Chapter 31: Memory Fully Restored
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
After searching through many places, we finally reached a certain special location, where we overheard some different kinds of talk compared to elsewhere: the Hero had once slaughtered demons here—and… it seemed something unexpected had happened?
Among all the rumors about saving people, this unexpected event seemed the most worthy of our investigation.
—From “The Strange Romance You Must Know”, Part Five
After planning for the future, the Demon King lay sprawled on the web woven by the Demon Vines, swaying gently as the vines trembled in the breeze. Whenever the wind came, the vines swayed along with the Demon King’s golden hair. When the wind stopped, the vines only quivered faintly.
The Demon King half-lay there, his golden hair winding down through the vines. His torn clothes stained with blood made him look a bit ragged. Having treated most of his wounds, he pressed on the arrow wound on his shoulder that refused to heal quickly.
“It still hurts,” he said quietly after a long moment of controlling his emotions. “Do you hurt, too?”
The dragon answered with a low roar. The Demon King smiled a little at the response and reached out to touch the drake. As his magic flowed, the wounds on the dragon slowly began to heal. A cloud drifted by, shading the scattered sunlight.
The Demon King’s radiant gold hair dimmed slightly; his expression darkened as if in sync. Another cloud came, then another, and with the falling raindrops, his hair grew damp, and his expression gradually grew melancholic. While healing, the dragon moved to shield the Demon King from the rain. A wing stretched out, blocking the sky’s drops, turning the once-clear blue into a dull gray beneath the sturdy wing.
The Demon King’s view changed. He glanced at the weather, which shifted so suddenly from sunny to rainy, and muttered, “…things change so fast.”
In response, the Demon Vines and other magical plants wove a protective “umbrella” above, replacing the sky itself. The dragon settled down nearby, humming some tune after its healing. The Demon King half-lay in that scene, casually humming along, lazily glancing around.
Then, a rain-fearing rabbit hopped over to the sheltered spot and shook water from its fur. The Demon King glanced at the white blur in his peripheral vision, then looked down casually before sweeping his gaze around.
All the other rabbits had vanished into the rain, likely scurrying back to unknown burrows, leaving only this single large white rabbit—probably lost or for some other reason hurriedly seeking shelter in the rain.
Lonely.
He jumped down. Startled by the noise, the white rabbit darted off in one direction. The Demon King blinked and sat back down. At least now, he knew roughly where those foolish rabbits lived. He comforted himself with that thought, figuring it would make driving them off easier someday.
The Demon King lay back in the center of the web. Raindrops swayed in the wind, slowly falling onto the ground and the Demon Vines. Gradually, the rain seemed to grow heavier—
Hearing the roar of a heavy downpour, the Demon King thought of this and, after some reflection, decided to send the dragon away first. But he couldn’t speak the thought aloud.
Instead, he used their contract to communicate through the sound of rain. After relaying the message, he struggled to keep his eyes open. Finally, through the sound of raindrops falling on his ears, he vaguely saw a curtain of rain. The rain was really heavy. Even with just that glimpse, the Demon King revised his mental estimate from “heavy rain” to “downpour.”
And as the downpour continued, he saw more and more rain—just rain. It felt as if nothing else existed between heaven and earth, only the endless rain washing over his sight and drowning out every sound. The rain was cleansing the world. Suddenly, amid this endless rain, houses appeared, streets appeared, shops appeared, alleyways appeared… and the people who had been driven out. Everything was being washed clean.
Someone unknown said, “Wow, that’s amazing!”
Other unfamiliar voices chimed in: “I’ve never seen anything like it!”
“Does it really not hurt? Is it painful?”
“Let’s come again next time~”
“…My parents said, don’t get too close to him…”
“How strange… Why do wounds heal so quickly?”
Strange voices bubbled up from nowhere, whispering incessantly in his ears. Through the thick curtain of rain, faint, blurred shapes began to take form—first one small figure, then another, and then another…
“Alright, madam, we will take the person away now.” A voice cut through the murmurs like a final punctuation mark.
The Demon King snapped awake at the sound, opening his eyes wide as he emerged from a sudden, lingering dream. Above him, the protective canopy woven from demon vines still shaded him from the rain.
His mind suddenly drifted back—far, far back—to a time long ago. Expressionless, he silently replayed the memories. After a while, he tilted his head with a puzzled look and muttered, “…So, maybe I should start by beating up the Marquis to settle the shock?”
