Chapter 131

Chapter 131. The Flower’s Request

“Indomitable Hero, what do you think about the other Outsiders?”

While I was following the lady, she suddenly asked me that question.

Judging from the atmosphere, it didn’t seem like something she had casually brought up just because the silence felt awkward.

As we walked along a path where the sweet scent of flowers grew stronger with every step, I never expected her to suddenly ask me a question that probably wouldn’t lead to anything pleasant.

The users… Hmm…

Just looking at the message boards was enough to tell you what kind of people they were.

Someone could ask something as harmless as, “Who would win in a fight, a lion or a tiger?” and somehow people would end up insulting each other’s parents.

They were that aggressive.

So if she asked me about them, the only things that came to mind were stories about people who had abused bugs to scam others.

Or the adults who stole my money as a “joke” after I had desperately saved up enough to go to an internet café and make my first real-money purchase in a game.

Or…

Right.

There was also the story about the guy who worked at an internet café and set the place on fire because his enhancement failed miserably.

My own life had always been so extreme that even the incidents that came to mind—and the words that naturally came out of my mouth—were never very peaceful.

“It depends on the person. There are decent people, and there are people who aren’t.”

“Hoho. Then what kind of person are you? Are you a decent person, or not?”

“…From the perspective of other users, I don’t really go around starting fights, so I’d say I’m probably decent.”

Sometimes, I took pictures of Jayeon or Modak and uploaded them to the message board.

Watching everyone lose their minds over them was pretty entertaining.

Among the reactions, there were always people saying things like,

“Hey! You can’t just keep something like this to yourself! Tell us how you did it! Seriously, I feel completely betrayed!”

Seeing those comments made me strangely happy.

Well, our kids were incredibly cute!

So I understood their reaction.

But what was I supposed to do?

There really wasn’t any proper way to explain it.

What am I supposed to do when they refuse to believe me even after I tell them to light a campfire and ask it to become their friend?

When slime pets became popular because of me, I wondered whether this time people would start lighting fires everywhere and cause some huge fire accident.

But apparently, even in a game they had paid money for, nobody wanted to do something as insane as sitting in front of a fire for several days while talking to it.

…Maybe I should have told them to drive a monster tribe to the brink of extinction first, then suddenly appear before them like some kind of savior?

Ah~

I forgot to mention that part.

“From what I have seen, Outsiders are beings completely driven by desire.”

“That’s true.”

“Not long ago, there was even an Outsider who managed to seduce the prince of another kingdom and became his wife.”

“Wow. That’s impressive.”

As our conversation continued, I started feeling uneasy about something I had originally taken lightly.

Was this really meaningless small talk?

Or was there some hidden meaning behind everything she was saying?

While I walked through the corridor with that vague discomfort in my chest, the surroundings slowly began to change.

And my anxiety quickly reached its peak.

Then, finally—

I began spotting the lilies of the valley I had seen earlier today.

One after another.

At that point, I clicked my tongue inwardly and started paying very close attention to every single word the lady said.

I probably shouldn’t ask if she’s a Flower, right?

Maybe I was being too sensitive.

But if someone who had never had anything to do with me suddenly appeared the moment a topic connected to me came up, then dragged me somewhere…

Wasn’t it perfectly reasonable for me to be suspicious?!

Considering the kind of life I had lived, and the kind of life I was currently living, simply thinking, Oh, she’s just chatting, and following her without suspicion would practically be a character-setting error.

I was someone who had once been quietly playing a game in an internet café when some random older guys sat beside me, taught me an item build, and then took my money as a “lesson fee.”

You think you can trick me?!

With renewed determination, I carefully glanced at the lady’s expression.

However, the atmosphere around her was completely different from what I had expected.

“Whenever I hear stories like those, I feel that perhaps we can deepen the relationship between Outsiders and ourselves, while helping the Outsiders develop a stronger attachment to this world.”

Ever since I became capable of observing and sensing the Flow, I was certain I could recognize most emotional changes and even detect lies to some degree.

That was why it almost hurt when someone gave off such a completely pure and innocent feeling while standing in front of someone as suspicious and distrustful as me.

“Those who possess great power all live while carrying their own responsibilities. I believe Outsiders can also develop such responsibility and learn to love this world.”

…Did I misunderstand her?

It was such a hopeful and idealistic way of thinking that it was difficult to believe it had come from someone who practically worshipped Madness like a god.

