Dark Fantasy: Super Coward Mode

On the Roof of the Hearth.

I found myself lost in thought while gazing at the enchanting scene created by the flames of the burning firewood intertwined with the continuously falling snow.

It had been a week since the Interrogator’s invasion.

Thanks to the near-perfect strategy of the Deputy Director and the Knight Commander’s efforts, the residents of Rondan had suffered minimal damage.

However, within the Knights, there had been casualties, and several buildings were destroyed in the process, leading to a significant resource drain.

Still, the pain of not being killed only serves to strengthen the survivor.

I had no doubt that Rondan would grow stronger from this incident.

Since that day, I hadn’t crossed paths with the Hunter even once.

I tried to inquire about him to resolve any misunderstandings, but no one had seen the Hunter.

I wondered if he had perhaps left Rondan, but thinking of his fondness for Agartha made me believe he’d still be here for that reason.

He was probably just hiding his tracks thoroughly because he disliked me.

What a headache-inducing situation it was.

“Leydan.”

As I let out a sigh while looking at the roof of the hearth, someone approached me.

I turned my head toward the direction of the voice.

It was Asti.

Now, having seized the body of the Interrogator.

“Hmm?”

“You don’t seem very comfortable.”

“I need to find the Hunter soon. It’s weighing on my mind.”

“…If it’s Leydan, you can handle anything.”

It had been some time since I told Asti she could act freely.

However, her routine hadn’t changed.

She woke me up every morning, prepared breakfast, and followed me wherever I went.

Now that the shackles of the Interrogator were gone, she no longer attacked me as before.

Instead, every morning when I woke up, I found her staring at me while hugging me, which made things pretty awkward.

Formerly, I could think of the younger Asti as cute and pat her head, but now she retained the seductive figure of the Interrogator, making that challenging.

Besides, as the days passed, her hair oddly became browner, which made it increasingly difficult to rationalize that she was merely the body of the Interrogator, leaving me dizzy.

Whether it was deliberate or genuine ignorance, Asti always woke me up with a vague smile while being so close.

Anyway, Asti referred to me as “Leydan,” instead of “Master,” and acted according to her will.

“Oh, Sir Tanton!”

An ordinary knight passing by made eye contact with me and greeted me cheerfully, suddenly saluting.

This had become a problem lately.

Although not much time had passed since the Interrogator invasion, the Deputy Director promoted me to knight in recognition of my actions.

Yet, the other knights didn’t seem to recognize me as being of the same rank.

They saluted me like this.

After confirming their faces became suddenly glum when I didn’t reciprocate, I felt obligated to return the salute.

“Have a nice day!”

With a firm hand, the knight lowered his arm and walked away with the happiest smile in the world.

…Isn’t this like the treatment of a returning American veteran?

Sometimes, such excessive treatment made my body tremble.

First, I should report to the Deputy Director and then head to the library.

Stopping the Interrogator had allowed me to breathe a little easier.

Having gained the ability to absorb pain and grow stronger, I now needed to gather much more info to deal with my final target, the Giant of the Snow Mountain.

I arrived at the Knights’ headquarters and stood before the Deputy Director’s door.

Lately, I had become quite friendly with the Deputy Director, nearly to the point of being on equal footing.

Due to the dream incident and the recent handling of the Interrogator, the Deputy Director began seeing me as almost an equal.

…But considering the overwhelming power of the Deputy Director I had previously witnessed, I didn’t think that was entirely the case.

Anyway.

I knocked cautiously on the door.

“Deputy Director, it’s me, Leydan Tanton.”

For some reason, there was no response from inside; only a strange thump-thump sound echoed.

What’s going on?

Is it an attack by a Candle?

Feeling anxious, I grabbed the doorknob.

“Deputy Director! I’m sorry, but I’m coming in!”

“No, no! Wait!”

“We can’t do this! It seems you’re in danger; how can I just stand by and watch?”

“That’s not it!”

It seemed the situation was quite dire.

Was it because he was worried I might get hurt?

But a Knight’s faction without the Deputy Director would be nothing more than a corpse.

If it came to that, saving the Deputy Director should take priority, even if it put me in danger.

With that thought, I forcefully swung the door open.

“Deputy Director! Are you al…”

Upon opening the door and assessing the situation, I could only stare in shock.

A toppled chair.

Dozens of papers scattered across the floor as if someone had tripped over them.

And—

The Knight Commander, leaning over the Deputy Director, was in a posture that looked like she was about to pounce on him, holding a long stick-like snack in her mouth.

“Oh.”

“What do you mean ‘oh’? Quickly stop the Commander!”

Anyone else might think I was witnessing the Deputy Director’s playing with someone with amnesia, but I remembered the Deputy Director’s heartfelt pure love story.

If I could write this part down, it would probably be some cringey cuteness, and my sudden intrusion must have caused this accident.

“Don’t look at me like that! Even in such a condition, the Commander still wants to share snacks…”

“Ugh.”

I was right in my assumption.

Ah, you scoundrel!

To disturb the Deputy Director’s precious time trying to be a little happy!

“I’ll head to the library, Deputy Director.”

“Don’t just brush it off!”

The Deputy Director shouted loudly, but I quietly closed the door and walked out.

He would probably feel awkward and try to get away from that spot.

