An uncomfortable silence settled in.

The Gardener was glaring at me, seemingly intent on keeping me from escaping by holding onto my hand tightly.

Breathless and weary, Muyun appeared exasperated, surrounded by beautiful flowers that looked like corpses to anyone else.

It was truly a surreal experience.

Even though quite some time had passed, was the Gardener just waiting for my response?

First of all, what did she mean by “her followers”? And did she say that even “her followers” supposedly turn into flowers just by getting close to her?

When the Watcher attacked me or when the Gardener approached with hostility, it was clear that there was little physical force involved.

Could it be that this coward mode had some hidden feature?

As time went by, the tension radiating from the Gardener sharpened, prompting me to finally speak.

“Uh, um… Well, I’m not really sure, but what you’re thinking isn’t it at all!”

Yet, the Gardener frowned as if my vague words were frustrating her.

“…So you’re trying to brush it off with such ambiguity, huh? That’s typical of so-called mystics or idol worshippers.”

Perhaps my ambiguity was a mistake; the Gardener seemed to not believe me at all.

It was vastly different from how the Watcher had shown me unconditional kindness.

I racked my brain, but it was clear that stalling would only deepen the Gardener’s suspicions.

Well, it’s come to this; let’s just roll with it.

“Look! If you’re an Outsider, you must know if someone’s lying by looking into their eyes!”

I decided to leverage the aspect of Outsiders as all-powerful beings.

Considering the Watcher and the Outcast Gods, they were all Outsiders who could interfere with others’ minds.

So, wouldn’t the Gardener also have the ability to read a person’s thoughts? That was my train of thought in this room.

But the Gardener’s complete lack of reaction was utterly shocking.

Oh no, what if I was wrong?

That would be a disaster.

“W-well, so….”

“…Hmmm.”

As I tried to come up with an excuse, I felt the threatening aura from the Gardener dissipating.

The fact that Muyun, who had been trembling behind me, was showing a slightly relieved expression was proof enough.

Ah, ahaha.

What a relief.

I thought it might have been a bit of an extreme measure, but luckily, it seemed to have worked out…

“…But still, there’s a pretty strong smell of dog. And with that Record Keeper around… it suggests you’ve been rolling around together.”

…What now?

I thought I had finally calmed the Gardener down, but her menacing energy flared up once again.

Could it be that being licked by the Watcher was the problem?

No way, that’s just too absurd!

At least give me some time to wash up!

And what about Record Keeper? That seems to refer to the one who records things.

But I’ve never even met a Recorder, so what in the world…!

Complaining wouldn’t be any use against an adversary who wouldn’t listen.

Alright, let’s think this through.

Through this conversation, I realized that the Gardener would at least not attack someone who wasn’t hostile towards her.

The fact that she didn’t step outside her territory solidified that understanding.

However, she was considerably wary of humans who ventured into her space.

Who would be welcoming to someone barging into their home? Yet, her reaction was rather over the top.

While pondering, one sentence the Gardener had said resurfaced in my mind.

“No one can touch my friend.”

Plus, there was something that seemed to be spreading around her…

Just a moment.

Come to think of it, why is the Gardener outside while the circle is laid out?

Which means….

“I can….”

“…?”

“I can help you with your friend’s problem!”

The Gardener’s every action pointed to her intent to protect that so-called ‘friend’ she had mentioned.

Like a cheetah mother ready to take on a bear to protect its injured cub.

Otherwise, considering the nature of the Outsiders I had encountered so far, there’s no way she would be this hostile towards a human.

And it seemed my assumption was correct.

“…How did you know that?”

Despite her calm tone, the Gardener’s pupils were shaking like a quaking aspen.

At the same time, the dense trees around seemed to reflect the Gardener’s mood, starting to change abruptly.

“Eek…!”

I wondered if that sound sent shivers down Muyun’s spine.

But to my eyes, the space transformed, the trees disappearing and turning into a lovely flower meadow.

Fortunately, it didn’t seem like she intended to attack, as the Gardener simply turned around and began to walk away.

“…Follow me.”

Was she starting to trust my words?

Phew.

That was a close call, felt like I aged ten years.

So this meant she was in a non-hostile state now. Couldn’t Muyun finally ditch the handkerchief?

“Muyun.”

“…Yes?”

“Come here.”

