The meeting room fell into silence.

Normally, such a situation would be filled with heavy tension, but somehow, the atmosphere carried an odd hint of amusement.

In fact, a few people couldn’t hide their smiles as they glanced at someone.

That someone, now the unintended center of attention, was Muyeon.

With her hands covering her face, she sat there slumped—looking as if her soul had left her body.

“R-Raydan…”

“…Yes?”

“How did I end up in this meeting room?”

“Well… didn’t the Master suggest you might as well listen to the meeting since you were already here?”

“T-This is torture! I can’t even run away from this…!”

Muyeon’s voice wavered as she began to shrink into herself.

And yet, everyone else seemed to be enjoying her reaction far too much.

I guess it made sense.

Most of these people were in their 40s—watching this must have felt like a drama unfolding before their eyes.

In the end, people were people, no matter their rank or role.

“Alright, enough of that. Let’s get back to the meeting.”

“Wait, Commander! Tantan hasn’t even responded yet!”

Responded?

So they really were watching this like a romance drama?

And seriously, Mu-shin—wasn’t Muyeon your daughter?

Why were you egging this on instead of helping her out?!

“Ugh…”

Muyeon looked like she was about to die of embarrassment—or worse, combust into ashes right then and there.

I couldn’t stand to watch her suffer anymore, so I raised my hand.

“I’d like to invoke my right to privacy.”

“What?! After everything that’s happened, you’re pulling that card?!”

“Even trashy romance novels don’t end like this!”

Unbelievable.

Even the Vice Commander seemed to think this had gone too far.

She slapped the table three times, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Enough. We’re here to strategize, not to indulge in the foolish desires of idiots. Let’s proceed with the meeting.”

Though the room filled with grumbles of protest, none of them dared to go against the Vice Commander.

Finally, the commotion died down.

Muyeon’s reputation had been salvaged—for now.

“Now then, it’s time to summon the External Gods.”

Hmm.

I figured Aftha’s presence would keep things under control, but even so, the tension in the room was palpable.

I wasn’t the only one feeling it.

The officers swallowed nervously, eyes flickering with unease.

After all, these were beings who could destroy Lontan without even trying if we lost control of the situation.

At least, that’s how the officers saw it.

“For now, please cover your ears.”

The sound of the Party Whistle was enough to unsettle even the bravest of men.

I’d seen more than a few cases where weaker minds were completely shattered by it, so I gave fair warning.

The officers’ eyes widened in recognition.

“That’s the Horned Whistle?!”

“You’ve been communicating with External Gods using that?!”

“Unbelievable mental fortitude…”

Hearing those reactions gave me a strange sense of nostalgia.

Had it really been so long since I first woke up in that underground prison?

Back then, I had no idea what to do.

And now, we were preparing to face the Giant of the Snowy Mountain and the Second Princess.

It felt surreal.

While most of the officers covered their ears, the Knight Commander, Vice Commander, Mu-shin, and Baek Gamyeon did not.

Maybe they wanted to witness the summoning firsthand.

Well, considering their mental resilience, they’d probably be fine.

With that thought, I brought the Party Whistle to my lips.

Pweeeeet!

The cheerful sound echoed, and my mind immediately cleared as if someone had wiped a slate clean.

Five orbs of light emerged around me.

One by one, they began to take shape.

Belle.

Fiore.

Pawra.

Zumya.

Aftha.

I’d hoped Nutrice might join, but considering her personality, she probably didn’t want to face these five directly.

If our bond was strong enough, she would’ve answered the call, so this was likely her deliberate choice.

As the beings fully materialized, they immediately—almost instinctively—sprang into action.

…And then, for some reason, they shrank down and clung to various parts of my body, growling at the officers as if ready to defend me.

Huh?

And it wasn’t just me who saw this.

The officers, too, stared at the scene in wide-eyed shock before all blurting out the same thing.

“They’re adorable.”

****

According to Aftha, who had perched herself atop my head, summoning the External Gods directly to Lontan was no easy feat.

The Hearth complicated things.

It was like when Belle had to forcibly pierce through the Hearth’s barrier after hearing the accidental sound of the Party Whistle.

And, of course, there was another problem—their true forms wouldn’t be able to communicate with humans.

