Secret Conversation

The Sixth Floor Arena of Nazarick.

With the Floor Guardians having departed one after another, the place had returned to its usual desolate state.

However, the calm atmosphere did not last long; the appearance of a figure shattered it.

It was Sephis. After everyone else had left, he had returned to this place once more.

Sephis stood quietly in the shadows, first scanning his surroundings. Only after confirming that no other figures were present did he set his mind at ease and slowly step out.

Without hesitation, he walked straight out of the Arena and into the forest outside.

The dense forest before him did not slow his pace; instead, he dashed rapidly in one specific direction.

The trees beside him blurred past like a slideshow. Sephis observed his surroundings while making constant, subtle adjustments to his course.

He did not know how much time had passed, but he finally slowed down when a massive boulder appeared before him.

The stone looked no different from an ordinary rock; even when scanned with detection-type magic, it showed no changes. Yet, Sephis stopped steadily right in front of it.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

He extended his palm and knocked three times, then stepped to the side.

"Click!"

The sound of a mechanism shifting echoed out. The center of the otherwise unremarkable stone suddenly turned illusory, and a pale blue vortex appeared before Sephis.

"Hurry and come in; the opening won't last long."

A voice drifted from within the pale blue vortex, urging Sephis to enter quickly.

Without hesitation, Sephis cast a look of surprise at the mechanism he hadn't even noticed, then stepped straight inside. The moment he passed through, the vortex closed instantly.

As if nothing had ever happened, the stone returned to its original state.

Inside the cave, Sephis gazed at his surroundings with curiosity.

The environment inside was much smaller than he had imagined, spanning less than ten meters in width. From the bed, table, and chairs arranged about, it was clear that this was a place meant for resting.

"A very nice place. Although it's small, it gives off a cozy feeling. Is this the feeling of 'home' that Father spoke of?"

Sephis nodded, looking around and musing to himself.

"Pretty good, right? This was designed by Bukubukuchagama-sama. In all of Nazarick, only Mare and I know about this place."

"Come, come. This is some tea I've been saving. Give it a try."

Aura and Mare emerged from the side carrying a tea set. Seeing Sephis's look of wonder, they smiled proudly.

"Mmm, good tea. The flavor is excellent."

Sephis saw the other's smugness but said nothing, instead picking up the teacup before him and taking a light sip, letting out a sound of appreciation.

"This is my precious tea leaves. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't be able to bear drinking them. If you hadn't come today, I wouldn't have brought them out."

Aura took a sip of tea, a satisfied smile appearing on her face, and then she laughed as she looked at Sephis.

"Then I am truly honored."

Sephis filled his cup again and, after tasting it, spoke.

"Now that the tea has been drunk, we can talk about the real business."

"Aura, what did you mean in the message you sent me earlier about the Supreme Being Herohero threatening Father?"

Sephis slowly set down the teacup in his hand. Dragon pupils began to emerge in his eyes, and he looked at Aura before him with a serious expression as he questioned her.

"Regarding that question, let Mare explain it."

"Very well, Elder Sister. Then let me explain it to Lord Sephis."

Aura did not answer directly, instead tossing the question to Mare, who was beside her.

"The matter is actually like this: previously, the three Lords came to the Sixth Floor..."

Sephis watched the two siblings before him. He did not interrupt their words, listening quietly. His expression did not change in the slightest, but the dragon scales beginning to emerge on his body and his gradually chilling gaze indicated that he was doing everything in his power to suppress his rage.

"That is how it happened. Lord Herohero and Lord Momonga attacked Father together, and in the end, Lord Herohero even destroyed the seat created for Father right in front of him, leaving only his own seat and Lord Momonga's."

Mare finished speaking with a somewhat timid air, let out a sigh of relief, and then looked with some fear at Sephis, who was staring right at him.

"I see. I understand. The Supreme Being Herohero, is it? Even he cannot humiliate Father."

Veins bulged on Sephis's face, and the dense scales were now completely beyond his control. Sharp dragon fangs grew from his mouth, and thin currents of electricity flowed along the dragon horns on his head, signaling that his mood had reached a certain limit.

"Calm down, Sephis. I came to find you to discuss this, not for you to be consumed by rage."

Watching Sephis, who looked as if he would pull out his weapon and go duel Herohero at any moment, Aura quickly manifested two magic circles in her hands. She activated the 3rd-tier magic Frost Breath, slammed it directly onto his face, and shouted to force him to calm down.

"Hoo... apologies. And is that everything? Did Father really not fight back?"

Under the pressure of the magic circle against his face and Aura's admonition, Sephis finally calmed down. He looked at the two with a hint of apology while staring intently at Mare, asking urgently.

"Lord Father truly did not fight back, and in the end, he even stood up with a smile and brushed the dust off his body."

"As for the chair, Father also smiled and recreated it."

"As for Lord Momonga and Lord Herohero, I could not discern any emotional changes." (It would be strange if you could tell anything from those two, considering you can't even see their faces, heh.)

Mare thought about the details from back then and said.

"I see. It seems Herohero was taking advantage of Father's kindness, constantly testing his bottom line."

"And Lord Momonga was likely being used as well. How terrifying, the Supreme Being Herohero."

"To have barely spoken, yet secretly attempt to control two Supreme Beings—what a brilliant scheme."

Sephis continuously analyzed the information he received from Mare, eventually arriving at a terrifying conclusion: everything the other party did was calculated, with the goal of controlling all of Nazarick.

Although he had briefly suspected it might be Lord Momonga's plan, he dismissed the thought after remembering that Lord Momonga was a Supreme Being who had always been by Father's side. He had even heard Father mention that the two of them had lived together for decades.

In contrast, the Supreme Being Herohero, who had not appeared for years but suddenly returned just before the transfer of Nazarick, was far more suspicious.

"Aura, Mare, we must plan this carefully."

"Listen, we must act as if we know nothing for now, then wait for an opportunity..."

And just like that, completely unbeknownst to Momonga, Naiyuan, and Herohero, the first generation of the Supreme Being Hunting Squad was formed.

If Naiyuan knew what his children were plotting, he would likely cry out that it wasn't necessary—really, it wasn't necessary—and that they had just been joking at the time.

But in the eyes of the Floor Guardians, every move made by a Supreme Being is filled with profound meaning. One can only say that the details determine success or failure.