Chapter 378: A Birthday Without Memories (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 378: A Birthday Without Memories (3)
“She says Brother’s memories have returned to when he was a child.”
Magrina’s shocking revelation—perhaps a desperate final move thrown by Line, who couldn't be here—was like a stone cast into a still pond.
The buzzing atmosphere from moments ago vanished instantly, replaced by a heavy chill.
“……What does that mean?”
Ladan asked, his expression turning grave.
Magrina let out a sigh before continuing.
“It’s exactly as I said. His memories are gone. To be more precise…… his mind has regressed to about thirteen years ago.”
It was a declaration that served as a final confirmation.
Silence swept over the crowd once more, but it didn't last long.
The one to break the heavy stillness was Seolrang. Her face, which had been filled with shock just like Ladan’s, had now settled into a blank expression devoid of any emotion.
“Don't tell me… someone attacked Mentor?”
“Huh?”
“Big Brother was—”
“Attacked?”
Seolrang’s words acted as a catalyst. At her single sentence, a terrifying pressure—no, mana—began to pour out from those who had been standing in silence.
Crackle—!
The sheer force of the mana being released caused the surrounding terrain to warp and shift in an instant.
“Who was it? Who dared to touch the Boss—”
“……They must die.”
“…….”
Finally, with a loud creak, the nearby trees began to collapse, creating a massive roar.
The commotion was so great that—
Thump—!
“……?”
The sound reached the ears of the oblivious Alon, even from a distance.
“Hmm. Is there a fight breaking out between monsters?”
“This……?”
“Sometimes sounds like that happen when large monsters fight. But there shouldn't be any large monsters around here?”
As Alon tilted his head at Penia’s explanation while they worked on paperwork together, back in the forest, Magrina was trying to manage the situation.
“Wait, everyone, calm down.”
“Do we look like we can be calm right now?”
“……I think it would be best if you heard the full story before you get angry.”
Magrina cooled the overheated air. If left alone, these people looked ready to demolish the entire area and set out immediately to find whoever had 'attacked' Alon.
In a calm voice, Magrina began to explain why the current situation had occurred.
About ten minutes passed.
“……I see. So Big Brother temporarily regressed thirteen years for the sake of his magical achievements? But due to an accident, that state is lasting longer than intended.”
“That’s right.”
“Hmm—so Mentor wasn't attacked by anyone?”
“No.”
“Phew, and here I was worried over nothing—”
Ryanga let out a sigh and continued.
“So? Is there a reason you’re telling us this?”
“Of course.”
“What is it?”
“Right now, the Marquis hasn't informed the outside world that he’s lost his memory.”
“……It certainly wouldn't be good in any sense if news of his memory loss spread at a time like this,” Deus remarked, nodding.
Magrina nodded back.
“That’s why I’m telling all of you in advance. Even if the Marquis acts a bit strange, to some extent—”
“We should just pretend not to notice, is that it?”
“Exactly.”
At her confirmation, everyone gathered there nodded in unison.
“If that’s the case, it would look suspicious if we reacted strangely.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Me too.”
“Mm-hmm—got it, I’ll do the same.”
The atmosphere relaxed in an instant. It was hard to imagine that these were the same people who, just moments ago, were radiating enough mana to tear someone apart.
“Then there’s nothing else to report, right?”
“No.”
“Then I’ll be heading off now.”
“Me too!”
“Me as well.”
“I have to go too. I still have things to prepare.”
One by one, they waved lightly and left the area. Finally, Historia disappeared with a casual flick of her hand.
Watching them go, Magrina let out a soft sigh. With this, her 'official' duties were finished.
“…….”
Magrina recalled the scene from a moment ago. Though they had waved and acted relieved that it was no big deal, they had all looked deep in thought as they departed.
Every single one of them had the same glint in their eyes.
A look that said they might be able to pull something off at a time like this.
Magrina cleared her throat instinctively.
In truth, as soon as she had heard the news from Line today, she had made her own 'preparations' as well.
“……I hope tomorrow comes quickly,” Magrina murmured to herself as she turned and vanished into the forest.
Soon, the woods were empty once more.
* * *
Late into the night.
Alon, who had not yet fallen asleep, sat alone in the office after Penia had left, lost in thought.
He was thinking about magic.
‘What should I do?’
Excluding the first week he spent adjusting to the suddenly changed world, Alon had spent the remaining three weeks thinking only of magic.
More specifically, he was looking for a way to eliminate the vulnerabilities of the 'Phrases' and 'Hand Seals' he used.
The reason Alon had ended up in this state after taking the Potion of Regression through Penia was to find a way to fix those weaknesses.
But unfortunately, he hadn't found any clues over the past three weeks.
In a way, it was only natural.
The basic mechanism of the Potion of Regression was to temporarily erase one's memories to return to childhood, using that youthful imagination to find paths that were invisible to an adult.
A child’s imagination is far richer than an adult’s, after all.
Since there were even Tower Masters who had seen results from this potion, it was clear that the potion itself was effective.
