episode_0054

The adventurer named Marine was someone Ian had heard of several times through Ariana’s words before. She was the life-saving benefactor who had brought Ariana to this village on the verge of death and cared for her.

Moreover, the fact that Marine was also a woman made Ian naturally hold considerable goodwill toward her.

So even if her attitude was hostile, he paid little mind—but the word she spat out was something even Ian couldn’t easily brush off.

Porter.

Lexically, it was just a term for someone who carried luggage for a living. But among those present, its meaning was starkly different. It referred to the worst kind of human—one who had committed unforgivable acts—Ariana’s sworn enemy.

It was a disgusting title, practically a proper noun, so vile that being outright cursed at would’ve been preferable.

“How dare you mention that name.”

“The only man I know who’d come all the way here searching for Ariana is Porter. If not, then prove it.”

From Marine’s perspective, Ian had already been labeled as Porter. His handsome face worked against him in this regard—without looks like his, Porter’s crimes wouldn’t have made sense.

—Creak.

The moment her judgment solidified, Marine’s foot dragged against the ground as she shifted into a fighting stance. But before she could act, Ariana, who had been silent until now, casually cut in and dismantled her hostility in an instant.

“This is Mr. Ian. Porter is someone else.”

“Huh?! That can’t— Then, you…?”

“Ian Felix. A noble of the kingdom, the eldest son of House Felix, and Ariana’s friend.”

“Never heard that name before…”

House Felix was a baronial family in the kingdom, yes—but a rural one at that, hardly well-known even among nobility. Still, to be dismissed so easily by a commoner with no surname was enough to make even Ian, who rarely cared about noble status, twitch a vein in his forehead.

“Same here—I hadn’t heard of you before coming here.”

“That’s not what I meant—”

If someone told her that her world was fictional, or that she was just a side character—well, that kind of truth would be hard to swallow for anyone.

“Hmm, but for an extra, you’re way too handsome…?”

She had barged in, spouted nonsense without apology, and now she was bluntly appraising him while stroking her chin, shamelessly staring at his face. Another frown line deepened on Ian’s forehead.

Before he could confront her directly, Ariana wedged herself between the two, forcefully separating them.

“Stop it! Even if it’s you, Marine, I won’t let you disrespect Mr. Ian!”

“Huh? No, I don’t care about this guy at all—Ah!”

Mid-babbling, Marine suddenly changed the subject and dug into the pouch she held. In just five minutes of appearing, the mood had already shifted wildly. Staring intently at this bizarre human anomaly—something he’d never seen in his life—Ian couldn’t even begin to guess what she was.

But his attention was soon torn away as someone else puffed up her cheeks like an angry squirrel and glared at him with unmistakable displeasure.

“What’s this?! Your eyes already wandering to another woman?! Do you even know how I felt coming here today?!”

“No, that’s not—”

Her eyes drooped like a drenched puppy—the sheer pitifulness of her stare made Ian wave his hands hastily. Before he could explain, Marine’s booming voice drowned everything out.

“Ah, here it is!”

Then, she shoved something into Ariana’s hands, who blinked dumbly at her.

“Elixir of Absolute Recovery! With this, I can definitely restore your memories!”

“Ah… right. My memories…”

Ariana turned to look at Ian. His face was stiff as he gazed back at her.

She was probably making the same expression.

Recovering her memories—that was what everyone had wanted until now, yet…

“Don’t make that face. It’s not like you’ll disappear.”

He rubbed her cheek gently and forced his usual reassuring smile. It was true—he did want to meet the Ariana he once knew. But he didn’t want this Ariana to vanish.

Even as he said that, Ian knew things couldn’t possibly stay the same. After everything, he understood all too well what Riel Frost meant to her.

“Yes. It’s not as if she’ll become a different person. Still…”

Ariana trailed off, lips parting and closing like a fish out of water before she clenched her fists and finally spoke.

“One last time—could you love me, just as I am now?”

Her desperate eyes locked onto his. Within that deep affection lingered a flicker of fear.

The man she had fallen for had loved someone else first. The reflection in his eyes had never truly been hers—every bit of affection directed at her was never fully hers to begin with.

So even if just once, she wanted to feel it—being loved not for the her she didn’t know, but for the her she remembered clearly now.

“Alright.”

Ian pulled Ariana’s waist into another embrace. This time, she accepted it quietly, leaning against him before closing her eyes—smiling as she met her lover’s gaze directly.

Marine, who was internally combusting from curiosity over what had just transpired, reluctantly shut her mouth.

“Ariana.”

“Yes.”

“I love you.”

“I—I love you too!”

Their lips met. That was all—yet it felt enough to flood her chest with warmth. Though just a small part of the body, it was an act reserved only for the most precious person. That truth alone made even this fleeting contact meaningful—more than anything, it brought immense joy.

