Jack of All Trades, Party of None

"...Thank you, Shion. I feel a little calmer now."

Orun, who had been quietly crying, stopped and said this as he moved away from me.

I wish I could have held him a little longer. What a shame.

"I see. That's good."

When I smiled at Orun, he blushed shyly and turned his face away slightly.

"Hey, Orun. Can you tell me what happened to you?"

When I asked, a shadow gradually crossed Orun’s expression.

He hesitated a little, then slowly began to recount the events that led him to this point.

I sat beside him, nodding as I listened.

What Orun told me was shocking: the Tsutolairu had been ravaged by the cyclamen cult, and even his disciples and comrades had been killed.

He also shared that just before returning to Tsutolairu, he had contacted Christopher (Chris).

"In the end, I was almost killed too, but grandpa protected me."

"Who is this ‘grandpa’?"

Both of Orun’s grandfathers were supposed to have died already.

I couldn’t help but ask.

"...Ah, I guess it’s okay to tell you, Shion. Grandpa is Cavadel Evans."

"Cavadel Evans? The magical tool artisan!?"

"Of course you know him, Shion. I think he’s the magical tool artisan you’re imagining."

I was speechless from the shock.

Because he is...

While I was stunned, Orun spoke again.

"I got off track. After that, grandpa disappeared, and before I knew it, I was here."

When Orun finished, he clenched his right hand so tightly it was trembling.

I could easily imagine the complex emotions swirling inside him, impossible to put into words.

(Cavadel Evans disappeared, and we came here. So that's what happened.)

"Thank you for telling me. ...I’m sorry for making you recall such painful memories. But thanks to you sharing, I understand what kind of place this is."

"Really? Where exactly is this place?"

Orun grabbed onto my words eagerly.

"If I had to describe it best, it would be the 'Hidden World' (Kakuriyo). This place is completely cut off from time and space from the world we were in."

Even before hearing Orun’s story, I had wondered why only Orun and I existed here.

But after hearing what happened just before he arrived, I understood.

"First, let me confirm, Orun—how much do you remember about your childhood? Specifically, before you became an explorer?"

If I believe Orun’s story, I had been asleep for nearly half a year.

And during that time, Orun had contacted Chris.

Apparently, he had already heard some rough details about his past.

I wasn’t thrilled that things were moving forward without me, but since I finally had the chance to talk slowly with Orun, I considered it a good thing. —Oops, got sidetracked.

"...Not much. Before I became an explorer, the place I lived was attacked by the cult... I heard everyone was killed... Hey, were you and I, Shion, acquaintances?"

Orun asked timidly.

Being asked such a question confirmed to me that Orun really didn’t remember his past, which made me feel a bit sad.

"...Yes, that’s right. We were childhood friends. Though we lived in different places, we often played together. With Oliver and others too."

"I see. I had forgotten even my childhood friends... I’m sorry..."

Orun said apologetically, dropping his shoulders.

I shook my head.

"No, it’s frustrating, but cognitive alteration is powerful. It can’t be helped. —By the way, do you have any headaches? When recognition is forcibly rewritten, strong stimuli can cause rejection-like headaches."

When I checked on Orun, he tilted his head in puzzlement.

"...Now that you mention it, I don’t have headaches. When Chris told me about the past and when I was in Tsutolairu, I felt such bad headaches that I couldn’t even move, but now I don’t feel any pain at all. Though I still feel like there’s a haze over my mind."

Has Orun’s body started adapting? Or is it because of this place? Either way, this is good.

"That’s great. Then we can have a deeper talk."

"A deeper talk?"

"Yeah. —About your supernatural ability."

According to Chris, the cognitive alteration applied to Orun by that harmful woman (Philly) was meant to prevent Orun from accurately recognizing his own supernatural ability.