Altruistic Warrior - Side Story 3
Side Story 3. Kelian Who Lost His Memory
How did it come to this?
As we walked together, nine out of ten people passing by would turn their heads to stare at the handsome man with a striking appearance, who asked stiffly,
“Are you saying we are lovers?”
His tone, full of disbelief, made my lips freeze before I could give a positive response. His teal-colored eyes were still beautiful, but the warmth that used to be in his gaze toward me was no longer there. After a long pause, I managed to nod awkwardly.
“Hey, Kelian. Aine isn’t lying. You two really are lovers.”
Jenin, who had been watching from a step behind, spoke with even more unease than I felt. The other friends didn’t seem comfortable with the situation either. Kelian blinked slowly.
“I don’t think you’re trying to deceive me.”
Here, “you” referred to my friends, excluding me. From his perspective right now, I was just a sudden, uninvited guest who had barged into their group.
Kelian sighed softly. I almost flinched at the sound.
“You don’t remember, do you? I’m sorry.”
He apologized politely while looking directly at me. Even though he’d lost his memory, his manners were still impeccable. Well, when I first met him, he really did feel like a prince. Even with that thought, I couldn’t help but feel hurt by his perfectly neutral attitude, as if I were a complete stranger. I barely managed to put on a smile.
“Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault, Kelian.”
“…”
“Right now… I think you should rest. There could still be aftereffects.”
Although he had no symptoms other than memory loss, considering the shock he had gone through, it seemed best for him to take a rest. Besides, it had suddenly started raining heavily since early afternoon, so we couldn’t travel anyway. Barkrud nodded as if agreeing.
“Yeah. Rest.”
Then, Jenin lightly tapped Kelian’s shoulder as he sat in the chair and offered encouraging words.
“That’s right. If you rest, you’ll remember soon!”
Of course, that was only hopeful for me, and Kelian, the person it concerned, simply furrowed his brow without showing any enthusiastic response. It was as if he wanted to say, “Do I really have to remember?”
“I’ll rest too.”
Barkrud, quite energetically, led Kelian up to the upper floor of the inn. There was no mistaking that it was an act of consideration for me. After they left, Jenin sat close to me and comforted me.
“Don’t worry too much, Aine. He’ll remember soon.”
“Yes. Thank you, Jenin.”
But what if he never remembers? What should I do then? The ominous thought I couldn’t voice was bluntly spoken by Dain.
“What if his memory doesn’t return?”
“Dain, you…”
“Isn’t it true? This is the first time something like this has happened, and we can’t always think positively.”
It was something no one could argue with. I thought seriously about it. If Kelian’s memory never returns… Could I remain in this party as one of them?
“It hasn’t even been a full day. We can worry about that later. Right, Seiris?”
Jenin looked for agreement, but Seiris, who had been leisurely sipping tea as if in a world of his own, didn’t respond. Jenin let out a small, frustrated sigh.
I muttered to myself once again.
How did it come to this?
I truly didn’t not know the reason. It was just that it didn’t feel real. Inside the inn, the sharp sound of thick raindrops hitting the ground echoed, and I recalled the peaceful morning I had just a few hours ago.
❖ ❖ ❖
“I’m… hngh… ah!”
Each time the golden hair buried between my thighs moved, a long tongue dragged along my inner walls. The nectar soaking my hips was so wet and messy, it felt as if I’d lost control. The hole, filled with that tongue, kept twitching and tightening around the entrance.
“Ke… Kelian, I… I’m going to go crazy… ahh…!”
Normally, when I let out such desperate sounds, he would at least ask if I was okay. But now, as if he could think of nothing else but devouring me, he pushed his tongue even deeper.
“Ahhng!”
His hot, slick tongue pressed up inside me relentlessly. The overwhelming sensation, as if my lower body was melting, spread through my entire being. I instinctively squeezed my thighs together in surrender, but Kelian’s firm upper body held steady, making it seem like I was only clamping down tighter.
As he slowly withdrew his tongue from my drenched core, he muttered in a low voice,
“It’s completely loosened up inside.”
“Kelian, you can stop now…”
“You still seem unsatisfied.”
The way he looked down at me, his gaze burning with heat, made it impossible to tell who exactly he thought was unsatisfied. As if, with just a slight push, he would bury his thick, throbbing cock inside me.
