It had only been a few seconds since I borrowed Bell’s power and threw myself forward.

In that brief moment, I charged toward the Dragon Slayer at a speed impossible for a human body.

The Dragon Slayer, surprised, swung her fan to create a strong gust of wind to block me, but perhaps thanks to Bell’s power, I was able to slip through the gaps in the airflow like a slippery eel.

That wasn’t all.

I managed to use the wind to my advantage, closing the distance to the Dragon Slayer’s chin.

“Woohoo! This is fun!”

Bell, excited by the speed, howled like a wolf.

This level of movement seemed to be just what she wanted.

I had long given up on the idea of trying to resolve this with words.

That left me with no choice but to inflict physical damage.

The Dragon Slayer, thinking I was about to punch her, spread her fan wide to protect herself, likely covering her body with her wings.

But what I was planning wasn’t a simple punch.

“Woof!”

Bell barked fiercely, as if to reinforce my intentions.

Thud.

Something hard and warm gripped my hands.

The Dragon Slayer’s horns.

Honestly, I didn’t think I could inflict damage on an Outer God with a mere human body.

But I had noticed earlier that she seemed to be extremely cautious about anything touching her horns.

I acted on the assumption that they might be her weak point.

“…?!”

For a moment, the Dragon Slayer’s expression showed clear panic, but by then, my body had already reacted instinctively, gripping the horns and throwing her.

“Here we go!”

Bell shouted excitedly, extending her paw as if throwing a punch, and suddenly, the Dragon Slayer’s body, which seemed immovable, was lifted off the ground.

“Hyaaah!”

“Kyaaa!”

Even with Bell’s power, it wasn’t easy to break the Dragon Slayer’s grip. Unable to break her, I threw her to the opposite side, where she crashed into the far wall with a scream.

Snow started to pour down from above due to the impact, quickly burying the Dragon Slayer under a mountain of it.

I landed carefully, still on guard, but as I tried to steady myself, my body swayed dangerously.

This is…

Maybe this is part of the recoil that the Gardener mentioned, but more than that, a sharp pain spread through my biceps and back muscles as if they were bruised.

Could it be that I overexerted my muscles beyond their normal strength?

If I use this power multiple times, I might end up with rhabdomyolysis.

At this rate, I might only be able to use this ability one more time.

“Are you okay, human?”

“Uh, yeah. I think I’m still okay.”

“…Hmmm, I don’t like it when humans are in pain. Should I try to be a little more gentle?”

“No, we need to be thorough when we act.”

Even though I reassured her, Bell still seemed guilty, licking my ear with concern.

As I was assessing the limits of Bell’s power, I heard a loud noise coming from where the Dragon Slayer was buried.

I lowered my stance, focusing on the unusual sound.

Fwoosh!

With a noise like burning firewood, a pillar of flames shot up from the center of the snow mound, reaching high into the sky.

The heat was so intense that the accumulated snow melted instantly, turning into water that soaked the ground and splashed onto me.

“Tsk.”

Even in this freezing weather, the water felt as hot as if it had just boiled.

Steam rose from the area around what was once a snow mound, and through the mist, I could see the Dragon Slayer’s silhouette standing there, unharmed.

Unlike her previous dignified posture, her arms now hung limply at her sides, making her look almost enraged.

“…You’ve borrowed the power of another Outsider this time, subordinate.”

“Yes.”

“Your legs are shaking. I’d say your next move will be your last. Let’s make sure it counts.”

White Mask, now beside me, approached with labored breaths, while Muyun, though still terrified, was clenching her jaw in an effort to regain her composure.

Whoosh!

The steam swirling around the Dragon Slayer suddenly disappeared, swept away by a single motion of her fan.

The flames the Dragon Slayer had unleashed earlier had evaporated the water into steam in an instant, meaning the temperature was far too high for a human body to withstand.

That would be the part I needed to be most cautious of.

“How dare you…”

The Dragon Slayer’s voice echoed.

But instead of being filled with cold fury, her voice trembled slightly, as if she were shaken.

“You… you touched my horns…!”

As I glanced at her face when she lifted her head, I was stunned.

She wore an embarrassed expression, her eyes glistening with tears, and her face flushed red.

It was the kind of expression you’d see on a woman who had just been harassed in a story.

For a brief moment, I was caught off guard.

Suddenly, I felt a gust of wind that nearly swept me off my feet, and I fought to stay grounded.

“Kyaaah!”

Muyun, who was holding the heaviest weapon, was the first to be blown away, and White Mask, too, looked like she would have been swept away if the wind had lasted a moment longer.

“Huff, huff.”

The Dragon Slayer, who had unleashed the storm, was panting heavily, pointing her fan at me as she spoke.

