The Outer Gods approached us slowly, their tension palpable, enough to make my skin crawl.

The Outer Gods near Londan were generally the type who took their mission of killing humans very seriously.
Whether it was for fun or hatred, I couldn’t be sure.

Judging by the twisted expressions on these particular Outer Gods, it seemed to be the latter.

Perhaps it was because they’d been constantly encroached upon—or maybe because the Outer God Slayer Woman had been active nearby.

Regardless, the chances of forming any kind of friendship with these Outer Gods was effectively zero.

Which meant we had no choice but to subdue them.

"Three of them, just right. Let’s each take one," the Martial God said with a sly grin, clearly relishing the upcoming fight.

His expression was a perfect reflection of his personality, someone who found joy in combat.

Even after fighting Outer Gods fiercely the day before, he was still eager for more.

This man must truly be a descendant of the Vikings.

"Ah, it’s been a while since I’ve had a nice, quiet fight!"

He declared, spouting a contradictory statement, and then surged forward with heavy, yet astonishingly swift steps.

Despite his heavily muscled frame, the speed at which he moved was remarkable.

"Let’s go too," Muyeon said, watching her father charge ahead.
"Right."

The moment we moved, the Outer Gods shifted into battle stances and started throwing projectiles—shuriken-like weapons.

Ninjas, perhaps?
I couldn’t help but think that Outer Gods were far trendier than Londan’s knights.

None of the shuriken reached us, though.
The Martial God deflected every single one with wild swings of his ominous-looking axes.

"You sneaky bastards! Fight me head-on!"

When the shuriken stopped coming, the Martial God leaped.
Quite literally, he leaped into the air, lingering in the sky for an unusually long time due to his powerful jump.

In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance between himself and the Outer Gods. Before they could properly react—

"Ha-ha-ha! Come at me, Outer Gods!"

The Martial God swung his worn axe over his head and brought it down.
The Outer Gods scattered in an instant.

Boom!

With a resounding crash, a sizable crater appeared where his axe struck.

"What the—?!"
"Humans this strong usually don’t come here unless it’s that dark-looking guy!"
"Something’s seriously wrong lately! It’s so unfair!"

Their voices were filled with a pitiful sense of injustice, but it didn’t change the fact that they were mass murderers preying on weaker humans.

It seemed we’d stumbled upon another group of nasty Outer Gods.

"Don’t run! Stand and fight!" the Martial God roared.
"Eek!"

Even after delivering such a devastating blow, he twisted his body and charged at the fleeing Outer Gods, terrifying them even further.

But he wasn’t the only human here.

"Hyaah!"

Muyeon, having shaken off most of her fear, rushed toward one of the panicked Outer Gods and swung her oversized training axe.

The Outer God narrowly dodged her attack—

Only to scream moments later as it clutched its severed arm.

I’d seen it dodge her attack, but…

"Muyeon, was that Meditatio?"
"Yes!"

I looked at Muyeon in surprise, and she smiled proudly, clasping her fists together.

She had improved a lot while I wasn’t paying attention.
As expected of the Martial God’s daughter, her learning speed was impressive.

Muyeon glanced at her father with eyes full of anticipation.

"Ha-ha-ha!"

…But the Martial God didn’t even glance her way, completely engrossed in his fight with the Outer Gods.

The disappointment on Muyeon’s face was almost palpable.

Something felt off.

The Martial God, who had claimed he would do anything for Londan and his daughter, now seemed solely focused on fighting.

A fighter of his caliber wouldn’t have missed Muyeon’s Meditatio.
It was in plain view, impossible to overlook.

"Ha-ha! The last one!"

The Martial God cornered the final Outer God, spinning one of his axes in the air before bringing it down with a resounding strike to its side.

Thud.

The Outer God let out a final, choked breath.

The entire battle had lasted less than five minutes.

As expected, the Martial God was incredibly powerful.

"Hah, this is the thrill I’ve been missing!"

For now, we needed to finish our own tasks.

Muyeon, though slightly disheartened, swallowed her disappointment and resumed focusing on hunting the remaining Outer Gods.

"Martial God, sir."
"Hmm?"
"Muyeon just used Meditatio."
"What?!"

As we made our way back toward the Londan gate after finishing the hunt, I mentioned it in a mildly chiding tone.

Only then did the Martial God turn to look at Muyeon in surprise.

"She really did?!"
"Yes, she took down the Outer God right next to you with it."
"Damn, how did I miss that?!"

The Martial God smacked his forehead with his hand and walked over to Muyeon, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"My daughter has already reached that level? She might even surpass the White Mask at this rate!"
"F-Father… it’s not that impressive."
"Honestly, I feel like crying! Raising you has been the best thing I’ve ever done…"

The Martial God started weeping openly, while Muyeon, though embarrassed, smiled warmly as she tried to comfort him.

Hmm.

Yet, why did this still feel strange?

It all seemed forced, as if he was doing it out of obligation rather than genuine emotion.

After returning to the knights’ headquarters, we disbanded after reporting to the Vice Commander.

But instead of leaving, I hung back and approached the Vice Commander once the others were gone.

"Something on your mind, Tanton?" he asked, tilting his head.

"I couldn’t help but be impressed by how the Martial God fights."
"Well, his style is always bold and flamboyant—quite a spectacle."

I prodded him subtly, and he responded with a satisfied smile.

"Given your own combat style, you’ll grow into something similar. No need to feel envious."
"That’s high praise."

His compliment caught me off guard, and I felt my face flush with slight embarrassment.

Still, it seemed unlikely I’d ever reach their level.

"Come to think of it, you and the Martial God have some similarities. Unlike us, who kill Outer Gods however we can, he believes many of them are pitiable. That’s why he decapitates them cleanly—to minimize their suffering."

…What?

Hearing that, I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow in disbelief.

"He killed the last one by striking its side with his axe."
"What? That doesn’t sound like him. He usually delays the fight just to ensure he can strike a clean blow to the neck."

The Vice Commander looked genuinely shocked, but I clearly remembered the Martial God’s smug expression after striking the Outer God’s side.

The Vice Commander rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought, before nodding as if coming to a conclusion.

"Well, he’s been fighting Outer Gods alone for a long time. In a life-or-death situation, he might have chosen efficiency over principle."

Perhaps because they were friends, the Vice Commander seemed to rationalize the Martial God’s actions, gazing sympathetically at the tightly shut door he had exited through.

Choosing extreme efficiency to protect one’s own life.

If the Martial God truly thought like me…

I knew I would never make that choice.

"Sir Tanton!"
"Muyeon?"

I found Muyeon waiting by the brazier, alone.

"Didn’t you leave with your father?"
"I had something to say…"

Muyeon fidgeted with her fingers, looking embarrassed as she hesitated to speak.

It seemed she had finally gathered her resolve.
With wide, earnest eyes, she looked at me.

"Thank you… for earlier."
"For what?"
"For… helping me feel proud of myself by pointing out my accomplishments to my father. I’ve always wanted him to see me succeed, and you made that happen."

Ah.

That.

"When he missed my attack, I felt too self-conscious to bring it up myself, but you told him for me!"

…That’s not what happened.

The Martial God definitely saw her attack.
There’s no way he could have missed it from that angle.

Unaware, Muyeon was simply expressing her gratitude.

"It’s nothing. Really."
"…You’re always so kind to me. It’s… confusing…"
"Sorry?"
"N-Never mind! I’ll get going now!"

Muyeon muttered to herself, then startled as if realizing something, and ran off somewhere.

Watching her retreating figure, I made a decision.

I’d need to investigate further.
For Muyeon’s sake.