Dark Fantasy: Super Coward Mode

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The silence settled in the conference room.

In such a situation, one would expect a heavy atmosphere, but for some reason, there was a somewhat cheerful vibe lingering in the air.

No, rather, a few individuals couldn’t help but wear satisfied smiles while glancing at someone.

Receiving all those gazes, Muyun, unexpectedly becoming the star of this conference room, was covering her eyes with both hands, striking a pose as if she had been burnt white.

“T-Tanton.”

“…Yeah.”

“How did I end up dragged into this conference room?”

“Well… Since you’re here, I thought it’d be good for you to listen to the meeting content, as the Master mentioned.”

“This is torture! How am I supposed to escape from this…?”

Muyun’s voice trembled as she shrank further, but those present seemed to be enjoying her reaction.

…Well, considering most of these people were in their 40s, it might be quite entertaining for them, feeling like they were watching a drama.

Seeing this, it really felt like everyone was the same in the end.

“Alright, that aside. We need to get back to the meeting.”

“Wait a minute, Commander! We haven’t seen Tanton respond yet!”

A scene? It really felt more like watching a drama, didn’t it?

Besides, God of War, isn’t that your daughter?!

Why are you trying to bury the girl who’s already suffering even more?!

“Uuuh…”

Feeling like Muyun’s face was about to turn from red to black, I raised my hand first.

“Please maintain confidentiality.”

“What?! After all this, how can you say that?!”

“Even a trashy romance novel wouldn’t end like this!”

Seriously, these guys are something else.

The Deputy Director also seemed to think they crossed a line, clapping his hands on the table three times to draw their attention.

“Enough. We came here to meet, not to fulfill the whims of fools. Let’s begin the meeting now.”

Many people muttered in dissatisfaction at his words, but it appeared not easy to ignore him, as the executives slowly began to calm their excitement.

Phew.

It seemed like I had successfully protected Muyun’s honor somehow.

“Alright, it seems it’s about time to call the Elite Outsiders to this place.”

Hmm.

With Apta’s help, it seemed feasible, but I wasn’t the only one feeling anxious; the executives collectively gulped nervously.

If even one of them failed to respond well in the beginning, they could destroy Rondan faster than popping a gum.

At least that was their perception.

“First, please cover your ears.”

No one could disregard the sound of the Party Flute.

I’ve seen many cases where people with weak mental fortitude would end up incapacitated just from hearing that sound, so I gave a heads-up.

The executives’ eyes widened as if they knew what this was.

“Is that a Horn Flute?!”

“You mean we’ve been communicating with the Outsiders through that until now?!”

“What a horrifying mental strength…”

I couldn’t help but smile gently at their now nostalgic reactions.

Indeed, it had been quite a long time since I opened my eyes in the Underground Prison.

Back then, I had no clue what to do.

Now, with the Giant of the Snow Mountain and the Second Princess right before me, I felt an overwhelming wave of memories wash over me.

While everyone held their ears with both hands, the Knight Commander, Deputy Director, God of War, and White Mask were doing nothing.

Perhaps they wanted to see how I would summon the Divine Race.

Well, given their strong mental fortitude, they should be fine.

With that thought in mind, I brought the Party Flute to my lips and blew.

*Beep!*

With a cheerful sound, it felt like my mind was emptied in an instant.

As I felt that sensation, five lights burst forth around me.

And they began to materialize, taking on distinct forms.

Bell.

Fiore.

Paura.

Zumiya.

And even Apta.

It would have been nice if Nutricha showed up too, but considering her personality, she probably thought it would be a hassle handling the gazes of these five.

If they had that much camaraderie, she wouldn’t likely not show up when I blew the Party Flute.

The manifested Divine beings landed on the ground and, as if coordinating, instantly leapt somewhere, clinging to me from all sides, growling as if to guard against the executives.

Huh?

And this shrunk form wasn’t just visible to me; the executives all wore astonished expressions in unison.

“How cute!”

#

According to Apta, who had perched above my head.

Due to the Hearth, it was not easy for the Divine beings to be summoned directly to Rondan.

It’s similar to when Bell tried to force her way through the Hearth’s shield upon hearing the accidental blow of the Party Flute.

Most importantly, the main bodies wouldn’t be able to communicate with humans.

Hence, they had to choose one of the two options.

To abandon their identity as Divine beings and manifest in human form like Apta.

