of me, and the moment I reach out to it, I shatter it to pieces.

Indeed, how long will this happiness last?

Which part of my failing body will be lost this time?

What tragedy will strike my consciousness?

“Rem…?”

A familiar voice pulls me out of my thoughts. I turn my gaze and widen my eyes.

“Parsley, is that you…?”

Parsley looks at me with a face as perplexed as mine.

“I was just about to come and find you… Why are you on the floor…”

“Ah.”

The intoxication that dominated my brain collapses all at once. Feeling my face flush, I quickly stand up from my seat.

“…Sorry for showing you such a disgrace. I slipped for a moment…”

“Uh, yeah…”

An awkward response that seems to not believe my words. Scratching my head in embarrassment, I ask,

“But why did you come looking for me?”

“…I told you yesterday. I said I would come today too.”

It dawns on me then that she came to hear about my past.

And, once again, I feel a lingering hesitation in my chest.

Is it really right to tell her about the past?

Yesterday was fine, but if she hears it all the way to the end, won’t she try to escape like she did back then?

Thoughts that never occurred to me in my usual state of mind are clouding my brain, perhaps due to the intoxication.

But it doesn’t last long.

“If you don’t want to talk, you don’t have to. I don’t want to burden you…”

“No!”

Unintentionally, I raised my voice, cutting off Parsley’s words. Avoiding Parsley’s bewildered gaze, I scratched my head.

“It’s not that… sigh…”

With a sigh, I dispelled the hesitation lingering in my heart.

Oh well, when did I start worrying about such things?

Rather than regretting without trying, I prefer to try and then regret—it suits my temperament.

Awkwardly, I smiled and opened my mouth.

“Is it okay if we talk while walking today?”