I’m Here to End This Fight

Chapter 170. Amnesia (3)

It was the fourth day since Gunther had joined Yuri’s group.

Srrk- thud!

Gunther straightened his back after shoveling the last handful of dirt.

Crack-.

A strange noise echoed from his stiff back, hardened by prolonged labor.

However, as if he had gotten used to it, Gunther simply patted himself a few times to loosen his tightened muscles.

Then, he surveyed the result of his work.

“Hmm…”

Behind Gunther, dozens of pits stretched in a long line along the path he had taken.

All of them had been dug in just a few hours.

Considering that he had managed to dig only one pit in about 30 minutes on the first day, it was an astonishing improvement.

No one understood this better than Gunther himself.

That’s why a satisfied smile spread across Gunther’s face as he looked at the pits he had dug.

‘There really is nothing that makes my heart race like visible growth.’

While thinking this, Gunther’s expression suddenly stiffened, shadowed by gloom.

“…To think I’d be happy about something like this.”

If his growth had been mental or in terms of skill, he wouldn’t have felt this sense of self-reproach.

But to be pleased just because he could dig pits quickly?

Wasn’t he making a fool of himself?

Realizing the reality of his situation, Gunther let out a heavy sigh.

‘How… did it come to this?’

He felt a nagging sense that he was missing something.

It was then.

Throb-.

“Ugh…”

A sudden, intense headache made Gunther groan softly, his eyebrows twitching.

‘Here it comes again.’

This wasn’t the first time he had experienced such a dull headache.

Whenever he felt like he was missing something, the headache would unfailingly come to torment him.

However, the headache didn’t last long.

It only delivered a brief, sharp jolt of pain before disappearing as if it had never been there.

‘What on earth… is this headache about?’

It was as if the headache was trying to tell him something, briefly appearing and then vanishing. As Gunther was lost in thought, a loud voice rang out across the open area.

“Time to eat! Everyone, gather up!”

The worried look on Gunther’s face vanished like the wind.

Before he knew it, he was striding quickly toward the voice.

Like a well-trained dog running to its owner at feeding time.

Gunther wasn’t the only one who moved promptly at mealtime.

There were already the well-trained No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3.

If No. 4 Gunther moved upon hearing the call, Nos. 1 to 3 had already sniffed the food when Yuri brought it out of the crack and were seated at the table.

Theresia, Arin, and Poppy sat in a row at a large rectangular table made from cut trees.

And Gunther plopped down in what had now become his designated seat.

Arin gripped a spoon and chopsticks in each hand, drooling and tapping the table eagerly.

“Hurry, hurry!”

At Arin’s urging, Yuri quickly distributed the plates and bowls.

Finally, the dishes started to fill the table.

Receiving his share, Gunther let out a quiet groan.

“Hmm… This is… impressive.”

One of the most surprising things since arriving here was the quality of the food.

No matter how spring had come and the forest had become bountiful, making it easier to gather food, it was still just ‘food’ in the simplest sense.

Most of the cadets consumed that ‘food’ in a basic manner, often just roasting it.

In fact, many struggled even with that, so they resorted to eating dry rations.

But look at the dishes laid out before him.

‘This is clearly… cooking.’

Not just items meant for simple consumption.

These were dishes made with various cooking processes, crafted with care to be savored.

Such things were rarely seen in the Dragon’s Cradle.

Gunther carefully lifted his spoon and brought the red-tinted porridge to his mouth.

Slurp-.

It slid in smoothly, the flavor spreading throughout his mouth.

And then came the rich umami that tantalized his tongue.

“Mmm…”

Gunther couldn’t help but let out a moan in response to the overwhelming taste.

‘To think I’d get to taste such cooking in the Cradle.’

At first, he thought it was just because his tongue had grown sensitive after eating dry rations for so long.

But no, this was objectively delicious.

This level of taste wasn’t something easily found even in society.

If he had tasted this kind of cooking outside, he wouldn’t have hesitated to hire the cook as his family’s chef.

‘Not bad.’

Even though they were only provided one meal a day, for cooking like this, he felt he could endure any amount of labor.

In fact, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say he worked just to eat these meals.

And this sentiment wasn’t exclusive to Gunther.

“Haa… I must have always loved spring.”

Theresia, with a blissful expression and flushed cheeks.

“Me too, I love… spring is delicious.”

Arin, half-dazed, sucking on her spoon.

“I’m hungry.”

Poppy, who had already finished his meal and was licking his bowl.

Even they, who had eaten Yuri’s cooking countless times, were lost in its allure.

