I wasn’t sure how I ended up here, in the house of a young girl painted with exhaustion. This small room contained so little, and even then, its atmosphere exuded the air of poverty. Her looks are worse than the dead knight I met by the river—battered, yet still alive and crippled by it. The silence was maintained for a while before she brought a glass of water to me, asking me to drink it. “Please…drink,”

It’s just plain water. I wasn’t thirsty, but being courteous, I accepted the offer and poured the cold, refreshing liquid down my throat. “So, can we go now?”

“N-no…. We’ll go tomorrow. It’s going to be late and I–I don’t think it’s safe to do it right n-now.”

“Sounds fair. Sundown is nigh, and I don’t want to die to any wild beasts.” Quite a logical approach—although something is telling me that I would be fine even if something attacked us. However, this girl wouldn’t be fine, as she is defenseless and has no special trait I know of, aside from being shorter than I am.

“...dying…y-yes. We… don’t want that….”

I don’t want to cause unnecessary deaths, especially after seeing how the townsfolk acted towards her. As far as I could see, people were really friendly towards her, although they kept their distance from me. Despite that, they gave me two bronze coins for escorting her back to the village. I’m not sharp enough to sense any hidden intentions, so the best thing I could do is accept them.

“Well, sorry that I’m going to stay here for a bit… hope you don’t mind a stray knight like myself.”

“You’re a… knight?”

“...am I? Not sure, that word just blurted out.” Was I a knight? Not even I’m sure of it. I probably was a knight if saying it is within my habit.

“But… you have a knight’s sword! You have to be strong, right?”

“Not sure…but I hope I’ll be of help. Waiting is the only option we have.” Even if I said that, I had an itch by the hilt of my sword to test how good I am at using it. It would be ridiculous if my memory told me that I was a renowned knight that lost his memory. It's wishful thinking, but at least it gave me something to think about.

“B-by the way… I’m… M-my name is Chloe.”

“I don’t have one.”

“S-sorry?”

“Well, Chloe, nice to meet you. I couldn’t give you a name in return, unfortunately.” I shrugged. There’s nothing I could do about losing my memory for now. There are no leads, even. The only good thing I have is that I had my common sense still intact. “You can call me… Nameless.” I remembered what the Bleeding Maiden called me in the forest; it’s simple enough.

“...?”

Of course; there isn't any other way to explain it. According to my common sense, nobody will ever introduce themselves as nameless, yet I went and did it anyway. “I… lost my memories. It’s complicated, but I hope you understand.”

“...alright. Sir… nameless.”

“Mhm,” I nodded.

“So… we are going tomorrow…. I will lead t-the way….”

“Sounds good.” I wouldn’t even complain. I really have nothing else to do aside from trying to find a guy named Gunther, and I have zero leads on him; might as well do something else. Something like saving someone’s sister wouldn’t be so convoluted. “By the way, is it alright if I take a walk around the town?”

“Alright,” I don’t have any complaints. I have nothing on my list except finding a guy named Gunther, which I have zero leads on. It’s better to do something else. If our fates lined up, I should be able to find him again, and give him some payback. Helping a girl rescuing her sister doesn’t sound bad at all. “Is it alright if I take a walk around?”

“...!”

“Why?”

“N-no, go ahead. I will rest h-here.”

“Much thanks.” That was an odd pause. Was she worried over the probability of an outsider, knowing nothing of a town’s custom, to step over a sacred grass in the middle of the town square? Logically, she is; I know next to nothing of this place, and the eyes of the townsfolk are very cautious. One mistake I make, and I would be rejected from the precinct by the majority. Worse, Chloe herself could be used as a scapegoat. And the only thing that stopped me from doing so was my caution, hopefully enough to stop me before I did something blasphemous or heretic.

As I stepped outside, the sun was barely hanging, slowly descending itself to the horizon, turning the scene orange in the process. No breeze ran through, yet no heat showered either; springtime? I’m unsure of the seasons, but that wasn’t my purpose either, so I disregarded them quickly. However, as I discarded the question of seasons, something else came to my mind, as there was barely anything inside it. The pendant I was entrusted with.

