Chapter 34 - Memory Lost

The soft, golden rays of the morning sun filtered through the sheer velvet curtains of the servant's quarters inside the Noble mansion, casting a warm glow across the neatly arranged furniture. Hegemon slowly opened his eyes, his mind enveloped in a heavy, unusual fog. He sat up, groaning slightly as he rubbed his temples. There was an unsettling emptiness in his chest, a fleeting sensation of coldness around his neck that vanished the moment he tried to focus on it.

He looked around the room, completely perplexed. He was lying on his bed, still partially dressed in his casual white shirt from the previous evening.

"Did I... drink too much last night?" Hegemon muttered to himself, his voice raspy from sleep.

"Did I get so incredibly wasted at the royal banquet that I blacked out and passed out here? That's impossible... I don't remember drinking anything but water."

"You didn't drink a single drop of alcohol, Hegemon."

A sharp, strained voice cut through the quiet room. Hegemon turned his head toward the door to find Lily standing there. She was leaning against the wooden frame, her silver hair slightly messy, and her eyes bore deep, dark circles as if she hadn't slept a single wink all night. She was staring at him with a mixture of intense scrutiny, profound worry, and an underlying sense of utter bewilderment.

"Lily?" Hegemon raised an eyebrow, genuinely confused by her intense expression. "If I didn't drink, then why does my head feel like it was split open? And why am I waking up late? Did I miss the morning briefing with Head Maid Testari?"

Lily walked into the room, her boots clicking softly against the polished floorboards. She stopped right beside his bed, looking down at him. Her heart was hammering against her ribs.

Yesterday evening, right before they were supposed to depart for the grand royal banquet, Hegemon had suddenly frozen on the mansion steps. His face had turned stark white—a horrific, deathly pale color that made him look like a walking corpse. He had hyperventilated, choked on his own breath, clamped his hand over his mouth, and fainted right into her arms. She had been forced to call the mansion guards to help carry him up to his room. She had stayed by his side the entire night, bracing herself for the moment he would wake up and frantically recount another agonizing tale of death, horror, and a new failure that forced a reset.

But now... he was asking if he had gotten drunk. He was completely calm. He didn't remember.

"He doesn't remember?" Lily thought, her mind racing at a million miles per hour. "𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆? 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒕𝒔, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒖𝒎𝒂 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝑹𝒖𝒍𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 . 𝑰𝒇 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒑𝒂𝒍𝒆, 𝒊𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒕 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒑𝒔. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆? 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒇𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒄 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒆𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒍𝒚 𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒕 𝒊𝒕𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇?"

The sheer implications of this anomaly terrified her to her very core. If Hegemon could no longer remember how he died, he could no longer adapt. He could no longer predict the enemy. He would be walking blindly into a slaughterhouse over and over again without ever realizing he was trapped in a loop.

Yet, looking at his calm, oblivious expression, Lily forcefully swallowed her panic. She clenched her fists behind her back, deliberately masking her fear with a dry, sarcastic sigh. She decided not to tell him—at least, not yet. Injecting panic into his mind when they knew absolutely nothing about this new threat would only destabilize his fragile psychological state further.

"You didn't miss the briefing, you absolute idiot," Lily lied smoothly, crossing her arms. "You just suffered from extreme exhaustion. You've been working yourself ragged ever since the border village incident, planning, coordinating, and playing the perfect butler. Your body simply gave out due to severe mana depletion right before we left for the banquet. Count Rosali and Lady Diana went ahead without us, and I stayed behind to make sure you didn't accidentally die of mana failure in your sleep."

Hegemon blinked, processing her words. He stretched his arms, feeling the faint, residual ache in his muscles. "Exhaustion? I suppose that makes sense. The Five-Dimensional Space took a massive toll on my limited mana pool two days ago. I must have underestimated the lingering backlash."

He slid out of bed, standing up with his usual fluid, controlled grace. "Well, no use lounging around. I need to wash up and get back to my duties. Lady Diana will be waking up soon."

As he walked toward the private bathroom connected to his quarters, Lily reached out and lightly grabbed the fabric of his sleeve. Her grip was tight, trembling just a tiny bit.

"Hegemon," she said softly, her voice uncharacteristically serious. "Take it easy today. Seriously. Wash up, but don't overexert yourself. Your health... your mind... it's not made of iron. You need to look after yourself, okay? If you feel even a little bit dizzy, you tell me immediately."

Hegemon stopped, looking down at her hand on his sleeve, then up at her anxious face. He offered her a rare, reassuring smile, patting her hand gently. "I know my own limits, Lily. Don't worry so much. I'll just take a quick, hot bath to clear the remaining fog from my head, and I'll be perfectly fine. Go get some rest yourself; you look like you're the one who needs a sleep."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever, Mr. Unshakable," Lily muttered, letting go of his sleeve and turning around to leave the room, though her heart remained heavy with an anchor of dread.

