“Well, what now? Seriously!”
Agartha was yelling at us, her voice echoing through the air.
Ever since the Deputy Director left, telling us to wait, we’ve been stuck like this.
I mean, she said he would join us, so what’s with the sudden outburst?
As I stared blankly at Agartha alongside the Hunter, she seemed to be on the verge of losing it, bouncing around like a fish out of water, bound and flailing.
To be honest, thanks to my Super Coward Mode, I didn’t find the Outsiders frightening anymore.
Inwards I thought, “Hey, I just managed to beat the Watcher, what do I have to be afraid of now?” It was just unavoidable to think that way.
“Stop making that carefree face! It’s making me more irritated!”
Had she really reached the point of reading my thoughts? Agartha pointed at me, fuming.
Usually, she laughs things off, but for some reason, she was being extremely sensitive about this.
“Be quiet.”
“Ha! Yeah, right! You’ve fought Outsiders before, so you’re not worried, but I’m not you!”
“So, do you want to crawl like a dog under that guy?”
I could tell she was referring to the Deputy Director.
I agreed with the Hunter’s words, though.
I never understood why the community praised the Knights so much.
But since it was under the jurisdiction of the Princess who governs Rondan, I figured there must be some advantage to it.
I had seen articles listing the perks of joining the Knights.
As I stewed in those thoughts, Agartha pointed at the Hunter and yelled.
“Don’t lead us to wild conclusions with your reckless word choices! We decided to call it a ‘safe life’!”
“Agartha, just calm down for a moment…”
“Shut up, you indecisive, psychopath, Outsider rapist!”
I tried to calm Agartha down, waving my hands, but she let it fly right back in my face.
But hey, she said earlier that it was just an attempt, so it’s all good!
I mean, it was never even done!
“Ugh, it’s over… I shouldn’t have answered like that! My life, which was running smoothly, is all tangled up again!”
Agartha’s voice gradually lost strength, and by the end, she leaned against the wall like she was about to faint.
That Thief.
How could she be so shameless after I saved her from being killed, and she doesn’t even realize it!
This time, I couldn’t hold back anymore and moved closer to Agartha, extending my hand forward to her forehead….
Slap!
“Ah! Are you crazy? Is this really how you want to fight me?”
“Calm down, Agartha. You didn’t seriously think about actually joining the Knights, did you?”
“Well, that’s sort of true…”
“Then this is the best choice. Let’s not get too worked up, and start thinking about what we should do next.”
As I finished my sentence, Agartha stared at me, as if she’d seen something astonishing.
Not understanding what that gaze signified, I raised a question mark, and Agartha whispered gently.
“…The psychopath said something logical.”
“….”
“No, wait, I’m the sane one. I’m two-eyed in a one-eyed world!”
She clearly wanted to have the last word!
*sigh* Just breathe.
I justified my earlier slap as a fair trade, and swallowed my frustration.
Once the situation calmed down, a series of soft sounds began to echo.
It seemed like the Deputy Director was finally coming back after his earlier disappearance.
“Everyone has been well. I half-expected at least one of you to run away, but I see that’s not the case. Well, running away would mean instant execution anyway.”
Why did he suddenly ask us to wait and then just leave?
Just as I was pondering this, the Deputy Director spoke.
“Come in.”
Three individuals followed behind him, one of whom had a familiar face.
There stood the timid Female Knight holding an axe.
She was one of the trio we met in the prison.
“Deputy Director, what exactly are we supposed to do?”
“Do you see the people in front of you?”
At his words, two unfamiliar faces stepped forward, scrutinizing us.
They looked at us as if we were some worthless trash.
“Yes, they’re prisoners from the underground prison, right? What have these guys done?”
“Choose one each and deal with the Outsider.”
I could see their pupils shrink at those words.
“Wait, did I hear that wrong?”
“You heard correctly. Hunting an Outsider solo is a criminal act. Therefore, you will accompany them.”
“Aren’t there better seniors than us?”
“They’re busy with their own matters. Since you’ve been deemed unsuitable for Outsider hunting, you three are the only ones available to manage and supervise this lot. You’re the only ones who can be summoned in this busy situation.”
Hearing this, even the Knights seemed to acknowledge the truth to it.
Is the state of the Knights really that bad?
Well, considering they’re a group facing Outsiders, it makes sense they wouldn’t have an abundance of suitable personnel.
Even if there were, they’re certainly not giving us, the criminals, their top talent.
“Well, just saying ‘pick whoever’ might be pushing it a bit.”
“Here’s the prisoner list. It contains the charges and personal information, so be sure to check it.”
The Knights who received the paper from the Deputy Director read it and made sounds of disgust like, “Ugh.”
“Hey, hey. What’s this… attempted Outsider rape?”
“No way. Is this really an existing crime? How could someone even commit such a thing?”
“Yeah, that…”
…I wanted to ignore it, but it was pretty clear they were talking about me.
Pleasures go to Leydan, and I take the punishment.
What a load of nonsense.
“I’ll also let you know the specific Outsiders you need to deal with. Pay attention to their details and choose wisely. If these bastards die, it could mean your deaths too.”
“But aren’t these the ones who defeated the Watcher? We’re just backup squires; how are we supposed to manage them?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
The Deputy Director pulled something from his chest and pressed a seal onto us.
A deformed bear shape appeared where the seal was pressed, and despite looking like a stamp, it felt like I’d touched a wound with red medicine—sharp and burning.
“This is a seal made with the Contractee’s finger. Any agreement made with this will be abided by unless it’s a major issue. Criminals will have no choice but to follow your orders regarding this matter.”
The Deputy Director sighed, looking weary.
