Chapter 40

Clank clank.

The noise of the moving train could be heard.

Unlike the highly developed trains of the modern world I used to live in, this one shook intensely, and the loud noise was enough to cause ringing in my ears.

"I think trains are really great."

"...What do you mean, White Ma-"

"Master."

"...Master."

I responded halfheartedly, feeling the atmosphere would turn awkward if I didn't play along.

I don't understand why she's so obsessed with that title.

Wasn't she one of the people who hated me the most when she heard my crime?

Why is she suddenly cozying up to me now?

My plans to rest more and then go to the blacksmith with Muyeon were ruthlessly shattered, leaving me feeling unsettled.

"Isn't it an amazing mode of transportation? It doesn't act on its own whims like a horse, and as long as you provide proper fuel, it gives corresponding rewards. Moreover, because it only moves on laid tracks, even variables disappear. It's truly a charming invention."

I felt like I was about to lose consciousness at White Mask's sudden passionate lecture.

The words she was saying, the content within them, and her voice rising in subtle excitement as she spoke.

This is just a typical train enthusiast!

I once felt suffocated after seeing content about the three types of otaku said to cause the most trouble to others.

And such a person was right in front of my eyes!

"Ah, yes."

"Your reaction is unsatisfactory. Those who don't know the charm of railroads are no different from losing half their life."

No matter how I thought about it, it didn't seem that serious.

But why is Muyeon so quiet...

"...How did, this happen, how did, this happen..."

I could see her mumbling next to me with a blank expression, in a quite deformed state.

She seemed to turn pale every time we touched.

...I'm not sure what she's thinking, but it seemed better for her mental health to just leave her be.

"By the way."

There's a saying that if a superior tells you to do something, you do it, but don't I have the right to know where we're heading at least?

With that feeling, I spoke in a slightly more serious tone.

"Where exactly are we going?"

"I told you, Geumgu."

"...Could you tell me in more detail?"

"Well, you'll know right away when we get there. Just wait a little. We're almost there."

Despite everything, the travel speed was quite decent, probably because it was a train.

It might also be because I had been walking all this time that it felt faster.

Well, I was good at waiting.

"Where was I? Right, this train..."

But I wasn't good at listening to information I didn't want to know.

What on earth is it, you train otaku?

***

Just as my head was starting to spin from the near-brainwashing talk, the train finally began to slow down and stopped at a place that was fairly well-decorated as a station.

"Tch, we've arrived already. Let's get off for now."

Seeing White Mask looking disappointed as if she still had more to say, I thought I should avoid any talk about railroads if possible.

I'm usually quite accommodating of hobbies, but this is really too much.

"Master, I have a question."

"Alright, we still have some time left, so we can have a Q&A session."

White Mask, who was about to stand up, sat back down and faced me.

Looking at the mask that seemed infinitely empty due to its expressionlessness, she seemed to have become a bit more serious.

"To think you'd directly ask about railroads..."

"That's not it."

"Tch."

I thought this might be a kind of mental illness.

She cleared her throat again to set the mood.

"This might be a sensitive question, but I'm curious why you suddenly decided to accept me as your disciple and subordinate."

As I said earlier, White Mask had shown signs of disgust towards me in the underground prison.

I felt too uneasy to let this pass without asking.

You never know.

She might suddenly bury me in the snowy mountains just because I've grown a little.

As long as I don't know the extent of her strength, trying to confront her as a Greater Outer God might make things even more uncontrollable.

Realizing that the atmosphere had become a bit bleak, Muyeon was tapping her fingers with a slightly gloomy expression.

"Hmm, so that's what you're curious about."

White Mask exhaled after hearing my words.

I wonder if she's thinking about how to phrase her answer.

I quietly waited for White Mask's answer, and silence settled around us.

Fortunately, this atmosphere didn't last long, and White Mask raised her head.

"Muyeon went with you to defeat the subordinate and the Gardener, right?"

"Y-yes."

"Then I can just talk openly."

White Mask spoke in a firm tone.

"You, you can summon Outer Gods, can't you?"

At this sudden, shocking accusation, my mouth fell open and my mind went blank.

...Huh?

How did you know that?

I'm sure I never talked about it openly.

"...You look like you're wondering how I knew. Don't be surprised, I'm the only one who knows and I haven't told anyone else."

I'm not sure if it's true, but White Mask's words seemed intended to calm me down.

However, it was still shocking news that I couldn't help but be surprised by.

"...Summon Outer Gods, you say?"

"Back then, you didn't actually defeat the Gardener."

At those words, even Muyeon's body shook greatly.

My heart started pounding as if it would burst at another shocking statement.

How on earth did she know all these things...

But White Mask spoke leisurely, even crossing her legs, as if talking about something trivial.

"Ah, of course, if the Vice Captain had received it, he wouldn't have noticed and would have let it pass. But I could tell. The Gardener's leaves are blue-green from roses, not that faded color."

White Mask spoke as if she was certain.

So that's why she looked back and forth between me and the leaf at that time.

Did she think I had made a false report about defeating the Gardener?

"The decisive factor was the hearth rift incident. Having experienced direct combat with Greater Outer Gods, I could tell. Those Greater Outer God creatures never try to break through the hearth's power without a purpose.

Doing so would only consume their own power. Especially considering the behavior pattern of the Observer that I've analyzed, there's even less chance of that happening."

White Mask said this while bringing her face close to mine.

I couldn't predict what expression she might be making behind the mask.

Her infinitely calm breathing made it impossible to even guess what emotions she might be feeling.

"So, what's your answer?"

"...What kind of answer are you looking for?"