So, they had to make a choice.

They could either give up their divine identities and manifest in human-like forms, like Aftha.

Or, they could drastically weaken themselves and appear as adorable, harmless versions of themselves.

“I see. So that’s why you all look like this.”

Clearly aware of how much power they had sacrificed, the External Gods growled warily at the officers.

But their reduced size and proportions made them look more like puppies trying to act tough than actual threats.

Only the Chef seemed genuinely concerned, watching the scene with a worried expression.

“Raydan, what’s that thing on your shoulder with the antlers wriggling around?”

“This one’s the Gardener.”

“What? The Gardener isn’t supposed to be an External God!”

“Turns out it actually is.”

I kept my explanation short to avoid unnecessary tension.

Telling them that this tiny creature had once been a god who slaughtered humans would only sour the mood.

The officers seemed to accept my word, nodding vaguely.

“And that black, octopus-like thing on your head?”

“The Archivist.”

“What about the one on your other shoulder?”

“The Dragonslayer.”

“And the one hanging from your waist?”

“The Watcher.”

“The one clinging to your ankle?”

“The Chef.”

Hearing the lineup listed out loud made the officers’ expressions visibly darken.

Not that it mattered.

Without Aftha lifting their restrictions, these gods couldn’t do any real damage to the officers even if they wanted to.

“So… what’s the point of all this?”

“The Commander wanted to talk to them.”

Fiore trembled nervously as she answered, clearly feeling uneasy.

The Knight Commander approached, but seeing the External Gods shivering at his presence, he stopped and spoke from a distance instead.

“There’s something I need to ask you.”

The External Gods tilted their heads in unison, looking at him curiously.

Wait.

That was way too cute.

They really did look like puppies.

The Commander let out a cough, as if trying to shake off the same thought, then cleared his throat.

“We’re going to stop the Giant of the Snowy Mountain.”

“…Impossible,” Zumya muttered.

Since her small form didn’t make her voice audible, the Commander looked to me for clarification.

“What do you all think about stopping the Giant? From my perspective, if we use your powers effectively, it seems more than possible.”

The External Gods fell into deep thought, rubbing their chins with their tiny hands.

I didn’t know how they managed to synchronize so perfectly, but it was ridiculously cute.

Then, Pawra spoke up.

“…I think it’s a good idea.”

“Pawra.”

“We’re not killing it anyway, right? If we’re just persuading it to stop and solving the situation, I think it’s worth trying.”

The Chef’s words seemed to sway the others, who nodded along with serious expressions.

Of course.

Even the External Gods wouldn’t enjoy merely surviving in this frozen wasteland.

If we could rebuild the cooperation between gods and humans that the Empire once had, they might find happiness again.

And the first step toward that was convincing the Giant.

“They agree. They’re willing to cooperate.”

“Good. That’s excellent news.”

The Commander nodded in satisfaction but said nothing more.

Instead, he quietly returned to his seat.

“Commander?”

“Hmm?”

“Aren’t we going to discuss strategy now?”

Tilting his head, the Commander responded:

“That’s your job.”

“What?”

“We can’t talk to the External Gods. Wouldn’t it make more sense for you to lead the strategy discussions? That’s my opinion, anyway.”

The other officers nodded in agreement.

Wait.

Uh…

Should I get the Hunter involved too and map out the movements with them?

I was still processing that thought when one of the officers raised a hand.

“Raydan, a question.”

“Yes?”

“You said there was supposed to be one more External God, right? But I only see five.”

Ah.

So it’s come to this.

I’d wanted to spare her the trouble, but it looked like I had no choice.

I raised the Party Whistle to my lips.

At first, there was a faint glow, but then it vanished with a pop.

“…What?”

Was she rejecting the call?

Annoyed, I blew into the whistle again with all my strength.

The light wavered like a stock market chart, fluctuating wildly before suddenly expanding.

Then, as if forcibly spat out—

“Ahhh!”

The figure was hurled to the ground, landing with a heavy thud.

Nutrice clutched her head, groaning in pain, before stiffening as she noticed the others.

She turned, her wide eyes filled with terror as she stared—not at me—but at the other External Gods.

“A-Ah…”

The look of pure despair on her face was unforgettable.