Do I have an actual obligation to fulfill that request? I inspected the pendant closely. After a thorough inspection, I realized that it wasn’t a pendant, but a hollowed medallion. There are four symbols I don’t recognize, along with a whirlpool-like pattern concentrated around the hollow core. While I was pandering my eyes on the piece, I could feel a cold, yet lazy gaze. Only a pair of eyes were staring, and from the footsteps, they should be someone in their later age of life. “Did I do something wrong?” I turned around and saw an old man, much as I thought it would be.

“You’re quite sharp, aren’t you?”

“Perhaps,” I pocketed the pendant. “So, did I do something wrong?”

“I suppose not.” He shook his head. “I am the ‘mayor’ of this small town. Nothing has been going well lately, and that kid—Chloe—just had to have her sister disappear. Sigh… woe is me. Pardon that we weren’t able to properly welcome a guest, but I could make sure that your stomach is always filled. That girl only had so much for herself, and I have some spare hands.”

“Thank you.” Thanks is the only response I can give now. Despite that, I could feel no hunger within myself. Did I lose humanity in exchange for resurrection? It just bugged me, but I’m sure this question will linger until I have an answer. Nothing I could do but doing my best not to die.

“So, what brought you here?” With his rough voice, the mayor asked. From my own observation, he’s used to accepting visitors–and unfortunately, this place isn’t in a condition to do that often. At most, one or two people will seek shelter before continuing their journey.

“Not particularly sure. Just trying to distract myself.”

“From what? Surely not from that girl?”

“Hmm… hard to say myself. A little obtuse, but it’s something for me to think about.” A sigh escaped my mouth. Eh, retrieving my memories isn’t the top priority… for now. “I have another weight I should take care of, though.”

“I see….” He nodded. It didn’t seem like he had anything else to say.

“Speaking of seeing, I felt like some eyes were watching me.” There were stares when I walked out of the house, riddling me with invisible holes.

“You are sharp, after all. Follow me.” As the mayor threaded down another path, I followed him with no questions asked. We stopped in front of what seemed to be groups of abandoned fields. The soil looked normal, but the crops—wheats—are withering slowly. Did they not tend to it enough? “Three weeks ago, bandits raided us.”

That’s one reason the town felt grimy. However, to my logic, if the attack was three weeks ago, why were they still afraid of another one? If it’s past three weeks, there should be at least a dozen more raids. Hell, they could’ve just raided this place as we speak. “Isn’t this too much for a long gone raid?”

“Don’t say that; we don’t have enough power to properly deal with them.”

“My guess is that they moved away. If they haven't done another raid, you should breathe normally. This place looks too rough.” I stared down at the crops and made a small kicking gesture. The town behind us felt like a ghost town with how quiet it is. Do people return to their homes before sundown here? “Sorry to ask, but how many died?”

“Trying to sympathize, eh?” The mayor chuckled. “I appreciate that, but you don’t need to know. Everything went downhill after twenty-five years ago. This whole nation is getting crumpled like a bunch of weeds. You felt that, didn’t you?”

“Uh-huh.” That was a lie. A big, fat lie. I knew nothing of twenty-five years ago. I don’t even have any memories of how my past was. I simply went along with the flow, because it sounds like the most logical choice to do now. “It wasn’t great, but I got over it. It took me a while.”

“Blessed be your soul. I hope we can follow soon. It’s hard to tend to the crops manually. Not everyone is used to it, and the quality of the harvest has declined compared to the years before.” The mayor extorted a sigh of his own mouth before he decided to leave me alone with a small warning, “Just watch yourselves out there.”

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

It wasn’t a useful advice, but it's still an advice nonetheless. I had nothing else in mind, and the sun was going to disappear soon, so I decided to return to Chloe’s small house. As I returned, I found her already fast asleep, using two rags that barely enveloped her. Can you call this a living? She’s such a small girl, yet she already had to live like this. Her sister was kidnapped, and she barely had anything to eat. Can you call that a life?

Sigh. What am I even doing now? “Then excuse me, Chloe. Hope you have a good dream.” I took off my armor and set them aside. No blankets, no problem for me. This much is bearable. Using one of my pieces for a pillow is a better proposal than using my whole arms, so I proceed with that idea. I hope tomorrow will be better, as I mumbled to sleep, I saw a maiden from the very corner of my eye, kneeling beside me, as if she’s praying for me.

