After stopping the sinister scheme of the Hunter Followers and bandits, the Knight Order of Lontan began preparing for a full-scale war.

Their target—stopping the Giant of the Snowy Mountain.

Even the ever-confident Knight Commander adopted a more serious tone as she focused on crafting the operation plan.

The previous disaster, which came from underestimating the enemy, clearly made her determined never to repeat such a mistake.

Humans tend to be most vulnerable when overly confident.

Just as high energy states are labeled unstable, excitement often leads to errors.

“For this operation, the most important role will fall to you, Raydan Tantan.”

The Knight Commander pointed her chin at me as she spoke.

The officers in the room all nodded solemnly at her words.

An enemy that couldn’t be defeated by human strength alone.

Coming from someone who had experienced that firsthand, it was a reality no one dared question.

“So, Tantan, how many external gods are currently in contact with you?”

The Vice Commander, holding a sheet of paper and a pen, looked at me—clearly ready to document my response.

“One being close to a Greater External God, four Greater External Gods, and additional support from the late Empress.”

It was the first time I’d ever revealed the full extent of my forces.

Hearing it directly from me instead of observing indirectly must have surprised them. Murmurs rippled through the officers.

Especially after mentioning the Empress’s support, the atmosphere grew even more charged.

“The late Empress? Are you talking about the External God woman who assassinated the Emperor?”

“She’s helping us? That’s…hard to believe.”

Their skepticism was understandable.

Gaia’s schemes ensured that the Empress’s true story never reached the people.

I could only hope the Empress’s tale—of standing vigil over the Emperor’s corpse—would spread one day.

“The Empress is merely a victim of conspiracy. Even now, she silently watches over the Emperor’s remains.”

“What…?”

The knights looked puzzled—none of them had heard such a story.

One officer furrowed his brow and voiced his doubt.

“If I explained it all now, it would only weigh heavily on your minds. Personal emotions lead to hesitation. You’ll learn the full truth when this is over. For now, I’ll just say that the Empress will be a reliable ally.”

A man commanding five deities beyond human comprehension.

And that man openly supporting the Empress who allegedly murdered the Emperor.

It was enough to fill the room with unease and whispers.

Some looked at me as if I were some dangerous mutant.

Yet not a single one of them dared to challenge me outright.

Given everything I had done to protect Lontan, trying to discredit me would only make them look foolish.

After all, the very powers they despised—those of the external gods—were what I had wielded to shield them.

And considering that the Demon God had once served as the Vice Commander of Lintpia, they couldn’t be entirely ignorant of what external gods truly were.

Amid the murmurs, the quiet sound of the Vice Commander’s pen filled the room.

Once she finished, she smacked the table with her palm, drawing everyone’s attention.

“This is a strategy meeting. Leave your personal feelings out of it.”

“But Vice Commander, we’re talking about the power of external gods. It’s not that we don’t appreciate Tantan’s efforts—we do. But we can’t ignore how uneasy this makes us.”

One of the officers spoke in a calm tone.

Good words deserve good answers.

The Vice Commander nodded, seeming to acknowledge the sentiment before speaking again.

“I understand. When Tantan mentioned the Empress’s involvement, I was uneasy too. But think about it carefully, knights. Tantan has repeatedly accomplished the impossible. We’ve come this far because of his efforts.

Even I wouldn’t be here without him. When the nightmare incident happened, I would’ve died in my sleep forever.”

Listing undeniable facts, the Vice Commander silenced the room.

Some knights pursed their lips, glancing around nervously.

A few quietly muttered things like, Well, if it’s Tantan… before focusing back on the meeting.

I looked at the Vice Commander in silence.

This was what true leadership looked like.

Her position as second-in-command wasn’t something just anyone could fill.

I recalled the knights’ claims that they’d be helpless without the Vice Commander.

Maybe they were referring to moments like this.

In the now-quiet room, the Vice Commander scribbled furiously, setting down her pen before folding her hands and turning to me.

“There’s one thing I need to confirm. What’s the power gap between the external gods you command and the Giant of the Snowy Mountain?”

“In raw power, my side is stronger. But because of compatibility, we’re at a slight disadvantage.”

“Even with the Empress’s help?”

“Yes. In fact, her support only brings us to an even match.”

