After yet another ruckus, I was led by the knights into a quiet atmosphere.
Given the storyline’s progression, we were probably heading toward the heart of Rondan, the Hearth.
In this land of death, the Hearth was the heart that transformed it into a livable place, and around it, people gathered, forming a city.
Perhaps that’s why the number of people passing by began to increase steadily.
As I glanced around to assess their conditions, it didn’t seem like the mood was very bright.
Is this really a Dark Fantasy world?
Most people were walking with their heads down and glum expressions, seemingly avoiding eye contact with the ground.
It looked like they were correcting their posture to prevent making the same mistake as me—accidentally gazing upon the giant.
At least those who were keeping their heads up…
“Look, everyone! Why do you think we’re in such a desperate situation?”
“It’s because you don’t believe in our one true God, Luminous!”
“If you don’t believe in Luminous, you’ll live an unhappy life, and upon dying, you’ll bow your head as you head to the land filled with Outsiders. However, if you believe, you will be saved!”
…Well, these were just cultists who seemed even more unhinged than I, a self-proclaimed psychopath.
“Oh, God, please save us.”
“Why have you forsaken us?”
“I’ll offer you tributes! There are things in this world we don’t need.”
Kneeling and praying while holding their self-created idols? It was clear that these items had no influence from the Outsiders, showing their true forms in super coward mode.
I wasn’t scared, but I definitely felt this was the end of the world.
It wasn’t long before the idol worshippers’ preaching was interrupted by people in bunny costumes showing up to enforce order.
“The Knights are here!”
As one person shouted, others shrank back in fear.
But one lone idol worshipper, who had been preaching about Luminous, kept his head held high.
“Hey! Let go! Do you all want to fall into the abyss devoid of Luminous’s light?”
“This idol worshippping fool, can’t you just shut it and leave?”
“Just capture him; it’s clear he’s violated Rule Number Two of Rondan: Do not worship false gods. This is a serious offense. Toss him in the prison.”
The senior in the bunny suit, who was sucking on a smoking candy, spoke to his subordinate.
“Senior, the prison is currently shut down due to the real situation.”
Hearing this, the senior bunny suit muttered, “Damn Outsiders,” and shook his head in frustration.
“Haa, just throw him into the detention center at the branch.”
The seemingly old idol worshipper yelled until his voice cracked.
“Let me go! I say we must enlighten, we must enlighten!”
Even as he was being dragged away, he pulled out a piece of paper from his chest and waved it around.
“Sign this! The Hearth and firewood are merely a large tower, and the only one who truly protects us is the Watcher of Light, Luminous!”
When everyone caught sight of the paper, they hurriedly turned their eyes downward.
Having immunity to insanity, I glanced at it but couldn’t make out what was written because it was a jumbled mess.
“Okay, okay, I understand. If you present text that hasn’t undergone the blessing ceremony, we’ll have to add another charge against you.”
Enlightenment my ass.
They were just leeches, thinking only of sucking money like blood.
While I was lost in thought, a soft singing voice suddenly began to resonate from somewhere.
“♪~”
“What’s this voice?”
I thought it sounded like beautiful tones, akin to jade beads gently dropping. Yet, there was also a hint of sadness to it that left me in awe.
However, unlike my captivated state, the people around us began to scatter chaotically.
“Damn it, it’s a mental attack! Everyone, cover your ears!”
One person shouted loudly, and their swift actions made it clear this was not the first time such an event had occurred.
All the residents of the city and the knights blocked their ears with both hands, and even the hunters, bound as they were, spread their fingers to plug their eardrums, curling up to shield themselves from the sound.
As they reacted this way, the freed worshipper started grinning broadly and slowly began to retreat.
“Heehee! Thank you, Watcher!”
In the end, the worshipper hurriedly fled.
The timing was just…
Watching him escape before getting caught, one might say he was lucky.
Then again, while I heard what sounded like just a simple song thanks to my super coward mode, that old man didn’t seem to be covering his ears at all.
I wondered if he would be alright.
Well, he’d manage somehow.
“Not a good day today. We still have a long way to go.”
Once the sound ceased, the knights stood up and resumed their journey.
Soon, others also got up, walking away with their earlier glum expressions as if nothing had happened.
