Rain.

　The scene seen from the main gate of the town is nothing but charred houses and the wreckage of buildings. Due to the rain, the town was filled with steam and smoke, as well as the burnt smell of corpses, household items and wood. These mixed with the rain and gave off a strange smell that stung their noses.

　Nem was walking through the town in a topsy-turvy manner, muttering mumbling powerless words with his fuzzy, lifeless eyes.

''Mother........Father.......Toto.......''

　Not looking at the city that smelled of burning, Nem looked for his mother and father, drenched and soaked by the rain.
　It was by no means an unfortunate situation, but Nem learned to sense magic power with this one.

''Toto........''

　I don't even feel Trish's magic. There is no one's magic power in this town anymore. Nem knows this but pretends not to understand. There is no information or emotion coming in. The body is here, the legs move toward the thing you seek, but the consciousness seems to be somewhere else.

　Then Nem arrived in front of me. Before the wreckage of his mother and father--.

....

　Surrounded by debris and the wreckage of the house, he barely escaped being trapped underneath, but there was a body, burned and missing in several parts of his body.
　Nem fell to his knees in front of it, drenched in the rain of the tragedy, and took his mother and father's hands. Those hands that had grown cold and never moved anymore........

''Mother........Father.......Is it wrong, Nem?''

　Rain slams into the hand that connects the two of them and Nem, making the whispers disappear.

'Because Nem isn't being a good boy... so why not?'

　Then he buries his face in their hands.

'Be a good girl!　And practice your cat fist properly!　It's not all meat. They eat their vegetables right too!　So! .... so...

　Nem appealed. But there was nothing to be heard there except the sound of rain.

　A blue stone shining in the distance. It's the Crystal of Light of Anor. But it was visible through the crevice, and Nem couldn't pick it up because of the debris covering the top.

'Mother!'

　Nem shouted over and over again.

'Father!'

　Until I felt better I called them both again and again, hoping that someday I would be able to get them to call my name again, "Nem". But no matter how much I shouted, no matter how many tears I shed, I just couldn't see out of my eyes, and no one would reach out to Nem.
　You can't even tell which one is real, it's as if your feet aren't even on the ground. My head and vision are fuzzy, the sound is caged in, and even when I stand up, my legs wobble.

　The next thing you know, Nem has started walking, leaving the two corpses behind and walking back the way you came, past the main gate and gradually leaving the town. Hiding behind the "Robe of the Hidden Body", no one noticed Nem's presence.
　Where is Nem heading?　But that's not even clear to Nem himself. There is no destination for Nem. --There is no destination. This road goes on forever, but there is no 'road' for Nem, who seems to move his feet unconsciously. The heavy rain chills Nem's body, but there is no white breath in the clear air. Nem had completely disappeared. It was as if he was no longer here.



　How much time had passed since then?　Nem continues walking, and when the rain stops and the sky clears, he arrives at an unnamed town. It is an abandoned town where various races come and go. It's a lawless place where barbarians roam and vagrants drift.

　As you walk through the city, you see orphans and adults with the same eyes as Nem's. They all sit cross-legged, leaning against the corners and walls of buildings and street lots. Their eyes only look at the ground. They don't know where they are looking, even when their eyes are on the ground. They are such people.
At that time, Nem, who was looking away, bumps into someone.

''Ugh!''

　Nem bounced back, and when he did, he fell on his ass on the spot.

'Oh?　What is it?

　This "Robe of Hiding" cannot be completely hidden. It has a weakness in that it can be detected by the target when it comes into contact with you.
　Nem's opponent is a large man of the human race. The human then looked down at Nem and stared down at him with his vicious, scarred face on his skinhead.

'What the hell?　Where the hell did you come from?

　But unfortunately, the man seemed to understand. The man's instincts kicked in when he caught sight of the robe that Nem wore.

'You, that's the robe of recognition inhibition?　You've got something big, don't you?

　The human grabbed him in a messy eagle grip and tried to rip the robe off of Nem. Nem resisted, but it was easily taken away from him.

'Haha!　Holy shit!　This is going to sell for a lot of money!

