The Price of Forgotten Memories
Unsettled by Cecilia's trembling body, I gently pushed her back. It was a minor gesture, but Cecilia's eyes went wide as she looked up at me. "...Master?"
Her expression looked as if she were about to burst into tears at any second, making my heart soften slightly. But then, the sudden memory of her trying to kill me just moments ago sent a cold shiver down my spine. "I-I'm Lia. It's really me, Lia..."
Cecilia's level indicator flashed a deep pink, reminiscent of Charlotte's. Simply because I was her "master," she harbored an absolute, unconditional affection and goodwill toward me. On the flip side, I hadn't even known this body had a disciple until now. If I had known beforehand, I could have at least pretended to be her master to get out of this mess. If I could even win her over as an ally, our military strength would skyrocket.
'But that's just wishful thinking.' The way she looked at me was entirely clouded by a delusion. What if she eventually realized I wasn't her master and that she had been used? Resistance would be utterly futile. We would all die, and the dungeon would crumble to dust that very day.
'...If I tell her right now that I'm not her master, will she snap?' If she learned the truth, she might fly into a rage and try to slaughter me again. But pretending to be her master was like cradling a ticking time bomb. If I said even a single word confirming it, she would cling to me indefinitely.
Fine, it was all or nothing. I resolved to detonate the Moonlight Sword the exact instant her level indicator turned red. Keeping my eyes fixed on the Moonlight Sword, I spoke. "Let me make one thing clear first. I am not your master."
"...What?"
For my part, I just wanted Cecilia to leave this place without any further conflict. And I hoped she would never return. Of course, having slaughtered her own subjugation force, she probably had nowhere left to go. But that was none of my business. My own survival was my sole priority, and simply having Cecilia near me felt like a constant threat to my life.
"Not only am I not your master, but I do not know you."
"..."
"I harbor no hostility toward you. Therefore, I wish for this matter to end here, and for you to depart. That is all."
While keeping my eyes on the Moonlight Sword, I carefully monitored the color of her level indicator. For now, it remained a deep, unchanging pink. It felt like walking a tightrope over an abyss. "Go back to where you came from. And never return to this place. We are not your enemies."
To be completely honest, just standing in front of Cecilia was terrifying. She was an opponent who could easily kill me—who had, in fact, almost done so. Even without the Moonlight Sword, there was no way she could be easily subdued. Since she was a monster of a combatant whom we couldn't defeat even if we all attacked together, compromise was my only path to survival. If I kept someone this terrifying by my side through deception, pretending to be her master, I would die of anxiety within days. Even if it was a bit risky, my only choice was to send her away somehow.
My face was reflected in Cecilia's tear-filled eyes. Seeing such a beautiful woman cry was somewhat heartbreaking, but in reality, she was a woman who could end my life in the blink of an eye. I steeled my heart and kept my gaze steady. Cecilia rubbed her eyes vigorously with the back of her hand.
"Then... why didn't you attack me?"
"..."
"You are the Lord of the Abyss Palace. You defeated Wilhelm, Valmonk... even the Margrave and the Grand Sage. Why did someone like you show me such mercy?"
Because you moved faster than my eyes could track. I swallowed the words I desperately wanted to say.
"And, M-Master... the Lauraba Ruby Crystal, you broke that for me too. You did that because you knew everything, didn't you? Please tell me I'm right!"
The Lauraba Ruby Crystal... Come to think of it, that was the notification window that popped up when I tried to detonate the Moonlight Sword. During a past visit to the Demon Realm, I had heard about the Seven Gemstones of the Demon Realm. Lauraba was a medium used to break down a target's mental fortitude and manipulate their mind. The pieces of the puzzle were finally falling into place. It was obvious that Cecilia's brainwashing had been broken, leading her to mistake me for her master. I didn't know the exact details, but that was the only logical conclusion.
Suddenly, Cecilia collapsed to her knees. Her trembling hands reached out and desperately grabbed my legs. "Me too, Master, please... I understand how you feel. I know how deeply betrayed you must have felt... Even at the very end, you only worried about me..."
"..."
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... I didn't recognize you and tried to kill you. I don't know why I did that, I... It was the brainwashing! Yes! It was because of the brainwashing..."
Cecilia clung to my legs. I could feel the desperate strength in her grip, as if she would never let go. She barely managed to swallow her sobs. "It's me, Lia. I'll never do it again. I missed you so, so much, Master. Can't you just take me back like before? Please...?"
This was incredibly awkward. I had told her repeatedly that I wasn't her master, so why did she keep doing this?
"I have nothing more to say to you. Leave."
"Ah..."