The only thought in their minds was one.

‘I love spring!’

Even in winter, they had eaten fairly tasty meals.

But after experiencing Yuri’s food made with the wider variety of ingredients available in spring, they now dreaded the return of winter.

For Nos. 1 to 3, Yuri’s cooking, made with fresh and varied ingredients, had become an irreplaceable joy in their lives within the Cradle.

They were so content that they didn’t even realize they were being tamed by it.

Clatter, clatter-.

For a while, there was no conversation, only the sound of utensils clinking.

Then, when everyone’s bowls except Poppy’s were about half-empty, Gunther spoke.

“Yuri Holland, I have a question.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“What exactly are we building here?”

At that question, the spoons that had been moving busily stopped abruptly.

Theresia, Arin, and Poppy all looked up in surprise.

Theresia spoke up on behalf of the group, asking Yuri.

“You… haven’t told him anything?”

“Nope.”

Yuri’s nonchalant response drew everyone’s gaze back to Gunther.

“So… you’ve just been following orders without knowing anything?”

“…He’s got a bit of a slave mentality, doesn’t he?”

“I’m hungry.”

As one incredulous comment after another poured in, Gunther’s expression turned a little sheepish.

Then, he looked back at Yuri.

“So, what exactly are we building here?”

“A house.”

“For a house… isn’t this pretty big?”

The area Gunther had dug alone was large enough to fit a decent-sized house.

To Gunther’s question, Yuri corrected his answer.

“A big house.”

“…I see.”

Yuri’s blunt way of speaking made something well up in Gunther’s chest.

At the same time, the headache returned, throbbing once more.

But only for a moment.

“Mmm…”

One spoonful of the warm porridge into his mouth, and all his irritation and pain melted away.

Clatter, clatter-.

Yuri organized the wooden utensils while surveying the surroundings.

The first thing he noticed was the construction site, which now had a fairly solid foundation.

‘Faster than expected.’

The original fortress’s foundation had been destroyed by Segyung.

So, Yuri had decided that if he was going to rebuild the fortress, he might as well make it bigger and wider than before.

Even if it meant the construction would take a bit longer.

But it seemed the construction time would actually be shorter than the initial foundation work.

And it was all thanks to Nos. 1 through 4, who were diligently carrying out the tasks Yuri had assigned them.

Yuri looked at the now highly skilled group with a satisfied smile.

‘As expected, the talents selected from the Cradle are incredibly quick to adapt to physical work.’

What had once been awkward and clumsy movements now resembled the actions of seasoned laborers with over a decade of experience on a construction site.

As a result, the progress of their work was moving along swiftly.

‘Especially with the addition of one more slave, it’s made a significant impact.’

When the new slave had willingly come to him, Yuri had thought it was an unexpected windfall.

His gaze landed on Gunther, who was busy digging a new pit.

Watching Gunther’s dedication to his assigned task, Yuri shook his head in amazement.

“That guy’s got some real grit. After getting beaten up like that, it’d be normal for him to avoid me altogether.”

Yet, not only had he come of his own accord, but he was also working so diligently at whatever was asked of him.

Gunther’s personality, which was so different from his own, left Yuri in awe.

Two weeks after Gunther joined.

“Hah…”

“Wow…”

“I’m hungry…”

“Whoa…”

From Nos. 1 through 4.

They stood in a line, gazing in awe at the scene unfolding before them.

“It’s really happening.”

“Yes… It’s really happening.”

“I’m hungry…”

Gunther felt the same amazement as Nos. 1 through 3 expressed their astonishment.

‘It’s… happening.’

Gunther’s view was filled with the sight of a massive wooden fence.

No, at this point, could it still be called a fence?

Its scale and structure were impressive enough to be considered a fortress wall.

And the most amazing part was that it had been built by him and his group.

‘All I did was dig as Yuri Holland instructed… and this is what came of it.’

It was truly astonishing how the pits he had dug had transformed into this.

While the four slaves marveled at their creation, a nonchalant voice called out from behind them.

“What are you all so amazed about? We’ve barely even started.”

The four slaves flinched at the voice coming from behind them.

“This is just the beginning? Even after we’ve done all this?”

“Then… what exactly have we been doing all this time?”

“I’m hungry!”

As the senior slaves voiced their complaints, Gunther frowned as another headache hit him.

‘Again…?’

Lately, Gunther had been suffering from these headaches more frequently.

As he pressed on his temples to alleviate the pain, Yuri’s voice rang out.

“Alright, since we finished early today, how about a sparring match for old times’ sake? Anyone want to take on my shiny one? First come, first served!”

