Chapter 7 …
I decided to feed Lysian first.
The Korean in me insisted, “He’s suspicious, but I can’t just let him starve.”
For the record, the menu was boiled potatoes.
“Does it taste okay? I don’t have anything like salt here. It’s just plain boiled.”
“It’s delicious. Thank you.”
Once some food got into him, Lysian seemed far more lively than before.
The way he kept staring at me with those intense eyes was uncomfortable, but…
His eating habits seem pretty normal…
If he wasn’t human, then what on earth was he?
I wracked my brain, trying to recall the original story’s settings about other races.
First—spirits.
Pure spiritual beings that dwell in nature, each possessing a unique attribute.
It was rare for spirits to take on a form completely identical to humans.
And then… elves.
Elves had appearances similar to humans and lived in villages deep in forests or mountain valleys.
Some lived among humans, and some even fell in love with and married them.
But Lysian probably wasn’t an elf. His ears weren’t pointed.
He could be a half-elf.
Or maybe a beastman capable of perfect human transformation.
And lastly… dragons.
No, definitely not a dragon.
What kind of dragon would be this weak and scrawny? The probability of Lysian being a dragon was basically zero.
In the end, the only way to know the truth is for him to recover his memories himself.
At some point, Lysian had finished his plate and was gazing at me quietly.
…There he goes again. Staring like that. It’s killing me.
I poured water into his empty cup and asked,
“Want some more food?”
“No, I’m full.”
His gentle smile was so pretty it made me sigh in admiration. Seriously—criminally handsome.
Whose kid is this, really…
“Hey, don’t you remember anything? Even fragments.”
“Hmm… well.”
Lysian took a small sip of water and lowered his eyelids slightly.
“Just… when I look at you…”
“…….”
“I feel like you’re my master.”
“…I’m not your master.”
“Even so…”
“You and I are meeting for the first time today. And slavery was abolished thirty years ago!”
“Ah… was I a slave, then?”
“No! I said slavery was abolished thirty years ago!”
Technically, slavery still existed in the Kingdom of Roblet, but other countries had outlawed it, so it was practically abolished.
Even Roblet’s nobles avoided keeping slaves because they were wary of foreign scrutiny.
Could him calling me ‘master’ be because of the Taming skill?
It was a very reasonable hypothesis. The problem was that I couldn’t exactly explain the system to him.
Ugh… this is driving me insane. What am I supposed to do?
I clutched my head in agony, but no easy answer came.
Meanwhile, Lysian was gazing at me desperately with watery eyes.
The moment our eyes met, he asked in a pleading voice,
“Master… you’re not going to abandon me, right?”
“…….”
Damn it… how am I supposed to say, ‘No, I am going to abandon you’ to that face?
Letting someone with amnesia loose anywhere felt dangerous… so I had no choice but to protect him temporarily, right?
At least until he gets his memories back… no, until I find a way to cancel the Taming skill…
In the end, I compromised. Letting out a deep sigh, I said,
“Fine… I’ll be your master for now. Temporarily.”
“Does that mean… you’ll abandon me someday?”
“No—h-hey, don’t cry!”
Tears streamed down Lysian’s face, and he looked utterly miserable.
Feeling like some kind of animal abuser, I shook my head firmly.
“I won’t abandon you. Okay?”
“Really…?”
“Yeah. Really.”
“Then please swear it.”
“…?”
A vow? Seriously?
“Here.”
Lysian held out his pinky finger.
I thought he wanted to do a childish pinky promise, but his request was unexpectedly specific.
“Wrap one strand of your hair around my pinky and promise that you’ll be my master forever.”
That sounded extremely ritualistic…
If I actually did that, my life would probably get completely tangled up…
Wait. Something’s off.
Does he really have amnesia?
“Kyaaaah! Y-you crazy pervert! How dare you try to make my master swear a companion’s vow—!”
The spirit suddenly shrieked and went berserk. She was so furious that water droplets flew everywhere.
“A companion’s vow?”
“Yes! A very, very dangerous vow! It binds two souls together forever! Even long-lived races don’t make such vows lightly! And some random mutt like you dares—!”
The water-droplet rice cake launched a full-body tackle at Lysian. What are you, a water Pokémon?
“Hmm, Miss Droplet? That tickles….”
