Chapter 47

It happened in an instant.

It was so sudden that I wondered how things could unfold so quickly.

The train explosion alone was a big deal.

It was essentially the destruction of our current mode of transportation, and above all, it had caused a loud noise.

The Dragon Slayer might come.

If it were too far away, it might not matter, but this place didn't seem that far from her nest.

But more than that.

"Asti...!"

We had left Asti on the train, telling her to rest for a while.

Of all times, for the train to explode when she was inside.

With an explosion of this magnitude, I could only think that she must have suffered a horrific fate due to the high temperature.

This can't be.

To lose a character necessary for the walkthrough so early...?

Not only does Snow Castle have such grotesque visuals that you need to install the Chicken Mod, but it's also a game with such extreme difficulty that one wrong choice can block ten possible clear paths.

It's not for nothing that people say planning everything from skill trees to item slots properly before starting is worse than not starting at all.

I might have to grind for years, as the comments suggested.

And more important than all that.

'I was too complacent.'

Even with the Chicken Mod and the horn flute, I haven't even learned the basic protection skills of the Knights, including Meditatio.

How could I, who can't even protect myself properly, try to entrust everything to a girl who just escaped from slavery?

To a child who needs someone to protect her.

My knees gave out, and I collapsed on the spot.

"...Mr. Tanton."

Even Muyeon called my name in a solemn voice.

So this is truly a dark fantasy world, huh?

Even with the Super Chicken Mod installed, the gentleness only applies to me, is that it?

"...Asti!!"

"Yes, Master. Did you call for me?"

As I shouted, feeling despair from all these complex thoughts, for some reason, a voice that shouldn't be heard reached my ears.

"Huh...?"

"Eh?"

It wasn't just me who was surprised; I heard Muyeon's blank voice.

The direction of the voice was right behind me.

As I slowly turned my head in that direction, as if to prove that the voice wasn't wrong, Asti was looking down at me with her usual expressionless face.

"Uh, uwaah! It's the ghost of the assassin maid!"

"...Don't worry. I'm alive."

I exhaled heavily, looking at Asti who spoke calmly despite my surprised exclamation.

No, how are you alive when the train exploded!

This can't be explained unless you're a ghost, right?

"How..."

"I've been with Master the whole time."

"What do you mean?"

When I asked again, Asti tilted her head as if puzzled.

"Hm?"

"Being by Master's side. Isn't that a maid's duty?"

As soon as I heard Asti's words, I almost lost strength in my legs from disbelief.

Well, if she's mentioned as an important character in the community, she probably wouldn't die so easily.

Recalling Asti's actions over the past day, I know she's not an ordinary being.

So I ended up accepting even the unacceptable.

Just as I was feeling relieved about Asti's safety, that's when it happened.

"...Damn it all!!!"

Suddenly, a sharp sound struck my ears.

A scream even more intense than when I thought Asti had died.

Following the source of the sound, I saw White Mask on her hands and knees in front of the train.

I wondered why she was acting like that, but I quickly understood why White Mask was behaving this way.

As I learned on the way here, she was a serious railway enthusiast.

Especially with the train we were riding, I couldn't count how many times she had lovingly stroked the seats.

Right before White Mask's eyes, the train she cherished so much had exploded.

"...You've finally touched a nerve, Dragon Slayer."

As White Mask said this, as if on cue, a 'thud' sound was heard from behind.

Muyeon turned around and stepped back in surprise.

"Hmm, so you were here. I knew you'd come back."

The Dragon Slayer had somehow come here and was speaking.

It would have been strange if she hadn't come to check after hearing such a loud noise.

"How dare you do such things to my maids, you'll pay dearly for..."

She seemed about to say something dramatic, but her words were cut short.

Suddenly, she had to block a slash attack flying towards her.

As the Dragon Slayer deflected the slash with her fan, a sharp sound that struck the ears resonated with the vibration.

A thin, crescent-shaped slash that looked almost like a dimensional rift.

It was what White Mask had shown Muyeon on our first day here, called Meditatio.

"...You've really done it now, you damn Outer God."

White Mask's coldly laid voice was sharper and more threatening than ever before.

Even the Dragon Slayer, a Greater Outer God, was flustered, making an "Ugh..." sound.

But still, the opponent was a Greater Outer God.

"W-Where do you get off acting so self-righteous!!"

At those words shouted in apparent irritation, Muyeon covered her ears with her hands, and White Mask also seemed to resist by lowering her posture.

...To think it has this much effect even with stuttered words.

Perhaps White Mask had nowhere to back down here, or maybe she took the Dragon Slayer's words as some kind of attack signal.

She quickly drew out the sword she had been keeping sheathed and rushed towards the Dragon Slayer.

Boing boing!

When the Dragon Slayer's fan and White Mask's sword collided, it made a strange sound as if wearing slippers that make weird noises.

It would be ridiculous to say that a mere human was on par with a Greater Outer God.

