Ch.117Chapter 117

Fiore was staring at me with wide eyes.

Was it so surprising that I had called her by name?

I suppose it was my fault for having ignored their feelings and dragging things out for so long.

My heart felt heavy with subtle guilt.

Just as Fiore was blushing and moving her lips as if trying to say something—

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

Suddenly, a scream rang out.

Looking around, I realized that the Outer Gods from the conference room had somehow surrounded us.

Could it be that whatever pushed me earlier was these Outer Gods?

“Did you guys see that?!”

“Oh my goodness, how! Hey, check my teeth! Are they rotting?”

“What a disgusting thing to do!”

No.

They were shouting like a bunch of middle-aged women watching a drama.

As I was feeling even more embarrassed because of that, Fiore suddenly grabbed my wrist and started running somewhere.

“W-wait!”

I almost fell over.

Having barely regained my balance, I was dragged along as we moved to another location.

#

“Hey, who pushed them earlier?”

“Seriously, you’re blessed!”

Watching the Outer Gods getting excited among themselves, Nutriche wore a displeased expression with one corner of her lip turned down.

She sighed deeply as she watched them leave.

“…How disappointing. I thought it was my exclusive privilege.”

As she was feeling somewhat sentimental watching them, the Glass Outer God came running out with a shocked expression.

“What? Why are you only coming out now!”

“That was such an epic scene, really!”

“No, you idiots! Didn’t you notice something strange?”

At that, question marks appeared above all the Outer Gods’ faces, and the Glass Outer God pointed frustratedly toward the path where Tanthyn had already disappeared.

“How could a mere human possibly recognize the name of the Moderator?!”

“…!!”

At the Glass Outer God’s words, the others belatedly realized something and started making a commotion.

Being able to recognize a Greater Outer God’s name.

Such a thing was only possible for other Greater Outer Gods, or for some humans in the human realm whose mental strength had reached the level of Greater Outer Gods.

And those few humans…

Were beings strong enough to easily sweep away lesser Outer Gods like themselves.

“Ugh, ack.”

“D-don’t tell me they came to investigate us?!”

“I-if that were the case, they wouldn’t have confessed to the Moderator.”

“That’s true, but…”

Watching them as the atmosphere suddenly darkened, Nutriche sighed.

To think these simple-minded fools were her friends.

If they knew about Tanthyn, they would have realized he wasn’t much of a threat.

The scene of Tanthyn calling Fiore by name kept replaying in Nutriche’s mind.

To get rid of this sour feeling, she thought she’d torment Tanthyn the next time he appeared in her unconscious.

“…Be prepared.”

#

The place Fiore and I arrived at was much farther than where we had been before.

Unlike Fiore, I was in a human body, so I exhaled heavily as soon as we stopped.

Greater Outer Gods really need to consider the physical differences between themselves and humans.

I almost broke my pelvis halfway through.

“…What you said earlier.”

Seeing that I had finally caught my breath, Fiore quietly spoke up.

“Should I take it to mean what I think it means…?”

“Well… yes.”

At my answer, Fiore made an “urk” sound, then smiled slightly.

“Well… thanks for accepting. That’s… yeah.”

I suppose since Fiore was the one who confessed first, I was just responding to that.

Heh, to think I’d end up dating an Outer God.

People in Rondan would be shocked out of their minds.

They’d probably make a fuss about my unusual taste.

Come to think of it, there was something I was curious about at this point.

When Asti obtained The Advisor’s body before, she gradually returned to normal.

The appearance people saw then was exactly the same as The Advisor I saw.

Doesn’t that mean the appearance I’m seeing now is the same as what she looks like when an Outer God’s power disappears?

So the Fiore I’m seeing now is actually her true appearance, and it’s other people who see her strangely.

…I tried to run this happy thought process for a bit.

Well, whatever.

As long as she’s pretty in my eyes, that’s all that matters.

I approached Fiore, who was fidgeting somewhat, and hugged her tightly, feeling her body twitch inside my embrace.

“I’m sorry for not properly acknowledging you until now, Fiore.”

“…That’s rather sudden at this point.”

When I carefully released Fiore, she lowered her head deeply, seemingly embarrassed.

I felt like laughing, seeing her like this after always showing such a confident demeanor.

“By the way, where are we?”

“…My park. This is why I said you could call me something like a landscaper.”

So is this also a Greater Outer God’s domain like the space The Cook created?

Coming here on a dandelion means this is purely Fiore’s space.

Not a created space, but a primordial one.

If that’s the case, this place would also look like a horrific hell to other people.