"Well, whatever answer you give, my judgment won't change. If you say no, your guts and strength to face the Observer alone are enough reason to accept you as my disciple, and if you say yes, I can give you some more useful information."

Is this a trap?

Or is it sincere?

Since my suspicions towards the Knight Order hadn't completely disappeared, I had no idea what the correct answer would be.

Suddenly, White Mask pulled out a stick from somewhere and tapped my pants pocket twice.

"Ouch!"

I flinched at the stinging sensation, causing it to fall out.

The party flute, originally the horn flute.

Muyeon's eyes widened when she saw what I had dropped.

"Th-that's the horn flute...!"

"Hmm, it seems that's what came out of the armory?"

White Mask said with a meaningful laugh.

"Originally, it was a weapon that would make your head explode the moment you blew it. I guess you used it to summon Outer Gods?"

"...!"

This whole atmosphere felt extremely serious, and my head started spinning wildly as adrenaline surged, trying to figure out what to do.

What exactly does White Mask want?

Why is she trying to nurture me rather than execute me, knowing all this?

Then White Mask put her hand on my shoulder and said:

"This is a serious violation of military law, but based on my observations of your actions so far, you don't seem to have intended to destroy Rondan. So I reconsidered. About your crime."

"...?"

"You probably know from the Imperial Princess, but intercourse with Outer Gods isn't impossible. However, mixing bodies with an Outer God isn't an easy thing to do in the first place."

White Mask spoke in a low voice so Muyeon couldn't hear, as if the matter related to the Imperial Princess was top secret.

"You have a weak body, but don't you have excellent resistance to Outer Gods to the point of being able to use the horn flute?"

"..."

Taking my silence as affirmation, White Mask nodded.

"That means you offered your body to confront Outer Gods, doesn't it?"

...Huh?

I stared at White Mask with a blank expression, unable to follow the suddenly drifting conversation, and White Mask let out a pleased laugh.

"I looked into your past briefly. We manage most of the personal information from each city."

Does she mean Laydan Tanton's past?

My ears perked up involuntarily, as I only knew bad things about the owner of this body.

"There was an exceptional incident where an Outer God descended in the hearth city you were in, but strangely there were no casualties. According to testimonies, you were at the center of it."

There was such an incident...?

"Unless you were being assaulted by a hideous Outer God, there's no way someone would willingly do such a thing with something so grotesque. The knight probably wrote down your crime in an extreme way after seeing your actions trying to buy time. There are often knights who handle things that way."

This was the first time I heard about 'Laydan Tanton's' past.

What on earth did he do?

"But I figured out your admirable intention. That's why I decided to nurture you."

Muyeon, who had understood some words and grasped the context of the conversation, raised her voice.

"...Ah, Mr. Tanton, is that true?"

I felt bewildered, looking at Muyeon who seemed strangely flushed and moved, and White Mask who was staring at me.

This isn't information I know, how should I react...

Ugh.

I suddenly grabbed my head with one hand due to an oncoming headache.

It felt like someone was squeezing my brain.

Why suddenly?

Something suddenly comes to mind.

It's not clearly visualized, but I can understand roughly what it's about as it flashes by.

A woman crying.

Me looking at that, no, this wasn't me.

This was probably 'Laydan Tanton.'

And...

Suddenly, my mind snapped back to reality as someone patted my shoulder.

I opened my eyes wide and saw White Mask tilting her head through my narrowed vision.

"...You don't seem to be in good condition, are you alright?"

"Ugh, yes. I just had a sudden headache..."

"Oh dear."

What on earth is the identity of this memory?

It seems to be 'Laydan Tanton's' memory, but why is it suddenly coming up?

Let's calm down for now.

I could see Muyeon and White Mask's actions detecting something strange in my behavior.

Anyway, the conversation itself was quite favorable to me, so it seemed okay to just go along with this image.

"...You got me. How did you make such a careful deduction?"

I said the first thing I could come up with.

White Mask was still tilting her head as if something was strange, but since I said I had a headache, she didn't seem to have anything particular to say.

"When you're in the Knight Order for a few years, you see all sorts of human types. Among them, there are always some unique individuals. Of course, you were unique in a good way, so it was easier to figure out."

"...I was just there. I didn't do anything special."

When I spoke modestly with a polite attitude, White Mask nodded.

"A knight with modesty to boot. It seems I've picked the right talent."

For some reason, White Mask's evaluation of me seemed to have improved.

White Mask said this and stood up, starting to walk towards the open train door.

"I'll help with your training as much as my abilities allow. Above all, you're the talent the Imperial Princess is expecting."

"...Thank you."

Somehow, I feel like I've gone from being a sexual deviant to a dark hero protecting the world.

"...Sniff, to think you'd offer your body to an Outer God to buy time... hiding such a fact, Mr. Tanton..."

...I decided not to listen to what Muyeon was mumbling.

Her eyes seemed to be getting redder and redder.

***

We got off at the station following White Mask, and of course, the train that had no one to refuel it stopped and shut down.

A private train, what convenience.

For now, I decided to think about the suddenly emerging past later.

I decided to look into 'Laydan Tanton's' past in detail later and think about how things progressed.

It would be best if I could learn naturally.

Anyway, it was a matter that needed time to pass.

"We've arrived."

White Mask said as she stopped, and we stopped accordingly.

My mouth fell open at the sight that unfolded before my eyes.

Figures were moving around as if searching for something in a place where a blizzard was pouring down.

And those flying around in the air in such a harsh place probably meant they were Outer Gods.

"What on earth is that...?"

When Muyeon spoke to White Mask in a questioning voice, White Mask snorted and said:

"The domain of the Dragon Slayer. And."

A shocking statement came from White Mask's mouth.

"You could say it's where the culprit who made my face like this is."