NOVEL NEXT Chapter 79
“Companions I would like, huh.”
The Saint wasn’t wrong.
Agartha, Hunter.
They were probably the most familiar, comfortable, and reliable people in Rondan.
But I had my doubts.
I could understand Agartha coming because she’s the Saint’s subordinate, but what was the Hunter doing here?
He didn’t look particularly fierce for someone who was dragged here against his will.
Did the Hunter notice my gaze? He threw the candy he was chewing on the floor and stomped on it while glancing my way.
Crunch!
“Got something to say?”
“No, I was just glad to see you after a long time.”
“Everything seems to make you happy.”
There was something oddly aggressive about his tone.
It’s true that the Hunter has always been sensitive and on edge. But today, it felt like it was worse than usual—was it just my imagination?
I could say it was because of the Twin Outsider incident, and that would be true, but I didn’t think the Hunter would script our past into this.
The Hunter has always been an enigma, but now he was even more inscrutable.
“Hunter, why are you so edgy today? Did someone steal your last blow while hunting an Outsider?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Aren’t you mad about it?! Wow, I’m kind of impressed! You’ve become so patient since we last met!”
“…And your mouth still hasn’t been shut, huh? I’m amazed you survived in such harsh conditions with that constant flapping of your lips.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment!”
Ha!
Hmm. It seems like the same banter with Agartha is still there.
Why is it only with me that it feels different?
Wait a minute, could it be…
Am I being bullied…?
Have I done something to deserve this level of disdain?
“Tanton, why are you sulking over there? Don’t make a sad face; come here.”
But then I heard Agartha’s voice calling for me, and I felt a slight relief as I went over to her.
She looked at me with a ridiculous expression, as if she had read my thoughts.
“Hunter, you made Tanton sulk!”
“What did I do?”
She sure twisted the facts, didn’t she?
I mean, I was a little taken aback, but to describe it like that made me seem so petty.
“Sulk? What do you mean sulk?”
“That expression doesn’t look anything like a sulk?”
“It’s just that seeing you two talk after a long time moved me.”
Agartha, who had been rebutting me excitedly, widened her eyes and then burst out laughing after hearing my last line.
“That’s right! I told the Hunter that earlier. Even though we hadn’t seen each other for a while, it felt so familiar, like we met just yesterday!”
“…True.”
Now that I think about it, it seemed Agartha didn’t act all grumpy when she arrived.
Why only me?!
…Or maybe I’m just overreacting.
The Hunter has always been a rough talker.
Maybe I’m just mistaking things again.
Gathering my courage, I decided to talk to the Hunter first.
“Hunter, how have you been?”
“Pointless.”
“We’re supposed to share updates while chatting.”
“Oh, updates, huh? I definitely haven’t heard them yet.”
For some reason, the Hunter was staring at me with an unnerving glint in his eye.
It felt like I was being interrogated by detectives in a police station—what is this pressure?!
Wait, had he always asked like this?
“Uh, well! As for updates—I found the Knight Commander and returned, and then there was that Knight with the White Mask, you know? As soon as I became their apprentice, I also took down a Dragon Slayer.”
“Took down.”
“And, oh! I also subdued some Cultists who were trying to summon an Outsider?”
“Subdued.”
What the heck?!
What does he want from me?!
This is seriously starting to feel like I’m in front of a detective trying to break my alibi!
If I stop talking, I feel like something terrible will happen!
“Then I took a break and—oops, defeated the Outsider who showed up in my dreams….”
“Dream?”
Hold on, why did this dude suddenly care so much about my story when he was just being a grouch a moment ago?
“Yeah, dreams.”
“The incident where someone died in their sleep?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“Then have you had a dream about someone there?”
Had… I shouldn’t say that, right?
Peeking into someone’s mind is super rude.
It’s like sneaking a peek at their trauma, habits, and beliefs, all without permission.
How could I just openly admit to doing something like that?
“No?”
“Hmm.”
“Hey, why are you looking at me like that? I’m serious?!”
The Hunter’s unsettling demeanor was making me anxious, so I glanced at Agartha, but she was trying really hard to suppress her laughter while pointing at me with her finger.
Crazy girl, don’t laugh and help!
“Oh, Sir Tanton is here too.”
