A dog beastman, a fairy, a deer mask, and the restaurant mom.

All of them made sense within their own settings, so even if they had changed drastically, it was understandable.

"Not to mention, they were all pretty."

But turning a dragon into a reptilian maid?

It wasn’t without logic, but this felt like it was going too far.

"Though, of course, she was still pretty."

This was practically an insult to the Outsiders.

"But she was pretty, so I guess I can overlook it."

"Sir, don’t you have an order? If not, we’ll place one for you with our recommended menu!"

Her voice was unmistakably that of a maid, but as her words ended, the glowing orb inside her slowly began to brighten, making it clear that this was no ordinary light.

As the orb started to wriggle with intense brightness, I had a gut feeling that something bad would happen if we didn’t move.

"Muyun, get down!"

"Eek!"

Just as I grabbed the stiffened Muyun, who had frozen in her attack stance, and threw us to the side, something shot toward where we had just been standing.

Pew!

A fireball with star-like particles shot out, accompanied by a special effects sound.

It was almost like a pink puffball firing a shooting star after swallowing its enemies.

It seemed insignificant, but at the impact point, a massive explosion occurred with a flash of light, and something big collapsed.

"Argh!"

Caught in the blast, our bodies were flung through the air, but fortunately, the snow-covered terrain cushioned our fall, and we ended up buried in the snow.

With Muyun's help, I emerged from the snowball, only to realize something was heading our way again before I could catch my breath.

"Tanton!"

This time, Muyun reacted quickly, scooping me up in a princess carry before leaping away.

Though the snow muffled the sound, it was clear that something had crashed into where we had been.

Damn it.

That White Mask.

Does he really come here alone to handle these insane creatures?

No wonder he’s considered on par with the Vice Commander in the Knights.

"A-Are you okay?!"

Muyun, her face flushed, hurriedly set me down.

"Yeah, I’m okay for now."

As we gasped for breath, the drakes looked down at us with a sneer, their expressions full of condescension.

They looked utterly relaxed.

"Master! Don’t you think you should taste the dish you ordered?"

"Otherwise, we’ll be so sad that our preparation was in vain."

Those bastards.

They were openly mocking us while spouting cheesy lines as if it were nothing!

It reminded me of the nightmare when I lost a bet with a friend and had to go to a maid café alone.

"Blow the horn."

At that moment, I heard the Gardener’s voice.

Right. White Mask had dropped me here to maximize the potential of this horn.

There was no point in just dodging; nothing would be achieved that way.

I brought the party horn to my lips, focusing on the idea of borrowing some power rather than summoning an Outsider.

Brrrr!

In my mind, the Gardener’s fingers touched a hollow space.

"Show your power to the crow’s servant who’s drunk on its own ashes."

A ripple spread inside me.

With a gesture that felt like scooping out water, the once-empty space was instantly filled with flowers.

So this is what it feels like to have your mind turn into a flower garden.

Unlike before, there was no sense of a space opening or a dimension breaking.

Only the sensation of something soft, warm, and tender wrapping around my neck.

What… is this?

Startled, I tried to turn around immediately.

"…No, don’t look back now."

The sudden voice made my body freeze.

The soft, warm feeling continued, not just around my neck and shoulders but across my entire back.

It felt as if the Gardener was clinging to me.

That was the sensation.

I wasn’t trying to summon her, so why is this happening…?

"This is similar to what your world calls a ‘divine descent.’ The masked woman referred to it as a contract, but it’s more like forming a bond with us. It’s like asking you to let me join you by giving you my body."

When I heard that, I realized something.

This is basically a marriage…

"What are you thinking? Focus on what you’re doing."

As I entertained such thoughts, vines wrapped around my body.

Flowers climbed up my skin, constricting my arms to prevent me from leaving, as a sweet voice whispered into my ear and bloomed on my face.

A flower bloomed in one of my eyes.

Yet my vision was perfectly fine.

…So this is what it means to be one with her.

"Tanton…! Strange flesh is crawling up your body…! It’s creeping up, ahhh!"

Muyun began to distance herself from me.

Is that what it looks like to her?

Then I must look grotesque, like something straight out of a horror movie.

Well, whatever.

As long as I’m fine, that’s all that matters.

I was just startled by the sudden softness, but it wasn’t dangerous.

"Listen up. There are a lot of seeds around here. They’ve been well-preserved because they’re frozen, so they’ll be useful."

Seeds.

That’s a euphemism, but what she really meant was corpses.

This place, Goldmouth.

How many people had to die for it to earn such a name?

The Gardener’s hand came into view, pointing here and there, indicating spots covered in snow.

Some of those spots were where we had buried ourselves to avoid the drakes' attacks.

Did I not notice because we escaped so quickly?

…I decided to keep this a secret from Muyun.

"Right now, you’re borrowing some of my power—the very power that shapes the world’s landscapes. Go ahead, decorate it as you wish. Flowers will bloom in your hands."

The Gardener’s hand settled in the center of my sternum.

A small grip, like intertwined vines, conveyed its warmth.

"…Stop thinking weird thoughts. With your current mental state, I’m not even sure you can use it properly, so focus."

Now that she mentioned it, I did have a rough start when I tried to summon the Watcher the first time.

