The Princess Reveals Her Half-Outer God Heritage
I felt my mind reeling as the Princess revealed she was a half-Outer God, and when I thought about my own charges, dizziness started to set in. Attempted rape of an Outer God. It seemed the Princess knew my crimes and was about to demand something in return. What on earth was she demanding that she'd drop a bombshell like this?
The Princess watched my reaction closely before slowly opening her mouth.
"One day, an Outer God descended upon the Empire and fell in love with a human. That human was our father. The Emperor of the Empire, now buried in snow, formed a bond with that Outer God and had two children. I was born first, and the one who came after is the Outer God now called the Snow Giant of the snow peaks."
W-wait a second. An Outer God and a human... got together?
My pointing finger aimed beyond Rondan, toward the towering human-like shape in the blizzard-swept mountains. Whoa... this dark fantasy world's family tree is so tangled it's ridiculous. The Snow Giant is the Princess's sibling? What kind of difference makes one generate heat here while the other steals it away there?
"What I'm about to say is my request. Please destroy the Empire and stop the Snow Giant who's plunging this world into eternal winter."
The Snow Giant. I recalled something the Gardener had once said.
「Can't you take down the Snow Giant? Well, it's not impossible. But the problem is her powers—her affinity makes her a nightmare even for most Greater Outer Gods. If it came to that, it'd be mutual destruction for me too. The beings you call Greater Outer Gods... if one vanishes, the balance of the universe could collapse.」
In short, I had to win purely with my own abilities, without interference from any Greater Outer Gods... With my current power, that was an utterly impossible task, and it threw me off that she was stating it so casually. I tried to refuse, but what she said next sealed my lips and explained why her face had flushed red.
"Of course, I'll offer a reward worthy of it. You said I was pretty, didn't you...? So, if the day comes when this Hearth is no longer needed... you can have my body."
"…."
No, this is insane. Her blunt words made my blood rush in reverse. Tantun, stop! Sure, the Princess was beautiful, no doubt! But calling that spider mark on her collarbone "beautiful" was just lip service—I hadn't meant it as a real come-on!
"Or... since it's attempted rape of an Outer God, maybe force is more your taste...?"
Even as she said it, her face turned tomato-red, like freshly picked fruit. Then, as if putting on an act, she wrapped her arms around herself in a pitiful gesture, protecting her body.
"W-wait!"
I had to slam on the brakes before things spiraled out of control. She was already fully immersed—tears welling in her eyes. Whoa, this is dizzying. Now it really feels like she's being forced!
"Princess, please calm down a bit…."
"Or... is it that you hate this body? Even like this, I have confidence I can raise a child without it becoming a disaster."
No, no! Why are you jumping straight to that?!
My head spun. I felt utterly drained, but I shook my head to snap out of it. Choose your words carefully! One wrong move here, and it'd go through—attempted Outer God rape plus assaulting royalty!
"…Princess, please calm down. It's not about like or dislike. Your jade body is indeed exquisitely beautiful. But offering that jade body merely as a reward... I don't think that's right."
"…But if that time comes, I won't have any other way to repay you, will I?"
"What does a reward matter? The hope of saving the Empire alone is motivation enough. Above all, you are the one meant to rule the Empire."
Of course, I didn't think I could take down that Snow Giant right now. But I'd laid the premise, so I had to build on it.
The Princess stared blankly for a moment at my words, then giggled as if finding something amusing.
"…No matter what you say, I always end up concluding your thinking is unique. To think you'd refuse a 'Princess'."
"I'm just stating facts."
"But if the Empire is saved, there'll be no place for me. My role would truly end then. In that case, should I just... really marry you?"
Seeing her playful smile, I realized this Princess loved mischievous teasing.
"…Please withdraw such troubling jokes, Princess."
"Hehe, alright. But my request to you is sincere. I believe without a doubt that you can do it."
Her smile, filled with resolve, sparked a question.
"…But why me, of all people? It's an honor to receive your request, but in terms of proven ability, the Hunter is far more capable than I am."