The Empress—Demeter—was one of the Four Pillars, alongside Aftha, Oko, and Gaia.

Mystics defined them as conceptual Greater External Gods.

Their powers were terrifying, yet even their combined might didn’t guarantee victory.

Even with such powerful beings on our side, the fact that we could only barely match the Giant’s strength seemed to unnerve the others.

All eyes turned to me again, as if expecting an explanation.

It seemed additional clarification was needed.

“Are you all familiar with mysticism?”

“I know a bit.”

Aside from the Knight Commander, everyone shook their heads.

The Commander offered to summarize my explanation if needed, allowing me to continue.

“Greater External Gods—especially beings like the Archivist and Her Majesty the Empress—cannot directly interfere with the mortal realm. Their actions could disrupt cause and effect—or even the very order of the universe.

Her Majesty’s power governs life itself. The Archivist’s power writes the flow of time and reality as we know it. Both are forces close to being absolute, are they not?”

The officers nodded, visibly trying to process my words.

“They cannot directly interfere with human death or history. That means they can’t become direct combatants for us.

If the Empress were to resurrect the dead, it could lead to the Empire’s collapse.

If the Archivist rewrote history to grant us an easy victory over the Giant, it could result in the destruction of the universe.”

Hearing something so grave, some officers leaned back in their chairs with heavy sighs.

Perhaps they felt a touch of cosmic horror just from hearing it.

And maybe they also felt frustrated, realizing we wouldn’t be receiving direct support.

“So what you’re saying is that, for the sake of the future, we need to defeat the Giant of the Snowy Mountain with our own strength?”

“Yes, Commander.”

With that, the Commander’s words settled the room, and the Vice Commander scribbled down notes.

“When you mention compatibility, does that mean the External Gods are also affected by weaknesses, just as we are?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“But doesn’t that also mean if we strategically apply their powers, we could amplify even partial support into something overwhelming?”

Exactly.

That was the point I had been trying to make.

They couldn’t intervene in what we consider absolute laws.

But that also meant we could fully utilize their power in more flexible, incidental circumstances.

Like when Oko and Aftha supported me in dealing with the interrogator.

Realization finally dawned on the officers, and they let out sighs of understanding.

The Vice Commander grinned and spoke up.

“Let’s take a short break. It looks like we’ll need to meet with the External Gods soon.”

Her words caused another stir in the meeting hall, but the Knight Commander and Vice Commander left without hesitation.

I didn’t want to get caught up in the inevitable flood of questions, so I quickly followed them outside.

Break

Standing on the rooftop furnace of the headquarters, I once again gazed at the stunning scenery.

When I first saw it, I thought it was beautiful.

Now, knowing that the snow expressed Her Highness’s loneliness and how helpless she felt watching it fall, it only seemed melancholic.

While lost in thought, I sensed someone approaching.

Turning to look, I felt my stomach sink slightly.

Muyeon was walking toward me, her expression nervous.

“Mu-Muyeon?”

“Raydan.”

Fidgeting with her fingers, Muyeon hesitated before suddenly fixing me with a determined look.

Her body trembled slightly—probably because she was trying to follow through on what she had said during the battle against the bandits.

“You remember what I said, don’t you?”

“Uh, yeah, but right now…”

“No! I have to say it now! It took me forever to get this far, and—do you know how long I’ve been looking for you?!”

Wait, wait.

Not now.

Not here.

Oh no.

Ignoring my protests, Muyeon pressed on and finally blurted out what she’d been holding back.

“Raydan! Ever since what happened in the Gardener’s Garden, I’ve liked you! S-So…”

She said it.

Muyeon actually said it.

I nervously glanced back toward the headquarters, unsure of what to say.

Muyeon’s face fell as she saw my hesitation.

“So… you don’t like me back?”

“No, that’s not it…”

Blinking in confusion, Muyeon turned to follow my gaze—and finally noticed what had left me speechless.

The officers had come outside for their break.

They were now peeking at us from behind the door.

Among them were none other than the Demon God and Baek Gamyeon.

The Demon God burst out laughing.

Muyeon turned red—so red it looked like her head might explode.

Baek Gamyeon, meanwhile, smirked at me.

“You really are a sinful man, Raydan.”

Damn it.