By Zephyria 
“He had long white hair that looked incredibly soft, and his eyes were reddish… though my memory is a bit hazy on that.”
I dredged up my memories to describe the man’s appearance. Abyss was trying to create a composite sketch of the molester, but no matter how hard he tried, it didn’t look anything like him.
“His eyelashes were longer. And he had a unique aura… and his eyes were a bit more slanted… no, and his hair wasn’t messy like that, it looked incredibly calm and soft, remember? His nose was also higher. And draw like a halo behind his head.”
“Like this?”
“His hands were bigger, and his fingers were longer. More delicate.”
Abyss, looking like he couldn’t quite grasp it, diligently followed my instructions. The finished sketch didn’t look much like him, but since he wasn’t a professional, I decided to be satisfied with this much.
“He’s incredibly pretty, isn’t he?”
“I think I’ve seen this at the temple. They said it was a mural of a goddess.”
Sakira and Fatima looked at the sketch, whispered among themselves, and then glanced at me.
“There was a reason you said it was a honey trap.”
As Fatima muttered, Sakira said with a serious expression.
“But no matter what he looks like, a wrong is a wrong.”
“We’ll take care of the culprit, so Aska, please don’t worry anymore. And we’re planning to increase your security detail, so please bear with any inconvenience.”
I calmed Abyss, who was speaking with grim determination.
“Increase the security detail or not, do whatever you want, and bring the culprit to me if you catch him. Don’t hurt him.”
“Yes? Not summary execution?”
I was more surprised by Abyss’s surprise.
“Summary execution? Were you going to kill him?”
“Isn’t it obvious? He committed such an unspeakable act of rudeness against Aska.”
Anyone would think I’d been assaulted… Come to think of it, I hadn’t properly explained what had happened to me. I felt like misunderstandings would deepen if I didn’t, so I told them the truth.
“It wasn’t a big deal. He just hugged me a bit and whispered something in my ear, that’s all.”
“He touched you without permission, so I’ll settle it by cutting off his wrist.”
“No, I said don’t hurt him.”
“What did he say in your ear?”
Sakira asked as I rubbed my head as if I was tired.
“I don’t know, he kept saying something, but I couldn’t hear properly.”
I was so shocked at the time that my mind was elsewhere. Come to think of it, the way he spoke was like someone who knew me…
“Could it be someone I knew?”
“There was no one so shameless and rude around Aska. Who would dare do such a thing?”
Judging by the way they treated me, I had once thought that before losing my memory, I might have been a nouveau riche with many servants in a large mansion.
But lately, my thoughts had changed. I had a feeling I wasn’t just a nouveau riche, but a nobleman with a title.
“What was he wearing?”
Fatima looked at the sketch and asked.
“Ah, he was all black from head to toe. He was wearing a black robe with a hood and even black gloves? Anyway, you wouldn’t be able to tell who he was just by looking at him.”
It wasn’t common for someone to cover themselves so thoroughly, like a thief. Because of that, it could be an easy-to-find characteristic.
“He was wearing a black robe with a hood? And even gloves?”
Sakira asked back with a serious expression. Judging by her expression, she seemed to have something in mind.
“Do you know him?”
“No, I don’t have any personal acquaintance with him… but I’ll look into it, just in case.”
“Who is it?”
As Abyss asked, Sakira pursed her lips and sighed.
“I don’t know his name. I heard about him when I went to the Information Guild to request something…”
As soon as the words Information Guild came out, Abyss’s eyes widened as if he had remembered something.
“That Rhino?”
“That’s right. But maybe it’s not him? I heard Rhino was severely burned and goes around wrapped in bandages all over his body. And he’s probably bigger.”
“What’s Rhino?”
I asked about the strange and unique nickname, and Abyss explained.
“He’s a famous person affiliated with the Information Guild. Due to the nature of the guild, they have to move as secretly as possible, but whenever he goes out, the surrounding area is devastated, so that’s how he got that nickname. But it’s probably not him. Unlike his actions, he’s said to be taciturn and quite old.”
“Old? I heard he was young?”
How could they have heard such different rumors? Is it even the same person? I tilted my head, and even Fatima, who had been quiet, joined in.
“I’ve also heard about Rhino, and he’s famous among those who know him. I heard he didn’t get burned, but he had an epidemic when he was young, and as a result, he can’t speak and always covers himself up?”
