Chapter 26: The Hero Realizes He Has Amnesia
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
In such a short time, the Demon King had to search for the Hero again soon after just finding him. This annoyed the Demon King a little. He glanced at the cave, tilted his head, and stared at it with growing irritation.
With a flick of his hand, he cast a small sealing magic circle. After watching the cliff face opposite crumble and send down a shower of stones, he finally left. The cave behind him was sealed off. The Demon King turned around and headed back the way he came, glancing at the surrounding trees.
The trees were lush and full, having thrived through spring and summer, vibrant and fresh in the clear morning after the rain. A gentle breeze rustled their leaves with a lively dance.
“Alright, time to find the person.”
Having vented some of his frustration, the Demon King spared the plants for now. When he finally found the Hero, the latter was carrying goods along a small path, accompanied by several other people also burdened with loads.
One of them launched into a long speech at the Hero. The Demon King didn’t bother to listen closely but caught that this person was complaining about how the Hero had damaged their belongings during their last meeting—and now demanded compensation.
The Demon King looked at the Hero, who had just experienced his memory refresh again. The Hero’s expression was full of surprise: “Huh?” He was shocked and disbelieving.
Another person in the group added, “You knocked our stuff into the water last time, but since you were in a hurry, we let you go with a promise to pay us back next time. We’re being kind here.”
The second person finished with a pointed question: “Have you forgotten what you did?”
The Hero looked even more stunned: “…Forgot what? What did I do?”
The Demon King dryly thought: Actually, you forgot everything. Your brain’s basically empty.
He glanced at the group of supposed victims again. In the Demon King’s view, the second person looked over at the first person. The first person, after noticing the gaze, pointed at the goods the Hero was carrying.
Half of the load was the Hero’s own previously packed luggage and medicine—stuff left in the cave but apparently retrieved by the Hero. The other half was unknown, likely belonging to the people demanding compensation.
The first person looked at what appeared to be the Demon King’s more valuable items mixed in with the load and said, “Stuff similar to what got damaged last time…”
Someone beside the first person tugged on his arm, trying to pull him away. They failed at first, tried again, and still couldn’t pull him. The Demon King cocked his head again.
Looking at the supposed victims from another angle, he noticed someone in their group struggling to pull the claimant away, though with little success. The first person, after failing to be pulled away, kept talking about their kindness last time and, after finishing, shoved the person pulling on him aside. The puzzled Hero followed the motion and looked over: “…I don’t remember that happening?”
…
“…It was midsummer back then. We were carrying heavy loads and were exhausted. You passed by and said you’d help us, but later you knocked our stuff into the river. You said you were going to save someone and asked us to show you the way.”
The second person added more details, summarizing the incident. The first half was true—they really had seen the Hero that summer when he said he wanted to help someone. But the latter half was false. The Hero never knocked anything into the river; he only traveled part of the same route with them, then after parting ways, asked for directions.
However, after meeting the Hero again, the first person started lying to cover up inconsistencies. So the second person reluctantly patched the story, glancing nervously at the first person, who was clearly trying to shut him up.
The Hero then said, “Midsummer…?”
He caught the keyword and grew more confused. He looked around at the trees and the people nearby, then said,
“It’s not late spring or early summer now? Midsummer hasn’t come yet, right? I just arrived here, and I was about to rescue my beloved from the Demon King’s clutches in the demon realm. I got lost and brought some lost goods from a cave with me to find their owner and keep moving forward. This is really our first meeting.”
After confirming this, the Hero suddenly doubted himself a little because much of their information matched up, so he looked at the surrounding trees again and thought for a moment about the difference between late spring and midsummer.
Hearing the Hero mention rescuing his human self from the Demon King’s version of himself, the Demon King’s lips twitched. He was about to be implicated in more rumors. Then he glanced at a member of the group who seemed to want to say something but was being pulled away.
The Hero looked like he wanted to ask or say more, and others seemed about to speak, but the Demon King straightened up, regained his stance, and raised his hand.
Boom. A magic circle slammed down, scattering the group’s goods and cutting off their indecisive back-and-forth. Startled, the group hurriedly retreated.
The Hero drew his sword in response to the sudden threat, scanning the area cautiously with a group of people nearby, then tried to track the origin of the magic. Nothing.
He returned and, putting aside his previous confusion for the moment, said, “I truly don’t remember meeting any of you. Also, it looks dangerous here. I suggest you leave quickly.”
He glanced at the trees not far off and recalled the sights he had passed. Was it spring-summer or summer-autumn? The person who had tried to use the fact that the Hero really had met them before to scam some money looked down at the scattered goods again.
