Amnesia

“Allen.

My name is Allen.”

Allen clutched her aching, swollen head, trying to recall everything about herself.

Yet the soreness gnawed at her consciousness like a parasite embedded in bone.

For a moment, Allen knew nothing about herself at all.

It was as if she were a blank person who did not exist in this world.

The emptiness in her mind was like a sheet of pure white paper.

On that white paper, there was only a single dot—

Her name, Allen.

Like a drop of ink.

Without warning, anxiety and fear flooded into Allen’s mind in an instant.

It felt as though she had been severed from the entire world.

She could not explain this instinctive terror.

It was like how a newborn cries the moment it is born.

Yet, by instinct, she forced herself to pull herself together and calm down.

This intuition-like response was something she could not explain.

It felt as if it had been forcibly implanted in her mind.

Enduring the swelling pain in her head, she began to recall.

“Allen… Allen… Mana, Alex…”

Some names surfaced in her mind—names she could call out, yet had no impression of.

Under the guidance of that ink blot called “Allen,” the white-paper memory began to spread outward like radiation.

Mana.

Alex.

One figure after another connected together.

In an instant, everything came back.

Father.

Brothers.

Gryffindor.

The Holy War.

Total annihilation.

She remembered it all.

“……”

Allen fell silent.

The return of her memories did not bring her joy or peace.

It only brought faint waves of negative emotion.

In that instant, Allen felt bitterness.

Reluctance.

And even a trace of jealousy.

She forced down her sorrow, afraid that she would not be able to stop herself from crying.

Uneasily, she touched the crimson gemstone on the necklace around her neck.

She did not know why.

But it felt warm.

Comforting.

She truly envied her two brothers.

They divided their father’s affection between them.

From envy, it turned into jealousy, and eventually into resentment.

Yet, she could not truly hate them.

Locking her in the wine cellar—

Perhaps it had only been a childish prank when they were young.

She also wanted to blame her father.

When she needed comfort and help the most, he ignored her.

That inaction lasted a lifetime.

Even when it came time for her to take her brothers’ place, he did not say a single word to her.

She understood clearly.

In the end, she was nothing more than a pitiful, expendable existence.

What was foolish was that she only realized this at their final meeting.

She had read it from the pitying look in her father’s eyes.

She hoped that when they learned of her death in battle, they would weep bitterly.

That they would feel remorse.

Unfortunately, she would never see it.

He was eaten by it.

She did not know why he became her.

No matter how much she racked her brain, even kneeling on the ground and writhing in pain, she could not remember anything more.

Why had she become like this?

It seemed that after being pierced through the chest by a rapier wielded by a Demon King clad in heavy armor, this was the result.

As if she had simply fallen asleep.

Waking up from that sleep—

She was here.

The swelling pain in her head had reached its limit.

She felt as though her head had been inflated like a bladder, on the verge of bursting.

Yet she could not squeeze out a single fragment of memory.

It was as if her memories had been excised entirely.

In a hazy, indistinct way, it felt as though a beam of light appeared.

At last, she seemed to recall a silhouette—

A girl wearing a long black dress.

Trying to think further, there was nothing more.

Exhausted, Allen collapsed to the ground like soft clay.

She had used up all her strength.

In the end, only that black silhouette remained in her mind, refusing to fade.

Trying to think any further was impossible.

That white sheet of paper seemed to have been cut cleanly into two at this point.

Tears of unknown origin slid down her face.

Allen felt only a faint sense of helplessness.

She had forgotten someone important.

Forgotten her completely.

She would never be able to find her again.

Tears flowed quietly down Allen’s cheeks for reasons she could not understand.

She felt confused—

Why were the tears falling on their own?

Gradually, drowsiness washed over her body.

Allen curled up and fell asleep.

After some time had passed, the backstage gate was surrounded by soldiers pouring in one after another.

The guards were nowhere to be seen.

Only numerous birdcages remained, along with the enslaved girls.

Richard patted Ken on the shoulder in thanks.

“I owe you a favor,”

Richard said with a smile.

“We’re friends, so there’s no need for that,”

Ross replied with a smile.

He had already changed back into ordinary clothes.

Wearing a light blue long dress, Ross looked like a friendly girl next door.

Now, dressed in the light-blue academy uniform, Ross radiated a sense of gallantry,

Though it did not quite match her cute face.

Ross exchanged pleasantries with Charles, talking endlessly.

Ken had heard enough of such conversations to grow calluses in his ears.

So he went to check on the condition of the slaves instead.

Suddenly, he saw something he could not believe.

He quietly tapped Ross on the shoulder.

“There’s someone I know.

Keep her here,”

Ken said softly to Ross, lowering his head as he spoke.

The reason he lowered his head was because Ross was rather short.

“Charles, there’s someone I know among the slaves.

I want to take her with me,”

Ross nodded slightly and turned to Charles as she spoke.

“No problem.

We are friends.”