NOVEL WEB Chapter 169 - Amnesia (2)
Chapter 169: Amnesia (2)
The three people standing behind Yuri were left speechless in shock.
Meanwhile, Yuri quickly ignored the startled murmurs coming from behind him.
He rubbed his nose with his index finger.
“Model student, turns out you’re… someone who can judge people pretty well, huh?”
The annoying adjective that had been attached to him earlier had disappeared.
Yuri smiled contentedly, looking a bit embarrassed.
Shake, shake.
Behind Yuri, Theresia, Arin, and Poppy all shook their heads from side to side.
They desperately signaled Gunther not to be swayed by Yuri’s words.
Just as Gunther was about to look in their direction, Yuri stepped forward, blocking Gunther’s view.
Then, he patted Gunther’s shoulder a couple of times.
“Anyway, you found your way here well! Ah, no one has as much to teach as I do! You’ve made the best choice!”
The three people behind Yuri shook their heads again, but Gunther was already focused solely on Yuri.
“Does that mean… you’ll allow it?”
“Hmm… Who knows?”
“…….”
“To be honest, I’m a bit busy. I don’t really have the time to teach you anything.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. I’ll find my own way to learn. You just… need to treat me the same way you treat the others. That alone is enough for me.”
Gunther said this as he pointed at Arin and Poppy behind Yuri.
Arin and Poppy dropped their jaws.
Their expressions clearly conveyed the thought, ‘Is he crazy?’
In contrast, Yuri’s eyes sparkled.
“Really? Really, really? Really, really, really?”
“……?”
“You mean you’ll be okay if I treat you just like I treat them?”
“Of course.”
“Wow, great! Then I’m all for it!”
At Yuri’s cheer, the three behind him let out a sigh.
They looked at Gunther with pity.
Just as Gunther was about to notice their expressions, Yuri once again perfectly blocked his line of sight.
With a bright smile, Yuri extended his hand to Gunther.
“Welcome, from now on, you’re Number 4!”
“Thank you for the welcome.”
Gunther, after shaking hands with Yuri, tilted his head.
“But what does Number 4 mean?”
The three people behind Yuri silently mouthed.
‘Run away!’
‘Run away!’
‘I’m hungry!’
Unfortunately, their silent cries didn’t reach Gunther.
“Oh, you’ll find out eventually.”
Yuri put an arm around Gunther’s shoulder and turned him around.
In a cheerful voice, he said,
“Now, let’s sort out the situation a bit.”
“Sort out? What do you mean?”
“You’ve come here to learn something from me, right? That basically makes me your mentor, doesn’t it?”
“……?!”
Gunther flinched.
Seeing this, Yuri flashed a sly smile.
“What’s wrong? Isn’t that right? Or were you just planning to use me?”
“…….”
Gunther was at a loss for words.
He scoffed at his own foolishness.
‘You came here seeking to learn… and yet you want to keep your pride?’
Yuri was right.
Since he had come to ask for guidance, it wasn’t unreasonable to consider Yuri as his mentor.
However, the idea of Yuri Holland being his mentor just because of his age made Gunther resistant.
Scolding himself, Gunther nodded.
“You’re right. I asked for guidance, so it’s only fair to see you as a mentor.”
With his thoughts in order, Gunther’s steady voice brought a smile to Yuri’s face.
“But model student, how old are you?”
“Sixteen.”
“Oh, never mind then. We’re the same age, so what’s this mentor talk? I was just kidding.”
Yuri waved his hands dismissively with a playful grin.
Yuri’s laughing eyes, narrow and gleaming, revealed golden pupils that shimmered intriguingly.
“Well, we don’t need to go around calling me your mentor or anything, but you do admit that you came to me for help and that you hope to gain something from me, right?”
“Of course, I admit it.”
“Then if you’re getting something from me, it’s only fair that I get something from you in return, right?”
“Hmm… Is there something you want from me?”
“Of course there is.”
“What is it?”
“Just do some things I ask you to.”
Gunther blinked.
“…The things you ask?”
“Nothing major, just little tasks here and there.”
“Hmm…….”
“I won’t make you do anything weird, so you don’t need to worry. So, what do you say, will you do it?”
“Hmm…….”
“Will you or won’t you?”
Under Yuri’s gaze, which seemed to pressure him for an answer, Gunther nodded.
“As long as it doesn’t go against my beliefs or my honor as a knight, I’ll accept.”
