TEOCH 32

Five hours had passed. Rohan hadn’t mentioned anything about his original world since then. The battles with the spiders continued relentlessly, and the group, still unaccustomed to balancing on webs, kept stumbling and falling, but no one laughed or complained anymore. Rohan, who had been silently observing his companions’ sullen faces, finally headed back to the temporary base after the eighth battle. It was already time for the sun to set.

Damian wished Rohan would lighten up a bit. His slightly drooping eyebrows, his emotionless gaze, and his tightly closed lips somehow seemed frightening to Damian.

He tried to recall what Rohan’s expression used to be like. Slightly drooping eyes, an emotionless gaze, tightly closed lips… Wait, wasn’t that the same? Damian fell into a moment of confusion.

After much thought, Damian finally realized it. That’s right. Rohan’s current expression wasn’t much different from before. Rohan had always been a bit stoic, occasionally smiling or getting angry, but most of the time, he maintained his characteristic blank, sullen expression.

Noticing Damian’s gaze, Rohan looked back with a puzzled expression. Damian gave a cautious smile, and Rohan tilted his head before turning away. As expected, he was his usual self.

In truth, it wasn’t Rohan whose expression was stiff—it was the rest of the group. Rehas, who had practically caused the situation, kept his helmet pulled low, stealing glances at Rohan. Rikiel walked with his head down, lost in deep thought. Damian, caught in the awkward atmosphere, had no choice but to stay silent. And then there was Tristan.

“…”

Unlike the others, who were wrapped in confusion or embarrassment, Tristan’s face was stained with a strange mix of sadness and guilt. The reason wasn’t hard to guess.

‘I’ve been through so much in the demon realm that memories of my old world are pretty hazy. So I don’t recall.’

If it hadn’t been for the king’s request, Rohan wouldn’t have had any reason to come to the demon realm. He wouldn’t have had to struggle against spiders in this harsh place or have his memories of his original world fade.

Understanding the king’s feelings, even just a little, Damian gave a bitter smile. If Rohan’s words were true, the person who should feel the most guilt was surely the king. Of course, that assumed Rohan’s excuse was genuine.

“You all look exhausted. It’s a bit early to sleep, but let’s have a simple meal and rest for the night. Tomorrow, we’ll head out as soon as the sun rises.”

“Are we doing another forced march like today? Wow…”

“Yes, but I won’t push the schedule too hard, so don’t worry. We need to conserve some energy to handle unexpected situations.”

“That makes me even more nervous. I’d rather be exhausted than deal with unexpected situations…”

“But it can’t be helped. Oh, and you should minimize magic use to prepare for surprises. We need to conserve not just stamina but mana too.”

Rohan himself remained calm, as if nothing had happened, so Damian played along to match his mood. Thankfully, Rohan’s expression softened slightly, and the others’ faces relaxed as well. As Rohan explained the upcoming battles, his demeanor seemed more at ease than before.

“But if I don’t use magic, I’ve got nothing to do.”

“Nothing to do? Honestly, you need to learn how to move on spider webs before you worry about casting spells. You’re the biggest concern in our group right now. You can’t even walk on webs—you’re practically lying down, unable to get up.”

“That’s harsh. I’m trying my best.”

“Then try a different approach. I’ll block most of the spiders’ attacks, so tomorrow, focus solely on learning to walk on webs with both feet. Got it?”

“Can’t I just stay put and cast magic?”

“Do you want to get beaten until you can’t get up tomorrow morning?”

Rohan sighed in exasperation, and the others trembled, trying to stifle their laughter. The heavy silence that had enveloped them like fog was long gone. Damian felt a bit embarrassed being called out for his poor athleticism, but he thought it was for the best.

Damian didn’t want to think about the earlier conversation anymore. Rohan’s response to Rehas’s question had been a bit unnatural, but so what?

Prying unnecessarily into someone’s private life wasn’t good, and Rohan likely had his reasons for not wanting to talk. It was better not to dwell on it.

Having reached a simple conclusion, he decided not to think too deeply about it. Magic or academics were one thing, but there was no need to dig into personal matters. Unless someone spoke up themselves, meddling was just pointless interference that offered no real help—that was his usual stance.

Even as Rohan, suddenly brimming with enthusiasm, lectured him, Damian was simply relieved that the tense atmosphere had lightened. Of course, he didn’t realize that his carefree attitude was, in its own way, providing Rohan with some comfort.

Back at the cave, the group collapsed and fell asleep instantly. Fighting demon beasts eight times was a first, and balancing on unstable spider webs during combat was unfamiliar.