“My name isn’t Droplet—it’s Ninabel! You damn perverted scammer!”
No matter how much Ninabel attacked, Lysian took zero damage.
Naturally. She was nothing more than a water-droplet rice cake that could barely control water.
I grabbed Ninabel and hugged her tightly. This method always worked when she went wild.
“Waaah, Master~! Kick him out! Right now!”
“O-okay, calm down first….”
While roughly patting the water-droplet rice cake, I interrogated Lysian.
“You said you lost your memory. Then how do you know about something like a companion’s vow?”
Lysian smiled softly, his answer flowing smoothly from his lips.
“It just suddenly came to me. Maybe it was important information to me.”
“You’re suspicious. Why did you try to make me swear something like that?”
“I just like you so much, Master….”
“Hey, stop calling me Master! Just use my name!”
“How could I dare call my master by her name so casually?”
This guy—there’s no reasoning with him. Completely my pace.
In that case…
I guess I have to assert authority!
I flung the water-droplet rice cake aside, straightened my posture, and crossed my arms.
Then I looked down at Lysian with a stern expression and demanded in a deliberately overbearing voice,
“You’re not thinking of deceiving me further, are you? I’m not an idiot.”
At my words, Lysian’s golden eyes flashed sharply for an instant.
Sensing danger instinctively, I flinched and stepped back.
“Ha ha….”
Lysian let out a low chuckle, his lips curving into a gentle arc.
With eyes smiling like crescent moons, he spoke in a perfectly kind tone.
“Let me correct that. It’s not that I remember nothing.”
“What—then…!”
“Who I am, where I came from, what I used to do.”
“…….”
“I don’t remember any of that. It’s like my mind is a blank slate.”
“…….”
Sounds like a lie.
I narrowed my eyes and glared at him. He was suspicious, no doubt about it…
But the problem was, I had no justification to kick him out.
I’d used the Taming skill and bound him without permission…!
But that wasn’t my intention! Damn it, this stupid system—!
How could it let me tame some unknown, suspicious, dangerous guy like this?!
Ding!
The target’s affection toward you has increased!
“…….”
Just tell me whether it’s negative or not, please….
“Anyway, you’re my lifesaver.”
Lysian had gotten up from the bed at some point and was slowly approaching me.
I instinctively backed away, eyes widening as I looked up at him.
Wow, now that he’s standing…
He’s really tall.
About 190 cm? Maybe more?
He’s taller than Raul, I think.
That height, that build, and that bright, beautiful face—this guy’s a total cheat character!
Before I knew it, my back hit the wall, and Lysian gently took my hand.
Before I could react, he lowered his head and softly kissed the back of my hand.
The gesture was so reverent that, for a moment, the shabby cabin felt like a grand cathedral surrounded by stained glass.
Lysian pulled his lips away and smiled sweetly.
That face is insane…
I was momentarily entranced—then snapped back to reality at the nonsense that followed.
“I’m offering to repay my lifesaver with my body… is there a problem?”
Wh-what the hell are you saying, you lunatic?!
I hurriedly tried to clarify.
“By ‘with your body,’ you mean labor, right?”
“If you want something other than labor, that’s fine too.”
“N-no thanks! Labor! Pay me with labor!”
“If that’s what you wish, then….”
Still smiling gently, Lysian slowly released my hand—then lightly scratched my palm with his fingernails.
“…!”
A strange sensation ran through me, and I flinched.
At that exact moment, the water-droplet rice cake flew in and slapped Lysian’s cheek.
“You perverted bastard! How dare you try something funny—!”
Slap! Slap!
As the spirit launched her noisy assault, Lysian calmly grabbed her with one hand.
“Come to think of it… is this cute little droplet perhaps a spirit?”
“W-when did I ever pretend to be cute?! Nini is naturally cute, idiot!”
“Well, I honestly can’t see what part of you is cute.”
“At least I’m cuter than you! You oversized male!”
…Watching those two idiots bicker like children gave me a headache.
I pressed a hand to my forehead, then finally snapped.
“Both of you, stop it! Attention!”
“…!”
Both of them froze instantly. The noisy arguing cut off at once.
Lysian, in particular, reacted with startling speed.
As if it wasn’t his own will, he stared at me with wide eyes, clearly flustered.
Seeing that, a certain suspicion flashed through my mind.
…Wait. Could it be?