I pretended to cover my ears for a bit, striving to avoid looking suspicious, so I wouldn’t end up on the knights’ bad side.
As we passed by countless people, we entered a certain building before heading to the tower.
When the masked woman barged in, two men wearing cat costumes scrambled up from their seats and saluted.
“We, we greet Deputy Director, the aide of the illustrious Princess!”
“Good, who’s the branch manager here?”
“The Black Lion!”
“Call him.”
“Yes, yes! Right away!”
Despite how weary they looked, the two darted off inside the building with surprising agility.
Moments later, the person referred to as the Black Lion emerged, sweating profusely while wearing a tiger costume.
Wait, why is it a tiger when he’s a lion?
As I pondered this, the branch manager locked eyes with the deputy director and immediately saluted.
Once the deputy returned the salute, the branch manager quickly lowered his hand and resumed a stiff posture.
“I’m reporting on the current state of the 4th branch. Five are on night duty, three injured are exempt, and currently, five knights are…”
“I didn’t come to hear that, so cut it out.”
The deputy waved his hand dismissively, prompting the branch manager to finally get to the point.
“What brings you here instead of heading to the Hearth…?”
“It’s nothing special, but I’m scheduled to communicate with the princess for official matters, so I would like you to take care of these individuals.”
“…Who are they?”
“Prisoners from the underground prison.”
“Ah… you didn’t bring them from there, did you?”
“Exactly. The princess can’t just go to that place, so I intend to seek her judgment here.”
The branch manager’s eyes turned cold upon hearing the deputy’s words.
Oh boy, that look.
It seemed to say I would rather let them die, which made me reluctant to meet his gaze.
“Anyway, I’m counting on you.”
“Yes, yes… understood.”
Fortunately, it seemed they had no intention of going into detail, as they simply left us alone and calmly exited.
Wait, are they really just leaving us like this?
While I was bewilderedly looking around, the knights approached and started yanking the blue tape that bound us.
“Since there was an order from the Deputy Director, we’ll be responsible for your safety. Follow us.”
#
Thus, we were led to a room filled with iron bars inside.
So even here, getting stuck in a detention center is the same, huh?
I’ve never committed a crime in my life, yet here I am…
Am I supposed to say it’s an upgrade since I’ve moved from the lightless underground prison to an above-ground detention center?
Although there were no other people around, this space seemed to be set up for temporary confinement, just in case.
With a creak—perhaps the heavy iron door hadn’t opened in a while—it swung open, and we entered the prison, following the branch manager’s gestures.
“Wait here. Don’t try to come out recklessly.”
After saying that, the branch manager slammed the door shut and locked it with a key.
The only good thing was that he just walked away without lingering around.
After all, if he stood there staring at us, we wouldn’t be able to relax at all.
In that way, the space became uncomfortably quiet.
I couldn’t think of anything in particular to talk about, so I sat in silence, and it seemed Agartha was getting bored; she started tapping her feet on the floor.
I thought to myself that she would stop if I left her alone, but instead, the noise only got louder.
Just as I was about to tell her to cut it out—
“Ugh… Uaaaah!”
Agartha wailed.
She was unbelievably loud, the noisiest among humans.
Wow.
She really can’t sit still for even a minute!
I couldn’t help but be in awe of her unwavering spirit.
“Why is everyone so quiet? At this rate, I’ll die of boredom!”
“Do you really need to speak?”
“No! Just a moment ago, we were chatting away, weren’t we?”
“It’s a waste of energy.”
“If we don’t use our energy now, it’ll just pile up, you know.”
Agartha hummed as if she was thinking and finally nodded, seeming to come up with an idea.
“Maybe we’re destined to continue like this in a community of fate.”
“…What nonsense.”
“Since there’s a guard here, we can’t escape, but how about we talk about our past? There might be some relatable stories!”
“If you’re expecting anything relatable from a thief, it’s better for me to meet my end quickly.”
“Hey, you never know! Once you hear it, it could be different. Since I brought it up first, I’ll go first.”
I had expected Agartha to say something trivial as usual.
Of course, her face was utterly bored, as if talking about something like that was too dull for her.
“I’m the daughter of a thief who raped my mother.”
Agartha casually spilled this shocking revelation.
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