Dawn Awakening.

It’s a peculiar kind of insomnia that strikes when a person hasn’t had enough sleep and suddenly wakes up.

When this happens, a person’s reaction usually splits into two categories: Some wake up furious and complain about their exhaustion, while others surprisingly feel refreshed enough from that brief sleep to think they no longer need to rest.

I, however, happened to fall into the latter category.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw the snowstorm swirling beyond the window and the gentle glow of a lantern, reminiscent of a sleep light.

All these hints clearly indicated that I wasn’t waking up in a prison cell.

As I slowly pieced my memories together, thoughts of my time with the Gardener started to flood back.

When I returned to the branch with the leaves and dandelions given to me by the Gardener, the Deputy Director was nowhere to be seen, and the Masked Woman I had seen in the previous prison was there to greet me.

The White Mask… was that what she was called?

When I handed over the dandelion to the Outcast God, it disappeared into my pocket as smoothly as a squirrel storing food.

After perfectly hiding the dandelion, I extended the leaves to the White Mask, and she seemed to inspect me and the leaves back and forth, making me initially feel a wave of panic.

But soon she nodded and said, “You’ve worked hard. Get treated and rest.”

Even Muyun, who reassured me that everything would be fine, was trembling, and it caught me off guard.

I couldn’t quite fathom what they were thinking, but still, I was grateful for just the offer of a room and lay down on the bed.

I had no idea how I ended up in such a pitiful state.

There was no point in lamenting; after all, the existence known as Leydan Tanton was already gone, leaving me utterly frustrated.

I tried to close my eyes and fall back asleep, but by now my mind was clear, and it resulted in an influx of unnecessary thoughts that made lying there more torturous than restful.

If it was going to be like this, wouldn’t it be better to walk around the room a bit?

Deciding that, I propped myself up and noticed what seemed like rhythmic breathing coming from somewhere.

Initially, I thought the Outcast God had emerged from my pocket and was napping, sending me into a momentary panic as I scanned the room. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case.

In fact, to my surprise, it was even more shocking.

The identity of the person asleep against the bed was none other than Muyun.

Nearby were bandages and a glass bottle, likely containing medicine.

In gaming terms, that would be called a potion.

In the Snow Castle, it was referred to as Flame Essence.

According to community knowledge, it starts off precious but later becomes something you down like water.

Muyun was soundly asleep, as if she had fallen into a deep slumber.

Was she trying to help me recover from that gaping hole in my stomach?

It was only then that I realized something was wrapped around my abdomen, confirming that the bandages were neatly in place.

So she had been taking care of me all night.

Perhaps it was due to the guilt of having left me behind that she had stayed, even though she must have been exhausted herself.

It seemed despite it all, she was just a kind soul at heart.

“I really didn’t need you to go this far.”

I quietly muttered while smiling at Muyun, and it looked like she found her bed uncomfortable too because she slowly began to wake up.

As she propped herself up and stretched, she first made a confused sound of “Huh…?” upon seeing me sitting up.

Then her expression shifted to one of surprise, and she leaned in closer.

“Ar-are you okay?! You’re not… dead, right?”

“Yes, I’m perfectly fine, so don’t worry. Look, I’m able to communicate, aren’t I?”

“Oh, right. That… that’s true.”

Flustered, her expression turned slightly awkward as she stepped back, then she let out a sigh of relief, almost as if the floor had just dropped out from under her.

“I’m really glad! When you collapsed right after coming back, I was worried you might not open your eyes again…”

“Haha, you worry too much, Muyun.”

“Is it something a person with a hole in their stomach should be joking about?!”

I only made a light-hearted tease, yet she donned a slightly annoyed expression.

I took her serious comment into account.

“Umm… I’m sorry?”

“Ah, no… I was being too sensitive.”

I had no idea why she was apologizing again.

Suddenly, a strange awkwardness enveloped us, primarily because Muyun was clearly uncomfortable, making me feel awkward too.

I didn’t want to initiate conversation for fear of making it even more awkward, so I stayed quiet.

After a few minutes had passed, it was Muyun who finally broke the silence.