Silence fell briefly after those words.

Then, within the quiet, a voice of joy broke through.

“Oh? Gunther? Of course, it’s you! You really are one persistent guy!”

“…Huh?”

Gunther, pressing his temples, tilted his head at Yuri’s sudden warm welcome.

“Gunther, you’re the winner! You’ll be my sparring partner today!”

“…?”

What on earth was he talking about?

Gunther looked around, puzzled, and his eyes widened in surprise.

“…What?”

Theresia, Arin, and Poppy, who had been standing in line with him just moments ago, had all taken a step back.

As Gunther looked at them, the three of them stepped back once more.

The result was that Gunther ended up standing alone in front, as if he had volunteered for Yuri’s challenge.

Gunther’s surprise at the sudden turn of events only lasted for a moment.

“Fine, I won’t refuse a spar.”

A duel with a skilled opponent was nourishment for growth.

Gunther wasn’t about to pass up this opportunity.

Meanwhile, seeing Yuri and Gunther preparing for a spar, Nos. 1 through 3 whispered among themselves.

“…He won’t die, right?”

“Probably not.”

“I’m hungry…”

Unaware of the concern from his senior slaves, Gunther raised his sword towards Yuri and shouted.

“I’m ready, come at me!”

Yuri blinked at Gunther’s bold declaration.

Then, with a smile, he shouted back.

“Wow, look at you, a passionate boy full of grit! Overcoming past pain with sheer willpower, huh?”

With those words, Yuri started to dash towards Gunther.

After taking a few steps.

“Here I come!”

Zap!

Yuri’s figure disappeared.

He reappeared right in front of Gunther.

By the time Gunther realized it, Yuri’s sword was already flying towards him, wrapped in a golden aura.

‘Huh…?’

As he saw the golden flash coming toward him.

‘This… where have I seen this…?’

Gunther felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

As his slowed-down thoughts took in Yuri’s glowing sword, he realized something peculiar.

‘Come to think of it… why did I wake up in the infirmary?’

That question began to piece together his fragmented memories.

Before he had fallen into oblivion.

How he ended up losing consciousness in the first place.

Those forgotten memories began to resurface, slotting back into place, as the sight of Yuri, laughing with his eyes wide open and sending a lethal strike his way, overlapped with the mad-eyed figure from his past who had beaten him to a pulp.

It all made sense now—why he had woken up in the infirmary, and what had happened to him that day.

Gunther had just regained a crucial lost memory.

Whoosh-.

As Yuri’s golden magic sword struck his blade, everything seemed to play out in slow motion before Gunther’s eyes.

His lips moved.

“You… bastar—?!”

Boom!

But Gunther couldn’t finish his sentence.

With a loud explosion, he was sent flying straight backward.

Yuri, having swung his ‘shiny one,’ or his magic sword, for the first time in a while, grinned.

“Great, nailed the power control this time!”

Having practiced controlling the intensity of his magic sword, Yuri seemed pleased with the outcome.

Then he noticed something odd and tilted his head.

“…Did he just curse at me?”

Nah, that couldn’t be. No way would our upstanding boy swear like that, right?

He must have just bitten his tongue.

With that conclusion, Yuri stretched with a satisfied look on his face.

Meanwhile, Nos. 1 through 3 whispered again as they looked at No. 4, who was now buried in the dust.

“…Did he die?”

“Probably.”

“I’m hungry…”

Gunther sat absentmindedly on the high wooden watchtower.

Facing the setting sun directly, his appearance was disheveled and pitiful.

His hair was a mess.

His clothes and face were covered in dirt.

And there were clear traces of blood around his mouth.

Despite his ragged state, Gunther couldn’t even think of cleaning up as he sat there, dazed from the shock.

‘I… lost my memories.’

He had heard that sometimes a strong shock could cause memory loss, but he never thought it would happen to him.

And of all things, the memories he lost were ones he absolutely should not have forgotten.

‘…I walked into this lunatic’s den on my own.’

Of all the things to forget, how could he have forgotten those crazed eyes that had once beaten him senseless?

‘Of all things… of all things!’

Had he retained those memories, he would have reconsidered coming here at least 34 times.

And just then, Gunther realized what had been causing his persistent headaches.

It was an instinctive aversion, a kind of signal.

A signal from his lost memories telling him to flee as soon as possible.

“…Should I run away now?”

As Gunther wrestled with that inner conflict, a loud voice rang out from below the watchtower.

“I’m back, you damned brat! Let’s start the third round! Hahaha!”