The Princess revealed that she was a half-blood, a mix of an Outsider and a human.

As I recalled my own crimes, my mind began to reel.

Attempted rape of an Outsider.

It seemed that the Princess knew about my charges and was planning to demand something of me.

But what could she possibly want in exchange for dropping such a bombshell?

The Princess carefully observed my reaction before slowly beginning to speak.

"One day, an Outsider descended upon the Empire and fell in love with a human. That human was my father.

The current Emperor of the Empire, now buried in snow, formed a relationship with the Outsider and bore two children. I was born first, followed by my sibling, who is now known as the Giant of the Snowy Mountains."

Wait a minute.

A relationship between an Outsider and a human?

Her hand gestured beyond Rondan, towards the snowstorm on the distant mountain, pointing at the towering figure of a human.

Wow… Talk about a dark fantasy, this family tree is completely twisted, isn’t it?

The Giant of the Snowy Mountains is the Princess’s sibling?

How does it even work that one sibling generates heat while the other absorbs it?

"My request is this: Please, stop the Giant of the Snowy Mountains, who has led the Empire to ruin and driven this world into eternal winter."

The Giant of the Snowy Mountains.

I suddenly remembered something the Gardener had once said.

"Can’t you defeat the Giant of the Snowy Mountains? Well, it’s not impossible. But the problem is that the Giant’s abilities are difficult for most Outsiders to handle, so much so that even I would be dragged into a mutual destruction scenario. The thing about Outsiders is, if one of them disappears, the balance of the universe could be disrupted."

In other words, I’d have to defeat the Giant purely on my own abilities, without any interference from other Outsiders…

It was overwhelming to hear such an impossible task being spoken of so casually.

I was about to refuse, but her next words were enough to make me shut my mouth and understand why her face had turned red earlier.

"Of course, I will give you an appropriate reward. You said I was beautiful, didn’t you…? So, if the day comes when this Hearth is no longer needed… I’ll let you have my body."

"…"

No way.

Her words were so blunt that I felt the blood rushing to my head.

Tanton, stop!

Of course, the Princess was indeed beautiful!

But when I said the mark on her body was beautiful, it was just lip service—I wasn’t actually trying to seduce her!

"Or perhaps, since you were charged with attempted rape of an Outsider, you prefer to take things by force…?"

As she said this, her face grew even redder, turning as crimson as a freshly picked tomato. She even wrapped her arms around herself, as if protecting her body in a theatrical gesture.

"W-Wait a moment!"

Sensing that things were spiraling out of control, I shouted, trying to put a stop to it.

The Princess, now with tears welling in her eyes, seemed to be fully immersed in the drama.

Wow, this is dizzying.

This is really starting to feel like I’m forcing myself on her!

"Princess, please, calm down…"

"Or… perhaps you find this body too repulsive? Even so, I promise I can raise the child well enough that they won’t become a calamity."

No, no!

Why are you already thinking that far ahead?

My head was spinning.

I felt utterly drained, but I shook my head, trying to pull myself together.

I have to choose my words carefully!

If I mess up now, this could really happen, and then I’d be charged not only with attempted rape of an Outsider but also with assaulting royalty!

"…Princess, please calm down. It’s not a matter of liking or disliking. Your Highness’s body is indeed beautiful, but to offer it merely as a reward doesn’t seem right to me."

"But if that time comes, I won’t have any other way to repay you, will I?"

"Rewards are not important! The hope of saving the Empire is motivation enough. Besides, Your Highness is the one who must rule the Empire."

Of course, I didn’t think I could defeat that Giant of the Snowy Mountains as I am now.

But since she laid out that premise, I had to talk on that basis.

The Princess stared at me with a blank expression for a moment, then chuckled as if she found something amusing.

"No matter what I say, you always have the most peculiar responses. Turning down a ‘Princess’…"

"I’m just stating the facts."

"But if the Empire is saved, I’ll have no place to go. My role will be over. Should I just marry you then, for real?"

As she said this with a playful smile, I realized that the Princess had a mischievous side.

"…Please refrain from such troublesome jokes, Your Highness."

"Hehe, alright. But my request is sincere. I truly believe you can do it."

Seeing her resolute smile, I couldn’t help but wonder.

"…But why me? It’s an honor to receive such a request from Your Highness, but if we’re talking purely about achievements, the Hunter is far more capable than I am."

"…Um, please don’t take this the wrong way, but…"

What is she going to say now?

The Princess cleared her throat and spoke in a more composed tone.

