Blinded Courage
"…No matter how much I think about it, is this really the right way…?"
"Just trust what I say."
"But…"
Mu Yeon rubbed her hand over her eyes.
"…This way, I can't see anything at all…!"
Her eyes, now covered by a handkerchief. I could have asked what the hell she was doing, but this was the result of some pretty solid reasoning. Mu Yeon was strong—strong enough to overpower most foes with her axe. But she was also scared of everything. Why? Because seeing something scary makes it terrifying. So, cover her eyes. Then she could unleash her overwhelming power without fear.
It might be inconvenient for her, relying only on hearing, but the flowers that had swarmed her earlier—or the ones with those emoticon faces that charged at me—seemed to push with sheer numbers, so it probably wouldn't be a big issue.
"So, you mean I just fight when you tell me to attack, and otherwise walk forward as you guide me?"
"You got it exactly right."
"…This is scary in its own way…"
"Would you rather face those monsters head-on with your own eyes?"
"…Ugh, fine, I get it."
Was she scared of not being able to see? I clasped her trembling hands firmly, until the shaking stopped. She glanced at me in surprise, then bowed her head dejectedly.
"I betrayed you once. How can you trust someone like me…?"
Pfft, over something like that? She was alive, so no harm done, right? Maybe I was being too optimistic, but I'd become the type who figured as long as nothing went wrong, it was all good. Was this the mode's effect too?
"It's fine. I'll be your eyes. So you be the weapon that crushes our enemies."
We gripped each other's hands and stepped forward.
"Slowly now, let's head straight ahead."
"…Hoo, okay."
Mu Yeon had the grip strength to wield her axe one-handed. Even a two-handed axe would become a one-hander in her grasp.
"There's a branch blocking the path ahead—could you clear it?"
She swung the axe in her hand, and the tree sliced clean through in an instant. Impressive as always.
"Alright, friend, your turn now."
I opened my pocket, and the lesser Outer God peeked out.
"Where's the exit?"
Of course, it pointed not to the exit but toward the Gardener. It had felt like it was trying to get me killed just moments ago, but maybe it depended on how you used it. It had helped, at least, so as a reward… maybe thirty minutes of petting instead of an hour. Yeah, since I'd nearly died and all.
"Wh-who are you talking to?"
"Just talking to myself."
Anyway, preparations were complete. Time to get to work.
Even with the lesser Outer God's help, I figured the path to that flower-choked area wouldn't be smooth. But maybe it was her knightly talent. Unlike me, who could see, she must have been uncomfortable, yet she adapted in seconds.
"…Ngh, incoming."
"Whoa, you dodged it without me even saying anything!"
"R-really? I just felt something and dodged…"
How the hell did she do that…? It was starting to get a little scary now.
Every step sank into the dense carpet of flowers, their petals tickling my ankles. The scene before me was beautiful. If the flowers on the ground weren't corpses, anyone else might have thought we were dancing as we leaped and darted around.
And so we bounded over the flowers.
"Mr. Tantun!"
"What is it?"
"A-a weird voice… in my ear…!"
Blocking her sight had made them switch to sound attacks? Smart, or just annoyingly persistent?
"It's okay! Don't worry, I've got you!"
"My ears…! It keeps…"
To keep her from focusing on those voices, I whispered into her ear. Only after a while did I realize what was causing the sounds.
"Mu Yeon, stop now."
"The voices are getting closer… my tinnitus is worsening, it's sc-scary."
"I know. Trust me and don't worry. From now on, just focus on my instructions calmly."
A horde of those smiling flowers—likely the Gardener's handiwork—had gathered. Thanks to Super Coward Mode, I couldn't hear them, but they were probably assaulting Mu Yeon's mind. They wandered aimlessly, searching for something. Probably me. They'd even locked the door just to catch me, after all. Not knowing where I was, they were patrolling the whole area.
One wrong word from here, and we'd be done for. After a few deep breaths, I focused completely and shouted.
"Mu Yeon, charge forward and swing your axe wildly! Straight ahead only!"
"Y-yes?! O-okay!"
Now it was all on her. This was as far as I could guide.
Whether to shake off her fear or follow my orders, she charged ahead yelling "Uwaaaah!" But why wasn't she swinging the axe?
"Wh-what?!"
No, what was that? I was starting to doubt her already, even after saying I trusted her. But still…!