“I have work to attend to, so I’ll return to logging. Honestly, just being here is a bit of a waste of my time. So, I hope to see meaningful results.”
Despite saying that, his tone suggested he was not expecting much from us.
Hmm, what do you know. It feels… unnerving.
As the Deputy Director left, he glanced back at the girl with pink hair, and she lowered her gaze, seemingly flustered, avoiding his eyes.
After he disappeared, the remaining Knights exchanged serious looks while reviewing the documents.
“Well, it’s out of our hands now. Let’s settle the order through a fair duel.”
“Wait, you don’t mean…?”
“Um, that sounds scary; can we skip it?”
I had no clue what they were planning that made them break into a cold sweat.
But their grim expressions unwittingly put me on edge, making me pay attention.
What they pulled out was a jade ball they placed on the floor while quietly muttering something.
Suddenly, a girl’s voice echoed from the ball, saying,
—“Prepare for an honorable duel, or you will die.”
The Knights, clutching their heads, began to breathe deeply.
“…Not sure what that voice is saying, but it still has a creepy vibe. Are you ready?”
“Can this decision be changed?”
“…Yes, uh… can’t we just decide normally?”
“This way, there’ll be no aftermath.”
They slowly distanced themselves and started focusing intently.
Then, they collectively raised their hands and shouted,
“Rock, Paper, Scissors!”
You idiots!
Don’t get all serious over that!
Is this really what they’ve come to?
After a few intense rounds of Rock, Paper, Scissors, they eventually settled on the order.
“…Finally!!!”
“Nice!”
“…Oh no!”
Unfortunately, it seemed the Female Knight, wielding an axe, came in last.
Agartha glanced over and whispered,
“That’s unfair.”
“Huh?”
“I can clearly see her trying to trick with hand signals to fool the rules; that ball must be fake, right? Or is some tampering going on?”
Well, that seemed plausible, considering it looked like an Outsider’s item…
Just then, the Knight who came in first approached confidently and extended a hand toward the Hunter.
“Looks like it’s going to the one most likely to catch an Outsider.”
“I see you have a record of having caught Outsiders multiple times. I’m counting on you.”
As the Knight peeled off the Hunter’s duct tape, the Hunter swatted away the Knight’s hand as if it were a pesky fly and walked off nonchalantly.
“Don’t get in my way.”
“…A bit prickly, aren’t you? I like it.”
The Knight smiled for some reason, shot me a quick glance, and then followed after the Hunter.
That Knight really is something until the end.
As I sighed, the Hunter turned back to glance at me for a moment.
I figured I understood what he wanted to say, so I nodded, and the Hunter, without a word, resumed his path.
Yeah, I’ll have to catch up again.
Staying close to the protagonist is the safest bet, so I must reunite with the Hunter by any means necessary.
Just as I thought this, the next Knight approached Agartha.
“Ah, a female Thief, huh? But at least she’s decent-looking.”
Upon hearing that, Agartha turned to me with a look of utter disgust.
‘Did you really just hear that?!’ I could almost hear her thoughts echoing in my ear.
It’s definitely cringeworthy to suddenly hear that sort of thing.
Nevertheless, the Knight ripped off Agartha’s duct tape and grabbed her wrist, pulling her along.
“Anyway, we have a goal of taking down the Outsider now. Don’t even think about running away; fulfill the mission assigned to you.”
“Ugh, fine, just let go of my hand!”
Agartha wriggled to shake off the Knight’s grip and began walking after them.
…Looks like Agartha’s future is quite grim.
As I pondered this, I sensed someone approaching me.
Sure enough, it was that Knight again.
“…Ugh, I didn’t expect to meet you here again.”
“Likewise, I had no idea either.”
She made a sound like ‘heh’ as shr peeled off the duct tape wrapped around my hand.
As my body was freed, I felt a sense of mental liberation wash over me.
It’s true that if the mind doesn’t crumble, the body won’t either, but if the body collapses, the mind definitely will.
“We should hurry up. It seems best to handle the Outsider assigned to us quickly.”
“Got it.”
“Oh, and here, take this. It’s supplies from the Knights, but better than having nothing.”
What she handed me looked like three lollipops.
“What’s this?”
Since it’s from the Knights, it can’t just be simple candy.
I figured it must have some cowardly filter applied, but the response I got was shocking.
“It’s made from low-ranking Outsiders, so the quality isn’t great, but one can enhance physical functions, another calms the mind for stabilization. And the last one… is for suicide. It’s good to eat when you think it’s all over.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Watching her mention suicide so nonchalantly while accepting it made me feel quite bizarre.
Is this really a Knight from the Snow Castle?
I looked at the three candies in my hand.
Aside from the physical enhancement, they didn’t seem terribly useful.
…Please tell me I won’t eat the wrong one?
“Let’s move quickly.”
As I followed the Knight, I found myself unsure of how to address her.
I guess I should introduce myself first so I can naturally find out the Female Knight’s name.
“I’m Leydan Tanton.”
“…You can just call me ‘Muyun.’”
I vaguely remembered seeing her name hailed as the daughter of a deity in the community.
Is it some kind of nickname?
It seems this world favors using more nicknames.
Then again, I did hear that Hunters erase their names to avoid being identified by Outsiders.
I wonder if it’s okay that I casually toss my name around?
Well, I guess it’s fine since I’m still okay after confronting the Watcher.
“Nice to meet you, Muyun.”
“Y-Yeah, nice to meet you…”
Thus, we set off to hunt the Outsiders.
“Uh, but you’re not planning on doing anything inappropriate with the Outsiders, right?”
“Of course not!”
I felt it would take a bit of time to clear up this misunderstanding.
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