But, you know… why do you pretend to be human when you’re not even one?
Keep barking, witch. I’ll twist that delicate little neck of yours if you want.
Hey, it’s not wrong, is it? I’m just curious about your kind. Are you from the Ho tribe? The Miao? The Gyeon? Or the Rang?
Profit…!
Enough.
Hm? Crown Prince? Why are you interrupting me? Jealous, perhaps?
The barbarian king wouldn’t like it. Are witches usually this talkative?
No. I only get chatty with those I’m interested in.
You mean you fell in love at first sight?
Well, that depends on how you interpret it. Maybe I just want to have them.
Isn’t that the same thing? By the way, don’t you think that’s a thief’s mindset?
Why? A beautiful, smart, and well-shaped woman like me showing interest—what’s wrong with that?
I admit that, but shouldn’t age be a factor?
…Age?
From what I’ve heard, witches usually live for hundreds of years…
Do you want to die?
From the New Continent, Atlanta (Northern City Secret Library), excerpt from the ‘Victoria Dynasty Chronicles – 18th Emperor (147~147)’, chapter ‘The Road to the Kingdom.’
Before entering, it was definitely the right call to warn everyone in advance. The status ailments hit harder than expected, and the party was thrown into chaos for quite some time. If we hadn’t given a heads-up, morale might have plummeted immediately upon entering.
After spending tens of minutes calming everyone down, we finally managed to pack up camp and start marching. Those who couldn’t keep up—Kim Hanbyul, Jung Hayeon, Heo Junyoung—were each carried by a companion. The chaos seemed to settle, at least for a moment.
…No, actually, it didn’t settle at all.
“…….”
A sideways glance.
“…….”
Another sideways glance.
The forest was silent, and the march was as quiet as yesterday. But the atmosphere was unmistakably different. The companions kept stealing subtle glances at someone every few steps. The center of their attention was none other than Han Soyoung. Not the usual cold, mature woman who exuded a subtle allure with her expressionless face, but a little girl about fifty centimeters shorter, toddling along.
A status ailment: time reversal. From the user’s perspective, this was far from ideal. It would be one thing if she’d just gotten a bit younger, but what could a first grader possibly do? Her robe and armor no longer fit, so she’d taken them off. Yet the clothes still hung loosely, dragging behind her as she struggled to take each step. Honestly, it was incredibly cute.
No, I know I shouldn’t think that way, but it was just too endearing. I wasn’t the only one feeling this way; every companion was looking at Han Soyoung with the same desperate urge to help.
Despite all the stares, Han Soyoung kept moving forward stubbornly. She ignored everything, staring straight ahead as if being younger was the last thing she wanted.
Come to think of it, even when she first noticed her condition at dawn, she tried her best to act unaffected. She folded her sleeping bag neatly and ate her meal without complaint, as if nothing was wrong. I found that adorable, too. Yes, those chubby, rosy cheeks and that youthful face of Han Soyoung…
Ah, how could she be so cute? One look and she’s adorable, two looks and she’s lovable, three looks and you want to pinch her cheeks, four looks and you feel inexplicably grateful. Maybe she wasn’t very expressive as a child, which is why this new charm just overflows from her. No matter which angle you look at her—from front, back, left, or right—she’s bursting with cuteness.
“Ah.”
It happened then. Lost in my daydreams, Han Soyoung suddenly tripped and fell forward. The uneven path had caught her clothes, causing her to stumble. She quickly lifted her head, but seeing her tiny nose flushed red and her lips tightly pressed together stirred a wave of sympathy in me.
“Are you okay?”
Unable to hold back, Im Hanna stepped forward first.
“Maybe, um, would you like me to—”
She reached out as if spellbound but stopped mid-sentence. Han Soyoung was already getting up and slapped her hand away with a sharp clap. Then, shooting a glare that said ‘don’t mess with me,’ she made Im Hanna cover her face with both hands, letting out a strange little moan. She really couldn’t resist kids.
The march resumed, but not even ten minutes passed before it stopped again. Han Soyoung had fallen once more. She lifted her head quickly, but her eyes were already glistening with tears.
This wasn’t good. To be frank, we were right in the middle of the forest. With everyone suffering from status ailments, an ambush would be disastrous. Our pace had already slowed considerably. As Hwajeong said, the best solution was to get out as fast as possible, so any delay was unwelcome. Han Soyoung must have felt the same frustration.
After justifying this to myself, I moved forward.
“Mu-mu… Mucceneri Road…? Hah.”
Han Soyoung tried to say something but shut her mouth. Probably didn’t like how childish her voice sounded.
“Istantel Low Road. Please understand.”
I knelt on one knee and, without asking, grabbed her firmly. Her eyes went wide as saucers, and she let out a low “Uuuugh,” twisting her waist seductively. As I slowly lifted her, she started struggling wildly, as if trying to break free.
“N-no… I don’t want… this Mucceneri Road…”
“……?”
“I don’t like this Mucceneri Road…”
“Uuuuuuuugh!”
At that moment, hearing her refusal, Sunyul suddenly screamed and charged at us. Despite being under a silence status ailment, she ran with fierce determination, eyes blazing as if demanding I let her have Han Soyoung. Maybe sensing the terrifying intensity and dark desire, Han Soyoung gasped and immediately clung to me. The sweet scent unique to children filled my nostrils.
