"…That’s the first I’ve ever heard of such an ability."
"Think carefully. Maybe you just don’t remember because of your memory loss."
"I can’t say for sure, but I doubt I have such an ability."
"Ugh, this never happened when I was with my sister…"
As far as I knew, Nox didn’t have any ability to attract monsters. But then why were Gllylus flocking here in such a black mass? We fell silent, almost like we’d agreed to it. But we couldn’t just waste time holed up in this isolated house.
At sunrise, Nox would turn back into a child. I didn’t know how long his cycle lasted, but if I remembered correctly, today wasn’t the end. Even if I was wrong, it wasn’t like we could rely on that and just wait here.
There was no food here. Sure, wild herbs were everywhere, but unlike our house with its little well, there was no source of drinking water.
"How about waiting for just one day before heading back?"
"No."
I shook my head firmly.
"Staying here will only wear us out. We have to get out of here."
"Do you have a plan?"
He asked as he gripped his sword. But no matter how skilled Nox was, fighting that many monsters while suffering from memory loss seemed impossible.
Scanning the garden carefully, I spotted something inside the fence. I hurried over and looked at the crimson flowers.
"Nox, remember how I told you there are poisonous plants in the forest? This is one of them—Tetethis!"
I pointed at the flowers for Nox, who had followed me. Beside the red petals were bright scarlet berries.
"When Tetethis bursts, the liquid and smoke it releases are deadly—to both humans and monsters."
"More potent than the powder you used before?"
"Yes. That was temporary; this is real poison. Don’t get too close to the berries. They’ll burst with just a shock."
"If you’re planning to use it, how will you get it?"
I thought for a moment before asking cautiously,
"Can you cut the branch without shaking it or shocking the berries?"
When chopping wood, the closer you strike to the exact center, the faster and cleaner the cut. I didn’t know much about swordsmanship, but I knew that cutting just the branch without disturbing the leaves was a difficult feat.
Thwack.
"Like this?"
Before I even finished, Nox was already holding out the neatly cut branch.
…Was that even possible?
"Didn’t you say you don’t remember how to use a sword?"
"I don’t."
…And yet someone with no memory of swordsmanship handled it this well? I stared at him, my mouth opening and closing wordlessly.
"But the more I swing it, the more my body seems to remember."
I froze at his words. That sounded… dangerous.
When someone has amnesia, they’re often encouraged to revisit familiar places, eat familiar foods, or see familiar things to help trigger their memories. What I had just done by handing him that sword felt a lot like that.
I realized too late what a mistake I might have made and accepted the branch with a pale face.
I’m not digging my own grave, right? But this wasn’t the time to worry about that. I could think about it later.
"There’s one entrance here and another over there."
I carefully carried the branch to the front of the fence so it wouldn’t shake.
"Luckily, the Gllylus are all crowded at this entrance. Nox, do you see those rocks? Could you lift one of the big ones?"
Nox picked up a rock as big as a human head and looked at me.
"When I give the signal, throw it at that flat rock over there. After you throw it, we’ll run to the other entrance."
"Why throw the rock?"
"Gllylus have highly developed hearing and smell. Tetethis will paralyze their sense of smell, but not their hearing."
Birds usually have strong hearing, but Gllylus, with their lion heads, also had an excellent sense of smell. If any survived the Tetethis, they might still chase after us if they heard us.
"Throw it hard enough to make a really loud noise."
Nodding, Nox understood immediately.
I took a deep breath and counted backward from three. On one, I grabbed the berries and hurled them toward the Gllylus. Normally, you weren’t supposed to touch them directly, but there was no other choice.
Screeeeech! A horrible scream echoed through the forest.
"Nox, now!"
Crash!
Nox threw the rock with all his strength, and it shattered into pieces. The impact was deafening—how strong was he, anyway? My ears rang, and I staggered slightly.
"Hold on tight! Like before."
"Huh?"
Before I could react, Nox scooped me up and bolted toward the other entrance. Thankfully, the plan had worked perfectly; no Gllylus chased after us.
