It was always a pleasant feeling to be in a state of ease.

Being able to think comfortably, without any rush, means there’s no stress to deal with.

I think it’s a higher state of emotional balance, more than just the thrill of fun and excitement.

With that feeling, I woke up at the branch this morning. However, I had things to do, so with a bit of reluctance, I stepped outside the branch.

Yesterday was full of events, so I let it pass, but now I had to address it.

I fiddled with the party whistle in my pocket, deep in thought.

Thinking back to the gardener, who would cause chaos just from a moment of disobedience, made me a bit nervous. But it seemed better to go ahead and do it, rather than waiting until they manifested themselves directly.

I dreaded thinking about how much they’d mock me again.

With these mixed emotions, I headed toward the entrance of Rondan.

"Oh, who do we have here!"

"...?"

A familiar voice suddenly called out from somewhere.

I turned my head toward the voice.

"...Saint?"

"Yes, that’s right! Sir Tanton, I didn’t expect to run into you here."

Why are you here?

I was briefly taken aback, but the Saint didn’t just pass by. Instead, he approached me.

"Just in time. I had an urgent matter to attend to. Do you have a moment?"

"Oh, yes."

The words “urgent matter” stopped me from saying I had other things to do.

If I had said I was busy, the next question might have been, "What are you up to right now?" If I tried to dodge it, he might have figured it out later, which could be troublesome.

Even if the knight order had accepted the tactical use of the party whistle, there was no guarantee that the ordinary citizens of the estate would.

"Great. Then let’s head to the library right away."

"Aah."

I had no choice but to follow the Saint’s words and head to the library.

...If I stay too long, the foreign entities might get angry.

Following the Saint’s lead, I sat at a library table as he began writing diligently on paper once more.

Compared to last time, the information was even more extensive, making it harder to keep up with.

But to sum up everything he was writing in one sentence:

"So, the knight order passed by the gardener’s garden and discovered something unusual. Since it seemed like there was something beyond it, we’re going to investigate to see if there are any records left by the Chronicler, right?"

"Exactly. You summarized that well, Sir Tanton."

It’s not that I’m particularly good at summarizing; it’s just that you’re overly verbose.

You did this before, and honestly, you could’ve explained things more concisely.

Maybe Agartha’s criteria for selecting people is that they talk a lot?

Or maybe those who are more reserved couldn’t handle Agartha and left, leaving only the talkative ones behind.

I sighed deeply as the Saint finally finished writing and threw his pen down on the table, just like last time.

"Alright, since you’ve summarized it so well, it seems like you’ve already absorbed all the information on the paper."

I nodded at the Saint’s words.

Given how thoroughly it was written, it would’ve been odd if I didn’t understand it.

"Now, let me explain the purpose briefly."

The Saint pushed the paper aside and rested his chin on his hands, placing his elbows on the table.

"Sir Tanton, would you like to join us in investigating those records?"

So that was the conclusion.

Going beyond the borders of Rondan.

If I had the combat abilities of a hunter who took the mystical path, it wouldn’t be a problem. But as far as I know, most mystics aren’t that strong.

Wasn’t it Agartha who said that many mystics were killed by the young dragons of the Dragonslayer?

So, of course, having guards would be important, and having guards who can handle foreign entities and read texts would be even better.

Right now, I’m probably the only person in Rondan capable of that.

And there was no reason to refuse this offer.

I was planning to investigate the Chronicler anyway, and if I could go with someone much more knowledgeable about foreign entities, it would only be beneficial.

"What’s the current team composition?"

"Oh, we’re planning to keep the group as small as possible."

"Oh."

I liked that, too.

When it comes to tasks like this, fewer people are always better.

Too many cooks spoil the broth, after all.

If you can minimize the number of cooks, that’s ideal.

"With you, there would be about four of us, including myself."

"Four?"

"You’ll like the members we have in mind."

Will I?

I can’t think of anyone in particular.

"Who are they?"

"Haha, isn’t it more fun to guess? So, will you join us?"

Hmm.

This is making me suspicious.

Who could it be that he’s being so coy about?

Well, whatever.

Who in Rondan do I dislike?

Even if he brought along the blacksmith Symtol and said, "You’ll be going with him," I’d probably just accept it calmly.

"Alright, I’ll join you."

"Excellent! Then, please meet us at the entrance of Rondan in about two hours."

