Chapter 6

“Oh my god! A pervert! He’s a pervert! Throw him out right now!”

Ignoring the spirit who was hurling accusations at an unconscious man without a shred of evidence, I lightly tapped his cheek to wake him.

…His skin was surprisingly firm.

“Hello? What are you doing here? Come on, wake up.”

But no matter how much I pinched his cheek or shook his shoulder, there was no sign of him waking.

He’s not dead… is he?

I hurriedly held my fingers under his nose.

I could feel a faint breath—so fragile it seemed like it might go out at any moment.

Next, I listened for his heartbeat. It was there, but… dangerously weak. Like someone on death’s door.

‘This is insane….’

I don’t want to deal with a corpse!

“Ninabel! Help me move him—now!”

“What?! To the house?!”

“I can’t do it alone, give me a hand!”

“Master! You can’t just bring some strange man whose identity you don’t even know into your home~!”

“Then what, I’m supposed to let him die?!”

“What if he’s a violent criminal?!”

“Th-that’s true, but…! Look at his face!”

I held up a hand and sharply framed the man’s face.

Even under the gloomy, overcast sky, his looks practically glowed—like someone had turned on five thousand fluorescent lights at once.

With a face like this, he could’ve been a top-tier idol back in Korea!

“It’s a waste to let a face like this die!”

“Master, you really are a sucker for a pretty face!”¹

“Where did you even learn a phrase like that?!”

Ninabel grumbled about how suspicious the man was, but she still followed my orders to the letter. Truly the obedience of Slave No. 1.

That was how we brought the man into the cabin. First, we flattened a cardboard box and spread it out on the floor.

He was caked in mud and completely soaked from the rain, after all.

“What on earth was he doing, collapsing in someone else’s field like that?”

“He’s a new kind of pervert. Definitely a pervert.”

I smacked the dewdrop rice cake on the mouth to shut it up, then started wiping the man down with a dry towel, beginning with his hair.

---

Tap, tap. Raindrops struck the cracked windowpane.

Whoooosh.

The drizzle turned into a torrential downpour, rain crashing down as if the sky itself had sprung a leak.

After wiping all the moisture from the man’s body, I moved him onto the bed.

There was so much surface area to dry that I ended up using every spare towel I had.

Damn it. And with this rain, the laundry won’t dry anytime soon….

“Master! Should Nini do the washing?”

“Mm… yeah. Wash them properly and hang them near the window.”

“Okaaay~.”

While the high-performance Ninabel washing machine diligently went to work, I dragged the brazier over next to the bed.

I added a few pieces of dry firewood, and the flames leapt up, burning hotter and brighter.

Thank goodness the fire isn’t going out, even with how humid it is.

The man was left wearing nothing but his underwear. There was really no choice…I’d stripped him of his top and bottom because his clothes were completely soaked.

I was as respectful of his human rights as possible, I swear….

Feeling awkward, I pulled a blanket over his body.

That was when I noticed an old scar on the left side of his chest.

“…?”

It was close to his heart. A mark that looked like someone had once tried—and failed—to kill him.

What is that…?

Startled, I froze with my hand still gripping the blanket. With a wound in that spot… it was a miracle he’d survived.

…Just who was he, and what kind of life had he been living?

I finished tucking the blanket around him and quietly studied his face.

Flawless skin, a slim jawline, a straight nose, well-shaped lips, a broad, clean forehead.

No matter how I looked at him, it was a pretty face that didn’t suit a life of hardship at all.

Maybe it was his long eyelashes, but there was something faintly sorrowful about him, too.

Kind of like… a gentle deer?

His hair was a pale blond, almost cream-colored, with a slight natural wave—soft, like cotton candy.

…What color are his eyes?

That was when—

“…?”

Use this skill here?

No—this isn’t even an animal.

Of course, humans technically fall under the broad category of animals, but still….

“Ugh….”

I stared down at the man’s sleeping face, troubled.

…His skin was pale, devoid of color. His breathing was weak.

…Leaving him like this is worse than trying something.

At this rate, I really might end up disposing of a corpse.

With a deep sigh, I reached out toward him. A shadow from my hand fell across his white, marble-like face.

Sacred Shepherd’s Touch.

As I activated the skill in my mind, a long stream of light poured from my palm, wrapping around the man like bandages.

The glow seeped beneath his skin with a soft shhhk and vanished without a trace.

Then a popup appeared.

Up to this point, there was no problem, per se. The rapid level-up was a little surprising, sure, but nothing shocking.

What happened next, though—

“…?”