"Which way now? The entrance is different—do you remember?"
"Right from here!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes! Trust me—I memorized the path just now!"
Being carried in Nox’s arms, I was struck speechless over and over.
I mean, is this even humanly possible?
Not only was he carrying me, but he was also holding the book, and yet his speed didn’t slow at all. At this point, his stamina seemed beyond that of any beast.
In the original story, elite swordsmen were called Sword Experts, most of whom could freely manipulate mana. Of course, Nox was one of those who could control mana, granting him superhuman strength and endurance. And now I was experiencing that power firsthand.
After running for quite a while, I finally saw the familiar fence through the trees. I lifted my head in relief, but Nox’s voice stopped me.
"Amy, don’t move. …Something’s chasing us."
"What?!"
I twisted around and saw Gllylus flying after us.
The monsters weren’t entirely unaffected by the Tetethis; their wings twitched, and some squinted with one eye, but their crimson eyes now burned with a viciousness I hadn’t seen before.
"They… they look angry."
The ones chasing us had definitely been poisoned by the Tetethis.
"If we can just hold out, we’ll be fine. Or, if we reach the fence before then…!"
"…I’d run faster if I could, but this is as fast as I can go."
Tetethis poison gradually seeped into the body, paralyzing it. The Gllylus would eventually collapse, but we were cutting it close.
Just then, Nox abruptly stopped.
"Amy, they’re coming from ahead!"
Two Gllylus appeared before us. Nox quickly drew his sword and, in a single motion, cut them both down. For the first time, a small grunt escaped his lips.
I turned to see more Gllylus nearly upon us.
"…This won’t work. Hold on tight."
"Huh? W-Wait, what are you—!"
With all his strength, Nox slashed through the fence.
Crash! Crack! The wooden boards splintered, collapsing easily, and we tumbled to the ground.
Screeeeech! The Gllylus shrieked behind us, but they didn’t cross the barrier.
Haa… haa… The quiet garden filled only with the sound of ragged breathing. Lifting my head from his chest, I looked up.
His low, rough breaths tickled my ears, and droplets of sweat slid from his smooth jaw. I tried to get up but couldn’t—his arms were still firmly wrapped around me.
"…We made it."
"…Y-Yeah. But let’s never do that again."
Just like that first day, I was lying beneath Nox, looking up at him. Beyond his shoulder, the sky glowed faintly red—it seemed we’d made it just in time.
"Nox… are you hurt anywhere…?"
"Not really. I’m mostly fine. But you seem to have taken some damage."
His hand gently took mine and turned it over, revealing a reddened, swollen palm. It was raw from grabbing the Tetethis berries.
"Ah, this? Mm, it doesn’t hurt much."
I quickly hid my hand from him, forcing an awkward smile, but his expression was already grim after checking my injuries.
The silence stretched uncomfortably, and I nervously rolled my eyes around when—
"Going this far…"
"Nox?"
He paused for a moment.
"Are you going to tell me I’m not special to you?"
"Uh… um…" I mumbled, instinctively lowering my head. His light amethyst gaze felt like it pierced straight through me.
That question almost felt like he was accusing me of knowing who he really was—the Grand Duke. My heart skipped, but I quickly opened my mouth to cover it up.
"I already said you’re special…"
"As in, I’m just some curious man who turns into a child during the day? I thought you understood that’s not what I meant."
…Why was he throwing such direct shots tonight of all nights?
I opened my mouth to ask Then what do you mean by that? but before I could, his head lowered toward me.
"Amy, I’m not a child."
I swallowed at the closeness of his breath.
"Y-You’re… not a child. I-I know that."
We were so close that if I moved even a little, our noses might bump.
…And why on earth did he smell faintly sweet after all that running? Even as I tried to pull away, his deep, heavy gaze held me firmly in place.
"You picked up an adult man, didn’t you?"
"Uh, well, yes… you are an adult. Definitely an adult, but…"
"Exactly. I’m not a child. I don’t even remember the daytime version of myself you talk about."