But if the Knight Commander was still a little daft, then—

“Where do you think you’re going, Deputy Director? Didn’t you say you wanted some snacks?”

“Wait, Commander! Didn’t another knight just walk in… ung!”

…A sweet aroma of pure love wafted over from the other side of the door.

Thank goodness.

I was able to protect that precious moment.

“Husband, how come you do not respond to the lady’s heart?”

…Cough.

Is that a fly buzzing around?

“Don’t ignore me! Didn’t you hear me properly?”

Yeah, that’s definitely a fly.

To survive in such a harsh environment, what a remarkable creature.

Scratching my head while feeling awkward, I heading to the library with Asti, who was waiting in front.

#

“Hmm, so…”

Upon arriving at the library, I went to where the Saint was and joined him.

Of course, the Saint raised an eyebrow upon seeing Asti, who was next to me, so I explained what had happened.

“The Interrogator swapped bodies with the child saved by Sir Tanton to survive, which led to a merge of that originally human soul and an Outsider’s body, creating a semi-Outsider state, correct?”

“Yes. So, as you can see, despite having the body of an Elite Outsider, Asti can be near me without any mental contamination.”

“…This is unbelievable!”

The Saint, seemingly thrilled, slapped the table with his palm and jumped from his seat.

“I never thought a semi-Outsider could emerge like this! It’s a phenomenon I have never heard of! To witness such a mystical sight with my own two eyes!”

“Please, be quiet.”

The librarian scolded the overly excited Saint, who returned to his seat with a sheepish look.

“Sir Tanton, if it’s not a bother, may I write this story into my theory?”

“I don’t mind, but you should probably ask the parties involved. She’s no longer claiming to be my maid.”

“Oh, is that so?”

The Saint’s gaze immediately turned to Asti.

As Asti tilted her head to face the Saint, he grabbed her hands with his own.

“Asti, was it?”

“…Just call me a maid.”

Huh.

What maid when she isn’t even in a maid outfit?

Previously, she introduced herself so well.

Well, it might just be that she’s a bit sensitive since only a week has passed.

Regardless, the Saint seemed thrilled.

“Please, let me include your story in my theory. It’s far too precious of a discovery to hide away. It would greatly help humanity’s advancement!”

“…Yes, if Leydan is okay with it.”

“Sir Tanton!”

Only at times like this does she pass the buck to someone else.

Asti needs to be a bit more assertive.

“…Well, I suppose. It’s already common knowledge among the Knights of Rondan; if it’s of research value, do as you wish, Saint.”

“Oh! Thank you so much!”

The Saint looked ready to cry with gratitude as he beamed at me.

Well, it’s not that big of a deal.

It’s an honor story for me, but for someone else, it’s just a fleeting mention.

“By the way, what purpose do you have in visiting the library, Sir Tanton?”

“Oh, right. I was hoping to gather some information about the Giant of the Snow Mountain…”

“If that’s the case, I have excellent materials for you! If you come back tomorrow, I’ll have them organized for you!”

This is what they mean by good connections.

If not, I would have to sift through all those books alone and end up having a tough time.

“Thank you, Saint.”

“No, it’s nothing! Compared to the information you’ve given me, it’s a trifling matter.”

The Saint spoke to me with a delighted smile.

Ah, wait.

I mustn’t miss out on pain farming.

Having sat for so long, I noticed large red energies swirling around the Saint’s waist area.

“Ah, wait a moment, Saint.”

“Hmm?”

I stepped closer to the Saint and brushed my hand over the red energies around his waist.

As expected, I felt a surge of heat flow through my hands, but the revitalizing sensation filled my body, making it feel wonderful.

I worried if this might develop into a dangerous preference, but since it didn’t approach pleasure, I thought it’d be fine.

“Uh, uh?! Sir, Tanton! What on earth did you just do?!”

Did it work immediately?

The Saint suddenly stood up and twisted his waist around.

I wasn’t sure if he should move so carelessly with a back issue, but seeing him move freely suggested that absorbing this pain might alleviate his fundamental problems.

This might be a rather overpowered ability!

“What on earth is happening?”

“It’s a secret.”

“Sir Tanton, please wait!”

Since I had so much to do, I tried to ignore the Saint who was trying to follow me and swiftly escaped the library.

I couldn’t say it was solely the power of an Outsider.

#

After finishing my business at the library, I returned to the Knights’ headquarters.

Upon re-entering the Deputy Director’s office, I spotted the Knight Commander, who was usually spacing out, looking somewhat displeased with the Deputy Director.

Huh, it seemed it had been a pretty sweet situation.

Did something go wrong?

“You’re writing your own story all by yourself, Leydan Tanton.”

Ah, it was because of me that he was displeased.

“But, Deputy Director, you seemed to enjoy it too…”

Cough! “Let’s not discuss that anymore.”

Perhaps he felt embarrassed; the Deputy Director cleared his throat and interrupted me.

I always felt that he was really not very straightforward about his feelings.

Lost in his thoughts, the Deputy Director handed me a piece of paper.

“I intended to discuss this first, but you just walked out.”

“What’s this?”

As I looked at the paper, the Deputy Director’s next words made me drop it, letting it fall to the floor.

“There’s been a rise in rebel forces.”

An extremely shocking piece of news.

“Led by the Hunter.”

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