Bolt upright!

Ascan sat up abruptly as soon as he woke from the dream.

His entire body was damp, clearly soaked with cold sweat.

As he gathered his senses and looked around, he could make out the familiar Lazent Empire lodging even in the darkness.

Only then did it sink in that he had been having a nightmare until just moments ago.

“No amount of denial will help. Show me your hidden abilities. Judging by the formulas etched on your body, you’re no longer an ordinary human, are you?”

Black hair, pale skin, and venomous blue eyes filled with malice.

In the dream, the one tormenting Ascan with a whip was, unbelievably, a young Tanashia.

Though she exuded an entirely different aura from the Tanashia he knew now, he instinctively recognized her as the same person.

It was an utterly bizarre dream.

Though he had lost his memories, everything up to now suggested that he and Tanashia had been close in their childhood.

Yet the Tanashia in his dream was nothing like the one he had imagined.

Crack! Crack!

As Ascan was removing his shirt, the young Tanashia mercilessly lashed him with a whip.

Unable to freely control his ability to turn his body to steel, long wounds and blood formed where the whip struck.

Clenching his teeth to endure the pain, at that moment—

Clang!

With a dull sound, his steel transformation ability activated unintentionally, preventing further wounds from forming on his body.

Tanashia approached him with a curious expression, touching his hardened skin as he writhed in pain. With a manic smile, she said,

“What’s this, then?”

It was the look of someone delighted to discover Ascan’s steel transformation ability.

It gave him chills. He felt the same emotions toward Tanashia that he had felt toward the researchers who subjected him to human weapon experiments since childhood.

To think he’d have such a dream about Tanashia, of all people…

Ascan struggled desperately to wake from the vivid, lifelike dream.

As if pressed by a nightmare, his unresponsive body finally stirred after great effort, allowing him to escape the unsettling dream.

“…Haa.”

Ascan let out an involuntary sigh, brushing back the hair that had fallen over his forehead.

Even thinking back, it was a disturbing dream.

No matter that it was a nightmare, the fact that he dreamed such a thing about Tanashia was absurd.

“Could it be because of those drugs?”

Ascan’s gaze naturally drifted to the packet of medicine by his bedside.

Ever since he acknowledged his feelings for Tanashia, his memory loss had been weighing on him.

Though he told himself it couldn’t be true, he sometimes felt uneasy and anxious, as if Tanashia’s affection was directed at his past self rather than who he was now.

He often found himself in the ridiculous situation of feeling jealous of his own past self.

What kind of life did he share with Tanashia ten years ago?

Was she as beautiful back then as she is now?

His curiosity grew with each passing day.

Ascan began looking into ways to recover his lost memories.

But since the outcome was uncertain, he didn’t mention it to Tanashia or anyone else.

He worried about raising false hopes only to disappoint them.

While in the Kalua Empire, he secretly visited the most renowned doctor specializing in brain-related matters for a consultation.

“Test results show that Count Atreas’s memories were forcibly erased by drugs.”

The culprit behind this was obvious to Ascan.

It was the researchers who conducted human weapon experiments on him in the past.

He recalled how, when he regained consciousness in a strange place, the researchers had asked him various questions to confirm his memory loss.

Not only that, he had overheard them whispering among themselves, saying it was fortunate that Ascan’s memories were gone.

It wasn’t surprising, as he had already suspected as much.

The important question was whether his lost memories could be recovered.

“It’s slightly different from memory loss due to external trauma or mental illness. You’d need to take drugs to counteract the effects of the ones you were given, but they come with severe side effects that could strain your body significantly…”

The doctor listed various concerns and precautions, but no words could dampen Ascan’s burning desire to recover his memories.

If it had been before meeting Tanashia, he might not have taken the risk, but things were different now.

No matter how slim the chances, he couldn’t give up.

“If that’s your decision, Count, so be it. But please keep in mind that even with our best efforts, the likelihood of recovering your memories is less than half. We’ll begin drug treatment today. Please take the prescribed medicine diligently.”

From that day, Ascan started taking the medicine given by the doctor before bed.

The doctor had warned that the treatment would put a heavy strain on his body, but fortunately or unfortunately, he hadn’t felt any changes so far.

The problem was that, just as there were no side effects, there were no noticeable effects from the medicine either.

As time passed, he grew increasingly despairing, feeling there was no hope of recovering his memories…

But since arriving in the Lazent Empire, he had started having strange dreams.

“I’d hoped these dreams might be glimpses of the past, but all I’m getting are useless nightmares.”

No matter how he thought about it, the recent nightmare lacked any sense of reality.

It was too far-fetched to be something he had actually experienced, which made Ascan lose faith in the medicine he was taking.

He wanted to ask the prescribing doctor about his current condition, but since he had left the Kalua Empire, he couldn’t meet him again.

“Should I find another doctor…?”

There were plenty of doctors if he looked, but the one who had treated him was considered the best in the Kalua Empire—indeed, the entire continent—when it came to brain-related matters.

Ascan stared at the medicine packet by his bedside before turning away.

He was already prepared for the side effects, having heard about them endlessly. But he couldn’t hide his disappointment at the medicine’s apparent lack of effect.

With a rustle, Ascan lay back down on the bed and closed his eyes.

For some reason, the image of the young Tanashia from his dream overlapped with the Tanashia he remembered, stirring a strange feeling within him.

Due to the bounty Helsion had placed on us, too many bounty hunters were tracking our whereabouts, so we hadn’t left the lodging even once until now.

As the time spent cooped up dragged on, I grew mentally exhausted.

I was staring out the window at the bright sky, suppressing my desire to go out, when—

“Want to go out?”

Perhaps sensing my thoughts, Ascan asked in a casual tone.