Rohan, observing the battles, gave a calm ‘not bad’ assessment, but for the group, who had stumbled and swung their swords, it had been a nerve-wracking, life-or-death experience. Utterly exhausted, they slept so deeply they wouldn’t have noticed if someone carried them off.

But Damian, who had to maintain the heating spell, could only take shallow naps. Even using a small amount of mana made deep sleep difficult.

To make matters worse, Damian had a nightmare. Waking from a dream of being chewed up by a giant queen spider, he rubbed his eyes with a grim expression.

It was an unsettlingly realistic dream. In the dream, there was no Rehas, no Sir Rikiel, no king. Only an unfamiliar yet oddly familiar knight and hunter were struggling against the queen spider.

Damian was wrapped in webs, unable to move, while far off, Rohan was shouting and running toward him. But the queen spider’s massive jaws were much faster than Rohan’s desperate efforts…

‘It was so vivid I didn’t even realize it was a dream. It felt like something I’d actually experienced.’

Fully awake from the nightmare, he rustled as he got up. Rehas was snoring loudly at his feet, and Rohan was curled up against the cave wall, sleeping like the dead.

His crumpled, paper-like posture looked uncomfortable, so Damian approached and gently laid him flat on the ground. Rohan stirred briefly before resuming even breathing.

Wait, where were His Majesty and Sir Rikiel? Their spots had only two blankets lying empty. As Damian tilted his head at their sudden absence, he heard the faint sound of conversation from outside the cave. It seemed they were out there.

It was cold outside without heating, and without Rohan’s ‘Purification,’ the air would be stale… Puzzled, Damian headed toward the entrance. The muffled voices, like background noise inside the cave, grew clearer and sharper as he approached.

“…Of course. Rohan has no obligation to tell us everything about his past, so we can’t blame him for brushing it off.”

“Rikiel, do you still not trust Rohan?”

“What do you mean? I’m not saying he’s suspicious. Everyone has the right to keep their private life private. I don’t blame Rohan for being vague with us.”

Damian had intended to make a small campfire for them, but hearing their conversation, he froze in place.

This was awkward. Damian didn’t want to bring up this topic again, so joining them now felt difficult. After some hesitation, he decided to wait until their conversation ended.

“You’re saying he’s lying, aren’t you?”

“I’m not trying to blame Rohan, hyung.”

“That’s not what I mean, Rikiel. I hope you understand I’m not blaming you either.”

“Then what are you trying to say, hyung? That Rohan really doesn’t remember his world?”

Damian instinctively held his breath at the king’s unexpected words. What did that mean? Was he suggesting there was something wrong with Rohan’s memory? Just moments ago, Damian had been thinking along the same lines as Rikiel, but the king’s sudden comment sparked questions.

Did Rohan really lie? Did he make up a story because he didn’t want to talk about his world?

“It’s just a guess, but… when Rohan said that, he didn’t seem like he was lying.”

“So you believe he was telling the truth? That ten days in the demon realm were so hard they blurred his memories?”

“…”

“That sounds a bit far-fetched. Even we remember our world clearly, don’t we? And Rohan’s supposed to have this problem? He’s far calmer and more composed than us.”

Rikiel tilted his head with a skeptical expression. The king’s explanation did seem like a stretch. Even if they took Rohan’s words generously, was it reasonable that someone as calm as Rohan would suffer memory loss from such an ordeal?

But assuming Rohan was lying didn’t quite add up either. There were plenty of more convincing excuses he could’ve used—why pick such a vague one? Saying he didn’t want to talk or subtly changing the subject would’ve been more plausible, and they’d have understood. So why like that…?

The more he thought, the more doubts filled his mind, so Damian sighed quietly and returned to the cave. Come to think of it, he didn’t need to intervene. Those two wouldn’t stay outside for more than twenty minutes anyway—they’d come back coughing from the stale air before he could even make a campfire.

His prediction was spot-on. As soon as he lay down and covered himself with a blanket, the king and Rikiel walked back in, breathing heavily. Damian let out a silent sigh and closed his eyes. Drowsiness was making his head spin, but their voices still tickled his ears.

“Well, maybe you’re right.”

“Hyung?”

“Forget what I said. This foolish hyung spoke out of turn.”

But he seems like someone who’s lived forever. The king’s low murmur didn’t continue. The vague metaphor was hard to understand.

With a complicated heart, Damian fell back asleep, this time dreaming of being torn apart by cave spiders in the queen spider’s nest. Even in his dream, he resolved to practice walking on webs more diligently.