“It’s snowing!”

Bell bounded around, thrilled by the flurries drifting down from the sky. Using all four limbs, she dashed about like an exuberant puppy, barely able to contain her excitement.

Every so often, she’d stand upright on two legs to gaze up at the sky, a reminder of how much she’d changed. When we first met, she’d seemed like nothing more than a little dog; now, she had the look of a humanoid with canine traits.

I brushed off the frozen, slightly crusted drool that had dried on my shoulder and watched her play.

Haha. She was so easy to entertain; why hadn’t I brought her out to play more often? I was probably just being lazy. Next time I had an errand outside Londan, I’d let her run around like a yard dog.

Crash!

My train of thought was interrupted by a loud crash in front of me. Bell had accidentally tripped, creating a rather large crater where she’d fallen.

Even more concerning was that she seemed utterly unphased, standing up without a trace of pain.

“Oops, I made a hole.”

Uh…

How could she say that so casually?

“Bell.”

“Hmm?”

“I’ll make sure you can play more often. My apologies for keeping you cooped up.”

“Hmm?”

Bell looked at me in mild confusion, but the lack of understanding somehow made me feel better.

…Maybe it was her puppy nature—once she was satisfied, she seemed to forgive the past easily.

She beamed happily and ran over to lick my cheek again.

As she continued licking me, a thought surfaced: dogs only leave their scent on things they consider theirs. Yet Bell had been licking me ever since we first met, so maybe it wasn’t quite the same here.

I patted her head, smiling, and she panted in joy.

…She was still every bit the puppy she’d always been.

As I continued to ruffle her fur, a voice reached us through the snowstorm.

There were only two likely scenarios when hearing a human voice in this weather, and neither was favorable. I grabbed Bell and ducked behind a nearby rock.

“...?”

She seemed to want to ask what was happening, but as she too heard the voices approaching, she fell silent.

We peered in the direction of the sound and soon saw two figures making their way toward us.

“Damn it, I get that it’s for security, but they’re working us to death out here.”

“Come on, if we don’t keep watch, how are we supposed to survive? We’re already scrambling because of those Londan folks.”

Listening closely to their choice of words, I quickly deduced that they were Candles.

So there were still Candles lurking nearby. They’d be better off heading near Garen’s territory.

“If we stay away from Londan, we’re fine. The knights there don’t bother with anything outside the trains.”

“Yeah, true. And who was it again? Raydan Tanton? He’s the real problem.”

Wait… why did my name suddenly come up?

I had intended to intercept them right away, but curiosity got the best of me, so I stayed hidden to listen further.

“Oh, Raydan Tanton. Right, they said he wiped out that entire group that followed Hunter.”

“Yeah, I heard he had the highest kill count in the last skirmish. He even used Foreign Entities.”

“Seriously, who else but that lunatic would think to fuse with a Foreign Entity?”

…Just idle gossip, then. Not seeing much point in sticking around, I prepared to leave with Bell.

“Oh, right. Speaking of Raydan Tanton, did you hear?”

“What?”

“There’s a rumor he’s from another domain.”

“Ah, yeah, I heard it’s true.”

“Wait, seriously?”

…Now, this was interesting. I paused, just as I was about to get up.

Bell whimpered softly, probably upset that her playtime was being cut short. I tried to soothe her by patting her head, though her quiet growling continued, making it harder to hear the conversation.

“…they say he’s from… and they’re looking for him.”

“What? Even the mighty…?”

“…a hero… gave his life…”

A hero? Of where?

I couldn’t make out the words due to Bell’s growling, so I quietly signaled her to stop, and she finally calmed down.

But by then, it seemed the important details had already passed, and the two Candles merely shrugged.

“Whatever, he’s just a madman now.”

“Yeah, he’s basically brainwashed by the knights. No good like that.”

Unable to contain myself any longer, I stepped out from hiding, startling the Candles so much that they fell back onto the ground.

It was a ridiculous sight, but that wasn’t what mattered now.

“…Hold on a second.”

“Oh crap, why is Raydan Tanton here?!”

“We need to run…!”

“Wait! Tell me what you were just talking about!”

This might be a chance to uncover something about my past, something that could point me in the right direction for what I needed to do next.

With that thought in mind, I approached them slowly. Suddenly, Bell jumped out, barking at them.

“Woof! Tell the human, woof!”

I guess she was trying to help.

But they were ordinary Candles, and it was only natural that they couldn’t handle being in the presence of a Foreign Entity.

“...A Foreign Entity?!”

“N-No… spare us… please, no…”

“Don’t look at me, stop watching… no!”

“Ahhh!”

The two were soon in a catatonic state, mentally broken from the shock. Bell, oblivious, just wagged her tail happily, unaware of what had happened.

After finishing my walk with Bell, I returned to my quarters and flopped onto the bed, exhausted.

I’d been so close to learning something about my past, only to blow the chance due to my carelessness.

For a moment, I felt anger toward Bell, but expecting a Foreign Entity to grasp the vulnerabilities of humans was unrealistic.

It was my own mistake. With a sigh, I let out my frustration.

I considered venting to Asti, but she was fast asleep in the room, so I didn’t want to disturb her.

No choice but to stew over it alone.

「I’m sorry, human…」

It’s okay. I’ll find another way.

After calming Bell down, I made sure the room was empty and called for Lia.

Lia emerged, yawning and stretching as she fluttered into the air, apparently having been fast asleep. It was time to do some catching up on things I’d neglected.

“Lia, let’s do that thing.”

“Sure.”

Thanks to the container that held the smaller Entities, Lia could now speak freely. She responded readily.

I watched Lia re-enter my pocket, thinking of what I needed her for.

The Gardener had entrusted me with a dandelion to cultivate, something she’d promised would yield significant rewards once grown. Though the growth had been frustratingly slow, I was still nurturing it.

I hoped it wasn’t dead from the lack of sunlight, though. If it was… I’d have no explanation for the Gardener.

But, thankfully, Lia soon emerged from my pocket, looking a bit worn but holding a small pot.

Oh, it hadn’t died after all.

Given it was a plant bestowed by a Foreign Entity, I supposed it could withstand quite a bit.

I inspected the dandelion, a little surprised.

Wait, what? It was already blooming?

The last time I’d checked, the bud had only just started forming.

Lia, noticing my gaze, looked at the fully blossomed dandelion, her face lighting up in surprise.

“It’s blooming!”

“Yes… but how?”

Maybe Lia had been tending to it regularly, but even so, it seemed strange for it to bloom without exposure to the warmth of the fire.

But whatever—it was a pleasant surprise to see. Although it wasn’t the yellow dandelion I’d expected, the white petals gave it a unique beauty.

If I had a phone, I’d have taken a few pictures. Slightly regretting that I couldn’t, I placed the pot by the window.

The bloom brightened the dreary room, making the atmosphere feel a little lighter.

The Gardener had good taste in flowers.

And maybe it was the heat from the fire, but the dandelion seemed to grow even brighter in color.

Hmm.

Something felt odd, though—it was growing almost too bright.

“Raydan…!”

Before I could react, Lia called out to me in alarm, just as a brilliant light from the dandelion began to envelop me.

“Ah!”

The blinding flash flooded my vision, overwhelming my senses.

And then, I lost consciousness.