When Tanton suddenly entered the room and was surrounded by the Lesser Outer Gods, the Hunter thought the mental patient had brought death upon himself.
But as time passed, the Hunter couldn't help but be astonished.
Tanton was being 'attacked' by numerous Lesser Outer Gods, yet far from suffering, he was laughing heartily.
"Eheheheh, stop! Stop it, I'm gonna die from tickling!"
"Huh...?"
Seeing Tanton even say the Lesser Outer Gods' attacks were ticklish, the Hunter revised his perception of him.
'I thought he was just a mental patient, but he has the mental fortitude and resilience to withstand even a swarm of Lesser Outer Gods.'
'Doing something like this to prove a point is something you couldn't do unless you were quite confident.'
A strange light flickered briefly in the Hunter's eyes.
Only after the Lesser Outer Gods' tickle attack finally stopped was I able to sit up and catch my breath.
Finding my state amusing, the Lesser Outer Gods giggled as they slid down my body to the floor.
One of them still hadn't gotten off, leaning against my ear and rubbing its cheek on me. Its behavior reminded me of a parrot I used to have, so I instinctively scratched its chin gently. It seemed to like it, wearing a blissful smile as it entrusted its body to me.
...But it looks like a person, so doing this kind of makes me feel guilty, I think?
I needed to go to where the Hunter and the thief were, but I was pondering what to do about the clinging Lesser Outer Gods when their leader said it was fine.
"The inside and outside are divided by a boundary, so we can't affect the outside. I can't guarantee it if you come inside, though."
"Doesn't that mean I could have been in danger too?"
"It's fine now, isn't it? Heehee."
"Right, right."
I guess Outer Gods are still Outer Gods after all?
The Lesser Outer Gods smiled mischievously.
Anyway, with a Lesser Outer God perched on each shoulder, I approached the Hunter. He closed his eyes as if in resignation.
"...I never imagined you'd be this insane."
The Hunter muttered softly and let out a sigh.
Hey, you told me to prove it.
Now you're making a fuss even after I showed you.
I just shrugged my shoulders at the Hunter.
"See? It's really nothing, right?"
"It's an insane stunt only you can pull off."
Behind him, Argarta was nodding her head vigorously in agreement.
Seeming quite flustered herself, Argarta was even sweating a cold sweat as she pointed a finger at the Lesser Outer God on my shoulder.
"Ah, no, what is that on your shoulder?"
"Isn't it cute? Like a fairy."
I was just stating my honest opinion, but Argarta made a blatantly disgusted face and waved her hands.
"I think I need to reconsider Mr. Tanton's tastes."
Well, it might be a bit of an unusual taste, but what can I do, it's really cute.
When I stroked the head of the Lesser Outer God on my right with my finger, it grabbed my finger and rubbed its cheek against it.
See? How cute.
"...It's disgusting."
"Try to be a little more open-minded and accepting."
"Just how open-minded do you have to be to see grotesque tentacles coiling around a finger as cute?!"
Well, I guess it would look different to Argarta because of the Super Coward Mode.
But, so what?
As long as they're cute to me, that's all that matters.
The Lesser Outer God, which had been smiling blissfully, opened its eyes drowsily and spoke with a smile.
"Annoying you?"
"It's a bit irritating."
"Shall I kill them?"
Despite its cute, drawn-out voice, it was saying something murderous. I tapped its head with my index finger.
"Eht, eht."
"Tsk, you shouldn't say things like that with such a cute face."
"Okay~"
"My, so pretty."
Pretty things deserve rewards.
This time, I tickled behind its ear gently. Its body shivered as if it had goosebumps, then it flopped over and fell asleep.
I couldn't help but think I'd really like to take it home and keep it.
Argarta still had the expression of someone who had witnessed something grotesque.
"What... did you just talk about?"
"It was asking if it should kill Ms. Argarta?"
"Eh, hey. Stop joking."
"It's true."
Argarta stared blankly at the Lesser Outer God for a moment, then instantly put more than ten paces between us.
Seeing the usually playful person so frightened was a spectacle in itself.
"I'd like you to listen to our request soon."
