The area near the Hearth is guaranteed to be safe.

Not a single Outsider has ever dared to invade the vicinity of the Hearth.

For everyone in Rondan, this statement was like a law, and the mere fact that they were near the Hearth instilled hope in them that their safety was secure.

Indeed, for a long time, the Hearth had provided a strong protection against all Outsiders, effectively suppressing their appearances.

However, that long-standing record was shattered today.

The Deputy Director faced the chaos that was erupting and crawling out of the crevice in this world.

A canine head with numerous eyes was forcing its way into the world, shoving its head through the narrow gap, twisting it from side to side in an attempt to squeeze through.

Just confronting that made the Deputy Director feel an overwhelming sense of frailty, leaving him in a daze, unable to look away.

No Outsider had ever tried to descend directly into the Hearth.

Despite the Hearth’s robust strength, the sight of it gradually shattering instilled the same ‘overwhelming pressure’ that he had felt once in the past while being part of the Knights.

“W-Watcher…!”

What he then saw was Tanton and Muyun emerging from the Hearth.

“Damn it…!”

Of all times, Tanton was pulling out his weapon right now.

Moreover, the distance was alarmingly close, putting him in serious danger of getting caught in the crossfire.

As if sensing this, Muyun was inching backward, but one person was different.

Leydan Tanton.

There was talk of him having previously driven off the Watcher, and indeed, the Watcher that had been held captive in the underground prison had long since vanished.

‘Why is he charging at the Watcher?’

Initially, there was suspicion.

Due to his preconceived notions of criminals, the Deputy Director thought this:

Tanton was just a lucky fool.

A criminal who had only managed to survive by luck, with a Hunter’s help to deal with the Watcher.

But the look in Tanton’s eyes as he gazed at the Watcher was anything but fear.

It was filled with a sense of justice, the same expression he had worn when he once sought to save others.

‘He can’t be that way.’

After all, he was a criminal who had gone against Rondan’s codes.

If he succeeded in engaging with the Outsider, it could potentially bring about a greater calamity.

The Commander of the Knights was also missing, and the Princess, who should be managing this chaos, was too soft.

Therefore, it was only natural for him to uphold Rondan’s order.

However, witnessing the scene unfolding in front of him made him question if that line of thinking was misguided.

At that moment, as the jaw of the wolf filled with darkness opened, invading the world and alien eyes shone down,

Tanton took a step forward.

Overcoming the distortion that defined this world, Tanton’s hand touched the Watcher.

Then, with all his strength, he began to exert every ounce of effort to banish the Watcher back to her original realm.

The Watcher’s murderous roar echoed long and ominously.

Approaching her was nothing less than a suicidal act.

The Knights struggled desperately, but a few knights even lost consciousness.

Had there ever been such a stubborn will to kill before?

It was clear this creature intended to shatter this Rondan somehow.

However, Tanton merely threw a word back at the Watcher.

Though it was drowned out by the roar, the Deputy Director caught the gist of it.

“…Yeah, I wanted to see you, but not now. Go back!”

In that instant, the Deputy Director’s mind raced.

He thought, ‘He once had a confrontation with the Watcher. But rather than fearing it, he was looking forward to dominating it once more…!’

Was completely shattering the Outsider his true goal?

The vision of that justice-filled gaze resurfaced.

By definitely obliterating the threat posed by the Watcher, was he trying to protect Rondan?

‘No, it can’t be. There must be something I don’t understand…!’

The Watcher’s murderous intent roared forth, echoing darkly, and it became evidently clear:

Tanton was risking it all.

In a space where even slight missteps could lead to catastrophe, he faced the incomprehensible.

“…Agh, you can’t possibly hide forever; come on, let’s see what you’ve got! I’ll smite you myself!”

The Watcher’s roar surged once more, and Tanton responded dynamically, pouring in even more strength.

“…Looking back, it wasn’t supposed to be like this, but anyway, go away!”

With a sorrowful gaze as if reminiscing about his past, he was desperately trying to push the Watcher back, causing the Deputy Director’s heart to ache as memories flooded back.

The snow mountain expedition disaster.

His lost junior.

His comrades.

And….

However, Tanton was just an ordinary person who had recently become a knight.

He was struggling to stop the ever-encroaching Watcher, but he couldn’t keep up.

