103. Changes in the Returned Daily Life (3)
"Jun? Why are you here? Did someone around you get hurt?"
A person I'm seeing for the first time acts like they know me.
And she's quite a beauty at that.
Silver hair and firm-looking eyes.
But no matter how much I think about it, I'm meeting this woman for the first time.
"Did something happen? Why aren't you saying anything, Jun?"
"..."
"Lunacia Luna. Do you know why Jun is just standing there?"
"I don't know either!"
Luna shouted firmly.
*Judging by how she knows Luna, she seems to be an acquaintance of Luna's...*
I whispered to Luna.
"Luna, who is that woman that she's acting like she knows me?"
"Huh? What are you talking about! You know her way better than I do!"
"I do? That woman?"
"Yes! How long have you known each other! Of course you know her better than I do!"
I've known that woman for a long time?
And I know her well?
No.
I don't even know that woman's name.
There's not a single piece of information about that woman in my head.
"I don't know that woman, Luna. What are you talking about?"
"Huh...? Do you have dementia?"
"Dementia? Do you want to skip dinner tonight?"
"N-no! I don't want that! More importantly, I don't understand what's going on right now! Ugh, hmm..."
Luna suddenly began pondering like a thinking statue.
"Is this... the strange thing I've been feeling... was it because of this...?"
"What's strange?"
"You don't need to know!"
"..."
If you're going to talk to yourself, do it in your head.
Making me curious enough to ask.
Luna seemed troubled by something she could sense but couldn't clearly identify.
*That aside... her gaze is a bit stinging.*
Did we talk too much between ourselves?
The silver-haired woman sharpened her eyes and complained.
"Hey, Jun. Don't just talk between yourselves. Look at my face and talk, will you? Do you not want to talk with me right now?"
"No, it's more that... I have a lot of questions..."
"Questions? What questions? If you're curious, I'll answer everything."
"You'll answer everything?"
"Yes."
Then without feeling burdened...
"Who are you? I'm seeing you for the first time today, so why are you acting like you know me?"
"Crazy bastard."
"What?"
"I said crazy bastard. Jun, is that what you say after meeting someone for the first time in a while?"
Smack—
A stinging sensation came from my cheek.
A slap that used the blind spot of one eye.
I recognized the fact that I'd been hit from the pain I felt in my cheek.
"What are you doing right now—"
"...Get lost. I don't want to talk with you right now when you're joking around in this situation."
The silver woman said that and strode off toward another place.
From her gait, she seemed very angry.
...Shouldn't I be the one who's angry?
"What the hell...? What is this situation...?"
"Oppa, your cheek is red. Should I heal it for you?"
"...I don't want to receive much of your Divine Power, so I'll endure it."
I don't want to laugh like crazy from the side effects.
Estia seemed hurt in her pride by my rejection and squealed.
"Suit yourself! But oppa, you deserved to be hit! How long have you known each other! You shouldn't have done that to the knight unnie!"
"Wait, Estia. Do you know who that woman is?"
"Of course!"
If Estia knows,
I'll be able to understand why that woman reacted to me like that.
Estia confidently began explaining the relationship between me and that woman.
"I'm Saint Estia! There's no information I don't know! Oppa and that knight unnie are—"
"Wait a sec—! Estia—!"
"Mmph, mmph...! Mmph...!"
"...Luna?"
Luna suddenly jumped out and covered Estia's mouth.
Estia struggled, but couldn't escape from Luna.
Luna began explaining on behalf of Estia, whose mouth was covered.
"Mmph...! Mmph mmph...!!"
"Ahjussi! That unnie and you are, well! You barely know each other!"
"For that to be true, that woman was talking like she knows me well..."
"It's, it's one-sided! A st-stalker! That kind of thing!"
Stutter stutter—
Luna explained while stammering.
But it wasn't very convincing.
"...Well, it seems you have no intention of telling me. I'll slowly find out on my own."
"R-right! Ahjussi! If you're curious, come find me, Luna! Got it!?"
"I don't think that'll happen."
For now, rather than that woman's identity,
treating these people comes first.
"Estia."
"Yes!"
"Try healing people one by one."
If side effects occur, it can't be helped.
But rather than lying down for life,
living with a smile would be much better.
*Choose the lesser evil over the worst.*
With that thought,
I watched Estia heal people.
Each time, people began opening their eyes one by one.
*I'm glad people are alive, but...*
Recalling that silver-haired woman's last look,
my heart feels a bit uneasy.
*She was angry, but... she also looked sad...*
However, since she wasn't in my memories,
I felt a deep frustration.
