Chapter 56
"Puhaha! Really? Ah, that's such a Mr. Tanton-like way of fighting! Beyond forcibly violating the bodies of Outer Gods, are you now trying to steal their hearts too?"
"...Wow, how can someone talk like that? That's truly a skill."
"Thank you. I hear that a lot. Hehe."
Agartha's behavior of taking even sarcastic remarks as compliments was almost beyond comprehension.
I roughly explained that in the process of capturing the Dragon Slayer, I grabbed its horns and pushed it down hard, and suddenly it moved stiffly as if something had broken, then flew away.
And this was her reaction.
Suddenly, I remembered the Dragon Slayer's reaction when I grabbed its horns.
Was it trying to take me away not just for kidnapping, but because it agreed to my unintended proposal?
So that's why it did... that... to me.
Really, this light novel-brained dragon girl should have said no if she didn't like being forced, who would readily accept just because their horns were grabbed once...!
"If it flew away that quickly, you must have rejected it hard? I heard that dragons usually accept even at first meeting if someone who meets their criteria touches their horns."
Meets their criteria?
In other words, if you're close to their ideal type, they accept.
But as far as I remember, I didn't have anything that could be considered the Dragon Slayer's ideal type.
I really don't understand.
Of course, since I said the opposite of what actually happened, Agartha seemed to only think about teasing me based on that story.
Hmm.
All things considered, this is better.
I didn't even want to imagine how terribly I'd be mocked if I had said, 'When I grabbed the horns, it blushed and immediately accepted.'
"...How do you find out about such information?"
"Sometimes there are mystical scholars who don't value their lives."
...It felt like seeing a scientist who accidentally tasted something sweet and became a huge hit after introducing it to the world.
Of course, in this case, they did something they shouldn't have and got a good result, but the mystical scholars Agartha mentioned...
Considering that even with the pure physical abilities buffed by eating the Chef's food, I couldn't handle the lesser dragons at all, I won't imagine the terrible fate those scholars must have met, just hoping their journey to the afterlife was peaceful.
Now that I know this information, I wonder how I should face the Dragon Slayer from now on.
I wanted to call the Chef because I was craving Korean food after a long time, but since the flute calls all the Outer Gods I've contacted, the Dragon Slayer would definitely respond too.
Should I just not call?
I feel like I can hear the Chef's voice dripping with disappointment somewhere, but thinking about the Dragon Slayer coming too is quite burdensome.
"It might seem like a nice problem to have, but you should call that half-wit soon."
I frowned at the Gardener's sudden words.
Why is she urging me to call the Dragon Slayer?
"You saw it last time too. How it just broke through the Recorder's text. That means it has enough power to anchor itself in the human world for a while under any pretext if it wants to. So what do you think will happen if you keep not calling someone who's so infatuated with you?"
The Gardener was calmly saying terrifying things.
...Why does it remind me of something?
Like in that manga, with eyes gone crazy, gradually approaching me, suddenly embracing my body and kidnapping me to its lair, that kind of scene.
But would the Dragon Slayer really do that?
We haven't known each other for that long.
...It wouldn't, right? Really?
"Anyway, be careful. ...Or should I first..."
Huh, what did you say?
"...Never mind, you dunce. I'm going to sleep."
The Gardener suddenly grumbled and then went quiet.
I don't understand why she keeps muttering to herself lately.
Seeing that she doesn't speak boldly, I guess it's something I don't need to know.
Anyway, that means I have to call the Dragon Slayer one way or another.
Ugh, it's already dreadful.
Of course, it probably won't happen, but it's better than the potential "imprisonment, kidnapping, exhaustion, obsession story" that might occur in the worst case.
"Mr. Tanton?"
"Ah, yes."
"You were spacing out, I thought something might be wrong."
I could barely return to the present at Agartha's call.
Ugh.
I really don't understand how reality can be scarier and more terrible than fiction.
"Is that all the information you wanted to know?"
"Yes, for now."
"Hehe, I'm glad your curiosity was satisfied. Your visits are always welcome, so please drop by often, dear customer."
I couldn't help but snort at Agartha's playful tone.
What was that?
"You say I'm always welcome, but it's useless if I don't know where you are, right?"
"Ah, that's true. But if I tell you where I am, it might put your safety at risk, Mr. Tanton."
What kind of place is it really?
I felt like investigating a bit once I put out this urgent fire and my knight position improved.
