The first to react was Argarta.
"...You really are a mental patient! You're calmly doing things we'd never think of! That's so thrilling! I'm envious!"
"What."
I had said it seriously, trying to set the mood, but this damn woman was just pushing me as a mental patient.
...Well, I did admit it myself.
But still!
Thinking the Hunter would be different, I turned my gaze to him. He was resting his chin on his finger, seemingly pondering something seriously.
Yes, I knew I could count on you!
I looked at the Hunter, full of expectation for his answer. He nodded.
"Hmm, you really are a mental patient."
"Damn it!"
I trusted you! I trusted you, Hunter!
Where do you get off backstabbing me like this!
Seeing my despairing expression, the Hunter let out a soft chuckle and stood up.
"Well, if it's nonsense, I can just listen and ignore it."
Then he turned his gaze back to me.
I didn't understand what he meant, so I looked back at him with a question mark. The Hunter pointed his chin at me and spoke.
"You said there's a way?"
"...Ah, Ah!"
Ahh, as expected of the Hunter! What discourtesy have I committed against the coin of my rising fortune?!
I opened my mouth, my tone excited without me realizing it.
"There's probably something around here capable of defeating that Outer God."
"How do you know that?"
"That... call it a hunch?"
"A mental patient's hunch. So?"
Ah, seriously.
He keeps oddly bringing that up, that mental patient meme.
Does that mean he finds it unreliable, I wonder.
"Ah, right. I said I could read the writing on the wall earlier, right? I got a hunch from that! Look at my mind, haha."
"...You believed me when I said mental patients don't go mad from reading text? I was just teasing you."
Argarta suddenly blurted out from the side.
You damn bitch!
You stay quiet!
If you mess up here, we all die, you know?!
Argarta saw the look in my eyes, flinched slightly, averted her gaze, and started whistling.
I was so annoyed I considered giving her a flick on the forehead, but the Hunter let out a thoughtful "Hmm" sound.
"...More useful than expected."
"Eh?! You believe this?"
Argarta exclaimed in surprise.
No intention of hiding it now, huh.
"Even though I'm easygoing, this is a matter of life and death, right? Shouldn't we think about it more deeply?"
"Then shall we just stay here and starve to death together?"
"That's... not it, hehe."
At the Hunter's words, the thief shriveled up and lost her momentum.
Yeah, being so obedient is kinda cute.
I hope you stay like this from now on.
"So, where is this 'something'?"
At that, I gave an awkward smile.
Seeing the Hunter furrow his brow, I let out a strained laugh.
"...We have to look for it now."
Was it my imagination, or did I feel a momentary killing intent from the Hunter?
As we looked around, we saw a few items left behind, like the guards' belongings after they disappeared.
Among them, the most favorably received was the lantern.
It didn't matter to me since my surroundings looked bright, but since these two said it was dark, well.
With their vision brighter, Argarta finally began to properly utilize her abilities.
I guess a thief is still a thief, right?
Thanks to Super Coward Mode, even I, who have brightness as a passive, couldn't find what she discovered instantly.
"There's something here!"
What she found was, according to Argarta, a fake wall.
"This is a transparent wall created by illusion magic, but it's imperial magic, not common magic, so the method to undo it isn't exactly easy."
See, look.
I was right.
I knew there had to be something, right?
This is my gaming experience at work!
The Hunter stared blankly at the thief for a moment, then closed his eyes and sighed.
"...Now you want to play tricks?"
His words, sounding like he was lamenting his lot in life, made me feel awkward, and I scratched the back of my head.
"But, we found it, right?"
Oblivious to the Hunter's feelings, Argarta chattered excitedly.
"I've been really good at finding these things since I was a kid, you know? There's a technique for finding this, passed down through generations of thieves. But not all thieves can use it; it's a technique only the most skilled thieves can acquire..."
"I get it, so please shut up."
When the Hunter spoke in disgust, the thief looked sullen for a moment, then, perhaps thinking 'Why should I?', raised her head again.
"Do you know how important this story is? Ah, right. And the method to unlock this wall is important too. Unless you're a highly learned thief, you can't even attempt..."
"It seems like even if you drowned, that boastful mouth of yours would still float."
"No! I! Found! The wall! Isn't that worth listening to?
Can't you even empathize with that?"
...Listening to their conversation, I realized.
That damn 'empathy-seeker' type exists everywhere, regardless of era or world.
...I started to regret not just letting her leave when the Hunter told her to piss off.
Seeming to want nothing more to do with her, the Hunter now turned his back on Argarta and looked only at me.
"So, what do we do now?"
"W-well, I think what I mentioned is probably inside here..."
I wasn't sure of anything either, so I was choosing my words carefully when I heard a snort.
"Fine, is that how it is? How petty."
Then Argarta approached and placed her hand on the transparent wall.
Sparks flew as if there was some resistance, but Argarta, looking scornful, took her needle with her other hand and, with a precise motion, rip, tear, she slashed at it.
The transparent wall shimmered like a rainbow for a moment, then vanished, revealing the space beyond.
Argarta seemed intoxicated with the sense of accomplishment, but perhaps wanting to emphasize that she was sulking, she maintained a pout and turned away.
