Dark Fantasy: Super Coward Mode

The hunter, having finally dealt with the lackeys, let out a sigh.

Though he was annoyed by the endless numbers he had to slay, accomplishing the task relieved some of the frustration he felt.

If it were the usual Leydan Tanton, he would have been on his way back after apprehending his target by now, which made him realize that this was no ordinary situation.

As such, the hunter had been evaluating Tanton quite highly these days.

He felt a strong urge to help him and take a break.

At this rate, it wasn’t a mission to eliminate an outsider but rather just labor.

Having reached the entrance of Rondan without any significant ambush, the hunter began to run, thinking there wouldn’t be any concern from that point on.

If the interrogator had entered Rondan, a calamity would have ensued.

That meant they must be fighting outside.

Even after stepping outside, he continued running, soon catching sight of a figure far away, indistinguishable at first glance.

As he got closer, he realized it was Leydan Tanton along with the child he had been taking care of.

And before them… lay a horrific shape presumed to be the interrogator, pinned beneath what appeared to be human corpses, unable to move at all.

Could those bodies be the result of Leydan Tanton’s use of the outsider’s power?

He hadn’t expected the mind games to be employed in such a way, leaving him with a smile of surprise.

It was already over.

That round hole over there was likely a device meant to dispose of the interrogator.

It seemed he really didn’t need any help after all.

Lost in thought, the hunter found himself chuckling at the thought. He intended to approach Tanton as if to let him in on what he had noticed.

That is, until he saw the scene before him.

From a distance, he couldn’t clearly hear the voices.

But what was certain was that Tanton suddenly grabbed the child by the scruff of the neck.

And then…

WHOOSH!

He threw the child into that black hole.

The child’s face turned pale, and faint screams could be heard.

But the black hole mercilessly swallowed the child, and at that moment, it closed its mouth.

As if Tanton had intended to throw the child in from the very beginning.

The hunter couldn’t distinguish whether what he was witnessing was reality or a nightmare.

Rather, he wished it were a nightmare, for the scene was too horrifying.

Then Tanton, wearing an expression of concern, approached the interrogator, gently stroking part of the ghastly form with his hand.

“…Ah.”

In that moment, the hunter felt as if his world was collapsing.

He couldn’t trust anyone anymore.

Not the damned outsiders, nor the knights who didn’t actively support his well-being.

And not even the residents of Rondan, who seemed to have given up everything.

That was the person he had trusted for the first time since his family.

Yet, how could he kill humans and care for the outsiders he so loathed?

The hunter began to think that perhaps he had misinterpreted Tanton, blinded by his affection.

Suddenly, Tanton lifted his head and turned his gaze to the hunter.

Coming towards him, he was smiling and waving his arms as usual.

What usually seemed like a clumsy, hapless demeanor now appeared monstrous as he pretended to be cheerful while possessed by madness.

Puff!

FWOOSH!

He was gazing quietly, staring at the smoke rising from the ground where a hole had been made, the heat not yet dissipated.

The hunter had fired his shotgun right next to him, creating that phenomenon.

His mind was struggling to keep up with the situation.

Why?

Why was the hunter attacking him out of the blue?

He looked into the hunter’s eyes.

A gaze he was all too familiar with.

The same eyes he had seen when he was locked up in the detention center, filled with rage as he recounted his past.

“Hunter…?”

“Don’t call my name with that filthy voice.”

He didn’t know what had happened, but it seemed the hunter had misunderstood something terribly.

Otherwise, the person who had been messing around with Candle after the war wouldn’t be this furious.

He had to talk.

He needed to figure out the cause behind this and clarify things.

If he fell out with the hunter, it meant a drastic drop in his chances of surviving in Snow Castle.

“What’s gotten into you, hunter? Let’s talk…”

“Shut that disgusting mouth!”

His voice was like that of a roaring lion, and he couldn’t help but freeze in place.

The hunter had never displayed this kind of fury towards him before.

“What? Talk? Are you trying to brainwash me again with your eloquent tongue? I must have been foolish for trusting you, which caused me to miss that outsider back then. I should have seen it coming from that moment.”

Finally, he grasped why the hunter was angry.

In the current situation, it was clear to the hunter that he had killed a human and saved an outsider.

Under such circumstances, a misunderstanding was inevitable.

“Hunter, wait! It’s a misunderstanding!”

“I said to shut your mouth.”

“Why are you so stubborn? I didn’t save the outsider!”

It seemed he had no intention of hearing him out, so he decided to get to the point.

But the disgust in the hunter’s eyes had deepened.

“Right, to you who feels sexual desire toward outsiders, that monster would seem like an equal being.”

“That’s not an outsider!”

“Are you asking me to believe that kind of nonsense?”

The Record Keeper had clearly said that he had become half-human.

Hadn’t it been long enough since the interrogator’s presence had faded for his true form to be revealed?

If so, it was a dire situation.

That meant there was no way to persuade him.

