Reward

"I am very satisfied with your answer, and I can grant you one wish."

Naiyuan said with a smile. Both the other party's previous actions and this answer had satisfied him.

Hearing this, Momonga and Herohero also nodded in agreement.

The three of them were family now, and the other party's actions and answers had earned their approval.

"Speak boldly; there is no need to be constrained."

"This is what you deserve."

Momonga and Herohero also expressed their goodwill, telling her not to worry. After all, they knew that their current appearances were quite terrifying, and they were afraid it might intimidate her.

Feeling the goodwill of the three, Enri appeared very nervous.

"Um, could you please tell me the names of the three great gods?"

Enri looked up cautiously as she spoke, but the fact that she only asked for something as trivial as their names left the three of them stunned.

Her younger sister, who had been hiding in Enri's arms and eavesdropping the whole time, gave her sister a bewildered look.

It was as if she were saying, Sister, are you serious?

"Um, please forget what I just said."

Seeing their reactions, Enri's already flushed face turned even redder, and she wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

"It's fine. As for names, I am called Naiyuan. That skeleton is named Momonga; although he looks very imposing, he is actually quite gentle toward those he acknowledges."

"You don't need to be constrained around him; you have already earned our approval."

"That purple guy is named Herohero—though I always call him Hero-Hero. He looks cold and indifferent, but he is very good to his own people. He's the type who is cold on the outside but warm on the inside."

Naiyuan came back to his senses and began to answer her question with a smile, first pointing to Momonga, who was standing to the side.

Momonga responded with a nod.

Immediately after, he pointed to Herohero, who looked indifferent, and said with a laugh.

"Naiyuan, you guy!"

Hearing his friend's introduction, Herohero was instantly shocked and angry. This guy really said anything that came to mind—did he, Herohero, have no dignity?

"See? This guy is just a tsundere."

"You might not know what a tsundere is, but it's the type of person who says they don't want something, yet their body is very honest."

Naiyuan ignored Herohero's shock and anger, continuing to speak to Enri with a smile.

Seeing this, Momonga immediately stepped forward to intercept Herohero, who was preparing to charge at Naiyuan and risk his life.

"Calm down, calm down, Herohero. Don't be impulsive. Think about it carefully; you can't beat Naiyuan at all."

Momonga gripped Herohero tightly with his two bony hands, hurriedly explaining himself to his struggling friend.

A blade struck Herohero's heart once again, and he stopped resisting. That was true; he really couldn't beat Naiyuan. He might be fine if he went up there now, but he would definitely be brutally drilled by the other party once they returned to Nazarick.

"Sigh... tell me, Momonga, who did you learn that way of comforting people from?"

Herohero said listlessly.

"I learned it from Naiyuan. It seems to be quite effective."

Momonga released his bony hands and said to Herohero with a smile.

"You learned it very well. Take my advice: don't learn it again next time."

"Ah, why?"

"How about it? These two guys are pretty great, aren't they?"

Naiyuan asked with a light chuckle, clearly enjoying the show.

Without the Floor Guardians around, they became much more carefree; joking around like this was normal.

Since Enri was acknowledged by them, there was no need to keep up any pretenses.

"The three gods have such a great relationship."

"Just call us by our names; there's no need to be so formal."

"Then, Lord Naiyuan?"

"Mm, that's much better."

Enri looked at him with secret joy in her heart. She had successfully gained the recognition of the gods.

"Momonga, and little Hero, let's go."

After chatting with Enri for a few more moments, Naiyuan called out to Momonga, who was examining the soldiers' corpses, and Herohero, who was squatting silently in the corner, muttering curses under his breath.

"Are you finished?"

Momonga walked over to Naiyuan's side and asked, simultaneously pulling the squatting Herohero over.

Herohero, having been dragged over, turned his head away, his displeasure clearly visible.

"We should go see our new friends."

"Are the people trapped already?"

Upon hearing this, Herohero put away his playful demeanor, his entire being returning to a state of calm once more.

