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

14 – 2. Cowards (4)

So, it was a scene as if the saturation had been raised to the limit.

The previously colorless magical light added a bluish tint to the stone floor, and faces filled with astonishment were endlessly pale. The black robes didn’t seem black but rather looked like holes torn in the fabric of reality.

And, all of it was embraced by a pool of bright red blood.

Clara, in her white attire, wiped the blood pool with her hands. The blood stuck thickly to her hands.

“It seems like they died just a few hours ago.”

“…The murderer?”

“It doesn’t seem to be nearby. However.”

Clara wiped the blood off her hands with a handkerchief and narrowed her eyes.

“They are quite skilled. There’s no sign of resistance.”

No sign of resistance meant they knew nothing until they got holes in their necks.

The six sorcerers were assassinated in an instant, in a narrow corridor.

“…An assassin who swiftly dispatched sorcerers in a narrow passage…”

Amy’s face freezes as she throws the question. Clenching her jaw, she turns her gaze toward me.

…!

However, she quickly lowers her gaze and shrugs her shoulders. The calm demeanor from a moment ago was a false appearance.

In the end, it was Parsley who took action.

“Rem, any guesses?”

I shook my head.

“None at all.”

An assassin who could cut through the throat of a sorcerer in one go, I had never heard of such a thing. Especially in this area.

Parsley, after a moment of contemplation, looked at me and asked.

“So, what should we do? Continue forward? Or try to find another path now?”

…Why are you asking me that?

If it’s about the hero party, shouldn’t you be asking the hero?

However, when I looked around, Clara, Irene, and even Amy were all glancing at me.

There was no doubt that they were waiting for my answer.

It was an utterly bewildering situation, but I decided to think it through.

The answer came quicker than I expected.

“But still, wouldn’t it be better to move forward?”

The presence of a possible assassin in front of us was undoubtedly threatening, but the sorcerers chasing us from behind were a clear danger.

“I agree. If we turn back now, we’ll be exposed to the sorcerers.”

Irene also chimed in with a similar thought. Then, Parsley nodded without hesitation.

“Yes, let’s move.”

…It was a positive decision devoid of even the slightest objection.

Was this also an action born out of guilt?

Related to my lost bodies?

Speculations started swirling in my mind again.

“Oh, and before that.”

Irene’s voice barely lifted me. Turning around, I saw Irene sitting by the corpse.

“Before anything else, shouldn’t we search their pockets? Something useful might come out.”

Ah, right.

Corpse looting.

I had forgotten the most important thing.

“Oh, of course. I’ll help too.”

“Then, may I help as well?”

Without realizing it, I looked at Clara who had approached me. She had a full smile on her face.

I looked away and said, “It’s alright, Clara. You should rest.”

“Is being with Rem considered resting?”

Her fresh tone and smile didn’t match the grim scene and the stench of blood.

However, I couldn’t help but feel an unavoidable discomfort from her.

Last night, Clara’s appearance was so different from what I remembered.

Furthermore, even now, in my head, confusing speculations were swirling around.

In this chaotic state, I didn’t want to deal with Clara or the other party members.

“…Excuse both of you for a moment, would you come and see?”

Fortunately, a helping hand came quickly.

Irene turned back to us with a serious expression. Looking puzzled, she approached us and revealed a blood-soaked necklace.

It was an embossed eagle soaring on a metal plate. Strangely, the eagle had three legs.

“Do you recognize this pattern?”

I shook my head.

“I have no idea. What about you, Clara…”

And then, I stopped talking after looking at Clara.

“Well, I don’t know either.”

At first glance, she really seemed to not know anything. Her face was full of innocence.

But, I found something familiar in her eyes.

That eerie light that I would see whenever she played a prank on me or teased me.

I felt a mixture of joy and resentment.

“But, I’ll keep it for now. If they are knowledgeable priests, they might know.”

And Clara smiled as she took the necklace.

***

Once, Cleavence, the bald man, said to me.

“When I see you, it’s just an addiction to work. You’re a mentally unstable person who can’t stand still unless your body is busy. Without accidents, you wouldn’t be able to handle your anxiety, right?”

Of course, that was nonsense.

The fact that I said it when I went out for a drink with the client and came back alone supports it. We were even on a guarding mission at that time.