"When I heard your charge, I thought it was absurd. How could a human possibly force themselves on such a powerful Outsider? Tanton, you are indeed strong, but capturing something is far more difficult than killing it."

The Princess smiled warmly.

"So I wondered. Maybe this person knows how to communicate with Outsiders. If it was just a misunderstanding, then your achievements so far make perfect sense, don’t they?"

"I see."

So that’s what she thought.

That’s why she didn’t find my charges strange and even accepted me as a knight.

From the beginning, she knew there was something off about my charges.

And yet, I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of madness ‘Leydan Tanton’ must have had to attempt such a thing with an Outsider.

Still, this only confirmed that she wasn’t the leader of a group for nothing.

"So, please, Tanton. I found hope in you. The hope that you can free the Giant of the Snowy Mountains… my younger sister."

Will it be possible, though?

Her last words, filled with sadness, made me think.

I didn’t know how the Snow Castle storyline ends.

I hadn’t played that far.

But I knew that the Giant of the Snowy Mountains was a boss, and if I followed the Hunter’s approach, I’d have to kill the Giant.

That would give the Hunter some sense of closure, I suppose.

But if I did that, the Princess, who had been holding Rondan together, would end up miserable.

She had sacrificed so much for others, but in the end, all she’d be left with was the sorrow of her sibling’s death.

That’s not a happy ending, at least not by my standards.

I’ve played a lot of dark fantasy, but I don’t like those kinds of bad endings.

"…It’s an honor that you would make such a request of me."

"Tanton…"

When I reluctantly agreed, the Princess smiled apologetically.

"I’ll be going now. It was an honor to meet you today, Your Highness."

"Thank you for taking the time, Tanton. Take care."

After Tanton politely bid farewell and left, the door closed behind him.

As soon as it did, the Princess collapsed into her chair, leaning forward onto the table.

"…Whew."

As she recalled her conversation with Tanton, the Princess’s face flushed, and she covered her face with her hands, even though no one was watching.

"…What on earth did I say?"

Remembering his compliment about her beauty, the Princess stood up and walked over to the mirror.

In the center of her collarbone, there was a red, fleshy spider-like mark, wriggling and clinging to her skin in a grotesque manner.

She wanted to cover it up, but the creature would tear through any clothing she tried to wear, forcing her to dress in a way that left her upper body exposed.

No wonder the people of her domain found it repulsive.

In the first place, it was her own body that fed the Hearth’s flames, and though her Outsider blood gave her incredible regenerative abilities, her weakened body kept her confined here.

But from the start, Tanton had looked at her as if he was fascinated.

And with the way he looked at her with a flushed face, there was no way the Princess didn’t understand what that gaze meant.

He was rather handsome, too.

The Princess, playing with a strand of her platinum blonde hair, shook her head.

She figured she had just gotten too excited after seeing someone in person for the first time in a long while.

"…I guess I’ve been lonely lately."

In the Princess’s room, where no one ever visited.

Thinking of Tanton’s trusting expression brought her some joy, but the Princess still wore a bitter smile as she walked back into the Hearth’s flames.

"…Will stopping the Giant really solve the fundamental issues?"

"Please stop the Giant of the Snowy Mountains."

The Princess’s words echoed in my mind.

In any case, to see the game’s ending, I’d have to deal with that Outsider one way or another, so my goal hadn’t really changed.

But the Princess didn’t ask me to defeat it.

She asked me to stop it.

"…This isn’t going to be an easy task."

I have no idea.

I guess I’ll just have to think about it when the time comes.

For now, the most urgent thing is to get stronger.

I should head back to the Branch and rest some more.

No matter how much you rest, it’s never enough.

"Hey."

"…Huh?"

Hearing a voice behind me, I stopped and turned around, immediately standing at attention.

"…White Mask."

"No, you should call me something else."

What’s he talking about now?

I tilted my head, puzzled, as I looked at White Mask. Then, before I knew it, a rope was tied around my wrist.

"…Huh?"

"From today on, call me ‘Master.’ Is your audience with the Princess over?"

"Y-Yes, but…"

Why do I get the feeling that he’s smiling sinisterly behind that mask?

"Good, then. Come with me. From today, you are my subordinate and disciple. I’ll teach you how to use your powers."

"W-What? W-Wait, what?!"

"We’re heading to my jurisdiction at the station now."

As the rope tightened, my body was forcibly dragged in the direction White Mask was heading.

Where he led me, there was a train, and I was shoved into it.

Inside, I found Muyun, also tied up and crying.

It was only then that I realized something was very wrong.

"Welcome to the railway. We’re heading to Goldmouth now."