NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 126
As soon as the God of War stepped out, the space he had been trapped in closed right up.
At first, I thought it was a reaction to him disappearing, but on second thought, I realized it had been shrinking little by little from the start.
That means if Deputy Marenne hadn’t suggested leaving soon, wouldn’t we have ended up trapped here with the God of War?
While I rubbed my arms in a shiver of unease, both the Deputy and the God of War seemed unfazed, continuing on their way.
Their joy over the return of a friend must have been enough to completely distract them from such concerns.
“…Phew.”
Listening to their conversation, I recalled the look the God of War had given me earlier.
Those red eyes.
That intense killing intent.
Aside from the interrogator, I had seldom encountered someone displaying such intent, and it was especially disconcerting coming from a fellow human.
I hadn’t even done anything to provoke that reaction.
Or maybe my very existence was bothersome to him.
Was he always this way?
But then again, the God of War I saw in the Deputy’s dream had a pure, unblemished expression.
To keep such a disposition after being a knight all those years suggests a fundamentally upright character.
Thus, that expression earlier was definitely not one the God of War should wear.
Could it be that the Outsider is manipulating him somehow?
That would be even stranger.
If anything, it would be more like that ordinary Outsider I encountered earlier.
A knight regarded as equal to the Deputy being manipulated by an ordinary Outsider?
If that were true, humanity would need to throw everything aside and start building bunkers immediately.
There wouldn’t even be a chance to confront an Elite Outsider.
“Tanton, what’s going on?”
“Ah, AAH! Deputy!”
As I groaned, unable to reach a conclusion after thinking too hard, the Deputy had approached without me noticing.
Startled, I turned, and the Deputy smiled briefly before pointing ahead.
“We’ve already arrived at headquarters. Why are you just standing there?”
“Ah, ahh. My apologies.”
Well, yeah.
The God of War even gave me a thumbs-up in the end.
It probably didn’t mean much.
Thinking that, I stepped toward the headquarters when the Deputy suddenly paused to stop the God of War with an “Ah.”
“Hm? What is it, Deputy?”
“I should have mentioned this first.”
“What is it? Don’t keep me in suspense!”
The God of War frowned slightly, glaring at the Deputy.
“Your personality is so impatient. It’s nothing serious. The Commander is inside, so first, we’re headed to meet the Princess.”
“Ah! What?! Did you just say the Princess?!”
The God of War looked shocked as he grabbed the Deputy’s shoulders and shook him.
The Deputy’s head shook without resistance.
“Hey! You should have led with something so important! How did the Commander return?!”
It seemed the God of War had judged that the Commander had been in a really tough spot if he looked this shocked.
He must have honestly thought they had lost the Commander.
“The Commander was brought back thanks to Tanton risking his life. At first, he jumped to a different space to prevent the Watcher’s manifestation, and that’s when he found the Commander trapped in a rift between dimensions.”
“Is that so…”
It seemed the Deputy wanted to praise me, but hearing that made my face warm once again.
Why was he treating it like it was his own matter?
“The one who saved the Commander was really this kid. In another space, no less.”
The God of War turned to me with a smile.
“Seems you’ve taken after me in this too.”
It was a charming smile, but for some reason, it felt a bit bothersome to me.
“…God of War.”
“Princess! It’s been a while!”
Indeed, the God of War used formal speech before the Princess.
Of course, it was far from formal in appearance.
Was this how it was before? The Deputy just smiled wryly.
“Thank you for returning alive. I often thought about how wonderful it would be if you came back while watching that snowstorm.”
“Haha! Hearing that from you, Princess, makes me feel a bit bad! Let’s clap our hands and shake off the sad feelings!”
With the God of War’s sudden suggestion, we clapped our hands enthusiastically in a stream of consciousness.
For some reason, it really felt like my mood was brightening up.
Perhaps the Princess felt the same way, as she wore a warm smile.
“Truly, after all this time, you haven’t changed a bit.”
“Hey, the day I change is the day the world ends, Princess.”
“That’s a fair point.”
Seeing them joke and laugh together made me bodily feel just how close the Rondan Knights and the Princess were.