I nearly slipped and revealed the nonexistent hideout, but a timely voice swooped in to save me.
The Saint appeared, looking like an adventurer compared to his usual attire.
He had transformed from someone who looked like a sage into a Viking who looks like they could take anyone down just because he changed clothes.
“…Let’s end this conversation here.”
So you can just interrogate me for your own fun and then bail, huh?!
What a slimy personality!
The Saint shook hands with Agartha and the Hunter before walking over to me with a warm smile.
“I’m right, Sir Tanton will like it, won’t I?”
“…How did you bring the Hunter along?”
“I asked him to help search for traces of the Outsider, and he agreed.”
“And he accepted right away?”
The Hunter doesn’t seem like the type to have a cheery personality.
Sure enough, the Saint shook his head subtly as if to deny it.
“Not really. But…”
“But?”
“When I mentioned the other members, he quickly understood. It showed me how strong the bond you three have, just as Agartha said.”
Oh, that’s kind of touching.
Wait, with all his grumpiness, he actually cared about us the most, huh?
Suddenly watching the Hunter made me chuckle in disbelief.
“Alright then, let’s start explaining the operation.”
The Saint took the lead, explaining what we were going to do.
“The Gardener’s Garden is a place I thought we completely conquered, where exploration was almost done. However, it seems the Knight team found a new area while searching it.”
I was nervous thinking she might illustrate on paper like last time, but thankfully, this time she brought pre-drawn ones to show us.
Phew.
This is much better; it saves time and is really great.
“They said the atmosphere there was a bit wetter than the Gardener’s Garden, feeling almost like a cave.”
A cave, huh?
Since it appeared suddenly without any signs until now, it might be some kind of Easter egg.
Something the developers made so you’d have to use a weird method to find it.
It’s not a game anymore, so there’s no function for people to ignore it like NPCs.
“But strangely, they couldn’t enter as there was some unknown wall blocking the way. They thought it was some physical law or magic, but nothing worked against it.”
As expected.
It’s an Easter egg.
In that case, unlike with Bell earlier, it’s possible they’ve hidden tricks more meticulously.
If you try to solve it by brute force, you might take years doing so.
But we didn’t have that kind of time.
If our heads wouldn’t work, we’d just break it with our bodies.
What if I summoned Bell with the party flute and hit it?
The Gardener’s power is obviously too conspicuous in summoning Outsiders, while I had no idea how the Dragon Slayer’s power would work, so I was afraid to use that.
The Cook probably just has cooking abilities.
“That’s about it. Today we’re going to figure out a way to get in, and if we’re successful, we’ll explore immediately. If we fail, we’ll come back and develop a strategy based on what we saw.”
Agartha and the Hunter nodded seriously as if they understood the Saint’s words.
At a glance, it looked like their expressions were a result of focusing too much on the conversation.
But I figured out that Agartha was fighting off sleep while the Hunter was likely running countless scenarios in his head, looking somewhat dazed in a way only I would realize.
Without knowing this, the Saint confirmed their reactions, smiling and nodding.
“Great! Then let’s head to the garden immediately.”
Just then, Agartha flashed a question mark over her head and began shaking it frantically to snap back to reality.
“I’ll look for a method, so Hunter and Tanton, you’ll provide security.”
Oh, so you’re not entirely out of it, huh?
I nodded, surprised by Agartha’s surprising cleverness.
If that’s the case, I’ll be on the same team as the Hunter.
“Let’s do well together, Hunter.”
I said playfully, trying to tap his collarbone lightly.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
“…Ah.”
The sky that looked perfectly right side up suddenly flipped upside down.
The swift throw knocked the wind out of me, instinctively escaping my lips as I felt pain.
“Sir Tanton!”
As the Saint approached in surprise, the Hunter seemed taken aback, clearing his throat before looking away.
“How disgusting to lay hands on someone.”
He muttered something entirely incomprehensible, then looked stunned as he rubbed the impacted area.
He then shifted his gaze to Agartha, both of them wearing expressions devoid of comprehensibility.
“Agartha.”
“Yes?”
“Since when did a gentle tap mean I want to be treated nicely?”
“Well, if it’s Tanton doing it, who knows?”
This bitch.