The users were the kind of people who would discover a bug capable of destroying an entire city and use it without a moment of hesitation.

Right.

Still, she was the mother of the Emperor who ruled the greatest Empire on the continent.

There was no way she could actually be part of the fanatics.

I was just being overly sensitive!

Seriously.

I really was far too vulnerable to conspiracy theories.

“It doesn’t sound bad.”

“Hoho. Hearing a Hero say that makes me happy as well. Would you be willing to help us work toward that future?”

“That… might be a little difficult for me.”

“I see. That is truly unfortunate. Oh my, it seems our conversation must end here.”

Putting my suspicions aside for the moment, I even managed to smile slightly as we arrived at a garden surrounded by lilies of the valley.

There was a tea table in the middle.

A sweet floral fragrance filled the air, mixed with the gentle scent of tea.

And someone with a dark atmosphere was already sitting there, waiting for me.

…

Haha.

Wow.

You people really prepared everything perfectly just to turn me into a conspiracy theorist again, didn’t you?

Haha…

My body stiffened from irritation and anxiety.

The lady gently pushed me forward a few times, telling me to go ahead.

Then she simply left on her own.

I watched her walk away.

Before disappearing, she glanced back at me and made a little gesture as though telling me to do my best, then left with a cheerful smile.

I was speechless.

No.

Wait.

I still didn’t know what was happening.

I was a Hero of the Empire, while she was the Empress Dowager.

Maybe this whole situation was simply the result of some warmhearted thought like,

Our Hero needs a nice woman! Hehehe!

…Still.

I should test the waters.

“…Flower?”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Madness. As you already know, I am a Flower.”

“….”

Hmm…!

My head hurts!

Seriously, I just don’t get along with that woman at all!

Empress Dowager Auntie!

“Please, have a seat.”

“….”

Her voice sounded somewhat mature, yet her appearance was that of a beautiful woman around my age.

With the soft rustle of her clothes, she carefully sat down before the tea table.

I didn’t immediately approach her.

Instead, I watched her from a distance.

And there was a very good reason for that.

[You have resisted Powerful Charm!]

[You have resisted Forced Calmness!]

[You have resisted Artificial Warmth!]

[You have resisted the Fragrance of Confession!]

“What is this? Are you trying to fight me?”

“From the moment one of us becomes a Flower, we naturally release the uncomfortable presence Madness has just experienced. Like the Great Hero of Salvation, we cannot easily control it. That is one of our weaknesses.”

“…Let’s not make this conversation unnecessarily long. Just tell me what you want.”

“Will that really be enough?”

Wow.

What an irritating thing to say.

If some powerless nobody said that, I could just laugh and ignore them.

But hearing it from someone who probably knew all sorts of things was enough to drive me crazy.

She looked at me with a slight smile in her eyes.

I hesitated.

But I couldn’t think of any better option.

“Tsk!”

Scrape—

I openly showed my irritation as I pulled out a chair and sat down.

I stared at the tea she poured for me for a moment before finally taking a sip.

[This tea contains narcotic substances!]

[You have resisted mild fatigue recovery and pleasant sensations!]

“…Could you use something healthy instead of drugs?”

“Those are simply the ingredients available to us… I used only an extremely small amount, but it seems even that caused a problem. My apologies.”

“…Fine.”

Expecting fanatics to think normally was probably abnormal in itself.

I should just accept things as they were and move on.

How did I even end up here?

Fanatics, Chairman, whatever.

It would have been nice if I could have simply enjoyed the game without knowing anything about any of this.

With a bitter feeling in my chest, I took the card engraved with a lily of the valley from my pocket.

The Flower seemed to smile slightly when she saw it.

“If you continue carrying that, we will be able to meet Madness more easily in the future.”

“What if I don’t have it?”

“Even among the fanatics, our organization is kept under the strictest secrecy. Even when the Time of Destruction spoken of by Chaos approaches, we will remain hidden within the shadows.”

So this card was something like a membership card for a secret organization?

Better keep it.

It might be useful later.

“Within this enormous Imperial Palace, the only two people who properly know that I am a Flower are probably the Great Hero of Insight and Madness.”

“Then what about that lady? How did she bring me here?”

