“······I’m hungry.”
“I’m starving too and feeling like I’m dying. If I suck blood now, I might faint.”
“······I’m hungry.”
“Are you listening?”
“······Uuuh.”
“This brat······.”
Mi Jeong, clinging to my arm and refusing to let go, must be really hungry.
Reluctantly, I made a small cut on my arm.
I had to let Mi Jeong suck my blood, putting aside worries about fainting from anemia.
“It’s important for adults to eat first.”
“······I’m older, so I should go first.”
“Weren’t you just saying you’d be eternally 13?”
“······Omnomnom.”
“You must be eating without anything to say. Where did you learn your table manners?”
“······.”
At that moment, Mi Jeong stopped moving.
Her red eyes briefly filled with tears.
When she opened her eyes again, she was back to vigorously sucking my blood.
“······I don’t want to talk about my hometown.”
“Oh really. Sorry about that.”
“······Yeah.”
Eventually, the day will come when I can talk.
I thought and decided to let it go.
But what if that day never comes?
“Umm! So tasty! Always delicious no matter when I eat!”
“Stop talking and eat. You’re splattering blood everywhere.”
“Hehehe. Got it. Munch munch…”
With my arm in her mouth, Mi Jeong was smiling brightly.
Is it really that delicious?
The old Mi Jeong never gave such comments.
Now, according to Mi Jeong, my blood is a fantastically addictive taste for blood ghouls.
“Urrr······?”
“Why are you smacking your lips? Go away.”
“Uuuuh······.”
After a lot of questioning and contemplation,
I reached a conclusion.
Mi Jeong has lost her memory.
I don’t know the exact details, but it seems she’s forgotten everything up to the point of becoming a blood ghoul; in other words, her life before.
Didn’t she also forget everything before changing like this?
No.
Back then, Mi Jeong clearly said it was a topic she didn’t want to discuss.
Not wanting to say something means she remembers.
On the other hand, the current Mi Jeong has completely forgotten everything.
What happened last night?
It’s certain that something ‘changed’ with all monsters around the world.
But why have some monsters weakened while Mi Jeong lost her memory?
At first, I suspected something ridiculous.
What if it takes away the monster’s ‘most precious thing’?
Monsters fighting mercenaries valued strength the most, so they lost it, and Mi Jeong, who valued her memories, lost those instead.
But that doesn’t explain the anomaly with Linda.
I quickly admitted that it was nonsensical.
I decided to approach it more intuitively.
The next hypothesis that came to mind, which I thought was closest to the truth, was:
The monsters have been ‘returned to normal.’
They regained their strength, which had been enhanced by Draken’s blessing.
In Linda’s case, it’s a bit chilling.
Perhaps the artificial soul created under Draken’s influence vanished, returning her to an ordinary clockwork doll.
But then, what about Mi Jeong?
If my hypothesis is correct, then the current state of Mi Jeong is what’s normal.
This appearance is correct, and the old stiff, emotionless form was the abnormal state.
This new personality is likely Mi Jeong’s original state before becoming a blood ghoul.
But the reason Mi Jeong changed upon becoming a blood ghoul,
from such an active personality to a gloomy, expressionless child,
is simple.
It’s because she remembers.
All of her past.
Thinking back, Mi Jeong’s memory was peculiarly sharp.
The curse of memory must have been cast upon Mi Jeong through Draken’s powers.
A curse that forces one to remember everything, unable to forget anything.
And those who can’t forget the past tend to break down.
Because she couldn’t forget the events that could alter her personality,
Mi Jeong ended up becoming emotionless and stiff.
With last night’s incident, what Mi Jeong regained in her ‘normalization’ must be the blessing of forgetfulness.
A blessing granted to every human, the ability to forget and live comfortably.
Thanks to regaining that ability, Mi Jeong forgot the past and became lively again.
She returned to her former personality.
“Mi Jeong.”
“Yeah?”
“Are you happy?”
“Out of the blue? What kind of question is that? Hmm… I don’t really know what happiness is either. But being with Yoo Jin is fun.”
“······.”
I don’t know what kind of past she went through, but…
Mi Jeong has erased the shocking events that dulled her emotions and has become happy.
That is the current Mi Jeong.
The Mi Jeong I knew is no more.
The moment that thought crossed my mind,
everything went dark.
“So, you came looking for me? Just like that?”
“Right.”
“Excuse me?! Are you out of your mind?! After causing such a ruckus, I just made peace with my sister, and now you’re coming here to do what?!”
Yelling in anger while anxiously pulling her hat down, Alicia shot me a glance as if I were a crazy person.
I mean, it was a bold move.
I was almost caught by Yerina before dashing all the way to Evgenia, under her influence.
Just looking at Alicia’s expression, I could feel how absurd she found it.
She glanced around cautiously for a moment, then removed her sunglasses, revealing a softer look.
“Anyway, it’s nice to see you again. I thought I’d never see you again. My sister’s in the Southern Continent, so you’re safe for now.”
“I know that. I almost got caught by your sister.”
“Hah! To think you’d immediately come up North. You must be either very brave or out of your mind… not sure which. Why are your hands like that?”
