GDTEA Ch 70

Even Without Memories

Following Vireta, Sharti heard about what had happened while she was asleep.

First, the battle that had begun at midnight had disappeared without a trace by dawn.

“The ruffians who tried to raid the village have all been gathered in one place.”

Among them, only one remained alive. And even he was left with just his tongue intact.

The rest had been cleanly separated—heads from bodies.

The Krofl Mercenary Group, though largely composed of individuals with free and moderate temperaments, showed no mercy toward enemies.

“And just a little while ago, we sent them all to their employer.”

The assassins and wandering mercenaries had all vanished, swallowed by the teleportation magic circles deployed by the mages.

With luck, they would have been transported right before Marquis Darhan Bridend’s eyes. Of course, such a vile person as Darhan Bridend wouldn’t have hired them directly, so they probably appeared before the Marquis’s proxy.

“And as soon as morning broke, the village chief gathered the residents and informed them of the situation.”

The battle that occurred during the night had raised a sense of crisis.

The villagers etched a new vigilance in their hearts as they faced the village’s secrets, dangers, and new changes.

“The Tower Master now owns this mountain, and the mercenary group is responsible for protecting the village, so the burden has been greatly reduced.”

In reality, it had become much safer than most noble territories.

Jokingly, they said it wouldn’t lose even in a territorial war.

“Of course, as the village’s existence becomes more widely known, the pressure directed here will be no joke.”

The secret that the Tower Master’s first acquisition near the border wasn’t just a mountain but a village containing a massive mana chunk wouldn’t remain hidden for long.

“Well, for a while, those noble bastards will be cautious.”

Who would dare to engage in open conflict with the Magic Tower? At most, they might resort to behind-the-scenes machinations.

“So in the meantime, we plan to grow this village.”

The village chief, the Magic Tower, and the mercenary group had already coordinated. They had negotiated to create a large magic workshop in the village.

It would be both a dedicated workshop for Karun’s mercenary group and a resource-rich workshop for the mages affiliated with the Tower.

Of course, they planned to open the village and accept individual orders from mages and mercenaries too.

‘Grandmother is truly remarkable.’

It was a perfect coexistence where no one lost out.

Sharti, who had initiated all this but stepped back, was simply grateful to Vireta.

“Soon, a representative from the Magic Tower will arrive as both the Tower Master’s proxy and the village administrator. We’ve already spoken with the village chief, and that representative probably won’t oppose either. So think about what you’d like to receive, Sha.”

“…?”

As Sharti stopped walking, Vireta took her hand and patted it with a gentle smile.

“Everything started with you, Sha. Naturally, you should receive a proper reward.”

Sharti quickly shook her head, indicating it was absurd.

She tried to fidget with her hands to write a note, but Vireta wouldn’t let go.

“Sha, you shouldn’t devalue your actions just because you did something kind for purely ethical reasons. Kindness without conditions often ends up looking like a convenient excuse for exploitation.”

“……”

“When you intervene in someone’s life, you should receive a reward equal to the weight you were prepared to carry.”

The courage gathered and the hope shared couldn’t be assigned monetary value. But that didn’t make them ordinary or easy.

The desire to help others was noble in itself.

“……”

Sharti kept nibbling her lips before slowly nodding.

Vireta released her hand, looking satisfied.

“That mutt is probably working hard for similar reasons.”

“…?”

Sharti followed Vireta again.

Leading the curious Sharti, Vireta arrived at the village outskirts.

A crowd of spectators had gathered in the clearing on the outskirts.

“Waaaaaaah!”

“Augh!!”

“Hey, catch him!!”

All sorts of strange battle cries echoed across the clearing, which was buzzing with energy reminiscent of a training ground.

Mercenary swordsmen, breathing heavily with heaving shoulders, leaped toward the figure standing in the center of the clearing.

‘W-what…!’

Sharti covered her mouth in shock.

The target of the mercenaries’ collective charge was Ren.

Wearing a tattered robe and holding just a dagger, Ren moved to narrowly avoid the blades flying toward him.