"…Um, don't misunderstand?"
What was she about to say now? The Princess cleared her throat.
"When I heard your charges, I thought they were absurd. How could a human force themselves on such a powerful Outer God? It's true you're strong, Tantun, but killing and capturing are worlds apart in difficulty."
She smiled warmly.
"So I thought... maybe this man has a way to communicate with Outer Gods. If it's a misunderstanding, it explains all your achievements so far, right?"
"…I see."
So that's it. That's why she hadn't batted an eye at my charges and even seemed inclined to accept me as a knight. She'd recognized the error in them from the start. No wonder—she wasn't the leader of a faction for nothing. Though I wondered what kind of lunatic "Leydan Tantun" must have been to attempt something like that with an Outer God.
"So I'm asking you, Tantun. Seeing you gives me hope. That you can free the Snow Giant... my little sister."
As expected, no can do. Hearing her final words laced with sorrow stirred various thoughts. I didn't know Snow Castle's ending—I'd never finished it. But I knew the Snow Giant was the boss, and the Hunter's path would probably kill her outright. That might give the Hunter peace... but the Princess, who'd steadfastly held Rondan together, would end up unhappy. Sacrificing for others, only to receive the misery of her sibling's death. At least, that wasn't a happy ending by my standards. I'd played plenty of dark fantasy, but I didn't like bad ends like that.
"…It's an honor to receive such a request from you."
"…Tantun."
As I reluctantly accepted, I met her apologetic smile.
"Then I'll take my leave. It was an honor to meet you today, Princess."
"Thank you for making time for me. Take care."
Tantun bowed politely and left, the door closing behind him. The moment it shut, the Princess slumped into her chair, collapsing onto the table as if her strength had vanished.
"…Hoo."
Recalling her conversation with Tantun, her face flushed red. Even with no one watching, she covered it with both hands.
"…What was I saying?"
His words calling her beautiful. The Princess stood and approached the mirror. In the center of her collarbone writhed a single spider made of red flesh. Curled up tight against her body, it looked utterly grotesque. She wanted to cover it with clothes, but the thing tore through them as if suffocating, forcing her to wear revealing tops that exposed her midriff. No wonder the territory folk found her repulsive. And though her regenerative powers from the Outer God made her heal fast by nurturing Hearth Logs from her own body, her weakened constitution kept her from going out much.
But that man had stared at her from the start—not in shock, but with flushed cheeks. She couldn't miss what that gaze implied. He was pretty handsome too. Twirling her platinum blonde hair, the Princess shook her head. It must be because she hadn't seen people in so long; she'd gotten too excited.
"…Guess I have been lonely lately."
No one ever came to the Princess's room. Recalling Tantun who believed in her, she felt joy, but wore a bittersweet smile as she stepped into the Hearth flames.
"…Will stopping the Giant really solve the root problem?"
'Please stop the Snow Giant.'
The Princess's words echoed in my mind. Seeing the game's ending meant dealing with that Outer God anyway, so my goal wasn't changing much. But she hadn't asked to defeat her—just to stop her.
"…Not an easy mission."
Whatever. I'd figure it out when the time came. Right now, the priority was getting stronger fast. Back to the branch office for more rest. Human bodies really could never rest enough.
"Hey."
"…Hm?"
A voice from behind halted my steps. Turning, I snapped to salute.
"…White Mask."
"No, you call me something else."
What the...? Tilting my head at White Mask, I noticed a rope suddenly tied to my wrist.
"…Huh?"
"From today, call me Master. You're done with the Princess?"
"Y-yeah, but...?"
Why this vibe? I could practically see her grinning wickedly behind the mask.
"Perfect. Follow me. You're my subordinate and disciple now. Time to teach you how to use your power."
"W-what...? Wh-whoa?!"
"We're heading to my jurisdiction—the station."
The rope tugged, dragging my body toward White Mask. We arrived at a train, and I was shoved inside. There, tied up and crying, was Mu Yeon. Only then did I sense something was off.
"Welcome to the rails. We're heading to Geumgu now."