“……”
It seemed like the three of them had heard completely different things. At this point, I wondered if he was even a real person. But somehow, the nickname Rhino kept bothering me.
I definitely didn’t know anyone with such a strange nickname, but why did it feel so familiar? Had there been someone with a similar nickname around me?
Anyway, whether it was Rhino or whatever, that wasn’t important.
“I want to see him. Can you call him? Or I don’t mind going.”
So far, Abyss and Sakira had mostly granted whatever I said, as long as there were no safety issues. But this time, they looked troubled, as if it was a bit much.
“We don’t have anyone on our side in the Information Guild, so it’s probably impossible. Even if we make a formal request to the guild leader, there’s a high chance it’ll be rejected. But I’ll make the request anyway.”
It was a shame, but it couldn’t be helped if I couldn’t meet him. Just from the description, it didn’t seem like it anyway… The man I had met just now didn’t fit Rhino at all.
I nodded, and Abyss cautiously asked.
“Do you want to see him that badly? Should I kidnap him?”
“Isn’t that a crime?”
“It’s okay if we don’t get caught.”
“Never mind…”
Sakira fussed over me as I sighed, feeling tired for some reason.
“Please rest for now. You must be tired anyway since you were out for a long time today.”
I didn’t have any pain, but I was getting restless and wanted to be alone, so I lay down on the bed.
“Shall we prepare lunch a little later? You’re not hungry yet, are you?”
“Wake me up when it’s time for dinner.”
“You need to take your medicine, so you have to eat at least a little.”
“Then around 2 or 3…”
Unlike Sakira and Fatima, who finished tidying up my bed and got up, Abyss didn’t budge.
“Aren’t you leaving?”
“From today onwards…”
“I don’t want to. Get out. Hey, take him with you too!”
I shouted at Sakira, who was about to close the door and leave. There was more bickering after that, but eventually, everyone left, and I was finally alone.
I had felt incredibly tired earlier, but now that I was alone, my mind was wide awake. I raised my hand, clenched my fist tightly, and then opened it, recalling what had happened a little while ago.
I had been so focused on his face that I hadn’t thought about it deeply, but what was that light that had come out of my body? Was it magic or something? But according to Abyss, I was a special case, so magic didn’t work well for my treatment.
That was why it had taken so long for my body to recover.
If it wasn’t magic, then what was it?
It was a different feeling from waking up refreshed in the morning. Was this what it felt like if I hadn’t been sick from the beginning? I had always been in critical condition since my memory started, so I didn’t really know what it felt like to not be sick.
For now, my mind was clear, I didn’t have any muscle pain, I wasn’t nauseous, and I didn’t have a headache. When I had a headache, my eyeballs would hurt too, to the point where I wanted to just take them out, but there was none of that.
It didn’t feel like my skin was tearing even when the wind touched it, and above all, I had been walking outside for so long, but I was still so fine.
“……”
This was why I wanted to find him again. I didn’t know what he had done to me, but if he had used a healing ability, I wanted to use any means to get healthy.
I didn’t want to keep lying in bed, constantly sick. It didn’t have to be a perfect state, just enough to be able to live my daily life alone.
But who was that man?
As I thought about it, my ears naturally started to itch, so I scratched my earlobes and behind my ears haphazardly, when I heard a small click. I reflexively turned my head and saw a cat opening the window and coming in.
“What?”
—Nyaang.
“How did you get in?”
The three-tailed cat jumped lightly and climbed onto the bed. Then, it sat close to me and cried as if it was talking to me.
—Myang, myaang. Nyangnyangnyang.
“What?”
—Weongweong.
“What are you saying… Where’s your owner? That’s your owner, right? Were you perhaps someone I knew in the past?”
I carefully reached out my index finger and gently scratched the top of the cat’s head as I asked. As soon as my hand touched it, the cat purred and fell backward as if it had been waiting for it.
The three tails wagged separately. It seemed to like it, so I petted it for a while and then took my hand away, but the cat quickly grabbed my wrist with its front paw.
“If you bring your owner, I’ll pet you again.”
—Myaaaaang!
“But you’re a monster, right? You’re not a normal cat, are you? Could you perhaps grow as big as that bird?”
—Myaaaak!
At the irritable and shrill sound, I had no choice but to pet the cat again. I sighed as I heard the purring sound.
What a temper…