“Huh? What?”

The moment a trajectory faltered, Ren twisted his body to match the mercenaries’ speed, then struck the back of a mercenary’s neck with the hilt of his dagger.

“Ugh!”

“Damn it! Getting caught again? Again?!”

The mercenaries who had been thoroughly struck with the dagger’s hilt yelled at each other with heated faces.

Sharti covered her ears, feeling like her eardrums might burst.

“Hey! Just take off that hood and it’s over! What are you doing?!”

“Is it magically attached or something?! Why won’t it come off?!”

The mercenary swordsmen became more tattered with each collision with Ren.

In contrast, Ren had only his robe torn.

‘Didn’t he say he was learning…? This doesn’t really look like training.’

The mercenaries just kept charging at Ren in frustration, repeating the same pattern.

After being initially nervous because this wasn’t the scene she had imagined, Sharti watched Ren with complicated feelings.

‘The head may forget, but the body remembers.’

Even to the untrained eye of an ordinary person who knew nothing about swordsmanship, Ren appeared extraordinary.

As evident from all the spectators watching him with admiration, he clearly had a talent for swordsmanship.

‘When I first met him in the cave, he was holding a sword too.’

His sword, which she hadn’t yet returned to him, was still buried in the ground.

Just then, the mercenary knights all stopped at once to catch their breath. Their initial surprise at Ren’s unexpected skill gradually disappeared.

The knights exchanged glances, and their aura noticeably changed as they readjusted their grip on their swords and immediately attacked Ren.

“Tsk, tsk. Against a mutt.”

Vireta clicked her tongue, pointing out the mercenary knights’ pettiness.

Simultaneously with Vireta’s annoyed remark, a blade cut through Ren’s hood and robe.

Sharti flinched in shock.

“…!”

While Ren hurriedly tried to cover his eyes in confusion, three sword blades touched his neck. Ren unhesitatingly dropped his dagger in surrender.

The mercenary knights also withdrew their momentum and lowered their swords.

Scattered applause followed from the crowd.

“Thank you for the lesson.”

As Ren bowed deeply, the mercenary knights shrugged with embarrassed faces.

“Is he really a beginner? Why is he so good?”

“I know. At first, I thought he just had fast reflexes. Ah! Maybe he was just testing our skills before getting serious?”

“……”

“But why does he keep covering his eyes? Are you avoiding sunlight? You’re not hurt, are you?”

The mercenaries who had been watching approached Ren with admiration.

Surrounded by the mercenary group, Ren silently accepted their praise.

Sharti could only stare at him from a distance, unable to approach.

‘Sense of belonging…’

She recalled Ren’s words about a sense of belonging.

He had said he’d never had or felt a sense of belonging, but perhaps he had simply forgotten it. Wasn’t this vague sense of belonging now being transmitted part of the memories he was trying to give up?

Amid the bustling atmosphere, Ren didn’t seem out of place. He fit in naturally.

“Sha, do you know why that mutt is sitting there behaving so uncharacteristically docile?”

Vireta snickered with a bland smile.

“He wants to show his master.”

“…?”

“That even without memories, he’s fine.”

That was what Ren had told Vireta when he visited her early that morning.

[Even without memories, I have no problem living as ‘Ren.’ Though everything may be difficult because it’s all new, though I may have to cover my face as I live, I am neither afraid nor anxious.]

[As long as Sha is with me, I will strive to be helpful in any way, work to fill in my shortcomings, and do anything to stay by her side.]

[To ensure my master can handle me, I will become someone who shares Sha’s burdens. For that purpose…]

“He said he’ll start with learning.”

Ren had decided to learn knowledge, experiences, socialization, and the world.

That was why he first approached the mercenary group and humbly requested to be taught.

“……”

Sharti was speechless.

Ren had found his own way to show Sharti that he had cleanly shed any lingering attachment to his lost memories.

Now, truly, Sharti was the only one still obsessing over his memories.

