Chapter 24

Early morning awakening.

It's a type of insomnia where you suddenly wake up when your human body hasn't slept as much as it wants to.

People's reactions at this time are usually divided into two: those who get angry as soon as they wake up and complain about being tired.

And those who feel refreshed enough from that short sleep time that the y think they don't need to sleep anymore.

I was in the latter situation right now.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I could see a window with snowflakes fluttering, and a lantern emitting a soft light like a night light.

All these things indicated that I hadn't woken up in a prison cell.

As I slowly gathered my thoughts, I began to remember what had happened with the Gardener.

After returning to the branch with the leaf and dandelion received from the Gardener, the Vice Captain was gone, and the masked woman I had seen in the previous prison was there to greet us.

White Mask... was that what she was called?

When I handed the dandelion to the Lesser Outer God, it disappeared into its pocket like a squirrel storing food.

After perfectly hiding the dandelion, I handed the leaf to White Mask. She seemed suspicious, alternately looking at me and the leaf, which made me think I was in trouble at first.

But soon she nodded and said, 'Good job. Get treatment and rest.' With just these words, she guided me to this room.

It was quite bewildering to see even Muyeon, who had said it would be fine, trembling.

I really couldn't understand what they were thinking, but anyway, I thought I should be grateful just for being provided with a room and lay down on the bed.

I don't know how I ended up in such a pitiful state.

It was frustrating to think that even if I resented it, the existence of 'Laydan Tanton' had already disappeared.

I tried closing my eyes to sleep more, but my head was already clear and full of distracting thoughts, making lying down even more painful.

If it's going to be like this, wouldn't it be better to walk around the room a bit?

Deciding to do so, I raised my upper body, but I seemed to hear regular breathing sounds coming from somewhere.

At first, I thought the Lesser Outer God had come out of my pocket and was sleeping, so I looked around in panic, but soon I confirmed the source of the breathing, and fortunately, it wasn't that.

Rather, it was bewildering in another sense.

The identity of the person sleeping soundly leaning against the bed was Muyeon.

Nearby were bandages and glass bottles presumed to be medicine.

In game terms, potions.

In Snow Castle, they're called flame essences.

According to community knowledge, I heard they're rare at first, but later you end up drinking them like water.

Muyeon seemed to be in a deep sleep.

They said there was a hole in my stomach, maybe she was trying to heal that?

Only then did I feel something wrapped around my stomach, and I confirmed that bandages were neatly wrapped around it.

So she had been nursing me all night.

I guess it was probably due to guilt for abandoning and running away from me.

She must have been more tired.

I thought this person was kind at heart, even though she had no choice but to do what she did.

"You didn't have to go this far."

As I was smiling at Muyeon while quietly murmuring, perhaps because her sleeping position was uncomfortable, Muyeon slowly started to open her eyes.

Slowly raising her upper body and stretching, Muyeon saw that I was awake and at first just made a sound like "Hm...?" while looking blank.

Then belatedly, her expression changed to surprise, and she brought her face close to mine.

"A-are you okay?! You're not dead, right?"

"Yes, I'm fine, so don't worry. Look, we can communicate, right?"

"Ah, yes. That's right."

Looking embarrassed, Muyeon retreated with a subtle expression and then let out a deep sigh of relief.

"I'm so relieved. When you fainted right after coming back, I was worried you might not wake up..."

"Haha, you worry too much, Ms. Muyeon."

"...Says the person who had a hole in their stomach?!"

I was just making light jokes, but she looked a bit angry.

She must have been serious.

"Umm... sorry?"

"Ah, no... I was being too sensitive."

I don't know why she's apologizing again.

An awkward atmosphere suddenly started to surround us.

To be precise, Muyeon was showing signs of awkwardness, which made me feel awkward too.

I stayed quiet, feeling that if I spoke first, it might make things even stranger.

After a few minutes passed like this.

Muyeon was the first to speak.

"But... will we really be okay?"

"About what?"

"You know, about the Gardener..."

