I think everyone has had an experience like this at some point.

For example, when a friend confidently tells you that the question they suggested will definitely appear on the test, and you reply, "If it shows up, I’ll treat you to a meal." And then, when it actually does appear, you're left dumbfounded as you grudgingly spend money on their meal.

Even though you benefited from it, you can't argue against their smugness and have to listen to them gloat.

Personally, in such cases, I would happily treat them to a meal and even bow to them out of gratitude.
After all, if their advice helped improve my grades or ranking, they’re practically a life savior, aren’t they?

And if the benefit I gained was overwhelming, I’d even go as far as to kiss the back of their hand in appreciation.

That’s how I felt—until yesterday.

“Darling?”

I came to a realization:
No matter how plausible a plan seems, if there’s even a slight chance of it working, never place a bet on it.

Now, I was sitting in my room, wrapped in a blanket, pretending I couldn’t hear anything.
Of course, no matter how hard I tried to block it out, I couldn’t stop the voice ringing directly in my head.

To be honest, I never thought this plan would succeed so flawlessly.
I assumed it would follow the usual clichés: the enemy would escape at the last moment, leaving us to prepare for another encounter later.

After all, we were dealing with an Outer God inhabiting the Martial God’s body.
Something that formidable should have been as difficult to capture as a Greater Outer God, if not harder!

But then the Commander just stood up, clicked her fingers, and it was over. Who could have predicted that?!

If I had known it would end like this, I wouldn’t have gone all in.

“Are your excuses finished now?”

That voice.
That increasingly sultry voice!

What else could a romance-brained dragon like her wish for?
It was obvious—she wanted me to call her name!

I had already crossed the line when I grabbed her horn, but at least back then, I could claim ignorance.
I could say, I didn’t know, or some other excuse.

But calling her name?
That carried deliberate intent, which is why I had called Fiore’s name instead.

Feigning ignorance at this point?
No way.

There are probably people out there who’d say, Well, since you’ve already called Fiore’s name, just call the Slayer’s too!
But that’s the problem.

The fact that I’d already called Fiore’s name was the issue here.

The Saint’s words echoed in my mind:
“Outer Gods are like noble ladies; they’re extremely possessive.”

If I called both names, it would be akin to confessing to two people at once.
And if both accepted? Well, congratulations—you’re in big trouble.

I once read a story where a protagonist who acted recklessly like that ended up as nothing more than a head cradled in a woman’s lap.

No thanks.
I didn’t want to experience being torn apart like that.

By now, Fiore should’ve stepped in to calm the Slayer down, but I hadn’t heard a word from her.

Was she silently agreeing to go along with the Slayer’s plan?

No!
Fiore, you can do it! Stop her!

“Are you repeatedly calling a weed’s name as a way to provoke me?”

Well, fine then.
If it’s come to this, let’s fight it out!

I’d rather become a speck of dust floating in the wind than face this situation!

“...Understood. Then let us begin by preparing the bed…”

Wait, what?!
That’s not what I meant by fighting!

And why would a provocation lead to a suggestion like that?!

“Tch. It seemed natural enough.”

Natural?!
It was anything but!

It was so forced it was terrifying!

My head throbbed.
How could I escape this situation?

Just as I was gripping my head in frustration, a soft voice cut through the chaos:

“...Slayer, calm down a little.”

“W-What?! Did you just call me a lizard?!”

It was the sweetest voice I’d heard in ages—Fiore.

Thank goodness you’re here, Fiore!
My savior!

“You seem to be misunderstanding something.”

“...What do you mean?”

Fiore hit the nail on the head, pointing out something I’d completely forgotten.

“Didn’t we establish that your name doesn’t even reach Tanton?”

“...”

Oh, right.
That’s true.

The Outer Gods who had registered their names with me were only Fiore and the chef.
There was no way for me to know the Slayer’s name.

“W-Well, we don’t know that for sure! Tanton could’ve gotten stronger thanks to that weirdo’s power!”

“Sure, go ahead. Ask the Archivist to engrave your name and test it.”

I felt the weight on me lift as my body returned to normal.

This must be what it feels like to survive a near-death experience.

“Wait and see!”

The Slayer’s presence vanished from my mind, as if she’d gone to consult the Archivist.
Not that it would matter.

Clearly, she didn’t want to let this opportunity slip away so easily.

“What’s the point of helping if you never show up even when I hand over the house keys?”

Fiore’s grumbling reached me.

She had a point.
Lately, I’d been so busy that I hadn’t been able to properly keep up with things.

Even a simple market trip with Asti had been interrupted by hunters, and I’d failed to visit the gardener’s park as I’d promised.

I’m sorry, Fiore.
I’ve just been busy lately.

“Hmph.”

…Fiore?

“Eep.”

When I cautiously called her name, she let out a startled sound.

Why do Outer Gods even have names if calling them is such a delicate affair?

“Only now?”

You’re really kind, adorable, and beautiful—

“Stop adding weird adjectives!”

I couldn’t see her face, but I could imagine it clearly:
Bright red, flustered, flailing her arms around.

“What’s this nonsense, mutt.”

