Herohero

The sky remained pitch black. Naiyuan sat quietly by the window, gazing into the distance. Today was the day the game known as Yggdrasil would shut down its servers.

His gaze shifted from the window to the room, his eyes sweeping over everything inside. He wanted to etch this place, where he had lived for decades, deep into his memory.

"Goodbye, world. Here I come, world."

After whispering his final farewells, Naiyuan did not hesitate to pick up the helmet on his bed.

He put on the helmet and connected it to his neural interface. Taking one last look at the familiar ceiling, Naiyuan slowly closed his eyes.

"You're here, Naiyuan. You're quite a bit later than I expected. Did something happen?"

As soon as he could see his surroundings, a concerned voice reached his ears.

Although the figure before him was a skeleton, he could still sense the warmth in the other's heart.

"Nothing much. You're really early, though. Momonga, have you been waiting in this room since you logged on?"

"Well, I sent out invitations to everyone. I was worried they might arrive early and not see anyone, so I came here to wait ahead of time."

"Besides, as the guild leader, isn't it only natural that I arrive first? Hehe."

In a conference room featuring a massive circular table, Momonga sat in one of the chairs, sending a smiley face to the newly logged-in Naiyuan.

This room was known as the Round Table Room. By design, any member wearing a guild ring would be automatically teleported here upon logging in, unless they were in certain restricted scenarios.

This was the place where the guild members used to hold meetings. Forty-two chairs were arranged in order around the table, but now, they were completely empty.

"Has no one else arrived yet?"

Looking at the vacant seats before him, Naiyuan sighed.

He had also sent out final invitations to his companions, but it seemed it hadn't been of much use.

"Have they all just given up?"

"Let's wait a little longer. Maybe they were held up by something."

Momonga looked at the somewhat dejected Naiyuan and offered words of comfort, though they sounded pale and powerless. Even he himself did not hold much hope for anyone else showing up.

Compared to Naiyuan, Suzuki Satoru took today much more seriously. Although he was a skeleton archmage in the game, he was a very sensitive person at heart.

In the words of his former companion, Tabula Smaragdina, this was "gap moe"—a terrifying, evil exterior paired with a gentle heart. This trait made that guy, who was obsessed with gap moe, extremely enthusiastic about Momonga.

One could tell just how obsessed that guy was by the settings he created for the Albedo sisters.

Amidst the silent atmosphere, a notification sound interrupted their melancholy mood.

"Ding!"

The notification of someone logging in caused Momonga and Naiyuan to instantly look up toward that figure.

On the previously empty seat to the right, a pool of pitch-black liquid appeared.

Seeing this, the discomfort Momonga had been feeling was instantly swept away, and he let out a sound of pleasant surprise as he looked at the other person.

"Herohero, long time no see (smiley face)."

"Hello, little Hero-Hero (smirk)."

Momonga and Naiyuan greeted their long-unseen friend.

"Ah, long time no see, you two. Sorry, because of work, I'm only logging in now. You've been waiting a long time, haven't you?"

"Momonga, you're still the same as ever. As for Naiyuan, it's truly nostalgic. It's been so long since I've heard you call me by that nickname."

Looking at the two people in front of him, Herohero said with a sense of nostalgia. His voice carried a thick layer of exhaustion, yet it could not hide his happiness.

"Herohero, there is absolutely no need to apologize. If anything, I'm the one who should apologize for sending you messages when I knew you were already exhausted from work. I'm sorry, please forgive my selfishness."

Momonga waved his hands in a flustered manner, speaking to Herohero with an apologetic tone.

"Alright, Momonga, Herohero isn't going to hold that against you. Or rather, he's very happy right now; after all, we haven't seen each other in so long. Don't go around apologizing the moment we meet!"

Naiyuan looked at Momonga helplessly and spoke to the two of them.

"Naiyuan, you're still the same as ever. Everything feels as if it were only yesterday. It's truly nostalgic, that period of time."

"But I've been getting more and more tired lately, to the point where my sense of time is becoming chaotic. My body feels like it's reaching its limit..."

Herohero's voice drifted over, but the exhaustion within it made the two of them frown. He gave off the impression that he might collapse at any moment.

"How are you? Are you alright?"

"If you can't hold on, just go to sleep. The fact that you were able to come back at the very end is already enough to make me and Momonga happy."

Momonga and Naiyuan expressed their concern to Herohero. Although they wanted to spend these final moments with him, their companion's health was more important.

"Well, if my boss were to disappear tomorrow, or if the company were to go bankrupt, or perhaps if it were the end of the world, maybe I would actually find salvation..."

Oh, wow. Hearing that, it sounded quite serious. Momonga and Naiyuan exchanged glances; his current situation was even worse than they had imagined.

"No problem. Let me accompany you both to the very end. After all, when the request from friends like you is written all over your faces, how could I have the heart to refuse?"

Herohero sent a smiley face emoji and looked at the two of them with a smile.

If it had only been Momonga here today, he might have chosen to log off early. But after seeing that Naiyuan was here too, he dismissed that thought. He could have braced himself to refuse one person, but...

But both of them were his best friends, and he could not choose to ignore the longing in their words. He did not want to disappoint them. Although his body kept reminding him that it was time to log off and rest, he still chose to stay.

"Hehe, then let the three of us welcome the final moment together."

Naiyuan was the first to react, saying to the two of them with a smile.

However, he was still somewhat surprised in his heart. He had originally thought the other would log off early, as his body seemed to have reached its limit, but he hadn't expected him to deviate from the script and choose to stay, waiting until the very end with them.

"...Soka! Arigato, Herohero-san, hontoni... arigato."

Momonga looked at Herohero, who had stayed behind, his heart filled with immense joy. He had originally wanted to ask him to stay and spend the final moments with them, but seeing his condition, he had intended to give up. He never expected that he would choose to stay with them after all, making him feel like he was on the verge of tears.

"Hey, hey, didn't we just say not to keep apologizing?"

"Alright, Naiyuan, Momonga is just too excited. Besides, the two of us are pretty much the same."

"Shut up, Blackie."

"I'm already dark anyway, call me whatever you want!"

Momonga watched the two bickering silently, the noisy voices reaching his ears. How long had it been since he had seen a scene like this?

Although Herohero was the only one of his former companions who had chosen to return, this alone was enough to satisfy him. What he feared most was that everyone had forgotten this place, forgotten the Great Tomb of Nazarick that they had built together.

But looking at the two in front of him, he felt that his guardianship over these past few years had been meaningful.

"What are you spacing out for, Momonga? Hurry up and help me take down this guy, Herohero!"

"Don't be so petty, Naiyuan. You'll never find a girlfriend like that."

"I'm not listening, I'm not listening!!"

As if recalling something, Naiyuan instantly covered his ears and began talking to himself.

"Herohero is still just as mean-spirited, isn't he?"

"Guild Master, you're the same as always too."

"Being the same is good. Just like in the past, everyone hasn't changed."