Since the leader Lesser Outer God started urging me, I decided to stop my boasting time.
This should be enough for the Hunter to trust me now.
"Anyway, I'm fine, so I'll go check inside."
The Hunter simply nodded, holding his forehead with one hand as if he had given up understanding.
Argarta had a look in her eyes that said she just wanted me to go in quickly with the Lesser Outer Gods, so I didn't engage her further.
The inside of the passage with the Lesser Outer Gods was filled with the scent of flowers.
The Hunter had called it a foul stench; I wondered if this was also the mod's influence.
The Lesser Outer Gods, who had been chattering among themselves, instantly approached me and then swarmed the one smiling cheerfully.
"You traitor! Hogging it all to yourself!"
"Hehehe..."
"Tsk, in that case, we have no choice but to get some too!"
As the Lesser Outer Gods tried to swarm me again all at once, I instinctively prepared to run, but fortunately, the leader Lesser Outer God whistled to stop them.
"Enough! Don't trouble the human any further!"
"Tch, you were clinging to him the whole time too."
"Eht, be quiet!"
Once the atmosphere finally calmed down, one of the Lesser Outer Gods smiled awkwardly and spoke.
"We like being petted by someone."
"Mother used to do it for us, but she hasn't visited often lately."
Who is this 'mother'?
Just as I was about to harbor doubts, the leader Lesser Outer God, as if it couldn't stand it any longer, pointed somewhere with its finger and spoke.
"We'd like you to take what's inside. That's all we ask."
Ah, as expected.
There was a gimmick item, just as I thought.
By the way, the fact that they're trying to move on immediately means they don't want to talk about this 'mother' being, right?
It's better to be understanding.
A difficulty level where you can't even enter unless you have a specific build and stats high enough to withstand the Lesser Outer Gods' mental attacks.
If it's this absurd, of course you wouldn't be able to enter in the early game, I thought to myself.
I wondered what the item, obtained with such difficulty, would look like.
Maybe a polyhedral die or something.
Or a strange object whose shape can't even be perceived by the eye.
Full of anticipation, I trudged to the place the Lesser Outer Gods guided me.
What awaited me there was...
"What is this."
A dog bone.
It would be one thing if it looked realistic, but it was a dog bone shaped in an overly simple, cartoonish style.
I suddenly felt all the strength drain from my body.
"All this for just this...?"
"Huh?"
"Nothing, nothing. I'll take it away."
The dog bone was enshrined deep inside, emitting a radiant light for no reason.
Ah, is this the glory of glory, or the sorrow of sorrow?
As I hung my head in disappointment, another Lesser Outer God spoke sulkily.
"Mother said having this allows us to have a physical form, but we prefer cats over dogs."
"Right, right. If we're choosing, we prefer something cute."
Cats, huh.
So I threw out a suggestion.
"How about asking for a fish bone next time?"
"Agreed, agreed!"
They liked it.
By the way, this shape is probably also due to the mod, right?
"We changed everything in the game deemed likely to cause disgust or fear."
"Weapons become trivial!"
I found it hard to believe this could really be the weapon to defeat that Outer God, but thinking I should just take it and see, I picked up the dog bone.
"Mr. Tanton has disappeared too, so I guess we just have to wait. Well, shall we play poker or something?"
Less than a minute after Tanton went in, Argarta, seemingly bored, took out a deck of cards, one of the items from the guardroom, and spoke to the Hunter.
The Hunter looked down at Argarta as if she were a trivial object.
"...Can't I at least suggest this much?"
"How pathetic."
"Hey, if you don't want to, just say so."
The Hunter, shaking his head at Argarta, suddenly had his pupils dilate.
"Why, what is it?"
Argarta asked, flustered, but the Hunter swiftly pulled her with his arm, moving her behind him.
"No, what's going on...!"
"Quiet."
The atmosphere was completely different from his usual irritated self, making Argarta swallow hard and tense up.
After a moment, the Hunter spoke quietly.
"As expected, without the sound, it's slow to notice."
"...?"
"The stench is getting stronger. It's getting closer."