　The recognition inhibition magic tool was extremely expensive. It wasn't something that could be bought in a Chen family store around there.

''You must return it!　It's your mother's! .....

　But when the word "mother" was uttered, Nem's emotions stopped. Then Nem stopped moving as if a switch was turned off.

''Oh?　Mother?　This is mine now!　You can take it if you want, little man.

　But Nem doesn't move.

'Ha!　What the hell is this thing?　You're dead, aren't you?

　The man didn't even look at Nem, the white cat tribe, and left with his robe. All that remained was the man's high-pitched smile and a heartbroken Nemm.
　The people around him passed by Nem's side and there was no one to call out to.

　After a while, Nem came back to himself, as if he had been relieved to see that his robe was gone. Then he noticed that his robe was gone. But no matter how much he looks around, he can't find the robe.
　But Nem has to know. I know, but I don't understand. It's the same with Serena and Raven and Trish's death. Nem understands. He remembers. But he doesn't remember. There was only a consciousness to remember, or somewhere else, a convenient memory that didn't remind him of his grief.
　But this is different from amnesia. Because Nem remembers. The proof of this is that Nem responds to any words that bring back the events of that rainy day when the tragedy by Uranos occurred.

'Holy crap!'

　Then a small, overweight man appeared before Nem's eyes. He was dressed in black vintage-style trousers and a faded, gray, short-sleeved jacket. As soon as he saw Nem, his eyes lit up with excitement as if he had found a treasure.

'The White Cat Tribe!　And that's still young!　This will sell for a fortune to the nobility!　Hey, guys!　Get this guy!

　Then it would be the man's man, right?　Two of them appear there, both with strong bodies. They're dressed in the same boneyard-style black pants as the men, and their upper bodies are bloated and raised with muscles. And short, shaved hair.
　Then the two men take aim at Nem and slowly approach him. Nem, who has regained consciousness, is wary of the two men and reflexively holds his fists up.

'What is it, miss?　Are you going to f*ck me?

Will you be quiet?　You want me to hurt you?

　The two men are gradually closing the distance from the two men to pay attention to the left and right, and thus Nem takes the distance.
　At that time, the two men rushed into Nem Nem at the same time to cover him. But apparently Nem could see the move.
　Nem moved backwards with a quick move to take the distance, and without missing a beat, he went out to counterattack.

''【Cat Wind Rage (Cat Food)!

　A two-handed cat fist. Nem clenched his two fists and struck the two men in the face, as hard as he could, as hard as he could. The small fist that struck directly gave the two men a shock with a force that should not be possible.
　The two men were blown backwards in a big way. The two men passed right by the little fat man, who was thought to be the head, and then were knocked to the ground. The strong impact to their heads apparently knocked them out.

''Oh!　What the hell are you guys doing?!

　Then the little fat man becomes indignant. But Nem doesn't look at him and leaves immediately.

"Ah!　Hey, wait!

　But Nem can't hear him.

'd*mn it!　That's an upper ball, definitely a higher sale. The next one is more powerful ... am I right?　Should I hire a hitman?

　The little fat man looked at the two collapsing subordinates beside him and resented something benign as he spoke of such things.

''I won't let you get away with this--''

　The man grinned with a guileless grin in his beady eyes.





â




　A few days had passed since Nem left Anor Feria, and in a section of this town, the newly enthroned Beast King Minerva, who had been enthroned to the Beast Kingdom, was in sight. Minerva was exposed to the pounding rain and cowered in a soaking wet state. In front of her were the corpses of Serena and Raven, the two of them.

　When she arrived in this town, Minerva's face was filled with despair and sadness, and later anger.
　Minerva immediately looked for her sister Serena, Raven, and Nem. Although she had only met Raven's mother, Trish, a few times, Minerva searched desperately for her family.
　Lifting debris, sometimes blasting it away with magic, Minerva continued her search, single-mindedly and alone. But she knew. There was no magic in this town. -that is, she knew that there was not a single living one in the city. When she looked around, all she saw was rubble, wreckage, and corpses. Minerva knew this, but she couldn't stop her hands and feet.
　But maybe he had escaped the attack of Ulanos and taken refuge outside the town. But Uranos said. -- that he killed Serena, he said. So Minerva needed to be sure. That everyone's bodies were gone....

