Our combat numbers.

The Knight Commander, the Vice Commander, about ten knights, and me.

The enemy had roughly the same number gathered as well.

I told Belle not to fight.

We needed to capture someone alive and figure out who the mastermind was. With one attack from Belle, there wouldn’t even be a trace left.

I asked her to just step in when we were in danger.

Pew! Pew!

Because of Oko's remnants, the clash of weapons, which should have been heavy and resounding, instead rang out with ridiculous noises that sounded like toy balls.

Still, their expressions and the situation made it clear just how intense and desperate this all was.

“Haap!”

Muyeon, charging in like it was nothing, firmly planted a death flag and used her usual tactic of breaking through the enemy with her axe.

Ordinary bandits would have fallen for it.

But these weren’t ordinary bandits.

Thud!

With a sound of something hitting the ground, Muyeon’s axe struck down, but the bandits had already dodged in their own ways. They immediately regrouped and lunged at her again.

Muyeon was an exceptional warrior.

But overconfidence, no matter how experienced someone was, often led to the worst situations.

“Ah, uh?”

Muyeon let out a dumbfounded sound, frozen in place.

She hadn’t expected this. Her brain couldn’t react fast enough.

Slash. Boom.

With the sound of something being cut through, a heavy noise followed.

The bandit who had done it wore a sly smile, as if he had just accomplished something grand.

It seemed like the dopamine was flooding his brain, convinced that he had taken down some arrogant knight.

But then, he noticed what had actually happened.

His expression froze as he gritted his teeth and looked up.

“Damn it, Raydan Tantan!!!”

The bandit shouted my name, overflowing with fury.

Haha, what an idiot.

Did he really think I would let something that obvious happen?

With Muyeon lifted under my arm, I soared upward. It was only then that Muyeon snapped out of it, letting out a baffled noise.

“Ah, ahh. Ah?!”

“Muyeon, pull yourself together. You’re going to get into trouble saying the kinds of things people say right before they die.”

“Ah, ah, okay…”

I said it to lighten the mood, but maybe she thought I was scolding her. Muyeon’s mood deflated.

Hmm.

Mood swings in the middle of battle are one of the biggest causes of morale loss.

So, the moment we landed on the ground, I patted her head.

She was a bit tall, so it didn’t look exactly how I pictured it, but Muyeon looked up at me with a changed expression.

“Muyeon, you’re strong enough even if you take it slow. There’s no need to get too fired up. You don’t have to show off here—I’ll still consider your request.”

“…Okay.”

It seemed what I’d said earlier had been the reason for her recklessness.

She answered weakly, but as if she had recovered, her expression hardened again, and she ran back into the battlefield.

This time, she looked like she’d fight properly.

Alright.

I saved the one who was about to die, so now it’s time to join in for real.

As I thought that, I felt someone lightly cling onto my back, even though I hadn’t played the flute to summon anyone.

“…Fiore?”

Soft and squishy—there was only one deity with such a skin texture. Fiore.

Had she been watching the situation and jumped in right away?

“That lizard is definitely going to charge straight through unless someone stops her.”

“Yeah, she would.”

At my comment, Fiore let out a quiet laugh.

From the sound of it, Zumya was in my head, furiously cursing Fiore. Aftha and Pawra were also doing their best to calm her down.

…Honestly, when I thought about the supposed peace coming after the Snowy Mountain expedition, I almost wondered if this moment right now was better. What a horrifying thought.

Oh, gods.

“…Anyway, thanks for lending me your power again today.”

“Sure.”

Fiore spoke gently, and I felt her power seep into me little by little.

I stood there quietly, sensing the flow of that power, feeling the life around me grow more distinct.

There were probably countless corpses trapped under the snow here too.

Now that I thought about it, Fiore’s concept aligned with plants, so I finally understood why she dealt with corpses.

In the end, those crushed and lifeless bodies would become nourishment for plants.

It was a poetic yet philosophical concept—fading life creating new life.

I might as well make this look a little dramatic.

Having pinpointed the locations of all the life around me, I snapped my fingers with a smug smile.

At that exact moment, long plants erupted from beneath the snow, shooting up into the sky.

“What, what the hell?!”

A Hunter Follower looked around in shock.

Hunters often said that the stronger a deity was, the more unbearable their stench.

Fiore, as one of the higher-ranked deities, probably reeked like hell to that guy.

As if to prove me right, the Hunter Follower clamped his hand over his nose.

And that brief action turned out to be his downfall.

“Hey, idiot! Give the order—”

“Hyaap!”

