Identity

As Marie came back to her senses, she pushed the man away.

"Uhh… who are you?"

The man's face went pale as he heard her question. He looked closer at her face and found out that he had mistaken her for someone else.

"I'm so sorry." he got on his knees and started begging for forgiveness. 

"I mistook you for someone I knew. You look very similar to her. But now that I have taken a closer look, you two are nothing alike."

When she heard that, Marie felt her heart crack like glass, but she controlled her emotions.

Seeing her expression turn sour he panicked.

"Ah no, I didn't mean anything bad… it's your hair, right. You have brown hair. The person I mistook you for had blonde hair.

She was still feeling a little jealous of this blonde lady. But she didn't forget her manners. She straightened her back after she got on her chair.

"Um… thank you for saving me yesterday."

The man scratched his head sitting on the bed, until he remembered what she was talking about.

"Uh… that was nothing."

"It was just a small demon."

"No, no, no… you saved my life. I would be dead without you."

His face turned to a smile after being thanked.

"So… where are we?"

"We are in the orphanage in my town. I work here part-time. After you fainted, I asked some people for help to bring you here." 

"Oh… thanks, you even dressed me up."

Marie blushed.

"...No no no, I wasn't the one who… well forget that." 

"So… what's your name? Where did you come from? How did you get so strong? And also… also…"

"Calm down, calm down. Let's sit down first. My name is Krys."

Marie's face lit up when she heard her saviour's name. 

Then Marie remembered that Krys hadn't eaten anything since yesterday.

"Just wait for a bit, I will be back with something."

"Ah, wait… she left."

Sitting alone, Krys looked around the room. He was sitting in a wooden cottage that was completely ordinary. 

He looked out the window of the first floor and saw that this cottage was facing the edge of this town.

He spotted a tree at a distance which had broken in two. Memories started flowing into his brain.

I remember opening my eyes right there. Did that demon break the tree? He didn't look strong enough to do that. Maybe it was me?

What am I doing here?

What was I previously doing?

As he continued thinking about the past, he got a very big headache and started panting.

His head was splitting into two. His vision started spinning. He barely managed to stay on his feet. Soon the headache subsided.

He took a large breath and started recounting again.

I killed the Demon King? If I remember correctly, he had stabbed my heart with his sword. How did I survive?

Krys unbuttoned his shirt and looked towards his chest.

"Eh?"

There was no scar on his chest.

He checked all over his body and found no scars or wounds.

"Incredible. It must be the work of a powerful healer."

His memories were hazy about the past. He could not remember everything about the last few years he spent travelling with his companions. 

What he could remember was the face of his dead companions. A pained expression took over his face as he remembered every friend of his. 

Then a realisation came to him and he started speaking to himself in a hushed voice.

"Wait, Valerie was still alive. I left her to fight alone so that I could save her life. She must have brought me here." 

"What day is it today? How much time has passed?" 

Krys fretted around the room to find a calendar. When he finally saw one he rushed over to check the date. Then he was left shocked.

xxx

"I'm back with some grub."

Marie returned to the room with a pot of soup and a whole loaf of bread.

The owner didn't want to feed a strange man he had already given shelter to, so Marie brought her own share to feed him instead.

When she returned to the room she found Krys with a very sad expression. It was like his world had crumbled. 

"What happened?"

Marie asked a few times but Krys didn't give any reply. His frown only grew bigger as time passed.

Marie understood that Krys didn't want to speak for some reason. Maybe he had triggered some past trauma.

She asked him to eat as well, but he still didn't react to her words.

Then she forcefully tried to handfeed him.

Krys was taken aback.

"I can do it… I will eat by myself, just leave it here."

But Marie refused.

"No. I will feed you. Just eat."

Marie kept forcing him until he subsided.

Kris took one bite of the bread dipped in the soup and slowly began crying. 

Marie was taken aback but she didn't say anything. She kept feeding him.

'It's like he is a one of the orphanage kids who recently lost everything' she thought to herself.

Krys silently ate it all and thanked her before wiping his tears. 

Her expression turned to a shy smile as she finished feeding him.

xxx

After cleaning the plates she returned to the room, only to find more people in there.

At some point, three people had entered the room without her knowing. She recognised them.

One of them was a short plump man wearing clean and expensive clothes. He introduced himself as the town mayor to Krys. The other two were his bodyguard and assistant.

He took a seat and asked Krys the same questions Marie had asked.

Krys took a moment to think before giving his reply.

"I don't remember much. All I know is my name. I have forgotten everything else."

Marie didn't doubt him even for a second. She thought that this was the reason for him crying moments ago. 

She was standing by the door, not interrupting the conversation.

The mayor nodded and started speaking.

"I think I have an inkling as to who you are."

Krys and Marie both stared at him, waiting for his explanation.

"Two days ago, a merchant caravan had been parked in the forest. They are all dead now, at least most of them should be."

Krys took a moment to hesitate before asking "What happened to them?"

"Demons killed them."

When he heard the reply, anger started to rise up within him.

The mayor and his men hesitated a little until Krys's anger calmed down.

"Can you give me more details?"

"Ah… well" 

The mayor cleared his throat before continuing. He told him the information he had about the wagon and traders.

He had concluded that they were most likely selling demons as pets. One of their merchandise escaped and wreaked havoc.

"Since they entered illegally, their exact numbers are unknown. It is possible that you were one of them. Judging from your strength, maybe a bodyguard?"

Krys pretended to think about it before replying.

"Maybe, but I still don't remember anything."

"Well that doesn't matter. Now that you have woken up, you can leave."

Marie was shocked by what she heard.

"You entered illegally and were trading demons. You also destroyed the important tree." 

"I should hand you over to the authorities, but seeing as you saved this troublesome girl, I'll let you leave without any trouble."

"The current lord doesn't care all that much about that tree, but it would be safer for you to move."

Krys nodded in thought. He understood that in the current circumstances, this wasn't the worst deal he could get.

He wanted to hide himself until he was sure of what was going on.

What nobody expected in that room was for a certain girl to get mad at this total stranger's behalf.

"HE IS NOT LEAVING."

She screamed at the top of her lungs. 

She got between the mayor and Krys and started protesting.

"He saved me and you're trying to shoo him away? You people are the worst. He doesn't even remember his life. What will he do? Where will he go?"

The bodyguard started speaking on this employer's behalf.

"Marie, this matter doesn't concern you anymore. Stop causing us more trouble and do something else with your life."

Marie and the bodyguard started at each other as if they would leap at each other's throat at any moment.

Before either of them could react, the mayor spoke again.

"Okay, okay. I'll let him stay for a few days."

Marie's face brightened up as she heard that.

"The hero's festival starts tomorrow. It's just because of that that I'm letting you do as you please." 

He got up from his chair and started bidding farewell.

"I'll be busy with preparations for the festival now. Once the festival is over, he leaves."

Marie's expression sank a little when she heard that. But before she would start screaming again, Krys gave his okay and those three left.

Marie became a little sad that Krys would leave in three days. But she ultimately accepted his choice.

Since night was going to come soon, she left his room and went to her room in the basement.

When Krys was alone once again he started to think about what to do. 

He ultimately came to the conclusion that hiding his real identity would be for the best.

He needs to slowly figure things out. 

No deity has contacted him yet, so there might be some other reason for him to be resurrected.