But we had to leave for the rare dungeon early today, so we couldn’t afford to overdo it like usual. Of course, no matter what Kelian did, he’d be perfectly fine—but I definitely wouldn’t be. I wanted to avoid having Seiris heal my body after an intimate act as much as possible. Regardless of how indifferent she might be about it, I found it far too embarrassing.
“I want to make you feel even better…”
Lowering his head again, he lightly sucked on my clit. A sharp jolt of pleasure shot through me, making me instinctively tense my hips. I could feel the nectar pooled inside me slowly trickling out. If even I could notice it, there was no way he hadn’t seen it too.
“Ha… Aine…”
Kelian let out a breath heavy with lust as he spread my drenched folds apart, his tongue diving deep inside me once again. He moved it with fluid motions, thrusting in and out as if it were a cock, making my breath hitch and my mind go hazy.
“Ahhng… ah! Haa…!”
The climax came suddenly, crashing down on me without warning. My back arched off the ground, and my lower body tensed uncontrollably. Kelian must have realized I was coming, yet he didn’t pull away. Instead, he slipped his fingers beneath his tongue and began pumping them inside me, pressing deep with each thrust.
“Ah! N-not right now… ahh!”
In an instant, pleasure built up rapidly, giving me a strange sensation—like I needed to pee. From past experiences, I had a vague idea of what this signal meant. I didn’t know exactly what it was, but whenever I got too aroused, a clear liquid would spill out uncontrollably…
“N-no, hnn… I-I think it’s going to come out!”
It was never something I welcomed. Putting aside the fact that Kelian only got more aroused whenever it happened, I simply didn’t want to show such a shameful sight in front of the person I loved. And right now, he had his face buried between my legs.
“You can let it go, Aine.”
Kellyan wiggled his fingers even faster as he spoke.
I tried to pull away from his nonsense, but the moment his finger suddenly jabbed in, I tilted my head back completely and froze in place.
The liquid splattered and soaked the sheets. I tried to hold back, not wanting to struggle, but the mysterious liquid had already inevitably stained Kellian’s jaw and bedding. Moreover, Kellian, still dripping with the liquid, opened his mouth wide and swallowed it as if drinking water. It felt like my entire lower body was being chewed up.
I was overcome with a mix of emotions – excitement, shame, and more – and tears began to flow.
“Aine…”
Kellian, who had been silent for a while, finally looked up at me with a embarrassed expression and called out my name. He quickly wiped my wet cheek with the back of his hand and comforted me.
“I’m sorry. I guess I got too carried away again.”
We had planned to clear the rare dungeon in a few hours, so we had agreed not to do anything today. But from the morning, our eyes met and a sultry atmosphere formed, and our plan changed to “just do it a little” or “let’s not go all the way.” But now that it’s come to this, I think this is excessive excitement.
If it were any other time, I would have gently patted Kelian as he apologized. But right now, I had too much to say.
“How… how could you eat that?”
He looked down at me with a calm gaze as I protested, my voice trembling. Then, he offered an excuse.
“It tasted good.”
My already flushed cheeks burned even hotter as I glared at him. I still couldn’t believe that this composed, restrained man had greedily sucked on me just moments ago. The more we were together, the more I felt like he was obsessed with drawing pleasure out of me—but today was just…
“…I was wrong.”
“……”
“Aine. Look at me.”
As I turned my head to the side, he followed me, leaning his upper body down. A gentle kiss, like a feather touching my cheek, soothed my pouting heart. In fact, I didn’t want him to keep apologizing, so I didn’t refuse his subsequent affectionate kiss. On the contrary, his tongue seemed even more sensual than usual because of what had happened earlier.
“Kellian, can I do it for you too…?”
As my heart softened, I couldn’t help but notice the bulge in Kellian’s pants. Since he had done it for me with his mouth, I thought I should return the favor. As I reached out my hand, Kellian gently stopped me and intertwined our fingers.
“I think we should get ready now.”
The sun was rising, and the outside of the room was getting noisier. Feeling embarrassed that we had been like this since morning, Kellian scooped me up in his arms and headed towards the bathroom inside the room.
“But aren’t you uncomfortable?”
“I’ve gotten used to it since I’m with Aine.”
I was taken aback by his words, which implied that he had developed patience because of me. As a result, I decided to leave him alone for now. Wrapped in his familiar arms, I closed my eyes lazily as he carefully washed me.
