Waiting

After a period of roughhousing, Momonga pulled back his fist. A green light shone over his body, and he instantly entered a state of sage-like calm.

Herohero walked over to the side.

[Create High-Tier Item]

As a magic circle emerged, three chairs appeared in the center of the Arena.

The chairs in the middle and on the left were pitch black, appearing as though they had been crafted from individual skulls, looking quite eerie and terrifying. The one on the right was primarily purple, with spikes protruding from its entire frame, giving it a ferocious appearance.

Looking at the chairs he had created, Herohero nodded in satisfaction and then sat down on the chair on the right.

"The Floor Guardians will be here soon. You two should come over and sit down as well."

Herohero, reclining in his chair, spoke to Naiyuan and Momonga via telepathy.

"You're quite thoughtful, Herohero. The design is nice, though it would be even better if you swapped the skulls for dragon heads."

Naiyuan climbed to his feet and brushed the dust off his body. He smacked his lips as he looked at the two chairs in front of him, praising his friend for being so thoughtful before remarking that he wanted a different style.

As a Dragonoid, he still preferred things related to dragons. While the skulls weren't bad, they were still lacking something.

"You're so demanding. Make it yourself, otherwise you'll just complain that I didn't do it right later."

Herohero retorted to Naiyuan via telepathy, then waved his hand, shattering the chair on the left into nothingness.

"You guy, slacking off on even a small thing like this? Herohero, you've become too lazy."

Naiyuan strongly condemned the other's blatant act of laziness, then excitedly began to create his own.

[Create High-Tier Item]

A chair, pitch black in its entirety with ferocious dragon head carvings on the armrests and back, slowly emerged from a magic circle and appeared before Naiyuan.

"Mm, not bad, not bad. This is what suits me."

Naiyuan nodded in satisfaction and sat down on it.

On the other side, Momonga was busy praising Aura and Mare.

"Aura, you did very well. I only won that fight just now by taking advantage of a loophole. The fact that you thought to abandon ranged attacks in favor of melee combat exceeded my expectations. You are more excellent than I imagined."

Momonga spoke while imitating the demeanor of a leader. For him, once he had done this kind of thing once, it became increasingly easy to handle. The natural talent of an Undead meant he felt no pressure while roleplaying.

Momonga spoke majestically to the two of them. Aura nodded repeatedly in acknowledgment, saying things like, "Yes, yes, yes, you praise me too much, my Lord, I must keep working hard," while her eyes snuck glances at Naiyuan, who was sitting to the side.

Hearing his sister speak, Mare acted as a parrot, constantly repeating her words.

"Damn it, to actually shatter the seat he created... is this a demonstration of defiance against Father? To dare to humiliate Father like this... damn you, Herohero."

Aura looked toward Naiyuan, trembling, as her dissatisfaction with the Supreme Being Herohero grew bit by bit in her heart.

"Hm? Aura, are you listening?"

A sudden voice snapped Aura back to reality. It was Momonga, who was looking at her with a puzzled expression. He had called her name several times, but she hadn't responded, which he found quite strange.

Could it be that the Floor Guardians aren't paying attention at all? It seems I can't let my guard down yet!

Momonga thought to himself as he watched the distracted Aura and Mare, then voiced his inquiry.

"Ah!! I apologize, Momonga-sama. I was just reflecting on the shortcomings of my performance during the battle. Please forgive my rudeness."

After a brief moment of panic, Aura instantly composed herself and replied calmly.

"I see. Reflecting on the shortcomings of a failure is a good thing, Aura. Therefore, I forgive your rudeness."

Momonga pondered for a moment before deciding to forgive her behavior. At the same time, he wondered if he was being too paranoid; he should be able to trust the NPCs more.

"Hey, Momonga, come over and sit!"

A voice interrupted Momonga's thoughts. It was Herohero, who was currently half-reclined in a chair, waving to greet him. Naiyuan, sitting nearby, was doing the same.

"Then that's that. Keep up the hard work, for the prosperity of Nazarick."

Momonga gave a few final instructions before turning and walking toward Herohero. This feeling was so tiring; why could those two just lie around while he had to work so hard?

Maybe I should just slack off too. That actually sounds pretty good.

Lying back in the chair created by Herohero, Momonga couldn't help but think.

Even though he had already become an Undead, why was he still so tired? Forget it, time to slack off.

"Hey, Naiyuan, Herohero, let's discuss something!"

"Hm? What is it? Don't tell me you're going back on your word and don't want to do it anymore?"

"Naiyuan, don't talk nonsense. Momonga is the Guildmaster; how could he go back on his word? We shouldn't have such thoughts; it's an insult to Momonga's character. Right, Momonga?"

Herohero strongly rebuked Naiyuan before turning to look at Momonga, who was stunned by the comment, and smiled.

"Ah!! Right, how could I possibly go back on my word? I was just thinking about what the situation is like outside. After all, we've crossed over to another world."

Momonga let out a start and replied somewhat stiffly.

At the same time, he couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion. Good grief, I never expected you guys to see me that way. What am I supposed to say to that?

Forget it, stop overthinking. If I have to do it, I'll do it. I refuse to believe that a few Floor Guardians can stump me.

Damn it all, let's just get on with it.

Watching Momonga, who had become high-spirited after imagining who knows what, Naiyuan and Herohero exchanged a glance.

"All according to plan!"

The two of them looked at each other with a tacit understanding; they were professionals when it came to this sort of thing.

When they saw Momonga's expression, Naiyuan and Herohero had realized the severity of the situation.

This guy Momonga wanted to slack off!

The two of them instantly understood each other's thoughts, and then exchanged a look as a silent signal.

They had successfully blocked his desire to slack off through this self-directed and self-acted play, and even managed to ignite his fighting spirit.

Naiyuan was happy, Herohero was happy, and Momonga was fired up.

It was truly killing three birds with one stone.

"By the way, I wonder how Sebas is doing. What is the world outside actually like now?"

Naiyuan took over the topic from Momonga, feeling a bit bored. Although he knew the outside world very well, he couldn't say so; he still had to pretend he didn't know anything.

"If we really did transmigrate, anything is possible. Who knows, it might be a world where gods have manifested and demons are running wild."

Herohero thought for a moment before replying.

In any case, he didn't intend to go outside until the situation out there was thoroughly investigated. Only staying in Nazarick could put his mind at ease.

"We can't guess anything anyway. I just hope our strength is enough to barely survive in this world."

Momonga sighed. His requirements weren't high; as long as they could survive, that was enough. If worst came to worst, they could stay in the Great Tomb forever. Nazarick was self-sufficient, after all, so staying for a few hundred years wouldn't be a problem at all.

"Father, Herohero-sama, Momonga-sama, the Floor Guardians have arrived."

Aura, who was standing to the side, suddenly spoke up, causing the three of them to turn their gazes toward the entrance of the Arena, where a figure was slowly walking in.