The Gardener was staring at me, mouth agape, as if she were taken aback.

I wondered why I was still fine even after being hit by this. It doesn’t seem to have any other function besides just eroding the mind.

It seemed that this caterpillar’s secretions were particularly threatening to the roses.

As I tilted my head in confusion, the caterpillar displayed signs of panic and then lifted its tail again, starting to spray that dreadful liquid even more.

“Ugh, eww!”

Could it be that it thought it didn’t have enough to attack with?

It wasn’t that grotesque, but knowing it came from a bug made it hard to endure.

“Ugh! How disgusting!”

I already felt gross from not being able to wash up, and now this? What kind of nonsense was this?

I was getting irritated just standing around and taking hits.

Ignoring the yucky essence oozing out, I dashed forward and attempted to grab the caterpillar as soon as I reached the flower, but it maneuvered around like it was a living being.

What is this little brat?

“Alright, let’s see what you’ve got.”

I got into position to start my official caterpillar-catching encounter, trying to gesture my way without disturbing the flower too much.

But it was like the little pest was taunting me, making it infuriatingly difficult to catch it, testing the limits of my patience.

“Now!”

In the midst of my struggle, I spotted an opening and quickly reached out, only for it to fire something other than liquid at me.

I realized it was some sort of thread when it wrapped around my hand.

“Ouch!”

What on earth was in that thread? The spot where it touched felt like it was melting away.

Was this why the Gardener couldn’t approach carelessly?

Approaching was already hard because of the green liquid, and if you finally got close, it would ensnare you and then spray that green goo again.

Plus, it was holding the flower hostage, so there was no way she could use her plants to deal with it.

It was a classic case of being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“Ugh!”

I yanked the thread towards me, hoping the caterpillar would fly my way, but it neatly sliced through the thread and scurried back to hide under the flower.

Oh, for crying out loud.

Why can’t you just get caught already?

On top of that, it began to set up some kind of trap around itself with the thread, and when I tried to disregard it and grab it, my hand got stuck and took me ages to pull free.

This had to be that ‘string trap’ everyone in the community had been talking about.

I see why they were saying that now.

Dragging this out was getting me nowhere.

Determined to grab both the flower and the caterpillar in one go, I reached out, thinking that was the only way to succeed.

But the issue was that if I did manage to grab it, the flower would inevitably break.

“Hey, buddy! Help me out!”

Calling for the Outcast God, she stepped out and approached the caterpillar.

Honestly, looking at her, I felt a bit worried—she seemed weaker than the Gardener.

But for some reason…

When the Outcast God spread her arms like a little panda in a threatening manner…

“Eek, eek!”

The caterpillar froze in place, not moving an inch from my hand.

Like a creature faced with absolute terror.

Could this creature also be linked to that lady the Gardener kept mentioning?

Seizing the opportunity, I quickly snatched the caterpillar, finally succeeding in removing it from the flower.

“Kiik!”

“Yikes!”

But just as it seemed to retaliate, it jabbed my hand with its long leg, forcing me to drop it immediately.

As it fell, the caterpillar tried to crawl back toward the flower.

No way, I just got you away from there!

“Not so fast!”

Luckily, it couldn’t achieve its goal.

Just before the caterpillar could reach the flower, a stem shot up from the ground and skewered the caterpillar like a shish kebab.

Piyong!

“Kiieeek!”

With a sound resembling a toy being squeezed, the caterpillar screamed loudly.

Not only that, but two more stems grew to ensure it was thoroughly speared.

That put an end to the caterpillar’s movements.

“Phew, ha…”

Feeling like everything was finally over, I flopped down on the ground, and the Outcast God flew over to me with a gloomy expression.

I gave her a gentle pat with my finger.

“It’s okay, I’m just tired.”

 

My throbbing abdomen had been bothering me for a while, but I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if I just slept it off.

All I really wanted was to rest.

But I had to wrap things up first.

Lifting my head to look at the flower, I noticed the Gardener cautiously approaching.

She moved as if she were going to greet a family member she hadn’t seen in years.

Some parts of the flower were nibbled away, likely because of the caterpillar, but as the Gardener got closer, it began to emit light.

“Oh, oh.”

I could see tears welling up in the Gardener’s eyes at the sight.

At that moment, something started squirming out from the flower, yawning as if waking from a long slumber.

It was about the size of the Outcast God, with silvery long hair and white skin, looking just like a stunning doll.

“Friend…”

“Uh, sister?”

The child emerging from the rose stretched out her arms toward the Gardener.

In the end, a single tear rolled down the Gardener’s cheek.

It felt like I’d been hit on the head upon realizing that such a strong being could show such a weak side.

Especially when you consider that the Outsider seemed like they could have blood or tears neither.

I opened my mouth to say something but closed it, thinking it might be better to let the Gardener express her emotions freely after everything she had gone through.

“You’re awake. How are you feeling?”

“Yeah, I’m not very energetic, but… I feel refreshed.”

But maybe it was an omen of an unfortunate future that lay ahead.

Even though she said that, there was something faint about her condition that didn’t look good at all.

It felt as if she could vanish at any moment.

What could I do?

I didn’t want that gentle smile on her face to end up suffering misfortune.

I absolutely detested bad endings.

Even if it was an Outsider, everyone being happy would be much better.

Just then, the Outcast God poked her head out of my pocket and poked my hand.

“What?”

I wondered if she had any ideas, but instead, she held out a piece of candy to me.

Wait, why a suicide candy?!

