"Companions I would like, huh."

The Saint wasn’t wrong.

Agartha and the Hunter.

Perhaps they were the most familiar and comfortable people in Rondan, and ones I could rely on.

But I had questions.

I could understand why Agartha, being under the Saint's command, would be here. But why was the Hunter here? What brought him along?

Judging by his expression, the Hunter didn’t seem to have been dragged here against his will. He didn’t look as irritable as usual.

Noticing my gaze, the Hunter spat out the candy he had been chewing on, stomped on it, and glared at me.

"Got something to say?"

"No, I’m just happy to see you after a while."

"What a weird thing to be happy about."

Why is his tone so harsh?

The Hunter always had a sharp and irritable personality, but today, it seemed worse than usual. Or was it just my imagination?

It couldn’t be because of that incident with the twin foreign entities—sure, that was my fault, but the Hunter wasn’t the type to hold a grudge over past events.

He had always been hard to read, but today, even more so.

"Hunter, why are you so on edge today? Did someone steal your kill while hunting a foreign entity?"

"What does that matter?"

"Aren’t you mad about it?! Wow, I’m kind of impressed! You've become so patient since we last met!"

"...And your mouth still hasn’t been shut, huh? I’m amazed you survived in such harsh conditions with that constant flapping of your lips."

"I’ll take that as a compliment!"

Hmm.

Judging by his banter with Agartha, maybe everything’s fine?

So why does it feel like he’s only acting this way toward me?

Wait a second, could it be...

Am I being ostracized...?

Did I do something to deserve this kind of treatment?

"Sir Tanton, why are you standing off by yourself? Stop sulking and come over here."

Hearing Agartha call me over reassured me, and I walked toward her.

Judging by the bemused expression on her face, it seemed like she had figured out what I was thinking.

"Hunter, you’re making Sir Tanton sulk!"

"What did I even do?"

She sure twisted the facts, didn’t she?

I mean, I was a little taken aback, but to describe it like that made me seem so petty.

"I’m not sulking."

"Then what’s that expression if it’s not sulking?"

"I was just feeling sentimental, seeing you two talking after so long."

Agartha, who had been happily countering my words, stopped mid-sentence and widened her eyes at my last remark before bursting into laughter.

"Right? I even said the same thing to the Hunter earlier! Even though it’s been a while since we last saw each other, it still feels like we met just yesterday."

"...Yeah, I guess."

Seems like when Agartha arrived, the Hunter didn’t act all prickly with her.

Why is it just me?

...No, maybe I’m just overreacting.

The Hunter’s always had a rough way of speaking.

Maybe I’m just imagining things.

I decided to muster up the courage and talk to him again.

"So, how have you been, Hunter?"

"Why do you care?"

"It’s what people do. We catch up with each other."

"Sure, catching up. You’re right; I haven’t heard your updates yet."

For some reason, the Hunter’s gaze grew sharper as he looked at me.

It felt like I was being interrogated, as if I were a criminal being grilled by the police.

W-Was it always like this?

"Oh, uh, well! After I rescued the Knight Commander and returned, I became the disciple of that knight with the white mask, right? After that, I even took down the Dragonslayer."

"Took him down."

"Yeah, and then! I also suppressed the cultists who were summoning the foreign entities?"

"Suppressed them."

What is this?!

What does he want from me?!

It felt like he was probing me for an alibi, like a detective trying to trip me up.

It felt like something bad would happen if I stopped talking!

"Then after that, I took a bit of a break? And then, I defeated the foreign entity in the dream…."

"A dream?"

Wait a second—why is he suddenly so invested in my story after being so prickly before?!

"Yes, in a dream."

"The case where people died while sleeping?"

"Yeah, that’s right."

"So, did you see someone’s dream there?"

I... shouldn’t say I did, right?

Peeking into someone’s mind is a huge violation of their privacy.

It’s like stealing someone’s innermost trauma, habits, and thoughts without permission.

How could I admit to such a thing?

"No?"

"Hmm."

"Why are you looking at me like that?! I’m telling the truth!"

I glanced helplessly at Agartha, but she was pointing at me and trying to stifle her laughter.