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“We should go now.” I fixed my armors in place. I was surprised that I could wear them myself, despite the absent state of mind I was in. The bread and water served with exactly two beef jerky quickly disappeared through my mouth. I sense no hunger, yet I did my best to swallow them. Chloe, on the other hand, was still struggling with biting her jerky.

In the middle of her struggle, she answered, almost whispering, “Y-yesh….” Ah…what should I do…. I probably should be more patient. My own head tried to get over me. Even if an anxious old lady delivered them, breakfast is still breakfast. Even if she glared at me with what little of a scornful stare, I could only receive it as politely as I could. I wish it wasn’t out of malice, but of her worry for Chloe, who had a stranger approach her.

We departed without anything of note; as the lush forest was in sight, the chirping birds greeted us. A few lizards went sprawling away from our footsteps, realizing that two humans stepping their feet into the forest are considerably dangerous. I decided to ease myself up as I sensed no danger.

“So, what happened?” I tried to stop the mood from turning stale and asked her of her circumstances.

“W-What…?” She was startled. There was a pause before she continued her steps.

“I mean, mind telling me what happened to your sister?” I just want to know how she was captured. There were no intentions to coerce her into telling everything, anyway. “If you don’t feel like it, you don’t have to tell me.”

“No–I…I’ll tell you.” Despite her answer, uneasiness and anxiety came leaking through her tone and bodily gestures. However hard she tried to contain it, it was still visible to a stranger like me. As she picked up her pace, her stuttered voice came running from her mouth. “We were…foraging berries in the forest…. And then… they–they took my sister. I–I m-managed to escape from them and came back to the village…. Uh…”

“That’s enough.” I never felt like a righteous person, regardless of the state of my memory; I still have a heart to stop her right there. If I was never one, at least I realize that I could do something to either change it or follow my blurred path.

There’s no use asking about the bandits from her. The only way to know them is by coming to their nest personally. I wonder, how long have they been around? If they were the same bandits who raided the village, that should mean three weeks. I wouldn’t even know if they weren’t the same one either. Still, those weren’t so important right now, since all I needed to do was to clean them out.

One excruciatingly long walk later, we stopped near a forest plot, and gestured. Her finger pointed at a cave in the distance. “That’s…their place,” she whispered.

This is too easy, I thought. We found their den without any troubles. “That’s it? Nobody is guarding it?” I scratched my head in confusion. It’s almost too easy that it made me uneasy. I didn’t see anyone in the vicinity either.

“Eh? Y-yes…. They’re probably…sleeping.”

I don’t know if that was a possible probability, but I didn’t like the idea either. “I don’t like this. Really. Ugh…,” I took a deep breath and calculated my choices again. “...no. This feels so wrong. Something isn’t right.”

Something in my guts told me that something wasn’t right, whatever that was. “Nope. I don’t like the sound of this. Sorry, Chloe, but we have to get back now.”

“E-eh? Why…?” With a hint of disappointment, she asked.

“I’ll explain later. First, let’s get out of here.” It’s better not to stick around for longer. Wouldn’t want to get jumped now, would we?

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“Can I help with something?” I went to the mayor and asked him if they could use my help.

If you were wondering, Chloe and I returned quickly because I didn’t want to risk getting ambushed. Chloe was a bit reluctant, but she didn’t reject the idea and followed through. Surprisingly for me, the mayor saw us approaching the town and asked if we finished our objectives, to which I replied, “We haven’t, unfortunately.”

We were let off and returned to the house. I didn’t feel like loitering around, so I went to the fields and offered my help. The mayor was there, and he assigned me to thresh the crops. So here I am, holding a bundle of wheat, hitting it against the container’s wall. This swinging movement felt familiar, as if I was swinging my sword downwards.

Once we were finished, I immediately returned to the house, where Chloe fetched me a glass of water. “T-Thank you for the help…”

“I just don’t like idling around.” As I drank the water, I replied. A sigh came after. “Sorry that we can’t save your sister right now…. I promise that we’ll do it; I just need a bit more time to prepare.” Despite my words, I had nothing on my person but a sword and a dagger. I knew nothing of the advanced warfare tools, or even how to use magic. All I could do was to see if my sword and dagger could help me.