“……?”

What the…?

“Master~! Nini’s done with the laundry! I washed everything nice and clean and hung the wet clothes near the window~! Hehe! I did good, right? Praise me!”

The spirit bounced over and clung to me, but I didn’t even have the presence of mind to react.

You’re telling me this skill can tame people too…?!

Couldn’t there have been a warning message or something?!

“Master? What’s wrong?”

“…It’s nothing. You did great, Nini.”

“Heehee.”

I halfheartedly patted the foolish spirit and swallowed a sigh.

…What do I do now?

Before this man wakes up, I need to cancel this somehow—or figure something out.

Hey, system! How do you undo a tame? Explain it to me!

I glared at the bluish window and demanded answers, but the system gave none.

…This is driving me crazy. Seriously.

Why is his species listed as question marks?

Aside from being pretty, he looked like a perfectly ordinary human.

So why wasn’t he labeled as human, but instead shown as question marks…?

…Don’t tell me he’s not human?

“…….”

A chill ran down my spine.

Just what on earth did I bring home?

---

The man woke up exactly twelve hours later.

Yes. Because this mysterious bastard had taken over my one and only bed, I’d had to sleep on the floor.

“Ugh, my back… it hurts….”

“Master! Are you okay? Should Nini give you a back massage?”

“Yeah… please do….”

The ever-capable spirit volunteered to loosen my muscles yet again. I sprawled face-down on the floor, limp as a squid.

The dewdrop rice cake darted over and kneaded my lower back with its tentacles.

“Ah, that’s the spot….”

It was in the middle of this blissful massage when—

Ninabel’s movements suddenly stopped.

“…? What is it?”

I found out immediately.

“Master…! That thing woke up!”

“Gasp—.”

I scrambled to my feet and looked toward the bed. The man was awake, staring blankly up at the ceiling.

I hurried to his side, examined him carefully, then asked,

“Hey—are you conscious?”

“…….”

“How do you feel? This is my cabin, and….”

His gaze slowly drifted from the ceiling to me. His eyes were a deep, clear gold, like yellow crystal.

Wow. Even his eye color is pretty.

Without realizing it, I found myself staring at the man in admiration.

Thought that feeling vanished without a trace the moment I heard what came next out of him.

“Master…?”²

…What kind of nonsense is that?

“Who are you calling ‘Master’? My name is Muriel, and this is my house. What’s your name?”

“I am….”

At my question, the man blinked rapidly, looking confused.

…I asked for his name, and he can’t answer?

I waited patiently, and only after a long pause did he finally speak again.

“…Lycian.”

“Lycian? That’s your name?”

“Yes. Probably….”

Probably? What do you mean, probably?

I’ve got a bad feeling about this….

“…Hey. Do you maybe not remember anything?”

“…….”

Lycian fell silent, and the suspicion that had been hovering in my mind grew heavier.

Don’t tell me this guy has amnesia.

About thirty minutes later.

After talking with Lycian about various topics, I was certain.

It’s amnesia, all right….

Aside from his name, he couldn’t remember a single thing!

Wow. This is insane. What am I supposed to do about this?

I’m not a doctor. I don’t know how to cure amnesia.

“Hey, pervert. You are human, right?”

When Ninabel picked a fight with him like that, Lycian looked at the talking dewdrop rice cake with open fascination and replied,

“Well… maybe I’m not human?”

“Master! This guy’s suspicious! He’s dangerous! Throw him out right now!”

“…….”

For reference, this is what his status window says.

Hey, you crazy status window…. How am I supposed to use someone whose identity I don’t even know as a laborer?!

And his affection is still question marks. That really bothers me.

There are four question marks, too….

Don’t tell me it’s because it’s a four-digit number…?

Or maybe… the first character isn’t even a number. Like –999 or something….

And the heart is pitch-black. The rabbit’s heart was pink….

A black heart usually means negative feelings, right? Like hatred….

…No. That can’t be.

Muriel isn’t the type to earn someone’s grudge—

”…”

She isn’t…right…?

---

Footnotes

1. The phrase ‘못 말리다’ is an idiomatic expression meaning ‘hopeless’ or ‘can’t be helped’ - literally ‘can’t be stopped.’ The word ‘얼빠’ is modern slang that’s more direct than the English translation suggests, referring to someone who is easily swayed by attractive faces. ↩

2. 주인님 is used here. Literal translation is “owner” politely. Usage here is different from Nini saying “Master” (which is more innocent). In this case, it feels a little more intimate and has emotional weight. ↩