"But it really is strange. Predicting the future is already an odd thing, but if a regular person was that deeply connected to a foreign dignitary, their brain wouldn’t have lasted."

"If it was a mystic, it might be possible... but mystics are obsessed with foreign dignitaries. They wouldn’t need to rely on a cult for answers."

The sound of heavy boots echoed off the stone steps as we descended the staircase I had discovered. White Mask and Muyeon were chatting about the old man as they followed me down.

This was exactly the reason why I hadn’t accepted that old man’s story as truth from the start. In this world, the only beings that could be called "gods" were foreign dignitaries. So the old man must have heard the voice of the foreign dignitary he called the "Observer" to predict the future.

But how could that even be possible?

The party flute, also known as the horn flute, became infamous because anyone who blew it would hear the voice of a foreign dignitary, which would cause instant mental collapse and lead to death.

And yet, despite my skepticism, the old man really did predict the future.

I felt a strange disconnect from reality. Why had he come looking for me? Why had he asked me specifically for this task? And why had the staircase he mentioned appeared right where I was searching?

Did the old man foresee everything up to this point?

…But I couldn’t afford to trust blindly. For now, I’d wait until we descended further into the underground. If we found that the heretics were really preparing something, I could reconsider the old man’s words then.

"Oh, look, there’s a passageway up ahead. Could that be the entrance?" Muyeon said.

Just as she pointed out, a tall passage, higher than my own height, came into view. The stone walls were cracked in places, indicating its age. It was something even the underground prison didn’t have.

I hesitated. Going inside might mean not coming back.

"Hmm, we’ll have to reinforce this area. If the underground collapses, it could affect the entire region," White Mask muttered, walking into the passage without hesitation.

Muyeon nodded and followed him inside.

…Were they completely unaware of the dangers?

I wanted to comment on their reckless behavior, but all I could do was quietly follow them.

"Hmm, nothing seems particularly dangerous," White Mask said, crouching slightly and scanning the surroundings.

Given that this was supposedly a place where heretics were hiding, it wasn’t unreasonable to expect traps. It wouldn’t be surprising if arrows suddenly shot out of nowhere.

For example, if someone stepped on that suspiciously angled floor tile…

Wait, what?

As White Mask stepped on the tile I had noticed, it sank into the floor, as if he had triggered a button that shouldn’t have been pressed.

"Damn…!"

"Pull her back! Quick!" The Gardener’s voice shouted urgently in my head, and without thinking, I rushed to grab White Mask, pulling her by the mask just in time.

Shwoosh!

An arrow flew past where White Mask had been standing, embedding itself into the wall. From its rusty appearance, it looked like it could cause tetanus or worse.

If the arrow didn’t kill you, the infection would. How cruel.

At this point, it was impossible not to believe that the heretics the old man had warned us about were truly here.

"Um, excuse me, subordinate," White Mask’s voice interrupted my thoughts as she tapped my shoulder lightly.

"Yes?"

"Sorry to interrupt, but… you can let go of me now."

It was only then that I realized what position we were in.

White Mask had lost her balance and was leaning against me, while I, in turn, was holding her tightly as if in an embrace.

…Completely unaware of it, I had been standing in this extremely embarrassing position for far too long!

"Ah! S-Sorry!"

"No, it’s fine. You were trying to save me. I should be the one thanking you."

White Mask simply nodded in acknowledgment, not offering any more thanks but also not holding a grudge.

"I should have taken the lead…," Muyeon muttered to herself, her words barely audible.

"…You’re all ridiculous," the Gardener sighed in my mind, his tone exasperated.

Regardless of the awkwardness, we continued deeper into the underground.

The underground area itself didn’t seem directly related to any heretical activity. The stone walls were plain, with no special symbols or markings, and the space was absurdly large—almost on the scale of the underground prison.

We found old documents scattered around, but nothing of importance. Even after reading through them, they revealed nothing significant.

"…"

White Mask and Muyeon stared at me as I picked up and read through one of the papers. I looked back at them, confused, until White Mask sighed deeply.

"…You may be immune to the mental collapse caused by foreign dignitaries, but sometimes I wonder what kind of person can just pick up mysterious papers and read them without a second thought."

"Even mystics aren’t that reckless," Muyeon added.

…Are you two serious right now? You both walked into this place without hesitation despite the cracks in the entrance!

Talk about double standards.

Anyway, based on what we had seen, it seemed like this place was once a passageway used by people. Something must have happened that caused it to be buried.

It felt like someone had deliberately hidden this place.

Most of the rooms we had checked were empty. Only one room, in the far corner, remained unexplored.

As I was about to head toward it, White Mask grabbed my shoulder, stopping me.

"Shh, I hear footsteps."

Only then did I realize the faint sound of footsteps approaching from the opposite direction.

In a place like this, footsteps could only mean one thing.

We silently moved behind a nearby pillar, waiting for the source of the footsteps to reveal itself.

Whoever it was seemed to be heading straight for us, and I could hear the sound of metal scraping against the floor.

White Mask drew her sword, and Muyeon readied her axe, preparing for the worst.

To draw attention away from them, I stepped forward first.

Though I didn’t have a weapon, I had the enhanced strength from the chef’s meals.

Tatatak!

The sound of my footsteps echoed loudly, causing the two figures ahead of me to flinch.

That was my opening.

With a sharp uppercut, I landed a powerful blow, knocking the two figures off their feet before they could react.

They twitched on the ground for a moment, but soon stopped moving. It seemed they were unconscious.

"…You’re pretty fast. I didn’t realize you were this capable even without the help of foreign dignitaries," White Mask remarked.

"Haha…"

Technically, it was thanks to a foreign dignitary that I had grown stronger from the meals, but I guess you could say I did it myself. My stats had improved, after all.

But now wasn’t the time to feel proud.

"What was that noise outside?"

"Gordon, what the hell are you doing? Wait… oh no."

More figures began emerging from the room beyond, backing away in shock at the sight of their fallen comrades.

"Intruders! We’ve been breached!"

Their shouts echoed through the passage, and soon a flood of people poured out of the room like a tidal wave. They were all clad in armor marked with symbols different from Muyeon’s.

I could tell these were the heretics the old man had spoken about.

…Once this is over, I’ll have to interrogate him. The fact that he predicted all of this is beyond bizarre.

Among the crowd, two figures stood out—larger, more imposing than the rest.

One wielded a massive greatsword, his face marked with a fierce expression and a thick mustache.

These two were clearly the leaders of this group.

"I didn’t think the knights would come all the way down here."

"I thought you lot just sat around, extorting taxes. Never imagined you’d actually move on a day like this."

Just by looking at them, I could tell they were seasoned fighters. These two wouldn’t be easy.

"Enough with the nonsense," I muttered.

"…They look pretty intimidating," Muyeon added.

"This is a good chance to practice your focus, Muyeon. There’s no need to be afraid of humans," White Mask encouraged.

"…Understood!"

As Muyeon responded confidently and the three of us prepared for battle, the leader of the heretics gave the signal.

"Kill them all!"

And with that, the battle began.