Ch.129Chapter 129

The Outer Gods were approaching us slowly, their vigilance so intense it made my skin tingle.

The Outer Gods near Rondan were generally the type who were genuinely committed to killing humans.

Whether it was for fun or out of hatred, I wasn’t quite sure.

Judging by their vicious expressions, these Outer Gods seemed to fall into the latter category.

Perhaps it was because their territory was frequently invaded compared to other Outer Gods.

…Or maybe it was because the Outer God killer woman was nearby.

Either way, the probability of becoming friends with such Outer Gods approached zero.

That meant subduing them was the only option.

“Perfect, there are exactly three of them. Let’s each take one down.”

The Warrior grinned as he looked at them.

His expression perfectly reflected his personality—someone who found joy in fighting.

How could he still be excited after such intense battles with Outer Gods just yesterday?

This man must truly be a descendant of Vikings.

“It’s been a while since I’ve had a peaceful fight!”

After uttering the contradictory phrase combining “peaceful” and “fight,” the Warrior charged forward with heavy yet swift steps.

It was astonishing how someone with such a massive body, though filled with muscle, could move so quickly.

“Let’s go too.”

“Yes.”

Mu-yeon said this to me as she watched the Warrior charge ahead, and I reflexively ran forward as well.

As soon as they saw us move, the ordinary Outer Gods took combat stances and began throwing what looked like shuriken.

Were they ninja-types this time?

It suddenly occurred to me that Outer Gods seemed much trendier than the knights of Rondan.

None of those shuriken reached us.

The Warrior, who had charged ahead, deflected them all by wildly swinging his menacing axe.

“Such underhanded tactics! Fight fair and square, you creatures!”

When the shuriken stopped coming, the Warrior “took flight.”

Literally, the Warrior made such a gentle leap that he remained airborne for a long time.

In an instant, the distance between the Warrior and the Outer God closed, and before the Outer God could properly react—

“Hahaha! Come at me, you Outer God bastards!”

The Warrior swung his blunted axe behind his head and brought it down.

The Outer Gods instantly dodged that large movement.

PABABANG!

With that unique sound effect, a sizeable crater formed where the Warrior had struck.

“W-what the?!”

“Besides that dark-skinned guy, we don’t usually see humans this strong!”

“Things are really weird these days! We’re being oppressed!”

Voices filled with worldly grievances echoed, but ultimately, they were creatures who massacred weak humans.

It seems we’d found some truly malicious Outer Gods this time too.

“Don’t run away! Stand and fight!”

“Eek!”

The Outer Gods were terrified as the Warrior, who had just delivered such a powerful blow, immediately pivoted and charged toward them.

But the Warrior wasn’t the only human present.

“Hyaap!”

Mu-yeon, who had now almost completely shaken off her fear, charged at a pale-faced Outer God and swung her giant toy axe.

The Outer God, noticing too late, dodged Mu-yeon’s attack.

But.

“Kyaaak!”

The Outer God screamed, clutching its severed arm.

I clearly saw it dodge Mu-yeon’s attack, and yet—

“Mu-yeon, the Meditatio…!”

“Yes…!”

When I looked at Mu-yeon with a surprised expression, she smiled proudly and brought her two fists together.

Mu-yeon had grown much stronger during my absence.

As expected of the Warrior’s daughter, her learning speed was remarkable.

Mu-yeon looked at the Warrior with expectant eyes, but—

“Hahahahaha!”

…For some reason, the Warrior didn’t spare her a glance and remained completely absorbed in fighting the Outer God.

I could visibly see Mu-yeon’s embarrassment.

Strange.

The Warrior had said he wouldn’t shy away from any fight for the sake of Rondan and his daughter.

Yet his current attitude showed he was obsessed only with fighting.

Someone as strong as the Warrior couldn’t have missed seeing her Meditatio while being distracted by combat.

“Haha! This is the end!”

Finally cornering the Outer God, the Warrior spun one axe in the air and brought it down.

On its side.

“Kuhek.”

A dying gasp came from the Outer God.

It had been less than five minutes since the fight began.

True to his reputation, the Warrior was incredibly powerful.

“Whew, that’s the feeling!”

We needed to finish what we were doing too.

Mu-yeon, seeming to realize this, swallowed her slight disappointment and focused on hunting the Outer God.

