EP.93 The Eraser in My Mind
There are two kinds of not knowing in this world.
One is not knowing the answer.
The other is not even knowing the fact that you don't know.
Judging by words alone, the second kind of unknown seems much more distant, but surprisingly, it exists right beside us.
Let's trace back our memories. Looking back at the shimmering childhood from long ago, there surely exists a radiant memory that makes oneself feel special in those days.
The self back then was the center of the world, the ruler of the grandest dreams, and the protagonist of a majestic epic.
However, the trivialities buried within that shining memory do not come to light.
Things that are not special at all. Like the coldness of a glass of water drunk one morning, or the nutty smell wafting from a pillowcase sunbathed to its heart's content, things that make the day colorful yet are extremely hard to remember, sink beneath the surface and never float up again.
You can't even try to recall them until someone mentions them. Even if you do bring them up, that is not the memory of that day. It is merely an imagination pieced together from experiences up to now.
Memory is such a deceptively tolerant yet ruthless abyss.
So no one will be able to blame me.
Even if I couldn't remember something no one pointed out.
"Wait. Mr. Shei."
"Huh?"
"Isn't there something we've forgotten?"
The regressor frowned and replied.
"That way of speaking again? Can't you just say it straight?"
"What way of speaking? What do you mean?"
"Subject, predicate, object, all glossed over with 'something' and only raising questions—that damned way of speaking!"
Taken aback, I waved my hands urgently and made an excuse.
"That's unfair. I'm doing this because I really can't remember! At least this time!"
"So you're aware of it, you bastard."
I got scolded for nothing. I feel like my world is collapsing, but now is not the time to worry about such trivial problems.
The bundle the captain received from 'them'. Inside it, where we were told to open it when we needed an assistant, there was a fan-shaped flat leaf along with the words [Recall the forgotten existence] written on it.
The captain hasn't recalled it yet, but the problem is that I also forgot what that forgotten existence was. Even if I'm a mind reader, I can't recall something when I don't even know what it is.
But something, something seems to have been there. Something quite important but slipped my mind.
I struggled to recall the vague memory.
"What is it? It was related to Mr. Shei. Mr. Shei. Could you describe your characteristics once?"
"What is wrong with you?"
"I'm in a hurry. Quickly."
As I pressed, the regressor crossed his arms and fell into thought.
"My characteristics...?"
'Regression... I can't say this. Seeker of fortuitous encounters, master of the treasure vault. Item reliance... Tch. Why is this the only thing coming to mind?'
His self-evaluation is quite honest. But that's not what I want to know.
I groaned and recited the regressor's characteristics one by one.
"Misanthropy, likes men. Prickly, one-armed factory manager..."
"Do you want to die? Why is that what comes to mind?"
"One-armed factory manager? One-armed factory manager. Right-arm murderer. Found it. The right arm!"
"Is it really that? Are you making fun of me right now?"
Making fun of you? Does he think I'm the type of guy who mocks people for no reason?
I wanted to yell, but now is not the time for that. I whirled around to face the regressor and shouted.
"Right arm! Where is the right arm!"
The regressor scrunched his face and answered.
"It's on your right. Why, want me to cut it off and show you?"
"This is no time for jokes! Immortal Rash! That right arm! Where is the right arm?"
"...Immortal?"
Only then realizing what I was looking for, the regressor recalled the immortal from a corner of his memory.
The right arm rotting from a curse, the scattered pieces of flesh, making a recovery potion to cure it, and even submerging the immortal's right arm in it.
However, in the regressor's memory, there was no recollection of taking out the recovered right arm.
That's only natural. The regressor submerged the arm in the recovery potion and completely forgot about it!
The regressor sighed.
"Ah. I forgot."
"Forget? How could you forget something like that!"
As I shouted in disbelief, the regressor, seemingly bewildered, fiddled with his hair and replied passively.
"W-well. I submerged it in the recovery potion to treat it. But when the right arm keeps flopping around wildly, you tend to want to forget about it."
"What a skill! When that right arm gets annoyed, it walks over on two fingers and smacks you, doesn't it? How could you forget that?"
"No, even though the curse wasn't lifted, it kept trying to get out of the tank with the recovery potion..."
"So?"
The way only his eyes darted around resembled Azi pretending not to know after causing trouble. What on earth did he do.
"I tied it with chains and sank it."
"Sank it?"
Even I wouldn't do that. He'd be offended to take second place when it comes to extreme actions.
"Well, fine. Let's say you could do that. Still, you must have seen it on your way!"
"No, well. The smell of the recovery potion was so strong that I put it in a corner room. I even set up a barrier in that room so the smell wouldn't leak out..."
"Excuse me, is that curse removal? That's just a sealing technique!"
It's ridiculous. I thought I lived quite planlessly, but the regressor was the type to throw away even the plans he had.
During the three days I was reviving Tir's heart, the regressor was so curious about what was happening there that he neglected the immortal and completely forgot about her!
I looked at the regressor with cold eyes.