Around him, the space gradually emptied. After being found out, he was taken back to the Demon Realm. The ever-flirtatious Marquis had casually tossed him a rose the day he returned, sparking a chain of events. Eventually, after beating those who caused trouble, the Demon King cornered the Marquis in a room. “Suddenly recalling old grudges… I kind of want to punch that Marquis.”
After dealing with those troublemakers and the Marquis, the Demon King finally felt a momentary peace. “So, since it’s still autumn, shall we head back in a few days?”
After lying around without direction for a while, the Demon King set a new goal and glanced at the dragon. The dragon responded with a low roar. Well then, if the dragon agreed, it was time to return before winter—once healed. As for what happened long, long ago before arriving in the Demon Realm… Well, he didn’t remember.
Stretching his limbs under the relentless rain, the Demon King covered his wound again. His clothes stained with blood, he muttered quietly: “Trash Hero.”
***
The doctor said the Hero was holding medicine. The doctor said the Hero had come many times before for treatment. The doctor said the Hero often forgot things but, fortunately, his condition was slowly improving. The doctor said, “These are the instructions you specifically asked me to explain when I see you again.”
The Hero looked down at the items in his hands and took a pill. “This is medicine?” he asked. “And the paper next to it—is that for dosage instructions or something else?” He looked at the doctor, suddenly scared after learning about his illness, and asked, “Or… something else? How did I manage to keep up with appointments for treatment when I forgot I needed medicine?”
The doctor understood and calmly explained before asking, “Where is your companion?”
The thief returned, panting from running errands, curious because of their shared past troublemaking: “Are you talking about me?”
The doctor shook his head.
The next day, when the Hero woke, he only remembered that Joshua was the Demon King and that after fleeing, he had been knocked into the water. In that memory, he looked toward the thief, the first one on watch duty.
Without being pressed for answers, the Hero kept his head lowered, staring at himself for a long moment before waking the thief:
“You saved me, right? Thank you. Also, what a coincidence—we meet again.”
The thief was speechless. Yesterday, after sneaking into the latter half of the doctor’s explanation, the thief had seen the innkeeper returning two rents after finishing his chores. Upon hearing the innkeeper’s words, he saw the hopeless, broken Hero. Today, asked about it, he was hesitant to repeat the multiple testimonies he had witnessed. The Hero forced a small smile and, feeling a little uplifted by this friendship, said again, “Thank you.”
The thief chuckled and, as the Hero tried to draw the curtains, said, “Wait!”
The Hero turned, confused.
“I don’t want to see the light,” the thief made up on the spot. The Hero sat back down. Then came the warrior, then the mage, then the archer…
Day after day, the Hero was watched carefully as he took pills said to cure his wayfinding disorder. After years with no results, he reluctantly took the medicines provided by the mage squad, occasionally going to the doctor for follow-ups.
One day, while packing medicine and traveling to Courage Town, the thief said, “Maybe you should stop taking the meds…”
The mage replied, “Send him back first.”
That suggestion was quickly dismissed. As day by day the Hero’s memory returned while taking medicine, he grew increasingly repressed. Approaching Courage Town, his memories flashed back to the day before he left it.
The town leader asked, “Owen, where’s your Joshua?” Then glanced sideways and added, “Lost again, my boy?”
The Hero held the medicine meant to cure his wayfinding: “Thank you all, but I won’t be going back.”
The mage asked, “What’s wrong?”
The Hero replied, “I… might be better off training outside.”
The Hero was destined to vanquish evil, destined to be resilient and upright, destined to be optimistic and cheerful, destined to have a destined soulmate in this world…
But my destined soulmate was the Demon King.
So everything in the world seemed to fall out of place. Everyone appeared to have slipped away from their predetermined positions. I found myself standing where I shouldn’t, caught in these errors and displacements. I could only live through endless journeys, escaping repeatedly through constant rescue. Then, during one accident, I fell down from a mountain and lost consciousness.
And then—
“So, Lord Hero, may I ask what you are doing now?”
Everything began anew.
You changed your attitude toward me, softening it, and I could only remember all the beautiful things about you. It was like that day’s crisp and gentle breeze, the rustling leaves ringing in my ears, the bright and beautiful autumn sunlight spreading in wide patches through the lush forest, where a single figure emerged.
The author has a note:
Oh~key that unlocks memories of the past, show me your true power now! In the name of your master, the author, I command you—seal broken!
Memory, open!
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