“I understand….”

The day ended uneventfully by then. Once again, as I fell asleep, I saw a maiden from the corner of my eyes. She knelt and prayed before finally dissipating into thin air, along with my consciousness.

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When I woke up, the stars were bright and the sky was dark. The sun hadn’t even dawned. I bet nobody would mind if I distanced myself from the residential area with my gears on. The forest could serve as a perfect training ground, so that was where I headed. There, I swung my sword repeatedly as if a foe were to strike me dead. Still, this felt meaningless as I knew nothing of real sword techniques. It was buried together with my past, so it seems.

I also had a dagger; for what, I asked myself. I carried a longsword, and logically, it wouldn’t be a good practice to wield them both. A longsword was never meant to be wielded single-handed. Having a dagger might help, however, as it could be used to block some attacks and counterattack with my other hand. Not the best idea I had, but I tried carrying both in each hand.

Either way, I tried to make do with what I had. My swings were unsurprisingly bad, but what I didn’t expect was how flexible was my left hand with the dagger. It just felt so natural to have it in my hand, flowing like water. But what kind of knight uses a dagger instead of sword? I wouldn’t want to start digging, not right now. That is a question for another day.

It felt terrible. I didn’t seem to make any improvements at all. The next thing I decided to do is to return as the sunrise came. Of course, Chloe was still sleeping, but I saw some of the other townsfolk who opened up their stalls or went to the fields to farm. Well, they just had a harvest yesterday, why did they go there again?

As the sunrise came, I stopped myself and returned home. It felt terrible. I didn’t feel like I had improved. On my way back, I saw some townsfolk who went out of their house to seemingly start farming once more. They just had a harvest yesterday, though, so why were they going to the fields again? Would they take a break for a day before they continue tending their fields?

“Did you…wake up early…?” Chloe’s voice greeted my entrance. The remnants of her sleep were still present in her face.

“I did,” I answered simply. “You should wash your face.”

She simply nodded before she went outside and washed her face in a well not far. She came back with a wet face but messy hair. “Wash your hair, too.” This was never meant to be an order, but she obeyed it anyway. When she went back inside, I greeted her with, “You didn’t have to do all that if you didn’t want to, you know?”

“But…I’m…trying to…look better….”

An awkward silence ensued as I couldn’t respond to that statement. I decided that the best course of action was to take off my gears and go to the town. “Where are you going?” She asked.

“The town. Like I said, I don’t like idling around.” Before I could exit, somebody knocked on the door–it was the old lady; she brought bread and meat for us. Before she could leave, I stopped her tracks and asked her if there’s anything I could do to help. Reluctant as she was, I managed to convince her to give me an answer.

“...go and help my son in the market. He sells clothes. Try to find something to do there.”

“Thank you.” Before I could close the door, she left. In the background, Chloe was already eating the meat and bread, ignoring me. I quickly grabbed my portion and supplied myself with whatever nutrition I needed, despite the lack of hunger.

“Are you going now?”

“..? Yes. Why?”

“N-Nothing.”

Without uttering any more words, I left the scene. I wasn’t welcomed by an interesting sight at my destination, and I managed to find the son she mentioned. From a quick glance, his stall was the only one to sell clothes. His name was Richard. Simple enough for me to roll it off my tongue.

“I couldn’t pay you anything,” he said.

“Even a piece of bread will do.” I don’t need money for now. I don’t think I need to eat either, but I would like to provide something for Chloe, as thanks that she wanted to take me in.

“That I can do.” He answered quickly. “Sit here and tell me if someone came. I’ll tell you what else you can do. Don’t damage anything.”

What followed was an uneventful noon; Richard gave me a piece of bread and told me to help him close the shop. “If nobody came ‘till noon, there’s no point in keeping the stall open,” he said. “The folks at the field are still going, though.”

I left for the field as I thanked him. The sun was already high above when I arrived–the day was hot, and it was just getting hotter. People were working in the fields, and most of them were women. There was also a group of men, but I could not see them very clearly due to the distance.

“Excuse me!” I shouted as I approached them. They turned around and saw me, their faces revealed an expression of surprise. Well, they shouldn't be surprised. I wondered what they were thinking, when suddenly, one of the guys said, "Hey, aren't you the guy who saved Chloe?"