“When this is over, I’ll make sure you…!”

She fixed her gaze on me with an intense, almost oppressive stare.

She trembled again as she watched me in silence, her voice cutting off.

“I’ll make sure…!”

Her face turned an even deeper shade of red, to the point where I worried she might explode.

Then, suddenly averting her gaze from me, she adopted a slightly embarrassed expression.

“Ugh, I don’t care anymore. I’ll just defeat you!”

She suddenly shifted gears, charging at me.

What on earth was she trying to say?!

This was infuriating!

Before I could even process my thoughts, the Dragon Slayer readied herself to swing her fan again.

But White Mask, already beside me, had also assumed a fighting stance.

Boing!

White Mask kicked off the ground, closing the distance to the Dragon Slayer in an instant. Her sword clashed with the Dragon Slayer’s fan, creating a spring-like sound.

But it seemed the Dragon Slayer had entered some kind of berserk state.

Boing!

“Guh…!”

As the Dragon Slayer aggressively swung her fan, White Mask was thrown against the wall right next to me in the blink of an eye.

“Master!”

Fortunately, the wall didn’t collapse.

But when the snow dust settled and I approached White Mask, I saw that she was in bad shape.

The White Mask, who had been so strong until now, was trembling and groaning in pain, the cloth wrapped around her face nearly torn.

“Are you alright?”

“…Haha, I’ve shown such an unsightly side of myself. Perhaps it’s impossible for a human to stand against an Outer God after all.”

Judging by the exhaustion in her voice, it seemed White Mask wouldn’t be able to keep fighting.

Even someone as powerful as White Mask, one of the top fighters in the knight order, couldn’t handle this mysterious being.

The Outer God.

The overwhelming difference in power was evident.

The problem was that I had only one chance left to land a decisive blow using Bell’s power.

But looking at the Dragon Slayer, who still seemed furious and was glaring at us with wide eyes, it was clear I wouldn’t be able to subdue her.

Muyun, though she had regained her stance, looked half-dazed, as if she wouldn’t last much longer.

“After humiliating me like that, are you already paying attention to another woman…?!”

…As much as it broke the mood, she really did sound like a stereotypical villainous lady from a story.

It’s not easy to act like that.

This Super Coward Mode, seeing things like this, does seem to be doing a good job of adapting, doesn’t it?

…Anyway, maybe it was time to retreat a step back, even if it meant taking a risk.

I gently scratched Bell’s chin as she growled cutely, upset by the Dragon Slayer’s declaration to defeat me.

“Haww…”

Feeling a bit better, Bell rubbed her cheek against mine, helping me clear my thoughts.

Now that I had come to a conclusion, I needed to act quickly.

From the beginning, our goal was to defeat the drakes.

The Dragon Slayer was an unexpected variable.

Supporting White Mask, I prepared to use Bell’s power to quickly retreat from this place.

Shhh.

Suddenly, I heard something sliding down the snow. When I turned to look, I was shocked.

It was Astie, her maid uniform and twin braids fluttering in the wind.

She was sliding down the slope on her two feet, her face slightly furrowed.

W-Why?

Why is she here?

When the slope ended and she reached the cliff, Astie kicked off the wall and leaped toward me.

Thud.

With a quiet sound, she landed right in front of me, then slowly stood up and adopted a proper maid’s posture, looking up at me as if nothing had happened.

“Astie… why are you here…?”

“From afar, you looked like you were in danger, Master.”

“But coming here puts you in danger too…!”

But Astie shook her head, disregarding my words.

“It’s not proper for a servant to just stand by and watch when their master is in danger.”

Astie whispered calmly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

A servant?

More than that, what is with this double-sided behavior?

Even back in the village, I couldn’t figure out how to deal with her.

Despite trying to kill me several times, she maintained all the proper etiquette as a maid.

No, in fact, she went above and beyond.

Even on the morning when she tried to kill me, my room had been impeccably cleaned.

On the day she attempted to poison me, she served breakfast that was not only delicious (after I made sure White Mask ate it without any issues), but she also wiped my mouth and even did the dishes.

And then there was that pained expression I saw before she came here.

What’s your true intention, Astie?

“If you allow me to protect you now, Master, I would be grateful.”

After formally stating her intention, Astie held the sword she had previously used to stab me in both hands.

But this time, unlike before, the sword seemed to glow with a red light.

“Please make your decision, Master.”

Judging by the ominous aura emanating from her, I got the sense that even if I refused, she would still carry out her duty, even if it meant disobeying orders.

After much deliberation, I finally made my decision, feeling conflicted.

“Alright, I allow it.”

“Then…”

The moment my words left my mouth, Astie charged at the Dragon Slayer.