Dark Fantasy: Super Coward Mode

The first to react was Agartha.

“…You really are a psychopath! You effortlessly come up with things we wouldn’t even think of! It’s exhilarating! I’m in awe!”

“What?”

I had tried to set a serious tone, and this annoying woman just labeled me a psychopath.

…Well, I kind of acknowledged it.

But still!

Shifting my gaze to the Hunter, who I thought would be different, I found him thoughtfully resting his chin on his fingers.

Yes, I believed in you!

With great expectations for what he would say, I watched the Hunter, and he nodded.

“Yeah, definitely a psychopath.”

“Hey!”

I mean, I believed him—I trusted the Hunter!

How could he suddenly hit me with such a betrayal?

Seeing my look of despair, the Hunter chuckled and got up from his seat.

“Well, if it’s nonsense, I can just listen and brush it off.”

He then shifted his attention back to me.

I raised an eyebrow, confused by the meaning behind his words, and the Hunter pointed at me with his chin.

“You said you have a way, right?”

“…Ah, ah!”

Ah, of course! I’ve wronged the Hunter, like investing in a rising coin!

I could hardly contain my excitement as I spoke.

“There’s probably something nearby that can take down that Outsider!”

“How do you know that?”

“Well… it’s more like a hunch?”

“Psychopath’s hunch, huh? And?”

Ah, seriously.

Why did the psychopath meme keep getting dragged into this?

Did it mean he didn’t trust me enough?

“Ah, right! Remember I said I could read the writing on the wall? I got a hint from that! Just look at my mental state, haha.”

“…So you expect me to believe a psychopath wouldn’t go crazy from reading something? I was just joking.”

Suddenly, Agartha chimed in from the side.

“Shut up, you crazy lady!”

You better stay quiet!

If you keep running your mouth here, we’re all dead, you hear?!

Agartha glanced at me, surprised by my glare, then quickly looked away and began to whistle.

I was considering giving her a playful slap for being too annoying, but the Hunter let out a thoughtful “hmm.”

“…Surprisingly useful.”

“Huh?! You believe this?”

Agartha exclaimed in surprise, her voice ringing out.

Looks like she’s not even trying to hide her disbelief anymore.

“I may have a laid-back personality, but when it’s about survival, shouldn’t we think it through a bit more?” (Agartha)

“So what, we just sit here and wait to starve to death?” (Hunter)

“Well… not really, hehe.” (Agartha)

The Hunter’s comment made Agartha shrink back, her bravado deflating.

Yes, it’s so adorable when she obeys like that.

I hope she keeps acting like this in the future.

“So, where exactly is that something?”

With that question, I awkwardly smiled.

Seeing the Hunter frown, I gave a sheepish chuckle.

“…We’ll have to look for it from now on.”

Was that a hint of danger I felt from the Hunter, or was it just my imagination?

#

As we wandered around, we spotted some items left behind after the guards disappeared.

Among them, the most useful seemed to be a lantern.

For me, it was great since the surroundings became brighter, but for those two who said it looked dark, whatever.

With the visibility improving, Agartha began to fully showcase her abilities.

Maybe this is what it means to be a real Thief?

Thanks to my Super Coward Mode, I found something I wouldn’t have noticed!

“There’s something here!”

What she found was apparently a fake wall according to Agartha.

“This is a transparent wall created by illusion magic, but it’s not just any household magic—it’s royal magic, so breaking it isn’t as easy.”

See? Told you!

I knew there would be something around!

This is just my game experience talking!

The Hunter stared vacantly at the Thief before closing his eyes and letting out a sigh.

“…Are we going to start gambling now?”

His mopey demeanor made me scratch my head awkwardly.

“But, we found it, right?”

Without sensing the Hunter’s mood, Agartha was buzzing with excitement.

“I’ve been great at finding these things since I was a kid! There’s a technique I use to find this kind of stuff, and it’s a technique that’s been passed down through generations of Thieves. But the catch is, not all Thieves can use it—only those with exceptional skills can learn it…”

“I get it, so please shut up.”

The Hunter, grimacing in disbelief, made Agartha sulk for a moment. But as if recovering from that thought, she lifted her head again.

“How could you not care about how important this is? Oh, right! And the way to unlock this wall is crucial, but only knowledgeable Thieves can even attempt….”

“I think even if you drown, that big mouth of yours would still be floating on the surface.”

“No! I found the wall! Can’t you at least acknowledge that?”

Can’t you empathize with that?

Listening to their conversation made me realize something.

This type of empathy seeker exists in every era and world.

…Maybe I should’ve just let the Hunter tell her to shut up without butting in; I regretted that now.

It seemed the Hunter didn’t even want to deal with Agartha anymore, avoiding her and focusing solely on me.

“So, what do we do now?”

“Well, I think whatever I mentioned should be inside here, but…”

I was cautiously speaking since I wasn’t confident about anything, when suddenly, a fart sound echoed.

“Right, that’s how you’re going to respond? How stingy.”

Then Agartha stepped closer and placed her hand on the transparent wall.

Something sparked as if some force was resisting her, but with a smirk, she grabbed a needle with her other hand and swiftly tore through the fabric like it was nothing.

In an instant, the transparent wall shimmered like a rainbow before disappearing, revealing the space beyond.