I pried her arms away from my legs. Her eyes, filled with utter despair, stared straight at me, but I ignored them. After helping her up, I pointed toward the stairs with the tip of my finger. Cecilia stared at me blankly. Tears began to pour from her eyes like a lost child. Even when she tried to block them with both hands, they spilled through her fingers, soaking the floor like rain. "Ugh... hic..." Her shoulders shook violently as sorrowful wails escaped her lips. Cecilia reluctantly turned and began to walk away. I felt a pang of pity, but that was all. Once her figure completely vanished from sight, I let out a long, relieved sigh. 'Please, just don't ever come back.'
Honestly, the smart thing to do would have been to kill her while her guard was down. That would have eliminated any future complications and given me complete peace of mind. But how could I possibly do that? Even if I had the power to kill her, I couldn't bring myself to do it after seeing her like that. I realized once again that my soft-hearted nature was going to be the death of me.
Afterward, I ordered Charlotte to clean up the battlefield. The Servants of the Night recovered Karleon, and out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Balutak and Isabella, who had finally regained consciousness. Just as I was about to head over and ask how she was feeling—
"...Boss."
Charlotte suddenly called out to me. She was holding a crystal ball in her hand, clearly displaying something. The moment I looked at it, an involuntary sigh escaped my lips. Cecilia was sitting on the ground, her face buried in her knees, sobbing. Apparently unable to let go, she was lingering on the upper floors. Seriously, why can't she just leave?
"What would you like to do?"
We couldn't force Cecilia out by strength alone. Even if we could, it would cost us dearly. At this point, I didn't care anymore. The situation was already chaotic enough, and I didn't want to waste any more mental energy on Cecilia. "Leave her be. She will tire herself out and leave eventually."
Charlotte stared at the crystal ball and let out a heavy sigh. Two days had passed, yet Cecilia remained rooted in place like an immovable boulder. Even if the Boss had decided to ignore her, Charlotte could not do the same.
Step, step.
She walked down to the first floor where Cecilia was lingering. As the sound of approaching footsteps echoed, Cecilia lifted her head from afar. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, stained a faint pink. The spark of anticipation in her eyes quickly died out when she saw it was Charlotte. As Charlotte approached, Cecilia mumbled, her lips trembling. "I... I am grateful to you. For saving Master."
She mumbled, her pronunciation slurred. Charlotte looked down at her with cold, indifferent eyes. It didn't matter to her what Cecilia felt.
"I have a question for you."
For the past two days, Charlotte had been harboring a growing curiosity. She wanted to ask, but questioning the Boss directly would violate proper etiquette. "Are you saying you were his disciple when he was alive?"
"...Yes, I was."
Even if it was just her one-sided claim, it was highly likely to be true. The Boss, who had slain even the Grand Sage in a single blow, had not resisted this woman in the slightest. Even though he could have killed her instantly without lifting a finger, he hadn't. No matter how much she thought about it, Charlotte could only conclude that he had let himself be struck on purpose. "Tell me about what he was like when he was alive."
Cecilia glared up at her sharply. "You know nothing about Master..." I remember everything. It was agonizing to see a witch who knew absolutely nothing about him standing by his side. "I do not know of the Boss's past life," Charlotte replied smoothly. "I serve him for who he is now. I merely asked out of curiosity."
"He is the Hero, Lucas. That is my master."
"Ah, so he was a Hero."
If he was the mentor of the Empire's rising star, it was only natural that he was a Hero. "Master wasn't just any Hero," Cecilia said. "He dedicated his entire life to humanity, only to be executed."
Executed? By the Empire? Charlotte's eyes widened, silently urging her to continue.
"He was a pitiful soul. He gave everything to the Empire, only to be accused of protecting a witch. On such a ridiculous charge..." Cecilia trailed off, glaring at Charlotte. She bit her lip, choked back her tears for a long moment, and then spoke again. "It's because of you. Master died because of witches like you."
"Are you really in any position to say that?" Charlotte retorted coldly. "Who was the one who just tried to kill the Boss?"
Cecilia bit her lip shut. Soon, her head drooped powerlessly. "I'm sorry..."
"..."
Charlotte stared at her, but her mind was already drifting elsewhere. A Hero who protected witches in his past life. A faint, hazy memory from her past seemed to flicker on the edge of her consciousness. "When and where did this happen?"
"What do you mean?"
"The moment he saved those witches."
"...Ten years ago. In the forest on the northern outskirts."
Ten years ago, in a northern border village. It was undoubtedly the great massacre where Charlotte had lost her hometown. Was it because she had been so young? Though she hadn't been a mere toddler, her memories of that day were hazy. All that remained vivid was the grief of losing her home and her burning hatred for humanity. Since then, Charlotte had lived in hiding to evade the Empire's eyes, remaining ignorant of the world's affairs. Consequently, she had never known of Lucas's execution—until now, when she finally realized who the Boss truly had been.
