Let’s talk about what I’m going to do from now on. Because the fake prophet had tried to kill me, I have no choice but to take care of him first before I do anything else. And since I’m going to take care of him anyway, I was planning to find the fake prophet and use his ability to help me find the hero instead of just killing him.

Why? Because even if his prophecy was off most of the time, he could be correct sometimes. It was like pulling a gacha. The more I pull the gacha, the more likely I will receive the grand prize.

'And if I worked the fake prophet to the bone?'

Then, I have a greater probability of finding the hero. Above all, I only need the fake prophet to be correct once to win the grand prize. So it was definitely better than going around the continent, looking for traces of where the new hero might be, like what I had been doing so far.

'It was a good plan.'

Of course, it would have been better if I had asked for the Seer's help instead. But it’s too risky.

Even the fake prophet needs to hide himself so thoroughly and build an entire organization, just to protect himself from people who want to make use of him like me, even with his unreliable prophecy. So what if the Seer tried to do the same at this point in time?

'She would almost certainly fail.'

It's one thing not to have money or backing like the fake prophet, but even the Seer's naive personality would be detrimental to achieving this goal.

'And I am too weak to protect her or get inside the tower of memories right now.'

So it is better not to involve the Seer until I get stronger. The problem is, I might lose the hero again if I wait until then. So, using the fake prophet as an alternative is also good for now.

'Anyway, that is what I had been planning, but… I can't exactly execute the plan now that I have to care about this girl, right?’

Arte was breathing heavily as she pleas at me.

"Ah! N-not there, I’m ticklish there. Hehe."

“Just a bit more, it will be over soon.”

I was massaging Arte's feet when I realized that poison was not the only issue she had to deal with.

'Her upper half was fine, but her lower half was paralyzed and numb.'

So, I massaged several purple spots that appeared within my vision skill until all the purple spots disappeared. Seeing Arte's reaction just now, it seems like her senses have returned already.

‘But… just in case, I should probably keep going until the purple spots are completely gone.’

So after several more minutes of what Arte referred to as a “tickling attack”, I let her rest for a while and asked.

"Are you okay now? Can you move your legs?"

"Yes! Lookie, lookie! I feel as light as a feather!"

"D-don't spread your legs. I can see under your skirt."

"Oh…"

Arte blushed and fidgeted in bed.

"But if it's hubby, then… Kyaaa~!"

She then squealed and pulled the blanket to hide her entire head inside. I’m glad she’s energetic, but I should probably say something to dispel this misunderstanding.

"Like I said, I'm not your hubby."

"Eh…?"

Arte was peeking at me, her pupils shook, and she asked me with a devastated expression as if the world was ending.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"We're divorced?"

"We never married in the first place."

"Then, let's marry!"

"No."

"Hieeeng…"

She looked at me with tears. Honestly, it was regrettable for me, too. Despite still being a child, Arte was an extremely beautiful girl.

Her body was short and slim, but her womanly parts had started to mature into gentle bulges in the right places. Her small and round face was so adorable that it can make anyone want to pinch her cheeks.

'And I especially like her eyes and hair.'

She has light green eyes that glitter like stars and silky waist-length light green hair that looks soft. It was a color and appearance that would make anyone feel happier just by seeing her. Furthermore, it was my first time seeing anyone with light green hair and eye color.

'Was there anyone who had such color?'

It's not impossible, since this is a fantasy world. I mean, even magic and dragons exist here, so why is it not possible for unique hair colors to exist?

'As expected of a fantasy world, anything is possible.'

If we were to wait for a few years, then Arte would probably become a peerless beauty that was out of this world.

'But still, I can't let Arte get involved for too long with me.'

If someone were to ask me why…

'Because it's too dangerous.'

I don't know if it's the far future, but I have to do my best to save the world right now. Even if that means going to dangerous places and risking my life. Or making enemies and being targeted by people like the Truth Society.

‘But it was different for Arte.’

She already had someone who was trying to kill her to the point that they would poison her to death. If she were to follow me instead, she would definitely stand out and risk being found out by her assailant, which might lead to another attempt at killing her. So, the best thing she could do now is live quietly somewhere in hiding.

'Of course, that is assuming Arte is a normal person.'

Suppose my assumption was correct, and she was the object that fell out from the fissure. In that case, she might be an even more amazing existence than I thought.

'A person from the otherworld…'

This makes her somewhat similar to me if that were true.

"Arte."

"Eh? Who’s Arte…? Oh! Were you talking to me?"

"Huh? Yes. Haven't your memories returned?"

"Memories…? Come to think of it…"

Arte tilted her head curiously.

“Hnng… That’s weird… I can’t remember?”

She tilted her head to the other way, looking intrigued.

'It couldn't be, right? I'm sure I've removed all danger from her body.'

I had even healed her damaged brain and organs completely. So, her memory should be coming back anytime soon.

'Unless…'

I decided to check her information once again.

[White Dragon Vision]

[Name: ???]

[Age: ???]

[Class: ???]

[Gift: ???]

[Skill: ???]

…

…

…

It seems like most information was still lost but why?

'No. I need to check her health information, not general information like this. So let's try again and focus…'

I tried several times and found the information I wanted.

[Condition: Due to having experienced an excruciating memory, this person willingly chose to forget everything and is now in a state of total oblivion.]

'What?'

I blinked and looked at Arte again. Was she aware of my gaze? Arte hid her face under the blanket and blushed a little.

"Um… if you look at me so intensely…"

"Oh, sorry."

I turned my gaze outside the window.

'Anyway, what kind of experience was so painful that she chose to forget them all? Even if it means to forget her own self?'

It was very uncommon, but some people do similar things even back on Earth. People who consciously or subconsciously forget everything in order to protect themselves from the painful memories.

'Since they voluntarily chose to forget, forcing them to recall might actually be bad.'

Especially if they're not strong enough to face the traumatic or painful memory just yet. If done poorly, they might experience a mental breakdown. Or worse, they might even take their own life by suicide.

'Actually, there are ways to force someone with amnesia to regain their memory in this world. And I can also do it with Bianca’s healing art, but…'

Should I go that far now that I know her condition?

'What if this girl is the same? What if she can't handle her trauma just yet?'

Then, she might even choose to die just like the others.

'I can't let that happen.'

At the very least, I have no intention of letting someone I tried to save just die like that. That was the moment when I, a healer, decided to turn away from my patient’s sickness.