As the Gardener’s hands traced over my body, they emitted a faint glow.

It seemed like she was taking something from me.

Considering the level of power I was using, it probably wouldn’t come without a cost, but I’d save that question for later.

"…Feel the seeds. And stop glancing at my hands."

Ahem.

Right, there were supposed to be a lot of seeds around here.

A corpse there, a corpse here….

For some reason, I felt as if I was sharing sensations with those seeds, as if their coldness and location information were flowing into my brain.

I asked the monsters that were merely beautiful on the outside.

"Do you even know what it means to kill someone?"

The dragon maid tilted her head in confusion at my question.

"The master is speaking? Oh my, a reorder wasn’t scheduled."

"The lady ordered us to treat all the humans here as food."

The Gardener whispered in my ear, almost in rebuttal.

"Despite their appearance, they are Lesser Outsiders under the command of the Dragon Slayer. So they don’t need to eat; they just take pleasure in killing humans."

So, they’re natural-born killers.

In the predator-prey relationship, there’s no moral superiority.

I can’t bring them to death’s door like the Hunter.

But I can punish them in my way.

"Tanton! What… what are those things?!"

Muyun’s shout made me cautiously open my eyes, and what I saw was the landscape I had brought to life.

Snow falling gently in the white wilderness.

In the sheer cliff’s icy grasp, life was being reborn.

In a place that was once just a bed for seeds, beautiful flowers were now blooming.

Awakening from a light, shallow nightmare of death, these flowers blossomed in the harsh cold, and the contrast left me in awe.

"Are you feeling my power now?"

"…Incredible."

Witnessing this firsthand, I realized that what I had seen from a distance was only a fraction of the Gardener’s abilities.

In exchange for returning the seeds, those souls bound by death, to the world, I had gained the power to control everything within this "garden"—a power akin to that of a king.

The feeling of omnipotence didn’t fade, perhaps because the duration had been greatly extended.

"Master? Are you standing still because you’ve decided to finally taste the dish? I’ll serve it right away!"

Even in the midst of all this, the drakes were still preparing to attack, their mouths glowing with orbs of light.

Could they not see the flowers?

As the Gardener spoke, I felt as though the nerves of the flowers blooming before me were all connected to me, and I was soon convinced that I could move the stems myself.

Alright, I should at least say this.

"Bloom."

Swish!

As I thought it, the sound of whips cracking filled the air, followed by the loud noise of something being tightly bound.

"Eek! V-Vines?! Where did they come from?"

"Why won’t they fall off…?!"

The stems that had sprouted from the flowers flew toward the drakes and successfully ensnared them.

But for some reason…

It didn’t just look like they were wrapped up; they were tied in a specific shape….

Well, that must be my imagination.

Despite their angry, frustrated attempts to escape, there was no way they could break free, not with the power I had borrowed from an Outsider.

I stepped toward them.

Perhaps because the Gardener hadn’t fully manifested, Muyun, who was still in her right mind, managed to witness this scene, and her voice grew louder.

"Is this… what White Mask was talking about…?"

A sense of awe appeared in Muyun’s eyes as she blankly watched what I was doing.

Even though I felt her gaze, I paid it no mind.

Yeah…

I decided to deal with the Outsiders my way.

"W-What the…?"

"Master…? What on earth are you doing…?"

A massive shadow fell over the dragon maids bound by the vines.

Maybe it’s not so bad to indulge in ‘Leydan Tanton’s’ way sometimes.

It was time to awaken the other side of me.

In the harsh, desolate atmosphere created by unnatural erosion, a tall mountain loomed.

In the area known as the heart of Goldmouth, maids stood in a line.

Unlike the fake maids in maid cafés, these maids wore elegant, antique clothing.

"Miss, we’ve received word that the masked one has entered the territory."

One of them approached and bowed to a certain figure.

"Raise your head."

When the dragon maid raised her heavy head, a woman was sitting on a throne, legs crossed.

Black hair tied into twin tails.

Long horns protruding from her head.

An image reminiscent of the daughter of a duke, dressed in black.

And yellow eyes that shone as if they could burn everything to ashes at any moment.

Her gaze, sweeping across the room, demanded more information.

"That’s not all, right?"

"Yes, we’ve also detected two additional humans."

"I see. That’s how it is."

Nodding, the lady extended her hand toward the maid.

Before the maid could even react, she vanished from the spot in an instant.

All that remained was the smoke rising from where she had been.

"Next time, tell me faster before I have to ask. It’s a waste of energy."

"Yes, Miss."

The lady then stood up and began walking as if nothing had happened.

The other maids remained undisturbed, maintaining their positions as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

A dragon so powerful she could erase her kin with a mere gesture.

The Dragon Slayer.

She reached the peak of the mountain and looked out over the distant landscape.

Tapping her chin with her fan, the Dragon Slayer narrowed her eyes.

"Hmm, I sense the presence of those damn weeds in my territory."

Her long dragon tongue licked her lips.

"Let’s see what’s going on."

She closed her eyes slightly, observing beyond the horizon.

A new maid stood by her side, watching the mighty Dragon Lord’s face.

But… was the great Dragon Lord blushing?

A crack formed on the fan.

"W-W-What a disgraceful sight!"