'Even back then, he...' It was a shame she couldn't remember the details from ten years ago, but he might have saved her. No, he definitely had. Charlotte firmly believed it. Of course, it was tragic that he had died for protecting witches. But Charlotte herself hadn't killed him. Rather than wallowing in guilt, she resolved to dedicate her saved life to serving him forever. Her resolve, which had already been absolute, grew even more unshakeable. 'Our fates have been intertwined since then.'
A faint smile played on Charlotte's lips. Looking at Cecilia, she felt a strange sense of superiority. The Boss had rejected Cecilia, yet he had chosen her. No matter how close they had been as master and disciple in life, she was nothing to him now. In contrast, Charlotte's life had been saved by him in the past, and she was destined to serve him for the rest of her days.
"You tried to kill the Boss. You nearly succeeded."
"..."
"With what face do you cling to him now? The Boss wishes for your departure. Leave the dungeon while he is still showing you mercy."
"No."
Cecilia's resolve was unyielding. She looked as though she would rather be buried on this very spot than leave. Charlotte glared at her for a moment before turning on her heel.
"I have a question for you too," Cecilia called out.
Charlotte sighed and turned back around. It was true that she had learned about the Boss's past life thanks to Cecilia. "What is it?"
"You're a necromancer. You must know a lot about the undead."
"And what is it you wish to ask?"
"Is it... is it really true that Master doesn't remember me?"
She still hasn't given up. Charlotte clicked her tongue, her brow furrowing. "He might, and he might not."
"...What does that mean?"
"Exactly what I said. Most undead lose their sense of self and forget their past lives."
"Ah..."
The "death" of the deceased also carried the meaning of oblivion. Cecilia let out an involuntary gasp. But then, she suddenly shook her head. "No. No, that's not true. If he forgot me, why didn't he attack me? He actually saved me."
"Perhaps he does remember," Charlotte said. "High-ranking undead retain their past memories perfectly."
A spark of hope flared in Cecilia's eyes. High-ranking undead remembered their past lives. And her master was the Lord of the Abyss Palace.
"However, in the Boss's case, it is difficult to say for certain."
"...Why?"
"The Boss is a Death Knight. In terms of species, they are mid-to-high-ranking undead. It is normally impossible for them to remember their past lives."
"But he is the Lord of the Abyss Palace."
"That is true. The Boss is no ordinary undead. Though his vessel is a Death Knight, his soul rank far surpasses even that of the Lich King."
"Then...?"
"There are actually several precedents similar to his. The Boss likely remembers things the same way they do."
Regardless of their resurrected bodies, there were many undead with exceptionally high soul ranks. They all shared a single commonality regarding their past memories.
"At first, they retain fragments of their past lives—only the most pivotal memories. However, as their soul erodes over time, they begin to lose even those."
"What do you mean... soul erosion?"
"What you did two days ago is a prime example."
"...What?"
"You inflicted a fatal wound upon the Boss's soul. As a consequence of that shock, many of his memories must have been lost."
In an instant, Cecilia froze. A fatal wound that brought him to the brink of death. The horrific memory of that moment repeatedly stabbed at her mind.
"They lose their most precious memories first," Charlotte continued. "The reason the Boss did not recognize you is likely—"
After those words, Cecilia could no longer hear anything. The more she thought about what had happened, the more she felt a sense of dissonance. Her master had allowed her to strike him without resisting, and had even broken her brainwashing. He had definitely done so, yet from the moment he woke up, he didn't recognize her. She couldn't understand why he denied being her master when all the evidence pointed to him. It was as if... he had lost his memories in that brief, fleeting moment.
"Ah... ah..."
Her most precious memory. To Cecilia, her only precious memories were those spent with her master. She had believed—had desperately hoped—that he felt the same. But she had never wanted to find out like this. Her master, too, had cherished his memories of her above all else. And because they were his most precious memories, they were the very ones he had lost.
As her senses began to fade, the world drifted far away. Though there was no sound, a bizarre, high-pitched ringing echoed in her ears. I ruined everything with my own hands. An uncontrollable wave of regret welled up from deep within her chest. A shallow breath escaped her trembling lips. Her chest ached as if pierced by a thousand needles. The pain intensified, feeling as though a gaping hole had been torn in her heart, allowing a freezing wind to howl through it. Her back bent, and her forehead pressed against the cold floor. Her body shook violently from the agonizing ache in her heart. A choked sound—somewhere between a sob and a scream—burst from her throat. Why... why did I only realize everything after he had forgotten it all?
Charlotte closed her eyes and turned her back on the weeping girl, walking away. Seeing Cecilia in such a state, she felt a quiet sense of relief. 'Whatever happens to you is none of my concern.' If her hypothesis was correct, the Boss only lost his memories of his past life. In other words, his memories after becoming a Death Knight would remain perfectly intact. Death Knight Bargore. The Lord of the Abyss Palace was the only version of him Charlotte needed to know.