Chapter 15: Please Take Care of Me

Eight years ago, a single raid changed the trajectory of Esdeath life.

The northern barbarians descended southward without warning, pillaging and burning everything in their path like a swarm of locusts, leaving nothing but scorched earth behind.

Her tribe was also reduced to ruins beneath the iron hooves of the northern barbarians. Not a single member of the clan survived—not even the strongest warrior among them, her father.

At the time, Esdeath had been hunting Danger Beasts in the forest and had narrowly escaped the catastrophe.

As for how Yoshino had managed to survive, Esdeath didn't know.

But if there was anything capable of causing her enough pain to want to forget everything, it would most likely be witnessing her homeland swallowed by flames and her family trampled into the dirt beneath barbarian boots.

For someone like Yoshino, who couldn't even bear to kill prey, such a scene would have been enough to utterly shatter her mind.

"I have a rough idea of what caused her amnesia and split personality," Esdeath sighed softly. "It probably has something to do with the destruction of our village by the northern barbarians."

"In that case, if you want to help her regain her memory," Dr. Stylish offered his suggestion, "the best course of action is to take her back to the village. As for the split personality, that's something that will need to be dealt with over time. For now, it's better to focus on the memory."

"But if Yoshino chose to forget, wouldn't forcing her to remember be too cruel?" Esdeath asked.

"Well, that's true..."

Dr. Stylish hadn't expected such words to come from Esdeath, and his gaze turned a little strange.

The Three Beasts were equally surprised. Their expressions even showed a trace of shock.

After all, the cruelty of this Imperial general wasn't limited to enemies—it extended to her own men as well.

While she was always generous with rewards, converting almost all of her accolades into money and distributing it among her subordinates, when it came to training her soldiers, she never held back.

Her training regimen followed the motto "train to the death unless you die from training," and her army had the highest injury and elimination rate among all generals in the Empire.

To force Yoshino to remember the past, overcome her inner demons, and become stronger in spirit—that would've been Esdeath usual style.

"General Esdeath... are you spoiling your sister a bit too much?"

Liver originally wanted to say that, but after some hesitation, he chose to keep quiet.

After all, this was a private matter, and he was ultimately an outsider.

Esdeath clearly didn't want to dwell on this topic any further. After getting the information she needed, she changed the subject, "Then, about her halted physical development—do you have any insight?"

"Apologies, I haven't yet come up with any reliable hypotheses regarding that," Dr. Stylish admitted. "But if you're willing to entrust your sister to me for a thorough examination, I might be able to uncover some information."

"For now, let's hold off on that."

Though she was tempted, Esdeath didn't agree.

Yoshino still didn't trust her. If she handed Yoshino over to Dr. Stylish for a full-body exam, the girl might just run away.

Dr. Stylish looked a little disappointed but didn't press the matter.

From both a physical and psychological standpoint, Yoshino was a fascinating subject in his eyes.

If not for her special status, he might have already kidnapped her for experimentation.

"You've worked hard. You can leave now," Esdeath said after asking all the questions she had. "As for everything about Yoshino and what happened today, I expect you not to mention it to anyone."

"Understood," Dr. Stylish replied obediently. Under the escort of the Three Beasts, he then left the general's mansion.

Only Esdeath remained outside the door.

She knocked, then stepped into the room.

"How are you feeling now?" she asked.

"Not as nervous as before," came the response. "That Dr. Stylish guy is pretty good at talking—I don't dislike him."

"Not disliking him doesn't mean you like him either, right?"

"Well, you never know what's behind a smiling face. When you're out in the world, it's better to stay cautious. Who knows if the guy's just a wolf in sheep's clothing?"

"Staying vigilant is a good habit," Esdeath nodded, then turned her gaze to Yoshino, who—aside from blinking every now and then—showed no reaction. "So... Yoshino still doesn't want to talk to me?"

"Hmm..." Yoshinon replied with some difficulty. "Although you claim to be her sister, this child has no memory of you at all. To her, you're just a stranger..."

"I understand. She was always like this when she was little—every time a stranger came to our home, she'd hide behind me," Esdeath said with a wry smile. "But I never thought that one day, even I would become a stranger to her."

"If you're really sisters, we can't leave things like this forever," Yoshinon said. "It's painful even for me to see her like this. If there's any way to help her recover her memories, I'd be happy to assist."

"No... I've thought it over carefully, and I'd rather not."

Esdeath shook her head.

"There must be painful memories in the ones she's forgotten. I want her to remember me, yes—but if remembering causes her pain, then it would go against what I truly wish for."

"Oh my, such a great sacrifice for Yoshino? What a noble display of sisterly love!" Yoshinon exclaimed.

"I swore long ago that I wouldn't let anything hurt Yoshino," Esdeath said seriously. "Eight years ago, I broke that vow. But I won't let it happen again."

She continued, "And besides, we'll be living together from now on. As long as we rebuild the bond that's been severed, everything will be fine. What we have now is time—plenty of it."

"True enough," Yoshinon chuckled, "Did you hear that, Yoshino? This big sister seems pretty serious."

Behind Yoshinon, the girl listening to their conversation appeared slightly moved. A flicker of emotion stirred within her vacant eyes.

She hesitated for a moment, then leaned in toward Yoshinon.

She brought Yoshinon to her mouth, cupped her hand around the puppet, and once again began whispering softly.

But the sound was so gentle that even as Esdeath strained her ears to listen, she could only make out faint, indistinct murmurs.

"I see, I see."

Yoshinon patted her chest and made a reassuring pose. "I get it—leave it to me."

"What did she say?" Esdeath asked curiously.

"This child asked me to pass on a message," Yoshinon replied with a cheerful smile. "She said that big sister doesn't seem like a bad person. She'll try her best to get along with you."

"So from now on—please take care of me."