Kaelan felt a cold sweat on his back. The sharp blade of a sword was only a centimeter away from his neck, sharp enough to slit his throat with ease.
He had just escaped from a monster and now had to face another danger!
He rise from the grave, and now he will back to the grave again? Its not funny!
"I–I don't know what you mean!" Kaelan answered honestly.
Rebecca only stared coldly as she tried to press her sword further. "There is no point in lying."
This woman was serious and had no hesitation to kill. From the sharp look in her eyes, Kaelan was sure that the girl named Rebecca was not joking.
In fact, the man called Reynold only stood there watching everything without making any response. He just observe in silent.
But Kaelan himself had already answered honestly. To every question Rebecca asked, his answer was the same: he knew nothing.
He did not know why he was in this forest outside the wall. He did not even now anything.
No, what even was the wall? He had never seen it before!
The first thing he saw after crawling out of the grave was a tombstone before being chased by the monster Big Eater!
He had never encountered anything called the wall that Rebecca mentioned.
"I–I swear!" Kaelan raised both of his hands as he made an oath. "I don't know anything. I don't know the wall you mean or why I'm here. I don't even know who I am!"
Kaelan was not lying at all when explaining this. Of course, he only hid the fact that "Kaelan Veradis" had just crawled out from a grave.
Seeing how extreme Rebecca was, he worried that if he told that truth, he would be cut down immediately for lying.
"You are quite bold," Rebecca began to move her sword. "I think kill you now would be saver."
Rebecca intended to behead him, but her action was immediately stopped.
"You don't need to go that far!" Reynold tapped her shoulder.
He approached Kaelan while still remaining cautious. Reynold showed a friendly smile to him.
"You lost your memory?"
Kaelan nodded in agreement. Reynold accepted that answer without suspecting him.
"Then do you remember things like your name or anything else?" Reynold asked again.
Kaelan could not remember anything that happened before he crawled out of the grave. Yet he could feel that everything was strange. The sky should not be red, and monsters like Big Eater shouldn't exist.
No—
Kaelan suddenly realized something quite strange.
—why can I read even though I don't have any memories?
He could read the text carved on the tombstone without any difficulty. Did that mean he did not truly lose all his memories?
Perhaps the ability to read and speak was engraved into the soul rather than memory. That might be possible. But Kaelan still felt there was many strange things.
"Are you listening?" Reynold asked again, waving his hand in front of Kaelan to get his attention.
Kaelan was slightly startled. "Y–yes. I am Kaelan… Veradis. That's the only thing I remember when I woke up. I swear about this."
Reynold patted his shoulder and smiled. "I see. Then it means you don't have a place to live, right?" He quickly helped Kaelan stand up.
Kaelan nodded. Let alone a home, he did not even know where he came from. His memories were completely empty; he was like someone who had just begun learning to remember.
"In that case, you can come with us. No, you don't have a choice except to come with us," Reynold laughed as he helped Kaelan walk.
"Otherwise, you must be willing to let your head be removed."
Reynold glanced at Rebecca, who was ready to draw her sword at any time. Then he looked back at Kaelan and smiled.
"My advice, you better obey."
He spoke casually about something terrifying. To Kaelan, this man brought more terror than the girl.
"Is that really fine? Killing him will remove the latent danger," Rebecca asked. She still held the sword that she had already sheathed.
"Whether he is dangerous or not, let the captain decide," Reynold replied indifferently. "We will go to the tent and determine his fate."
Kaelan had no choice but to follow. His life was more valuable than anything. Besides, he hoped he might remember something.
After wrapping his wound with cloth, they left the forest. There was a vast open field with blood-red grass and flowers with sharp petals.
There were also strange specimens colored black with a round shape the size of a coin. They only had bat-like wings and a mouth as sharp as a needle.
They were called Blind Mosquito because they had no eyes. The tiny creatures would crash into their prey by instinct and suck the target's blood until it dried out.
They had no intelligence and would die on their own if they did not crash into prey. Blind Mosquito also do not reproduce; they are born from their own corpse. If a Blind Mosquito dies, another Blind Mosquito will be born from its remains.
Reynold had warned that even a creature that small could be very dangerous if there were many of them in a swarm.
Before long, Kaelan could see a tent standing in the middle of the field. It was dark green, along with several other tents.
There were several people there: some cleaning mud from their boots, sharpening swords, and even processing meat that strangely writhed.
They looked like they wanted to greet Reynold and Rebecca. But the moment they saw Kaelan, they stopped. Everyone's sharp gaze was directed at him.
Kaelan swallowed and felt nervous. Not only because of the cruel looks, but also because he was waiting for his fate.
"Um… where are you taking me?" Kaelan asked awkwardly.
"You will meet the captain, Lunaria Veil. Sorry, but that's all you need to know. You will be treated like a prisoner, and your wounds won't be treated until the captain decides."
Reynold did not continue speaking. Because of their suspicion toward Kaelan, it was natural for him to hold back as much information as possible.
Kaelan did not blame him. Since he was suspected, it was natural that the treatment he received would be a bit harsh.
"Captain, I'm coming in," Reynold entered without waiting for a reply.
Inside there was a table with a map that probably described the forest and this place. The map had been scribbled with several marks that Kaelan did not understand.