“My hands?”
Looking at my hands, I noticed the bandages wrapped around my palms.
She must have meant that.
“I’ve been using some sharp swords lately.”
“Do you grab the blade while using it…? No, never mind. I don’t really care. So what’s your business?”
“Do I need a reason to come see you? Why are you in such a hurry? Do you need to go to the bathroom?”
“Excuse me?! How can a person be so vulgar… Sigh. I had forgotten what kind of person you are while we were apart. ·······But you’re just wandering around here with no intention of doing anything.”
“Hmm? What did you say?”
“Nothing at all.”
Alicia muttered something under her breath before looking up and changing the subject.
What did she just say?
Did she curse me?
“More importantly, it’s too dangerous here right now. For now, I can keep my meeting with you a secret, but if I stay out too long, I’ll get caught. I’m not here just to pick flowers; hurry up and get to the point.”
“My business is this girl.”
“Eh heh heh. Long time no see.”
“······Who?”
Alicia furrowed her brow and glared at the grinning Mi Jeong.
The confusion was obvious.
I understood.
I had the same reaction when I first saw her.
“This is Mi Jeong.”
“Eh, huh? This girl? Has she finally broken down?!”
“Broken? No way…!”
“She’s as good as broken.”
“Yoo Jin?!”
“She lost her memory. She’s unconscious of the past and has turned out this way. Before, she couldn’t forget anything.”
I briefly explained the situation to Alicia after sending Mi Jeong and the nameless one off to another spot.
What had happened to the monsters.
And what changes had occurred in Mi Jeong.
And I, no matter what, want to bring back the Mi Jeong I knew.
To revive her lost memories.
To reawaken the Mi Jeong who could continuously activate her trait, Guardian Knight.
“I know that’s a pretty selfish mindset you have, right?”
“I know.”
“If you know that…! Sigh. I’ll stop since you know. I have so much to say but…”
“What is it? Tell me.”
“There’s nothing more painful than remembering everything. In fact, it seems like Mi Jeong was hurt so badly by the past that she lost her emotions and became stiff… Isn’t it a good thing she forgot and has changed like this?”
“······.”
Alicia rested her chin on her hand and looked away.
In a corner of the cafe, there’s a small playground where children are playing.
There, Mi Jeong and the nameless one mixed in with the kids, laughing joyfully.
Seeing that, she truly looked like any other child.
“I know that’s what’s normal, and I understand that.”
“But?”
“······.”
I couldn’t say that I need to activate the Guardian Knight.
It’s not that I don’t want to share information about my trait with Alicia.
It’s just that it doesn’t represent my true feelings.
As much as Alicia risked herself to come meet me,
I want to be honest with her.
“It’s because the Mi Jeong who remembers everything is better. She’s lively and cute now… but that’s not the Mi Jeong I know. It doesn’t matter which brings more happiness or sorrow. I just want to have back the Mi Jeong I know. I want to be with her. That’s all.”
“Does that child want that too?”
“······.”
I was at a loss for words.
Does Mi Jeong want that?
To regain the memories she unconsciously erased.
To confront that terrifying past again.
To return to a mute, stiff, emotionless state like a corpse?
“I don’t know. But one thing is certain.”
I can declare this for sure.
Perhaps because I heard it in my sleep and the memory is hazy, but looking back now, it wasn’t a dream or an illusion.
The night she called out in pain,
Just before she changed to the current Mi Jeong, she definitely whispered to me.
“That girl… didn’t want to part with me.”
······She asked me not to forget her.
With a lingering voice, she said that.
As if she didn’t want to leave and disappear, but wanted to remain in someone’s memory.
“I really can’t be stopped, can I? You want to ruin a good blood ghoul’s life just for your own sake?”
“Right. I really want to ruin it. I want to ruin it so that we can be together.”
“Huh······.”
Alicia, who had been serious all along, suddenly burst into laughter.
As if she had been holding back, her laughter flowed freely for a while.
“Ahaha······. I’m sorry. You seem to have changed a bit. I was sure you would have made excuses about ideals or something here. But you’ve become so straightforward.”
“This feels easier.”
“Since you’ve come to me to ask for help honestly, I can’t just turn you away. Okay, I’ll be your accomplice.”
“Do you have a way? A way to revive her memories?”
“I don’t have one. But I know an expert in this area. Here, take this.”
Alicia handed me a business card.
On the stiff paper was written:
– Master of the White Magic Tower. Temurlen.
An Eastern-sounding name.
It’s a name that surprisingly evokes a sense of déjà vu.
“This person is at the very top when it comes to touching people’s memories. If you mention my name… Ugh! But then my trace will be left here, and my sister will find out later! Ah, I don’t care! Just say I introduced you or whatever!”
Now I have a way.
With that thought, emotions surged within me.
Moving instinctively, I stood up straight and grabbed Alicia’s hand.
“Thank you, Alicia. I’m really grateful.”
“Ah? U-um. Can you let go of my hand… Ahh… It’s too late…”
At that moment, Alicia’s face began to turn bright red,
and a hiss sound started echoing.
Ah…
She really did need to go to the bathroom.