#

“Senior Warrior.”

“Hmm?”

“Mu-yeon just used Meditatio.”

“What?!”

After all the fighting was over, as we were returning to the entrance of Rondan, I spoke to the Warrior in a slightly sulky voice.

Only then did the Warrior look at Mu-yeon with a surprised expression.

“Is that true?!”

“Yes, that’s how she took down the Outer God right next to you.”

“Oh my, how did I miss that!”

The Warrior slapped his forehead with his hand and approached Mu-yeon, placing his hands on both her shoulders.

“My daughter has already reached that level?! At this rate, she’ll surpass the White Mask!”

“F-Father… it’s not that impressive.”

“Really, I feel like crying! I’ve raised my child so well…”

The Warrior said this and then made crying noises while scattering tears everywhere.

Mu-yeon was comforting him with an awkwardly pleased smile.

Hmm.

But why did even this scene feel somehow unnatural?

It felt like something being done out of obligation.

We arrived at the knights’ headquarters, reported to the Vice Captain, and disbanded.

But after confirming that the Warrior and Mu-yeon had left, I quietly slipped back and approached the Vice Captain.

“Hmm? Tanthyn, what is it?”

The Vice Captain tilted his head and expressed his curiosity.

“Well, I was just impressed watching Senior Warrior fight.”

“That guy has always been a flashy fighter, so it’s quite a spectacle for observers.”

I asked a slightly probing question, to which the Vice Captain responded with a pleased smile.

“Considering your fighting style, you’ll probably develop in a similar way. No need to be envious.”

“Haha, you flatter me.”

My face suddenly grew hot with embarrassment at receiving such praise.

Even so, it seemed nearly impossible for me to become as strong as them on equal terms.

“Come to think of it, you and Warrior have a lot in common. Unlike the rest of us who kill Outer Gods however we can, Warrior has a philosophy of cleanly cutting their necks to ease their suffering, saying many Outer Gods are pitiful creatures deserving of mercy.”

Huh?

I couldn’t help but raise a question mark when I heard the Vice Captain’s final words.

Cutting off heads to kill opponents cleanly?

“This time he killed one by striking its side with his axe.”

“What? That can’t be right. He’s the type who would drag out an operation if he couldn’t get a clean neck shot.”

The Vice Captain said this with a surprised expression, but what I had seen was the Warrior striking the Outer God’s side and then smiling with satisfaction.

The Vice Captain stroked his chin with his finger, then suddenly nodded as if realizing something.

“Well, he did fight Outer Gods alone for such a long time. In life-threatening situations, he must have had to choose the most efficient methods.”

Perhaps because the Warrior was his friend, the Vice Captain was looking sadly at the firmly closed door through which the Warrior had already left, offering subjective justifications.

Choosing extreme efficiency to protect one’s life.

If the Warrior truly had the same mindset as me, as the Vice Captain suggested…

I would never have made such choices.

#

“Ah, Tanthyn!”

“Mu-yeon?”

The Warrior was gone, and Mu-yeon remained alone by the hearth.

“Didn’t you go back with your father?”

“Well, I wanted to say something.”

Mu-yeon fidgeted with her fingers and moved her lips nervously, seeming embarrassed.

Had she finally made up her mind?

She looked at me with wide, intense eyes.

“I… I wanted to thank you for earlier.”

“For what?”

“…I think I was so happy to be on a mission with my father, whom I’d wanted to see for so long, that I wanted to keep receiving his praise. I wanted to thank you for speaking up for me to fulfill that desire.”

Ah.

That.

“When my father didn’t seem to notice my attack, I wanted to tell him myself, but it felt like I would be showing off… So when you mentioned it for me!”

…That’s not it.

The Warrior must have seen Mu-yeon’s attack.

From that angle, there’s no way he could have missed the Meditatio.

Not knowing this, Mu-yeon was simply expressing her gratitude to me.

“…It’s nothing. No big deal.”

“…If you keep being so kind to me, I’ll be in trouble…”

“Pardon?”

“Ah, nothing! I’m going now!”

Mu-yeon muttered to herself, then startled, began running off somewhere.

Watching her leave, I thought to myself.

I should probably do some investigation.

For Mu-yeon’s well-being, if nothing else.