READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 167
“I’m gathering information about the Giant of the Snow Mountain….”
The Saint, upon hearing my words, turned his head back and forth with a serious expression, as if he were deep in thought.
He must have acquired quite a bit of information about the divine races by now, but looking at the piles of books on the desk made me feel a growing sense of reverence.
I’ve already come up with a strategy to reach the Second Princess through the branch.
Asti, the Hunter, and Apta will accompany me for part of the way.
After that, the Hunter and Apta will continue together.
However, this is merely a rough outline.
To report to the Knight Commander, I should detail all the specific information as well as potential variables.
Since this is essentially the final showdown, I need to proceed with extreme caution.
“There are many books about the Giant of the Snow Mountain that have been blocked or distorted. Honestly, I don’t know that much about it either.”
“Ah… that’s a bit disappointing.”
Well, it is.
It was odd that he, still researching divine races, would know everything about the Second Princess.
If the Saint had been well-versed in the Giant of the Snow Mountain, the Knights wouldn’t be struggling like this.
I nodded slightly, feeling a tinge of disappointment.
“I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful.”
“No, no. I feel rather guilty for just taking information from you without giving anything in return.”
“Haha, I’m the one investigating information to dedicate to a hero like Sir Tanton. There’s nothing more glorious for me than that.”
The Saint merely smiled warmly and continued with his humble words.
Hmm.
At this point, I might have to see what I’ve been told not to read in the forbidden books the librarian has set aside.
I thought I’d take a look at that a bit later.
“Oh, by the way.”
“Hmm?”
“I’ve been wanting to ask you something, Saint.”
The Saint closed the book he was reading at my remark.
“Yes, what is it?”
“Why are you investigating the Outsiders so much? I’ve been wanting to ask you this for a while but never had the chance.”
Upon hearing my words, the Saint said, “That’s a good point,” and crossed his arms, tilting his chin slightly as if recalling something.
He fell silent for quite some time, maintaining that posture, before finally loosening up and speaking.
“That’s right. That matter has been quite a long time ago. It’s nothing special. I just felt a personal regret.”
“Regret?”
“If Sir Tanton has regained his memory, he must know that the Outsiders were originally beings called divine races.”
Nodding at the Saint’s words, I saw him smile as if reminiscing about a happy memory.
“That’s right. I didn’t mention it to avoid confusing Sir Tanton, but in fact, I used to be close with the Outsiders. They were cheerful and clumsy, but also pure beings. Many of them genuinely wanted to befriend humans.”
The fact that the Saint had spent close time with divine races was quite an intriguing yet puzzling tale.
“Why do you study the Outsiders so deeply, then, if you were close with them? You must have seen, heard, and felt enough while you were with them.”
“I can answer that this way.”
Suddenly, the Saint raised a finger and, casting a somewhat cheesy gaze, stated, “Love.”
….
….
….
“What?”
“Haha, it’s a word that doesn’t usually come from my mouth, so you seem quite surprised, Sir Tanton.”
The Saint persisted in pushing that notion into my ears even as my brain tried to dismiss the idea.
“It’s love, Sir Tanton.”
“No, I mean, what kind of love?”
“What kind, you ask? Love toward the Outsiders.”
“No, no.”
I initially rejected the Saint’s words.
It wasn’t that I was shocked by the idea of the Saint loving the Outsiders.
After all, divine races resemble humans in appearance.
Given my current situation, I had no grounds to argue against the Saint on that matter.
But the part that shocked me wasn’t that.
What kind of figure is the Saint?
He’s someone who seeks to uncover the mysteries of the divine races, tirelessly exploring every corner of mysticism to unveil its apex.
If this curiosity was aimed at academia, he would embody the image of a noble scholar, with his madness appearing rather grand.
But the moment it was said to be due to love, everything started to feel entirely different.
“This love for the Outsiders, it refers to your exploration of them, right?”
“No, that’s not it. It’s embarrassing to admit, but I once experienced a heartbreaking unrequited love.”
The Saint looked as if he regretted that time, holding his chest with a pained expression, ready to burst into tears at any moment.