“W-What?!”

Fiore’s flustered tone broke as Bell’s voice cut in.

…I was just as surprised.

Does Bell have a personal language tutor?
How else could she pick up such crude words?!

 

I had already figured out why Bell had started using such crude words.

“Bell, walkies?!”

I raised the tone of my voice in my head, as if speaking to an excited puppy.

“W-Walkies?! Walkies!”

…And just like that, she snapped back to her usual bubbly self.

Yeah, that’s it.

Bell had been invaluable in helping us take down the Martial God’s possessed form.
Not to mention, she had single-handedly taken care of all the illegal slave traders in Vandré Village. If I could, I’d pet her endlessly in gratitude.

Bell is always on my side, as long as I take her for walks.
Maybe I should look for a bone-shaped chew toy that's safe for humans to eat, just for her.
…Though I doubt something like that exists in this world.

As I was thinking this, strange markings suddenly began etching themselves onto the wall of my room.

з҉͉̰̠͈͚͐̅͜͡м̷̡̗͍̪̋̏͛͡е̶̢̲͔̍̉̈́̕я̸̰̟̭̲͉̈́̌̑͢͞ ф̸̨͚͈̣̾̓͊̀̒͡о̸̨̞͙̙͈̉̽̅̒͋͡н̷̡̜̠̎́̿͊̕ о̸͎̯͛̈́̏̒͐͢͠д̸̬͍͓͌̀͜͞и̸̢͈͖҇̈́̀͗н̴̨̦̘͚̩͋͋̊͒͝о̵͎̯̙͊̓̕͜ͅк̶̧̙͕͈̞͎̍̓͆̑͡а҉̨̥̭͖̥̝͊̄͝я̶̧̟̙̟̗̂̔̌͠

Hmm.

It looked like the Slayer had gone ahead and carved her name into reality.
But, as expected, I couldn’t read a thing.

“Well? Can you see it?”

It just looks... broken.

“I-I see…!”

The Slayer’s voice sounded utterly crestfallen.

Oh, come on, don’t be like that.
Wishes aren’t limited to just one or two things, right?
We can share interesting cultural experiences together instead.

“...Unacceptable!”

Her voice, sharp and unsettling, made me uneasy.
And sure enough—

Crash!

Just like in the Gardener’s Park, the sound of dimensions breaking echoed.
This time, I thought the brazier’s protection would hold her back.
That was my mistake.

The sheer force she wielded smashed through even the Archivist’s wards.
The protective barrier around the outpost didn’t stand a chance.

“What the—?!”

“I will not accept this!”

No, seriously—why is she so obsessed?!
She didn’t have to come here in person!

“Now, listen carefully, my darling.”

“No, I’d hear you better if you didn’t use your na—”

“My name is з҉͉̰̠͈͚͐̅͜͡м̷̡̗͍̪̋̏͛͡е̶̢̲͔̍̉̈́̕я̸̰̟̭̲͉̈́̌̑͢͞ ф̸̨͚͈̣̾̓͊̀̒͡о̸̨̞͙̙͈̉̽̅̒͋͡н̷̡̜̠̎́̿͊̕ о̸͎̯͛̈́̏̒͐͢͠д̸̬͍͓͌̀͜͞и̸̢͈͖҇̈́̀͗н̴̨̦̘͚̩͋͋̊͒͝о̵͎̯̙͊̓̕͜ͅк̶̧̙͕͈̞͎̍̓͆̑͡а҉̨̥̭͖̥̝͊̄͝я̶̧̟̙̟̗̂̔̌͠! Can you hear it now?!”

The Slayer’s voice rose as she shouted her name.

Come on, even if you yell it, I still won’t be able to hear it.
You can’t overcome this gap in comprehension through sheer force of will!

I sighed in relief.
For a second, I thought I was about to die.

“Sorry, I still can’t hear it.”

“I-I see…”

I was thrilled, but I tried to sound as apologetic as possible.
The Slayer’s face darkened, her mood visibly souring. Yet, she didn’t give up.

“з҉̢̛м̷̡̕е҈͜͞я̸̢̛ 폰҈̨̛ о̵͢͠д̸̧҇и̸͢͡н̶͢͞о̷̧͝к̴̡͠а҈̕͢я̸͜͝!”

Sure, go ahead and shout it a hundred more times—it won’t work—

…Wait.

Did I just…?

“즈҈미҈̛̉̔͗̄̽̒̃̓͗̅̌̍́야҉̧̯͔͎̭̜͉͈̩͈̗ 폰 о̵͢͠д̸̧҇и̸͢͡н̶͢͞о̷̧͝к̴̡͠а҈̕͢я̸͜͝!”

Somehow, as the Slayer repeated her name, I began to hear it faintly.

I froze, the realization dawning on me.
The Slayer noticed my hesitation and stared at me, her eyes wide.

“…”

“…”

After a brief, inexplicable silence, the Slayer’s lips curled into a soft, ominous smile.

“Well, my darling.”

“…”

“I’d like you to be honest with me.”

Her eyes gleamed with a dangerous light.

“You heard it, didn’t you?”

…This is terrifying.