Chapter 6: The Worst Reunion (6)

[6] 1. The Worst Reunion (6)

I wasn’t surprised to see Parsley. In fact, I thought it was only a matter of time.

Thanks to Feya’s loose lips, the news that I had lost my memory had spread throughout the mercenary group. And both Clara and Amy had approached me as soon as they found out.

It would only make sense for Parsley to do the same.

After all, the friendship Parsley and I had built was no less than that of Amy or Clara’s.

But there was one thing I was worried about.

“…So you lost your memory?”

How would she react?

I looked at Parsley, who finally spoke after 10 minutes of walking side by side. Her face was clouded with hesitation.

“Yes, strangely enough, only my childhood memories.”

“…”

Something that looked like both temptation and pain flickered in her eyes. Sensing another long silence coming, I gently prodded her,

“So, is that all?”

“…?”

“The reason you asked me for a moment of my time.”

Parsley’s body stiffened visibly.

“I…”

“If that’s all, then I’ll be going back. I have things to take care of…”

And then, as if to leave, I took a step back.

Her response was immediate.

“Wait…!”

With pleading eyes, Parsley grabbed my sleeve. As I stood frozen in surprise, she let go of my sleeve, startled by her own actions.

And then, a dry laugh, a sigh, a self-deprecating smile.

“…I was your friend. At the mage tower.”

It was a surprisingly honest answer.

A stark contrast to Clara, who had spun up some ridiculous lie, and Amy, who hadn’t said a word about the past.

Pushing down my confusion, I mumbled,

“Ah… I-I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you.”

“You lost your memory, it’s only natural that you wouldn’t recognize me. Actually, I didn’t recognize you either at first.”

She didn’t recognize me…?

Parsley pulled down her wide-brimmed hat, hiding her face.

“…You’ve changed a lot.”

Of course, I’m quite different from when I was at the mage tower with her. At least back then, my legs were still attached.

But she definitely recognized me back then.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have run away as soon as she saw me.

Another lie.

I wasn’t disappointed. It just added to my growing suspicion.

“…Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?”

For the time being, I pushed aside my doubts and reacted nonchalantly. Parsley answered, avoiding my gaze,

“That, and… if it’s a matter related to memories, I’m more qualified than Clara.”

“What do you mean…?”

Parsley stroked the brim of her hat.

“…If your memories don’t come back, come find me. I’ll help you.”

“You don’t have to…”

“No need to refuse.”

Cutting me off, Parsley once again pulled her hat down, hiding her face.

“…We’re friends.”

And then, after a short while, Parsley said that her leg was hurting and turned back.

We walked back to the inn in silence, unlike when we came.

She couldn’t bring herself to say more,

And I was too busy trying to make sense of all the swirling thoughts.

***

For Parsley, every night is always sleepless nights.

It was like that even before she met him.

And even more so after they parted ways.

When she closed her eyes in bed, dark and tattered memories would appear on the inside of her eyelids, and sharp voices would scratch at her eardrums.

Parsley couldn’t remember how many nights she had spent studying to escape from it all, unable to bear it.

But tonight was different.

No, the days when he was by her side were always different.

[Then, I hope you have a good night.]

The words he said to her right before they parted ways.

Parsley smiled to herself, savoring the sweet feeling his words left behind in her mind.

Even if those words were just a courtesy.

Even if it was just a gesture of politeness, it was enough to comfort her starved heart.

Thinking she’d be able to sleep peacefully tonight, Parsley opened the door to her room.

And then, her face twisted in surprise.

“Amy…? Clara? What are you doing in my room?”

Her companions were gathered in her small inn room.

Amy was leaning against the wall, and Clara was sitting upright on a chair.

And both of them had terrifyingly cold expressions on their faces.

Amy looked at Parsley, who was still in shock, with cold eyes.

“Parsley, I’ll be blunt.”

“Uh, huh…”

“Did you also know Rem?”

Parsley’s eyes widened.

“How did you…!”

Then, her body stiffened. Suspicion added to the shock in her eyes.

“What do you mean ‘also’…?”

Amy’s expression hardened, and she looked away. Clara answered with a cold smile,

The position of the mage tower master’s disciple wasn’t something you could get just by having a lot of magic power. Parsley quickly grasped the situation.

Clara and Amy both knew him.

…And presumably, they both harbored similar feelings to hers.

Realizing this, a coldness similar to her companions spread across Parsley’s face.

It was a thin layer of ice that hid a sense of crisis, conflict, and above all, confusion.

“…”

“…”

“…”

The three women, gathered in a small room, looked at each other in silence.

The air was thick with suspicion and doubt, and unspoken words hovered around their cold hearts.

It was an atmosphere where something was bound to explode.

Clara was the one who finally broke the tension.