Contrary to my true feelings, I shook my head. There was no point in being honest when nothing would change, and I didn’t want to burden him unnecessarily.

“No, staying safe here is best.”

“Really? I was preparing to take you out for some fresh air, but I guess I’ll cancel.”

“…What?”

I was startled by Ascan’s unexpected words.

Clearing my throat awkwardly, I looked at him with eyes full of anticipation.

“Can we really go outside?”

I asked subtly, but he must have seen through me, as he gave a knowing smirk.

“Of course. We’re not imprisoned. A short outing is fine.”

“Is that okay?”

“As long as you’re with me.”

To my ears, his words sounded like a promise to protect me no matter what.

I felt a newfound sense of reassurance. Perhaps it was because I knew from the novel that Ascan was the strongest in this world.

“What preparations did you make?”

“Nothing major. Not many people in the Lazent Empire would recognize us, but it’s still better to be cautious.”

With that, he pulled out something he had been hiding behind his back.

I knew he had his hands behind him, but I hadn’t realized he was concealing something. I looked with surprised eyes at what he held out.

It was a hat with a veil.

The thin mesh was designed to partially cover the face, perfect for concealing my identity.

Wearing something too concealing could draw attention, but the veiled hat Ascan handed me was just right, not overly conspicuous.

“Nice idea. Unless someone knows me personally, they’ve probably only seen me in pictures, so it’d be hard to recognize me.”

“Exactly. And today is the Lazent Empire’s festival, so I hear there’ll be a lot of people. Blending into the crowd will make it even harder to spot us.”

The more I heard, the more it felt like the perfect opportunity to go out.

I was about to eagerly agree when—

“But since you said staying safe is best, maybe we should cancel the plans…”

“No way! Let’s go now!”

At my urgent reply, Ascan grinned mischievously. Then, in a mock-stern voice, he said to me,

“Don’t try to hide things from me next time. There’s no need to conceal what you want.”

I had suspected as much, but he saw right through me.

Scratching my cheek awkwardly, I replied,

“Got it. I just didn’t want to make you worry.”

“Who said I mind worrying about you?”

As he spoke, Ascan leaned down toward me. His smiling lips lightly brushed my forehead before pulling away.

It was a natural gesture, but my heart still pounded wildly.

Feeling my face flush, I clutched the hat Ascan had given me and hurriedly walked off.

“I’ll go get ready then.”

“Take your time.”

His gentle tone was full of care. But excited about going out after so long, I wanted to leave as soon as possible.

“Just wait!”

I flashed a grin and quickly moved to prepare for the outing.

I put on the hat Ascan gave me and chose a plain dress to avoid standing out. I also wore simple accessories and decorations to ensure I didn’t look like a noble.

After hurriedly getting ready and coming downstairs, I saw Ascan wearing a fedora to conceal his face.

He looked surprisingly dashing in the fedora, which caught me off guard.

“Wow, you look great!”

At my unabashed compliment, Ascan gave a rich smile, as if he couldn’t help himself.

Then, extending his hand toward me, he said softly,

“Shall we go?”

“Sure.”

I grabbed Ascan’s hand with a cheerful smile.

Jen and Carlton offered to escort us, but we declined and left the lodging just the two of us.

I didn’t need to do anything special. Just walking the streets under the warm sunlight made me happy.

Seeing me revel in my long-awaited freedom, Ascan gently crinkled his eyes.

“Is it that nice?”

“Yeah. It used to be just an ordinary day, but coming out after so long feels amazing.”

Since we had fled the Kalua Empire in a hurry, I hadn’t had the chance to properly take in the Lazent Empire’s scenery until now.

The Lazent Empire seemed to value preserving old relics. The streets were filled with a quaint, classical atmosphere.

As I looked around, a curious sight caught my eye.

Children carrying baskets were walking along, and adults they passed by would hand them handfuls of candy or chocolate.

“What’s that about?”

I recalled Ascan mentioning that today was a festival.

Noticing my curious gaze, Ascan, walking beside me, explained,

“Long ago, a plague that only affected children swept through the Lazent Empire, and many died. So, they started this festival where people give snacks to children, wishing them to grow up healthy.”

“That’s the meaning behind it. Should we buy some to hand out too?”

“If that’s what you want, absolutely.”

As Ascan and I smiled at each other and headed toward a nearby shop—

Clatter! Clatter!

The sound of galloping hooves filled the air as a carriage raced wildly down the street.

Since I was standing close to the carriage’s path, Ascan quickly pulled me aside to a safer spot.

The carriage, which passed us in a flash, was so ornate that it clearly belonged to a wealthy noble.

“Who could that be? Driving a carriage so recklessly.”

If someone hadn’t dodged in time, it could have caused a serious accident.

I couldn’t help but frown as I watched the carriage, which soon stopped not far away.

The coachman bowed deeply, almost touching the ground, as he opened the carriage door.

The first thing I saw was a woman’s shoes and the hem of a luxurious dress.

When the woman’s face was revealed, I couldn’t help but gasp.

“That… that face…!”

Seeing me frozen in shock, Ascan asked with a puzzled expression,

“What’s wrong? Someone you know?”

“Yes. To run into her here, of all places…”

It was a twist of fate like no other. They say you meet your enemies on a narrow bridge, but to see her in the Lazent Empire of all places.

Reiana Nain Krisha.

The sub-villainess of the original story, once my friend, but our relationship had completely soured ten years ago after she tormented Ascan.

Despite her cruel personality, her strikingly feminine face was etched in my mind.

As I stared in a daze, Reiana’s gaze happened to turn toward me.

Quickly, I turned my head and covered my face.

“I absolutely can’t let her see me.”

Unlike the bounty hunters, Reiana knew my face well.

I didn’t know why she was in the Lazent Empire, but given our bad blood, if she recognized me, it would be the end.