After washing me, Kellian undressed and washed himself. As soon as he pulled down his pants, his enormous erection sprang out, and I couldn’t help but stare at it involuntarily. It was still swollen and throbbing with excitement. When I tried to offer to take care of it again earlier, Kellian started masturbating while looking at me.
Thud, thud, thud. His dry hand moved quickly over his penis. However, his eyes gazing down at me were too dark and lustful for me to look away from him easily. It wasn’t the first time he had masturbated in front of me like this; every time it happened made feel strange somehow.
As he ejaculated silently after a while – not loudly like me when reaching climax – but still visibly excited judging from those blue-green eyes fixed intently on mine:
A low voice escaped from him…
“Go on ahead. I’ll wash up and join you.”
“…Alright.”
Maybe if we had gone all the way, things wouldn’t have felt so awkward now. Feeling a mix of discomfort and an oddly lingering heat, I left the bathroom first. Somewhere along the way, something other than water had left a faintly sticky trace between my legs. As the days passed, it wasn’t just Kelian who was getting worked up.
“Aine! Did you sleep well?”
When I finished getting ready and came downstairs, Jenin, who was sitting by the window, was the first to greet me. Under the bright morning sunlight, her brown ponytail gleamed like golden wheat.
“Good morning, Jenin. Where are the others?”
“Seiris hasn’t come down yet, and Barkrud and Dain are over there.”
Next to a slightly annoyed-looking Dain, Barkrud was pacing near the inn’s entrance, shifting his weight impatiently from foot to foot. He looked as if he was ready to bolt the moment someone gave the signal to leave. Jenin leaned in toward me with a playful whisper.
“He’s been looking forward to this since dawn.”
Today, we were heading to a newly discovered SSS-rank rare dungeon. It was still an unconfirmed rumor, something we had quietly obtained through the information guild. If we cleared it today, there was a high chance we would be the first.
After running similar dungeons for a while, everyone was at least a little excited about tackling an SSS-rank rare dungeon again—but none of them seemed as eager as Barkrud. His restless anticipation was almost amusing.
“Barkrud. Stop pacing and sit down.”
“I can’t calm down.”
“……”
Dain started to say something more, clearly irritated, but ultimately just sighed and took a sip of tea from the table. It seemed like he felt there was no point in complaining any further.
I ordered some bread from the dining hall, planning to have a light meal, and sat down across from Dain.
“The dungeon we’re heading to today is in the mountains, right?”
Kelian had the map we received from the information guild. According to the details, the dungeon was located midway up the mountain, meaning we had to prepare for a long hike.
“Philuos Mountain,” Dain replied curtly.
Ah, that’s right. That was the name. The information guild had mentioned that Philuos Mountain was so rugged and rarely traveled that many hidden dungeons remained undiscovered. Among them was the SSS-rank rare dungeon we had to clear today.
On top of that, the mountain was located at the far northern end of the Kassaus Empire, so we had to use teleportation magic twice just to reach the nearest village.
“Are you heading to Philuos Mountain?”
A server, who had just placed my bread on the table, overheard our conversation and asked. Jenin flashed a bright smile.
“Yes, we’re planning to go today.”
“Because of the dungeon? The paths up there are really difficult to navigate.”
“Even with a map?”
“Even with a map. We locals barely go up there ourselves.”
The server explained that there had been several incidents where monsters from the hidden dungeons in Philuos Mountain had wandered out, making the area even more avoided. However, he expressed his gratitude, saying that if a high-level party like ours cleared the dungeon first, it would be a relief for the nearby villages. As a token of appreciation, he quickly packed us some extra food.
Not long after, Kelian and Seiris came downstairs, and with that, we were finally ready to depart.
“Seiris, did you wrap new cloth around your staff?”
As always, Seiris’s extravagant staff was adorned with all sorts of trinkets she liked, cluttered in a way only she could pull off. A newly added lace decoration caught my eye, so I mentioned it, and her deep blue eyes flashed with satisfaction.
“As expected, Aine notices these things.”
The silver-haired beauty gave a languid smile, like a well-fed cat. Walking beside her, I couldn’t help but smile as well.
These days, I genuinely found Seiris’s taste charming. Seeing an ordinary staff now almost felt dull. Because of that, whenever we passed a staff shop, we couldn’t help but stop and assess the selection. Even my own weapon, a simple club, had a few decorations Seiris had gifted me.