'Nem!　Serena!　Raven!　Trish!

　Running around the town without magic, Minerva asks out loud. But there is no reply. There was only the sound of rain and the occasional sound of collapsing buildings.

　But Minerva found it after a search. -- the two figures lying surrounded by rubble.
　Minerva knelt down as if she had lost her strength and gently took their hands. The hands, now cold after hours, told Minerva that they had already passed and that they were dead.
　No matter how many tears were shed, the two would not return. Minerva was too sad to accept the sight of her sister in front of her, and she looked away and then back again, still not letting go of Serena's hand.
　Then she stared at the sky, gazed at the area where the tragedy took place, and no matter where she looked around, there was no sign of Nem.

'Nem ... nem ... nem-uh!

　I scream in a voice that is withered by tears, but still no voice comes back to me.
　Then, a short distance away, underneath the rubble, I see something that looks like a blue reflection. Minerva stands up, and when she does, she walks towards the rubble.
　She popped the debris up with her cat fist and removed it with her Wind Attribute Magic. Then, there was a 'Crystal of Anor's Light' that had fallen even though it was exposed to the rain.

''Nem........''

　Minerva picks it up and picks it up and checks it in her hand.

(.........no doubt. Serena gave it to Nem.)

　It's a light that cannot be mistaken for anything else. A light that shines wherever you are, the very light itself. That's why Serena gave this pendant to Nemu, no matter how hard it is, because she wants it to shine like this ore.

　I see Nem around.....

　Minerva, sensing this, avoided the debris in front of her and then continued to search desperately for Nem. But no matter how much I looked for him, he was nowhere to be found. The more time that passed, the more it meant Nem's death at the same time.



　The next day, and the next, Minerva runs around the city, desperately searching for Nem. Trish, Raven's mother, was there. But no matter how long it took, no matter how much she looked for her, Nem was the only thing missing.

　But Minerva knew.

　Minerva knew how many people there were in this town. And most of them had disappeared and were found missing at best. Serena, Raven, and others were still good. Because their bodies were still clean.
　With that in mind, it was no wonder that Nem was gone. Minerva continued to search for a few days without saying a word.

　The rain had stopped and there was a clear sky.
　Minerva, in her weakened state, could no longer see the hope of her own speculation. Because the events of the past few days and the scene before her were the truth, and the hope that Nem was alive was an illusion and a delusion. Now Minerva already knew that. Minerva stopped looking for it.

　Minerva was then taken back to the country by the Beast Nation soldiers who had arrived in town, along with Serena, Raven, and Trish, who were no longer talking to each other, and the three of them were buried in the land of the Beast Nation.
　The people would not be silent about burying someone who was a human in the Beast Country. But the current king is Minerva, and all authority rests with Minerva. Besides, most of the people are no longer left in the Beast Country. Especially the youngsters and men, all of whom have been taken away by the Empire.

　And this one incident by the Empire will not be known to the world. As long as Uranos was forbidden to talk about it, Minerva had nothing to resist. Of course, information is something that leaks out to no small degree. Especially in a country as young as the Empire, such things were easy to happen. The result was the words of the demonic correspondent Francesca, "The Empire has captured the beastmen," and the words of Tom, an Enumasan dwarf, "It seems that the White Cat people have been taken by the Empire.
　Until a few years later, that is, until Minerva tells Nito about this one incident in this way, the reality of the Empire will not be exposed.





o





　When Nem woke up a few days later, he was on a wagon that rattled and swayed as it moved through the open field.
　In front of him was a woman dressed in monastic clothes.

　Nem doesn't understand. Why am I here?



You've been down, you know?

　Then the woman beside her spoke to him.

'Um, and you are?'

I'm a Sister. I run an orphanage.

Sister?

　Apparently, this woman in the monastic dress is a Sister.

What is this place?

　More importantly, Nem, who doesn't understand this situation, what does it mean to have fallen?

More importantly, you must be hungry.　You haven't eaten anything for a long time, now--this.

　Then, what you see in the package that the sisters offered you is meat.

