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I thought there would be smarter Outsider entities in Snow Castle than humans, and thanks to my super coward mode, I realized I was actually a being with much more knowledge than humans.

It was a fact that anyone could recognize as clear intelligence, though.

“Everyone, please listen to me!!”

I saw the glass-like Outsider get up angrily from their seat. They had stood up in a fit of rage after expressing their opinion.

I couldn’t help but make a bewildered expression at that sight.

I didn’t expect Outsiders to hold a meeting just like regular people do.

My assumption that these beings wouldn’t hold meetings didn’t stem from doubting their intelligence but rather from a different reason.

Outsiders often spend time alone with their own fragments and notes in their realms.

Of course, there were occasionally extroverted Outsiders like Bel, but I thought that was possible because they were an Elite Outsider.

However, was there a difference between the serious meetings I envisioned and what was happening?

“That esteemed figure told me not to worry and to roam freely in the cave, and then boom! The moment I met a human, they shot a gun at me! I was stuck against the wall for almost three days without being able to do anything! Is this fair?!”

“Oh dear, that sounds tough.”

“Indeed.”

How should I put it?

This was different from an ordinary meeting I imagined.

Simply put, if someone said, ‘I had a tough time!’, the response was a sympathetic ‘I see.’

And from what I heard, was that Outsider the same one that Agartha and the Hunter had suppressed?

Hmm.

Seeing their face almost on the verge of tears, it was evident that they had faced something truly distressing.

“You’re just weak.”

“What did you say?!”

Someone suddenly teased the Outsider, recalling the tension, and the glass Outsider turned to glare at the owner of that voice with a noticeably heightened tone.

It was none other than Nutricha.

“If you were much stronger than those humans, you wouldn’t be this upset.”

“What are you talking about right now?”

“It’s the truth, isn’t it?”

The glass Outsider shot a vicious glare at Nutricha, who was speaking with a mischievous expression, and even started pointing fingers.

“Are you saying this just because I didn’t play with you recently?!”

“Host, the opponent is bringing up unrelated topics in the argument.”

“… Calm down a bit. This isn’t a fight.”

“Ugh! This is slander!!”

The Gardener calmly comforted the glass Outsider, but it looked like their face was turning crimson from anger and about to explode.

Hearing that they had not played recently made me understand why Nutricha was saying such things.

It seemed that glass Outsider was part of the same elite Outsider group as Nutricha.

Anyhow, this was how the meeting, as described by the Outsiders, flowed.

Of course, not all Outsiders spoke just to vent emotions; many were eager to share information.

“I heard that recently, a large number of humans are flooding into the blizzard area near where the princess lives.”

“Uh-huh, could they be settling down now that it’s the right time after coming from somewhere else?”

“I’m not sure about that.”

It was a surprisingly interesting gathering.

The fact that Outsiders gathered in such a manner was intriguing, but what was even more curious was that they were chatting leisurely as if enjoying tea time.

As the Outsiders took turns sharing stories, one next to me finished theirs and sat back down.

Thinking the next Outsider would speak up, I remained still, but all eyes suddenly turned toward me.

Their eyes sparkled.

Ah.

This flow seems a bit awkward.

Wanting a human to share a story in a gathering of Outsiders?

Isn’t it possible that over 90% of these Outsiders are genuinely friendly toward humans?

I considered declining, but the Gardener was looking at me with a burdensome smile, so I had no choice but to clear my throat and stand up.

“Um, my information might not be helpful, but rather than talking about myself, I would like to ask you something.”

They nodded with a smile, as if to say I could ask anything, so I took a deep breath before speaking.

“Do you know about the being commonly referred to as the Watcher in the Human World?”

And the moment my words came out, the expressions of the Outsiders froze.

#

The Watcher.

A being that humans have no knowledge of.

Yet, the Record Keeper was rather secretive about this existence.

It was impossible to dismiss the Watcher lightly, given the accuracy of the grandfather’s predictions.

The Record Keeper mentioned that it would be learned later, but shouldn’t I know at least to some extent to respond appropriately?

While thinking about that, I just tossed out a topic.

“What?! They were still alive?!”

“No, I’m sure they said it was dead.”

The Outsiders began to speak in a frenzy, as if reality had been denied amongst each other.

Dead, you say.

Could that be why people have forgotten about them?

Only that grandfather remembered?

But it seemed odd that the Mystic could be unaware of this.

After all, they seemed to know all the details about the Gardener being an Elite Outsider.

Even the Gardener appeared surprised while looking at me.

“How do humans know about that being, the Watcher?”

“There’s someone on our side who regards the Watcher as a religion.”

“… Did you just say that?”

“They said they revered it as a religion.”

Is it possible that the Watcher has a bad reputation among Outsiders?

Why is the atmosphere so cold?

“There’s no one here who likes that being.”

Just then, the glass Outsider, looking overly distressed, responded in a serious tone that seemed to want to solve my curiosity.

“Why is that?”

“Because if they are around, there’s nothing we can do freely. Not even gathering here to chat like this.”

What does that mean?

Are they saying that being has enough influence to affect Outsiders?

According to the Mystic’s explanation, only the Elite Outsider of the Idea Level can wield that much influence.

But it seemed strange.

If the Elite Outsider of the Idea Level were dead, then how could things be going on normally in this world?

Shouldn’t there be some kind of imbalance?

As I tried to ask another question to understand more, the Gardener clapped their hands and signaled me to stop.

That was a sign to end the discussion.

“Stop.”

“…?”

“You’ll only end up hurt if you dig deeper. Stop.”

Under the Gardener’s infinitely determined attitude, I had no choice but to take my mouth shut.

What is going on here?

The Gardener and the Record Keeper are both unusual in revealing everything but keeping silent about the Watcher.

…Does this mean it would be no different asking other Outsiders?

It seemed that, at this point, I had no choice but to consult that grandfather.

If it concerns me, there’s no such thing as ignorance.

Even if it’s a painful story, knowing it is crucial for moving forward.

“Well then, shall we move on to the next topic?”

“I have a suggestion!”

Just as the Gardener was about to shift the conversation so seamlessly, another elite Outsider raised their hand.

“Uh, go ahead.”

“I want to hear about the Host’s worries!”

“Me, me?!”

It was such a sudden comment that the Gardener pointed at themselves in astonishment.

“Oh, now that you mention it!”

“You’ve always focused on society, but you’ve never talked about what’s on your mind, not even once!”

“You all would find it interesting even if you talked about yourselves, right?”

As the elite Outsiders voiced their objections, it seemed the Gardener wanted to excuse themselves, shaking both hands while speaking.

But the issue was that an Outsider who would never remain quiet in this kind of situation was present.

“Thinking about it, aren’t you hiding yourself thoroughly? Perhaps you’re secretly mocking us inside while only listening to our stories.”

“Exactly, exactly!”

One of the other elite Outsiders chimed in on Nutricha’s words.

It had been surprising that Nutricha spoke up so confidently, given the poor impression I left, but surprisingly, the Gardener seemed thoughtful, resting their chin on their hand.

“Well. That’s true.”

“Exactly!”

Seeing them so eager to express their agreement, I was curious about what the Gardener would say and focused intently.

And the moment the Gardener opened their mouth, my expression couldn’t help but sour in stark contrast to the bright faces of the elite Outsiders.

“This is a story about a female human’s mate who cheated on her.”

…It looked exactly like they were about to share a story related to me!

 

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