“By the way… are we really okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“About the Gardener and everything….”

“We’re fine, just like you said. She didn’t seem suspicious at all.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

Even though she had said it was okay, why did she still look so worried?

“More than that… we haven’t even dealt with the Gardener, and we even had contact with her. It’s a violation of Rondan’s second principle, which states to never worship false gods. I don’t know what kind of goodwill Mr. Tanton extended to them, but this is undeniably a criminal act. We mustn’t deceive ourselves….”

“Shhh, don’t go any further.”

I brought a finger to my lips to stop Muyun from speaking.

Given that Muyun is a knight of Rondan, it’s understandable she’d be sensitive about such principles. The idea that knights should be pure is something that comes up in various media.

“Let’s think of it this way: We defeated the Gardener in the process of saving a poor wandering soul. So technically, we didn’t just have contact, we ‘exorcised’ her.”

“That’s a lie! If it gets out someday….”

“On the contrary, this is a story only we know, so as long as no one spreads it, it can remain a secret forever. And besides, we really did help someone in need, didn’t we?”

Seeing Muyun scrunch her face as she started to say ‘Well, that’s true…’ made me continue.

“And you’re a knight, right? It’s perfectly natural for a knight to look after the unfortunate.”

“…But how can Mr. Tanton think those outsiders are unfortunate….”

“Hmm, Muyun.”

I put on a friendly smile as I addressed Muyun.

“I think it’s best not to know everything just yet. I’ll tell you when the time is right.”

“…Okay.”

I still needed to be cautious about whether I could share everything with Muyun.

After all, she was a knight of Rondan.

“So just stop worrying and get some sleep. If the Gardener plays dead, the knight order won’t notice anyway.”

“….”

Now that the Gardener’s troubles have been resolved, there was no need to act noisily anymore.

Even though Muyun wasn’t saying anything, she seemed deeply lost in thought for now.

Being such a scaredy-cat, I figured she’d be taking her time thinking about what might happen later on.

Eventually, she seemed to solidify her thoughts and nodded in understanding.

“Um, by the way… is the fact that you’re defending the outsiders a hint that…?”

“No, not at all!”

Really, how long is she planning to milk this?

I said it with an exaggerated protest, and still, the skeptical look in her eyes was almost heartbreaking.

What on earth does that timid girl think she knows about those expressions…!

Despite her still pouting, Muyun finally broke the situation with a sigh.

“Alright, I get it for now… ”

“Yes, then you can go to sleep now….”

“I’ll just change the bandages first.”

Huh?

“Oh, no. I can manage this much on my own….”

“No way, you’re hurt!”

What does that have to do with anything!
I’m simply embarrassed!

“I’m really fine…!”

“I can do it in no time.”

With worry etched on her face, Muyun insisted and began to unwrap the bandages, bewildered.

“Uh, uh oh?”

“What’s wrong?”

“The hole… it’s gone?”

Hearing her words made me want to check, but in my super scaredy-cat mode, I had no way to verify.

It looks like it operates on an HP system after all.

If you receive a major wound, your HP goes down, and as long as you rest, assuming you don’t die, you can fully recover.

To summarize, my body was no different from a character in a game.

Did it originally have such a function?

Perhaps this super cowad mode gets stronger the more contact I have with outsiders.

In any case, this was an extremely fortunate development.

If I could figure out the limits of my HP, it would be a huge help in surviving a skirmish later on.

As long as I don’t die, I can move—that’s an incredibly unfair ability.

“Ah, haha. It looks like the recovery potion worked wonders. Let’s get you to sleep!”

“Huh? Was it this effective…?”

That’s fine and dandy, but for another reason, I managed to nudge Muyun out of the way so I could be alone in the room.

Even though she’d seen me change while she was wrapping the bandages, showing me in sobriety is a totally different matter.

Oh, the embarrassment.

“Alright, settle down.”

I decided to think things over after sleeping for a while.

Tomorrow, I’d hopefully see some familiar faces.

#

As the morning dawned, guided by Muyun, we headed to the Hearth.

The firewood, which is the pillar connecting to the hearth.