“The Empress Dowager seems very interested in the actions of the Indomitable Hero. Perhaps it is simply the feelings of a grandmother trying to somehow take care of her troublesome grandson. When I asked whether she could arrange a marriage meeting for you, she readily agreed.”

What kind of excessive meddling was this?

Touching someone’s face during your first meeting was already annoying enough.

Ah, seriously.

I really didn’t like her.

“So what now? Are you going to ask me questions, or am I supposed to ask you questions?”

“If there is something you wish to ask, please do so. However, I doubt you will find my answers very satisfying.”

She had already packed the meaning of I’m not going to give you proper answers into her response.

And yet she still smiled so shamelessly.

“Tell me more about the fanatics.”

“There is very little I can tell you. As you can see, external activities are the entirety of my role.”

She never said she didn’t know.

But she didn’t answer either.

It was probably better to assume she had absolutely no intention of telling me.

Since she said she mainly handled external activities, there was a chance she truly didn’t know much about what happened inside the fanatics.

Or perhaps she was keeping silent because she wanted to use that information as a bargaining chip later.

“What is Chaos trying to accomplish? What exactly is the Time of Destruction? Is Destruction going to descend or something? And who are the people inside the fanatics trying to reject me?”

“My apologies.”

Did she seriously not know?

Wait.

It really looked like she didn’t know.

Hmm!

She wasn’t that competent after all!

If she managed to fool even the Empress Dowager, shouldn’t she know a little more than this?!

“…Then what can you actually tell me?”

“I could teach you how to brew delicious tea.”

“…Just explain the ranks inside the fanatics.”

Thankfully, I managed to get a proper answer to that question.

Seriously.

Thank goodness.

“Those who contain only a tiny amount of our power within their bodies are called ‘Seeds.’ Those who absorb that power and make it their own are called ‘Sprouts.’ Those who cultivate that power until it becomes even stronger are called ‘Stems.’ And those who eventually surpass their previous limits are called ‘Roots.’”

“Then what are Flowers?”

“The ranks I just mentioned belong to our combatants. We Flowers handle matters outside of combat.”

She continued calmly.

“Those who can absorb and assimilate that power while still maintaining a proper human form—and who obtain a beautiful form in the process—are called ‘Flowers.’ And those who serve… no, love Madness with truly pure hearts become ‘Fruits’ among the Flowers.”

And that was the end of the explanation.

Wow.

She had explained everything in such incredible detail that I almost didn’t know how to express my gratitude.

If this was all she intended to tell me, why had she gone through all this trouble just to meet me?

But love, huh…? That’s kind of terrifying…

“While the others see Madness as merely the key that will open the Time of Destruction, we simply see Madness as Madness.”

Her smile deepened.

“Isn’t that lovable?”

“…Me?”

“Hehe…”

So she was the same type as Levi.

The exact type of person I had the hardest time dealing with.

Decision made.

I would quickly hear whatever I needed to hear, ask whatever I needed to ask, and then get out of this place.

“The reason I asked to meet Madness is because there is something we would like to request of you.”

Her expression became more serious.

“I am afraid that something could go wrong and Madness might be harmed, but given our circumstances, we have no choice but to ask for your help.”

“Why me? Ask those Roots or whatever.”

“You already heard the reason, did you not?”

She looked directly at me.

“This is something we do not wish to inform Chaos about. That is why we are asking you separately.”

[Hidden Quest Generated!]

[‘The Missing Fruit’: The ‘Flower Garden,’ the organization of noncombatants within the fanatics, is currently missing its highest authority, the ‘Fruit’! Because of this, the members of the Flower Garden are currently forced to follow the orders of Chaos! However, whether helping them is truly the right thing to do remains uncertain…!]

[Success Reward — Monetary reward and partial information regarding the combat organization, ‘Forest.’]

That means they’ll give me information about people like the Roots, right?

Those guys would probably soon appear in the world as something like raid bosses.

I wasn’t sure how useful knowing about them in advance would really be.

Still, knowing something was better than knowing nothing.

The real problem was exactly what the system message had said.

Would helping these people actually benefit me?

If I found their missing Fruit, what would happen to my position afterward?

What would the fanatics become to me?

And what exactly were they planning to do with me?

“I’ll think about it.”

“I will look forward to a positive answer.”

Going to Hopeborn was already part of my plans anyway.

Still…

Seriously.

I had no idea what the right decision was.

Later, the lady started asking me things like how it had gone and whether the person she introduced me to seemed nice.