The Deputy, who treated her with as much politeness as I did, must hold on to some principle.
When order collapses, the nation is in danger.
“Ah! Princess, now that you’re back safely, won’t you give me some accolades?”
“Hehe, I told Alpha and Beta to keep the commendation somewhere in the Knights’ Rest Area. Go fetch it.”
“You’re skipping the commendation ceremony! This is total negligence!”
Seeing the God of War with a shocked expression, I couldn’t help but laugh along.
I could finally understand why people acted favorably toward Muyun.
How could anyone dislike someone whose father is so likable?
“Anyway, I sincerely congratulate you on your return. Please go rest. It must be exhausting to be out here after everything you’ve been through.”
“Ughaha! Thank you, Princess! Thanks to you, I feel full of energy!”
The Princess smiled at the God of War and gestured for the Deputy to step back.
As I prepared to leave with them—
Thud.
Huh?
For some reason, just as I was about to step out, the door slammed shut.
Simultaneously, the atmosphere in the Princess’s room felt as cold as ice in an instant.
W-What’s going on?
What’s with the sudden shift?
Slowly turning my head to look at the Princess, she was pointing at the chair opposite her with an endlessly pure smile.
“P-Princess?”
“…”
“C-Can I go out now?”
“…”
“Ah, ahaha. Do you mean for me to sit down there?”
Nod.
“B-but I also want to rest after the trouble I went through….”
“…”
“Y-Yes, understood!”
As the atmosphere grew colder the more I spoke, I felt like I would freeze to death if I argued any further, so I quickly moved as the Princess directed.
Only then did the Princess stop smiling and began taking deep breaths.
What was this about?
Did I do something wrong?
Ah, but I shouldn’t have.
I haven’t done anything to harm Rondan.
Unless perhaps I was summoned due to that incident where I fought with the Outsider?
If that was the reason, I’d have nothing to say…
Thinking about it, I had taken it for granted, but in Rondan, it was indeed a serious offense.
The moment I realized that, I quickly thudded my head against the table.
Bang!
“T-Tanton?!”
It was an unexpected reaction, it seemed, as I heard the Princess’s surprised voice.
But I didn’t look up.
In this moment, keeping my head down might give me the best chance of reducing my punishment.
“I’m sorry, Princess! I deeply apologize for not informing you of my actions!”
At my words, the Princess let out a groan followed by a sound that resembled a snort.
“…I see, Tanton. So you were aware of your mistakes; it would be quicker to just talk about it.”
See, I told you.
There’s a clear difference between getting a pass from the Knights and having the highest authority accept it.
“Good. Now tell me what you’ve done wrong and how you plan to conduct yourself moving forward.”
Ugh, ugh.
“The part about how you plan to conduct yourself moving forward” was the scariest phrase.
It was because I’d incur unfavorable impressions if I failed to meet the expectations someone expected of me.
What do I do?
Should I just blurt it out?
As I tried to think of something, I was sure that during this time of hesitation, my negative impressions would only pile up more.
Alright then, just say it!
I know clearly what I did wrong, right?
“I sincerely apologize for breaking Rondan’s taboo and borrowing the power of the Outsider. I will gladly accept any punishment you deem fit and make amends.”
“Okay, you broke the taboo and… what?”
Huh.
I thought I had spoken well in remorse, yet for some reason, the Princess didn’t seem satisfied.
Did I say something wrong?
Just when I was confused, the Princess’s next words revealed what I had missed.
“I’m also well aware that you’re fighting using the power of the Outsider.”
“Uh, huh?”
“Would you think the Deputy didn’t report such things to me? I’m aware of everything that transpires in Rondan.”
Huh.
Then why is the Princess scolding me about something I’m already aware of?
I couldn’t think of any other serious wrongdoing.
Thinking like this, the Princess blushed slightly and averted her gaze.
“…Do you still not know what you did wrong?”
“No.”
“…Your mistake is.”
The moment I heard the Princess’s words, I could only blink in confusion.
“…Why you haven’t been coming to my room lately.”
…What?