“Isn’t it amazing? It’s strange enough that someone can foresee the future, but if an ordinary person is that deeply connected with an outsider, their brain would have collapsed long ago.”
“If they were a mystic, it might be possible… But considering mystics are often fanatics about the outsiders, I doubt they’d willingly believe in a cult.”
Tap tap tap
The sound of heavy military boots echoing down the stairs filled my ears.
As I descended the stairs I had discovered, the White Mask and Muyun were quietly discussing the old man.
Yes, the major reason I had initially thought the old man was a cultist and refused to acknowledge him was the content of their conversation right now.
The only existence worthy of being called ‘God’ in this world is the outsider.
So, that old man claimed he had foresight after hearing the voice of the Watcher, known as the outsider.
Does that even make sense?
It was the very reason the party horn—specifically the horn—became such a notorious weapon.
The moment one blows it, they hear the voice of the outsider, and that moment usually leads to death due to mental breakdown.
Yet, contrary to my denial, the old man actually foresaw the future.
I felt as if I was falling out of reality.
The reason he came looking for me, the reason he asked me for this deed, and the fact that I found the stairs in the very area I was searching for.
Did he see all this, and that’s why he asked me for help?
…For now, believing blindly is forbidden.
First, if I went down to this underground area and the outsiders were actually preparing something, then thinking about the old man’s words later wouldn’t be too late.
“Oh, I can see a passage up ahead. Could that be the entrance?”
As Muyun said, a passage taller than my already considerable height began to emerge.
It seemed to have been built quite some time ago, with cracks like gold appearing here and there.
Such things weren’t even visible in an underground prison.
I hesitated to enter, thinking I might not be able to come back.
“Well, since we’ve discovered it, we should do some repairs. After all, if the underground collapses, it will affect the domain.”
Saying that nonchalantly, the White Mask went inside first.
Muttering, “Right,” Muyun followed the White Mask inside.
Did everyone suddenly forget about safety?
I wanted to say that, but I could hardly express such thoughts, so I quietly followed them in.
“Hmm, I don’t see anything particularly dangerous.”
Surprisingly, the White Mask surveyed her surroundings with a slightly lowered stance, apparently not as oblivious as I thought.
Since this was said to be the space where the outsiders gathered, it was highly likely that some defenses had been set up for intruders.
After all, it wouldn’t be strange if an arrow flew at us from somewhere suddenly.
For instance, stepping on that oddly angled tile over there might trigger something…
Huh?
As the White Mask stepped on the tile I mentioned, it sank down.
It was like she pressed a button that shouldn’t be pressed.
“Damn…!”
“Get her, pull her back quickly!”
The Gardener’s urgent voice reached my ears, and I reflexively rushed towards the White Mask, grabbing her mask and pulling her back.
Whoosh!
At the same time, something zipped past where the White Mask had been standing, and upon seeing it embedded in the wall, I realized it was indeed an arrow.
An arrow that looked like it had rusted so much it might give someone tetanus.
If it didn’t kill them outright, it seemed it was meant to finish them off with secondary infection.
Truly wicked creatures.
Then…
I had no choice but to believe, despite my reluctance.
The probability of encountering those outsiders, as the old man mentioned, was now nearly 100%.
“There, over there, intruder!”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry to interrupt your thoughts, but…”
The White Mask spoke in a tone that was unusual for her, lightly tapping my hand.
“Is it okay to let go now?”
Only after hearing her words did I realize the current state of affairs.
The White Mask, who had lost her balance and was relying on me.
And my posture, which was as if I was hugging her tightly.
…Unbeknownst to me, I had taken up a rather embarrassing position!
“U-uh. Sorry about that.”
“Oh, no. You were just trying to save me. I should be the one thanking you.”
With those words, the White Mask merely nodded instead of offering thanks.
“If I had known this would happen, I should have taken the lead…”
Muyun’s mumbling was confusing.
“…Ugh, seriously, this is ridiculous.”
The Gardener’s exasperated voice reached a level of incomprehensible confusion.
Regardless of that, we walked further in.
#
The overall appearance of this underground area seemed entirely unrelated to the outsiders.
The walls of the corridor were made solely of stone bricks, without any intricate patterns, and what’s more, the space was unbelievably vast.
It could almost be likened to an underground prison.
Sometimes, we came across old documents, but upon reading them, there wasn’t much of significance.
“….”
While holding the documents, I noticed the White Mask and Muyun staring at me intently.
Wondering what was up, I looked back at them, and the White Mask let out a deep sigh.
“No matter how immune someone is to the mental breakdown caused by the outsider, seeing someone casually pick up documents like that… what an interesting individual.”
“Even a mystic wouldn’t do this much.”
…You guys didn’t seem fazed at all when stepping in here, despite the cracked entrance, did you?!
Is this hypocrisy or what?
Anyway, judging by what we had seen, this place seemed to have been used as a path where people traveled back and forth.
What on earth could have caused it to be buried like this?
It felt as if someone had actively tried to hide it.
Anyway, it seemed like I had checked most of the rooms in sight.
That meant now I only had one left in the far corner.
As I was about to move towards that room, the White Mask grabbed my shoulder, stopping my steps.
“Shh, I can hear footsteps from the other side.”
Only then did I notice a faint sound, like footsteps shuffling, approaching us.
In a place like this, the only reason for footstep sounds would be one thing.
We quietly moved behind the nearest pillar with careful steps, keeping an eye on the approaching sounds.
Had they already figured out our position?
The sound was clearly getting closer, and I could even hear the squeaking of iron.
As the White Mask drew her sword, and Muyun also prepared her axe, I took the initiative and dashed out first.
Though I had no weapons yet, I had gained a strong body from eating the chef’s food.
Clatter!
My footsteps rang out loudly, causing the two figures in front to flinch.
It was an opening.
Fwoosh!
“Ugh!”
After gathering my momentum, I clenched my fists and delivered an uppercut.
The two were caught off guard and couldn’t react, allowing my strike to connect, and they crumpled to the ground.
I wondered if they would get back up, but they just twitched a few times and went completely stiff, as if they had fainted.
“…You’re nimble. Did you already manage this much without the help of the outsider?”
“Hahaha….”
Honestly, I thought it was fitting to say it was thanks to the outsider’s food that I gained this strength.
Well, either way, since my stats had gone up, I could say it was my doing.
But I had no time to bask in the thrill of victory.
“What was that? Didn’t I hear a loud sound from outside?”
“Gordon, what the hell are you doing? What the hell?”
The figures emerging from behind stumbled back, seeing the ones I had knocked down.
“Intruders have invaded!”
They began calling out loudly, drawing attention.
At the sound of their voices, people started swarming out of the room as if a tsunami were rushing in, all wearing unique armor different from what Muyun was wearing.
And I could tell that these must be the outsiders the old man had mentioned.
…Once this is over, I need to interrogate that old man.
The fact that he predicted such a significant event is already beyond reason.
Among the surging crowd, two men with particularly intimidating auras stepped forward.
A gigantic great sword.
Harsh appearances.
And fierce mustaches.
These two men, sharing a common look, seemed to be the leaders of this armed group.
“I never expected knights would come so far.”
“I thought they were just a bunch of tax cheats living off the local farmers, yet they would actually move on such an important day.”
From their looks alone, it was clear they had years of experience and were far from easy opponents.
“What nonsense.”
“…They look quite intimidating.”
“Take this opportunity to practice your mental focus, Muyun. You won’t be too afraid against humans.”
“…Understood!”
Muyun answered enthusiastically, and as the three knights took a combat stance…
“…Kill them!”
A roar announcing the start of combat echoed through the air.
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