‘I am…’

Vireta gently pushed Sharti’s back and said:

“So go hide that mutt now.”

Pushed forward unexpectedly, Sharti hesitantly took a step. Then her pace quickened as she ran toward Ren.

“Ren!”

When she unconsciously called him, Ren automatically turned his head toward Sharti despite covering his eyes. Passing through the mercenaries while rummaging through her bag, Sharti quickly pulled out a spare cloak and covered Ren’s face first.

Standing before Ren, Sharti caught her breath.

Her hands trembled as she fastened the cloak’s clasp.

“Sha-.”

Their eyes met with Ren smiling under the cloak.

When Sharti placed her hand on his sweat-soaked bangs, Ren obediently closed his eyes and accepted her touch.

Her chest fluttered.

She had only run for a moment, yet her racing heart could be felt at her fingertips.

“If I become better with a sword, you won’t have to worry about close combat or ranged combat.”

“……”

Ren’s lips, his eyes still closed, formed a gentle curve.

“So you can sleep peacefully without worry, Sha.”

It was a promise to always stay by her side, even without protective magic.

As Sharti moved her lips to respond to this heartfelt promise—

“If you’re this good with a dagger, I wonder how you’d do with a longsword.”

Karun, the mercenary group’s leader, strode over.

With the sun at his back, deep shadows fell across Karun’s face, making Sharti flinch.

Ren quickly hid Sharti behind him protectively.

“Young man, you don’t seem particularly tired. Would you like to try handling a longsword?”

At Karun’s signal, a nearby mercenary knight unsheathed his sword and offered it to Ren.

Though Ren was large, Karun was no less imposing.

Moreover, the long vertical scar over his left eye and his years of experience made Karun appear even more massive.

“……”

Ren, who had been about to leave with Sharti, sighed and accepted the sword.

Following his original personality, he couldn’t refuse the mercenaries who had crossed swords with him to teach him.

After all, he needed to improve his social skills too.

“I need to prepare my master’s meal, so I’ll keep this short.”

“…!”

Sharti reflexively clutched her stomach.

‘How did he know I haven’t eaten? Did my stomach growl?’

Though it was still before breakfast, her “stomach clock” hadn’t rung.

In truth, Ren just needed an excuse to get Sharti away from the curious mercenary group.

“Ah, so the doctor hasn’t had breakfast yet. Boys! Bring some food over here!”

“Please eat this, Doctor.”

At Karun’s booming call, the mercenaries hurriedly brought out food.

In an instant, Sharti’s arms were filled with breakfast.

Her face turned bright red.

‘Other people must have heard too!’

Embarrassed, Sharti hung her head low.

Meanwhile, Ren seemed quite satisfied that Sharti could quickly fill her stomach.

Sharti, still embarrassed, gently tugged at Ren’s sleeve. When Ren bent down, Sharti, watching those around them, placed a candy-sized red fruit berry against his lips.

“Don’t get hurt.”

“……”

As Ren’s mouth slowly opened, the fruit berry popped in.

Tasting the sweetness spreading in his mouth, Ren grinned.

“I have no intention of becoming a patient again, so don’t worry, Master.”

Then Ren fed Sharti a red fruit berry too.

Ren stared at the small mouth chewing before finally tearing his gaze away and straightening up.

“Ah, youth is wonderful.”

Karun wore a warm smile.

Blushing at the knowing atmosphere around her, Sharti, arms full of food, fled back to Vireta.

Ren, his expression already returned to calm, couldn’t take his eyes off Sharti’s retreating figure.

Karun stroked his beard.

“Taking up a sword for a woman often doesn’t end well.”

“……”

Ren squinted as he faced Karun.

At Karun’s gesture, the mercenaries around Ren moved away. Instead of the mercenary knights who had sparred with Ren, Karun drew the greatsword from his back.

“A sword that cuts people ultimately cuts relationships too, young man.”

Without hesitation, Ren drew his sword.

“I’m not learning to cut. I’m learning to protect.”

His teal eyes shone with determination.