Capitalist Monster Hunter - Chapter 9

Rest (1)

One of Lamdon’s satellite cities, “Pendell,” had transformed into a fortress after Lamdon was taken over by the Evolvers. Both the Kaden Defense Forces and the Alliance troops were gathering in Pendell, preparing to reclaim cities that had fallen to the Evolvers.

The leaders of the Defense Forces and the Alliance were racking their brains to devise a plan for the city’s recapture, while doctors were busy running around, treating patients and wounded soldiers.

Hopkins was also one of the doctors actively helping people. But suddenly, the Allied Command urgently summoned him, and Hopkins was dragged somewhere by soldiers without knowing the reason.

“Did I… do something wrong?”

Dr. Hopkins began to rack his brain, trying to recall any offenses he may have committed in his life.

“Was it giving a kid pumpkin-flavored medicine when they asked for a strawberry? Or throwing yesterday’s soda can in the regular trash? Damn… what could it be?”

Having lived his whole life without harming others and dedicating himself to helping people, Hopkins couldn’t think of a single wrongdoing.

Eventually, he gave up trying and started walking helplessly, following the soldiers.

“Hey, you?”

Hopkins saw a familiar face. It was Professor Herbert, who had worked with him before.

Professor Herbert was one of the famous doctors back in Kaden.

“Oh? You too?”

Herbert looked wide-eyed at Hopkins.

“What kind of trouble did you get into?”

“Trouble? What trouble?”

Herbert gave him a look as if he were saying something totally unexpected.

“Don’t tell me you were just walking along without knowing a thing?”

“Wait, you got some sort of heads-up?”

“Of course. They said there’s a wounded Noble here in Pendell, so I’m on my way to help.”

“A Noble?”

“Yeah, a noble. And from Earth, no less.”

Hearing this, Hopkins finally understood why he and Herbert had been summoned.

“Here we are, professor.”

Following the soldier, Herbert and Hopkins stopped in front of a hospital room.

An armed guard was posted at the door, with several other soldiers patrolling the area in teams.

Feeling tense, Hopkins and Herbert opened the door. Inside, they found a young noble yawning and scratching his head.

“So you’re saying I’m part of the noble class called nobles? So this world actually has social classes?”

When Yuseong first arrived in Pendell, the soldiers treated him with almost too much respect, even bringing him to their headquarters. Most soldiers seemed to walk carefully around him, while those with higher ranks would come by, greet him, and then leave.

Even though Yuseong hadn’t served in the military, he could tell that something weird was going on. By listening to the others talk, he pieced together that people were referring to him as a “Noble.”

The soldiers brought him to a clean, spacious hospital room, and while waiting for a doctor, Yuseong asked Eve about the nobles.

“Only the Empire has social classes.”

“Then what’s a noble, exactly? You called them aristocrats earlier.”

Eve had indeed said that only the Empire had a social hierarchy. But from how the soldiers were acting, Yuseong sensed something wasn’t adding up.

“It was just an analogy to make it easier for you to understand, said user Han Yuseong. But if you put it that way, nobles do resemble the old aristocrats. They wield immense power, and ordinary citizens dare not mess with them.”

“So are they aristocrats or not?”

“To be blunt, no, they’re not. ‘Noble’ is more of an honorary title. People use it to refer to powerful and influential figures from certain planets or families.”

Throughout history, there have always been those with power. Sometimes it was those with the most military strength, sometimes the wisest, sometimes those of noble bloodlines, and other times, those with great wealth.

Unlike Yuseong, who had no ties to wealth or power, this world’s Yuseong had a formidable family background.

“They keep calling me a noble. From what you said, nobles seem like they hold important positions, so why am I being sent on such a dangerous mission? Shouldn’t nobles be kept out of harm’s way?”

“In the case of most nobles, yes, they’d be kept from danger as you said. But you’re different.”

“Why? Did I get on someone’s bad side?”

“That’s because your father is a soldier who follows the spirit of noblesse oblige.”

“My father?”

[Your father is the Commander-in-Chief of the Moon Base. The Moon Base is a fortress protecting Earth, the capital planet of the Alliance, and it’s one of the most crucial bases in the Alliance. That’s how influential Commander Han Sechan is in the Alliance.]

“Han Sechan…”

Han Sechan.

That was the name of his father, who had passed away when the first monster outbreak hit.

“So, he’s still alive in this world…”

Yuseong felt envious of this version of himself. Unlike him, who grew up as an orphan, this Yuseong must have been raised with love from his parents.

