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A snowstorm raged in the Yeongji.

Unlike the scenery I was familiar with, some buildings were completely covered in snow.

Where is this place?

Is it Rondan?

Or somewhere else?

I couldn’t tell.

All I could see were knights surrounding me, looking puzzled.

And I could sense their gazes were fixed on me.

No, on my back, actually.

My neck felt oddly warm.

Realizing this, I understood that someone was supporting my upper body as I lay on the ground.

I looked up.

Someone was gazing down at me.

The moment I caught a glimpse of that face, my breath hitched.

Snowy hair that was white but appeared thick.

As I stared, those deep blue eyes seemed like they could swallow me whole.

And there was a sad, distant gaze about her.

It was undeniable that a beauty’s eyes were locked onto me, and it felt like my heart might stop.

My hands felt sticky.

Raising my palm, I found it stained with a handful of blood.

Did those knights stab me?

Looking at the knights’ weapons, one held a spear smeared with blood.

Huh, I’m in coward mode but why is there blood?

As I pondered this, the white-haired woman moved her lips.

I couldn’t hear any sound.

Yet, I could make out what she was saying just by the shape of her mouth.

– You were the reason for my existence, Leydan.

– For you, I will wait.

– My last for you…

#

“Ugh!”

I shot up abruptly.

Had I been sweating during my sleep? My clothes felt drenched.

What on earth was I panicking about?

I placed my hand on my chest and felt my heart racing, still unsettled.

I definitely felt like I had a vivid dream.

As I pressed on my temples trying to recall it, fleeting moments began to surface.

A white-haired woman.

Someone I had never seen before, a stranger.

There wasn’t anyone among the Outsiders that looked like her.

She was definitely a first-time dream visitor.

Yet, why was my heart aching and feeling so sorrowful?

Even trying to piece together the scenes from that dream was just a blur in my head.

It was frustrating, but it would be foolish to cling to the impossible.

And it was just a dream.

I could have been having a silly dream, so it was silly to think too deeply about it.

I looked around.

The once messy room appeared to be neatly arranged, as if someone had tidied it up.

Asti, perhaps?

As if my thoughts were confirmed, I heard soft breathing nearby.

Asti had fallen asleep, leaning on my bed.

Only then did I remember what had happened earlier.

The strife with the Hunter.

The rebels.

Reconciliation with the Hunter… well, I wasn’t sure about that, but anyway, quelling the rebels.

Sudden interventions by Outsiders.

And then collapsing out of nowhere.

Well.

I moved my body around a bit.

Fortunately, there didn’t appear to be any weird sensations in my body.

Using the power of Outsiders too often can cause life force issues.

Using more than that can affect my lifespan.

Was the power of the Interrogator still a bit overwhelming for me?

Perhaps I had forced the power without collecting enough pain, and that’s why I felt unwell.

The lack was likely made up with life force.

Thinking back, it seemed the Interrogator had been caught off guard at that time, and the help from the Record Keeper and so on complicated the situation enough for us to win.

Anyway.

Was the situation finally settled?

Carefully trying to move my body to avoid waking Asti, the rustle of the blanket had her immediately sit up.

“Oh, you’re awake.”

“Leydan…?”

“If you’re tired, you can go back to sleep.”

“Leydan…!”

I aimed for a simple goodbye but Asti hugged me with a slightly sad expression.

Hmm.

Um?!

“A-Asti?!”

“…Please just let me stay like this for a moment.”

Asti seemed to hold to her word, and after counting to about thirty in her head, she pulled away.

The sudden softness had me feeling breathless.

It felt like she had slightly reduced in size.

Was she gradually returning to her original form?

Her once mysterious, elegant face began to blend with Asti’s cute features, morphing into a new alluring countenance.

“… Is your body alright now?”

“Um, thanks to you.”

“I was surprised when you suddenly collapsed.”

Seeing Asti’s slightly teary-eyed face made my heart ache.

… From now on, I need to be careful and calculate my life force while using the Party Flute.