"...Mr. Shei. Do you perhaps dislike Ms. Rash?"
"Uh, actually, I'm not really fond of her."
"Hmm. So just because you like men doesn't mean you have no standards."
"Stop emphasizing such things! I just forgot, okay!"
'I did lock it up in a place too out of sight... The flopping right arm reminded me of the horrifying corpse golem I saw back then, and it still haunts me. After that, I had no time to care because of the matter of Tirkanjaka's heart... Let's reflect. My vision was too narrow.'
He does reflect. It seems he still has a human heart left.
Yeah, whatever. People can forget things. It's definitely not because I forgot too...
"Wait! More than that! You're the one who used the immortal's arm! You should at least remember a little!"
...Cancel that. This guy is a personality wreck who doesn't even know the meaning of reflection.
Of course, I forgot too. As the owner of the Immortal Right Arm, I admit a very small part of my responsibility.
But still.
"My situation is different from yours, Mr. Shei."
"What excuse are you trying to make? You forgot it just the same!"
"I was trying to save Tir's heart then, and I almost died without even remembering myself! And you want me to remember some swarthy guy's right arm in the middle of all that?"
"...That's."
"I even left a note considering I might lose my memory. What about you, Mr. Shei, who was perfectly in your right mind?"
"........."
"If you have something to say, say it. Mr. Shei. I need to weigh your conscience today. It feels like it would weigh exactly a cheonang."
He wouldn't have anything to say even if he had ten mouths.
The regressor crossed his arms, unnecessarily tried to look important, then naturally turned his body and pointed outside. He was avoiding the question.
"The right arm is sealed in the laborers' quarters over there in the corner. Well, it's not an emergency, right?"
"It's quite late, but let's go for now."
I headed where the regressor pointed.
In the laborers' quarters, dozens of characterless doors lined the hallway. Some were broken, and some had doors completely fallen off, but even such acts of destruction failed to add any distinct character. That was because traces of violence were everywhere. If something was hidden somewhere in here, it would be hard to find unless you were on Azi's level.
"This way."
The regressor opened the door to the room at the end. The moment I took a step inside, a sweltering heat hit me.
The pungent smell of medicinal herbs pierced my nose. Beyond the hazy smoke filling the room, I could see a square tank placed on the bed. I groggily moved forward and checked inside.
Inside the square tank, there was a clear, boiling recovery potion, and deeply submerged, tied with chains, was the immortal's right arm. Judging by its appearance, it looked like an ancient ritual was being performed.
I looked back at the regressor silently, and he averted his gaze, perhaps having nothing to say either.
I pointed at the tank with my finger and said.
"You neglected it like this until now?"
"...Yeah. You just need to extract the curse, so I didn't need to touch it."
"Looking at it, the curse seems to have completely lifted."
"Yeah... it looks like it."
"Then why didn't you take it out?"
"I... forgot."
"Phew, you blockhead."
"What?!"
His reaction is so sharp at times like this. I untied the chains tightly bound around the entire tank. With every revolution of the iron chain I unwound, the flopping right arm moved more and more.
"Just wait, right arm. I'll give you freedom..."
Just as I was about to untie it, the right arm jumped up, taking advantage of the gap as the chains loosened. The immortal's right arm kicked off the surface of the water like a carp, leaped up, and struck the bridge of my nose.
"Guek!"
While I was momentarily dazed, the right arm, which had instantly dropped to the floor, stood upside down and ran across the floor on two fingers.
I grabbed my numb nose and shouted.
"Mr. Shei! Catch it!"
"Huh?"
However, the regressor had already moved out of the way to avoid the right arm. In the blink of an eye, the right arm escaped the room and ran down the hallway.
I hurriedly got up and blamed the regressor.
"Are you just going to watch?!"
"It was a bit creepy... But why? That right arm is going to find its owner anyway. Weren't you thinking of reviving the immortal?"
"I was thinking of reviving her! Before she steps forward!"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"No time to explain! Where is Ms. Rash's body right now?"
"In the training room cabinet."
"Why did you put it there again! No matter how I look at it, it looks like you're hiding a corpse!"
I immediately ran to the training room, and the regressor followed behind me without knowing why. We both ran down the hallway, following the finger marks of the right arm.
When we ran all the way and entered the training room, what we found was the captain, who happened to be standing in front of the cabinet holding the bundle, and,
the right arm, springing off the wall with a triangle kick and flying through the air toward the immortal.
"My god. The right arm is flying through the sky."
With that level of control, wouldn't a triple spin be possible too? While I muttered blankly.
The right arm stuck right onto the immortal's shoulder. The right arm, having absorbed a ton of the regressor's special recovery potion, transferred the vitality it had fully stored to the immortal.
It looked like a giant syringe had been stabbed into the shoulder. Every time the swollen right arm contracted significantly, the vitality soaked within it flowed into the immortal's body.
The immortal's flesh accepted that energy, and as the vitality spread along the blood vessels, life began to return to the immortal's body. And at some point.
The immortal opened her eyes wide.