A snowy landscape stretched out before me, covering parts of the territory in a white blanket, transforming the scenery I once knew.

Where was I? Londan? Or somewhere else?

I couldn’t tell. But I did notice that a group of knights surrounded me, their faces showing signs of surprise, their gazes all directed my way.

Or was it not at me?

The back of my head felt warm, and I realized that someone was supporting me, holding my upper body up from the ground.

I looked up, and my breath caught for a moment.

Long, white hair that was anything but frail, a pair of blue eyes as deep as the ocean, capable of pulling anyone in, and a melancholic gaze that seemed to carry a hidden sorrow.

It was a face that could stop anyone’s heart, a beauty beyond words, and her gaze was directed right at me.

My hand felt sticky. Glancing at my palm, I saw it was covered in blood.

Were those knights the ones who had wounded me?

I looked at their weapons, and one of them indeed held a blood-stained spear.

But… wait, wasn’t I in “Coward Mode”? Why was I seeing blood?

As that thought crossed my mind, the woman with white hair started speaking.

I couldn’t hear her voice, yet her lips moved in a way that allowed me to make out the words.

- “You were the reason for my life, Raydan.”
- “For you, I’ll wait.”
- “My final wish… for you…”

With a start, I jerked awake, breathing hard.

My clothes were soaked, likely from the sweat I’d broken out into while sleeping.

Why had I woken up so startled?

My heart was still pounding under my hand as I pressed it to my chest, trying to calm it.

I was certain I’d had some kind of dream. Pressing my fingers to my temples, I tried to recall it.

A woman with white hair. Someone I’d never seen before, a stranger. None of the Foreign Entities I knew had her appearance.

I’d never seen her before. So why did this leave my heart aching, filled with a strange, inexplicable sadness?

As I tried to grasp at the fading memory of the dream, it merely shimmered in my mind, eluding me. Frustrating, but holding onto something impossible was even more foolish.

Besides, it was just a dream.

Probably a meaningless one. Why was I taking it so seriously?

I looked around the room. It had been tidied up, far neater than I’d left it, suggesting someone had cleaned up.

Asti, most likely.

As if confirming my thought, I heard soft breathing nearby. Asti had fallen asleep leaning against my bed.

That brought back my memories of recent events.

The clash with Hunter.
The rebellion.
Attempting to reconcile with Hunter… or at least quelling the rebellion.
The sudden Foreign Entity invasion.

And then, my sudden collapse.

I shifted my body. Thankfully, I didn’t seem to have any injuries.

Using the Foreign Entities' powers too frequently could cause life force irregularities, and when overused, it even started cutting into one’s lifespan.

Perhaps the Inquisitor’s power was still too much for me to handle.

Maybe I had tried to use it without gathering enough pain, putting too much strain on my body and forcing it to compensate with life force.

Thinking back, it was clear that I’d won because of the Inquisitor’s lapse, the Record Keeper’s assistance, and a lot of luck.

At least for now, it seemed the crisis had passed.

As I moved carefully to avoid waking Asti, she stirred at the rustling of the blanket and lifted her head.

“Oh, you’re awake.”

“Raydan…?”

“If you’re tired, you can go sleep somewhere more comfortable.”

“Raydan…!”

Before I could say anything else, Asti threw her arms around me, her expression soft and sad.

Uh…

Wait—what?!

“A-Asti?!”

“…Just let me stay like this, for a moment.”

True to her word, she pulled away after I’d mentally counted to about thirty.

The soft warmth of her embrace left me momentarily breathless.

She felt slightly smaller than before. Was her body slowly reverting back to her original form?

Even her face was changing, blending the Inquisitor’s sultry features with her own, creating an intriguingly unique expression.

“…Are you alright now?”

“Yeah, thanks to you.”

“I was so worried when you collapsed.”

Looking at Asti’s slightly teary eyes made my heart ache.

…From now on, I should use the party whistle more sparingly, mindful of my life force.

