# 52
“Let's look at those.”
Deyarin pointed to a colorful sign that could be seen from afar.
“Accessories for men.”
“Yes, yes....uh? You read well?”
Dearyn had lowered her head without thinking, then realized that Sirius had read the sign normally.
Even though he had learned to read, Sirius always preferred that Dearren read to him.
Even when asked to read for himself, he remained silent.
“...Sirius?”
"Yes."
“You know how to read?”
"Yes."
“…Then why didn’t you try reading books?”
As Deyarin laughed, she expressed her mounting anger.
She was getting frustrated that Sirius wasn't reading books, which made her wonder how far behind he was in learning to read, how to teach him, and all the deep thinking she spent the night doing.
“Because I like Deyarin’s voice.”
“…….”
“You're such a smart puppy, aren't you?”
'It seems I was wrong. It looked like a puppy, but maybe it's a fox instead.'
Deyarin looked up at the sky, contemplating the ups and downs of life.
“Citria Bakery, Langoist clothing store, Sorrentine Street...”
Dyaren ordered Sirius to read every sign he saw.
Sirius read the text smoothly and naturally without having to stop to fit the pronunciation to the words.
Even though he has learned to read, the process of matching pronunciations to words takes time to become familiar.
Even children learn to read for years, and so do foreigners.
But Sirius read the text smoothly, as if he had known how to write all his life.
“Wait, how did you read this?”
"how…?"
“I didn't teach you how to pronounce those letters.”
Some scripts seen on the street contain rare combinations of letters.
Banners, for example, are randomly generated and often misspelled.
One must learn such details naturally over time.
However, Sirius was able to read it.
Hypotheses flowed into Deyarin's mind one after another.
‘The handwriting was bad, and the signature was normal as well. But now, he recited the pronunciation of letters that I did not teach him.'
The only conclusion was clear.
“Sirius, had you fully learned to read before joining Unit Eight?”
They said that there are things that the body retains even if memory is lost.
Even if memories are erased, the way we eat or walk is still preserved.
Some people think that these things are innate, but in fact, even eating, sleeping and moving are learning outcomes.
The time it takes a young child to learn to walk,
And the time it takes for the infant to learn to eat,
And even the time it takes for a child who is unable to fall asleep independently to get used to sleeping in his own bed.
All those times are the result of learning and training.
"I don't know."
“If you know, it means the memory has returned...”
The question was pointless.
But I've gotten a lead on how to manipulate memory.
During the ride in the carriage earlier, Sirius seemed to regain some of his memories when he received some stimulation.
So, the memory is not deleted, but covered.
“Let's keep trying, Sirius.”
By doing different things and seeing more, maybe the memories will come back.
There was hope that more memories could be recovered.
It would have been easier to solve the spell on his head, but if that was difficult, it might be possible to extract the memories one by one.
'who knows? Maybe Sirius is actually one of the great nobles?'
If so, even the crumbs that fall would be a big deal.
Deyarin smiled out of pure desire.
* * *
She intended to go straight back to the palace, but because of the shopping that started halfway, the way back became longer.
Meanwhile, the festival atmosphere became more lively even in this remote place, and the crowds increased.
The quiet streets were full of people, and she passed among them, touching shoulders and occasionally getting blown away.
"Sirius, are you okay?"
Even though Dearyn was very worried, Sirius seemed fine.
Noise can be annoying even to insensitive people.
"I'm fine."
But Ceres, unexpectedly, tolerated the noise well.
He didn't seem to enjoy the noise, but he didn't show any signs of exploding either.
He seemed like a normal person.
However, Dearyn was carefully clinging to Sirius's hand, to avoid any surprises.
“Do you have to never let go of my hand no matter what?”
"Yes."
Sirius held Dearyn's hand tightly as if he was making a promise.
Dearyn's hand was completely covered by Sirius's large, strong hand.
This was the first time she had received the warmth of a large, strong hand.
Usually, it was Deyarin who offered safety and held the hands of injured soldiers.
As a priestess, it was her duty to provide help and support to everyone.
The experience of being embraced in turn was new to her.
'Not bad either.'
It was a strange feeling for her.
She felt a slight itch under her nose, so she gently wiped it and turned her gaze to the street.
The crowded streets were filled with musicians and performers.
When the musicians started playing, people got into the atmosphere and started dancing.