“It’s much more beautiful than the garden in front of Rondan.”

“…You’re not just saying that because you feel sorry for me?”

“Of course not. I’m an honest person when it comes to things like this.”

Fiore, who had been smiling meaningfully, let out a sigh that seemed somewhat relieved.

“Hmm?”

“Mmm, it’s nothing. I just finally finished a task with an uncertain outcome.”

A task with an uncertain outcome.

That’s how it must have felt to Fiore.

I sat down beside her and stroked her head.

“Ugh, please don’t treat me like a child.”

“Is that so? I think it’s fine to pat someone if they’re cute, even if they’re an adult.”

“…Seriously, that mouth of yours!”

Whether it was a placebo effect or her hidden feelings being revealed, I wasn’t sure.

All I knew was that Fiore, who was already beautiful, looked much cuter now.

“Oh right, what about that meeting?”

“Well, it was almost over anyway. Now we should all go back to our respective places.”

“Then I should go too.”

“…Right. You have things to do.”

I smiled brightly as I watched Fiore mumble “You could stay longer…” in a barely audible voice.

Hmm.

That’s right.

I still have a lot to do.

I couldn’t waste even a day if I wanted to accomplish everything I needed to.

“…If you stroke that dandelion, you can come here anytime.”

“Ah, so that’s why.”

Could it be that she gave me that gift so she could summon me whenever she missed me?

So when she said it was useful, she meant useful for herself!

Well.

To be fair, it was quite a helpful gift.

In a way, it meant I had an emergency shelter, which wasn’t bad at all.

What being could freely enter a Greater Outer God’s domain?

Of course, that was a different story if they were other Greater Outer Gods.

Suddenly, I remembered something I had forgotten, and a chill ran down my spine.

Bell was supposed to be a higher-level Outer God than Fiore, right?

That means Bell’s power could reach here too.

…Does that mean she saw everything that happened earlier?

As I was dreading the inevitable backlash—

Crack!

An unsettling sound came from somewhere.

Unlike the sound of breaking glass, it was a more chilling noise.

Looking in the direction of the sound, I could see something had cracked.

I tried to convince myself it was just a crack in the wall, but it was unmistakable.

The space itself had collapsed!

No way, this is another Greater Outer God’s domain?

How could it be broken so easily…?

As I was thinking that, a memory from the past surfaced.

The Dragonslayer’s brute force that had shattered The Chronicler’s words with just a punch.

That meant there was only one Greater Outer God who could do something like this.

BANG!

With a heavy sound, a pale fist and purple cuff emerged from the distorted crack.

The fist withdrew, and something became visible through the broken space.

“H-hieek!”

The Dragonslayer’s dead eyes were staring directly at me.

“Hus─band.”

The Dragonslayer called my name in a drawn-out voice, then completely shattered the crack, revealing her entire body.

“T-that one…!”

Fiore made me step back, perhaps trying to protect me.

Three more figures walked up behind The Dragonslayer.

She hadn’t come alone.

Bell, The Cook, and The Chronicler.

All of them were approaching with somewhat chilling expressions.

“What are you doing?!”

“Silence, weed. This lady is not interested in you.”

Soon, The Dragonslayer’s gaze fixed on me again.

It was a terrifying gaze that sent chills down my spine just by looking at it.

“This lady gave you freedom. But it seems this lady’s choice was mistaken after all.”

At The Dragonslayer’s words, the three behind her nodded in unison.

It seemed they had coordinated to some extent before coming.

“Given the circumstances, this lady has no choice but to establish a fait accompli with husband now.”

But The Dragonslayer’s next words must have been unexpected, as the three Outer Gods who were about to nod looked at her with surprised expressions.

Hearing those words, Fiore stepped in front of the approaching Dragonslayer with a shocked expression.

“Are you crazy?! What are you saying right now?!”

“Move aside! You weed, no, you thief! To think you would secretly try to take husband away from this lady, this lady can no longer tolerate it!”

“What are you deciding on your own! Tanthyn is scared!”

“Hyaack! Now you’re openly rubbing salt in the wound? How dare you casually call husband by name in front of this lady!”

The Dragonslayer was making such a scene that the other Outer Gods rushed to restrain her.

“C-calm down, meow! The human is despicable, but forcing things is bad!”

“T-that’s right! If you do that, you’ll lose what little affection there might be!”

“Raedan Tanthyn, run away quickly!”

But even if they tell me to run away, where could I go?!

While I was bewildered by the absurdity, The Dragonslayer raised both arms while staring directly at me.

“Let go of me! I said let go!”

…It was another typically chaotic day.