Though Agartha looked like she was basking in triumph, she maintained a sulky expression, probably wanting to show that she was still annoyed.

“I’ll go in first, so you can either follow or figure it out yourselves!”

That’s when Agartha boldly attempted to rush inside.

At that moment, the usually indifferent Hunter swiftly moved, grabbing Agartha by the nape just before she could enter.

“Gah!”

Agartha screamed in surprise, but the Hunter didn’t care at all. His face was cold as he pulled her closer.

“After acting all high and mighty like you know everything, do you want to die that badly?”

“…What is happening all of a sudden?”

“You prattled about fake walls and ruined royal magic, yet you don’t actually know a single thing.”

The Hunter released Agartha roughly, looking down at her with disdain.

“Did you really not know that ‘Outcast Gods’ are densely packed in there?”

“…Outcast Gods?”

I had never heard that term before, and the Hunter shook his head.

“They’re fragments that couldn’t become Outsiders. Can you actually handle them?”

“Ugh.”

Unlike me, Agartha seemed to understand the meaning behind it and gasped, even hiccupping in fear.

Watching her face turn pale and hiccup was so funny that I couldn’t help but snicker.

“Did you… just laugh?!”

“Yep.”

“Even confidently!”

Well, I don’t really know what’s going on.

Besides, seeing Agartha, who had been teasing me all this time, scared like that was strangely satisfying.

I thought I should take advantage of this situation to boost my happiness meter every now and then.

Did she sense my thoughts?

Agartha pulled out a needle with a spiteful glare, and I turned my head away.

The Hunter sighed, watching our little act, then focused back on the situation.

“So what’s your plan now? You’re not seriously suggesting we enter there and commit suicide, right?”

Hearing the Hunter’s words, I scratched my head in confusion.

“Are they really that frightening?”

Outcast Gods—having ‘Outcast’ in the name made them seem weaker than Outsiders.

The Hunter sighed and approached the wall, placing his Lantern against it.

As the interior of the wall lit up, what I saw was…

“Oooh.”

“…Eek!”

Our reactions were like night and day.

The Hunter pointed inside with his finger, stating, “If there had only been one of those, I might’ve taken a bit of a risk and gone in. But look at those densely packed creatures—do you think you can handle them? When multiple ones gather, their weak powers amplify and drive anyone nearby to madness.”

Listening to the Hunter’s explanation seemed to make Agartha gradually step away from the corridor in fear.

But I was just left with question marks floating in my head.

Because to my eyes, those creatures looked like fairy-tale fairies resting against the wall.

“They’re cute!”

“What?”

The Hunter’s voice was clearly flustered by my comment.

But what can I do if that’s how I feel?

At that moment, one of the Outcast Gods stretched its limbs and fell from the wall, making eye contact with me.

“Human?”

It didn’t seem to be talking, but more like expressing curiosity at seeing a human being.

“Hm.”

“Is this your first time seeing a human?”

So when I responded, the Outcast God looked around and pointed at itself, as if to say, ‘Are you talking about me?’

When I nodded, the Outcast God’s expression slowly broke into a bright smile.

Then it started poking the other sleeping Outcast Gods to wake them up.

“…Ugh, what?”

“There’s a human who understands us!”

“Is that really true?!”

Starting from that Outcast God, the densely packed fairies began to fly around the room, beaming with excitement.

“What on earth did you do? Why are the Outcast Gods suddenly going wild?!”

The Hunter exclaimed in horror, but was unable to respond as the Outcast God interrupted him.

“Human, do you really understand our words?”

“Yeah.”

“What should we do? This is amazing!”

“Hey, guys! This isn’t the time for this!”

The leader of the Outcast Gods calmed down the excited crowd and fluttered its butterfly wings as it approached me at the corridor entrance.

Somewhere in its demeanor was a rigid resolve, showing it wasn’t entirely friendly towards humans.

“I never thought I’d be saying this to a human, but there’s something I want to ask.”

“What is it?”

“If you come into this room, I’ll explain.”

Well.

Isn’t this usually a death sentence?

But maybe it was some kind of inexplicable confidence?

Even when I read the writing earlier, I felt fine, so maybe I wouldn’t fall prey to whatever mind-warping influence they had.

And those Outcast Gods didn’t look scary at all.

In fact, they seemed cute, right?

“…I don’t know what’s going on, but this plan is off. If those dangerous creatures are acting up like that…”

If I stop here, the Hunter will leave me and the Thief to fend for ourselves, so I decided to choose the path with the higher chance of survival.

Before the Hunter could even react, I took a step towards the corridor and entered the room.

“There’s nothing special here.”

“What the hell…!”

The Hunter’s curses echoed outside, but did I care?

Thinking that way, I then saw the densely packed Outcast Gods simultaneously soar into the air and rush towards me.

“Uh, uh-oh?!”

I was engulfed by countless Outcast Gods, and I…

Faced with their touching, they began to harass me, stretching my mouth and poking my belly.

“Wow, this is the first time we’ve touched a perfectly fine human!”

“And he can even talk! This is the body of a living human!”

“Well, everyone calm down, okay?!”

…To be honest, I wouldn’t say this was a particularly pleasant experience.

---