I had no memories, yet I felt like I'd committed a sin.
The party returned home after using all their Divine Power.
Before Estia went to her room,
Luna secretly called her out.
"Estia."
"Huh?"
"Come with me for a moment."
Luna calling Estia with serious eyes.
Estia felt uneasy but followed Luna.
*There's no way she'd do anything to me, a Saint!*
Having something to rely on,
Estia followed Luna and entered the room after opening the door.
"What, Hare! Saten! Why are you here?"
"I called them. We have something to talk about among ourselves!"
"Something to talk about?"
What are they going to talk about?
Estia momentarily felt puzzled.
However, that puzzlement wasn't Estia's alone.
"...Why did you gather us, Luna?"
"Right, I'm busy, so can I go back?"
"No, wait! This is really important."
After shouting once, Luna opened the door and looked around.
"Ahjussi isn't here! He must be in the kitchen!"
Then now's the chance!
Luna closed the door and entered the center of the children.
Then she hardened her expression and spoke with a serious face.
"You guys. You know ahjussi has changed, right?"
"A-ahjussi changed...? Th-that can't be... Ahjussi is the same as always...?"
"Right! Oppa is the same!"
Hare and Estia shouted passionately that nothing had changed.
They thought they were correct without a shred of doubt.
However, it was Saten who poured cold water on that atmosphere.
"Rather than changed, the expression 'lost' would be better."
"Lost...?"
"Part of his soul hasn't recovered. Probably, at that time, Estia's Divine Power was insufficient so it didn't fully recover."
By sending Divine Power through the mouth,
they drew out all the mana from the body and moved it to the physical form.
However, the wounded soul wasn't healed in that process, and as a result...
"Amnesia. Ahjussi is experiencing amnesia! He seems to have forgotten his past memories!"
"I knew a part was missing, but I didn't know it was amnesia."
"I'll explain that! About what happened today..."
Meeting Irina but not remembering her, ahjussi.
Ahjussi who had recent personality changes.
"There were bad things in the past, right! He forgot those! So ahjussi is in a gentle state right now!"
Luna explained to the party members with burning enthusiasm that the reason was amnesia of past memories.
In the midst of this, Estia questioned and asked Luna.
"Wait! Then ahjussi still hasn't fully recovered!"
"Right."
"Then I can heal him! With this Saint's power! With holy power!"
It won't come out today, but
she'll heal him later.
Estia shouted, wouldn't that be fine?
However, that opinion was rejected.
"...Do we really have to... restore ahjussi's bad memories...?"
"Huh? What are you saying! Of course we have to restore forgotten memories! His soul hurts!"
"N-no... If we restore the memories that were painful and... hurt ahjussi... that's not good..."
For ahjussi,
and for us too.
"...If that woman appears in ahjussi's heart again... the opportunity won't come again..."
"Sa-Satan! Hare is possessed by Satan! She's full of selfish motives! Luna! We need to purify Hare right now!"
We need to purify her!
Estia grabbed Luna's arm and appealed.
To give strength to her opinion.
However, Luna gently lowered Estia's hand.
"Huh?!"
"I think the same as Hare. Ahjussi needs to forget the past! Ahjussi is happier now!"
For us,
and for himself too.
The fact that the current ahjussi looks better was clear.
"So! Even if that knight unnie comes! We can't tell ahjussi the truth! That's what's good for ahjussi! For ahjussi's happiness! It's better to forget the past!"
"Luna's words do make sense!"
Luna approves!
Hare is a senior center!
But Estia's opinion that ahjussi should be healed remained unchanged.
Estia, who wanted to heal everything in sight due to her confidence, turned her gaze to Saten.
"The last opinion is up to you, Saten! Will you heal ahjussi? What will you do?"
"I decided as soon as I heard this story."
"What!"
"To get what you want, it's better to hide the truth. Whether it's happiness or pain, it doesn't matter."
Though she doesn't know the emotion of happiness,
Saten knows what the better direction is.
"For our Hero Party to go in a better direction, we definitely need ahjussi."
More precisely, I
need ahjussi.
Lee Jun-woo and Saten, bound by a relationship of necessity.
"So we can't miss this opportunity."
She thought the moment ahjussi lost his memories—
right now—was the opportunity.
However, at that moment.
Knock knock—
—Jun, are you there? I'm sorry about hitting you earlier. My palm slipped by mistake. I'll apologize...
The silver knight knocked on the door from outside.
*W-we have to prevent her from meeting ahjussi!*
It was a moment when the Hero Party members' minds spun rapidly.