Argarta saw the exposed part of the Hunter's face contort severely.
It was an expression too different from his usual serious and stern demeanor.
Thump, thump.
"Shh."
When Argarta, surprised, tried to open her mouth, the Hunter urgently pressed his index finger against her lips to keep them shut.
The Hunter knew he needed to hide too, but he couldn't even conceive of moving.
Thump, thump.
Sniff, sniff.
Seeing tears welling up in Argarta's eyes, the Hunter could only grit his teeth.
Because even the Hunter had never imagined it would come to this.
Sniff, sniff.
It seemed that mental patient was right after all.
There was absolutely no reason for that thing, sleeping so soundly, to wake up suddenly.
There really was a key to defeating that thing here.
Sniff, sniff.
Thump, thump, thump...
The sound that had been unnerving the two began to grow distant.
The Hunter, still making no sound, seemed to be waiting for the sound to disappear completely.
Looking at the Hunter, who still had her almost enveloped, Argarta waited for a considerable time.
Even though the sound had completely vanished, the Hunter still didn't move. Flushing, Argarta spoke.
"...It's gone. You can let go now..."
"Stupid woman."
Insulted by the Hunter's sudden curse, Argarta, choking back tears, looked at his face and turned pale.
Because the Hunter, who had always only shown a cold demeanor, was sweating cold sweat and wearing a subtle, strained smile.
They say people act opposite to their usual selves when they sense danger.
Argarta remembered that the Hunter had never smiled, not even once.
Argarta realized she had made a big mistake.
"This is why I hate those who overestimate their abilities."
The sound of sand rolling was the beginning.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Thud...
Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick.
Feeling the vibrations gradually intensify, the Hunter released Argarta from his embrace and stepped back.
"Damn it, it's coming!"
With the Hunter's shout, a massive roar erupted, and the prison exploded.
Argarta and the Hunter reflexively moved to avoid the debris and immediately realized it was the Outer God's doing.
Along with a sensation as if something was suddenly pressing on their minds.
Both the Hunter and Argarta felt it simultaneously.
"Kyaak!"
Argarta, startled, wrapped her arms around herself, then tried to remove them once the debris had vanished.
But she couldn't.
Her body was absolutely refusing to look forward.
Thinking she couldn't counter anything without looking, Argarta forced her immobile body to move and finally looked ahead.