But perhaps this proved that White Mask was also a strong fighter who had accumulated experience comparable to a vice-captain in the Knights, which could be called the Greater Outer God Special Response Unit.

Perhaps because White Mask's momentum gave her the upper hand for a moment, the Dragon Slayer's body was pushed back.

"Kugh...!"

The Dragon Slayer seemed to try to resist, but I could see her center of gravity crumbling.

Because of that, they both ended up falling off the cliff where we had gone to defeat the lesser dragons.

"Master!"

"White Mask! Mr. Tanton, let's follow them!"

"Yes!"

Seeing Muyeon go down first, I grabbed both shoulders of Asti, who had been silently watching, and said:

"The station hasn't been destroyed yet, so there should be a place to stay. Wait there for a while."

"...Yes. If it's Master's order."

For some reason, a strange pain was evident on Asti's face as she said this.

I hadn't seen this kind of expression from her before.

If her real goal was to kill me in a place where no one was around.

She had no reason to show me this expression now.

Asti bowed politely and slowly walked towards the station.

Seeing her dainty footsteps, I thought I should quickly deal with this and return safely.

Wait.

I had just started running a few steps when I checked on Asti once more out of caution and saw something strange.

Wasn't Asti suddenly dropping stones that had been the train's fuel onto the ground from her hand?

Why does she have those?

She would have had to go all the way to the front to get them.

But I couldn't think deeply about it.

Because of the situation, every minute and second was crucial.

Well, she probably just picked up something that was on the ground while running.

After confirming that she entered the station, I followed White Mask down.

***

When I landed below, White Mask was already in the midst of a fierce battle with the Dragon Slayer.

But it seemed that it was too much for a human alone to face a Greater Outer God, as parts of her doll mask were torn, and she was breathing heavily.

"Not bad. Your skills have improved since last time. It seems that the concept of evolution that those mystics talk about isn't just empty words..."

"I don't know what you're babbling about, but shut up, dragon head."

"...I made your face pretty, yet you're still not satisfied? I guess I'll have to teach you manners anew."

White Mask, who couldn't possibly understand the Outer God's words, cut off the Dragon Slayer before she could finish speaking.

After that, the two began to clash again.

"Yah!"

As if trying to unify her mind at least partially as White Mask had said, despite her frightened expression, Muyeon ran towards the Dragon Slayer with her axe pulled back as far as possible to help White Mask.

It seemed that White Mask's words had definitely inspired her.

However, even while engaging with White Mask, the Dragon Slayer blocked Muyeon's attack with minimal movement.

I'm not sure how it looked to them, but to me, it appeared that she was blocking Muyeon's axe with her fan and White Mask's sword with her open, empty hand.

"...Kugh, damn it."

"Attacking together, how despicably cowardly."

The Dragon Slayer said this while exploding something in her hand, and the recoil sent White Mask and Muyeon flying back.

Fortunately, as skilled knights, they landed naturally on the ground without taking any damage.

But continuing the fight like this wouldn't be good.

White Mask and Muyeon would have their limits, and it would be dangerous to fight recklessly when the Dragon Slayer's combat power hadn't been fully assessed yet.

"Human, danger?"

Just as I thought it was the right time, Bell gave me a hint first.

Looking at the Dragon Slayer's movements, it was clear that even if I borrowed the Gardener's ability again, I would quickly be defeated due to inexperience.

So I concluded that it would be better to borrow Bell's power now.

I quickly put the party flute to my mouth and blew, and just like with the Gardener, I started to feel a mysterious energy.

And then.

"It's a human!"

This time too, I felt something riding on my shoulder, and Bell's voice was heard right behind me.

Not only that.

Lick, lick, lick.

...I couldn't avoid Bell's surprise attack of excitedly licking my cheek.

The powers I expected from Bell were quick mobility and ability as an Observer, these two.

How well these two abilities would apply to me, I guess I'd have to use them to find out.

"It's walkies time!"

As Bell shouted that, I suddenly felt a light energy surging through my whole body.

It felt like all the muscles in my body were finding their most efficient positions.

At the same time, the Observer's deformed eyes opened on my doll mask.

And as those eyes all pointed at the Dragon Slayer at once, I felt all my nerves focusing on her.

"W-What! How does a mere human have that power...?"

Taking advantage of the Dragon Slayer's confusion, I leaned forward to put weight on my body, then exploded forward with leg strength.

In an instant, I reached the front of the Dragon Slayer and stretched out both arms to grab her horns.

Normally, I would have tried to approach by communicating to fulfil her wishes or by releasing her anchor in this world.

But.

"I absolutely hate cliché villain princess stories."

And even more so, female protagonists with romance fantasy brains who just cause trouble.

As adrenaline poured out and the world began to move slowly, when the falling snow seemed to illuminate this world we were in.

I smiled at the visibly flustered look on the Dragon Slayer's face.