"Alright, Karon. I'll just erase the contents of the document from your memory."
The dark sorcerer had used magic to erase Karon’s memories.
However, unfortunately, the "5% chance of erasing everything" side effect activated, causing Karon to lose all his memories...
It was a devastating turn of events—for both the dark sorcerer and Karon.
"Well, there are other targets, so... I guess it's the end of your contract. You probably think it's a good thing, huh?"
The dark sorcerer sighed deeply, deciding that Karon was no longer useful and discarding him.
After breaking the contract between them, the sorcerer set fire to Karon's original home, placing him in front of it, hoping it would appear that Karon had lost his memory due to the fire.
With the side effect of dark magic added, Karon didn’t seem to care much about his life, even after joining the Border Defense Army.
While others might have hated the Border Defense Army, Karon really didn’t care about the situation he was in...
But there, he felt something fill the emptiness that had always been inside him.
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It was thanks to Salvia.
"No, no, Karon. That’s not how you do it, watch me."
"No, you shouldn’t set fire to the mountains."
"The Markerberry pollen? You shouldn’t use drugs..."
"Life is precious, say it three times!"
Despite it all, Salvia made an effort to teach Karon many things.
And so, Karon grew fond of Salvia.
He couldn’t help but like someone who treated him with such care.
It was the first affection he had ever felt, and Karon couldn’t help but dedicate himself to Salvia, as she had shown him the kindness he had never received.
***
"Sniff, our little one..."
I gently patted Karon’s head after training.
Ever since the dark sorcerer incident, I had come to trust Karon more than anyone. He had never once gone against my instructions.
Aquila and I were soon to be promoted to senior soldiers, and since there were so few senior soldiers, we were already doing their duties.
That meant training had become easier, which was a good thing.
As I continued to pat Karon’s head, Aquila, who had been standing closely beside me, looked at us and spoke.
"Karon isn’t that far from being a junior, right?"
"Our little one will always be the little one."
"Yeah... do as you like."
Aquila, who often let Karon win when it came to him, sighed and gave in, though he still looked at me with a sideways glance and asked again.
"Did you cut your hand?"
"Ah, yeah. It happened while I was cleaning up after Patty and Matty’s mess."
"Let me see."
Just as Aquila grabbed my hand, a clearing of the throat came from nearby.
"Ahem."
I looked up to see Ishina, who had been watching us, casting a disdainful glance our way. Aquila, with a voice full of mock indignation, spoke.
"Then why aren’t you letting Karon take care of it?"
"Zero impurity."
"I..."
"Please, stop with the nonsense..."
Ishina, who usually didn’t speak so harshly, made me widen my eyes, glancing back and forth between them.
"W-what are you talking about?"
"Salvia, it’s okay. You don’t need to know."
Huh? Suddenly, they were talking about something that I didn’t understand?
"Why... why are you talking without me...?"
This time, Aquila seemed to look at Ishina with a slight smirk... or maybe it was just my imagination, but had I misread Aquila's expression?
"No, no, Salvia, we weren’t talking without you..."
"Salvia?"
"Yes?"
I jumped as Winter appeared out of nowhere. It was definitely Winter.
"I have something to check. Can you come with me to the armory to inspect the firearms?"
"Yes."
I quickly stood up and followed Winter. There was no end to this work.
***
"Ugh, damn it, I can't say anything since you're the senior!"
Ishina was pulling at her hair in frustration as she watched Aquila.
"Wouldn't I be better than Winter, though?"
Aquila responded in his usual calm voice but then turned to glance at Karon with a sharp, assessing look.
"And Karon, you’ve regained your memories, right?"
"Ah, yes, that’s right!"
"...Good, nothing's changed, then."
As Aquila scrutinized Karon with a sharp gaze, Ishina let out another long, exhausted sigh.
"You’re the biggest problem here... Please, stop messing with her. Just leave the kid alone."
Ishina closed her eyes, almost in prayer, hoping desperately that no strange person would obsess over Salvia.
...Honestly, she knew she was a strange person too...
But between Aquila, who had been making his moves for years, Winter, who kept others in check with his senior privileges, and Karon, who only ever smiled when Salvia was around, Ishina felt they were better off than all that.
***
Side Story 4: "The Secret of the Four Obsessive Madmen" - Original
When Salvia died, the only thing Karon could do was cry.
He cried while eating, while working, while swinging his sword, and even while lying down to rest.
As time passed, the only emotion Karon felt was sadness, and if he really wanted to, he could cry all day long.
But...
‘Still, I have to do what Salvia-nim told me to do.’
"You should help those weaker than you, if you can."
Karon helped his juniors, who had no interest in him, because Salvia told him to.
Among the juniors Karon helped was a new recruit, Dallin, and Karon paid special attention to her.
It wasn’t because Dallin resembled Salvia.
Karon didn’t think they looked alike at all. He never confused Salvia with anyone else.
However, the reason Karon was particularly attentive to Dallin was because of something Salvia had once told him.
“When you don’t know what to do, follow what Aquila does when I’m not around.”
Karon’s senior, Aquila, had occasionally given Karon unsettling looks, but one thing was undeniable—Aquila, along with Salvia, had treated Karon well.
When Karon didn’t know what to do, he always followed Aquila’s and Salvia’s lead. Salvia had told him to do so.
So, when interacting with Dallin, Karon mimicked Aquila’s attitude.
Aquila treated Dallin like he treated Salvia, so Karon did the same.
After entering the Border Defense Army, Karon’s principles had always been simple:
Follow orders.
And follow Salvia’s words.
It didn’t matter whether he remembered or not.
Although Salvia had often pointed out that Karon’s sense of ethics was a bit warped...
What Salvia didn’t know was that all of Karon’s principles were aligned with her.
Salvia was Karon’s ethics.
Even after her death, she remained Karon’s guiding standard.
If Salvia wanted something, Karon would do it. If she didn’t want something, Karon wouldn’t do it.
“I don’t... I don’t know how to get used to someone dying around me. No one... can understand.”
“Hmm...”
“Were you alright, Karon-nim? The... previous senior you mentioned...”
“Ah, Salvia-nim?”
“Yes...”
“I’m fine! I’ll be fine from now on!”
Salvia had said that one had to get past the deaths of their comrades.
You couldn’t stay bogged down by it forever; you had to learn to live your own life.
So, Karon would be fine. He had to be fine.
...But.
‘If I leave the army, I’ll be disobeying orders, won’t I?’
If Salvia’s orders clashed with each other... Karon would most likely follow the one Salvia said most often.
“When I’m not around, don’t do anything you’re not told to do, and just wait quietly.”
Karon waited for Salvia. Since she told him to wait, he couldn’t leave the Border Defense Army.
"By the way, Karon-nim, you’re about to get promoted, aren’t you?"
"Yeah, that’s right! I’ll be a senior soon."
"Does that mean you’ll leave this unit?"
"Hmm... I’d rather not."
If he left, it would mean disobeying Salvia’s orders, which would be a problem.
“Yes? Oh, you want to stay in this unit as a senior officer? I heard that’s what Winter wants too!”
"Yeah, I want to stay in this unit."
"Hehe, but you’ll eventually have to leave, right?"
"I don’t want to leave."
"...What?"
"I don’t want to leave. Can’t I just stay here?"
Salvia told him to wait.
So Karon would wait for her.