".........

　Nem gasped when he saw the meat. Apparently, Sister was right, he was quite hungry.
　But Nem had his doubts. He ran out and suddenly he was robbed, and next thing he knew he was a kidnapper. The stolen robes would no longer be in her mind, as they were directly linked to her mother's memories, but the sensation was still the only emotion that remained.

'See?　Don't be shy, this is for you.

　Sister smiles softly at Nem, who seems to be half frightened.
　Then Nem Nem hesitantly took the meat in her hand and slowly brought it to her mouth and took a bite while looking at Sister's face. As soon as Sister sees her, she smiles happily.
　A single tear ran down Nem's cheek as she noticed.
　Nem's nervousness is released and he bites into the meat. Sister smiles at Nem, as if she wanted to reassure him. Nemu sniffed and wiped the tears away as he chewed on the meat.

'By the way, may I ask your name?'

　Nem finishes his meat and stares out the window as if he has lost his strength. Then the sister asks her that.

'Nem is ... a Nem.

　Nem told her hesitantly, still feeling nervous.

'Yes, Nem, right?'

　Sister smiled happily, even though she was just saying her name. Nem Nem watched Sister's face in wonder.
　But suddenly, tears fall again from Nem's eyes as she looks at Sister.

--Nem I love you.
　I can see Serena smiling at me while hanging up her selections.

(Mother........)

--Don't you take care of your mother, Nem.
　That was the last time I saw Raven's smile. A look of sadness hides in his eyes.

Father...

-- today it's Nem's favorite meat!
　When I opened the door to the house, I saw Trish, who was always waiting for me to cook for her.

(Tote.....)

--Nem, now Nem is a warrior too!
　Minerva smiles with a satisfied smile as she finishes her cat fist training.

(Mimi........)

　When the sister called her name, "Nem-chan," Nem saw the image of her beloved family there for a moment.
　But with a slight shake of his head, he quickly erases the image from his mind and puts it away in the back of his mind. Then his eyes were looking out the empty window again.
　You're going to be able to find the best way to make the most of your time in the world. --to live.

'Dude, where are you going?'

　Then Nem asks deceptively.
　She must have seen several orphans so far. Sister doesn't know exactly what Nem's condition is, but she seems to have an idea. She had such a gentle expression on her face.

'It's Raz Hausen--'

Raz, Hausen?　What is it?

"Rashausen, the royal capital, the most peaceful country in the Vanome Continent. It's the most peaceful country in the Vanome Continent. I'm sure little Nem's going to fit right in there.

　Even if you say that now, Nem has no idea what you're talking about. He doesn't know such words as "orphanage".
　But time is passing and the carriage is advancing to the royal capital.

　By the way, what is Nem is thinking about now?

　Serena tells her everything and leaves Nem in Minerva's care, but Nem is now on his way to Rashausen. Does Nem have no intention of meeting Minerva?
　But it wasn't. Nem was now in a precarious position. If he remembered even one face of his family, he would be reminded of that daily life in a chain reaction, leading to a rain of tragedy in the end.
　After all, he remembered, but he couldn't remember.
　It's simple, but the Mimi in Nem is Mimi and not Minerva. Nem only knows Mimi's name. And there is no Mimi here. I don't even know where to go to find her.
　Or he could tell the sisters, and they would take him to the Beast Country. But he didn't know what to tell her, and all Nem had was dim and cross-sectional information.
　To begin with, Nem's home was Anor Feria, not the Beast Country. Nem didn't even have the idea of a beast country.

　But as Serena had told him at the end, 'Master' would appear before Nem one day.
　The one who will put a lid on the dark past, rescue her from the immediate peace she had accidentally arrived at, and send her back to Minerva, will surely appear one day.

--Nem and Raven, let's have dinner, shall we?

　But in the back of Nem's mind, he still has that day, that routine. Serena calls out, "Let's have lunch", and when she does, Nem is taken by Raven and they all go into the house together.
　

--Yes!

　Then Nem jumped up and down, smiling and jumping up and down, saying that as usual. Nem is still laughing and laughing around the dinner table, with Serena and Raven watching over him.
　In her dreams.