I gently patted Asti’s head, and the sadness faded from her expression as she closed her eyes, leaning into my touch.

She had a remarkable ability to control her emotions, something that likely stemmed from the maturity she’d gained after merging with the Foreign Entity.

I guessed that, with her new maturity, she might even be considered an adult. But that didn’t really matter.

“Shall I get you something to eat?”

“…Asti, as I’ve said before, you don’t need to wait on me.”

“This is what I want to do.”

Oh.

If that’s what she wanted…

It felt odd to try imposing my own standards on someone else’s wishes.

Smiling, I nodded at her.

“Alright, I’d appreciate it then.”

“Yes.”

The way her otherwise expressionless face showed a slight, subtle excitement was endearing.

After breakfast, prepared by Asti, I headed outside the walls of Londan. When I reported my location to the vice-captain, I asked him about the current situation.

With a sheepish smile, he said, “By now, there isn’t a single person in Londan who doesn’t know you’re using Foreign Entities. But unlike when the rebellion started, people now see you as someone using them to protect Londan. No one’s likely to make a fuss. To think you managed to break Hunter’s stubbornness… your capabilities seem limitless.”

Broke Hunter’s stubbornness, huh.

…If only he knew Hunter was actually a woman who had some… intentions towards me. He’d hardly call it “breaking her stubbornness.”

To be honest, that’s why I’d been on high alert even on my way here. It wouldn’t have been surprising for Hunter to pop out from somewhere.

Or maybe… had something happened while I was asleep?

…But with Agarta and Asti around, nothing seemed likely to have happened.

With these thoughts swirling, I made my way beyond Londan’s entrance.

I hadn’t spent time with the Foreign Entities recently, and it was about time I checked in on them.

Nutrièce especially—I hadn’t met up with them in quite a while.

Supposedly, they had settled their rotation through rock-paper-scissors, with Bell coming out on top.

Not that Bell had any ulterior motives compared to the other Entities, so I figured it’d be a harmless outing, maybe just a walk around the area.

After all, Bell was like a puppy.

I took out the party whistle and blew into it. The silly sound echoed, and the Foreign Entity appeared without much delay.

Thud, thud.

I heard the sound of four paws landing on the ground.

“Huff, huff.”

The breathing that reached my ears didn’t sound human. It reminded me of someone imitating a dog’s panting.

Looking down toward the sound, I found the familiar form of the Foreign Entity.

“Bell.”

“Grr.”

It was Bell, though she was wearing a rather menacing expression.

“Bell…?”

“Grr, woof!”

“Whoa!”

Not sure what her expression meant, I tried to dodge, but Bell leaped toward me, and no matter where I went, she kept homing in, defying the laws of physics.

Crash!

I tumbled to the ground under her weight, coughing from the dust her landing stirred up. As I looked up, Bell’s paw pressed against my shoulder, her gaze hard and unyielding.

Uh, what was going on?

“Bell…”

“I can’t hold back anymore, human.”

“W-what do you mean?”

Panting in a disturbingly human-like way, Bell suddenly lifted her head to the sky.

“Awwooo!!”

A fierce howl, almost like a wolf’s, escaped her.

Despite her dog-like appearance, Bell had always carried certain wolf-like traits. And if video game tropes held any truth, a howl like that often meant something primal would follow.

Given the recent onslaught of situations that had threatened my virtue, Bell’s actions were enough to trigger my PTSD.

I held my breath, nervously watching her approach, her face tinted red.

Was Bell… really going to—?

I’d trusted her of all people…!

Just as my sense of betrayal peaked, Bell moved closer, her face zeroing in on my cheek.

Lick.

“…?”

Bell licked my cheek.

The unexpected turn of events brought back memories I’d nearly forgotten from a while ago.

Bell was… a Foreign Entity who loved licking people.

Lick, lick, lick.

“Ahhhh!”

And so, until I was thoroughly covered in drool, I could do nothing but endure Bell’s enthusiastic licking.