Snow Castle's inhabitants often speculated that so Foreign Entities were more intelligent than humans. In my Super Coward Mode, I could recognize that these beings were, in fact, more inford than humans, despite the popular assumption of them as otherworldly forces.
"Everyone, listen to for a second!!"
My attention turned to the glass-bead Entity who had jumped up in frustration. It was clear she had been making a point but was too upset to stay seated.
I watched in slight amazent. I hadn’t expected Foreign Entities to hold etings that resembled human ones. I didn’t doubt their intelligence; it was more that I imagined them as reclusive figures, usually preferring to be alone in their domains with their shards or minor Entities for company. While so were more social—like Bell—this seed like a rare trait, and typically only among higher-ranking Entities.
But it seed the nature of their “etings” differed from what I’d assud.
“So, one of the ‘high-ups’ tells , ‘Don’t worry, the human isn’t dangerous, you’re safe to wander around in the cave.’ And then, as soon as I t the human, he pulls out a gun and starts shooting at ! I couldn’t do anything for nearly three days, just stuck to the wall! Can you believe that?!”
“Oh, that sounds rough.”
“Poor thing.”
…This was nothing like the etings I’d envisioned. It was more of a support group where everyone took turns saying, “I’ve had a hard ti!” and receiving sympathetic nods in response.
Listening to her, I thought—could she be the Entity Agarta and Hunter had subdued? From the teary look on her face, it seed she’d been through a lot.
“That's just because you're weak,” ca a teasing voice.
“Excuse ?!” the glass Entity spat back, her anger flaring as she glared at the speaker.
It was Nutrièce.
“If you were a lot stronger than humans, you wouldn’t be crying about it,” Nutrièce teased with a mischievous smirk.
“What’s that supposed to an?”
“It’s the truth, right?”
The glass Entity, now pointing an accusatory finger, seed ready to explode. “This is because I didn’t play with you recently, isn’t it?!”
“Chair, she’s bringing up unrelated points now,” Nutrièce interjected, raising her hand to protest.
“Please calm down. This isn’t a place for fighting,” said Gardener in her soothing tone, trying to pacify the glass Entity, who now looked ready to burst with indignation.
Ah, that explained Nutrièce’s provocation. This glass Entity was likely one of the strongest of the minor Entities, similar to Nutrièce.
This “eting” had an interesting dynamic. While so Entities were here to vent and share grievances, others actually shared information.
“Apparently, there’s been a large influx of humans in the snowfield near the princess’s territory.”
“Hm, maybe they’re moving in to settle?”
“Not sure. That’s all we’ve got.”
It was unexpectedly fascinating to witness Entities gathering and talking so casually. They took turns sharing, and after the Entity beside finished her bit and sat down, I expected the next to begin. But instead, I found all eyes on , bright with curiosity.
Oh no.
It looked like they wanted the human at the table to contribute.
Nearly every Entity here seed friendly toward humans, and I tried to politely decline, but Gardener gave a compellingly sweet smile, nudging to participate. With a reluctant cough, I stood.
“Uh, I don’t think I have any information that would benefit everyone here. But I do have sothing I’d like to ask.”
The Entities smiled and nodded in encouragent.
“Have any of you heard of a figure called the Observer, often revered in the human world?”
As soon as the words left my mouth, every Entity’s face turned to stone.
The Observer. A figure unknown to humanity at large, yet soone the Record Keeper seed determined to keep hidden.
While the Record Keeper dismissed it as unimportant, my grandfather’s prophecy about the Observer had turned out to be startlingly accurate, making it impossible to ignore.
The Record Keeper had told I’d understand in ti, but wouldn’t it be wise to know sothing now, to prepare myself?
I’d simply tossed out the topic to see where it might lead, but the reaction was… extre.
“What do you an, still alive?!”
“No, no, I heard they were dead!”
The Entities were growing frantic, as if struggling to deny reality.
Dead?
Was that why humans had forgotten them? Was my grandfather the last one to rember?
But then why would the scholar-seers have no record of it? They knew even the fact that Gardener was a major Entity.
Even Gardener, looking shocked, was staring at .
“So, how do you humans know about this… Observer?” she asked.
“There’s soone on our side who reveres the Observer as part of his faith.”
“…Did you all hear that?” an Entity murmured.
“They’re worshiping the Observer now?”
Did the Observer have a poor reputation among Entities? The chill in the air felt ominous.
“There’s no one here who actually likes the Observer,” ca the unexpectedly grim voice of the glass Entity.
“Why?” I asked.
“If the Observer were around, we’d have no freedom. We couldn’t even gather here like this to chat.”
Wait. Was this Observer so powerful that they could limit every Entity’s freedom?
According to scholars, only conceptual major Entities wielded that level of influence. But sothing didn’t add up. If a conceptual Entity died, the world couldn’t continue as it had been.
Major Entities embodied essential concepts. Gardener symbolized plants, the Chef symbolized cooking, the Watcher symbolized observation, and the Record Keeper symbolized docuntation.
And conceptual Entities were even more fundantal, representing ideas that couldn’t disappear without disrupting the world. Yet here we were, the world seemingly intact, even with the Observer gone.
As I prepared to ask more, Gardener clapped her hands and held up a palm, signaling to stop.
“Enough.”
“…?”
“Any more, and you’ll just hurt yourself. Let it go.”
The gravity of Gardener’s words left speechless.
What was going on? Why was there a collective effort to remain silent about the Observer, both from Gardener and the Record Keeper?
…It likely ant I wouldn’t get further with other Entities, either. I’d have to find my grandfather and ask him directly. If it was related to , I couldn’t afford ignorance. Even if the truth was painful, it was the only way forward.
“Alright, let’s move on to the next topic,” Gardener said, trying to redirect the discussion.
“Actually, I have a suggestion!” another minor Entity raised its hand.
“Go ahead,” Gardener replied.
“I think we’d all like to hear about the Chair’s worries!”
“W-Who, ?” Gardener stamred, pointing at herself in surprise.
“Oh, that’s right!” said another Entity. “You’ve never shared anything personal; you always just listen to our stories!”
“Your stories are fun enough for !”
As the minor Entities pressed Gardener, she waved her hands, trying to deflect. But there was one Entity who would never let an opportunity like this go to waste.
“You know, that’s true. It’s like you’ve been deliberately keeping your life under wraps while quietly laughing at us inside,” Nutrièce remarked, clearly enjoying herself.
“Hear, hear!” another minor Entity agreed.
Seeing Nutrièce argue so confidently, even after souring her standing with Gardener, was surprising. But apparently, Nutrièce wasn’t troubled by conscience, and Gardener seed to hesitate, as if actually considering it.
“Hmm, maybe,” she mused.
“Yes, tell us!” ca the cheers of the other Entities.
With everyone’s encouragent, I also grew curious about what Gardener might say.
But the mont she opened her mouth, while the other Entities looked delighted, my face could only fall.
“So, there’s this story about a female human’s lover who cheated on her…”
…I had a sinking feeling that whatever she was about to say would definitely involve !
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