Sharti looked at him with surprised eyes.

After spitting out his thoughts, Ren tilted his head contemplatively.

“I was severely injured right before I supposedly died, so why would I be discovered hiding in a place like a cave with such a damaged body?”

Unintentionally, Sharti held her breath.

The Ren who pointed a sword at her with piercing eyes during their first meeting came to mind.

Ren’s condition, torn skin and wounds all over, was so severe that it prompted various speculations about his identity.

“So, I got curious. Whether I lost my memory or erased it.”

Ren looked at his own palm.
The tough-skinned, sturdy hands of Bakin were rough, covered in numerous small scars.

His entire body was the same.

“So I thought. Perhaps I didn’t exchange death for memories.”

In other words, it was a statement that his subconscious, facing death, erased memories to live.

It was an absurd statement.

At the time of discovery, Ren had suffered physical shock to the head and was in a state of poisoning.

To find the cause of his memory loss, a medical approach would have been appropriate.

“Considering I almost died, not being able to recall memories might be a kind of self-defense. I probably didn’t want to break this tranquility.”

It was an emotional inference.

However, as a doctor, Sharti couldn’t deny Ren’s unreasonable imagination.

Rather, it sounded plausible, which was a problem.

‘No, I must stay focused.’

Sharti, who almost succumbed to Ren’s words for a moment, clenched her fist.

Even though he lost his memory, Ren’s martial arts skills became more refined over time.

“So, are you not going to try to recover your memories like this?”

“I just mentioned that it feels like you keep trying to send me away using my memory as an excuse.”

“With a fake name, in a fake environment, and with a fake daily life. We need to find the real.”

Ren’s eyebrows twitched.

It was a face with wounded emotions.

“Are you saying that because I lost my memory, I am fake?”

Realizing her verbal slip, Sharti quickly raised her head.

As Sharti tried to correct herself by standing up, he approached.

With the reduced distance, Sharti hesitated and sat back on the sofa.

“You seem to be saying that if I find my memory, ‘Ren’ will disappear.”

Sharti, pierced by Ren’s sarcasm, couldn’t say anything.

Her heart felt heavy, as if a stone was lodged in her chest.

“Even if I find my memory, I can’t be ‘Ren.’ That doesn’t mean the current me will disappear. At least I won’t silently disappear in front of you.”

Power infused Ren’s voice, previously without fluctuations.

“I promise you. Sharti, I promise, staking the name you gave me.”

“…….”

“……Is this something you do by kneeling?”

As Ren solemnly muttered, Sharti’s face relaxed.

Her attempt to leave him after desperately trying to hold back seemed futile.

Sharti took a deep breath and exhaled.

Strangely, her heart felt lighter.

“But Ren doesn’t keep promises well, does he? Continues to speak informally and lies. What about that?”

“That is…”

Sharti clenched her fist.

“Even in front of Mr. Manulsang, he speaks informally. He calls Mrs. Viletta ‘Grandma.’ You didn’t plan to practice from the beginning?”

“…….”

As the atmosphere, which had been flowing smoothly, went awry, Ren frantically shook his head.

Sharti laughed ineffectively as she loosened her clenched fist.

“Still, I’ll make sure to keep the promise we just made.”

“…….”

“Because it’s a promise made with the name I gave you.”

“That means…”

Sharti grimaced.

Now that Ren had pierced through the anxiety she had concealed, Sharti had no excuses left.
Ren pierced through the anxiety she had hidden, so now Sharti had no excuses.

So, can’t Sharti believe Ren a little?

Can’t she be honest with him, using him as an excuse?

“After meeting Grandma Viletta tomorrow, let’s go out. The water is running out, and we need to fetch some. I’ll also teach you how to distinguish herbs. After a few trips, you’ll quickly memorize the way back home.”

“…….”

“Smearing toxic plants on your face isn’t good, so let’s try a different method from tomorrow. After that, I’ll tell you about the less crowded paths. So you can go out for some fresh air whenever you feel stifled.”

As Ren listened to Sharti’s shy and mumbled words, he had a dazed expression.

Yet, Ren engraved every word of Sharti’s in his mind.

“Ren?”

Following Sharti’s gaze to the shaking hood, Ren swallowed dry saliva.

The dull pain in his neck that he had been feeling suddenly spread throughout his body.

Relief? Or happiness? Inexpressible tingling sensations made Ren sigh softly.

“I did say that, Sharti.”

Ren grinned.

It was a comfortable and genuinely emerging laughter.

“I will devote myself without lacking anything, Master.”

Three days had passed.

Ren opened his mouth with a stoic expression.

“I will continue to stay here.”

“…….”

Without adding detailed reasons, Ren informed the decision briefly.

“I appreciated the offer.”

Ren bowed deeply, even lowering his waist.