Maybe because of her scream? One flower spotted her and rushed at terrifying speed. It was close enough now that its stem could reach her any second. Panicking, I opened my mouth to yell at her—
Shwick.
A clean slicing sound, and the flower split in two. What followed was relentless.
Enraged by their comrade's death, the flowers swarmed her. But following my order to swing freely, Mu Yeon just slashed with precise, elegant strokes. They charged but couldn't resist, crumbling pathetically.
D-damn it, I trusted her all along! Who even doubted Mu Yeon?!
Making my thoughts look foolish, her body moved independently of her voice.
"Wh-what? What's happening?!"
She must have felt something being sliced at her axe tip, because she cried out in terror.
"Wh-what am I doing right now? S-someone's getting cut… s-sorryyy!"
Oh right, these plants' originals were corpses. To me, they just looked like flowers, so it wasn't absurd, but considering how timid she was, it was a miracle she held it together this much.
"Mu Yeon! To the side, left side!"
"Eek!"
At my command, she twisted her already-thrust axe in an unnatural arc, cleaving the flower lunging at her. And not stopping there, the tree behind the cut split in half and crashed down.
No way. What did I just see? Pulling the axe from its heaviest forward momentum to a side swing? In a split second where 0.1 seconds mattered?
"…Hic."
She wasn't just timid—she might be ridiculously strong. If she weren't such a coward, the Gardener would've been shredded already.
#
"Hah… hah…"
Blessedly, Mu Yeon kept following my orders, but fighting solo drained her stamina visibly. By the time the lesser Outer God gestured that it was almost out, she was panting hard.
At least the Gardener seemed to have run out of spare flowers. No more in sight.
"Mu Yeon? Want to rest a bit before we go on?"
"N-no. Let's hurry."
Better to escape fast than linger in a scary place, huh? As a fellow coward, I totally got it. The problem was nothing looked scary to me.
"Mu Yeon, you can walk normally now. No enemies. Calm down and let's regroup."
"Y-yes. Okay."
Blinded, she trusted me completely and settled instantly. We walked in silence for a few minutes. But as time passed, her shoulders began to tremble. Even with my guidance, the gaps without voices must have unnerved her.
Maybe chat a bit.
"By the way, about calling her 'White Mask senior' and your alias Mu Yeon—how do you come up with those? I heard there's a Martial God, and your name sounds similar, so maybe related…?"
"Eh?! How did you—mmph."
…Oops.
Mu Yeon was prime candidate number one for never gambling. She clapped her hand over her mouth like she'd spilled a forbidden secret, but it was too late.
No, maybe pretend I didn't hear…
"Ah, haha. I was just guessing, didn't hear you confirm or anything…"
"You heard everything!"
Ah. My strategy failed. Too obvious, huh? I scratched the back of my head awkwardly.
Mu Yeon sighed in resignation.
"You might not trust me after this, but my father's epithet was the Martial God."
As expected from the community calling her the Martial God's daughter.
"Father was amazing. He'd go out and crush Outer Gods that terrified everyone like it was a casual stroll. As you know, Mr. Tantun, most knights died in the Snow Mountain Expedition."
Snow Mountain Expedition? First I'd heard of it.
"So the knights want me to live up to that glory. But I don't deserve it. I'm a coward who can't even face an Outer God, a half-baked failure…"
She was gearing up for a sad backstory, so I listened closely. Might be useful info. But sadly, no time.
The lesser Outer God suddenly flailed in front of me, signaling to stop.
"Mu Yeon, hold up."
"Y-yes?"
Stopping dead, I looked where it pointed and understood the panic. Deer mask. The Gardener we sought stood with her arm against a tree.
Mu Yeon sensed the overwhelming aura immediately, her voice quivering.
"…Is the Gardener there?"
"Yes."
Despite her fearful demeanor, she gripped her axe tight—braced for battle. Not seeing meant no fear. The dread of blindness overcome by Outer God terror.
"Mu Yeon, the Gardener right now…"
It happened in a flash.
"Huh?"
Vines erupted from the ground, wrapping Mu Yeon and flinging her far away. Her quick wits let go of my hand, saving me.
"Fascinating. No protective charm, yet your mind's intact. Such strong mental fortitude?"
A sweet voice whispered in my ear. Right beside me—the Gardener stared.
"Approaching this close, and your form holds. Even her followers should bloom into flowers just from my presence."
Her finger trailed down my arm, squeezing the hand that had held Mu Yeon's.
"What are you?"