“Eh…”
Sunyul didn’t come any closer. Perhaps hurt by Han Soyoung choosing me, she slumped her shoulders. I strode forward proudly, receiving envious glances from the others. Han Soyoung looked quite displeased but stayed quietly in my arms, biting her lip. Soon, I felt her sigh deeply and bury her head against my chest. My heart felt like it might burst.
The resumed march became a series of happy moments. When she seemed restless, I rolled up my sleeve, revealing her tiny hands. I steadied my breath, then gently wrapped my trembling hand around hers, careful not to startle her. I felt her gaze fixed on me, but I deliberately avoided eye contact—afraid my expression might betray me.
Feeling the warmth against my chest, I crossed the misty forest.
Honestly, I agonized over this during the march. I kept wanting to savor the time carrying Han Soyoung a little longer.
But in the end, reason won over emotion. Especially by the second day, I could feel my stamina waning, just as Hwajeong had warned.
I focused intently on escaping the misty forest, and by dusk, we had completely left the smoky area behind. Considering the magic restrictions, this was a remarkable achievement. Unlike before, we hadn’t been ambushed even once. At first, I had doubts, but gradually I grew confident in my decision.
Anyway, after leaving the misty forest, we marched for another thirty minutes. The scenery hadn’t changed much, but just the absence of fog cleared our view. Soon, we found a naturally formed clearing, and I raised my hand to signal a halt. Starting with myself, I used Hwajeong’s power to immediately cure everyone’s status ailments. The party cheered as if they thought it would take days to recover. Even Han Soyoung smiled faintly.
With the expedition’s combat readiness restored, a deep—though not overwhelming—fatigue washed over us all. After all, we’d been relying on Hwajeong’s power nonstop for nearly two days.
I ordered a short rest and leaned against a nearby tree.
“So, what’s the plan now?”
Just as I was about to look at the companions enjoying the return to the summit, Heo Junyoung’s voice rang in my ear. I turned to him.
“Hm?”
“Just curious. I thought there’d be something after that forest, but there wasn’t.”
“You mean we have to keep going? That’s what I heard from the start.”
“Don’t you find it a bit strange?”
“…What are you trying to say?”
“The mist was a factor, sure, but even considering that, it was too smooth. Compared to how much you scared us during the meeting.”
“Scared you…?”
“It’s weird. Really weird… That mist feels like it’s hiding something. But hey, you can just ignore me.”
Though I was told to just let it slide, Heo Jun-young’s words jolted me awake. Now that I think about it, something really did feel off.
Could it be that I’d been looking at everything through rose-colored glasses all this time?
…Let’s start from the beginning.
When the boy first showed up, An Sol said his wounds were ones that should have killed him several times over. Yet here he was, alive—and when we checked, his body was completely controlled. And the resident guard who brought the boy? We couldn’t find him anywhere. Putting that together with what I remember, there’s only one conclusion: the boy’s caravan must have awakened something beyond the forest.
That raises another question. Why would whatever was awakened send the boy and the guard all the way to Atlanta? I can’t be certain, but judging from the “Victoria Dynasty Chronicles” they brought along, I can hazard a guess. Probably…
Rustle, rustle.
Lost in thought, the sudden sound of footsteps crunching through the underbrush grated on my nerves. The noise was getting closer.
“Mercenary Lord.”
Looking up, I saw Han So-young standing right in front of me, back to her mature self.
“You look pretty exhausted. Are you okay?”
“Huh? Ah, yes, I’m fine.”
Her unexpected question caught me off guard, but I shook my head. Han So-young’s calm eyes stayed fixed on me.
“How about your mana activation?”
“My mana? Well…”
Just as I was about to say there was nothing wrong, I stopped myself.
…Mana activation?
A chill ran down my spine. Han So-young isn’t the type to bring up things without reason. She wasn’t asking if my mana was fine—she was asking if I’d activated my sensing. I’d actually left my mana deactivated for a bit, to recover my stamina.
On impulse, I activated it. But scanning around, I sensed nothing unusual. I lightly probed Heo Jun-young, who was nearby, but he just shook his head slightly, eyes fixed on one spot. Looks like he sensed nothing either.
Just as I swallowed hard, Han So-young slowly bent at the waist and leaned in close.
“This isn’t good. Just listen.”
Then, placing a hand on my shoulder, she whispered quietly in my ear.
“Since we left the fog, someone’s been watching us.”
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Sipping tea in the early morning, an old memory suddenly came to mind—the First and Second Loli Wars. Honestly, I’ve been reflecting on whether I overreacted back then. I’m truly sorry to male BL readers—and female readers too—who were hurt by what I wrote in the afterword. I honestly didn’t know how to respond. But after some thought, I believe we can find common ground. Readers’ needs are diverse, and I’m slowly starting to understand that. You know what? That wasn’t really BL. Haha.
Anyway, within the next two or three chapters, the enemy’s identity will finally be revealed. That will mark the start of a new phase for Memorize, and the long journey toward the conclusion will begin. I feel a bit relieved, but also a little wistful. :)
Oh, and dear readers, I’m sorry. I’ll be taking a day off on Friday, November 28th. I have some personal matters to attend to and will be out early morning until late at night. I’ll resume serialization on Saturday, November 29th. Thank you all for your understanding. (__)