Most were just strewn around; some were broken badly enough that a single touch would crumble them to dust. He stepped back, nervously muttering, “Oh, oh… but, you really…” A crate crumbled to bits right there. After being subtly warned off again, he chose safety and said,
“Well, we’re leaving then. Goodbye…”
“Take me with you,” the Hero said, still lost, gathering both his own and whoever’s belongings.
As the others withdrew, it seemed possible—maybe, just maybe—that the Hero hadn’t met them before or done anything to them. Or maybe he had. The Demon King, watching the Hero leave with the group, felt a bit drained. Feeling annoyed, he followed them back.
When the group started cursing whoever had damaged their goods, the Demon King glanced their way. As the Hero was being pulled away by others, separating from the group, the Demon King casually destroyed the remaining items.
“Let them blame me.” He looked at the person who claimed the Hero damaged their cargo and fulfilled their wish by ruining all their goods. Then, after yesterday’s hardship, the Demon King returned to the original starting point. The Demon King muttered: “Hero, you really love retracing your steps.”
…Suspecting something was off about the season, the Hero started doubting everything around him. Although the innkeeper and the restaurant owner said it was the cusp between spring and summer, the environment didn’t quite match. He patted his head, feeling that something was definitely wrong with his own mind.
After noticing a vaguely familiar place and feeling everything was hazy and out of reach, he closed his eyes and shook his head. The world spun around him, and nowhere seemed quite right. So, the Hero went around asking people until he reached the pharmacy.
The doctor he’d met yesterday—the one who recommended the neighboring town and said they had decided to go there—looked up. “Hello, what medicine do you need?”
He glanced back and saw the Hero was alone. The Hero replied cautiously, “I don’t know what medicine I need. I just feel like something’s wrong. Could you please help me, doctor?”
He looked around again, recognizing the place but still uncertain. The doctor nodded, “Of course.”
***
After casually destroying some things, the Demon King arrived to find the Hero nervously undergoing examination, clearly unsettled and feeling that the world was off.
When the Hero spotted him, his eyes lit up. “Joshua?!”
The familiar greeting and look of surprise. The Demon King, who had already been surprised many times, simply said, “…Hello, Hero.”
***
After venting some frustration, the Demon King took the still suspicious Hero from the pharmacy. Having confirmed the carriage was in working order, he said, “Let’s head to the neighboring town. The doctor said their diagnostic level is better, might find issues the local doctors can’t.”
The Hero, doubting his own reality, said softly, “Okay…”
Looking around again, the Demon King grabbed his own luggage and helped the Hero onto the carriage. Once seated, the Hero glanced outside and quietly asked, “Joshua, do you know what time it is now? Is it late spring, early summer?”
The Demon King nodded, “Yes.”
The Hero lowered his voice further, “But someone said it’s late summer or early autumn, that it’s already autumn…”
The Demon King supported his head with his hand, “And what do you think? Is that true?”
“I don’t know… My mind says it’s late spring, but after hearing that, I feel like maybe it’s right…”
He opened a pill bottle. The Demon King said, “Trust your own mind—open your mouth.”
A pill was dropped in. The Hero coughed at the taste. “What is this? So I just trust myself?”
“Yes. Open up.”
Several more pills followed. The Demon King answered the earlier question, “Weird candy.”
The Hero nodded and clutched the Demon King tighter.
That night, just before the Hero’s memory reset, they finally reached the neighboring town. The Demon King brought the Hero to a random inn near their destination. The senior doctor there had already gone home for the day.
Looking at the time, the Demon King noted: Perfect, the moment the Hero forgets everything that happened today is almost here. After confirming, he took the Hero to the room, locked the door tight, brought the obedient Hero to the innermost part of the room, and closed the windows to ensure no one could see inside.
Then—“Are you an idiot?!!!!!” Before the memory reset, the Demon King loudly scolded the Hero for running around everywhere and being tricked, leaving the Hero stunned and speechless. After the rant, he shoved the Hero onto the bed. As the reset time neared and the Hero was actually quite anxious inside, the Demon King opened the door and, as if nothing had happened, calmly said, “Good night.”
After a long moment, the Hero blinked back to reality: “…You mean, it really is autumn now? My mind really is messed up?”
From the doorway, the Demon King looked back and saw the bewildered Hero gazing pitifully at him.
Author’s note:
Demon King [tilts head]: Seen from another angle, the Hero really is a pureborn big idiot.
Hero: …QvQ
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