“Your taste is really…”
Dain muttered under his breath, but he quickly shut his mouth when he caught Seiris’s piercing gaze.
As we entered the mountain path, the thick canopy above swallowed the sunlight, casting deep shadows over the trail. If I had been alone, I might have found it a little eerie. But with my companions around me, I felt nothing but secure. Especially Kelian—he stuck close to my side, as if worried I might trip over even the smallest pebble.
“If you’re that worried, why don’t you just put Aine in your inventory and carry her around?”
“That’s not a bad idea.”
“……”
Kelian frowned slightly, as if seriously considering Jenin’s blatant joke. Both Jenin and I fell silent, staring at him in disbelief.
“K-Kelian, that was a joke…?”
“…Mine was, too.”
Jenin’s face screamed Don’t lie…, but she chose not to press the issue. Meanwhile, I was the one who took the most damage. My face burned as I shot him a look, but Kelian simply met my gaze with innocent eyes.
At some point, his arm had naturally wrapped around my waist. I felt a sigh threatening to slip out, but deep down, I knew—this was him holding back as much as he could.
As time passed and our feelings deepened, Kelian became increasingly reluctant to be apart from me, growing overly sensitive about my safety. At times, he seemed like he wanted to lock me in a room, leading to minor conflicts. But after going through those moments, this level of restraint was what we had settled on.
“Aine.”
Kelian tightened his arm around my waist slightly, slowing my steps as the others walked ahead. Then, he leaned in and placed a light kiss on my lips. His faintly upturned lips looked so cute and endearing that I found myself staring blankly at him.
Before I knew it, I was the one rising onto my toes to return the kiss.
It was a brief, almost accidental touch of lips, yet my chest tingled.
We smiled at each other and continued walking up the mountain trail at a steady pace.
“It looks like we don’t have much farther to go according to the map…”
But with the mountain scenery looking so similar in every direction, it felt as if we were just circling the same spot. The marked area on the map turned out to be far larger and more ambiguous in real life, making it even more confusing.
“Ah!”
To make matters worse, rain suddenly poured down. The once-clear sky, without a single cloud, had turned dark in an instant. Seiris quickly conjured a transparent barrier of magic above us, shielding us from the downpour. Still, the relentless sound of raindrops hammering against the barrier was enough to dampen our spirits.
“We can’t even find the path. Should we come back tomorrow?”
Jenin suggested, sounding a little less motivated. Kelian, who had just draped his robe over me, nodded in agreement—until he caught sight of Barkrud’s face and promptly closed his mouth.
“Can’t we… keep looking a little longer?”
Barkrud’s voice was almost pleading. Everyone except Seiris fell silent at the sight of his expression. His massive shoulders slumped, his brows furrowed pitifully. If “disappointment” could take the form of a person, it would be Barkrud at this very moment.
Jenin sighed, smiling helplessly.
“…I don’t mind searching a little longer.”
“I’m fine with it too.”
“Let’s keep looking.”
With Dain and me voicing our support, and Kelian finally making the decision, Barkrud’s expression instantly brightened.
The rain was heavy, but thanks to Seiris’s magic, our clothes remained dry. Motivated once again, we resumed our search for the rare dungeon with renewed determination.
Fortunately, before the sun had fully set, we discovered the SSS-rank rare dungeon nestled against the mountainside cliff. It was Jenin who found it after scaling the rocky surface with acrobatic ease.
[You have entered the Yellow Dragon’s Golden Nest.]
[Difficulty: SSS-rank (Rare)]
The Yellow Dragon’s Golden Nest?
The moment I read the name, my vision was flooded with gold.
A vast cavern lay before us, filled with treasures stacked in glittering piles. True to its name, this must have been the hoard of a Yellow Dragon. Judging by the sheer amount, it wasn’t just a dragon that liked gold—it was obsessed with it. Even as an observer, the sheer extravagance was almost overwhelming.
“Do you think the dungeon rewards will also be gold?”
“Just by looking at this, I’d say there’s a high chance.”
Of course, we wouldn’t be getting all of this as a reward, but even so, the grandeur of this SSS-rank rare dungeon was on another level.
Before we could admire the treasure any longer, a horde of goblins clad in armor appeared.
Small, humanoid creatures with pointed ears and an unsettling appearance, they were classic monsters—though these ones, armored and armed, looked particularly menacing.
