A duke’s daughter who suffered a head injury still observes noble dining etiquette at every meal, even while living as a commoner.

A former killer struck by a car may not remember anything else, but still knows how to wield chopsticks as lethal weapons.

In other words, “The mind may not know, but the body remembers what it has done before.”

This is a crucial element in any amnesia storyline.

Since the character is destined to regain their memories eventually, you need to plant breadcrumbs ahead of time.

So what about the case of “Chris,” the professor?

‘Naturally, her habit of offering unsolicited advice would slip out.’

In other words…….

“Still weak as ever, Michael. Have you forgotten everything you’ve learned?”

The line I just delivered was the best way to reinforce my character roleplay while snapping the Protagonist back to his senses.

I realized this a beat too late. What was needed at this moment wasn’t encouragement for the Protagonist, but the whip-like discipline characteristic of “Chris.”

‘A horse that’s eaten carrots knows to eat them. But offer a carrot to someone accustomed to Chris’s Spartan education, and it’ll only backfire.’

“Professor……. Yes, understood. I’ll pull myself together and show you. That I have properly inherited what is yours.”

See? The moment I said that, his eyes came alive.

Of course, I couldn’t maintain this state for long.

The key point was that a fragment of the past had slipped out involuntarily in a “fleeting moment.”

‘If he regains his memories already, what was the point of setting up the amnesia roleplay?’

So I needed to slowly blink twice and put on a bewildered expression right away.

“……What did I just say?”

A tone suggesting I had no idea what was going on, as if I had been possessed by something until just now.

But now the Protagonist had no reason to hesitate.

Why?

‘Because he confirmed it.’

That I was indeed the ‘Chris’ he knew, that the memories they shared definitely existed somewhere deep within me.

Thus, hope was born that with enough time and effort, he could restore ‘Chris’ to the way she used to be.

‘And the Protagonist is the type who clings to even the slightest possibility with absolute conviction.’

In short—

“Holy Emperor. Let’s just end this quickly. There’s more than one or two places I need to take the Professor.”

“What nonsense—gah, gurk!”

This time, it was the Protagonist’s turn to unleash a flurry of blows.

The counterattack had begun.

* * *

On the day the Holy Emperor finally fell.

Countless people poured out of the Holy Kingdom.

Half were those who had gathered to witness Chris’s public execution, and the other half were people wearing priestly robes.

They all spoke in unison:

“The Holy Emperor is a demon! He was the mastermind behind everything! As for what I saw…….”

The witnesses’ words spread across the entire continent in an instant.

There were those who had recorded the events that transpired there onto Magic Stones, so no one dismissed it as mere rumor.

As a result, the entire continent plunged into chaos.

Not every nation was devoutly religious, but this was still an era where a fundamental belief in the Creator God existed.

After all, the magic bestowed by the Creator God was real.

Such faith naturally extended to trust in the Holy Emperor, who had been chosen by the Creator God, and became the foundation of his power.

But to learn that the Holy Emperor had actually been molding the world to his liking through brainwashing and surveillance all this time?

It was an event that shook not only him, but the very foundation of faith in the Creator God.

How bad must it have been for later generations to call this day “The Day the Holy Kingdom Collapsed”?

In other words, the ones sweating bullets right now were neither Michael, who had beaten down the Holy Emperor, nor Chris, who had nearly been hanged.

[The Creator God of this world, ■■■, requests a conversation.]

The one who had been sitting at the very top all this time.

* * *

Flump.

The Holy Emperor collapsed onto the floor without so much as a groan, losing consciousness entirely.

Remarkably, he wasn’t dead. The Protagonist had beaten him just enough while maintaining his composure, striking with measured restraint.

It was the very embodiment of how to properly wield S-rank mana. More than enough to serve as a model for others.

He’s grown……. I feel a wave of nostalgia coming on.

‘Alright, the Holy Emperor beatdown is more or less done.’

I turned my head and watched the last person slip out of the Holy Kingdom.

They were wearing priestly robes—they’d probably need to find new employment.

A Holy Kingdom without the Holy Emperor would be hard to sustain.

‘Of course, worrying about the Holy Kingdom is hardly my concern right now.’