Two hours, huh.

...If it’s outside Rondan, I could probably sneak in a quick blow on the party whistle and return without the others noticing.

I think I can make it work somehow.

"Oh, and one more thing."

"Yes?"

The Saint smiled brightly and raised his head at my last question.

Recalling Nutriche’s reaction, I had intended to finish the conversation, but I decided to ask.

"What does it mean to call a foreign entity by name, rather than relying on their blessing...?"

"Pffft!"

The Saint, apparently trying to keep a composed expression, sputtered and began coughing uncontrollably.

"Are you okay?!"

"Cough cough... Whew... You didn’t mention the names I gave you to any foreign entities, did you?!"

The Saint leaned in close, his face turning pale as he asked.

Well, I hadn’t mentioned them to the foreign entities yet.

"No, I didn’t."

"Whew, thank goodness. You must never do that."

The Saint’s expression grew serious.

"When I told you those names, I trusted that you wouldn’t. Saying a foreign entity’s name in their presence is akin to forming a ‘contract.’"

"...Ah."

"With lesser entities, it’s not a huge issue. But with the greater entities, it becomes a serious matter. Let me explain it like this."

The Saint pulled out another sheet of paper and began scribbling furiously as he explained.

"For example, imagine you’re standing in front of a commoner and a noble."

A commoner and a noble, huh.

Though I’m not sure there are many nobles left in this world apart from knight order officials and the princess.

"If you said, ‘I admire you,’ to a commoner, it wouldn’t be a big deal. The commoner might accept the confession or reject it, and that would be the end of it. This is like dealing with lesser entities."

Wait.

Why is the example a confession?

Feeling a bit uneasy, I listened to the Saint’s explanation.

"Now, how about with a noble? This can go to extremes. If the noble has no feelings for you, they might say, ‘How insolent! Beat him severely!’ and have you crushed on the spot. But if the noble likes you?"

The Saint then drew thick circles around the figures representing me and the noble, making it look like a rope was binding us.

"Nobles are possessive. They’ll stop at nothing to make you theirs, regardless of your status. In other words, you’ll become enslaved to the noble. Even if you later say you don’t like them, the noble will become overly obsessed with you, ensuring you can never escape."

Oh.

My God.

The description was chilling, and I felt a cold sweat forming.

"But that’s just from a human perspective. Do you think a foreign entity could be compared to a mere noble? If you make a mistake, you could be dragged into some strange dimension and live bound there forever. The process is deeply irrational, with no way to return, and it’s utterly terrifying."

So that’s why Nutriche reacted that way.

...Should I be grateful Nutriche was just a lesser entity?

Wait, hold on.

But why did Nutriche accept it so nonchalantly?

I was feeling confused again, but the Saint’s ongoing explanation interrupted my thoughts.

"Greater entities are notorious for their intense obsession. Look at the Giant of the Snowy Mountain, who has remained rooted in the human world for years, refusing to move."

What was I thinking about again?

In any case.

The analogy with the Snowy Mountain Giant made it easy to understand.

Yeah, that’s definitely an example of obsession.

Oh, wait. I’ve already mentioned the name once in front of them, though.

"Does mentioning their name in their presence count as well?"

"I’m not sure, but everything starts with directly ‘calling’ the name. Just talking about them casually, like ‘so-and-so did such-and-such,’ will probably be overlooked by the greater entities."

Is that so?

...I nearly lost ten years of my life over this.

That could’ve been disastrous.

"Sir Tanton? You don’t look well."

"Oh, no, I’m fine. It’s just that your explanation gave me chills."

"Of course! It’s a terrifying thing, even just to hear about."

If I hadn’t listened to the Saint’s warning, I might’ve ranked pretty high on the list of stupid ways to die.

I didn’t die, but if there was a fate worse than death, it definitely would’ve made the list.

"Anyway, I should go get ready. I’ll see you in two hours, Sir Tanton."

"Yes, see you soon."

After saying my goodbyes to the Saint, I left the library, curious about something.

Who exactly was going to be there for him to make such a big fuss about it?

 

 

Two hours later.

I finally saw the elite team the Saint had mentioned, and I was slightly surprised to meet them.

"You’re late."

"Puhaha! Sir Tanton, why do you look so surprised?"

The group consisted of none other than Agartha and the Hunter.