The Knight Commander struck the bandit’s neck with the flat of his sword.

Even though it was the flat edge, the way it sank in slightly made me wonder if the nerves were crushed—enough to kill him.

The bandit collapsed.

The moment the Knight Commander achieved this, the knights’ morale skyrocketed.

“Hey! Look at the Commander—are we just going to stand by? Take them down, even if it’s just one of them!”

“Let’s goooo!”

Overwhelmed by the knights’ sudden surge of energy, the bandits flailed desperately, trying to respond.

But it was futile.

With Fiore’s power, their weapons were easily torn from their grips. Bandits who relied solely on their weapons were immediately subdued, pinned to the ground by the knights.

Some of them tried to fight with their bare hands, but Fiore’s authority lifted them into the air, leaving them helpless and flailing, their faces pale with terror.

“N-No! What the hell is this?! What the hell is happening?!”

…I wonder if they thought the corpses were moving, grotesquely grabbing at them.

The bandit, his expression twisted in fear, looked ready to develop permanent trauma. Eventually, he fainted.

Hmm.

Maybe I went too far.

No, that’s nonsense.

We weren’t in any position to show mercy to those bastards who illegally invaded Lontan just to make a quick profit.

Finally, the knights surrounded the last remaining Hunter Follower.

“Ugh, damn it! Why! Why did it turn out like this?!”

As he tried to slip away, the Knight Commander grabbed his collar.

With a slightly chilling expression, the Knight Commander smirked.

“Ha, you can’t just leave.”

“E-Eek!”

“Why don’t you share some valuable information with us?”

The Hunter Follower screamed.

Tied up with rope, the Hunter Follower glared silently at the knights.

No matter what questions they asked, he refused to say anything.

The Knight Commander sighed. He thought that at least one of them would crack under the pressure, but apparently, these selfish bastards had a surprising sense of loyalty in situations like this.

“Speak up already!”

Even with the Vice Commander’s massive greatsword pressed against his neck, the Hunter Follower stayed still, as if mocking them.

It was as if he wasn’t afraid of death at all.

Maybe he didn’t care much for the operation itself, which explained his apathy.

“Not going well?”

Tantan approached the Knight Commander.

Sure, the guy had regained his memories, but that crazy light in his eyes never seemed to fade.

The Knight Commander sighed, distracted by the thought.

“As you can see. I thought these guys would be at each other’s throats, but I guess not. Damn loyalty.”

“Hmm.”

Hearing the Knight Commander’s grumbling, Tantan twisted his lips in thought before suddenly smiling brightly, as if he’d come up with something.

“May I try something?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m good at dealing with outsiders, aren’t I?”

The moment those words left his mouth, the Knight Commander felt a sinking dread.

Oh no.

Tantan didn’t need to explain further. Everyone knew what the madman with those clear, innocent eyes was about to do.

At times, he could be merciful, but other times, he could be more horrifying than any criminal.

But there was no stopping him.

There were no other ways to crack open the tightly sealed lips of the Hunter Follower.

The Knight Commander closed his eyes and silently prayed for the man’s soul.

“…Do as you wish.”

“Yes! I’ll borrow him for a moment!”

With that, Tantan grabbed the Hunter Follower by the back of his neck and began dragging him somewhere.

“So, you’re finally going to kill me? Fine, I’ve given up. If you thought I’d spill anything, you’re sorely mistaken.”

Even as he was dragged away, the Hunter Follower sneered at the Knight Commander.

But when he noticed the Commander’s expression—an odd mix of pity and sympathy—he couldn’t help but feel confused.

Why did he look so… sorry?

The Hunter Follower disappeared from view, leaving the knights behind.

“Commander?”

“…Wait. He’ll take care of it.”

The knights exchanged puzzled glances as Tantan disappeared with the Hunter Follower. The Knight Commander’s voice was oddly resigned.

They didn’t understand it at first. But soon, they did.

“NOOO! AARGH! PLEASE, JUST KILL ME! KILL ME INSTEAD! AAAAAHHHH! HIC, HNNGK, HIC—AAARGH!”

The Hunter Follower’s screams tore through the air, his voice so shrill and agonized that the knights’ minds momentarily blanked.

The sound was so brutal it would haunt their memories.

“He’ll take care of it,” the Knight Commander muttered again, his voice heavy with resignation.

The knights lowered their heads, their expressions somber as they tried their best to block out the horrific cries.

“Hic, hngh, hic…”

Even the fading remnants of that voice were enough to unsettle them. The Knight Commander thought to himself that it was probably more than enough to break their spirits.