“I trusted you. Whether you were hanging around with those shabby outsiders or rolling around with the infamous elite outsiders, even if you had that damned outsider’s essence shoved into you! I thought there was a reason for it.”

Hearing the hunter’s innermost feelings for the first time was quite shocking.

But within that voice, he recognized not just anger but also another mixed emotion.

Disappointment and sorrow.

The usually composed hunter was now speaking with a slight tremor in his voice, proving that fact.

“I was wrong about people. I never expected to be horrifically betrayed by the very first person I trusted.”

With a weary sigh, the hunter lowered his shotgun and turned to head back to Rondan.

“Our fates end here, Leydan Tanton.”

Without further words, the hunter delivered his last words to him.

The impact of that statement left his mind spinning, and he tried to grab the hunter but found his body unresponsive.

Perhaps he was just fatigued from the battle with the interrogator.

“This can’t be….”

“Master!”

Asti’s voice called out to him softly.

His consciousness began to drift.

Silence grunt.

Deep breath.

The intense stillness pressed against his ears.

Feeling too quiet, it almost felt like he was hearing hallucinations, a kind of stimulus bringing his senses back.

His head throbbed.

Could it be that he had exerted too much of the Gardener’s abilities to catch the interrogator?

He had no idea how far he could push before his lifespan would diminish; he was feeling the strain building up.

Though he believed it was unavoidable, especially since there was no way to catch the interrogator otherwise.

“…Hmm.”

In that moment, a gentle sigh breathed nearby.

Turning his head in that direction, he saw Asti, possessing the body of the interrogator, sleeping with her head resting on the bed, dressed in a dress.

…If she had come this far, was she beginning to appear as a human?

If only her release had been a little quicker, he wouldn’t have had to endure what he just faced with the hunter.

He couldn’t comprehend how the rules of this world were written at all.

“…Oh?”

But something felt off.

He noticed some red aura swirling around Asti.

What could it be?

Just the sight of it evoked an intensely painful feeling within him.

“Hmm, …Master?”

Had she awakened from her slumber? Asti lifted her head.

Maybe it was because of that agonizing energy?

Her true feelings, which would normally be hidden from the interrogator’s face, were now clearly displayed.

Anxiety, remorse, and guilt.

All present emotions shared a similar context.

“Asti.”

“Master… I’m glad you woke up.”

Seeing Asti bowing her head while trying to act as if nothing was wrong didn’t sit right with him.

She should’ve felt liberated just from breaking away from the interrogator but was she feeling the same way because of what he just experienced?

That had to be the world oppressing him; it wasn’t Asti’s fault at all.

He felt he could absorb the swirling red energy surrounding Asti.

Could it be….

Had absorbing the interrogator earlier allowed him access to her powers?

To test his theory, he gently ruffled Asti’s hair. She closed her eyes ever so slightly as he collected the red energy with his hands and squeezed it.

Suddenly, a burning sensation surged through his hand, rolling up to his arm, neck, and finally to his head.

He smiled as he tried not to let Asti notice his expression while the pain faded away, and a lively feeling returned to his body.

The sensation of burning was oddly familiar.

It was nearly identical to what he had felt when the interrogator had gripped his hand to suppress him earlier.

“…!”

Asti looked at him in surprise.

Was she realizing something was changing within her?

“Master, what is happening…?”

More importantly, Asti’s expression seemed much lighter than before.

Just as he had thought.

He appeared to have gained the ability to use some of the interrogator’s powers.

And by absorbing Asti’s pain, his stats might have been increasing bit by bit.

He smiled at Asti, who seemed confused.

“Asti.”

“….”

“You’re meant to remain carefree. A sad expression doesn’t suit you.”

Though he tried to speak in a roundabout way, it seemed Asti understood what he meant.

Then more of the red energy began to swirl around her head.

“Why are you not allowing me even to feel self-reproach?”

“Because I don’t want to see that side of you.”

While saying that, he grasped the swirling red energy around Asti once more.

Though the burning sensation was very unpleasant, he found it bearable.

“Master….”

“And stop calling me Master from now on.”

Asti opened her eyes wide as if surprised by his words.

Did she perhaps understand it to mean to cut ties?

“Having just freed yourself from your mother, you can’t be bound to your duties any longer. Live as you please now.”

“…What should I call you then?”

Asti asked, revealing an anxious expression.

Hmm.

He hadn’t particularly thought that through.

“Just call me by my name.”

“My name….”

Asti fell into thought for a moment, then looked at him intently and said,

“Leydan.”

In the serene atmosphere, the serious tone in which she uttered his first name made him feel a peculiar sense of embarrassment.

Well, if Asti thought of him that way, it seemed reasonable to honor it.

“Yeah, Asti.”

“Leydan.”

He wondered what was so fascinating about his name that she kept repeating it.

Smiling at Asti, he said,

“Alright, from now on do that. Starting tomorrow, you don’t have to be entangled with me! Live freely as you wish. Got it?”

“Yes.”

Asti offered a faint yet definite smile.

He was relieved that she could find happiness.

That’s what he thought.

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