NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 141
Leaning momentarily against the Hunter probably helped, as my racing heart seemed to have calmed down a bit now.
Revisiting the sight I had just witnessed made my head throb again, but knowing someone was beside me made it a little more bearable.
Choosing the Hunter to accompany me was a genius move.
If I had seen myself in this situation and felt embarrassed, I might have passed out from the awkwardness.
“Thank you, Hunter. Thanks to you, I feel a bit calmer now.”
I nodded gratefully, giving a glance at the Hunter’s face to express my thanks.
Feeling like I could move again, I attempted to rise.
“Ugh.”
Just as I was about to fall away from the Hunter, they suddenly tightened their grip, restoring my position.
What on earth?
In that moment, all the things the Hunter seemed to want to do flashed through my mind, and I looked at them with a flustered expression.
Lost in thought, as if checking something.
They were just silently holding me and staring.
That indescribable sensation made me want to pull away quickly.
But instead, I felt embarrassed—more than ever!
“H-Hunter?”
“Different intention.”
The Hunter continued to gaze at me, and a certain expression appeared on their face.
I had never seen this expression on them before, and considering the Hunter’s character, I figured I would never see it again.
So, when I witnessed it for the first time, I was rendered speechless, frozen in place.
“Perhaps there might be something.”
With a somewhat cold beauty, the Hunter was looking at me with a warm smile that wasn’t bright but subtle enough to catch attention.
#
We hurriedly entered the place where our lodgings were.
The innkeeper looked at me with a surprised expression, so I quickly settled the bill and went into the room.
The Hunter and I each took our rooms and flopped onto the beds.
I hated laying on the bed while still dirty, but I was feeling that dizzy.
I was reaching a point where even sitting still was tough due to memories flashing through my mind.
What exactly is the nature of these memories?
Especially that white-haired woman in my thoughts.
It felt like I had seen her somewhere before, and she looked just like the woman from my dream.
The last words she left behind, “the final gift.”
My rational judgment was all over the place.
I only wished I could stop thinking altogether, as the thoughts rushing through my mind were torturing me.
As I tossed and turned on the bed, there came a knocking at the door.
After taking a few deep breaths, I finally calmed down enough to respond.
“Yes, who is it?”
“Going to fill my belly.”
Since we had come together, was the Hunter trying to take care of me?
Aside from their usual antics, I thought the Hunter was quite a nice person.
Now that the mask was off, it’d be great if they wouldn’t cling to strange things and just meet decent people.
I forced myself to rise from the curled position and opened the door to see the Hunter standing there.
What’s this?
Wait, weren’t they wearing a somewhat decent outfit just a moment ago?
Why did they return in the same outfit I saw while heading to the library?
“Hunter.”
“Mm?”
“What on earth is that outfit?”
“I said it’s comfortable clothing.”
“What I mean is, why are you wearing that outfit now?!”
The Hunter tilted their head at my protest, looking genuinely perplexed.
“Am I supposed to wear something uncomfortable until mealtime?”
“No, that outfit looked perfectly comfortable just now.”
“If you’re going to spout nonsense like that, hurry and leave. You’re wasting time.”
With that, the Hunter started walking ahead.
Whether it was just my imagination or not, I felt their steps were strangely lighter.
#
Maybe out of consideration for me, the Hunter led us into an area with as few people as possible.
Still, the chances of this restaurant having good food were slim.
I had no idea if it would satisfy the Hunter, who was a foodie.
“Here it is.”
Naturally, they ordered a pasta dish loaded with meat.
Both the Hunter and I understood very well that in order to grow stronger, we needed to build muscle, so the menu naturally aligned with that.
Fortunately, the presentation was delightful, and just as the Hunter and I put the food into our mouths simultaneously—
“Oh.”
“Not bad.”
We couldn’t help but exclaim at how delicious the food was.
How long had it been since I had such a tasty dish?
For some reason, it felt familiar, like I had eaten it somewhere before, which made it even more appealing.
The amount of meat seemed much more than described on the menu, but was that okay?
“To think there are no people in a place like this, I wonder how much better the other places are?”
“No, the opposite. This place has become a holy site thanks to someone, so unless you have a lot of money, very few people come here. Despite declining sales, the ‘someone’ believes they will come back someday and keeps it running.”
I expressed my confusion to the Hunter, but strangely enough, the answer came from elsewhere.
And soon, I realized that the owner of that voice was indeed the restaurant owner.
“Owner?”
For some reason, the owner gazed down at me with a sad look in their eyes.
We had definitely just met.
Why was that guy looking at me like that?
“I thought you were dead, kid. If you were alive, you should have sent a letter to let us know. But seeing you brought a girlfriend here makes me feel like marrying off my son.”
Then suddenly, the owner wiped away tears with a handkerchief.
G-Girlfriend?
Wearing such an outfit was only causing misunderstandings.
But more than that…
What was going on?
The way they spoke made it sound like they really knew me.
And to think they said I was dead.
I’m here for the first time!
While the Hunter looked at the owner as if they were a strange person, I pointed at myself and asked the owner.
“Do you know me?”
“Why wouldn’t I know you?”
The owner finally wiped away all the tears and looked at me with a proud smile.
“How could I forget the hero who brought peace to Lintpia and my regular, Leydan Tanton, with his beef pasta?”
The hero of Lintpia.
And the regular for beef pasta.
The moment I heard these two keywords, memories started to flood back.
Me chatting with the restaurant owner, who was excited about the conversation.
The owner listening to me with a smile, looking pleased.
And me shoving a forkful of pasta, loaded with an absurd amount of meat, into my mouth.
– Really, every time I see you, you remind me of my son I lost.
– Then be my father! Having many fathers is great!
– Haha, you little rascal. Just eat up and head back home.
That guy would probably get jealous of me too.
“Ugh.”
“Leydan Tanton!”
Today is just insane.
It feels like since I arrived here, I’ve spent more time in this ridiculous state than in a decent one.
Right now, it was worse than ever.
My body stood up on its own.
My brain was crazily yelling at me to go somewhere.
I ended up throwing down the food I was eating and rushed out of the restaurant.
“Where are you going, Leydan Tanton!”
I could hear the Hunter springing to their feet, but they didn’t seem to be chasing after me.
That was rather nice.
I didn’t want anyone to see me like this.
I had no idea where I was running.
I didn’t even know my destination.
I was just choosing the pathways that felt familiar and running down them.
Why?
Why does everything feel so familiar?
I’ve never been here before!
I just wished these memories would hurry up and get out of my head.
The only thought I had was wanting to scratch them out of my skull.
Muttering voices faintly echoed around me as I continued running.
– Muji Absoluta?
– The Muji Absoluta has returned!
– Muji Absoluta?! Has he finally come back to life!
– Ah! Muji Absoluta!
Muji Absoluta!
Muji Absoluta!
The hero of Lintpia, Leydan Tanton!
“Ughhhhh!”
After endlessly running, I finally collapsed the moment I reached an open area.
I didn’t even have the strength to run anymore; my overloaded brain wouldn’t allow it.
“Ha… ha…”
Finally managing to control my ragged breath, I slowly lifted my head.
I at least wanted to know where I was right now.
And the moment my eyes met the structure in front of me—
“Ah, aah.”
I could only stare blankly at that structure.
Through that structure, I could vaguely understand why people were calling me by strange titles and saying I had returned.
It was like a statue that looked just like me, with its arms raised high, pointing at the sky while wearing a comically confident smile.