You traitor! Stop laughing and help me!

"Oh my, Sir Tanton’s here too."

Just when I was about to blurt out some made-up excuse, I heard a voice that saved me.

It was the Saint, dressed in a loose, casual outfit that still managed to make him look like an adventurer.

He looked like a wise sage when we last met, but now, with just a change of clothes, he resembled a Viking ready to knock people out.

"...Let’s end this conversation here."

So, you get to ask all your questions and then just leave?

That’s really underhanded!

The Saint shook hands with Agartha and the Hunter a few times before approaching me with a warm smile.

"Didn’t I say you’d like the company, Sir Tanton?"

"...How did you get the Hunter to come along?"

"I asked if he could provide security while we search for the traces of the foreign entities."

"And he just agreed?"

The Hunter isn’t the type to accept things so easily.

Of course, the Saint shook his head, indicating otherwise.

"No, not at first. But."

"But?"

"Once I mentioned who the members were, he agreed. As Lady Agartha said, the bond between you three must be quite strong."

Wow, that’s actually kind of touching.

So despite all the grumbling, deep down, he really cares about us.

I couldn’t help but laugh as I looked over at the Hunter.

"Now then, let me explain our mission."

With that, the Saint took the lead, explaining what we needed to do.

"The Gardener’s Garden, which Sir Tanton fully explored, was thought to be completely searched. However, recently, a knight team discovered a new area within the garden."

I was worried he might start drawing pictures and writing out explanations like last time, but thankfully, he already had prepared diagrams to show us.

Phew.

This way, we can save time. It’s much better.

"They said the new area felt damp, almost like a cave."

A cave, huh?

If it only appeared now, after being unnoticed for so long, it might be some kind of Easter egg.

Something the developers intentionally hid, requiring a strange method to discover it.

In this world, there’s no mechanic to ignore NPCs like in a game, so someone was bound to notice it eventually.

"But strangely enough, when they tried to enter, they were blocked by some kind of invisible wall. They thought it was a magical barrier, but no physical or magical force worked on it."

I knew it.

It’s definitely an Easter egg.

In that case, the trick must be hidden more intricately than usual.

If we try to tackle it head-on, we might not solve it, even if we spend years trying.

But we don’t have that kind of time.

If we can’t figure it out, we’ll just have to break through with brute force.

Maybe if I summon Bell with the party whistle, he can break it down?

The Gardener’s power was too obvious when summoning foreign entities, and I hadn’t used the Dragonslayer’s power yet, so I didn’t want to risk it.

The Chef’s ability probably had something to do with cooking.

"That’s where we are now. Today, we’ll search for a way to enter. If we succeed, we’ll explore immediately. If we fail, we’ll regroup and plan our next move based on what we learn."

Agartha and the Hunter both nodded seriously, taking in the Saint’s explanation.

At first glance, they seemed focused on the briefing.

But in reality, Agartha was probably fighting off sleep, and the Hunter was likely deep in thought, calculating all possible scenarios.

I was probably the only one who noticed that.

Oblivious to this, the Saint smiled, satisfied with their responses.

"Excellent. Let’s head to the garden."

The Saint’s words jolted Agartha, who blinked in confusion before shaking her head vigorously to clear her mind.

"I’ll handle finding a way in, so Hunter and Sir Tanton, please cover me."

Oh, so she wasn’t completely out of it.

I nodded at Agartha, who had surprisingly given a sound suggestion.

Looks like I’ll be paired with the Hunter.

"Let’s work well together, Hunter."

I playfully tapped his collarbone with my fist.

WHAM!

"Gah!"

"...Oh."

The sky, which had been perfectly upright, was suddenly upside down.

I had been thrown to the ground so fast that I couldn’t help but let out a pained groan.

"Sir Tanton!"

The Saint rushed over in surprise, while the Hunter awkwardly cleared his throat and turned away.

"Touching others so freely is disgusting."

What?!

I rubbed the spot where he had hit me and glanced at Agartha, who looked equally dumbfounded.

"Agartha."

"Yes?"

"Since when has a friendly tap become a disgusting act?"

"Maybe when you do it, Sir Tanton."

That bitch.