Ever since they sensed the two remaining groups of soldiers in the village, they had activated the magic item Phantom Barrier, trapping the two groups within separate barriers. At this moment, the enemies were trapped inside, walking in endless circles.

Unless one possessed level 60 strength, they would have no choice but to wait obediently for one hour until the barrier automatically dissipated.

Naiyuan nodded and signaled to Momonga at his side. Momonga understood immediately and raised the staff in his hand.

[Gate]

A pitch-black opening appeared once again. Momonga stepped through first, followed closely by Herohero. Naiyuan looked toward Enri.

"Would you like to come along?"

"May I?"

Enri looked at the opening before her with some nervousness. The prospect of being able to accompany the Lord God was something she yearned for.

"No problem."

Naiyuan took her hand directly, and amidst her cry of surprise, pulled her inside.

Naturally, her younger sister was not left behind either.

As they entered, the opening vanished instantly. The surroundings returned to silence once more, leaving only a headless corpse lying on the cold ground.

Inside Carne Village, the surviving villagers had gathered in the center, each carrying weapons such as wooden clubs and hoes.

Bright red blood covered the villagers from head to toe; some of it belonged to the soldiers, and some was their own.

"Village Chief, what should we do now?"

A man holding a wooden club looked at an elderly man with graying hair and asked anxiously.

"That's right. Those soldiers from before said they were just an advance party, and that a main force is coming behind them."

"With our strength, it's impossible for us to stop their attack."

The other villagers nearby were also terrified. Although they didn't know why the previous soldiers had suddenly become unable to move, allowing them to successfully counterattack, they felt no joy. Knowing that a main force was on its way left them filled with anxiety and fear.

"Quiet. We don't have to do anything."

Seeing the people's emotions begin to spiral out of control, the village chief shouted immediately.

"Huh? Doesn't that just mean waiting for death?"

"It won't come to that. Think about those soldiers from before—why were they suddenly unable to move?"

"My guess is that a Magic Caster helped us."

"Since that person helped us, it means they surely won't just leave us to our fate."

The village chief continued to voice his perspective, trying to soothe the villagers' emotions.

In truth, he had no certainty himself. He didn't know if that person would actually help them; perhaps they had already left.

But he had to say it, because it was their only hope right now. It wasn't that he hadn't considered running, but the moment he thought of the horses the soldiers were riding, he gave up on the idea.

No matter how fast ordinary people like them ran, they could never outrun horses. Being caught was only a matter of time.

"You are very clever. This is a gamble, but congratulations, you guessed correctly."

Just as the village chief and the villagers were in the midst of their heated discussion, a pitch-black portal appeared before them, and a voice drifted out from within.

"What is that?"

Hearing the voice coming from the portal, the villagers who had been arguing immediately tensed up. They grabbed the weapons in their hands and stared tremblingly at the blurry figure inside.

They had initially thought the main force the soldiers spoke of had arrived, but a familiar figure ran out from the portal.

"Grandpa Village Chief, everyone!"

Enri ran out, pulling her younger sister along, and arrived before the villagers with an excited expression.

"Enri!"

The village chief shouted in surprise. He had originally thought she had been killed by those soldiers; he never expected her to be safe, let alone returning from such a place.

"Yes, Grandpa Village Chief, everyone. We are safe now. This is all thanks to three great individuals."

Enri nodded with a smile, then pointed toward the pitch-black portal, indicating that she was alive because someone had saved her.

"Thank you for your life-saving grace, my lord. We are eternally grateful."

Hearing this, the village chief hurriedly bowed toward the portal in thanks. He knew that the person had not only saved Enri but had also saved all of them.

Seeing the village chief's actions, the other villagers quickly bowed in gratitude as well. They knew this must be the Magic Caster who had rendered the soldiers immobile earlier. Whether they could continue to live now depended entirely on this person.

It could be said that the lives of the entire village were in this person's hands.