*Clap-*

Clara suddenly clapped her hands, drawing their attention. With a gentle smile, she spoke,

“It seems things have gotten a bit more complicated. Shall we try to make sense of the situation?”

And then, she turned to Parsley, a smile on her lips, but coldness in her eyes.

“I have a pretty good idea, but I’ll ask just to be sure.”

A puzzled look appeared on Parsley’s face.

“Parsley, do you love Rem?”

Love. Parsley’s expression crumbled at the sudden, embarrassing word.

“W-What are you, s-saying…!”

“Because I do.”

Clara declared with a beautiful smile.

“I love Rem.”

Parsley’s face twisted in disbelief, and Amy, who was watching them, also frowned.

“I felt that way when he was by my side, and my feelings haven’t changed.”

Despite the sharp gazes directed at her, Clara’s confession didn’t stop. In fact, she met their gazes head-on and declared,

“Although we had to part ways due to unavoidable circumstances in the past, I’m not going to let him go this time.”

And then, looking at Amy, she gave her a twisted smile.

“And judging from your comment about a ‘promised marriage,’ it seems like the Hero feels the same way.”

Parsley’s eyes, filled with confusion, turned to Amy. Amy answered by looking away. A silent confirmation.

“So, I’ll ask you once again, Parsley.”

Clara asked, smiling at Parsley, who was trembling.

“Do you love Rem?”

It was a clear provocation.

He’s already the man I have my eyes on. And you’re not the only competition.

Even so, are you still willing to try and steal him?

And Parsley could feel herself shrinking back in the face of that question. Memories of the past were to blame.

She was a sinner.

A dirty little liar who had given false testimony.

If he hadn’t lost his memory, she wouldn’t even be allowed to stand before him.

Even when she had finally met him,

Even though she had sworn to herself hundreds of times the night before,

Even though she had resolved to accept the disgust and hatred he would surely pour out on her,

Didn’t she run away in fear after seeing his broken form?

She was a coward, pretending to be his friend instead of confessing her sins to him who had lost his memories.

Could someone like her really say that she loved him?

However…

“…Clara, you had a panic attack when you first met Rem.”

Parsley, her voice steady, said to Clara, whose face had hardened.

And then, she turned to Amy and said,

“And you, Amy, you threw up.”

Amy’s face darkened considerably. Seeing that, Parsley felt her heart lighten, and she continued,

“And I… I ran away with a pale face.”

Parsley placed her hand on her chest.

She had said the words that they, and she, wanted to hear the least.

“Those aren’t exactly the reactions of innocent people, are they?”

A heavy silence fell over the room.

Amy clenched her fists.

Clara chewed on her lower lip.

And as if it were only right, both of their gazes were cast downwards.

Only Parsley was holding her head high, continuing,

“I don’t think any of us have the right to say we love Rem. Especially now that he’s lost his memory.”

Amy and Clara’s gazes slowly rose, meeting Parsley’s in a tense standoff.

“But as his friend, I have the right to stop those who hurt him from approaching him again.”

Parsley glared at Amy and Clara.

“Don’t even think about touching my friend.”

In the end, it was just a hollow threat.

***

The forest was bathed in the blue light of dawn.

A single sneeze shattered the mystical atmosphere.

“Achoo!”

“…It’s cold, shouldn’t you be inside the carriage?”

Big-nosed guy said, chastising me, seeing me sneeze. Perched on the roof of the carriage, I sniffed and shook my head.

“We know there are people after us, how can you, the vice-captain, be sleeping?”

“The big sis and the little sis are doing the same.”

“Just what are you expecting from them?”

“…”

Big-nosed guy fell silent, lost for words. I looked at the dense forest, feeling a deep sense of sadness.

It had been two days since we left Phoenix.

We resumed our journey as soon as we replenished our personnel and supplies. Fortunately, nothing had happened yet.

…Whether it was because we tightened our security, or because the enemy was preparing something big, I don’t know.

“Ah, right. Big nose, how are the new recruits?”

I asked Big-nosed guy, who was driving the carriage. He yawned, showing off the size of his nose, and replied,

“Well, they’re doing better than I expected. No troublemakers.”

“Any suspicious ones?”

“Is there anyone who makes a living with a sword that doesn’t look suspicious?” (TL Note: a living with a sword. Aka Mercenaries, adventurers, etc. swords for hire basically.)

“Are there any who tried to run away after hearing that we’re dealing with necromancers?”

“Well, some were scared… but they were reassured when they found out that we’re the Rose Rem mercenary group.”

I raised an eyebrow at the unexpected answer.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“What else could it mean, brother? It means we’re famous.”

“…Really?”

I asked scratching my cheek, and Big-nosed guy smirked and said,

“I heard from the guys that even the kids in the nearby villages know our name. Word about us has spread far and wide.”