Including the message that had just appeared in the System window, I still had a mountain of things to deal with.

But there was a separate reason for my immediate tension.

‘They’re coming.’

They were approaching with strides that the expression “seongkeum-seongkeum” would suit.

It was X-Class.

They must have been exhausted from the battle they’d just fought, but there wasn’t the slightest sign of fatigue.

If anything, they seemed even more fired up.

‘……Are they thinking about tearing me apart?’

Ossak. A chill ran down the back of my neck. I’d somehow gotten past the most terrifying Protagonist, but these ones were no pushovers either.

The torture I endured in the Holy Kingdom’s basement was nothing compared to this.

“Professor…….”

“Professor, are you alright?”

“I missed you, Professor! Where have you been and what have you been doing all this time…….”

Those worried voices were the finest interrogation imaginable, pricking at my conscience.

‘Ugh, like a lost child who just found their parents.’

And what about those hands twitching in contrast to their worried words?

Don’t they look like they’re itching to grab me and lock me in a room under the guise of safety and protection?

At this rate, I’d definitely be dragged off somewhere.

Huh? Why is the Oldboy OST playing in my ears?

“…….”

I barely stopped myself from instinctively stepping backward.

Could I really fend all of this off with just the amnesia excuse?

No—I had to. I needed to steel my heart, play the amnesia card, and guide them back to the classroom.

‘The best way to recover memories is to try doing the things you used to do, so they’d go along with returning.’

After making my decision, I let out a sigh and opened my mouth.

“Hah……. Professor, you say. Are you lot the same as this Michael fellow?”

“Professor……?”

“I’m sorry, but nothing comes to mind. I don’t know any of you.”

I could have simply said I’d lost my memories, but I phrased it this way because the current ‘Chris’ had no affection for them. It seemed to hit them much harder than expected, though.

“Huh? That…… oh? Sorry? The Professor knew how to pronounce that word……?”

The Model Student trailed off, his face frozen as if his brain had crashed.

“……That’s a really unfunny joke. No wait, the Professor I know would never joke around, so maybe it’s really true~?”

Twin-braid let out a hollow laugh before turning dead serious.

“Did the aftermath of the earlier attack perhaps cause a problem with your memories? Or was it from before? Um, would it be alright if I took a look?”

The Healer approached me with a grave expression.

And the Princess…….

“Let’s rest first and talk later. You look very exhausted.”

The words he uttered were perfectly rational, but his expression was something to behold.

That “rest” doesn’t mean “rest forever,” does it?

‘I feel like I’m about to become an ice sculpture. Am I going to be freed a hundred years later?’

Being a Transmigrator, a regressor, and now a returnee on top of that—this is an insanely over-the-top setting, you guys!

The moment the Princess’s hand reached menacingly toward me.

“Ah, hold on.”

Someone grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back.

“Before you all have your reunion, I’ll need to borrow her first.”

It was Narrow Eyes.

“……What? Our work should be done. Isn’t the cleanup your responsibility?”

The Princess frowned, naturally including me in “our” as he spoke.

“My, so guarded—just like Michael, as if to prove you’re not friends. It’s nothing like that. The curse the Holy Emperor placed is still lingering in the criminal’s…… pardon me, the ‘Professor’s’ body. Wouldn’t it be better to deal with it before we leave?”

“Um, I can do that too. If you leave it to me…….”

The Healer stepped forward, slightly riled up.

Narrow Eyes shook his head jeolle-jeolle and replied.

“Dear me, no matter how talented you are, this is a curse placed directly by the Holy Emperor. Only high-ranking priests can lift it. It’ll only take a moment, so why don’t the rest of you recover your mana? There are Magic Stones scattered all over the place.”

“Hold on~ You’re trying to sneakily get some alone time, aren’t you? What are you planning to do with our Professor who’s lost her memories?”

The suspicious Twin-braid’s observation was sharp.

But Narrow Eyes didn’t flinch.

“Well, you’re welcome to come along if you’d like. However, the process of lifting the curse is quite painful. Which means she’ll inevitably show a vulnerable side. Would you want your students to see you like that? She may have lost her memories, but she’s still your teacher, after all.”

“…….”

“If you truly can’t trust me, how about this.”