"It was fine, just like you said, Ms. Muyeon. They didn't seem to suspect anything."

"Well, that's true, but..."

Why does she have so many worries when she said it would be fine herself?

"More than that... we didn't actually deal with the Gardener, and we even made contact.

This violates the second rule of Rondan's precepts: 'Do not worship false gods.'

I don't know in what sense you showed kindness to them, Mr. Tanton, but this is clearly a criminal act. We shouldn't deceive..."

"Shh, that's enough."

I brought my finger to my lips to stop Muyeon's words.

Certainly, since Muyeon is a knight of Rondan, she can't help but be sensitive to these precepts.

The idea that chivalry should be pure is a common theme in any media.

"Let's think of it this way. We defeated the Gardener in the process of saving a pitiful soul passing by.

So, we didn't 'make contact', we 'exterminated' it, let's think of it that way."

"But that's a lie! If it ever comes to light..."

"On the other hand, it's a story that can remain a secret forever if no one spreads rumors, since only we know about it.

And we actually helped someone pitiful, didn't we?"

As Muyeon shriveled up saying 'That's true, but...', I said:

"And you're a knight, Ms. Muyeon. It's natural to look after someone pitiful."

"...But how did you know those Outer Gods were pitiful..."

"Umm, Ms. Muyeon."

I smiled kindly at Muyeon and said:

"It's better not to try to know too much yet. I'll tell you when the time comes."

"...Okay."

I still needed to be more suspicious about whether Muyeon was someone I could tell everything to.

After all, Muyeon was a knight of Rondan.

"So don't worry anymore and go to sleep. Anyway, if the Gardener keeps a low profile, the Knight Order won't know."

"..."

Now that the Gardener's concerns have been resolved, there's no need to cause a commotion.

Although Muyeon wasn't saying anything, she seemed to be deep in thought.

Since Muyeon is such a coward, she's probably carefully thinking about what might happen later in this aspect too.

Finally, as if she had made up her mind, she nodded as if understanding.

"Um, perhaps... the reason you're so supportive of Outer Gods is..."

"No, it's not like that!"

Really, how long are you going to milk this!

I spoke as if protesting strongly, but her still distrustful gaze was heartbreaking.

How does this coward know how to make such a gaze...!

She still had a prim look, but Muyeon sighed and broke the situation first.

"I understand for now..."

"Yes, then now you can go to sleep..."

"I'll just change your bandages before I go."

What?

"Ah, no. This much I can..."

"No, you're hurt."

What does that have to do with this!

I'm embarrassed!

"I'm really fine...!"

"I'll do it in an instant."

With a worried expression, Muyeon finally unwrapped the bandage and looked surprised.

"Huh?"

"What is it?"

"The hole... it's gone?"

I wanted to check after hearing Muyeon's words, but I had no way to confirm due to the Super Chicken Mod in the first place.

Is it applied as an HP concept after all?

If you receive a big injury, that much HP is deducted, and if you rest and recover, you can fully recover as long as you don't die.

In summary, my body was no different from a character's body in a game.

Was this function originally included?

Maybe this Super Chicken Mod gets stronger the more you come into contact with various Outer Gods.

Anyway, it was too good.

If I can figure out the HP limit, it could be a big help in surviving when it comes to physical fights later.

It was such a cheat ability that you can move as long as you don't die.

"Ah, hahaha. It seems the healing medicine worked well. Let's go to sleep quickly!"

"Huh? Was it this effective..."

Good is good, but for a different reason, I barely managed to push Muyeon out and be alone in the room.

She probably saw me undressed while wrapping the bandages, but it's different to show it while sober.

Phew.

How embarrassing.

"Alright."

I decided to think about it after sleeping and waking up.

Tomorrow, I should be able to see some welcome faces.

***

As soon as morning broke, we headed to the hearth following Muyeon's guidance.

The firewood, the pillar connecting to the hearth.