The Watcher’s forelegs were now fully planted on the ground, and the space around the crack was completely distorted.

The end of the world.

That’s how the situation could be described.

Yet, was it because the Hearth was that powerful?

Had the Princess heard the knights’ reports? The flames burning on the firewood flared up considerably, and the crack began to close little by little.

Perhaps in response to this, the Watcher began to let out even more intense roars of anguish.

At that moment, the Deputy Director saw it.

He saw Tanton’s determined gaze tinged with golden light.

“G-Go!!!”

In that action, there was no intention of self-preservation whatsoever.

He simply wanted to eradicate the Watcher before him as quickly as possible to protect the peace of Rondan.

There stood a valiant young man with a sense of true chivalry.

“────!!!!”

Tanton’s eyes shone brightly.

What kind of scene was he witnessing?

Even from a distance, the Deputy Director felt an overwhelming urge to embrace death at that moment, and if he were to engage with the Outsider up close, the spectacle unfolding before him was probably beyond imagination.

Finally, the power of the Hearth caused the crack to start closing rapidly, and it seemed the Watcher could no longer withstand Tanton’s might, beginning to fall back into the space beyond the crack.

“Ahh!”

And simultaneously,

Tanton hurled himself, flying together with the Watcher into that very abyss.

“Tanton!!!”

Even at Muyun’s desperate cry, Tanton did not return.

As if nothing had happened, the crack cleanly closed up.

All of this occurred in the blink of an eye.

“…Hah.”

In the span of just a few minutes, destruction had come to the heart of Rondan, and peace was restored with the sacrifice of a single soul.

In the now eerily quiet space, the Deputy Director walked toward where it had happened.

The only thing left behind was the dire traces of battle left by a noble knight.

Seeing those remnants, he momentarily removed his helmet and pressed it against his chest.

“Leydan Tanton….”

Attempted rape of an Outsider.

Having committed such a mad crime and being locked in prison, he had thought he wasn’t a proper human.

However, considering the current situation, perhaps it was he who should be criticized for calling him a criminal.

If he were to mourn him here, it would only serve to create a weakness for himself—the one who had sought to kill him.

For his sake, it would probably be best to quietly move on.

But the Deputy Director was a man of firm will, not one to deny the truth.

“Let us honor the noble chivalry of those who valiantly sacrificed to protect Rondan! Salute!”

Clang!

All the knights stood up and turned their bodies toward the direction the Deputy Director was facing, executing a salute in unison.

In the process, none made a sound.

#

Alright.

Let’s at least sort out the situation I find myself in right now.

I got a weapon and faced the Watcher, nearly causing the destruction of Rondan.

A true act of treachery!

Oh… Tanton, good grief.

Tanton’s lament was an exclamation for how thoroughly he’d messed up.

Surely, things couldn’t get worse than this in the life of the old Tanton.

While petting the Watcher’s head, I pondered asking where exactly I was, only to receive the most absurd answer.

“Here? This is where we are!”

…That was all it took.

Well, what could I really expect from a doggo?

It radiated an aura that was just begging for forgiveness for being so cute.

Hah.

If I inferred from what the Watcher said, this place must be where the Outsiders are. This cute little face must have been fully activated as part of whatever mode is in play.

Maybe it was a zone disrupted by a distortion phenomenon, like the Gardener who had eroded reality.

If I casually popped something into my mouth thinking it was a snack, things might take a turn for the worse.

“This too… Uwn….”

I gently stroked the Watcher’s face when it pressed its cheek against my hand.

“Grr…”

Is it really a puppy?

I couldn’t help but think so as I tried to piece together the clues.

So, the Watcher’s descent had distorted the space, and only with the power of the Hearth did it barely manage to hold on. Now, with the Gardener’s help, we both got dragged over here.

Wait, hold on?

Does that mean I’m totally screwed?

Nah, surely it can’t be as bad as that?

The reason I was thinking like this was that letting this sort of incident linger without action could only lead to worse trouble down the line.

I needed to hurry and find a resolution.

“This too….”

“…I can’t touch that!”

Suddenly, as the Watcher lay on its back begging for belly rubs, I sternly refused.

At that, the Watcher made a face as if it was about to cry.

“A good human should grant all requests!”

“If I touch that, it just feels like I’m abandoning my humanity….”

