I Finished Saving the World, But Then I Picked Up a Girl With Amnesia - Chapter 20

Mumu Rusetta was a martial artist in the Hero’s party and also the Hero’s master.

Mumu watched the side profile of the girl who had been left behind after the Hero had walked away. She must have been relying on him until now. For a while after he left, the girl seemed restless, but after some time had passed, she finally turned her gaze toward Mumu.

“Um, Master-san.”

“Mumu.”

“Huh?”

“Mumu Rusetta. That’s my name. Because of the curse the Hero has, everyone avoids using names around him. But when it’s just the two of us, you can call me by my name.”

“O-Oh, thank you. Mumu-san.”

Holding a piece of bread in one hand and some meat in the other, Mumu asked the girl:

“What’s your name?”

“Ah, right. My name is…”

Upon hearing her name, Mumu nodded.

“I see. That’s a nice name.”

“Eh-heh-heh, thank you so much.”

“Do you like your name?”

“Y-Yes. It’s the only thing I remember about myself, so…”

“I see. I like it too.”

“Yes! I think Mumu-san’s name is wonderful as well.”

“Thank you. That makes me happy.”

After chewing and swallowing a tough piece of bread, Mumu asked another question.

“Would you like the Hero to call you by your name?”

The girl’s eyes widened slightly.

Her gaze dropped, swayed left and right, and then returned forward.

“Well… Hero-san is such a kind person that if he called me by my name, I’m sure… it would make me happy.”

“Hmm.”

“But…”

“But?”

“Compared to someone like me, who’s only just met him, I think Sage-san, Knight-san, and Master-san… would want him to call their names much more. That’s what I think.”

“True.”

For the first time since starting her meal, Mumu placed her bread and meat on the table. She wiped her fingers clean with a cloth before reaching out.

“You’re a very good child.”

Pat, pat.

Mumu gently began stroking the head of the wide-eyed girl.

“Uh…”

“Hm?”

“Thank you very much.”

“You’re welcome.”

Peep. The little bird chirped weakly in the girl’s palm as if prompted by the moment.

“Oh! Mumu-san!”

“What?”

“Please take a look at this little one!”

“Take a look? Why?”

“Uh, because Hero-san said—”

“I can’t use healing magic.”

The girl’s soft expression hardened into something more severe.

Mumu thought that was only natural.

“That can’t be… Then what…?”

“This little bird doesn’t have long. Its wing is broken. There’s no way it can survive.”

“That’s…”

The girl had probably realized it deep down. Instead of looking surprised, her face showed disappointment as she stared at the bird in her palm.

She’s a kind child, Mumu thought. A faint understanding dawned as to why the Hero had become so invested in her.

“Is dying really such a bad thing?”

That’s why Mumu posed the question to her.

“Huh?”

“I’ve lived for a very long time. But if the time comes for me to die, I think I can accept that.”

“M-Mumu-san…?”

Toward the fragile, tiny little bird.

With her expression still completely blank, the martial artist raised her fist.

—

Let me share a memory.

I realized I wasn’t aging when I was 10 years old. However, I don’t remember if I was truly 10 at the time. By that point, my sense of time had already begun to warp.

I didn’t know my parents. I found myself living alone in the mountains. Back then, I couldn’t control my magic well and had times when I nearly died.

Drinking water, chewing on meat, living day to day without thinking about tomorrow—it was a cycle that endlessly repeated.

One day, I met a man. He was a massive, burly figure with a beard, like a giant rock or a bear.

“What’s this? You’re all by yourself?”

“…?”

“Why aren’t you answering?”

“…………”

“Do you not understand words!?”

The man had come to the mountains to train, but for some reason, he took an interest in me.

Though he was a martial artist in search of strength, he also happened to be well-educated.

“Becoming strong and learning are two sides of the same coin! Learn well, and grow strong, girl!”

Some days, he handed me a pen. Other days, he taught me with his fists.

I began learning many things from him.

If it was just about survival, I could manage on my own. But everything beyond mere survival, I received from the man.

“I’ve decided on your name! From today onward, you’ll carry this name, along with my family name!”

From that day forward, I was known as Mumu Rusetta.

“A good name.”

“Oh! Is that so? Do you like it?”

“It’s short and easy to write.”

“Short and easy to write!?”

“Well, whatever. As long as you like it, that’s what matters most.”

His face crinkled into a cheerful, boyish grin.

And from that day forward, the burly, bearded man became my master.