As I helped remove Muyun’s handkerchief, she opened her eyes.

Immediately, she seemed to sense something and covered her eyes with the handkerchief again.

“Eek! Wait, what was that… a tentacle? Huh?”

“…Y-yeah. Just keep it covered.”

“Just as I heard, all humans are nothing but trash.” (Gardener)

So it really was just an issue for my eyes.

Honestly, it was rather unsettling.

#

I walked along behind the Gardener’s lead.

We were passing through a catacomb made up of plants.

Even with the coward mode on, the slightly damp and eerie atmosphere felt bizarre.

“I’m sorry. I can’t do anything…”

Holding onto Muyun’s hand and guiding her, she said that.

“It’s okay. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have made it this far in the first place. Thank you.”

She didn’t say anything in response, but she looked a bit pleased, so that was a relief.

“This is a safe path. The route you took is one that normal humans can’t access.”

“Oh, I see.”

Ah, does that mean the ‘Gardener’s Garden’ written on the inscription before entering refers to this place?

No wonder there were only bright red flowers on the path shown by the Outcast God—that must have been the reason.

It seemed the Outcast God had planned to utilize the fact that I was immune to mental interference.

As I looked at the Gardener’s back while walking, I felt oddly embarrassed.

“It looks beautifully decorated. It’s charming and nice.”

I took the initiative to speak up, but the Gardener didn’t respond at all.

As I awkwardly let out a half-laugh, the Gardener finally turned her head slightly back and said,

“…I don’t completely trust you yet. Just… whatever, keep following me.”

“Yes, sure.”

Well, how could someone show goodwill towards someone they still considered an enemy?

First, I should probably think about things after solving the problem.

After walking for quite a while longer, we came upon a narrow passage made up of vines, leading us in a straight line. As we reached the end, a spacious area large enough for people to live in revealed itself.

It was the same place where I had first encountered the Gardener.

She stepped aside as if to indicate I should stand next to her, and I did so.

Looking to the side, I noticed she was pointing at something. Turning my head in that direction, I saw a rose.

What was unusual, however, was that it was shining in a silver-white hue.

“What a curious rose… Huh? Haha, it’s beautiful.”

“What, what is that?”

Muyun asked, flustered, but the Gardener didn’t provide an answer.

Once I confirmed I was observing, the Gardener sighed and lowered her arm.

“…If you looked closely, you’d understand what the problem is.”

Wait, was there a problem?

I squinted a bit from a distance and observed the rose again, finally realizing what she meant.

“That black thing, it’s eating my friend. Normally, I’d want to solve it with my own powers, but this one’s beyond me. Because of that, the humans who tried to take care of my friend ended up getting slaughtered before I could do anything.”

The implication in her chilling statement made me swallow hard.

It was clear the Gardener wasn’t lying as she spoke with a despondent expression.

Is it really that serious?

Because to my eyes, it merely looked like a caterpillar munching on a flower.

The only difference seemed to be its cartoonishly deformed appearance and its unusually elongated legs.

Seeing my bewilderment, the Gardener sighed again, looking deflated.

“…I shouldn’t have brought you along. If I can’t handle it, what can a human do…?”

“Let’s give it a shot anyway.”

“What?”

I couldn’t understand why she seemed so flustered if she had claimed she could handle it.

Ignoring the Gardener’s reaction, I walked toward the rose.

Hmm.

Even up close, it still just looked like a bug.

Feigning nonchalance, I reached out toward the creature.

“Wait, you idiot…!”

The Gardener’s shout made me instinctively step back, and I immediately understood why.

The caterpillar munching on the rose suddenly raised its tail high and sprayed a blue liquid towards me.

I could see it coming, but dodging the liquid was beyond me.

“Ugh…!”

I felt my entire body become sticky, and my clothes turned blue.

Wait, are we talking about a corrosive substance here?

Is this a big deal?

I was tense thinking that, yet…

Is this it?

Nothing happened, just my clothes getting damp.

“…So, this is how it ends.”

The Gardener was shaking her head in apparent defeat.

“What, what is this?”

“If you get hit by that, a human loses their sanity… huh?”

As she spoke in a grim tone, the Gardener suddenly looked at me as if something was off.

There was clear surprise on her face.

“What? Why are you still fine?”

She asked in shock.

Well, yeah, why am I?