The atmosphere was truly festive.
As Dearyn watched the dancers, she suddenly turned to Sirius.
“Sirius, do you know how to dance?”
If Sirius was in fact a noble, he would probably have learned to dance.
Dancing is one of the basics of noble literature.
But Diaren, who had not mastered even the basics, did not know how to dance.
"I don't know."
He certainly doesn't remember that.
But Dearyn suddenly felt that Sirius might be able to dance.
“Would you like to try dancing?”
“I'll try.”
Sirius did not hesitate to accept the challenge.
After keeping an eye on the dancers around him, he finally turned to Dayaren.
He grabbed her hand and lifted it, then put his hand on her waist and pulled her towards himself.
Dayarin was surprised.
She thought it was just dancing, but when Sirius' hand touched her waist and pulled her towards his body, she felt something in her chest suddenly contract.
'What is this, and why?'
Without understanding why she felt her heart clench, Dearyn looked at Sirius with wavering eyes.
In contrast to her hesitant gaze, Sirius looked at Dearren steadily.
His eyes were focused, as if he was carefully watching her every movement.
Deyarin felt her face burning under his gaze, and her breath began to rise like steam.
When her chest filled with pressure and she needed to breathe quickly, Sirius began to move.
At first, his movements were uncoordinated and awkward.
"… good."
But after a few steps, he started moving as if he was accustomed to dancing, just like the others around them.
As Sirius gracefully led Dearren in the dance, even when he did not know how to dance, it was clear that he naturally imitated others.
“Am I good at this?”
Sirius thought he was just imitating the people around him.
However, his dancing was much more elegant and skillful than the others.
Darren looked at him in amazement.
It was clear that this was not something that could be learned by observation alone.
‘Memory.’
Through dance, Deyarin realizes that Sirius possesses hidden memories.
His dancing completely confirmed to her that he was a nobleman.
It was certain that he could not be so ungentlemanly.
All the pieces of memory covered so far have been pointing in one direction.
'Why did Sirius, who was from a noble family, have to be forced to lose his memory and be sold into slavery?'
Was there anyone looking for him?
Noble families have many privileges, but they also have severe conflicts.
Of course, there are those who live like plants in greenhouses like my brother, but it is also common for relatives to stab each other for personal gain.
'Has he been involved in something?'
So, could extracting Sirius' memories be dangerous rather than helpful?
Dearyn was confused about this.
“Ceres,”
“Yes?”
Sirius answered as he moved gracefully as if dancing had been a part of his existence since the moment he was born.
This calm was not something that could only be learned by watching.
It was necessary to work so hard that it became part of personal nature.
“Do you want to regain your previous memories?”
“I never thought about it before.”
“……So, think about it now.”
“Hmm.”
Sirius thought carefully at Dearyn's request.
It didn't take long.
“Should I get my memories back?”
“……It doesn’t have to be that way, but…….”
The lack of memories does not cause Sirius any immediate inconvenience in his current life.
The life of hardships he lived as a member of Unit Eight was over.
Now, it was enough for him to live happily as the son of a noble family.
“Like parents or family……there might be those around. Wouldn’t you be curious to know?”
“I'm not curious.”
Sirius replied simply as if it was a no brainer.
But, is it really that simple?
Even after Dayarine experienced disappointment and bitterness, she could not completely separate her family, because the fear of isolation and loneliness of being alone in this world was too great.
“Sirius, aren’t you afraid to be alone?”
“I'm not afraid.”
“……This seems to be an answer unaffected by military discipline, but……”
Ummm.
Although nobility may be hidden in the depths of memory, the warrior who emerges to the surface is stronger.
“Is something scaring you, Sirius?”
“……Um…….”
It took a long time to answer this question.
……Yes, there seems to be no fear.
But Sirius, though there was no real fear, thought seriously as if he must find a fear to speak of, so he stopped completely and began to think.
"Wow! The show's on!"
At that moment, people gathered in one direction and started chanting.
Dearyn also turned in that direction.
On the wide, distant road, soldiers, who appeared to be royal guards, lined up and began to block the road to the movement of people.
"It looks like the march is going to be very long. I wasn't expecting to be able to watch the march, but I'm lucky."
“The Second Prince’s convoy is coming!”
With strong screaming and huge music filling the air.
M.M.: Imagine Sirius being the first prince of the empire
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