“Monsters!”
At that moment, Barkrud, who had been waiting for a fight all day, bolted forward like an unleashed beast, swinging his spear.
The goblins panicked, tumbling down in a chaotic mess. His massive frame stormed through the cavern, wreaking havoc like a force of nature.
LV.60
After nearly two years of adventuring alongside my party, I had reached Level 60—a feat that would have seemed impossible when I first started. But even with my progress, this SSS-rank rare dungeon felt overwhelming.
In battles like these, my best strategy was to fight within the safety of my teammates and retreat if things got too dangerous.
“We took them all down!”
“If we keep pushing forward like this, we’ll clear it in no time.”
Thanks to Barkrud’s efforts, we reached the boss room without much difficulty.
As we passed through the ominous red barrier that always marked the entrance to a boss fight, the surroundings changed. Instead of a dark cave, we suddenly found ourselves in an open landscape.
“Wow…”
Was this also magic? The dreary, rain-soaked Philuos Mountain we had seen before entering the dungeon was gone. Instead, a vast, clear mountain range, majestic enough to be the dwelling of gods, stretched before us. We were standing at the peak of one of those mountains.
“Aine, stay back.”
Kelian gave a quiet warning, and not long after, the distant cry of a bird echoed through the air. No, calling it a bird didn’t feel right. The sound carried an eerie weight, as if it was meant to strike fear into anyone who heard it.
I instinctively realized it belonged to the boss of this rare dungeon, the Yellow Dragon. Without hesitation, I moved away from the group and hid behind a tree.
Kelian, confirming my position, drew his sword and looked straight ahead. Beyond the cliff, a massive winged creature was flying toward us. It was as golden and dazzling as the treasure we had seen in the cave.
“It’s coming!”
Seiris raised a barrier while Dain lifted his staff, casting a fire spell. But before the fiery orb could even reach the dragon, it was swallowed by the flames the beast breathed out.
Boom—!
The dragon’s fire clashed violently against the barrier, sending shockwaves through the mountain. The ground trembled, and a fierce gust of wind nearly knocked me off my feet.
Though their attacks canceled each other out, Kelian remained unfazed. He leaped high off the cliff and landed on the dragon’s back.
Sensing his intent, the dragon immediately dove downward, trying to shake him off. My fists clenched tightly as I watched. I believed Kelian would be fine, but that didn’t stop me from worrying.
“You okay?”
Jenin asked casually before jumping off the cliff as well. My heart nearly stopped again, but thankfully, both she and Kelian were caught midair by the mages’ magic.
In that moment, Kelian must have landed a hit. His sword was now stained yellow with the dragon’s blood. The enraged dragon let out a deafening roar, shaking the entire mountain range.
The battle against the flying dragon continued in the sky.
Until that moment, the party had been fighting without losing their composure, fully immersed in the battle. But then, an unexpected problem arose.
“There’s another one!”
It turned out that the boss wasn’t just one—it was two. The moment we realized this, another Yellow Dragon appeared, its fury evident as it lashed its tail through the air.
It all happened too fast for Seiris to raise a new barrier.
“Aine!”
The bigger problem was that the dragon’s tail was swinging right toward me. I tried to move, but I was already too late.
I’m going to get hit…!
I instinctively squeezed my eyes shut. But instead of the crushing impact I expected, I felt something firm and familiar wrap around me. Then, a powerful force struck, sending my body tumbling across the ground.
“Ugh… K-Kelian! Are you okay?”
The familiar warmth was none other than Kelian. I didn’t even have time to marvel at how he had managed to react so quickly and shield me in such a short span.
As I realized that he had absorbed the full force of the impact while crashing into the dirt and trees, my stomach twisted. My limbs stung from scrapes, but that didn’t matter—I was entirely focused on the man lying beside me.
“Potion. Healing potion.”
Seiris and the others were still locked in battle with the two Yellow Dragons. She wouldn’t be able to come to us right away. Panicked, I frantically searched through my inventory and pulled out a healing potion, pouring it into Kelian’s mouth.
Luckily, it worked. Slowly, his eyelids fluttered open. His unfocused eyes scanned his surroundings before finally stopping on my face.
“Kelian, are you okay?”
I asked urgently, gently touching his cheek. His expression changed slightly, and I took it as a sign that he was still in pain. I quickly pulled out an S-rank healing potion, ready to give it to him—
But he stopped me, pressing his palm over the bottle’s opening. Was he already fine?
