Esdeath smile froze on her face as she sensed a hint of wariness and distance in the words spoken to her.
But it only stiffened for a brief moment.
It was natural that she wasn't recognized.
After all, they had been separated for eight years. Though, for some unknown reason, Yoshino appearance hadn't changed at all, Esdeath herself had undergone a complete transformation in both appearance and temperament compared to eight years ago.
"It's me, Esdeath, your sister."
Esdeath was about to step forward and reach for Yoshino hand.
But Yoshino suddenly backed away several steps, pulling her hood even lower over her head, nearly hiding her entire face.
This time, Esdeath expression froze completely.
"Don't touch Yoshino, lady. We don't know you."
Yoshinon waved her hands, her tone even more guarded. "Is this one of those scams where someone pretends to be an old acquaintance to swindle money or worse? Don't underestimate us—anyone Yoshino knows, I know too. And we've never seen you before!"
Just a few simple exchanges were enough to stir up doubt in Esdeath heart.
Us?
Yoshino and Yoshinon?
A strange feeling crept into her chest, though she couldn't immediately pinpoint what was making her feel so off.
Still, she didn't dwell on it.
After all, she knew nothing of what had happened to Yoshino over the past eight years.
Eight years might be short, but also long. It made sense that some memories might have faded or been lost.
"It's okay if you don't remember me. But what about our father and mother?" Esdeath tried to stir Yoshino memories. "In the tribe, Father was the chief. We often went hunting with him. In our downtime, Mother would play with us. That rabbit plush you're holding—wasn't it something Mother made for you?"
"Yoshino doesn't have a father," Yoshinon replied. "Yoshino doesn't have a mother either."
"Huh?"
Not only was Esdeath stunned at those words, even the Three Beast Warriors standing quietly nearby were dumbfounded.
No father, no mother?
Then where did you come from?
To the ears of the Three Beast Warriors, it sounded completely like someone being uncooperative on purpose.
But Esdeath furrowed her brows slightly at what she heard.
Strictly speaking, they indeed no longer had parents.
Their mother had long died, killed by the claws of a Danger Beast during a hunt. Their father perished shortly after during a raid by northern barbarians.
Though the belief in survival of the fittest ran deep in the minds of every Partan, even Esdeath had felt sadness when her parents died.
Even now, she could vividly recall the image of a spear piercing her father's chest and his body falling into a pool of blood as he lay dying.
But gentle Yoshino, when speaking of their parents, displayed no emotional fluctuation at all.
As if they had never existed.
It was possible that Yoshino had been through so much in the past eight years that, like herself, she was no longer affected by their deaths.
But judging from what she'd just said, another greater possibility began to emerge.
"Yoshino… could it be that you've lost your memory?"
"Lost her memory?"
Yoshinon placed her tiny hand under her chin, seemingly pondering. "Now that you mention it, before we started living with the villagers of Tam Village, Yoshino really doesn't seem to remember anything further back…"
As she spoke, realization suddenly dawned on her. She clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Wait, are you saying Yoshino isn't a special lifeform born from the snow, but actually a child who's lost her memory? And you're her family from before she forgot?"
"More or less… that seems to be the case."
Hearing her suspicions confirmed, Esdeath let out a soft sigh.
She had finally reunited with her sister after eight years of separation, but the girl had lost her memory, forgetting everything from their childhood.
The village, the family, everything from the past—gone from her mind.
No wonder she had no recognition of her, even when standing right in front of her. She treated Esdeath just like a stranger.
But she quickly composed herself.
At least the worst didn't happen.
For eight years, she had feared the worst—that Yoshino had already died somewhere, and all her efforts had been in vain.
Now, her sister was standing right in front of her. That alone was a blessing.
Even if she had lost her memories, the most important thing was that she was still alive.
And besides, memory loss wasn't irreversible.
She was one of the Empire's two great generals, wielding immense power. If she needed something, a single command would bring countless people to help. Even if she didn't know how to restore Yoshino memories, she could easily find someone who did.
Whether it was the best physician in the capital or in the entire Empire—if it was necessary, she'd bring them all in to treat Yoshino.
"I understand that learning you had family before may be hard to accept all at once," Esdeath said seriously. "But I can promise you that everything I've said is true. I'm your sister. I'm also a general of the Empire. I have no reason to harm you, nor would I ever want to."
"Hmph…"
Yoshinon hummed noncommittally.
"The inn you were staying at is no longer safe. And it's already late at night, not a good time to find another place to stay," Esdeath offered sincerely. "If you're willing, you can come live with me at the General's Manor."
"You don't seem like a bad person, and what you said does make some sense…"
Yoshinon turned to Yoshino. "This proposal isn't half bad. What do you think, Yoshino?"
Yoshino looked at Esdeath and the Three Beast Warriors, then brought the rabbit plush close to her lips and whispered to it.
As she whispered, Yoshinon nodded in agreement.
It was as if two completely different people were having a conversation. Their expressions and gestures were clearly distinct.
This strange sight made the hair on the back of the audience stand on end.
"General Esdeath…"
At this point, Liver, who had remained silent until now, finally couldn't hold back.
"It's possible that what your sister needs treatment for… isn't just memory loss alone."