Silence.
A word meaning a state of being quiet without any words, or such a state itself.
When one does not speak, whether due to circumstances or their own stubbornness, despite having something to say, it's called 'keeping silent'.
That's right.
Everyone around me was keeping silent.
As soon as my charge was read, it was as if they had heard something they shouldn't have!
Damn it, what did you do, Raydan Tanton, you mental patient!
I'd heard rumors that even ordinary sex offenders are treated the worst, and even among other criminals, they are often regarded as the lowest of the low.
But.
Attempted rape of an Outer God, the public enemy of this world view?
Even if the Outer God looks like a beautiful woman, there's a limit to having strange fetishes!
As a person with perfectly normal sexual morals, I raised my voice.
"L-look... It, it must be a mistake. Think about it carefully? No matter what, how could a human do such a thing to an Outer God, and with what power?... No, is such a thing even possible in the first place?! This is a frame-up, a frame-up, I tell you!"
"A severe mental derangement, it seems."
I tried to protest to the bear-masked man to request a correction, but it didn't work on the bear mascot.
Utterly unable to accept it, I tried to move, but White Mask pointed her plastic sword at me.
"Do not move. A criminal has no room for excuses."
"This is just..."
"Huh, how daring."
It's just a plastic sword, right? I tried to force my way through, but the toy axe falling before my eyes stole that thought away.
Thud.
"I, I told you not to move, right?"
Seeing it slam into the floor, I realized.
It only removes the fear, not the pain.
I had no choice but to admit it.
I pretended otherwise, but deep down, I had relied on this Super Coward Mode.
Ironically, by removing fear from a coward, it had bred recklessness.
Unable to move a muscle, I looked at the Hunter with a wounded heart and pleading eyes that screamed, 'It's not true!', but...
"Tch."
He showed no sign of believing me at all.
You bastard, Hunter, it's not true, it's NOT!
As a last resort, I looked at Agartha, but that was a mistake.
Our eyes met directly.
Grin.
A smile was spreading across her face.
And a very irritating one, fitting for a thief.
"...Tch."
"?"
"Running around naked is... Ahem, that seems almost more respectable? Pfft."
Ah.
Should I just kill myself?
I don't know who the bastard was that created the character 'Raydan Tanton', but if our eyes ever meet, that day will be his last.
"Kyaak!"
"I believe I told you not to move just a moment ago."
When White Mask lightly pressed the plastic sword against Agartha's stomach, a sizzling sound, like flesh burning, could be heard.
That alone immediately shut Agartha's mouth.
"If you speak one more time, there won't be a next time."
"I'll keep that in mind!"
Looking at the thoroughly cowed Agartha, I felt a little better, but only a little.
And seeing her still sneaking glances at me and smirking made my insides burn again.
Just as I was suppressing my frustration, the bear-masked man spoke, not hiding his disgust.
"No survivors within the prison. The prison is closed as of this moment. Our Knight Order will take custody and escort the sub-human prisoners."
"But...!"
"We will not entertain any further questions."
I wanted to retort, but they bound our hands with something like blue tape.
It looked like it would tear easily if I used force, but even when I tried, it wouldn't come loose.
Is this also something made from an Outer God?
And so, we began to be dragged away, bound by blue tape even flimsier than shackles, unable to resist.
Even as I was being dragged, I kept thinking about my charge.
...Sigh.
So this is what they call responsibility without pleasure.
It's more fucked up than I imagined.
Whether they knew the way well or not, the path must have looked dark to the Knight Order too, but they navigated it well relying on a single lantern.
I glanced at Agartha and the Hunter, trying to gauge their moods.
Agartha was still looking at me with an expression full of teasing intent, but the Hunter wasn't even making eye contact with me anymore.
Sigh.
What a headache.
Just a moment ago, I felt like we had gotten a bit closer.
It must be because of my charge, right?
There's absolutely nothing good about having a strained relationship with the Snow Castle protagonist.
I glared daggers at that fluffy bear head for no reason.
This was all that bear-masked bastard's fault.
Why did he have to go and recite the charges and cause a scene...!
Whether my setting is like this or that, if he hadn't said anything, this wouldn't have happened.