Boom!
The mountain trembled once more. Kelian instinctively reached out to steady my swaying upper body, but as soon as his hand touched me, he flinched and quickly pulled away.
Confused, I called his name.
“Kelian?”
“You are…”
Huh?
I leaned in to catch his next words, but at that moment, one of the Yellow Dragons swooped past overhead. A chill ran down my spine.
Before I could say anything, Kelian abruptly shot to his feet, rushing toward the direction the dragon had flown.
“Uh…”
I stared blankly at his retreating figure before snapping out of it and getting to my feet. Fortunately, the battle ended not long after.
[Dungeon cleared.]
[Congratulations on achieving the first clear!]
[Rewards are being distributed.]
[Additional rewards for first clear are being granted.]
[Level up.]
I had finally broken past my plateau and reached level 61, but instead of feeling happy, my mind was in complete disarray.
Jenin spotted me and immediately ran over.
“Aine! Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m fine. What about you?”
“We’re all fine too. We didn’t expect there to be a hidden boss, though—we let our guard down. You almost got hurt…”
Jenin was still fuming. I gently patted her arm to calm her down.
“I’m sorry for worrying you. I should have dodged faster.”
“Aine, avoiding that at your level would have been more surprising.”
“My level… Oh, I leveled up.”
“Oh? You’re 61 now? We should have a celebratory drink when we get back.”
As we talked, Seiris approached and used magic to heal the minor wounds scattered across my body.
“Thank you, Seiris.”
We exchanged smiles before I looked around. Dain was safe. Barkrud was safe…
And a few steps away, Kelian stood watching everything with a slightly confused expression.
I walked up to him and asked,
“Kelian, are you hurt anywhere? You took a heavy hit earlier…”
Seiris, her expression indifferent, glanced him up and down.
“He looks perfectly fine to me.”
On the surface, he didn’t seem injured at all… but something about him felt subtly off. There was a strange sense of unease, a faint inconsistency in the way he carried himself.
“I’m fine.”
Kelian, who had been silent for a while, finally responded in a low voice. The moment I heard him speak, the lingering anxiety gnawing at the back of my mind eased, replaced by relief.
We exited the rare dungeon through the magic circle that had appeared in the air.
“That was fun.”
Barkrud, who had been the most eager to come, was visibly pleased. Even Dain, who had expended a lot of magic, seemed to be in a good mood.
I walked alongside Seiris and Jenin, chatting idly. But for some reason, Kelian kept slowing his pace, gradually falling to the back of the group, watching us from behind.
“Kelian?”
Sensing his gaze, I turned around, and our eyes met instantly.
Instinctively, I smiled and called his name. But Kelian…
“Who are you?”
His voice was filled with confusion as he directed the question squarely at me.
❖ ❖ ❖
…And so, here I am.
I sat in the dining hall, waiting until I was completely alone, only rising from my seat when the quiet of dawn settled in.
Kelian had lost his memories.
The only silver lining was that it was a partial loss. Unfortunately for me, the memories he had lost were mostly those involving me.
He still remembered the rest of our party—but I was erased. His memories cut off right before he met me.
“What if the memories don’t come back?”
Dain’s casual question resurfaced in my mind, piercing my chest like a thorn. But… it hadn’t even been a full day yet.
Besides, Kelian had ended up like this because he had shielded me. That warm, familiar embrace, the one that always made me feel safe, had taken the brunt of crashing against trees and the ground. Thinking about it made my heart ache even more.
Still, as long as Kelian was safe, that was enough. His memories would likely return with time. Clinging to that hopeful thought, I climbed the stairs.
Without much thought, I pushed the door open—only to find Kelian sitting on the bed.
Among the two beds in the room, the tall, golden-haired man was sitting on one. The dim glow of the lantern cast soft shadows over his face. When his indifferent gaze met mine, my shoulders flinched on instinct.
“Ah… Sorry. I used to, um, share this room. I came in without thinking… I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I had assumed he would be staying in Barkrud’s room since they had gone upstairs together earlier. I hadn’t expected him to be here. Flustered, I moved to leave, but his voice stopped me.
“If this was originally a shared room, there’s no reason for you to leave because of me.”
“…”
“Unless you’re uncomfortable. In that case, I’ll step out.”