Word has spread…

Well, it’s been four years.

Since the Captain, Feya, and I formed this mercenary group.

In those four years, we’ve taken on a lot of requests, some even worthy of being called feats. It’s only natural that we’d gain a reputation.

“So, stop putting yourself in danger.”

“Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?”

Annoyed, I snapped back at him, and the Big-nosed guy suddenly starts acting innocent.

“You’re practically the pillar of our group. The guys might not show it, but they were really worried about you. Well, they were probably more worried about their paychecks.”

“What, this is nothing new… It’s not like it’s the first time I’ve done this.”

“That’s why I’m saying you should be more careful. One day, you might really kick the bu… ouch!!”

*Whack-*

I looked at Big-nosed guy, who was clutching his head, and dusted off my leg.

“Are you cursing me? Really?”

“Damn it… I try to show concern, and this is what I get… You don’t act like this to the little sis…”

“Is Feya the same as you?”

As we were having this silly conversation, the carriage window suddenly opened, and a red, round head popped out.

“Don’t you guys ever sleep…?”

It was Clevens, the bald priest. I gave him a look of disdain and retorted,

“Who said you could sleep…?”

“Come on, give me a break… I drank a bit too much last night…”

“When do you *not* drink too much?”

I rubbed my temples, feeling a headache coming on.

Clevens. He was one of the few priests in our mercenary group, and the most skilled among them.

The problem was, he was an alcoholic.

*Gulp, gulp.*

Sure enough, despite just waking up, he was already chugging from a bottle. I barely managed to suppress a sigh.

“Ah, and Vice-Captain.”

He suddenly called me, having already finished off a bottle of wine. He held up his pinky and asked,

“Is that potential saint, the one who’s our client… your, you know…”

For a moment, I almost threw the dagger I was holding. I managed to suppress my anger and retorted,

“What the hell is in your brain to come to that conclusion?”

“Well, you two looked close.”

“What the fu…”

Clevens wiped his mouth with his sleeve, cutting me off.

“No, I mean that time when you were on your solo death wish mission.”

“What? You bast-”

“It wasn’t me who healed you that time, it was that woman, right?”

My anger subsided at his words. I remembered the conversation I had with Feya earlier.

She said that Clara was the one who healed me back then, didn’t she?

“Actually, I was about to heal you, but then she came running over, crying.”

I frowned, catching a word I couldn’t just gloss over.

“Crying?”

“Yeah, she was sobbing and pouring out heals, saying that you can’t die.”

I tried to picture the scene in my head, but it wasn’t easy.

Clara, sobbing, healing me…

It was as if those three words had no business being together.

“So, is that woman your, you know…”

Baldy wiggled his pinky suggestively.

“Stop talking nonsense and go check on the new recruits since you’re awake.”

I said, hiding my disdain. Clevens grumbled, but eventually headed to where the new recruits were.

After making sure he was gone, I slumped back down on the roof of the carriage. Then, suddenly, feeling a strange gaze on me, I frowned.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

The big-nosed guy was looking at me with a suspicious look in his eye. Finally, he asked,

“Are you sure nothing happened in the past?”

“What are you talking about…”

“Brother, you lost your childhood memories, didn’t you?”

Ah.

The Big-nosed guy eyes gleamed with interest as he continued,

“Then you wouldn’t know what happened between you and that, you know, saint back then, would you? For all you know, you might have really been dating or…”

*Whack!!*

It wasn’t me this time.

Big-nosed guy and I both turned to look at the source of the sound, dazed.

Standing there was Feya, already dressed and ready to go. A stunned sound escaped Big-nosed guy’s mouth.

“Little sis…?”

*Whack-*

“Are you writing a novel or something?!”

“Ouch! Sis, wait a minute!”

*Whack-*

“Go on then! Write a novel! I said a novel!”

“Ouch! Sis, I think you actually broke a bone…! Ouch!!”

*Whack-*

Feya was beating Big-nosed guy up as if she were trying to catch a rat. I was so stunned that I couldn’t even think of stopping her.

Of course, it was only for a brief moment.

Then I thought, ‘Well, he has been getting a little cocky lately’, and enjoyed the scene.

I intervened when I thought she had beaten him up enough.

“That’s enough, Feya.”

“Ah, yes, sir.”

Feya put down Big-nosed guy, who had gone limp. After a brief moment of satisfaction, I looked at Feya with a puzzled expression.

“But what are you doing here? I told you to get some sleep.”

Feya was one of our two secret weapons. I had told her to get as much rest as possible since we left the city, in preparation for any potential attacks.

“Well…”

Her face darkened at my question. She bit her lower lip, hesitating, which was unlike her, before speaking,

“The hero party called for you…”