Had it not been for his long, swaying beard, he would have been a perfect protagonist in a tragic story.
“You’ve likely surmised, but it’s unrequited love precisely because it never went anywhere. At that time, I couldn’t understand the Outsiders at all. And in the end, due to the difference in our values, that Outsider couldn’t stand it and left me.”
Having said that, the Saint casually picked up a book.
“Thus, I’ve resolved that if I can completely understand them, if I can accept their ways of behavior and everything, perhaps I might earn the right to stand by her side again.”
After stating this, he eagerly began to describe the divine being he had had a crush on.
While I tried to keep pace with him, internally I found it increasingly difficult to ignore the thoughts bubbling up, struggling to maintain my expression.
Seriously.
This.
No matter how you look at it, isn’t it just like a lovesick stalker airing out their woes?
No wonder he got so excited whenever Outsiders were mentioned.
I began to suspect that I had misjudged the Saint entirely.
#
And so, after the Saint’s poignant tale— which instilled fear in the Blue Star— concluded, I prepared to rise from my seat to start searching through the books.
“Ah, Sir Tanton.”
“Yes?”
After calling my name, the Saint began furiously sketching something on paper.
Looking at the drawing, I realized it bore resemblance to the domain of the Second Princess.
“The Giant of the Snow Mountain is nominally treated as an ordinary Outsider, but in reality, its authority is just as great as that of the Elite Outsider.”
“Yes.”
“This means it commands just as many Outcast Gods as the Elite Outsider.”
As the Saint spoke, he pointed toward the location of the Second Princess.
There, unlike elsewhere, an unusual amount of snow was falling.
“I think it would be wise to consider why the Knights froze the moment they approached that place.”
“….”
Right.
Why hadn’t I thought of this sooner?
No matter how you look at it, it was strange that the Second Princess could easily overpower a whole Knight Order, including the Knight Commander.
The Knight Commander was likely just a rough estimate, so they would have gone to fight.
If that’s the case, could those particularly dense strands of snow be remnants of Outcast Gods spread by the Second Princess?
If they entered unaware of the trap laid out beforehand, could it be that they froze in place?
Then, the method of subduing the Second Princess becomes much clearer.
I began to think that a battle without anyone dying might actually take place.
Indeed, experience speaks volumes.
“Saint, thank you. This is the most valuable piece of information I’ve obtained so far.”
“Um, you flatter me. But remember, that’s just a hypothesis; you should always be skeptical of any premise.”
The Saint said that and seemed to lower his head, intent on focusing back on the books.
Hmm.
Just leaving like this feels a bit wrong.
Since the Saint has shared something he’d been hiding, perhaps I should provide him with some quality information in return.
“By the way, Saint.”
“Yes?”
“I haven’t seen Apta around lately, have you?”
“Oh, that’s right. At this point, she should either be tasked with bringing you your undergarments or fetching the spoon you used while eating—things like that are usually her duty.”
….
“No way.”
I felt like I was about to collapse from Apta’s softly rejecting voice echoing in my ears, but I decided to let it slide for now.
“Uh, ahem, anyway. Now that I think of it, Saint.”
“Yes?”
“When Apta was in the Underground Prison, what gave her the urge to read the writing that was in my pocket?”
“Well, Apta is fairly adept at mysticism to some extent…”
“No, at least when she was with me, she hadn’t studied mysticism at all.”
The Saint tilted his head curiously at my words.
Alright then, time to land the fatal blow.
“The Record Keeper showed considerable obsession with me, even writing my name down.”
“Uh-huh, that’s true.”
“And Apta also displayed an odd fixation on my belongings, didn’t she?”
“Indeed.”
“Up to that point.”
With that, I quickly made my way out of the library.
I was advised that running would be noisy, so this pace was the best I could manage.
I could hear the Saint pondering something from behind, followed by a deep breath of realization.
“Wait, just a moment.”
The Saint stood up from his chair.
“Sir, Sir Tanton! Please wait! What do you mean by that? Sir Tanton!!!”
The sight of the Saint denying reality was just too funny.
I chuckled to myself as I glided away from my seat.