Upon hearing the Gardener’s words, I immediately shut my mouth tight.

Her words were so shocking.

There was no way they could have known, especially since Neutrice had severed the connection right when she tried to make a bet with me. So how could they possibly know?

"I can see humans wherever they are!"

As if reading my mind, Bell shouted with a protesting expression, and it felt like I had been hit in the back of the head.

The Saint’s words flashed through my mind.

"The Overseer’s powers can reach their target, even if that person is on the opposite side of the world."

Damn.

So that means Bell has been watching me the entire time, and through her, the other foreign entities as well?

So they’ve seen me calling Neutrice’s name, punishing her, and even making plans to hang out with her next time...?

"W-wait! This is all a misunderstanding!"

As the reality of the situation dawned on me, I felt a wave of panic. I tried to offer an excuse, but...

"Not a misunderstanding, huh?" the Chef said, her expression turning slightly sinister.

"It’s not like that! Please, calm down!"

Sensing that things could really spiral out of control, I raised my voice, but none of them seemed to even pretend to listen.

"Human keeps leaving me behind to gather strange folks! Sniff..."

"That mongrel is right. Instead of me tearing those wenches apart, wouldn’t it be quicker to just bind you to my side, husband?"

"Wait! Who said anything about that?! And who are you calling your husband?!"

"...Maybe I should sharpen my blade," someone muttered ominously.

An onslaught of spine-chilling remarks.

Even scarier was the atmosphere—like they might actually follow through at any moment!

Come on, brain, think! Raydan Tanton, you’re good at getting out of sticky situations!

Are you really going to let yourself get dragged away unfairly?

As I frantically searched for a solution, an idea came to mind.

But... whether future me could handle the aftermath was another question.

Still, the decision was quick. There was no time to hesitate.

After all, hadn’t I managed to make the impossible work up until now?

I believe in you, future me...!

"I... I’m sorry, guys."

"Does that mean you’re agreeing with my suggestion to bind you to my side?" the Dragonslayer asked, her words as cold as I expected.

I knew an apology would provoke this response, but there was no turning back now. I had to push forward!

"But I need to finish something first. If I don’t, I’ll really be in trouble..."

"Hmm. So, you had time to call out to a low-level foreign entity, spend time with her, but now you don’t have time for us?" the Gardener said, striking right at the heart of the matter.

Her pointed words nearly threw me off my game, but I took a deep breath and remained calm.

"In exchange..."

I did my best to change my expression into a friendly smile.

"Once I’m done, I’ll grant each of you one wish, as long as it’s within reason. How does that sound?"

"...!"

I wasn’t sure what the Gardener was feeling inside, but I knew this tactic would work well on the Dragonslayer and Bell.

Rather than forcing me to do something, they’d likely prefer if I willingly granted their wishes.

"...Do you even know what we might ask for?" the Dragonslayer asked, her tone cautious.

"I hurt your feelings, so it’s only right that I make it up to you. As long as it’s not too outrageous, I’ll do it."

And besides, they’re naturally kind. Once I offer, they’ll probably ask for something much more reasonable.

Sure enough, they all began to ponder, each stroking their chin, and eventually, they nodded in unison.

"Well, in that case, can I ask now?" the Dragonslayer ventured.

"What is it?"

As she began to speak, the other three foreign entities gathered around her, looking as though they all shared the same wish.

Feeling a bit nervous, I swallowed dryly and watched them.

The Dragonslayer scratched her cheek and finally spoke up.

"Could you, um... call us by our 'names' too?"

At that moment, I nearly choked, coughing violently as if my lungs were about to explode.

I had not expected this at all.

"Human! You’re dying!" Bell exclaimed.

"Are you alright?!" the Gardener asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

...Yeah.

I had been caught off guard, but in hindsight, I should have seen this coming.

Still, I didn’t expect them to blurt it out like this.

Especially the Dragonslayer.

Despite already having an excuse—grabbing her horn, unaware of her dragon traits—now she was asking me to call her by name as well.

"C-could I maybe give you a nickname, like I did with Bell...?"

"A nickname would be fine... but what we really want is for you to call us by our names, just like you did with that shameless woman," the Dragonslayer responded, firmly closing the door on that idea.

Wait.

This is like someone shoving a marriage certificate at me and saying, "I don’t care about the details—just sign it!"

And with those watery, puppy-dog eyes...

All of this was clearly a trap.

Calm down.

Even in a tiger’s den, if you keep your wits about you, you can make it out alive.

...Looks like I have no choice but to tell the truth.

Putting on my most solemn expression, I locked eyes with the Dragonslayer, and her confidence seemed to waver slightly.

Now’s my chance.

"...I’m sorry, but I can’t do that."

"What do you mean?"

"I’m not strong enough to hear or speak your names yet."

My words must have come across as an excuse, because Bell and the Dragonslayer’s expressions quickly darkened.

This was definitely my fault for letting things get to this point.

"It’s true! You heard the scholar talking about it, didn’t you?" I added, raising my voice to make my case.

"...That’s true."

