The sheer absurdity of the situation was beyond any logic’s grasp, even one’s ability to rationalize.

The woman who comforted me in my dreams turned out to be Hunter, and it wasn’t due to a misunderstanding or my support for Foreign Entities that she pursued me. No, there was another reason entirely. And now, Hunter’s perception had changed due to my constant nightly appearances.

As she continued moving, seemingly intent on doing something, I cried out in a fit of panic.

“Wait! Just hold on a second. Don’t you hate me? Isn’t that why you raised a whole rebellion against me?”

I thought it might be wiser to focus on her motivations for now, hoping to reason with the rational side of Hunter to avoid escalating the chaos.

“I’m not someone swayed by sentiment,” she said calmly, tilting her head as if considering the thought. “But judging by your actions, there’s clearly a risk you might get swayed by such things. Dragged around by Foreign Entities' influence, losing your humanity… you might even become humanity's enemy.”

Hunter’s words were maddeningly logical, but she sounded unfazed, almost like she was merely stating an observation.

“At first, I trusted you to manage it yourself. And yes, that’s how you perfectly handled the Inquisitor. But things went too far. Even the lunatic knights are now encouraging you to take advantage of it. At first, I thought of threatening you into stopping, but now my mind’s changed. If I can prevent you from even looking at Foreign Entities, isn’t that enough?”

No, no, no!

What nonsense was she spouting?

Sure, I owe a debt to some Foreign Entities, but that’s hardly grounds for such assumptions! Besides, the ones I’m close to aren’t hostile to humanity at all. In fact, they’re willing to protect people for my sake, even fighting against other Foreign Entities!

「Wh-what? That human… a man?」 「How dare she utter such vile words to my lord! I can’t waste any more time—I'll have her head…!」

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one baffled. The Dragon Slayer seemed prepared to tear open the space between us to intervene, only for the Cook to seize her arms and hold her back.

「Let go! I will never forgive her!」

Luckily, the Cook managed to pull the Dragon Slayer back through the dimensional rift, though calling it “luck” might be a stretch. I hadn’t even sorted out the current situation!

“Please, wait, Hunter!” I raised a hand toward her face in a desperate attempt to buy time. Thankfully, she seemed willing to hear me out and halted her movement. I exhaled in relief.

“Alright, sure, let’s say that, through some twisted logic, I could become a human-loving man,” I said, my pride bleeding at the thought.

This was all Hunter’s fault! Why was she setting these bizarre premises and making judgments all on her own?

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to continue.

“Then what about you, Hunter?”

She tilted her head in response. “What are you getting at?”

“I mean, you’ve hidden the fact that you’re a woman, which must have been challenging. But now you’re exposing something that could very well be a trauma for you, performing the most extreme act as a woman. Why act without any regard for yourself? And how could you even think of doing such a thing with someone you despise?”

This made no sense. If being a woman was a source of trauma, wouldn’t she either hide it or try to escape after it was revealed? But instead, she stood her ground and even seemed ready to leverage it.

Was it a strange preference? Or maybe… her thoughts weren’t functioning normally? With that guess, I hoped to throw her off balance by raising such questions.

For a moment, Hunter simply stared at me, her gaze hollow, and I hoped my words had struck a nerve.

I tried to subtly pull away from her.

But then—grab.

Wait. Why was she suddenly holding both my arms?

“You sure talk a lot. First, I have no trauma about being a woman.”

Huh?

“Second, it’s not that I’m doing this because I hate you.”

…What?

“And third, I’ve already told you that I need you. …Do I really need to be so blunt?”

No, no, no.

This couldn’t be real.

Where on earth was she getting all of this?

“I can see talking further is only going to drag things out,” she said, irritation clear in her voice. “And forcing something like this is criminal, you know!”

Ah, damn it! What do I do now?

As my mind raced, thud!—a loud tearing sound filled the air, followed by rapid footsteps.

I’m saved! Someone’s come to rescue me!

“Tan-Tanton…?”

Agarta’s urgent voice wavered as she dashed toward me, her expression twisting into shock as she arrived. Behind her, Asti and Hunter also approached, their wide eyes giving away their surprise.

“Who… who’s that woman?” Agarta asked, casting a glance around.

She noticed the remnants of a black fabric on the floor and strands of black hair, along with the evident display of force. But the fact that the figure in question was a woman seemed to have completely thrown her off balance.

With a trembling finger, she pointed. “H-Hunter?!”

Agarta’s cry seemed filled with disbelief, and even Hunter appeared startled.

Well, who wouldn’t be shocked to find out that the person casually pinning me down was actually a woman?

Hunter clicked her tongue as if disappointed, casting a thoughtful glance at me as though contemplating something. I assumed it was out of embarrassment from being caught half-naked.

But then—she suddenly reached for my clothes.

“Oh, let’s just get this over with quickly.”

“What the hell are you saying, you lunatic?!”

My panicked scream brought the others into action, as all three of them rushed forward to pull Hunter off me.

It was a moment where I felt firsthand the terror that any Foreign Entity defeated by ‘Raydan Tanton’ must have experienced.

Though Hunter was strong, being held down by three people left her vulnerable, and she ended up bound in Agarta’s ropes. I nearly thought she would break free, though, reminding me of how terrifying “main character luck” can be.

Agarta then placed a large leather cover around Hunter, taking a seat in front of her.

“Are you really Hunter?” she asked skeptically.

“Who else would I be?”

“Then… what do you call me?”

“A thief.”

“And what’s the insult you always hurl at me?”

“Shut that damn mouth of yours.”

Agarta gripped her head as if suffering from a severe headache. Despite her frustration, Hunter’s gaze was still fixed on me, as though she regretted being unable to finish what she’d started.

…Unbelievable.

“…I knew something was off. The way you understand a woman’s mind, so sensitive and precise… it went beyond what a man would typically do,” Agarta muttered, almost to herself.

She asked a few more questions.

Why had Hunter kept her identity hidden?

Why had she tried to jump on me?

Did she… like me?

The questions grew increasingly odd, but Hunter mostly refused to answer, likely feeling embarrassed by their directness.

After finishing her questions, Agarta suddenly burst into laughter.

“Wh-what’s so funny?” I asked.

“Oh, nothing. Just thinking how the Foreign Entity nearly ended up being harassed by the one he tried to attack. Karma, isn’t it? Hahaha!”

…That wretched woman!

Laughing about it right in front of the victim!

As expected of a thief, she had a few screws loose herself.

At that moment, we heard the sound of something being dragged, and all eyes turned in that direction.

Hunter was dragging the corpse of the Foreign Entity she had slain.

Realizing she had drawn everyone’s attention, she blinked her eyes and cleared her throat.

“Well, it’s cold here. Let’s return to Garen. And let’s get the Londan hunter something to wear.”

The statement was so unexpectedly ordinary that we all froze.

A moment of normalcy within the madness was like finding an oasis in a desert. It felt refreshing, clearing my mind.

“…Then should we all just get on the train?” I suggested. “Hunter might get frostbite if we stay here much longer.”

Even if she tried to assault me, she didn’t have a stitch of clothing on her. At the very least, keeping her warm came first.