An Uncomfortable Silence
An uncomfortable silence settled over us. It felt like the Gardener was gripping my hand to keep me from escaping, glaring at me without a word. Mu Yeon was panting from exhaustion behind me, and to anyone else, the beautiful flowers around us would look like corpses. It was nothing short of a trance.
Even after quite some time had passed, the Gardener wasn't doing anything—maybe she was just waiting for my answer. But I had no idea either. What did she mean by her followers? And besides, just approaching her normally turned people into flowers? When the Surveillance Outer God had lunged at me, or when the Gardener had attacked me with clear hostility, she hadn't used much physical force at all.
Maybe there was some hidden function to this Super Coward Mode I didn't know about. As time dragged on, the Gardener's aura grew sharper, so I decided to open my mouth first.
"Ah, no. I don't really know, but it's probably not what you're thinking."
But the Gardener frowned as if my vague words were frustrating her even more.
"...You're trying to gloss over it with such vague talk. That's how self-proclaimed mystic scholars or worshippers usually speak."
Maybe I'd been too ambiguous. She clearly didn't believe me at all. It was a stark contrast to the Surveillance Outer God, who had shown me unconditional goodwill. I racked my brain, but stalling would only deepen her suspicions. Fine, whatever happens, happens.
"Look! If you're an Outer God, you can tell if these are the eyes of a liar, right?!"
I decided to leverage the near-omnipotent nature of Outer Gods. From what I'd seen with the Surveillance Outer God and the lesser ones, they could all interfere with people's minds. So maybe the Gardener could read thoughts too—that was my gamble.
But seeing no reaction from her, I couldn't help but panic. Ah, was I wrong? This is bad.
"Th-that is..."
"...Hmm."
I was about to make some excuse when the threatening aura from the Gardener started to fade. Mu Yeon, who had been trembling behind me, looked a bit relieved—that was proof enough. Ah, haha. Good thing. I'd thought it was a pretty extreme method, but it worked out...
"...But you reek of dog. And that Recorder too... If the scent is this strong, it means you've been rolling around together."
...Or so I thought. I'd just calmed her down, but her aura flared up again. Was it because the Surveillance Outer God had licked me? No, that's too unfair! At least give me time to wash!
And Recorder—she must mean the Recorder. But I'd never even met the Recorder, so what the hell...!
Complaining wouldn't help. Okay, think. From this conversation, I learned that the Gardener doesn't attack humans who aren't hostile to her. Staying within her domain without leaving was proof of that. But she was extremely wary of humans who entered her territory. Who wouldn't be friendly to someone barging into their home uninvited? Though her reaction was a bit over the top.
Then one thing she said came back to me. 'No one can touch my friend.' And that something that had spread around her. Wait a minute. Why was she drawing a circle and staying outside it herself?
That means...
"I..."
"...?"
"I can solve your friend's problem!"
All her actions pointed to protecting that 'friend' she'd mentioned herself. Like a mother cheetah charging at a bear to defend her injured cub. Otherwise, given the personalities of the Outer Gods I'd met, she wouldn't be this hostile to humans.
And it seemed I was right.
"...How do you know that?"
Her voice was calm, but her pupils shook like aspen leaves. At the same time, the trees around us began to change dramatically, mirroring her mood.
"H-heeek...!"
To Mu Yeon, it must have sounded terrifying. But to me, the space just shifted, the trees vanished somewhere, and it turned into a cute flower garden. Thankfully, she had no intent to attack. The Gardener turned and started walking away.
"...Follow me."
Did she decide to believe me? Whew. I just aged ten years. So this must be her unguarded state. Mu Yeon doesn't need the handkerchief anymore, right?
"Mu Yeon."
"...Yes?"
"Come here."
As she approached at my voice, I removed her handkerchief. She opened her eyes, then immediately reacted to whatever she saw, so I covered them again.
"...Kyaa! Yaaak? Wh-what? Just now, something like tentacles... Huh?"
"...Y-yeah. Just keep it covered."
"As expected. Humans really are all trash."
So it only looks fine to me, huh. How embarrassing.
#
We followed the Gardener's guidance. We were passing through catacombs made of plants. Even with Super Coward Mode, the slightly damp, shadowy vibe gave it a strange feel.
"S-sorry. I couldn't do anything..."
Guiding Mu Yeon by the hand, she apologized like that.
"It's fine. Without you, I wouldn't have even gotten here. Thanks."
She didn't reply, but she looked a little pleased, which was a relief.
"This is the safe path. The one you took is a way normal humans can't go."
"Ah, oh. I see."
Ah, so the 'Gardener's Garden' written on the sign before entering referred to this area. No wonder the path guided by the lesser Outer God only had bright red flowers—that's why. She must have exploited my mental immunity.
Looking at the Gardener's back as she walked, I felt awkwardly embarrassed for no reason.
"Uh, it's really nicely decorated. Atmospheric and nice."
I tried starting a conversation, but she didn't respond. I let out an awkward chuckle, and only then did she glance back slightly.
"...I don't fully trust you yet. Just... whatever. Follow me."
"Yes, got it."
Well, how could she be friendly to someone she still sees as an enemy? I'll think about it after resolving this.
We walked quite a bit more. A narrow passage of vines appeared, leading straight ahead in a line. At the end, a spacious area fit for living opened up—the place where I'd first met the Gardener.
She stepped aside as if telling me to stand next to her, so I did. Glancing sideways, she was pointing at something. Turning my head, I saw a single rose. The unusual part was its silvery glow.
"A bit mysterious rose... huh? Haha, pretty."
"Wh-what is that?"
Mu Yeon asked in confusion, but no answer came. Confirming I'd observed it, the Gardener sighed and lowered her arm.
"...If you look closely, you'd see what's wrong."
Huh, was there a problem? Squinting from the distance, I observed the rose again and finally realized what she meant.
"That black thing is eating my friend. I wanted to handle it with my own power, but even I can't do anything about it. Because of that, humans who tried to deal with my friend first died in droves before I could even act."
You'll probably end up the same. I swallowed dryly at her chilling follow-up. Her gloomy expression showed she wasn't lying.
Th-that bad? To me, it just looked like a grub munching on a flower. The differences were its cartoonishly deformed appearance and its un-wormlike, elongated legs.
Seeing my confusion, the Gardener sighed with a deflated look.
"...I shouldn't have brought you. If even I can't solve it, how could a human..."
"Let me give it a shot."
"What?"
Why so surprised when I'm offering to help? Ignoring her reaction, I walked toward the rose. Hmm. Up close, it still just looked like a bug. Smirking as if it were no big deal, I reached out toward it.
"Wait, you idiot...!"
Reflexively pulling back at her shout, I immediately understood why. The grub eating the rose suddenly raised its tail skyward and sprayed blue liquid right at me. I saw it coming, but dodging was impossible.
"Gah...!"
My whole body felt sticky, and my clothes turned blue. Was it corrosive? Am I in trouble? I tensed up, but...
Th-that's it? Nothing happened—just my clothes got wetter.
"...So it ends like this after all."
The Gardener shook her head as if she'd already given up.
"Wh-why? What is this?"
"If a human gets hit by that, they lose their mind... Huh?"
Her grim tone shifted as she looked up at me, puzzled. She was clearly flustered.
"Wh-what? Why are you fine?"
The Gardener asked in bewilderment.
Yeah, tell me about it.