Since it was an undeniable fact, they seemed to ease up a little, trusting my explanation.

"So, please wait a little longer. Once I’m stronger, when the time is right, I’ll figure something out."

In reality, I had no idea if I’d ever get strong enough to do that.

And even if I did, maybe it would be better not to say their names at all.

Getting locked up just for calling a name—that’s terrifying.

"...Then."

Just when I thought things were wrapping up, the Gardener, face flushed, quietly spoke while staring at the ground.

"...You already know my name, don’t you? Wouldn’t it be alright if you called me by it first?"

Oh no.

This was an unexpected twist.

Lately, the Gardener’s been acting differently. Even during that shared meal, she’s been unusually forward.

I thought she’d be the quietest one in situations like this, but now she’s completely derailed my plan!

Just as I was about to panic, the situation took an unexpected turn.

"Dare you cut ahead of me, thinking you can take my place?" the Dragonslayer snapped.

"What...?! Who’s cutting in line?! If anything, you’re the one..."

"Ruff! I was the first to lick the human!"

"You just want to play around, don’t you?!"

...Phew.

For a moment, I thought I was completely out of options, but luckily, the jealous-romance-novel brain of the Dragonslayer came to the rescue.

Seeing my chance, I slowly backed away from the group.

"Anyway! I need to get going. I’ll make sure to keep my promise, I swear!"

"W-wait...!" the Gardener called out, sounding a bit disappointed, but I had to prioritize survival.

 

As I turned my back on the four foreign entities and made my way back to the base, someone hidden in the bushes had been watching me the entire time.

Their eyes gleamed as they observed everything I had done after blowing the party whistle.

Click.

They shouldered a weapon they had kept loaded, just in case.

What emotion filled their heart? Was it anger, suspicion, or something else?

 

I returned to where the Saint and Agartha were waiting.

Perhaps because I had blown the party whistle, my mind, which had felt so empty earlier, now felt full again.

It was a dangerous feeling I’d grown used to, but oh well.

"Sir Tanton."

The Saint greeted me, but he didn’t seem too pleased, probably assuming I hadn’t found anything useful.

"It seems there were no clues after all."

"Actually, I found a way."

I walked past Agartha, who had fallen asleep leaning against the wall, and approached the invisible barrier blocking the cave.

Having just blown the whistle, I could now rely on Bell’s power.

Plop.

I felt a weight on my shoulder and heard Bell’s short breaths as she clung to me.

"Humph! Human, you have no shame, summoning me right after making a deal!"

...Was it just me, or was her vocabulary getting more refined?

She wasn’t wrong, though, so I could only offer an awkward smile.

Sigh.

Alright. Time to get to work.

With Bell on my back, my physical abilities shot through the roof. I felt as though I could see everything around me, even without looking directly at it.

If I pushed my powers further, I could probably peer into someone’s mind, but that wasn’t why I had summoned Bell.

Pure physical power.

Among the foreign entities I knew, aside from the Dragonslayer, Bell possessed the most overwhelming physical strength.

Easter eggs often involve unusual tricks, after all.

In this roguelike game, you usually needed to exploit some kind of "bug" to access these hidden areas.

If magic didn’t work, and even arcane methods failed, then...

There’s only one option left.

Superhuman stats beyond what a human character could achieve.

In other words, overwhelming physical strength, akin to a bug.

This malicious developer had clearly designed this easter egg just to mess with players.

But now that I had the power of a foreign entity on my side...

Boom!

"Wh-what?!"

"...Huh."

Now I could mess with the developer.

They underestimated me—this cunning developer.

Agartha woke up with a start, screaming in shock.

"Huff! Huff! Huff!"

Bell, having completed her task, huffed and puffed, clearly annoyed, before slowly disappearing.

...It felt like she just wanted an excuse to create more playtime.

I’ll make it up to her later. Maybe we can take a spin around Londan’s outskirts and take out some more of those candles.

"Impressive, Sir Tanton."

"It was nothing. There just happened to be a 'pressure point' of sorts on that barrier."

"I don’t understand what you mean, but it seems the issue is resolved."

I made up some plausible-sounding jargon, and the scholar seemed to accept it.

When faced with the inexplicable, it's best to use equally inexplicable terms to explain it.

"...Did you solve it?"

"Ah, Hunter, you’re back."

The Hunter, having finished his own search, returned, but his eyes looked a bit droopy.

I thought about looking more closely, but dismissed it as my imagination.

After all, the Hunter’s eyes always had that tired, jaded look.

He surveyed the scene and shook his head.

"Another unconventional solution, huh?"

"Ha ha, well, as long as the problem’s solved, isn’t that what matters?"

As I exchanged words with the Hunter, the Saint had already started preparing to enter the cave.

Agartha, meanwhile, was still struggling to fully wake up, and the Hunter gave her a light slap on the back of the head.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"If you’re going to sit there half-asleep, you might as well go home."

"You could at least wake me up nicely, you know?"

"Maybe I should throw you into a den of foreign entities and see if you’d still say that."

...Anyway, the group was finally assembled.

It was time to explore this new hidden area.