Previously: Liz, feigning amnesia, tried to injure Zenos, but failed due to his protective magic.
“How about this area, Liz-nee?”
“Hmm, I… I’m not sure.”
That day, after finishing breakfast, Zenos had taken Liz for a walk through the ruined district.
Amnesia wasn’t something that could be easily fixed with healing magic, so the purpose was to stimulate Liz’s memory by revisiting the ruined district where she had collapsed.
“Still, to lose your memory… that’s terrible…”
Lily, who had come along with them, said with a worried expression.
“Liz-san, last night you came into my bedroom, mistaking it for the toilet, didn’t you? Are your recent memories also vague?”
“Ah, yes, that’s right…”
Liz replied, for some reason, with a bitter expression.
Afterward, the three of them slowly wandered through the town that had once been destroyed by an epidemic.
Ruins. Dilapidated houses. Rotting shacks. An overgrown cemetery.
A weathered landscape, as if left behind by time, continued before them.
“How is it, Liz-nee? Have you remembered anything?”
“I’m sorry, I can’t remember…”
“I see…”
Zenos folded his arms and hummed thoughtfully.
“Hmm… Maybe we should try expanding the area of our walk a bit.”
“Expand the area?”
“Just because you collapsed in the ruined district doesn’t necessarily mean you have a connection to this specific place. Let’s try checking out the nearby areas too.”
Zenos nodded at Lily, who tilted her head in question, and continued.
“Speaking of places near the ruined district, that would be the slums, wouldn’t it?”
Proceeding deeper into the ruined district, they entered the area where the poor lived.
The state of decay of the buildings was similar to the ruined district, but in terms of liveliness, it was the complete opposite.
“Yo, Sensei.”
“Oh, doing well?”
“Ah, it’s Zenos-sensei!”
“Don’t get too excited and trip like last time.”
“Sensei, what are you doing with two beauties~?”
“Just a walk, just a walk.”
The streets were bustling with people, mainly demi-humans, and they were soon greeted from all directions.
As Zenos occasionally stopped to talk, Liz, who had been observing, spoke with a perplexed expression.
“Hey, Zenos-chan. You seem to be quite adored, don’t you?”
“Well, I know a lot of people around here.”
“But… no one seems scared of you at all…”
“Why would they be scared of me?”
“Because… aren’t you ruling them through overwhelming fear?”
“No, what are you talking about?”
Ever since they reunited, Liz would sometimes say things that made no sense.
Even now, she was pressing her forehead and muttering things like, “What in the world is going on… This is strange after all…”
They passed through the main street and turned into a narrow, maze-like alley.
Perhaps noticing Liz’s troubled expression, Lily changed the subject.
“The orphanage you two were at was a terrible place, wasn’t it?”
At Lily’s words, Zenos and Liz nodded in unison.
“Yeah, it was absolutely awful.”
“A prison would seem better.”
“The director, a guy named Daritz, was a real piece of work.”
A slender man who always had a pale face.
He had an aura like a grim reaper, and I remember how just seeing his face would make not only the children but even the adult instructors tense up.
After they had a round of complaining about those times, Zenos asked Liz.
“By the way, how’s your memory doing, Liz-nee?”
“Well…”
Liz stroked her chin with her fingertips, as if pondering something.
Just then, a few small children came running from down the street.
One of them stumbled and took a big tumble.
Clutching a scraped knee that was starting to bleed, the child burst into tears.
The other children were also flustered, unsure what to do.
“Zenos.”
“Well, I think it’s good for kids to be that energetic, though.”
Lily and Zenos headed towards the child.
“Hey now, don’t cry over a little fall.”
“It hurts, it hurts!”
Zenos shrugged, then bent down and placed his hand on the child’s knee.
“There, you’re all better now. Be more careful next time, okay?”
“Huh…? It doesn’t hurt?”
The child tilted their head, looking puzzled.
The scraped knee was perfectly fine, as if nothing had happened.
Saying, “Thank you, big brother!” the children ran off again.
Liz, who had been standing behind them, spoke with a trembling voice, looking stunned.
“Um, Zenos-chan… What was that just now…?”
Zenos turned around and scratched his head, a bit sheepishly.
“Ah, right. I guess I hadn’t told you yet. Actually, I work as a healer.”
“Huh?”
Liz’s mouth hung open, looking extraordinarily surprised.
“A healer…? N-Not a… ruler?”
“Ruler? What are you talking about?”
“B-But, what about the shady business…?”
“Well, I’m unlicensed, you see. Being from the slums, I can’t get a license.”
“S-So, that’s why you had those anatomy books and medicine at home…?”
“Yeah, that’s right. You saw them?”
“…”
“Liz-nee…?”
Zenos looked at the silent Liz with a blank, uncomprehending expression.
With a tearful face like the child from before, Liz groaned.
“N-No waaaaay…”
A/N: Thank you for all the congratulatory comments on the 100th chapter update.
I hope you will continue to enjoy it at your leisure.