I saw a white ceiling with a lattice pattern. HAAH. HAAH. I felt like I could hear the sound of breathing from somewhere.

Then, following a single line reflected at the edge of my vision...

───!

「Not yet, not yet. So please...」

Ah, I see. I am still...

My vision brightened along with the presence of tears streaming down my face. It wasn't a complete brightness.

A cave faintly dyed in the crimson glow of torches filled my view.

Thanks to that, the white color I had briefly glimpsed in my dream was completely buried. That deeply nostalgic, incredibly sad color had scattered just like that.

Without even knowing what I had forgotten, it left behind nothing but an emotion.

【U-Uh! He's awake, he's awake!】

I wanted to soak in that sorrow for a long time. At the same time, I wanted to cover it up and forget it.

【He's awake!】

However, in life, there are moments where you aren't even given a choice. Just like me right now.

【He must be in a lot of pain. He has tears...】

【... He shed tears?】

【Yep.】

Before the voices from a distance could get any closer, I raised my left arm and covered my eyes. My concept... my concept dictates that I do not show my tears to others. That was the reason.

"Demon Knight, are you awake?"

And right when I covered my eyes, the Archmage approached.

"Do not push yourself to move. You have been detoxified, but the aftereffects of the poison are quite severe."

'Is that so? I did pass out right after being pierced by the snake's fangs, after all. I'm lucky I didn't have to restart. When my vision went dark, I really thought I was going to die.'

With those thoughts, I completely reined in my emotions. It wasn't difficult. I just had to focus on my concept. On the concept, not me.

"The situation."

By doing so, I could cover up the misery and handle what needed to be done next all at once.

"... Do you remember collapsing from the snake's poison?"

I didn't bother to answer. The Archmage didn't seem to expect an answer either, as she continued without waiting long.

"It was difficult to treat you right there, so I asked the denizens of the forest for some help. They provided both this cave and the antidote."

'Leaving aside why it's a cave, so that's why there were unfamiliar voices. The people I saved ended up helping me.'

"As for the snake we captured... I saw it eat through the chains made of mana and try to escape, so I had no choice but to kill it."

'Wait, she killed the snake? Subduing it wasn't particularly difficult, so it's not a huge waste, but is that really okay?'

"Still, I did contact White Wind, so do not worry too much. Since the urgent matter is settled, you just need to get plenty of rest here before we return."

With this much, I had roughly grasped what I needed to know. I slowly moved my hand away. Wiping away my tears while pretending not to as I moved my hand was a bonus.

'I only wiped a single drop that leaked out, so she wouldn't have noticed, right?'

"... Does your shoulder hurt? I healed the wound completely, but..."

For a moment, the Archmage asked me with slight hesitation. I wondered why she was walking on eggshells like that, but it wasn't something I couldn't answer.

RUSTLE.

'It was something I wouldn't answer, though.'

"...! Do not get up. You still need more rest."

I ignored the Archmage's words and attempted to sit up. But wow. As soon as my back left the floor by about ten centimeters, gravity crushed down on my body.

It didn't hurt, but my entire body felt rather stiff and rigid. Especially my right shoulder.

"Did I not say all urgent matters are over? Rest, please."

'Ugh, I really have no strength in my right arm and shoulder.'

Evading the Archmage's restraint, I checked my arm. It was a somewhat subconscious action, but thanks to that, I was able to witness a shocking fact.

"Get out!"

'No wonder the blanket covering me felt so vivid against my skin! Forget the gauntlet, where did all my clothes and bandages go!'

"Demon Knight—."

"I said get out!!"

Gathering every ounce of strength I had, I chased the Archmage out. I knew they were removed for treatment, but it was an utterly unacceptable matter for my concept, so it was a given.

"... Your clothes are right here. And... do not push yourself."

Ultimately, the Archmage conceded. I had successfully been left alone in the cave.

Though I had used up all my energy just yelling, so I'd have to put off picking up and putting on my clothes for a bit.

'Sniff.'

"... It's cold."

But as I actually put off getting dressed, my bare skin touching the air brought a strange chill. It was a chill that wouldn't disappear even if I covered myself with a blanket.

I eventually forced my upper body up with gritted teeth and haphazardly picked up my clothes.

I started with the bandages. Thanks to their automatic washing and restoration functions, the highly useful bandages slowly began wrapping around my right arm.

"It feels like something is missing..."

'But it really, reaaaally feels like I forgot something.'

As it wrapped from my palm up to my wrist, forearm, and elbow, I continued to ponder over that strange discomfort. And when the bandages reached right below my shoulder, the realization struck me like lightning.

My seal was gone.

"Uh...?"

'Did the Archmage take it off to treat me? I didn't see it in the pile of clothes.'

I blankly felt the spot where the seal originally sat. It was the point where the triceps and deltoid met. It was also the point where my blackened skin returned to its original color.

Because I couldn't take off the seal, I had to wash around it and the bandages stuck underneath every time I bathed, and the scars left on my shoulder—I had been scrubbing my skin rather harshly ever since the remark about smelling bad—felt bumpy against my fingertips.