“No one would have teased him for being an orphan…”

Yuseong vaguely recalled his father’s image. His father had been an upright and honest soldier. He was proud to be in the military and often told young Yuseong, “You should become a soldier and protect your country when you grow up.” He’d even wanted to take a picture with Yuseong in uniform, but his father never got to see him even in a school uniform, let alone a military one.

“What an idiot.”

He should’ve retreated if he couldn’t win. Yuseong couldn’t understand it. His father must have known he couldn’t win with just a gun, so why did he die fighting so foolishly?

“Is something wrong?” asked Eve.

“Nah, nothing. I just feel a bit jealous of this version of myself. Unlike me, he’s some kind of ‘Noble,’ right? Probably had a pretty easy life with a silver spoon in his mouth. Lucky him.”

Yuseong was sincere. He genuinely envied the other Yuseong in this world.

“So, Eve, do you think the doctors will believe me if I say I have amnesia?”

“Why wouldn’t they? There are unusual cases in every situation, after all.”

“Yeah, true.”

And if they don’t believe me? It’s not like I can just magically remember things.

Yuseong decided that if the doctors doubted him, he’d stick to his story no matter what.

“All right, let’s check my points and items from my sponsors.”

Click!

Just as Yuseong was about to review his rewards, the door opened, and two doctors walked in. Both looked like seasoned professionals and seemed a bit tense.

“Second Lieutenant Han Yuseong?”

“Yes, I’m Han Yuseong.”

“I’m Samuel Hopkins, and this is Professor John Herbert.”

“John Herbert.”

“Oh, nice to meet you, professors.”

Once the introductions were over, Hopkins glanced at his tablet and spoke to Yuseong.

“From what I’ve heard, you began experiencing memory loss after the transport plane crash in Lamdon. Can you tell me what you remember?”

“Well… let’s see…”

“What should I even say?”

Should I tell them the only things I remember are from 300 years ago?

No, that’s ridiculous. If I say I only remember things from three centuries ago, they’ll definitely think I’m crazy.

“Guess I’ll just say I remember nothing at all.”

“I don’t remember anything. The only reason I made it this far was because of help from an AI called Eve. Without Eve, I wouldn’t even have known we were in Kaden.”

“Hmm… I see. I suspected partial memory loss due to the trauma, but it seems more severe than I thought. I’m guessing you don’t remember anything you learned at the academy either?”

“No, not a thing.”

After Yuseong answered, Hopkins began discussing something with Herbert, muttering unfamiliar medical terms back and forth. Yuseong gave up trying to keep up with their conversation.

After a while, Hopkins and Herbert finished talking. Professor Herbert looked at Yuseong and spoke.

“Lieutenant, I think it would be best for you to return to Earth and undergo a memory implant procedure.”

“A memory implant…?”

“Yes. With the implant, you could quickly acquire general knowledge and common sense. And my apologies to the cadets who are working hard at the academy, but you’d be able to instantly regain all the knowledge taught there as well.”

“So, you’re saying memories can actually be implanted?”

“Yes, that’s correct. With memory implants, you’ll be able to learn a wide range of information very quickly. Right now, you must feel confused without any memories, but don’t worry. The implant will help you adjust back to everyday life in no time.”

“Seriously… they can just implant memories?”

Yuseong was shocked at the idea that memories could be implanted.

He knew the technology here was way more advanced than his original world, but implanting memories? That was next-level.

“Now, for personal memories like family or friends, memory implants can’t help, so there might be some awkwardness. But if you were close to someone before, it won’t take long to reconnect. You might even recall memories naturally as you talk with them.”

Herbert smiled as he spoke. When he finished, Hopkins joined in.

“We could perform the procedure here in Pendell, but for your safety, I’d recommend doing it on Earth. As you know, the current situation with Kaden isn’t exactly stable.”

“True, Kaden isn’t in great shape right now.”

Yuseong nodded. What if the Evolvers attacked the city in the middle of the procedure? He’d be done for.

“It’s probably better to do it on Earth.”

“Absolutely. We just can’t be too careful.”

“We’ll set up the procedure and inform you once we have a schedule. In the meantime, just take it easy and rest here. We’ll be back with the details soon.”

With that, Hopkins and Herbert left the room.

“Herbert, you think we said anything we shouldn’t have?”

“Doesn’t seem like it. But honestly, he’s not as bad as I expected. I heard he was some arrogant noble, but he was polite and seemed pretty decent.”

“Maybe that’s because he lost his memory.”

“Then let’s just hope he never gets it back.”