"I'm going in first, so follow me or do whatever you want!"
With that, Argarta recklessly tried to charge inside.
At that moment, the ever-indifferent Hunter moved swiftly, grabbing the scruff of Argarta's neck just before she entered and yanking her back.
"Kyaak!"
Argarta screamed in surprise, but the Hunter paid no mind, wearing a fierce expression as he brought the thief's face close to his.
"Acting all high and mighty like you know everything, are you so desperate to die?"
"...What are you suddenly..."
"Going on about fake walls and ruined imperial magic, for all your talk, you didn't actually know anything properly."
The Hunter roughly released the thief and looked down at her with a pitying gaze.
"Did you not know this place is packed full of 'Lesser Outer Gods'?"
"...Lesser Outer Gods?"
Hearing the unfamiliar term, I watched as the Hunter shook his head.
"They're like fragments that failed to become full Outer Gods. Do you really think you can handle them?"
Hic.
Unlike me, Argarta seemed to know what that meant, as she was so startled she even hiccupped.
Her pale face hiccupping was funny, and I let out an involuntary chuckle.
"Y-you laughed?!"
"Yes."
"And you admit it boldly!"
Well, I don't really know what's what.
Besides, seeing Argarta, who's been teasing me until now, so scared, is it反而 enticing?
I thought that if an opportunity to deal damage presented itself, I should regularly take it for my happiness index.
Did she sense my thought?
Argarta pulled out her needle with a venomous look, so I turned my head away.
The Hunter sighed at their little skit and then focused on the situation again.
"So, what do you plan to do now? You're not suggesting we go in there to commit suicide, are you?"
Listening to the Hunter, I blankly scratched the back of my head.
"Are they that fearsome?"
Lesser Outer Gods. With the 'Lesser' in the name, they felt like weaker beings compared to full Outer Gods.
At my words, the Hunter sighed, approached the area where the wall was, and held up the lantern.
The room beyond the wall began to brighten, and what came into view was...
"Whoa."
"...Eeek!"
My reaction and Argarta's diverged.
The Hunter pointed inside with his finger.
"If there was only one of those things, I might have taken a slight risk and gone in."
"Look, can you handle that dense pack of them?
When many of them gather, their feeble power amplifies, shredding the sanity of anyone who approaches and turning them into raving lunatics."
Hearing the Hunter's explanation seemed to make it more real for Argarta, who began slowly backing away from the passage.
But even after hearing the Hunter's words, I was just left with question marks.
Because to my eyes, it just looked like fairies straight out of a fairy tale, resting stuck to the wall.
"They're cute though?"
"What?"
The Hunter's voice clearly revealed his astonishment at my words.
But what can I do, that's my impression.
Then, one of the Lesser Outer Gods stretched and detached itself from the wall, making eye contact with me.
"Human?"
It didn't seem to be addressing me directly; it felt more like it was curiously observing a human.
Hmm.
"What, never seen a human before?"
So I answered it. The Lesser Outer God looked around and then pointed at itself with its finger.
As if asking, 'Are you talking to me?'
I nodded. The Lesser Outer God's expression gradually shifted into a bright smile.
Then, it started poking all the other Lesser Outer Gods sleeping around it to wake them up.
"...Mmm, why?"
"There's a human that understands our language!"
"Is that for real?!"
Starting with that one, the fairies that were densely packed began flying around inside with bright smiles.
"What did you do! Why are the Lesser Outer Gods suddenly going wild...!"
The Hunter exclaimed in shock, but I couldn't respond because a Lesser Outer God cut him off.
"Human, you really understand us?"
"Yeah."
"How! Amazing!"
"Guys! Now's not the time for this!"
The one who seemed like the leader calmed everyone down and fluttered its butterfly wings, approaching the passage.
I could see a certain firm resolve in its demeanor, indicating it wasn't particularly friendly towards humans.
"I never thought I'd say this to a human, but I have one request."
"What is it?"
"Come into this room, and I'll explain."
Uh.
Isn't this usually the part where you die?
But, call it an inexplicable sense of confidence?
Remembering how I was fine after reading the text, I felt like maybe I might be immune to that mental interference or whatever it is.
Those Lesser Outer Gods don't look scary either.
They're actually cute, aren't they?
"...I don't know what's going on, but this operation is scrapped. It was dangerous enough, but now that those things are acting up like that..."
If we stopped here, the Hunter would use the thief and me as sacrificial pawns. If I had to choose, I decided to pick the side with the higher chance of survival.
Before the Hunter could react, I stepped towards the passage, entered the room, and said.
"Nothing much here, really."
"You crazy...!"
I could hear the Hunter cursing from outside, but who cares?
Thinking that, I saw the densely packed Lesser Outer Gods all fly up into the air at once and rush towards me.
"Uh, uhh?!"
I was swarmed by the numerous Lesser Outer Gods, and I...
They clung to my face, stretching the corners of my mouth, poking my stomach, etc. I began to be sexually harassed by the Lesser Outer Gods.
"Wow, it's the first time I've seen a human who stays sane even when we touch them!"
"And it can even converse! So this is the body of a living human!"
"I told you all, calm down!"
...I think it's safe to say it wasn't exactly a pleasant experience.