The other members enter the carriage and tie me again. Then we leave at the fastest speed the horses can go.

I don’t like to have my freedom taken from me, though it isn’t the first time. And I trust Crest and his companions. None of them look at me with desire.

“Sir, can you tell me what’s happening?”

He stares at me while holding his chin before sighing. He sits next to me and removes the hair on my face.

“Falling feathers is a code we use in a situation related to monsters. Only captains and above in rank know its meaning. After seeing what you went through, I understand why you don’t remember it, and I think it’s best if you don’t remember. But if you want to know, then your life will be in the hands of the security force; you can’t talk about this. We may use a spell to force you to stay silent about it.”

My fear of not knowing far surpasses my desire for a normal life. If this is about monsters, then I don’t have a future with a calm life.

“I want to know. And I won’t say a thing about it.”

“Monsters are far smarter than we think at first. There had been multiple attempts to infiltrate our society, our cities. Their methods vary from hiding in the shadows to disguising as humans.”

Crest makes a pause to look outside. Then he sits far from me and takes out his knife, playing with it on his thigh.

“I believe they want to make you a monster.”

…

“Excuse me?”

“As far as I know, they have attempted it three times. But the people died during the process. Yet, you survived.”

I don’t feel as safe as before. If that’s true, he’ll kill me. He isn’t taking me away to protect me; he’s protecting the people in town from me.

“How do I know you aren’t lying to me? I don’t remember any monsters when I left my town. My cuts are something only a human could make. No monster lets his prey live.”

“Yes. That’s what they made us believe. But monsters aren’t mindless creatures that only know how to kill humans. I’ll tell you what I saw. You reached a village where some monster cultist killed people and broke your legs to perform a ritual. They used the blood and organs from the sacrifices to ‘adorn’ you and left you there. Then a monster came and used its tentacles to pour an unknown liquid into you while healing your legs. What happened next is more disturbing. Something grabbed you and took you back to the village. An unknown monster slaughtered all the village. I only saw the villagers moving by themselves and disappearing. Then whatever was there made the cuts in your body. After that, you walked mindlessly, cleaned your body, and returned to the forest with only your things.”

“That can’t be!”

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An intense headache assaults me and makes me puke a black liquid.

No, no no no no no no nonononononononononononononono. ǝɯ dlǝɥ p̘͇̟͍̙̿̅̎̓͑l̠̈́ea̡͈̘̠̰̒̓̅͋͘s͚͛e̹̍.

—

“It’s good to see you woke up. How are you feeling?”

“Who are you?”

I’m scared. I look around and notice I’m tied to a bed. I struggle to break free.

“I’m Crest, a member of the security force. We met yesterday.”

“I don’t remember you.”

“I see.”

After an awkward silence, he unties me while talking.

“We didn’t get to know each other, so tell me about you.”

I love his voice; it’s so soothing. And he’s handsome enough. Maybe he’ll be my type?

“I’m Uzziye Bakker; nice to meet you. I was an adventurer back home, there are no monsters there, so I’m traveling to find a place to live. I don’t want to fight if possible; that’s why I’m also looking for a different job or to marry someone.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m a Captain from the security force; my job is to see the past with my power to help find the truth. What do you think about it?”

“It’s a nice job, though isn’t it weird to see other people’s lives?”

“Don’t you see other people’s lives every day?”

Now that he mentions it.

“Yeah. Hey, what’s the weirdest thing you have seen?”

“The weirdest, uh? I once saw a woman captured by monsters and surviving, though she doesn’t remember it.”

“For real? I don’t believe you. Monsters kill humans on sight. How can they let a human live?”

“Well, I still don’t know if she’s human.”

A chill runs down my spine. The atmosphere changed, and now I’m uncomfortable.

“What happened to her?”

“She was so scared of the truth that she forgot who she was, where she lived, or who her friends were. It wouldn’t surprise me if she died of hunger in the forest with no one to bury her body or remember she once lived here.”

“…”

“Do you have friends?”

I remember all the people I know, but I can’t remember a single person I consider a friend. I had people to have sex with, to feed me, and to have fun with. But I don’t feel any attachment to them. I don’t remember feeling sad when a teammate died during a battle or when my adoptive father died.

!

“Where’s my saber?!”

“It’s here. Do you want it?”

“Yes, please.”

He, Crest, goes to the corner of the room and grabs my saber.

“Here.”

The moment I grab it, I feel so much better. I rub my cheek on it and hug the saber.

A chuckle escapes his mouth.

“Is the saber your friend?”

I blush and scratch my head. I take the saber out from the sheath to admire it.

“No. It’s a memory from the best times in my life. My adoptive father gave it to a worthless girl like me despite everything.”

“What was his name?”

“I can’t say it. I won’t pronounce his name until I find a successor to his legacy. He gave me a home, food and taught me many things. The least I can do is to find someone willing to fight and learn the art of the saber.”

“Do you care to show me? I want to see how good you are.”

“Eh? I’m no good at all.”

“It’ll be easy, just a few movements outside. We’re getting to know each other.”

“Mmm. Okay, then.”