Because the continent was plunged into a huge snowstorm by Outer Gods and only cities with hearths survived this desperate situation, the Imperial Princess who maintains this hearth is almost like a god to the domain's people.

In that sense, the hearth in the sky is placed above, and the Knight Order supporting it is placed underground in the firewood.

So the Vice Captain is there now, or something.

As we got closer to the hearth, the center of the domain, its grandeur was certainly impressive.

The flames that were rising from afar looked even clearer up close, creating an overwhelming atmosphere.

The sound of the firewood burning was also faintly audible, making one's heart feel at ease, which made it understandable why people rely so much on the hearth.

As we were about to enter the entrance of the hearth, I couldn't help but exclaim in surprise when I saw someone.

"Oh!"

"...You survived well. Well, if you could defeat the Observer, a Lesser Outer God must have been too easy."

My eyes met with the Hunter, who was standing there chewing on a smoking candy stick.

Well, that seems like an overestimation, but I'll leave it be since it's more advantageous for me the more the Hunter overestimates me.

And, speaking of which, the Hunter, befitting the protagonist, seemed to have easily dealt with a Lesser Outer God as well.

Perhaps due to the sense of camaraderie from surviving the Observer together, it felt as welcoming as seeing family.

"Wow, seeing you like this is really great! Should we have a hug of joy?"

"Crazy talk."

Ah, this is it.

I missed this taste of calm sarcasm.

Come to think of it, if he dealt with an Outer God, there should be a knight who went with him.

Before I could ask, Muyeon asked first.

"Um... the knight who went with you..."

"Dead."

"What?"

He spoke in such a calm tone, as if he had just come back from eating, that for a moment I thought I had misheard.

At my questioning, the Hunter exhaled a long breath, and smoke puffed out.

It seemed the candy stick was a transformed version of a cigarette.

"He said he'd follow my way, but he acted all cocky and rushed at the Outer God, ending up self-destructing.

Because of that, things got a bit more complicated."

But in the end, I just exterminated it.

I could only scratch the back of my head as I watched the Hunter continue his words.

Well, they were trash humans, so they deserved to die.

Listening to that story in such a calm tone made me feel quite ironic.

Muyeon, since the knight was sent to be killed anyway, wasn't too shocked, but she still had a slightly uncomfortable expression.

"Aren't you going to see that bastard Vice Captain?"

"Ah, yes."

He pointed with his chin once as if indicating inside, then put the candy stick back in his mouth.

It seems he was waiting for me to arrive.

...Someone might think he works at the hearth.

As I was about to enter the hearth, I asked the Hunter about something strange.

"Mr. Hunter. Come to think of it, where's Ms. Agartha?"

"I haven't encountered the thief."

Maybe she went in first and is waiting?

Considering her personality, she would probably be chattering away with the Hunter at the entrance.

"I'll go in after I finish smoking this. Go on ahead. I don't want to see that bastard's face for long."

"I feel the same, so come down quickly."

With that, I headed inside the firewood first.

As I entered, I felt an intense heat.

Inside was the wick of the firewood, pulsing red as if burning wood.

Looking up, it was so hot that the stairs seemed to shimmer.

It looks too much to go up barefoot.

Is the Imperial Princess up there?

A spiral staircase was formed along the wick, and it was immediately clear that going up led to the hearth, and going down led to the Knight Order.

"You must be the visitor today."

"We've been waiting for your arrival."

I turned my head at the voices, and there were two twins.

Two girls, or rather boys, divided into black and white.

No, two boys?

Their pre-pubescent bodies made it difficult to distinguish by eye.

"I am Alpha. Please follow."

"I am Beta. The Vice Captain is waiting."

So the black one is Alpha and the white one is Beta.

Their thin voices made it even harder to distinguish their gender.

Guided by them, I came down the spiral staircase and reached a round table. The Vice Captain, sitting in the second seat, said:

"The thief is dead."

"...What?"

At my words, the Vice Captain rather arrogantly said:

"That means your share has increased, isn't that good?"

I couldn't help but frown at these nonsensical words.