Salted Fish

Tenth Floor Meeting Room.

This was the only place in Nazarick, aside from his private quarters, where Momonga could use his Guildmaster authority to impose a complete lockdown. Even Albedo and Sebas, who possessed high-level permissions, could not enter, nor could they eavesdrop by any means.

It was a secluded place, and for Momonga, the perfect refuge where he could temporarily shed his disguise.

"Whew, it was finally over."

"Momonga, you're really good at sneaking off. You actually left Herohero and me behind on your own."

Now that no one else was around, Momonga let out a sigh and slumped straight into his chair. Heaven knew how nervous he had been just now. If not for the Undead racial trait, he would have given himself away long ago.

He had to play the role of a ruler while observing the Floor Guardians' expressions and adjusting his words at any moment.

Momonga felt that even work had never been this exhausting.

Seeing Momonga like this, Naiyuan complained a little as well, then quietly began listening to his negative emotions.

Before long, Herohero appeared, looking utterly miserable. Seeing the two of them, he froze for a moment, then said nothing. He silently came over, sat beside Naiyuan, and listened to Momonga's rambling.

The three of them remained like that: one talking, two quietly listening, occasionally adding a few words of their own.

"I do feel much better after saying it all out loud. Thanks, Naiyuan and Herohero, for being willing to listen to me complain for so long."

Having poured out all the worries in his heart at once, Momonga instantly felt much better. Looking at his two friends, who had patiently listened to his grumbling, he spoke with some embarrassment.

This was a place the Floor Guardians could not reach, so Momonga no longer had to hide anything. His entire body relaxed.

"It's fine. Listening to a friend's troubles and helping them through it is also our responsibility as companions."

Herohero had recovered from the unpleasant feeling caused by the other two sneaking off earlier. After all, seeing how much pressure Momonga was under, his little bit of irritation was nothing in comparison.

Besides, he had not truly been angry. He had only wanted to complain a little.

"Herohero's right. Compared to us dumping this work on you and slacking off, this is nothing."

Naiyuan patted Herohero on the shoulder and spoke to Momonga with some embarrassment. If the two of them had not wanted to be lazy and slack off, Momonga would not have ended up like this.

"Besides, Momonga, you don't need to worry so much. Have a little confidence. From what I observed just now, there was no problem with the Floor Guardians' loyalty. No one could read any emotions from your skeleton face, and your tone was plenty imposing. It's fine."

Seeing his friend's frustration, Naiyuan recalled what had happened earlier and encouraged him.

Herohero nodded his slime-formed head in agreement with Naiyuan.

Having watched the whole show, Herohero had seen Momonga's interactions with all the Floor Guardians. He also felt there was no problem.

Or rather, Momonga had done far better than expected. (Herohero was a Slime and did not actually have eyes, but he had bought a Pay-to-Win Item that allowed him to clearly see his surroundings.)

"If you both say so, then I feel much better."

"But Naiyuan, you finally admitted it. You two had been thinking about slacking off and being lazy all along."

Momonga nodded in satisfaction. His friends' words had soothed much of the chaos in his heart.

Then he remembered what they had just said, and his mood immediately soured again. So that was why the two of you had been so in sync. You'd both been thinking the same thing.

"Ahem, don't worry about such little details!"

Naiyuan rubbed the dragon horns on his head and guiltily looked off to the side.

He had let it slip in the heat of the moment, and Naiyuan had a headache over it.

Although no emotion could be seen on Herohero's face, he slowly turned his head aside as well. He did not know what to say.

"Idiot Naiyuan, you actually said it out loud. What now? You figure something out. I'm not dealing with this."

Herohero activated Communication Magic and immediately signaled for Naiyuan to handle it. Whoever said it had to fix it.

"Um... fine. Actually, it was all Herohero's idea. He was the one who led me astray."

Under Herohero's relentless bombardment, Naiyuan turned around, intending to say something to Momonga. Then he immediately sold out Herohero, who had been planning to quietly watch the show from the side.

It had clearly been something they had both agreed to back then. He could not be the only one taking the blame. If they were going down, they were going down together. Don't blame me, Herohero. Friends are supposed to share blessings and hardships alike. Now that we're suffering, you can't just stand by and watch.

"Naiyuan, you bastard!!"

Herohero had originally nodded in satisfaction when he saw how tactful Naiyuan was being. He had not expected Naiyuan to drag him into the mess moments later. He immediately looked at Naiyuan's innocent face and spoke through gritted teeth.

"What did I say wrong? Herohero, don't think about running away. Let's face this together."

Naiyuan patted Herohero on the shoulder with a determined expression, ignoring the killing intent directed at him as he shouted.

"Ahem, you two, stop for a moment. I was only asking. I never said I was going to hold you accountable."

Watching his two friends stab each other in the back, Momonga hurriedly tried to smooth things over.

His earlier annoyance vanished without a trace. Watching the two fool around, he nearly laughed.

"Fine, I'll just say it. We're two salted fish. Momonga, whether the two of us can keep being salted fish depends on you."

Seeing that Momonga was not angry, Naiyuan immediately came up with an idea. He darted to Momonga's side, wrapped a thick arm around his shoulders, and spoke with a serious expression in a righteous tone.

Herohero's slime-formed head also simulated human facial features, and he gave a polite smile. He put an arm around Momonga's other shoulder and quietly looked at him.

His expression clearly said, I have no objections. Naiyuan is right.

"Tsk, tsk. So you two are just going to shove all the work onto me without any shame? Doesn't your conscience hurt?"

Momonga looked at the two of them strangely. Their maneuver had nearly left him dumbfounded.

"Not at all. ×2"

Naiyuan and Herohero looked at each other and spoke at the same time.

Herohero: "I'm a Slime. I don't have a conscience."

Naiyuan: "A conscience? How much is that worth? Want me to dig one out? As a Dragonoid, even if I lose a heart, it'll only take a few minutes. It'll grow back soon enough."

Momonga looked at the two unrepentant, smug fools with a headache. Damn, each of them made more sense than the last, and he had no way to refute them.

"You two..."

"Then we'll be counting on you from now on, Guildmaster! ×2"