It wouldn’t be pleasant if others worried about me because of my actions.

I gently stroked Asti’s head.

Her previously sad expression relaxed, and she lay still, eyes closed.

She was definitely a rational child, able to control her emotions well.

Or perhaps having grown through the Outsider experience, she could be considered an adult in a way.

But, that was an unimportant thought.

“Are we having breakfast?”

“…Asti, I’ve told you before, you can act freely…”

“This is what I want to do.”

Hmm.

If that’s what you want…

It would be strange to dictate what someone should do against their will.

I smiled at Asti.

“Okay, then I’ll leave it to you.”

“Sure.”

Her expression seemed cheerful and oddly endearing.

After eating the breakfast Asti prepared, I stepped outside of Rondan.

Reporting my location to the Deputy Director, I asked what had happened, and he smiled awkwardly.

“There’s no longer a Rondan citizen who doesn’t know you use the Outsiders. However, unlike when the rebels emerged, there’s now a perception that you use them to protect Rondan, so it shouldn’t be a big issue. To break the stubbornness of that Hunter, it seems you have no limits to your abilities.”

Break the stubbornness of the Hunter, huh.

…If the Hunter were actually a woman who wanted to do something with me, comments like that wouldn’t exist.

I had been cautious even coming here for that reason.

It wouldn’t be strange for the Hunter to swoop down on me at any moment.

Or could it be that something happened while I was sleeping at night?!

…With Agartha and Asti around, I doubt it was anything serious.

Pondering these thoughts, I stepped outside the entrance to Rondan.

It seemed I really needed to spend some time with the Outsiders soon or there would be trouble.

It had been quite a while since I last met Nutricha too.

The Outsiders decided who would spend time with me using Rock, Paper, Scissors, and apparently, Bell came out first.

Well, compared to the other Outsiders, Bell likely had no ulterior motives, so I figured we could just take a stroll around the area.

Yeah, Bell is just like a puppy.

I took out the Party Flute and put it in my mouth.

A comical sound echoed, and it no longer took long for the Outsider to be summoned.

Thud, thud, thud.

I heard four paws landing on the ground.

“Hack, hack.”

I heard heavy breathing, but it wasn’t the sound of someone tired.

It sounded like a person making dog sounds, echoing in my ears.

Lowering my head towards the sound, I saw the familiar face of an Outsider before me.

“Bell.”

“Grrr.”

It was Bell, but now she looked fierce.

“Bell…?”

“Grarrr, woof!”

“What?!”

I was confused, unable to understand what Bell’s expression meant as she suddenly jumped up at me.

I tried to dodge, but since she was an Elite Outsider and defied the laws of physics, it didn’t matter where I ran; she would just end up falling towards my direction.

Bam!

I ended up crashing to the ground with a thud, and the dust made me cough instinctively.

Once I managed to stop coughing and looked up, Bell was pressing her paw on my shoulder, looking fierce.

Um, uh-oh.

What on earth is with that expression?

“Bell….”

“Human, I can’t take it anymore.”

“W-What do you mean?”

Bell let out a grunt, a growl sounding very different from usual, and then suddenly tilted her head back.

“Au!!”

She roared.

Bell looked like a dog but carried some wolf traits too.

And typically, when creatures let out such primal sounds in games, they tend to act on instinct.

Given that my virtue had been threatened in various ways recently, Bell’s actions were enough to trigger some PTSD.

I stood there nervously, staring at Bell.

Bell leaned in closer, her face blushing.

C-Could it be Bell too?

I trusted you the most…!

Feeling extremely betrayed, I tried to pull my face away, but Bell came right up to my cheek.

“Lick.”

“…?”

Suddenly, she licked my cheek.

In a situation I never imagined, I recalled something from the past.

Perhaps it felt so long ago.

I had nearly forgotten.

When Bell first met me, what had she done?

She was an Outsider dog who loved to lick people.

“Lick, lick, lick.”

“Wahhh!”

I had no choice but to endure the licking until my entire body was drenched with saliva.

 

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