But—

“Sorry, but I’m currently in a relationship with my work.”

“Oh my… That kind of line really doesn’t suit you.”

Somehow, I managed to end the conversation.

I almost got dragged into the lady’s endless chatter.

Worried that someone else might grab me or that another surprise event might appear out of nowhere, I hurriedly left the Imperial Palace.

“Mister.”

The ones waiting for me outside were Aien—with Malleangi sitting on her head—and Levi, who was holding Jayeon’s hand.

…

Why were only these guys here?

Where were the two adults?

Why did only the kids come?

Was it one of those situations where the adults at home had shouted,

“Hey! What are you doing?! Hurry up and go welcome him back!”

or something?

“Nothing happened again, right?”

“No. We were walking around and ended up here. We couldn’t sit inside the café forever.”

As Aien said that, both of her hands were filled with shopping bags.

It looked like she had bought all sorts of things.

Apparently, she had received a huge bonus for what happened in the Demon Realm.

She must have gotten pretty excited.

If it were one of the others, I might have told them not to waste their money.

But since it was Aien, she probably spent it responsibly.

“Where are we going next?”

Three pairs of sparkling eyes looked at me.

And one round thing merely reflected the light and sparkled along with them.

With Jayeon in my arms and Malleangi on my head, I finally returned to my usual state.

And somehow, I finally felt a little calmer.

“Hopeborn. You know the place, right?”

“Of course. I’ve always wanted to visit it at least once.”

“…For someone who says that, you don’t look very excited.”

Where had that innocent little girl who could barely contain her excitement when meeting a Great Hero disappeared to?

Why was there some exhausted office worker standing in front of me instead?

I never raised my kid like this!

“That’s right! Ever since Aien became an Outsider, she suddenly became really cold! Just like Jin-nim!”

“N-No, I didn’t…”

Malleangi, who was sitting on my head, stretched part of its body out like an arm and started lightly smacking my head in protest.

This little guy…

Its evolution really couldn’t be far away now.

It never used to behave this much like a person.

“Whenever we go ‘Wow! Wow!’ she just watches us from really far away and quietly laughs! Just like Dorfin-nim! Ingwang-nim, tell her something!”

“When did I ever do that?!”

I see.

So everything Aien was carrying actually belonged to the others.

Apparently, Aien wasn’t the one who had been excited.

The others were.

Well…

It wasn’t like I couldn’t understand how Aien felt.

In a single instant, everything in this world had turned into nothing more than chunks of data from her perspective.

What did bonuses or rewards even matter after learning that?

But if she continued thinking like that, it would become impossible for her to truly immerse herself in this world.

And when something desperate happened, she might not be able to give it her all.

The current Aien might simply decide to give up and try again next time whenever she thought something was impossible.

She had seemed to work hard in the Demon Realm.

But perhaps what happened there had actually made her feel even more detached.

Maybe everything just felt meaningless to her now.

“Daughter… Even so, this place…”

“I know! I already know!”

I still wanted Aien to remain interested in this world.

She had learned several truths that made it difficult to simply love this place without hesitation.

Even so…

I wanted her to like it.

…Maybe she would start sparkling again once we actually reached Hopeborn.

I would just have to wait and see.

I roughly ruffled Aien’s hair before taking some of the bags from her hands.

Since I was already carrying Jayeon, I could only take about one hand’s worth.

“No matter what happens, I like this place.”

Aien looked at me quietly.

“I met Lucy here. I met you here, Aien. And I met all these kids here too.”

“….”

“That’s why I want you to like this place too.”

I smiled slightly.

“It’s the place where you were born, after all. And more importantly, it’s the place where you met me.”

“…Yes…”

[The party is deeply moved by the emotional words and warm atmosphere coming from an Adventurer they never expected to say such things!]

[Affection has greatly increased!]

I had ended up saying something embarrassingly sentimental.

Had spending so much time around the kids dulled my sense of shame?

Maybe it was simply the feeling of a parent wanting their child to love the same things they loved.

Seriously…

I was experiencing all kinds of strange emotions at such a young age.

“Let’s go.”

We should hurry.

Hopeborn wasn’t that far from here.

With that coachman and the new carriage he had gotten, we could probably arrive within half a day.

But…

That guy had been driving pretty aggressively lately.

Surely he hadn’t unknowingly become infected by Madness too, right?