'Since I have a spare anyway, should I just wear that?'

I twisted my body to look for my inventory bag. RUSTLE. Something twitched on the blanket spread across the floor. It wasn't a living creature, but something like metal fragments.

"... Whoa, that startled me."

'For a moment, I was terrified it was a cockroach.'

I reached out to examine what it was. Funnily enough, the whereabouts of the seal I had been looking for were right here. I didn't know the reason, but it seemed it had shattered while I was asleep.

'Well, it's much better now that the outcome is confirmed. It's better to conclude that it shattered for some unknown reason rather than having it vanish without a trace. It makes me less anxious. But still...'

I agonized over whether I should tell the Archmage about this or not.

'I mean, I definitely should tell her, but she's been nagging me way too much lately. If she finds out it broke again, she'll definitely have something to say about it.'

'But not telling her is also a problem. Things like this sometimes end up being a red flag down the line.'

In the end, I resigned myself to just enduring some more nagging. Instead, with a much lighter heart, I wrapped the bandages, strapped on the spare seal, and fully got dressed. Thanks to the sensation in my right arm returning midway, it wasn't all that difficult.

'Though I have no idea where the chest protector I got from White Wind went.'

'No seriously, why did the chest protector disappear again? It's dangerous to handle that carelessly.'

'I feel a bit bad doubting the people who helped me... but they didn't take it, did they?'

【Ah, he came out!】

【What? Already?】

Grumbling internally, I dragged myself out of the cave. The only consolation was that nothing else was missing besides the chest protector.

【He shook off the chibineong's poison and got up in less than half a day?】

【Even the brave warriors of the forest suffered for three days and nights!】

【He must be a strong warrior.】

【What does it matter when he's harboring a curse in his right arm!】

【Not a disease?】

【They said it wasn't a disease.】

However, when I stepped out, all I saw were houses gathered in a circle centered around the cave I was in, and people milling about between them.

The people who quickly noticed my emergence focused their gazes on me.

'This is another new feeling.'

Their outfits reminiscent of primitive tribes were one thing, but their shared physical traits were also vastly different from the four races I usually encountered.

'Slender just have pointy ears, so I'll leave them out.'

'The Cutie and Shaggy races, who would be treated as non-humans in reality, also had appearances I often encountered as a gamer, so I could mostly pass them off without being surprised...'

'But these folks... well, aside from looking like Cuties, they are quite unfamiliar.'

'Whether it was the Cutie or the Shaggy races. If I had to pick animals similar to their appearances I had seen so far, they belonged to vertebrates. Like mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, or fish.'

'But these folks seem... like spiders... right? If I had to pick something similar?'

【Who cares if he harbors a curse. As long as he killed the chibineong, he's my savior. If I could, I'd take his curse in his stead.】

【Was he really bitten? That upright posture is that of a perfectly prepared warrior.】

【Outsiders really only have one pair of arms. How hard must it be to live with only one pair of arms? They can only do one task at a time!】

'It's not that I dislike them or want to discriminate against them, of course.'

'I'm just surprised because it's my first time seeing an arthropod-like Cutie. After bumping into them a few times, it won't even catch my eye anymore.'

'But it still bothers me that they're whispering while looking at me. What are they talking about so much behind my back?'

'I can't understand what they're saying, so I'm even more curious...!'

"Did I not tell you to rest more? You really are... quite stubborn."

That was when my savior arrived. It was a face I had seen just a few minutes ago, but I was inexplicably glad to see her. It felt like meeting a fellow Korean in a foreign country.

"How many saw it?"

But as always, my concept came first.

I was about to tell her about the shattered seal or the missing chest protector first, but realizing my concept would prioritize something else, I changed the subject.

'Right. If it's my concept, I would have no choice but to care first and foremost about my right arm, which is no different from my most shameful flaw.'

So, clutching my right arm, I pressed her for an answer. The Archmage's blue-silver eyes stared intently at me.

"I asked how many saw it...!"

"... Not many saw it directly. The seven who were there, one healer from this settlement, and about two people who assisted him. If you include me, that makes eleven."

'Eleven? Is that so-so? Sss. Maybe not?'

I pressed my lips tightly together and gripped my right arm even harder. Squeezing it tightly wouldn't bruise it anyway because of the gauntlet.

"... I apologize. For failing to protect what you wished to keep hidden until the end."

'But the Archmage is apologizing for this? Why? There's no need to apologize.'

"However..."

There is nothing more awkward than receiving an apology from someone who did nothing wrong. To stick to my concept and to cut off the Archmage's words, I swiftly walked right past her.

Fortunately, the Archmage didn't grab onto me.

'But if things go like this, when will I talk about the seal? I need to ask about the chest protector too. This is a problem. Will there be a chance to tell her later?'

Scratching my head—only in my imagination, of course. Why would I ruin my image to look like the local village idiot?—I slowly left the area. Upon passing the wooden walls surrounding the cave and nearby houses, a street of dugouts that appeared to be ordinary homes unfolded before me.

Even more persistent gazes poured down on me than before.