Or to drastically diminish their strength and appear in a trivial form.

“So this is why everyone looks like this.”

Realizing they had significantly weakened, the Divine beings all growled at the executives.

Due to their shrunk sizes and cartoonish proportions, it looked so cute, resembling puppies growling.

The only one who seemed worried was the Cook, looking on with concerned eyes.

“Tanton, who is it that has deer antlers sprouting on your shoulder?”

“This is the Gardener.”

“What? The Gardener isn’t an Elite Outsider!”

“Turns out the Gardener is an Elite Outsider.”

Going into further detail would likely deepen the emotional rift, so I decided to keep it brief.

After all, this child was the one who used to indiscriminately kill humans, and originally the Gardener was another kid—a fact that would only sour the mood.

The executives simply nodded along as if they got it without much fuss.

“So what’s that black octopus-looking one on your head?”

“That’s the Record Keeper.”

“And what’s on the opposite shoulder?”

“That’s the Dragon Slayer.”

“And the one hanging at your waist?”

“That’s the Watcher.”

“And what’s on your ankle?”

“That’s the Cook.”

Clearly feeling different from just hearing about it, the executives’ faces were now a bit lined with concern.

Well, even so, unless Apta released their powers, they shouldn’t be able to inflict significant harm on the executives.

“So, what is it you wish to do?”

“…The Commander said you all wanted to talk.”

Fiore stuttered anxiously.

The Knight Commander moved closer but seemed to notice the trembling Divine beings and held back, questioning from where she stood.

“I have something to ask you.”

At the Knight Commander’s words, the Divine beings leaned their heads to look at her.

Oh, wait.

This is just too cute.

It feels like I’m watching puppies.

The Knight Commander suddenly cleared her throat and composed herself.

“We’re going to put a stop to the Giant of the Snow Mountain.”

“…That sounds impossible.”

Zumiya murmured quietly.

It seemed even in this form, she could be heard, as the Knight Commander shook her head slightly, as if to ask me to respond.

“What do you think about stopping the Giant of the Snow Mountain? From what I can see, if you use your powers effectively at the right moments, I think we can definitely stop it.”

At my words, the Divine beings touched their chins and pondered collectively.

I’m not sure how we managed to synchronize so well, but from my viewpoint, it was all too cute, so I was fine with anything.

Then, Paura spoke up.

“I think it’s good.”

“Paura.”

“You’re not trying to kill it anyway, right? If it’s just persuading it to resolve this situation… I think it could actually be beneficial.”

The other Divine beings nodded seriously as if agreeing with the Cook.

Right.

Even if they stay frozen on the ground, the Divine beings can only survive; they can’t lead enjoyable and happy lives.

If we could rekindle the bond between Divine beings and humans that was once established in the Empire, we might find that happiness again.

And as the first step toward that, it is to persuade the Giant of the Snow Mountain.

“They say it’s okay. They will cooperate.”

“Great. That’s good to hear.”

The Knight Commander nodded.

But for some reason, after saying that, she returned to her seat without saying another word.

“Commander?”

“Uh-huh?”

“What now? Shouldn’t we come up with a strategy?”

When I asked, the Knight Commander tilted her head.

“You should handle that.”

“Huh?”

“We can’t communicate with the Outsiders. So it’s better if you talk and come up with a strategy, I think.”

At the Knight Commander’s words, the other executives nodded in agreement.

Oh dear.

Hmm.

Should I call the Hunter later to map out the route together?

Just as I was thinking that…

“Tanton. By the way.”

“Yeah?”

An executive raised his hand.

“Weren’t there supposed to be more Outsiders? I only see five right now.”

Ah.

I guess this is how it ends.

I didn’t want to call her out of consideration, but now it seems I’ll have no choice.

I raised the Party Flute to my lips, but just as something was about to come out, it suddenly puffed and vanished.

“Huh?”

Are you rejecting this right now?

I suddenly felt rebellious and took a deep breath, blowing into the flute with all my might.

It was almost as if being dragged forcibly, the light flickered dramatically like a stock chart, tapering and flaring.

And then it seemed to spit something out.

“Ahh!”

It bounced out and landed on the ground.

Nutricha rubbed her head in pain and soon looked back at me with a gaze filled with fear, as if she sensed something was wrong.

To be precise, she was looking at the Divine beings.

“Ah, oh no.”

Nutricha’s despondent gaze was simply unforgettable.

 

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