Due to the outsiders burying the continent in a massive snowstorm, only cities with hearths survived this brutal affair, making the princess who maintains these hearths a near-godlike figure to the people of the territory.

“In that sense, the hearth of the sky is up above, and the knight order supporting it is buried underground like firewood.

So apparently, the deputy director is over there, or something like that.

As I approached the hearth, the center of the territory, its grandeur was undeniable.

The flames that flickered from afar became even more vivid up close, creating an overwhelming atmosphere.

The subtle sound of burning firewood effectively radiated a sense of calm, helping me understand why people relied so heavily on this hearth.

Just as I was about to enter the hearth, I involuntarily let out a gasp upon seeing someone.

“Oi!”

“…Well, you managed to survive. If you can defeat the Watcher, then dealing with those outsiders must have been child’s play.”

I locked eyes with the Hunter, who was standing there chewing on a smoke-emitting lollipop.

I felt that was a bit of an overestimation, but it’s best to let it slide; the more the Hunter thinks highly of me, the better for me.

And, speaking of the Hunter, it looked like he had easily taken care of those outsiders like a true protagonist.

Perhaps it was the shared experience of surviving against the Watcher that made our reunion feel almost familial.

“Wow, seeing you here makes me so happy! Should we have a heartfelt hug or something?”

“That’s insane.”

Ah, this is exactly what I’ve missed.

I longed for this blunt sarcasm to pierce through the air.

By the way, if he dealt with those outsiders, there should be a knight who went along with him.

Before I could even ask, Muyun spoke up first.

“Um… what about the knight who went with you?”

“Dead.”

“What?”

His calm tone made it feel like he was casually mentioning that he just had lunch, causing me to briefly doubt my hearing.

As I questioned him further, the Hunter exhaled a long breath, puffing out some smoke.

It seemed that lollipop was actually a modified version of a cigarette.

“She insisted on doing things her way, charging in all high and mighty at the outsiders, and she ended up self-destructing. That made things all the more prickly.”

Well, it’s all about extermination in the end.

Looking at the Hunter as he continued to speak, I couldn’t help but scratch the back of my head.

Naturally, he had it coming; they were worthless scum.

Listening to the story told so nonchalantly made it feel rather ironic.

Muyun wasn’t overly shocked since she was a knight sent to kill, but her expression was still a bit uneasy.

“Aren’t we headed to see that deputy director?”

“Ah, yes.”

He pointed inside with a nod before popping the lollipop back into his mouth.

It seemed he had been waiting until I arrived.
…To an outsider, he might as well have been a worker at the hearth.

Just as I was about to enter the hearth, I stopped to ask the Hunter something curious.

“Hey, Hunter. Speaking of which, what about Agartha?”

“I haven’t run into any Thieves.”

Perhaps she’s already gone inside and is waiting for us.

Considering her personality, I’d expect she’d be chattering away with the Hunter right at the door.

“I’ll head in first. I don’t want to see that guy’s face for too long.”

“Same here, so hurry back.”

With that, I proceeded into the heart of the hearth.

Upon entering, the intense heat washed over me.

Inside was the heart of the firewood, glowing a deep red as if it were alive.

Looking up, the stairs appeared to shimmer as if they themselves were rippling from the heat.

It seemed implausible to ascend them without proper protection.

Could the princess be up there?

The stairs created by the fire’s ascent indicated clearly: step up and you’re at the hearth, go down and you’re with the knights below.

“You are the one visiting today.”

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

As I turned at the voice, I saw two twins.

Two girls, one dressed in black and the other in white.

Or perhaps they were boys?

At this age, their pre-growth bodies made it hard to distinguish by mere sight.

“I’m Alpha. Please follow me.”

“I’m Beta. The deputy director is waiting for you.”

So, black is Alpha and white is Beta.

Their voices were so high-pitched that it made gender distinction even more difficult.
Led by them, I descended the stairs and reached the round table, where the deputy director seated at the second chair said this:
“The Thief is dead.”

“…What?”

At my response, the deputy director wore a smug expression as he replied.

“That means your share has just increased, so isn’t that a good thing?”

That nonsensical comment left me unable to help but grimace.