He began to stand, and before I could think, the words tumbled out.
“I’m not uncomfortable!”
Kelian seemed slightly startled by my abrupt reaction, but after a brief pause, he nodded and sat back down. He was already washed and changed into a light, clean tunic, his golden hair casually tousled over his forehead. Just this morning, this was the man I had kissed without a second thought.
“I’ll, um… go wash up, then.”
Crossing the room, I entered the bathroom, but I could feel no gaze following me.
Suppressing the anxious pounding in my chest, I washed up, then put on my negligee.
And immediately regretted it.
This outfit is too…
But Kelian didn’t react. Even when I stepped out, dressed like this, he remained completely unfazed.
That was when it hit me—my appearance didn’t matter to him anymore.
If he had no feelings for me, then whether I wore a negligee or walked out completely bare, he probably wouldn’t even blink.
At least he wouldn’t mistake me for trying to seduce him. Should I be relieved? The bitter feeling in my chest told me otherwise.
Quietly, I sat on the other bed—the one he hadn’t chosen.
This morning, we had been lying together here.
Even though we had separate beds, we always shared one, sleeping in each other’s arms.
“Um… Kelian.”
“Yes.”
“Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere? You might not remember, but you took a pretty heavy hit earlier.”
I couldn’t bring myself to look at him as I asked. His answer came just as quietly.
“There’s nothing wrong.”
That was a genuine relief. With nothing else to ask, I closed my lips. The only sound filling the room now was the faint chirping of insects drifting in through the slightly open window.
“Good night.”
In the end, I turned toward the wall and lay down, murmuring my farewell. My toes fidgeted beneath the blanket for no reason.
For a moment, silence stretched between us. Then, a quiet voice followed.
“…Yes. You as well.”
His polite response felt strangely sad. But I didn’t let it show, forcing myself to sleep.
That night, I dreamed of saying goodbye to Kelian.
❖ ❖ ❖
To put it simply, even after several days, Kelian’s memories didn’t return.
Seiris forced him to sit down and bombarded him with aggressive healing magic, while Jenin dragged him to a temple despite the fact that he wasn’t cursed. But nothing worked.
Not that taking him to a temple was even meaningful—Kelian’s divine power rivaled that of a high priest, so if he had been affected by a curse, he would have been able to purify himself.
The final attempt was Barkrud’s suggestion to hit Kelian’s head hard to jog his memory. When he picked up his spear to demonstrate, even the usually calm Kelian looked somewhat exasperated. Of course, Kelian had no intention of standing still and letting that happen, and Dain and I hurried to stop Barkrud before any real damage was done.
“This is all my fault. I was the one who insisted we go to that dungeon…”
Barkrud sulked as he apologized, looking genuinely guilty.
“It’s not your fault. Kelian got hurt because he was protecting me.”
If anyone was to blame, it was me—not Barkrud. I patted his massive shoulder reassuringly, determined to defend him.
For a moment, I felt Kelian’s gaze land on my hand—but when I looked up, he was facing away. Maybe I imagined it.
“In the end, we all let our guard down. That’s on all of us.”
Dain, rarely the comforting type, tried to reassure Barkrud. I couldn’t help but smile, and Dain immediately shot me an annoyed glare.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing, what?”
“Just nothing.”
“Oh, come on.”
Dain huffed and turned away. I shook my head with a small laugh before returning to consoling Barkrud. But this time, Kelian was openly watching us.
“What?”
Dain noticed too and asked, raising a brow. Kelian, who had been observing us as if we were strangers, responded quietly.
“You all seem… different.”
“In what way?”
“…I’m not sure.”
He shook his head, unable to explain it clearly. Dain seemed to brush it off as a side effect of memory loss and suggested that Kelian receive more healing from Seiris.
For the first time, Kelian showed firm refusal. “That’s enough.”
“See? This is my fault after all…”
Barkrud muttered, looking ready to dig himself into the ground again.
This time, Jenin tried to cheer him up in her own way.
“It’s fine. Some days, you just lose your memories because of your teammates. That’s just life. Right, Kelian?”
…Was that supposed to be comforting?
Kelian, who had been put on the spot, silently nodded. He still didn’t seem particularly motivated to regain his memories. The weight in my chest grew heavier, like a stone pressing down on it. Then, without warning, he turned to me and asked,
“How did we meet?”
Ah.