And in front of the table stood a beautiful woman with red hair reaching her waist. Her face was elegant with long eyelashes and a slender body. Her clothes were as revealing as Rebecca's earlier outfit because it made movement easier.
"You returned faster than expected," the woman smiled kindly before her gaze fell on Kaelan. "Who is this?"
Reynold helped Kaelan sit while Rebecca introduced him.
"I found him being chased by a Big Eater. He claims his name is Kaelan Veradis. And maybe … he is an Outcast."
The woman called captain frowned and stared sharply at Kaelan. Her gaze was enough to make Kaelan flinch.
"We found him while hunting. He was wandering in the forest while being chased by a Big Eater." Rebecca began explaining the chronology of their meeting.
Reynold and Rebecca had been on patrol and hunting. They heard a sound from afar and approached it. At first they thought it was a large animal.
But the sound came from a Big Eater chasing Kaelan. At first they intended to observe until Kaelan was cornered.
"At first I thought we should let him become food," Rebecca said. "But he might be an Outcast."
Reynold nodded. "It's not easy to encounter an Outcast. If he really is one, it would be a good opportunity for us to learn about them."
Lunaria nodded and looked at Kaelan again with anticipation.
"You—what is your name? Where do you come from?" Lunaria asked as she leaned against the table with both hands.
Kaelan swallowed. "Kaelan Veradis. I don't know where I come from. I don't remember anything."
"He only remembers his name, captain," Reynold added. "That's why I think he is suspicious."
"Oh?" Lunaria smiled and approached Kaelan. She grabbed his chin and forced their eyes to meet closely.
"Are you telling the truth?" she asked in a voice almost whispering but cold.
Kaelan looked at her without hesitation. "I don't remember anything. Only my name—which feels very important."
Lunaria kept staring at him for less than a minute. Finally she stopped.
"Ahaha, sorry about that," she said sincerely. "He is not lying about his memory."
"However, we still need to apply supervision and further investigation."
Reynold smiled and welcomed Lunaria's response, but Rebecca reacted differently.
"But captain, he could still be lying, right?!" Rebecca looked at Kaelan with hostility.
"Maybe he is a spy!"
Lunaria looked at Rebecca firmly, making her flinch.
"Are you doubting my judgment?"
"N-no, captain." Rebecca looked confused. "I just—"
Lunaria cut her off with a sigh. "I understand your feelings, Rebecca. As I said, he isn't lying. But I will still investigate and keep him under watch."
"…Alright."
Rebecca looked very obedient. Lunaria possessed the charisma of a true leader. Kaelan only watched without saying anything.
He could feel Rebecca's intense hatred. But that hatred was not directed at him—it was directed toward the Outcasts they always spoke about.
"Good. You may leave now. Reynold, you can treat his wound. Please take whatever medicine is needed."
Reynold nodded. "Alright. Let's go, Rebecca."
The two of them left the tent, leaving Kaelan alone with Lunaria.
Lunaria smiled gently and began to untie the ropes from Kaelan's hands.
"I'm sorry about earlier. I hope you understand that we live in a world where a small mistake can cause disaster."
Kaelan rubbed his wrists. Carelessness could bring disaster. Kaelan felt this world was a very harsh environment to live in. Yet instead of fear, he had already expected it.
"My name is Lunaria Veil. People usually call me captain or Luna. Call me whatever you like."
Kaelan nodded. "...I'm Kaelan Veradis. As you know, I don't remember anything."
"Now let's sit and hear your story." Lunaria smiled and prepared a chair and water.
Kaelan did not refuse her hospitality. He elegantly took the warm drink she offered. It was dark black and had a unique bitter taste.
"This is coffee," Lunaria explained. "Don't worry, both the water and the powder doesn't contain much corruption. So it's safe to drink."
"Corruption?" Kaelan asked. He clearly did not know about it.
Lunaria looked at him strangely. "You don't know corruption?"
Kaelan nodded. He dont have idea about that. Everything feels new for him.
"Huh, before that, try telling me how much you remember."
Kaelan told everything to Lunaria. Of course, he hid the truth that he had dug himself out of a grave.
In short, Kaelan suddenly woke up in the middle of the forest with no memory. The only thing he remembered was his own name.
Confused, he wandered around searching for a city. Unfortunately, he encountered a Big Eater on the way. He ran from the monster until he met Reynold and Rebecca.
"That's truly strange. In all my years of duty, you are the first person who lost memory like this."
At first glance it was obviously suspicious. Kaelan did not complain about being suspected. In fact, it was reasonable.
"Do you not even remember or understand the environment?" Lunaria asked. "You understand language, etiquette, and other things. Logically, you should also have knowledge about the environment where you lived."
Kaelan also agreed. Even though his name came from the tombstone near where he awakened, he still felt familiarity with it.
But this environment and world felt completely foreign to him.
"I only feel a certain familiarity. But that's all."
Lunaria felt sympathy. Kaelan looked like a pitiful man. In a cruel world, he must feel completely alienated.
"Now it's your turn to ask. I will answer as best as I can."
Kaelan had countless questions in his mind. Starting from Outcast, corruption, and the monsters he encountered. He even wanted to know who he was.
But his instincts felt strong, as if commanding him. For now, the most important thing was survival. To survive, Kaelan needed knowledge about this world.
"I want to understand this world better. Why is the sky red, why the trees look corrupted, and why the environment feels so terrifying."