But something like this was nothing. I crossed the street and completely exited the settlement.

Finally, a forest as dense as a jungle cast itself over my vision.

Because of that, my body, which had been striding forward without hesitation, faltered.

'Uh... I won't get lost if I go a little too far, right...?'

I briefly rolled my eyes before opening my map for the first time in a while. It was a map that couldn't even zoom in, but it was still good to use for getting my bearings.

However...

"Damn it."

'Following the quest window, the world map has an error too? Is this for real? This is driving me crazy, seriously.'

I ground my teeth as I glared at the bleached window. The thoughts I had deliberately pushed aside and pretended to forget began to surface once more. Naturally, the emotions I had buried along with them were dragged out in the process.

The things I wanted to look away from and deny to the very end were slowly, or perhaps quickly, gradually tightening around my neck.

Even though I was clearly above ground, I felt as suffocated as if I were shoved deep underwater. All the sounds of the world grew muffled, as if submerged.

【Excuse me...】

Right then, a voice rang out from behind. It was likely calling out to me.

Because I was the only one here, and the owner of the voice opened their mouth as they approached me.

【Ugh, what should we do? From what I saw earlier, it seemed like he couldn't speak our language.】

【Should we bring a Shaggy outsider?】

【It looked like he was arguing earlier. Maybe he's upset because we saw his curse.】

【True, I'd be upset too.】

Of course, it was blocked by the language barrier. I returned my pelvis, which I had slightly twisted to look behind me, back to its original position.

The approaching people flinched in surprise and dashed over toward me.

【Th-Thank! Thank you! We lived thanks to you!】

【To think we'd encounter a chibineong after going hunting in the borderlands to avoid the Jatav tribe. Thank you so much. If it weren't for you, we'd all be dead!】

Taking into account that we couldn't communicate, I watched as they flailed about just to convey their meaning. That alone delivered a gratitude that was small and transparent.

The resentment swelling up inside me faded to some extent.

My thoughts, which had been sinking into a quagmire, were swept away by just a single smile from them.

【You are the greatest warrior.】

【It's a bit unfortunate he only has one pair of arms and eyes, but his face itself is quite handsome.】

【Hey, that's not a compliment.】

【You're huge, by the way. Between you and the Shaggy outsider, are all the people from the outside that big?】

'It's just a temporary fix, but it's better than nothing.' I let them chatter away.

'My concept would chase them away. But I'm a bit too exhausted to make those calculations right now.'

【It would have been better if we could understand each other!】

【Right, then we could ask him so much more.】

【Should we call Makaka over?】

'... I'm just too, too exhausted.'

【Yeah... Oh! It's the envoy!】

【They must be finally returning!】

And from the other side of the forest, a group raising flags slowly began to come into view.

The Archmage observed the residential area, which was divided into high-level personnel and ordinary denizens like a fried egg, and specifically looked at the ordinary residential area making up the egg white.

A group was currently entering through the outer wall surrounding the ordinary residential area.

"Hmm."

She stroked her staff and examined the group.

The tribe that helped them was the Serhang, whose symbol was a grass-leaf crest. On the other hand, the crest on the flags carried by the group entering now was different. It meant they were from a different tribe.

【Was the reason the leaders of your tribe went out to meet an envoy from another tribe?】

【Ah, did I not tell you?】

Considering the lives of the hunters he saved, she wasn't indebted for the Demon Knight's treatment.

Still, there was a matter of courtesy. She had intended to meet the head of the tribe to offer at least a modicum of gratitude, but...

【Yes. With the Katina period arriving, they went out to welcome the envoy to solidify an alliance.】

Had she known the leaders were absent for this reason, she would have left early, even if it went against etiquette.

Because while the Serhang tribe treated outsiders decently, other tribes despised them immensely.

Furthermore, their ability to set foot in this settlement was solely due to the arbitrary decision of the hunters who had been saved by them. In other words, the chieftain and the high priest still didn't know of their presence.

In such a situation, an envoy from another tribe arrives? And if they were to discover them and make an issue out of it?

【It wouldn't be good for an outsider to draw attention during such an important event. I am thinking of leaving immediately after finding the Demon Knight; could you convey our gratitude to the chieftain and high priest on our behalf?】

【Eh, you're leaving already?】

It would only make things difficult for both them and the tribe's leaders. It was better to simply become an impolite person than to risk such an uproar.

They didn't know their identities anyway, did they?

【The denizens of the Great Forest are averse to outsiders. An alliance must be a crucial matter, and I do not wish to cause any disruption to it. Thus...】

【Ah, if it's about that, it's fine. I heard this Chief Bigabol is friendly to outsiders.】

【Is that so.】

Even so, there was no need to get involved. She played along but did not retract her opinion.

【Um, if you wanted to leave without being noticed, I think it's already too late.】

【What do you mean?】

【Over there. Isn't that your companion?】

She hadn't wanted to retract it.

【... Demon Knight.】

If only the Demon Knight hadn't walked in alongside the envoy group, that would have been the case.

The Archmage's hand went to her forehead.