̶̣̫̝̦͎͉̦̣̯͔̙̭͋̄̿̉͂̓̀̄̋̏̔̓̉͂̄͂̾̾́̅́͗̇̚"""T҉̮̞̯͕̝̭̭͚̜̭̭͔͇̜̩̲̘̃̆̄̇͒̂̒͌̑̌́͊hҴ̖͖̖̤͉̮̜̫̲͙͉̰͍͕̣̩̩̘͙͔̣͒̐͗́̌̎͌̑͑̎͒̇͌̅ͅe҈̘̰͚̗͍̞͇̲̘̟̭͉̭̝̭̤̮̰̱̫̖̙̊͒̅̓̈͆͒́̏̅̍̋͒͆̚yҶ̣̠̞̞̮͕͍̭̤̲̜̪̘͕̪̆̏̾̈́͑̔͗̔͒̇̿͗͌̂̔̆̈͛̄ a҉̟̲̞̤̮̟̯͓͍̤̭͚̩̳͚͕͈̤̜̖̫̇́͌̋̌͌̌̿̏̓͊̾̍̓͐͑̐͒̇̅̚̚r҉͙̦͚͉͓̲͉͓̜̗̜̘͈͌́̓̊͐͌̄̏̑̓̓̿͋̅̐̾̅͊̾͊ͅe҉͓̳̙̖̮̮̳̙͉͚͍͖̞̬͕̫̳͈̯͔̳̤͕͑̐̂͌́̀͋̎́͑͑͐́͌͋͑̓̄͌̊̿͒̆́ͅ ẁ̷̦͎̪͇̖̯̪͍͎͕̲̜̤̘͎͖̣͗͑̃̈̓͒̿̀͌̎̈̍̐́́̉́a҉͙̠̫̰͈̖̬̱̩̱͉̪͇̿̈͛̍̀͂͗͊͂̆͆͌̽̇͊͒͗͌̀͊͂̈́̈͆t̶̥̬̯̪͈̯̗̤͇͖͍̱̘͉̮̳̦̱̫͍͖͖̰̟͊̓͐̉̓́͊͛̊̾̿̾̈̅̓c̸͔̘̱̮͕̫̦͕̮̭͈̖̪̟̈̍̎̀͂̃̀̌̋͋̑̑̔̈͋̎͌̀͐̊̑͊̚h҈̘̰͚̗͍̞͇̲̘̟̭͉̭̝̭̤̮̰̱̫̖̙̊͒̅̓̈͆͒́̏̅̍̋͒͆̚iҶ̣̠̞̞̮͕͍̭̤̲̜̪̘͕̪̆̏̾̈́͑̔͗̔͒̇̿͗͌̂̔̆̈͛̄n҉̟̲̞̤̮̟̯͓͍̤̭͚̩̳͚͕͈̤̜̖̫̇́͌̋̌͌̌̿̏̓͊̾̍̓͐͑̐͒̇̅̚̚g҉͙̦͚͉͓̲͉͓̜̗̜̘͈͌́̓̊͐͌̄̏̑̓̓̿͋̅̐̾̅͊̾͊ͅ y҉͓̳̙̖̮̮̳̙͉͚͍͖̞̬͕̫̳͈̯͔̳̤͕͑̐̂͌́̀͋̎́͑͑͐́͌͋͑̓̄͌̊̿͒̆́ͅò̷̦͎̪͇̖̯̪͍͎͕̲̜̤̘͎͖̣͗͑̃̈̓͒̿̀͌̎̈̍̐́́̉́u҉͙̠̫̰͈̖̬̱̩̱͉̪͇̿̈͛̍̀͂͗͊͂̆͆͌̽̇͊͒͗͌̀͊͂̈́̈͆"""
"...Ah, aah."
Argarta began shaking her head.
"No... no."
The color began to drain from her face, and she now held her temples with both hands.
"No, no..."
Argarta slowly pressed her forehead against the floor, then, intertwining her hands behind her head as if trying to hide her body as much as possible, she began to curl up, pulling her legs together.
"Don't watch me don't look at me I hate it don't watch me I'm sorry don't look at me
I was wrong don't watch me please don't look at me don't watch me don't look"
A truly lunatic appearance.
As if possessed by something.
Argarta, who had been reciting the phrases nonstop, suddenly began to steady her breathing with difficulty and slowly started to rise.
Along with it, a powdery substance began to fall, sh-sh, from Argarta's body.
He couldn't even discern what it was, but the Hunter knew immediately.
"...You had a protective charm hidden on your body. So that's how you dared to read that mental patient's note without fear?"
"Haa, haa. I don't know how you understand a woman's heart so well. I thought you were a blockhead since you didn't fall for it even in prison."
Though she answered nonchalantly, Argarta still looked strained.
"Really, if it weren't for this, phew, I almost got into big trouble just now."
Saying she 'almost' got into big trouble was an understatement; the Hunter knew that even this compulsion affecting him and Argarta was nothing to the Warden.
It would be more accurate to say they were scheduled for big trouble.
It was the form of a dog.
It was an entity pretending to be a dog.
It was a wolf with eyes covering its entire body.
It was the Warden.
As the compulsion seemed to take hold again, Argarta and the Hunter began to feel a strong headache, and an indescribable terror tried to dominate their minds.
Urging immediate suicide.
Urging immediate suicide.
Urging immediate suicide.
Urge immediate suicide.
Commit suicide.
Suicide.
Death.
"""̸̓̃T̷̿̈h̶͗̀e̷̎̏y҈͂̈́̈́ a҈͗͒̓r̸̎̐e̶̐̇ w҉̍̐̂a҈͐̆̀t̶̐̇c̸̎̐h҉̍̐̂i҈͗͒̓n̸̎̐g҉̍̐̂ y̸̎̐o̶̐̇u҉̍̐̂"""
Verily, this Outer God was a Saluki.