“Geez, don’t worry! I won’t ask you to do anything like that!”
“I understand.”
Finally hearing the answer he wanted, Yuri smiled brightly and released Gunther from his arm.
“Alright, come this way.”
With that, Yuri took the lead and started walking ahead.
Gunther was about to follow when he felt a pale hand on his shoulder.
Tap.
Caught off guard by the sudden grip on his shoulder, Gunther turned his head to see Theresia’s stern face.
Only then did Gunther remember her presence.
‘Come to think of it… why is this senior here?’
Everyone in the 50th batch knew that Arin and Poppy were part of Yuri’s group.
However, Theresia’s involvement hadn’t been made known, so Gunther’s confusion was understandable.
Gunther stared blankly at Theresia for a moment before realizing his rudeness and quickly bowed his head.
“It’s been a while, Senior Theresia.”
“…….”
Despite his polite greeting, Theresia only stared at Gunther without any response.
“Uh… Senior?”
Just as Gunther called Theresia again, sensing something was off, she muttered a single sentence.
“…I’m Number 1.”
“Pardon?”
Without responding to Gunther’s puzzled question, Theresia quickly walked away.
Gunther was left with a question mark floating above his head at the unexpected situation.
Tap.
Once again, a hand landed on Gunther’s shoulder.
This time, the owner of the hand was Arin.
“I’m Number 2.”
With that, she too disappeared, following after Theresia.
But it didn’t end there.
Tap.
The heaviest hand yet was placed on Gunther’s shoulder.
Poppy, slightly bent over, also spoke a word to Gunther.
“Hungry.”
Then, he too walked past Gunther, chasing after the others ahead.
Left alone, Gunther stared blankly at the backs of those walking in the distance and muttered softly.
“Number 1… Number 2?”
And didn’t Yuri just call him Number 4 earlier?
‘So, Bobikrutankapurtabi must be Number 3…?’
He vaguely understood that much, but what on earth did Numbers 1 to 4 mean?
While Gunther was mulling over his curiosity, Yuri’s loud voice from afar cleared up his question in an instant.
“What are you doing not coming, you slaveeeeee—no, Worker Number 4!”
…It seemed like a word had definitely changed halfway through?
Gunther’s brows furrowed slightly.
“Damn it, I’m busy as hell, so why aren’t you hurrying up, Worker Number 4!”
Under the continuous urging, Gunther mumbled as if spellbound.
“…Worker? Me?”
Thud.
A broad double-edged sword dug deep into the ground.
The blade soon scooped up a fistful of dirt.
Thwack!
And then, it repeated the same actions.
Thud-thwack!
Thud-thwack!
The double-edged sword kept plunging into and out of the ground.
“…….”
And its owner, Gunther, who was digging with a sword for the first time in his life, seemed slightly dazed.
‘What… is this?’
Called over as Worker Number 4, Yuri’s instructions to Gunther had been simple.
“Dig.”
“……?”
“I said, dig.”
“What do you mean… dig what?”
“What else, the ground! Stop talking and dig from here to over there.”
Yuri traced a line from his feet to a distant tree with his white finger.
The distance looked easily over 100 meters.
“…….”
Despite Yuri’s thorough explanation, Gunther still blinked as if he didn’t quite understand.
No, he didn’t understand the situation itself.
‘Suddenly digging the ground… why?’
Seeing Gunther standing blankly, Yuri sighed as if exasperated.
“Haa… I’ll show you once, so watch closely.”
With that, Yuri drew his sword and drove it into the ground.
And then—
Scrape, scrape, scrape.
He started digging the ground in no time.
Seeing what unfolded right in front of him, Gunther’s eyes widened.
‘F-Fast?!’
With just a single-edged sword, no wider than two of his fingers, Yuri was scooping dirt faster than a typical shovel.
In less than a minute, Yuri had perfectly dug a hole up to his thigh, dusting off the dirt from his hands.
“See? Just dig like that.”
“Why… should I be doing this?”
“What do you mean, why? You agreed to do what I ask in exchange for learning from me, didn’t you?”
“…….”
“What? Can’t do it? Is this against your beliefs?”
“Well, that’s……”
“Or does digging dirt hurt your honor as a knight? Just digging?”
“…No, it doesn’t.”
“Then it’s settled! Now hurry up and dig. We’ve got a lot to do today.”
Faced with Yuri’s blunt words, Gunther could only nod with a reluctant expression.