“Yes.”

One of them approached me and gave me a few coins, saying, “I hope this can help. We have nothing else.”

I stared blankly at the clinking coins before pocketing them. “Thank you,” these aren’t much, but they could help in the future, somewhere. Even if I didn’t know where. “Do you need any help?”

“We had enough men–and women–on the field. Go back and tend to Chloe, good stranger.”

And that was all. I decided to return to Chloe’s house, getting myself some rest. I had a feeling that someone had been following me…but I decided to stow away the thought. Nothing good comes out from worrying too much here. When I arrived, Chloe was, surprisingly, sleeping. I didn’t know what should I do, so I left the bread beside her and sat down.

What can I do? A question I asked now, despite everything. It hasn’t been long since I woke up and was killed by Gunther. I still don’t know where he was, or who he actually was. By this time, I had a little information of this world that I could work with–draw conclusions, assume concepts, anything of the sort so I knew more. It’s fabricated, but it’s better than nothing.

First, where am I? Nearby a forest, there’s a river somewhere up there, and then there’s a main road. Where does it lead? This town. What’s beyond the main road? I couldn’t say for sure. The horizon expanded, and it seemed endless. I know nothing of what’s beyond. From my general knowledge, there should be another town, or even better, a metropolis. Whichever it is, they serve as a good next destination.

When was this? It’s noon. When exactly was this? I do not know any dates. There’s no information on my time. How old am I actually? I didn’t even know that. What good is it knowing them anyway? I don’t know, but tracing myself back could lead to something. Speaking of history, the old man said something happened twenty-five years ago, which means today is the year unknown plus 25. What happened, I wonder? Some sort of cataclysm…most likely. He said something about ‘going downhill’. Could it be that there was some sort of plague?

Now, what were my objectives? Find Gunther and kill him. After that, what? Nowhere else to go? Try to find the cure for my undeath? That’s possibly a thing, but something kept nagging at me that I don’t have to worry about it…. I wonder. For now, I can discard that plan and focus on something else. I have a feeling that I will be entrusted with something big…but what? Ah, probably the pendant. I haven’t found his family yet. And the bandit nest. I should prepare myself for it. I hope they don’t go too far, or I will lose Chloe’s sister.

Ah…all of these made me tired. I have nothing else. Did I forget something? I feel like I did; what was it, what was left out? I’m tired. I couldn’t think of anything else right now. My eyes were heavy. Heavy as they were, however, I saw someone in their corner. It’s a maiden on her knees, praying to something beside me. Ah…I remember now. I forgot about her….

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Two days had passed since then. I managed to scrape by the town and provide something for Chloe, despite the townsfolk’s own kindness. I didn’t get much information during the time, but I was confident that I was ready to swing my sword. Three days to train my reflexes doesn’t sound much, and the fact that I used open air and trees as my sparring subject only made it even more suboptimal for a real battle.

But I had some faith in myself. My brain might have gone haywire and lost nearly every memory, but my muscles still had something in them. I trusted it wouldn’t be too bad.

“Please, walk this path safely,”

“Huh?” I turned around to see the source of the voice. There was only Chloe. “Did you say something, Chloe?”

“...? I didn’t?”

“...I see. Must have been the wind.” That’s a bad assessment of the situation, since there wasn’t any wind inside.

Of course, it was just to stop myself from swaying away from my primary objective at the moment. I can’t worry about every single disembodied voice. Speaking of Chloe, we have gotten a little closer over the course of two days. She told me how her life went before this–or at least, explain what the mayor didn’t. Was gathering berries for living a bad standard around here? I couldn’t tell. Her rough skin however, told it all. It’s something she’d done for years with her sister.

When you think about it, it’s a little silly how she could only live from scraping by the forest, while here, daily, we had something delivered to our doorstep at dawn. Perhaps, it wasn’t actually for her? It was probably a custom to serve something to guests. However, the fact that I haven’t felt any hunger helped Chloe’s own sustainability, as she was able to eat something.

“Anyway, are you ready?” I looked at Chloe in my armor, standing tall like a knight. My longsword and dagger strapped to my waist, my hands ready to swing them anytime.

“Yes, Sir Knight!”

We never knew that we set off into our own dooms.