As soon as I arrived at the farm, I immediately whipped my head around to check what my boarders were doing.
Belsus was working out under the sun. Complaining that he didn't like his pale white skin, he had completely stripped off his shirt to bask in the sunlight. However, since his skin never tanned, he would just exercise while reflecting sunlight in every direction.
Endymion was sitting under the shade of an apple tree, peeling dirt-covered ginger with a dull fruit knife. Since Endymion's condition had improved significantly and Belsus was keeping an eye on him, I had given him a dull blade to put him to work.
Even though it was a completely ordinary sight, a long sigh escaped my lips at their peaceful appearance. The two of them quickly spotted me as well.
"You're back early. Thanks for doing the groceries."
"Welcome back."
Without replying, I slipped straight into the cabin.
I poured the purchased ingredients onto the counter in a rush. I immediately dashed down to the underground cellar, grabbed an armful of stored vegetables, potatoes, mushrooms, and aged goat milk. Whatever I could get my hands on and charged back into the kitchen with a clatter.
To work as quickly as possible, I laid out all the cooking utensils, pots, and pans, and began cooking like I was fighting a war.
Crash, sizzle, roar, chop-chop-chop-chop! Food was boiling vigorously in two pots on the hearth, while flour-coated fish splattered oil everywhere in a pan. My knife danced restlessly across the cutting board.
It must have been such a bizarre spectacle that Belsus and Endymion were peering worriedly through the same window. Belsus looked deeply troubled, beyond merely concerned about my erratic behavior, while Endymion looked as if he was thinking, 'Has he finally lost his mind?'
It took exactly two hours to make three days' worth of meals for the two of them. And that was with practically zero repeating menus.
Normally, it would have been impossible, but operating in crisis mode, I pulled off a miracle.
It was deja vu. Once again, Belsus was handed a stack of lunchboxes piled as high as an 18-story wooden pagoda.
I told him that Endymion's portions were included as well, instructing him to store them properly and distribute them. Then, I let out a deep breath.
"Belsus. Endymion. I need you guys to leave the farm for a few days."
It seemed Belsus had roughly guessed what I was going to say the moment he received the lunchboxes. The gaze he fixed on me was deep and heavy.
I wasn't entirely sure what he was thinking, but one thing was certain: he looked incredibly calm... and affectionate.
"Leave... leave? You want me to get some fresh air?"
I thought Endymion would be thrilled to finally escape, but surprisingly, he reacted with extreme reluctance, like a cat being taken to the vet.
"For how long?"
"At least a few hours, but, um... at most, a few days."
Even I didn't know what was going to happen next. However, I knew I shouldn't show my anxiety in front of him.
"If I stay outside the farm for too long, it'll reach the ears of the search parties. Should we just wander around the area?"
"Then it'll be hard for me to find you when I come out. I don't know how long this will take, either."
I have connections now, too. Even though it's with a suspicious Transmigrator who can't even join the chat. And since we're competitors anyway, I can't say they are 100% trustworthy.
I pulled out a small slip of paper from my inventory.
"This is a VIP ticket for a Nature Troupe performance."
Belsus reached out and took it without showing any signs of doubt. The one who interjected was Endymion.
"You want us to wait while watching a play...?"
"It's an old ticket. They don't run this show anymore. I got it from Bard a while ago."
Why keep a useless old performance ticket? Precisely because it was from an old show, it was useless for entry, but simultaneously impossible to procure anywhere else. Making it a perfect signal between me and Bard.
"Remember when that jerk Persephone cursed our farm? This is the compensation I wrung out of Bard. If someone brings him this ticket, he agreed to hide the bearer for up to a week."
Persephone had injured Belsus and turned my farm into a wasteland; there was no way I wouldn't extort anything from Bard in return.
I got it by constantly badgering him, threatening that he'd regret making an enemy out of me and that I'd get my revenge.