He then cautiously asked, glancing around.
“Um… what should I use to dig…?”
“Ugh, this guy really doesn’t know how to work, does he? Do I have to explain everything?”
“…….”
“Use your hands, or dig with your sword like I did!”
“With… a sword?”
“It’s better than using your hands. Your sword is broad, perfect for digging.”
“…….”
“Anyway, from here to there, that’s your portion, so make sure you dig it all.”
After giving his unilateral notice, Yuri turned and left without waiting for Gunther’s response.
That had been about 30 minutes ago.
Thud-thwack!
During that time, Gunther managed to dig another hole of a similar size to the one Yuri had made.
Crack.
As Gunther straightened his back, the sound of his bones creaked loudly, making him grimace.
‘To think my back would hurt this much from just doing this…’
Was it because he hadn’t fully recovered yet?
Gunther felt a peculiar sense of self-deprecation at how exhausted he was from digging just one hole in 30 minutes.
And just then, someone approached him.
“Don’t worry, it’s not you who’s strange.”
“…Senior Theresia?”
Gunther blinked at Theresia’s sudden remark.
Seeing his reaction, Theresia gave a gentle smile.
“The muscles used in combat and those used for labor are different. Even the way you use your muscles is different, so your body hurts because you’re not used to it.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes, I went through the same. But you’ll get used to it over time and even develop some techniques.”
She pointed to the holes she had dug.
Gunther was speechless as he saw the numerous holes, far more than he had dug.
‘Did she dig all those… with just one spear?’
It was nothing short of astonishing.
Theresia encouraged the dazed Gunther.
“But you seem to be adapting faster than I did. I struggled more at first. Hmm… As Number 1, if I were to give you a tip, don’t think of it as digging; think of it as shaving or slicing the ground.”
“Th-Thank you.”
“Yes, do your best, Number 4. If you have questions, just ask your Number 1.”
With a kind smile, Theresia left.
Gunther was left in a stupor.
‘…What should I even say to this?’
He had certainly been encouraged.
He even received tips from ‘the great Number 1.’
‘I received them, but…’
…Then why did he still feel so uneasy?
Gunther turned his dazed face.
Thunk, thunk, thunk.
Just then, Arin was hammering a wooden pickaxe into the ground.
As she vigorously wielded the pickaxe, she seemed to notice Gunther’s gaze and turned her head.
“Hm?”
Seeing Gunther standing blankly, Arin’s eyes flared.
“Hey!”
She shouted, stomping over to stand in front of Gunther.
With her hands on her hips, her eyebrows drew a sharp ‘八.’
“Look at this… the newbie slacking off!”
“…Newbie? You mean me?”
“Of course! Is there any other newbie Number 4 besides you here?”
“…….”
“How dare you, a green rookie, rest while this grand senior is working without a break?”
“…Should I not be resting?”
“Of course not! Haven’t you heard the rule—no resting until you’ve dug at least 50 holes?”
Gunther, still struggling to adapt to the situation, mumbled in a low voice.
“…I haven’t heard of that.”
“You’ve heard it now, haven’t you? What are you doing? Get back to work, bend your back, and start digging!”
Just as Arin, as Senior Number 2, was about to walk away after her scolding—
“Um….”
Gunther called her back.
“What?”
Arin turned, giving him a sharp look.
“That… where did you get it?”
Gunther pointed to the wooden pickaxe she was using, and Arin smirked.
“Oh, this?”
She smiled as if he had an eye for good equipment.
She rested the wooden pickaxe on her shoulder so it was clearly visible.
Then, she snorted.
“What do you want to know for?”
“I want… to use one too.”
At Gunther’s request, Arin’s gaze turned icy.
“Remember this well, Number 4.”
“…….”
“No equipment allowed until you’ve dug 100 holes.”
Arin walked away, emitting a cold aura.
“…….”
Once again, Gunther was left staring blankly.
Just then—
Thump, thump.
Poppy came, carrying a large log on his shoulder, and planted it in the hole Gunther had dug.
Whoosh!
Blowing out a strong breath, Poppy glared at Gunther.
“Hungry!”
Poppy’s expression looked just like Arin’s when she had scolded, “How dare a newbie rest!”
“Hungry!”
Shouting incomprehensible words, Poppy stormed off back into the forest.
Left standing alone in the wide clearing, Gunther looked up at the sky and thought.
It felt like he had stepped into a place he really shouldn’t have.