"Then let's do this. If you want to see me, or buy information, or if you're in danger that even the Knight Order can't protect you from, come back to this market and clap the back of your hands. I'll understand the meaning based on the speed, from slowest to fastest."
"That's not a bad method."
"Even if you come at night and clap your hands... Well, I'll come out if you're okay with a swollen face."
"That's touching dedication. I like it."
"Hehe."
With those words, Agartha finished her tea and stood up.
"Well then, I'll be going now. I just had some free time, but it's not like I have nothing to do today. Ah, right. The Hunter seemed to be doing well these days."
"Yeah, well. We had a bit of friction recently, but he seems to be doing okay."
"The Hunter is such a stickler for principles. If you try to act a bit autonomously, he's like 'You're so willful. If you're going to be like that, act alone.' I don't know why he's more sensitive than even a woman like me."
"Maybe he was actually a woman all along?"
My joke made both Agartha and me burst into laughter.
It was such an absurd premise.
As if such a manly man could be a woman?
If such a twist really happened, the image of the 'Outer God Killer' in my mind would crumble, and the shock would be immeasurable.
"Oh my, we could end up like this all day. I like how well you listen to me, Mr. Tanton. How about quitting the Knight Order and coming to our side? I'll make sure you fit right in."
"...No thanks, Miss Thief. Just hurry up and take the highest position so you can help me later."
"Tch, what a shame. Alright. It was really nice to see you today."
Agartha coolly waved goodbye and went outside.
I thought she was still as noisy and energetic as ever.
As I was quietly looking at the remaining drink, someone came to my side.
"Did you have fun playing?"
"The level was too low to stay with them, Master. So I came back."
After hearing Asti's words, I felt like I could hear a chorus of baby cries from somewhere.
Ah.
She caused trouble again.
I quickly stood up as I felt a chill down my spine, sensing that something bad was about to happen.
"...Let's talk about this when we get back to the branch."
"...Will I be 'punished' in Master's room this time?"
"Stop talking nonsense and follow me quickly!"
I quickly ran to the shop owner to pay the bill, then fled outside.
We managed to escape by a hair's breadth from the group of mothers rushing towards me.
***
After running quickly to the branch, my intention to scold Asti had subsided, so I just gave her a mild reprimand.
...Just to be clear, it wasn't anything inappropriate.
I sincerely intended to lecture Asti.
"Go inside the branch for now. I still have things to do."
"Yes, Master."
Watching Asti enter with such a proper response made me sigh involuntarily.
Now then.
What should I do next?
From the information I got from Agartha, there are still many beings like Asti who claim to be maids.
And murders were already continuously happening.
But there wasn't much I could do about it.
The scale of the issue was much larger than I thought, making it a problem I couldn't solve even if I grew old and died.
Then...
I guess I have no choice but to rely on the Knight Order's power.
Maybe I could just tell the Vice Captain to focus on arresting illegal slave traders.
That should solve the immediate problem.
...It seemed like I'd need to look up books in the library to know more details about this.
Sigh, I didn't really want to do this manual labor of searching through books.
It would be nice if Asti could just tell me directly, but the last time she tried to talk about it, she either avoided it or was censored and couldn't finish speaking properly.
Right, let's look it up.
Maybe I could even get a hint about the Recorder.
Thinking that, I was about to turn towards the library.
"T-Tanton!"
I had to stop because of the Branch Manager's sudden voice.
"Branch Manager."
"I'm glad, when only the child you've been taking around came in, I thought you had already gone somewhere else."
The Branch Manager was wearing an uncharacteristically troubled expression.
What's going on?
"Follow me for now. It'll be faster to see with your own eyes than to explain."
So I followed behind the Branch Manager.
***
The place the Branch Manager guided me to was the detention cell where Agartha, the Hunter, and I were once locked up together.
Wow, it's been quite a while since I was here.
The memories flooding back gave me a rather pleasant feeling.
But what business could I have in the detention cell?
"Here it is."
The Branch Manager was pointing at a cell with one person inside.
Who could this person be that they have business with me?
As I was thinking this and peeking in slightly...
"Ah, Observer! Has the one you spoke of finally arrived?"
That somewhat unhinged voice, and the unnecessarily tragic expression.
It was someone I had seen many times before.
"As a believer of the Observer, I ask you, are you Lord Tanton?"
This old man who somehow knew my name was...
The cult leader I had seen when I was being dragged to the Knight Order from the underground prison.