What answer did he want from me? I didn’t understand why he was acting like this. He hadn’t even thanked me properly.
Normally, someone would feel grateful to the person who found them in the forest, but Nox was a man who’d probably just ask what kind of reward I wanted if he had his memories.
So what did he want?
"Um… Nox, I’m not sure what you’re trying to say. Can you just… tell me plainly?"
"What I want, huh…"
When I dared to look up, I immediately regretted it. His head tilted lazily, and he whispered in my ear,
"Tonight, sleep next to me."
"Wh-Wh-What?!"
I stared wide-eyed, thinking I’d misheard, but the sincerity in his eyes erased any doubt. Then, as realization dawned, I froze in shock.
"…The bed’s big enough."
"…My bed is definitely not big enough! W-Wait!"
I pulled my head back to avoid him moving closer.
"I only have the night to be with you. Why are you avoiding me?"
"W-When did I avoid you? No, wait—don’t you think your face is a little too close…? And your cheeks are kind of red?"
"…It’s nothing. Just a small injury."
"Small?"
"That’s not what’s important."
"No! That’s very important!"
"Amy."
…Why was he looking at me with such a cold, intense stare, like he was about to say something serious?
"I’ve lost my memories. You’re the only person I know."
His handsome face leaned closer, and I instinctively backed away.
"You didn’t know that? Are you going to tell me you didn’t realize?"
"…"
But the distance between us kept shrinking.
"I won’t do anything… just sleep next to me."
Our noses were almost touching when suddenly—Nox’s body slumped heavily.
"Nox? Nox! Wake up!"
No wonder his eyes had seemed unfocused—he had no strength left!
I scrambled to slip out from under his large body, panting. As I turned him over, I realized his temperature was abnormally high. I had assumed it was from running while carrying me, but one look at his back told me otherwise.
"…Claw marks."
I remembered the Gllylus that had chased us to the very end. A simple scratch wouldn’t cause a fever like this. Since they’d been poisoned by Tetethis, Nox must have been partially poisoned too.
"…And you called this a ‘small injury.’"
I muttered words he couldn’t hear.
How was this small?
I hurriedly placed my hand on his forehead, checking his breathing and pulse. Diagnosing him wasn’t hard—my sister had once been bedridden with Tetethis poisoning too. We needed to move him inside immediately.
As I struggled to drag his body, the book we’d brought from the abandoned house and the necklace fell carelessly to the floor. I ignored them, too focused on getting him turned over, only to hit another problem.
How was I supposed to carry him back home? No matter how much I tried, it was impossible for me to lift him.
"R-Right, once he turns into a child…"
I froze, staring at the bright morning sky.
"Morning already?"
Seven? Eight o’clock? By now, he should have transformed.
"Why… is he still like this?"
Nox wasn’t changing. Holding his hand, I stared at him, my heart uneasy.
…Had his cycle ended?
No, that couldn’t be. But if it had, we were in big trouble. My sister would be back soon—what would I even say to her?
I had expected this day to come eventually, but not so soon. I even found myself thinking, It would be easier if he just stayed a child all the time.
"Uh…?"
I stared blankly ahead, clutching my head in disbelief.
Shhh—
…Nox turned back into a child.
It was the first time I’d actually witnessed his transformation. His body shrank little by little until it stopped at the size of a young boy. The cloth draped over his shoulders now looked like a blanket, and his small hands and head rose and fell with soft, sleepy breaths.
I gaped at him, then slowly looked down at my own hand.
"I-I was holding his hand just a moment ago… Could it be…"
I reached out with trembling fingers and gently held his tiny hand again.
…Nothing happened.
Relieved, I let go.
The sun was shining brightly now. Something was definitely strange. Why hadn’t he changed right after sunrise? It had been well past morning already.
Looking down at the collapsed boy, I murmured in confusion,
"…What on earth was that?"
Why had he only turned back into a child after the morning had already passed?