However, his observation had some truth to it.

There was a part of me that couldn’t stand tranquility. It was the result of being beaten up by life.

In my experience, tranquility was always a precursor to misfortune, and comfort was the closest companion in suffering.

If a peaceful day lasted for more than three days, I even slept with a sword. I would wake up at the slightest noise, let alone a loud one.

…Again, Cleavence’s observation was only partially true. I wasn’t insane or anything like that.

Anyway.

There was definitely a side of me that existed.

Because of that, I was halfway going mad right now.

Three days in the underground passageway, and four days after coming out of the passageway.

A week has passed in total.

And, nothing happened.

When I say nothing happened, I mean it literally.

We came out of the underground passageway,

And we continued on without any problems up to this point.

The necromancers?

I couldn’t even catch a glimpse of their shadows, let alone the distinct stench unique to the undead.

The forest, gradually transitioning into autumn, was humid and filled with a subtle, sweet smell.

Those numerous necromancers vanished in an instant.

As if they had suddenly given up everything.

But if they were going to give up like this, then why did they set up such an elaborate trap in the first place? Moving such a large group of people couldn’t have been easy for them either.

What’s the point… Ah, damn it, let’s forget about it.

I banged my head and cleared out meaningless thoughts from my mind.

And, grabbing the reins of the horse pulling the carriage, I began to focus on more practical thoughts.

…Practical thoughts, huh? Even that had been repeated to the point of exhaustion over the past week.

And those thoughts took the form of concrete questions.

Are my long-time friends, the hero party, feeling guilty and acting this way because of my lost body?

…

And despite my desperate efforts for a week, the answer to that question remained unchanged.

I am halfway certain, yes.

If it’s not for that reason, then there was no reason for them to act this way. It was odd that it didn’t occur to me sooner.

No, there’s nothing strange about it.

They clearly swore in front of me.

They vowed that they wouldn’t mention that incident.

They pledged their honor, their gods, and their children.

But how on earth did the secret leak, and all three of them…!

“Sigh…”

I let out a breath of frustration from within.

No, that’s not important right now.

There was something I had to think about right now.

How should I resolve this misunderstanding?

The first idea that came to mind was a direct confrontation.

In truth, it was to clarify that my amnesia was a lie and resolve the misunderstanding about the past.

It was the cleanest and most straightforward way.

But as I thought it over, I soon realized that it was impossible.

The night when Amy cut my wrist.

They each refused to talk about my past in their own way. More accurately, they showed intense resistance.

As if retrieving my memories was terrifying enough to kill me.

Clara seemed casual, but her reaction was not normal either.

I couldn’t even begin to guess what disaster impulsive action could cause.

I had to choose a more diplomatic approach.

But damn it, what kind of diplomatic approach could possibly resolve this misunderstanding?

“It seems like you’re troubled today as well.”

“Euhhhaack!!”

I was so startled that I almost fell off the stool. Barely managing to hold onto the railing, I looked at the woman who had suddenly appeared.

“Oh, Irene?”

“…When I have an intent to tease, you’re not surprised, but when I don’t have any intent, you’re surprised as if the world has collapsed.”

A troubled expression appeared on Irene’s face. I was bewildered and didn’t even feel surprised.

I sat back on the stool and barely composed myself before asking.

“When did you arrive?”

“Since the moment Lem was staring at me with a serious expression.”

“…But why didn’t you say anything right away?”

“I wanted to see how long it would take for you to notice my presence. It got boring.”

…I adjusted my assessment of Irene.

She wasn’t just random or eccentric, she was cunning.

I calmed my startled heart and looked at Irene as I asked.

“So, what is your business here? Since you have the leisure to play pranks, it doesn’t seem urgent…”

“Well, it seems like it’s about time I hear an answer.”

An answer?

When

It took quite some time to recover this time.

She said, clutching her head.

“If it’s not too much trouble, could you explain in more detail…”

“Heyyyyyy, excuse me!!”

I instinctively turned my head. I saw a familiar face running towards me from the other side of the street.

“Younger sister…?”

Faye, she was running towards me, looking desperate.

And behind her, our destination was faintly visible.

The city with high walls, Ahollotal.

The end of our journey was near.