“Human? Then don’t act like one!”

“Then I’d die!”

“Ehh?! That’s a no-go!”

The Watcher quickly flipped back up and once again placed its cheek against my hand.

“How about this for now….”

If she didn’t look so stunningly beautiful, I might have truly thought of her as the cutest puppy possible.

…Get a grip, me!

Was I about to reveal the true heart of ‘Leydan Tanton’?

Right now, I was nearly falling under the spell of all the adorable puppies and their secret technique: “Please love me, human!”

You know well this isn’t the time for that!

“Watcher friend….”

“My name! That’s not it!”

That wasn’t the important part, but it seemed I had to work up my patience since the atmosphere was certainly not conducive for anything less.

“Then what is our friend’s name?”

“Bloop-bloop-bloop-bloop-bloop!”

Oh.

I didn’t understand a thing.

Was this also censored somehow?

It felt like a different kind of censorship compared to the one mentioned by the Gardener.

Seeing the Watcher babbling like that was a bit cute.

“Who gave you that name…?”

“My friend!”

A friend of the Watcher, huh.

Then it’s no wonder it’s something no human could decipher!

“How about just calling you Watcher….”

“I don’t like that….”

The Watcher made a gloomy expression, clearly disliking the term.

Perhaps it was because “Watcher” was a term used to refer to things people needed to deal with.

“Should I name you then?”

“Okay!”

I was a bit taken aback by how easily it agreed.

Alright, let’s quickly come up with a name and get down to business.

Time to showcase my writing skills honed from reading a range of literary collections.

“Since you have so many eyes, how about ‘Eye Dog’?”

“That’s lame!”

I thought it was a pretty original name, but it was shot down immediately!

It wasn’t too bad, was it, for one idea?

“How about ‘Aji’ instead?”

“Boring!”

“Hmm, okay! Let’s slightly modify Watcher to mean something like Overlord since you do great watching….”

“Growl….”

What a picky pup this is.

As if my already limited naming sense was being put to the test.

「…What’s going on? If you’re going to dawdle like this, you’re wasting my help, you know?」

A voice not from the Watcher but a third party echoed in my mind.

The Gardener had been speaking to me telepathically.

「Just to satisfy your curiosity, I’ll tell you. You’ve stepped outside the human districts into another realm of Outsiders.」

So, does that mean I’m outside of Rondan?

Upon closer inspection, ice crystals were falling over clusters made of a multitude of snacks.

Seems like the blizzard doesn’t affect this realm of Outsiders.

It’s like spreading a territory to counteract another territory’s influence.

At that moment, the Watcher’s voice broke through.

“Oh! Human! I’m starting to disappear!”

The Watcher licked its own body as it transformed into light.

“What is happening?”

I was utterly bewildered when suddenly the Gardener answered in my head.

「We’re not actually beings of this world, so in order to descend, we need an anchor to keep us here. The stronger the being, the more we require it.」

Ah, right! The Watcher had a bone, and the Gardener had friends.

「If we were to send a projection into that world, it would either consume it or enact a suitable ceremony. What could bind us is that flute of yours. It creates a temporary anchor for the Outsiders based on you.」

I see now.

This is the flute’s true power!

「Oh no! It’s retreating!」

The Watcher’s voice grew faint in my mind.

I tried playing the flute again, but the Watcher didn’t appear.

「The passage is too narrow!」

Is there a sort of cooldown?

I’m not sure if my prowess will grow stronger with the future, but thinking ahead, the potential of this party flute is virtually limitless.

I looked around.

A landscape stacked up with a variety of foods that were not of this world’s make, with rivers of carbonated drinks flowing and desserts adorning the scenery.

Huh, now I have to find a way out of this Candyland?

“Friend.”

The Outcast God peeked out from my pocket.

“Where’s the place to escape from here?”

The Outcast God pointed.

There, presumably, lay an area associated with Outsiders.

Without hesitation, I walked toward that spot.

「Human, let’s play again!」

「Once we’re done, play with that pup. I’ll help you out once in a while when it’s dangerous.」

The Outsider, which had previously seemed like a disaster, felt rather reassuring today.

“I’ll summon you as long as you don’t cause another incident like before.”

In a world ravaged by Outsiders, I was the only one who could maintain a connection with them.