Could it be she wanted me to eat this and find peace faster?

As if reading my mind, the Outcast God shook her head rapidly.

Then what in the world…?

Not wanting to show this to the Gardener and become the most hated person, I tried to tuck the candy back into my pocket.

“That… is…”

The Gardener was slowly coming closer to me.

Had I been caught?

Oh no!

I’m not ready to die yet…

“Seriously… you really came to help us from the start…”

Instinctively, I raised my arm to cover my face, but I heard words I never expected to come my way.

Carefully lowering my arm, I looked at the Gardener.

She had always shown me a stern, threatening face, but seeing her with tears welling up and a sweet smile made me speechless.

It felt like a single painting.

Seeing the clear need for candy, I subtly offered the candy to the Gardener, who quickly took it and ran over to the rose to place it in the child’s mouth.

The child held the candy in her hands, licking it with delight, and continued to beam a radiant smile.

As this happened, the child’s body began to gradually become more opaque until, finally, she regained her full form.

I had thought it was a worthless drug, but here it was being used effectively.

Who knew?

After confirming that the child was feeling much better, the Gardener stood up and extended her hand to me.

Seeing her smile, even if faint, rather than her usual sternness, struck me as genuinely beautiful.

“Uh, um…”

“Thank you.”

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, I sheepishly scratched the back of my head and took the Gardener’s hand to rise.

As we stood there, gazing at each other, the Gardener winked and said,

“You’ll need to wash up quickly when we get back. You’re all slippery.”

“…Yeah, right.”

With that, as she turned back toward the rose, it seemed like her way of saying goodbye.

Honestly, I could see the Outsider wasn’t being honest until the end.

But I still had something left to say.

“I heard that in this garden, you’ve made it so that people can find their way out. You didn’t want to kill anyone, right?”

At my words, the Gardener’s eyes widened in shock, and she let out a tiny snort.

 

“What does that matter? Either way, I killed someone. You shouldn’t forgive me.”

“But…”

“Enough, just take this.”

The Gardener stretched out a branch toward me and handed me something that turned out to be a dandelion flower and a uniquely patterned leaf.

As I stood there with a blank expression, the Gardener explained.

“If you’re a knight, you’ll need proof that you’ve killed us. Retrieve a lock of hair as evidence, and keep the dandelion.”

“Do you think the knights will fall for something like this?”

Since the conversation with the Gardener wouldn’t reach Muyun, I gave a casual explanation, and she replied earnestly,

“Well, I think so. This leaf is a common by-product of Gardeners…”

Still, I was a bit worried.

But since it was said by no one other than Gardener herself, I figured I could trust it.

By the way, what’s up with the dandelion?

It looked like it had just sprouted, being surrounded by a bud.

“What about the dandelion?”

“If you plan to help Outsiders in the future, it might come in handy. There are indeed those who harbor malice towards humans.”

The Gardener spoke through gritted teeth.

“To deal with the one who caused this world to be like this ■■, even more so.”

“What did you say?”

I heard her mumble something, but it crackled like noise interference, making it hard to catch the words.

I thought it was just my ears playing tricks, but the Gardener sighed and said,

“I see. It looks like someone stronger than me is interfering. Then I have nothing to say.”

Was she talking about that lady? But the Gardener shook her head.

“No, not her. You’re thinking along the wrong lines. I’m not weaker than her.”

“…She’s an Outcast God?”

“It’s wrong to define us through human value judgments. She’s not what you’d call an Outcast God.”

So, what you’re saying is, the Gardener is actually a friend of mine.

In that case, does that mean we’ve had a run-in with an external Watcher?

“Then… who exactly are you?”

“Even if you’re okay with it, I’m pretty sure the woman behind you wouldn’t remain sane after hearing my name.”

Ahh.

Thinking back, she probably wouldn’t willingly step outside even if I asked.

As I stood there, looking flustered, the Gardener chuckled.

“I’ll just say I’m a coward from the garden where humanity first sinned.”

“A coward, huh.”

I thought, aren’t I, or Muyun, any different?

We really are a trio of cowards, I couldn’t help but think.

“Go on now. My friend needs some rest.”

“…Will we be able to meet again later?”

At my question, the Gardener looked at me with a subtle expression before breaking into a smile.

“Well, I suppose that’s possible.”

With that, I said my goodbyes to the Gardener and headed towards the main gate.

As I observed the many flowers, I felt a wave of melancholy imagining the Gardener’s feelings up until now.

Not that I wanted to, but it feels like I’m being forced into murder.

Perhaps the true existence of Outsiders is surrounded by misunderstandings.

“Phew…”

“So, Mister Tanton?”

Muyun called out to me, and I looked over at her, feeling a bit down.

“Yes, what is it?”

“When can I remove this handkerchief?”

Ah.

It seems it wasn’t until I fully exited the main gate that Muyun finally regained her sight.

—

Underneath the massive blaze of the hearth.

The vice director sat at the round table in the outpost of the knights stationed beneath the hearth.

He gazed at the markings they had contracted before setting out.

Despite having received the signal for Muyun’s return, he continued to stare at Leydan Tanton’s glowing mark with a sigh.

“I expected the Hunter, but I never imagined that psychopath could pull it off. Is it thanks to Muyun? What could have motivated him to swallow his fear and act?”

As he contemplated, one of the finger markings suddenly lost its light.

It was Agartha’s.

“…That worthless girl.”

Even as the signal confirmed her death, the vice-captain remained unfazed and continued his work.