"Finally, the exit."
"I feel this every time I come to this prison, but it seems too spacious..."
"Why, of all places, did an Outer God have to appear here and...!"
The Knight Order, unaware of my feelings, were just chatting among themselves.
Yeah... What can someone as powerless as me do?
With a 'It'll work out somehow' mindset, I kept walking and felt the area ahead gradually brightening.
As the masked woman said, we must be about to exit outside.
And as soon as we stepped outside, what greeted us was...
"...Wow."
A sight so mystical I couldn't help but marvel.
An open space gave a sense of liberation, and I could see green, colorful trees reminiscent of spring standing among villages.
At its center was a very tall pillar made of stone bricks, and above it, heat and fire rose like a shimmering mirage, didn't they?
The reason this dark fantasy world, ruined by Outer God interference, is called Snow Castle.
It's because it's the story of a castle burning endlessly amidst the blizzard that destroys the world.
I remember they called the towering structure the 'Firewood Pile' and the flames burning atop it the 'Brazier'.
Was the Princess supposed to be at the very top?
Recalling the settings I'd seen on the community forums, I looked up at the sky.
Only then did I remember another reason I started playing this game.
Beyond the castle walls, the raging blizzard reached the domain and was melting away.
The fire burning in the brazier and the blizzard that freezes the world seemed to intertwine.
The harmony of ice and fire presented a stark contrast, yet ironically, they mingled as naturally as if they were one.
To say this world was being destroyed by Outer Gods felt wrong, for it was far too...
'Beautiful.'
My eyes remained fixed on the sky, captivated by the spectacle worthy of a movie.
This caught White Mask's eye, and a voice that sounded like scraping came from within her mask.
"It seems the mental derangement is accurate. To marvel at the very evil destroying this world, the cause of the Outer God's interference."
I didn't care what sarcastic remark she made.
Yes.
The reason I decided to start Snow Castle was because I found this very sight, depicted in high-resolution graphics in the game, beautiful, and that's why I started.
Even if it's the cause of this world's destruction, from a gamer's perspective, this snow was beautiful in itself.
So much so that I felt honored to see this spectacle in person.
As I looked around, trying to take in more of this view, something else caught my eye.
"Hmm?"
Looking closely at the blizzard area, beyond the snowy mountain, there seemed to be another domain with walls erected, and within it, wasn't there a massive figure standing?
I squinted to see what it was. As my focus adjusted, it became clearer.
'A person?'
It was a humanoid figure.
A giant form that seemed to be far taller than any castle.
Its figure, standing taller than the massive snowy mountain amidst the swirling blizzard, was truly overwhelming.
As I stared at it slowly, it began to take the form of a woman, and at some point, I felt as if it was looking back at me.
And the moment its mouth moved as if to say something, someone grabbed the back of my head and pulled me back.
"Argh!"
Feeling a pain as if my hair was being ripped out, I looked back to see White Mask wearing an extremely angry expression.
"I said you were mentally deranged, but to not even value your own life!"
Seeing her suddenly snap at me, I made an expression of utter injustice, which only seemed to make her expression turn even more vicious.
"Rondane's Third Iron Rule. Do not look upon the gigantic something visible beyond the snowy mountain. Do not revere it. Do not pray to it."
No, fuck.
There was a rule like that too?
Before I could even ask, the masked woman kindly began to explain.
"If you look at that, you freeze from the inside out and turn into an ice statue."
"Don't tell me you were so ashamed of your crime being revealed that you were trying to commit suicide? You foolish creature!"
...No, you die such a painful death?
What the hell is that?
My knowledge of Snow Castle was fragmentary; using a tree as a metaphor, I only knew the branches but was ignorant of the crucial trunk itself.
I was dying to ask, but it seemed unlikely she'd answer anyway, so I had no choice but to bury the question inside.
"...Are you okay? Your stomach doesn't feel like it's burning, does it?"
Even amidst this, Agartha subtly whispered, showing concern for me.
"Well, considering you dealt with the Warden, you're probably fine."
If I said that her unwavering attitude was my only mental comfort, I think my heart would feel a little sad, so I decided to bear it quietly.
And so, we headed towards the heart of Rondane.