As they parted and took in each other’s expressions, there was no need to ask if it had been good. Their flushed faces, glowing with lingering contentment, said it all.

Basking in the afterglow of happiness, Ariana flashed the brightest smile she had ever worn before declaring:

“I’m ready now. Give me the Elixir.”

Just as she raised the vial to her lips with no hesitation, Ian grabbed her wrist.

“You don’t have to rush.”

Was this betraying the Ariana he once knew? Maybe—but perhaps this was what made her happy. In all his memories, he had never seen her smile so radiantly.

“R-Right! It’s not like the Elixir will disappear! If you want, staying like this for a while longer is okay…”

Even Marine, who couldn’t quite understand herself, chimed in to stop her—despite having scoured every possible location to retrieve that Elixir.

Maybe it was the faint haze of sorrow in Ariana’s eyes—something that tugged at her emotions beyond reason.

“No. If possible, I want to end this at the happiest moment. If I delay… I’ll only grow reluctant.”

Ariana’s resolve was unshakable—nothing could hold her back now.

“Are you really sure?”

“Of course. As Mr. Ian said, it’s not like I’m disappearing.”

She snatched the Elixir from Marine’s grip and pulled off the cap.

“Remembering everything—facing my past and truly understanding again. That’s the right thing to do, isn’t it?”

Without hesitation, she downed it in one go.

The Ariana who had lived these past few months without her memories felt like a princess from a fairy tale.

She loved flowers, people, the world—and was loved in return.

Though her mind had been shrouded in fog, unable to see even an inch ahead, she had wandered through an empty plain and built a small, beautiful new castle. Inside it bloomed a lush garden, filled with people she adored—and a love incomparable to anything else.

Everything she saw was beautiful, so to her, the world was nothing but beauty.

But as droplets fell onto her head, the world transformed.

The sensation of rain tapping against her skull made Ariana look up—just as a violet downpour cascaded from the sky.

The rain fell around her, melting away the fog like magic.

As the mist cleared, the true world beneath her little castle was revealed.

First—her childhood friend, staring at her with tears. The ruins of a shattered city. A paladin collapsed on the ground, groaning as if on the brink of death. Countless screams.

Then—the pointing fingers. The voices condemning her. Hostile glares. Eyes brimming with fear. Faces drowning in despair.

Crumbling, burning wreckage. Thick smog. Oppressive air. Horrifically mangled corpses. Endless death. Grotesque monsters.

And at the center—the man she thought she’d never forget, yet had briefly lost to amnesia.

Porter.

This was hell.

The tiny, fairy-tale world she had lived in was nothing but an aberration—a lone, discordant painting resting atop hell itself. The beautiful dress she had worn in her dream had long since been replaced by a bloodstained mage’s robe.

Yes.

I am Riel Frost.

Not this pink fantasy—the hellscape behind her was where she belonged. And the world yet to come, still unseen, would be no different.

“Hah—!”

Ariana’s eyes flew open.

Her recovered memories replayed in her mind. She could feel it—her true self, the one that should have always been there, had returned.

“Ariana, are you okay? Do you recognize me?”

“Marine…”

Even though they had just been speaking moments ago, it felt like reuniting after years apart.

Hearing her name without honorifics for the first time in so long made Marine’s eyes glisten with joy.

“Are you alright?”

A familiar voice drew her attention to another friend. Along with it, everything that had just happened—and everything from the past month—flashed vividly in her mind.

“Ugh—!”

Ariana clutched her mouth, suppressing a gag.

The memories of kissing Ian, whispering love, acting coy—all of it resurfaced.

I acted like some lovesick girl in front of him? Me? Like those disgusting women I always despised?

A violent shudder of revulsion wracked her body. Ian, head bowed deeply, apologized.

“I’m sorry. I knew you might hate it, but—”

“Don’t misunderstand. It’s not you.”

She didn’t hate what had happened with Ian. It was her own actions during her amnesia that made her sick to her stomach. She didn’t want to see Ian’s dejected expression either—but there was a far more pressing matter.

“Porter. Is he here?”

“He is, but in your current state, you can’t do anything against him.”

“Marine is here. Let’s go.”

She had something to say to Porter—something that couldn’t wait a second longer.

“No need. He’s right here.”

From behind a tree, Porter and Yuria stepped into view.

As if waiting for her memories to return, they had appeared the moment she recovered.

They must’ve been watching. Saw me kissing Ian. That’s why he’s making that disgusted face.

A mountain of words piled up in Ariana’s throat—but before she could speak, someone else cut in first.

“You—who the hell are you?”

Marine.

“The Porter of this world was captured and handed over to the Holy Kingdom’s knights long ago. I went back to confirm after hearing Ariana’s story—they executed him. So then… just who are you?”