However, even if it helped other mages—even Tower Masters—reach the 8th Tier, it was different for Alon.
Think about it. Fundamentally, what Tower Masters sought from the Potion of Regression was their childhood imagination.
But unfortunately, Alon had never possessed a 'child’s' imagination in this world.
He was a being who had entered a game.
In short, he never had the kind of imagination the Potion of Regression was meant to recover. Instead, all he had were memories jaded by reality. He couldn't obtain the imagination expected from the potion.
“…….”
Because of this, the thought ‘Was my future self so stupid that he did something completely meaningless?’ crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.
No matter how desperate his future self might have been, there was no way he wouldn't have known this. Therefore, Alon concluded that his future self had drunk the Potion of Regression despite knowing this fact.
‘And the reason for that must have been to erase my knowledge of the game.’
To test this, Alon tried to recall his memories.
The memories of the magic he had seen in the game, which had been vivid until he fully regained his senses, were now incredibly faint. It was as if he had only read about Psychedelia in a book.
In other words, it seemed his past self had intentionally wiped away his knowledge of the magic from the game before drinking the potion.
As if he were expecting something.
“…….”
It had taken about three weeks for the current Alon to realize this, and he had tried to build his logic based on that fact.
……And so far, he hadn't achieved any significant results.
‘……Why on earth did I get rid of the game knowledge?’
Alon asked the question for the tenth time in his heart, but of course, no answer came.
“Whew.”
The only thing Alon had managed to deduce over the past few weeks was one thing: his future self believed that 'knowledge from the game' was unnecessary—no, rather, a poison—to improving his current weaknesses.
Feeling his eyelids grow heavy, Alon stood up and looked out at the night sky.
Unlike the sky his past self had looked at a month ago, there wasn't a single star to be seen; only the moon hung in the air.
After staring blankly for a moment, Alon headed toward his bedroom to get some sleep. Even as he walked, his thoughts refused to stop.
* * *
The next day.
Despite not being able to sleep until dawn because of his thoughts on magic, Alon woke up quite early. Rubbing his tired eyes, he thought to himself.
‘They said today is my birthday.’
The thought made his heart feel heavy. He would have to deceive everyone who came to visit him today.
‘……I’ve heard the general information, but—’
He had received a full explanation from Penia about the people who would be visiting today and those who might show up.
However, it was obvious that simply hearing an explanation wouldn't allow him to naturally pull off lies he wasn't used to telling.
‘It’s a bit of a burden.’
Feeling an unnecessary weight on his shoulders, Alon pulled back the curtains as usual. Outside, he saw the peaceful village scenery and the statue posed as the Northern Chief—
“……?”
The statue was there.
Yes, it was there. Just as Alon always saw it. It was in the same spot.
And yet, the reason Alon was staring blankly at the statue was—
“……Did it get bigger?”
Because the statue had grown.
“…….”
The thought ‘Did I see it wrong?’ flashed through Alon’s mind. He blinked a few times and looked closely at the statue. The pose was definitely the same.
“…….”
Alon shifted his gaze to the Auction House. He knew that from his vantage point, the statue was usually about 1.5 times the height of the Auction House.
After a moment.
“……Double?”
No matter how many times he measured the statue against the height of the Auction House, Alon was forced to reach the unbelievable conclusion that the statue had indeed grown larger.
An hour later.
“Good morning, Marquis.”
“……Yes, Deus.”
Alon looked at Deus and marveled behind his expressionless mask.
‘He’s handsome.’
Unlike the hideous face he had in the game, Deus Macallian was incredibly handsome. If he walked around like that, people of all ages and genders would surely turn their heads to admire him.
After staring at Deus in surprise for a moment, Deus spoke.
“So, how do you like the gift?”
“Gift?”
“Yes. The statue.”
“Ah—”
At those words, Alon realized. The reason the statue had grown larger overnight was because of Deus.
Before he could even wonder how that massive statue had been changed in a single day without a sound—
“Yes, you liked it so much, Marquis, that I prepared an even larger one this time……!”
Alon was even more shocked to hear that his future self supposedly liked that ridiculous statue of the Northern Chief.
However, he couldn't let it show.
“……Thank you.”
Alon answered with feigned composure, even as the question ‘I? Like that?’ screamed in his head.
“Perhaps I should prepare two more next time?”
“……Two more of those?”
“Yes, since you love them so much, Marquis!”
Feeling an immense sense of confusion at Deus’s enthusiastic rambling, Alon eventually replied.
“Sure, well…… that would be fine. Since I like them.”
And so.
“I knew it! You really do love statues, Marquis……! I’ll have them ready!”
As he watched Deus leave with a look of immense pride, Alon began to feel a creeping dread behind his blank face, wondering just what kind of person his future self had become.
“Mentor! This!”
“……What is this?”
“It’s a gift……!”
This time, Seolrang brought a gift.
“The gift Mentor wanted……!”
……It was a marriage registration form.
‘What on earth is this now……?!’
Alon’s mind went completely numb.