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“Have you finally reached that point?”

“What on earth are you talking about…?”

“The Outsider has reached a level that looks human, Sir Tanton.”

The Saint spoke in an excited tone, almost giddy.

I had only discussed possibilities, yet somehow, I had brushed against an actual theory.

Hmm.

But how does the Saint know about such a theory?

“I-I didn’t mean it like that.”

“But you must have brought it up because you saw something like that.”

I tried to evade the question, but the Saint’s gaze was already set with a determined answer.

It meant that even if I were blind, I would be expected to believe I saw the Outsider as a person.

I should have worded my thoughts more carefully.

Feeling a bit regretful, the Saint took a deep breath and looked at me seriously.

“That level is still beyond my reach. I’ve desperately wanted to reach it, but there’s always a limit, no matter how hard I try. However, considering the time I was still sane while reading the Record Keeper’s writings, it’s rather strange that you, Sir Tanton, have yet to reach that level.”

Well, that was a process I had to go through to move forward, lacking better options.

I wondered just how much I was benefiting from being in coward mode.

Once again, I couldn’t help but admire it inwardly.

“The Outsider looking human—that kind of information hasn’t been found in any book. So, people perceive the Outsider as a wicked monster, yes, in conventional literature.”

The Saint said this before pulling out a hefty book.

It looked quite thick, and the odd thing was small flowers seemed to evaporate into the air around it.

Considering the fact that things related to the Outsider had been censored due to coward mode, this was not a normal book.

“That book isn’t…?”

“That’s right.”

The Saint placed the book on the table, removing the gloves he wore, whether for protection or not.

“This is a book written by the Outsider. I got this book when I first started studying mysticism after stopping by the library for research.”

“…It already feels unusual.”

The moment the book was placed on the table, a beautiful aura intensified.

To be able to read a book written by an Outsider that exudes this level of energy after just starting to study mysticism—clearly, the Saint was a prodigy in that field.

“This book contains shocking content that completely overturns the information that the general public has known until now. It also highlights how most of the historical texts we have are distorted.”

Historical texts.

I had so much to do that I hadn’t bothered to read them.

I had only picked up a few stories from Hunters or the Princess.

I gazed at the Saint with wide, clueless eyes, and he looked pleased.

“Oh, you aren’t too familiar with history, are you?”

There was an emperor.

The emperor’s reign was remarkable.

There were no uprisings due to dissatisfaction in an empire that owned vast territories.

Given that it is nearly impossible to gauge the public sentiment from every corner, one could say the emperor was almost a superhuman.

Moreover, the emperor was young, exceptionally handsome, and had a good personality.

As a result, countless noblewomen queued up to marry him.

But the emperor had one problem.

He was a person who sought stimulation.

That’s why he wasn’t fond of human love.

The only thing that provided him with enough stimulation to exceed his limits was…

Engaging with an Outsider without any reason.

Extreme hatred tends to return as extreme stimulation.

Thus, the emperor took the Elite Outsider as his wife.

Just recognizing her existence could potentially break one’s mind, but the emperor showed no hesitation.

In fact, some of his ministers felt like he became infused with life whenever he was with the Elite Outsider.

Contrary to people’s worries, the emperor got along well with the Elite Outsider, and they were so fond of each other that a half-Outsider was born from their union.

But later, the Elite Outsider staged a sudden rebellion.

In the process, the emperor died, and naturally, the empire entered a period of stagnation.

The once magnificent empire fell due to the emperor’s mistakes.

“…This is the content of what is typically known as a historical text.”

Hearing the summary of the story the Saint provided, something felt off to me.

Through the stories of the princess, I knew she was a half-Outsider, and that the emperor had a child with the Outsider.

However, the Outsider suddenly rebelling was new to me.

Why did all stories about giants in the Snow Mountain disappear?

Seeing the puzzled expression on my face, the Saint nodded in understanding.

“That’s right, Sir Tanton. There are many oddities here. The book details all of that.”

So here is what the people of the Rondan Domain usually know.

And it’s true that no falsehoods exist.

But saying there are no lies implies that they have omitted truths.

It also means they’ve made the error of stating “it could appear that way” as if it were an established fact.

I outright refute the historical texts in Rondan.

First of all, it had nothing to do with the emperor’s preferences being odd.

Because at that time…

The Outsider appeared to look human.

“Wait, wait a minute.”

“I completely understand that reaction.”

I interrupted the Saint in shock, but he merely nodded.

It’s true; there were things I could hypothetically consider.

For example, when Asti was switching bodies with the Interrogator and slowly finding her human form, the fact that the Asti I saw looked the same as what others saw was notable.

But everyone else saw her as human too?

“I know you have many questions, but let’s hear this first.”

And the Elite Outsider didn’t stage a rebellion.

In fact, it was a justified action.

Because the emperor privately kept a mistress to satisfy his possessive urges.

In turn, the Elite Outsider eventually became aware of the emperor’s infidelity.

She was powerful enough to rival the Record Keeper and was a life-claiming Outsider.

Against such an Outsider, the emperor couldn’t mount a proper defense and died on the spot.

We might need to be thankful that the world didn’t end then.

The daughters born between the Outsider and the emperor grew up full of passionate love, gaining the power to save lives, while the child born after the emperor’s love had waned possessed the ability to suck away life.

This is now the story of humanity.

Fortunately, the following story was almost the same one I already knew.

“Anyway, through this story, you are now getting closer and closer to the truth, Sir Tanton.”

The Saint laughed as if to say, ‘You should be happier about this,’ but my thoughts were rather tangled.

The story had ended uncomfortably.

Yeah, I understand that Outsiders must have appeared human to everyone in the past.

But detailed stories about how people came to see Outsiders in their current forms were entirely left out.

Outsiders wouldn’t not know the story.

“Saint, have you heard any information regarding the Watcher?”

“Well, no. It’s a term I’ve never seen in any book.”

…The Outsiders are also silent on the matter.

Forgotten by humans.

Even such a powerful being hasn’t stirred any cracks in the world.

Perhaps, the existence of the Watcher could help plug this gaping hole in the story.

There was also the image of a certain lady that kept surfacing recently.

I still had many pieces of information to figure out.

And to face those powerful Outsiders, I inevitably needed to grow stronger myself.

“Thank you, Saint.”

“If you ever need help, I will assist you at any time.”

“Then, is there a book on the principles of the Outsiders’ strength?”

“Oh, if it’s that, it’s over there.”

I walked toward where the Saint pointed.

Still fuzzy, but just obtaining this level of knowledge was undeniably meaningful.

It seemed like a good idea to later go and ask that old man who keeps mumbling about the Watcher.

Having come to the library, I had gathered a decent amount of information.

Perhaps thanks to that, I felt like I was slowly moving toward a conclusion.

The people of Rondan had suffered for too long.

It was time for happiness to come.

And I would fight to procure that happiness myself.

As I was resolved, someone suddenly latched onto my arm.

“…?”

Glancing over, I saw the Hunter casually linking arms with me, trying to walk away somewhere.

“S-Sir Hunter? What are you doing right now?”

“I overheard your conversation with the Saint. You guys are way too immersed in Outsiders.”

This is insane.

What does that have to do with this!?

No way!

Flustered, Asti came close and gently tugged at my arm, ensuring I wouldn’t be dragged away.

“This is clearly an abduction.”

“If there’s mutual agreement, it’s not abduction.”

“But you’re clearly unwilling right now.”

“If I get consent later, then it counts as an agreement.”

That insane confidence as if I was definitely going to agree!

Drenched in fear, I barely managed to escape the situation, thanks to Asti’s help.

 

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