The steaming hot water of the bath did wonders to soothe the phantom tension in Hegemon's muscles. As he submerged himself in the porcelain tub, he closed his eyes, letting the heat wash over him. Yet, despite his calm exterior, a strange sense of unease lingered in the periphery of his consciousness. It was like looking at a mirror that had been perfectly wiped clean, but knowing deep down that a crack was hidden beneath the frame. He dismissed it as simple fatigue and quickly finished his bath.

Ten minutes later, Hegemon stood before the full-length mirror in his room, meticulously fastening the silver buttons of his midnight-black butler waistcoat. He adjusted his pristine white collar, tied his black cravat with practiced precision, and combed his dark hair back. The image looking back at him was that of a flawless, elite servant of the House of Noble. The vulnerabilities of the previous night were entirely hidden beneath the uniform.

Stepping out into the sprawling, sunlit corridors of the mansion, Hegemon immediately immersed himself in his daily routine. He walked down to the grand kitchen and the servant common areas, checking the inventory schedules and ensuring everything was running like clockwork.

"Ah, Good morning, Mr. Hegemon!"

Resta, the youngest and most energetic maid, greeted him with a bright smile as she carried a basket of freshly laundered linens past the hallway. "We heard you collapsed from exhaustion last night! Are you feeling better? You shouldn't push yourself so hard, the estate can run smoothly for a day even if you take a break!"

"Good morning, Resta," Hegemon replied, his voice carrying its signature smooth, polite warmth. "I am perfectly recovered, thank you for your concern. Has Lady Diana requested her morning tea yet?"

"Not yet, Fatesa is currently preparing the rose-petal bath for her," Resta replied, giggling slightly. "But Head Maid Testari was quite worried about you too, you know? She even instructed the kitchen to prepare a special, nutrient-rich herbal broth for your breakfast."

Right on cue, Fatesa walked into the corridor, holding a silver tray with a delicate porcelain teapot. She offered Hegemon a graceful, respectful nod. "It is good to see you on your feet, Hegemon. The mansion feels far more secure when our chief butler is present."

"Thank you, Fatesa. Please ensure the tea is served at precisely optimal temperature for the young lady," Hegemon instructed smoothly, cross-checking a mental list of the day's tasks.

As he conversed with the maids, directing the daily chores with absolute professionalism, his demeanor was entirely natural. There was no fear, no hesitation, no underlying trauma. To anyone watching, he was simply a dedicated, highly competent butler fulfilling his duties.

Lily watched him from the far end of the corridor, her arms crossed tightly over her maid uniform. Her eyes tracked his every movement, analyzing the micro-expressions on his face, the cadence of his voice, the posture of his shoulders. There was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary.

She walked over to him just as Resta and Fatesa excused themselves to attend to their respective duties.

"Hegemon," Lily called out, stepping directly into his path. She looked around to ensure the other servants were out of earshot before leaning in closer. Her voice was a low, intense whisper. "I'm going to ask you one last time. And I want you to answer me with absolute honesty, without any of your professional butler deflections."

Hegemon paused, looking down at his silver-haired friend, slightly amused by her persistence. "Go ahead, Lily. What is it?"

Lily locked her emerald eyes onto his, searching for even a single flicker of hidden truth. "Do you truly, honestly, remember absolutely nothing about what happened yesterday evening? Think carefully. No weird dreams? No sudden flashes of light? No feelings of... coldness, or sharp pain? Nothing at all?"

Hegemon stared at her for a long moment. He searched his own memory, tracing back through the previous day. He remembered preparing the carriage. He remembered standing on the steps, waiting for Diana. And then... a blank space. A sudden darkness, followed by waking up in his bed this morning.

He offered her a thoroughly calm, casual shrug, his expression completely unbothered. "I already told you, Lily. I remember waiting on the steps, feeling a sudden, overwhelming wave of dizziness, and then everything went black. It was just a standard blackout from exhaustion. Why are you asking me this so aggressively? Did I say something strange while I was unconscious?"

Lily stared at him for three agonizing seconds, her breath catching in her throat. The absolute sincerity in his eyes confirmed her worst fears. He really, truly did not know. The entity that had slain him had somehow bypassed the fundamental mechanics of his temporal anchoring, leaving him completely vulnerable to a blind ambush.

Slowly, Lily let out a soft breath, forcing her tense shoulders to relax. She shook her head, offering him a small, fabricated smile. "No... no, you didn't say anything strange. You just snored a little bit. I was just making sure your brain wasn't scrambled from the fever. If you're fine, then I won't ask anymore."

"Good," Hegemon said, adjusting his cuffs one last time. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must check on Lady Diana's itinerary for the afternoon. Have a productive day, Lily."

He walked past her, his footsteps echoing rhythmically down the marble corridor as he headed toward the grand wing of the mansion.

Lily stood alone in the sunlit hallway, a cold sweat breaking out across her skin. She slowly turned her head, looking out the massive glass window that overlooked the estate's outer walls. Far beyond the fortified iron gates, nestled deep within the dancing shadows of the towering capital buildings across the street, she felt a lingering, malicious gaze. The unseen predator was still out there, hiding in the dark, watching the mansion, completely aware that its prey was walking right into its trap once more.