I might be a weakling, but Belsus, who gained experience points by winning the first dungeon, was an opponent anyone would hesitate to antagonize right away.
Anyway, whether my threats were effective, or if Persephone's actions truly pricked his conscience, Bard paid compensation not only with this but also with riches and precious seeds from Caseria. As a result, I softened up a bit, drank with him once, and even listened to his drunken rambling.
"If you hide with the troupe, you'll be able to shake off the knights for a while. Go with Endymion."
No one would suspect Belsus of being involved with a famous theater troupe from another country. Even if they caught his trail, Bard and Persephone would be protecting them, so they wouldn't be easily searched.
The one unfortunate thing was that Bard would find out I was holding Endymion.
'But this is exactly the kind of emergency you keep a trump card for.'
"I have some things to do alone on the farm. If I want to level up significantly, I think I need to tear some things down and fix them up."
Well, it wasn't a total lie. I did have things to do on the farm, and it was true I'd be smashing and fixing things.
I shrugged, trying to sound as casual as possible. Belsus remained silent again, studying me intently.
His usually soft black eyes shone vividly, as if made of water. Looking into those eyes, I was reminded of amber. A gem forged over a million years. It was strange. The color was entirely different, yet the feeling was the same.
"I trust you."
That softly whispered phrase carried too many meanings. So much so that it would be hard for me to handle for a while.
---
Belsus and Endymion left the farm...
A split second later, I also stepped out of the farm through the door that appeared in the same location. It was the desolate, pitch-black alleyway we always used to slip into the farm away from prying eyes.
'Belsus must have gone this way. He has to get to Bard.'
I headed in the opposite direction, towards the main road.
"I'm right here."
I muttered aloud. As if making sure someone heard me. As if begging them to take me away. That was the only way the Doctor would divert his attention from Belsus and come straight to me.
Earlier... when I was completely oblivious, just grocery shopping.
The fact that the Doctor had traveled all the way here from the Holy State of Venaro. The fact that he watched me, and even had a child deliver an invitation to me.
From that moment on, I had no choices left.
None, except crawling into the Doctor's subspace on my own two feet.
'If the Doctor had sneaked up behind me earlier, tapped my shoulder, and dragged me into his subspace, I would have been completely helpless.'
So why did the Doctor go through the trouble of sending me a letter? Why did he give me 'prep time'?
He was waiting for me to send Belsus out of my subspace. He wanted to face me when I was alone.
So it was highly likely that having Belsus with me would have been much more advantageous. I was just an unathletic farmer, but Belsus was an outstanding Hunter who had won two out of three dungeons and ranked up from a B-Rank to an A-Rank.
'But of all things, of all things... Endymion was there.'
I didn't think Endymion would survive the Doctor's subspace.
But I couldn't just leave Endymion to hide alone, either. Who knew what kind of dangerous situation he'd get swept into if he followed someone? Or maybe his mental state would deteriorate again.
I braced myself over and over again. At some point, I raised my head.
"Hello."
At the end of the alley, a man wearing a black hat and a mask greeted me amiably.
The man brought a hand to his face and gently pulled the mask up. I saw lips so pale they were almost gray, and a long scar stretching from the corner of his mouth up to his cheek. It looked exactly as if his ripped mouth had been stitched back together.
"Shall we go?"
The Doctor, Hester, offered me his arm. As if asking me to link arms with him like a partner at a socialite party.
What kind of person would take the hand of a crazy doctor like you? I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him askance.
"Let's go."
---
I faced off against the Doctor inside the subspace.
It took three whole days for the outcome to be decided.
---
A wave of dizziness. Then my vision went dark before brightening again.
I was standing in an entirely white room.
The room was small and tightly sealed by an iron door right in front of me. On a spotlessly clean metal shelf, I could see surgical scalpels, tweezers, scissors, and restraints.
Among them, the scalpel and tweezers were stained with blood. Judging by the small droplets of blood splattered around them, it looked as though someone had just finished using them.
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