Gokusai Kaibi

"Lord Amon, your loyal subordinate, Gokusai Kaibi, begs an audience—"

"This month, I will serve at your side as your secretary. Please guide me well."

The girl raised her head, a trace of pride, anticipation, and unease on her delicate face before she quickly composed herself.

There were twenty-four level-100 Guardians in all of Novas Aetir, and their positions held no rank over one another.

Each level had three Guardians assigned to take turns guarding and developing it.

If the great Supreme Being had no other arrangements or assignments, then of the remaining three, two would be on leave.

The last one would serve as a "secretary," following the great Creator and Supreme Being of Novas Aetir at close range to receive orders!

To the Guardians, this was the highest honor. No position was nobler than serving as the Supreme Being's secretary!

Naturally, the term of the position was not permanent.

Unless the great Master personally named someone, the role rotated once every month. Only after every Guardian had taken a turn would the order be decided by rolling dice.

The great Master had only acquired Novas Aetir recently, so not a single Guardian had yet received this honor.

After the first "Secretary War" of dice rolls, Gokusai Kaibi had fortunately claimed first place!

Yet at this very moment, Novas Aetir had unexpectedly undergone a mutation, leaving her faintly uneasy.

Looking down at the beautiful girl kneeling on one knee and gazing at him with admiration and anticipation like a cute little beast, Higashino Makoto felt secretly pleased.

He patted the other end of the coffee table before speaking.

"Get up. Come sit here."

"Have some tea first, then tell me slowly—what happened to make my adorable Guardian so nervous?"

Naturally, Higashino Makoto knew why Gokusai Kaibi had come.

Of course, he did not stop her from speaking.

Making one's subordinates feel useful was one of the things a good leader had to pay attention to.

Gokusai Kaibi somewhat awkwardly lifted the cup, took a small sip, and praised, "Excellent tea!"

Not to mention that the item "Endless Black Tea" already had "delicious" in its description, so it could not possibly taste bad.

More importantly, with only Lord Amon Nikola in the bedchamber, this tea had surely been brewed by the Lord himself!

Never mind black tea—even if it were plain water, bitter medicinal soup, or even poison, Gokusai Kaibi would drink it all and say, "It tastes wonderful."

Of course, she had not forgotten why she had come to disturb the Supreme Being.

With a tap of her slender finger in the air, a circular mirror-like spell appeared between them.

By using the far-sight spell "Clairvoyance" together with the information spell "Remote Viewing Mirror," she could allow her companion to see the same scene she saw.

The blurry image quickly sharpened, revealing the entire floating city of Novas Aetir, shrouded in thunderclouds. Higashino Makoto swiftly noticed the anomaly—

Beneath the city was no longer the wasteland from the game, and the monsters that had once inhabited it had naturally vanished as well.

"As you can see, Lord Amon, Novas Aetir has somehow suddenly undergone a transference phenomenon. We must consider the possibility that we have encountered a powerful enemy."

"We know nothing of the enemy. We have used every available method, but their identity and purpose remain unknown."

"But please rest assured. We Guardians have already placed the Seven Great Domains of Novas Aetir on alert. Grem and the monster soldiers stand ready for battle!"

"No matter what happens, we will never allow the enemy even the slightest chance to disturb your peace!"

As she spoke, Gokusai Kaibi rose from her chair, looking ready to lay down her life for her Master at any moment.

"Please issue further instructions and light the way forward for us!"

Higashino Makoto set down the teacup in his hands and waved his right hand, signaling for her not to be so tense.

"Sit down first. Don't get so worked up."

"This isn't your fault. I'll handle everything."

"So we were transferred above the sea?"

Originally, Higashino Makoto had wondered where exactly he would be teleported. He had thought that a massive cloud formation suddenly appearing in the sky would draw attention, but it seemed he had been overthinking it.

After she sat down again, Higashino Makoto finally spoke in an unhurried tone.

"First, conceal Novas Aetir. It's already hidden by thunderclouds, but such a huge isolated cloud mass hanging in the sky is still too conspicuous."

Though they were above the sea, who knew whether there were intelligent lifeforms beneath the water?

There were plenty of underwater heteromorphic and demi-human monsters. Perhaps some underwater kingdom existed directly below them.

"In a moment, I'll cast the super-tier spell, 'World Change,' and cover the skies above the entire surrounding sea with thunderclouds. That way, our city won't stand out as much."

After speaking, Higashino Makoto reached into his magical backpack, took out a ring bearing the emblem of the Black Cross guild, and slid it before Gokusai Kaibi.

"There's no time to waste. I'll go do it now. Put on this ring and inform the other Guardians. Tell them not to panic."

"Just carry on with your usual work. Leave the rest to me."

Gokusai Kaibi did not seem to hear clearly. She merely stretched out a trembling hand, took the ring into her palm, and examined it closely.

The ring was simple silver, set with a golden gemstone.

Black patterns were imprinted within the gem—

A black cross wreathed in flames, with a pair of pure white wings extending from behind it and wrapping around the main body.

It was the guild ring of the guild "Black Cross."

Those who possessed this ring could move and teleport freely within the guild headquarters, "Novas Aetir," without being attacked.

"Thank you for your trust! I will not disgrace this precious treasure!"

Watching the girl swiftly put the ring on the ring finger of her left hand, Higashino Makoto grinned.

He reached out and took her soft left hand, gently kneading it as he savored the tender skin unique to a young girl. His fingers lightly tapped the guild ring as he looked at her with a half-smile.

Only when Gokusai Kaibi's face had gone from red to pale, as if she might faint at any moment, did Higashino Makoto finally speak unhurriedly.

"You know what it means to wear a ring on that finger, right?"

"I do. It... it... means... married..."

After the girl gave her stammering answer, Higashino Makoto rose to his feet. With his right hand, he lifted her increasingly lowered head, then pinched her chin, forcing her to look up and meet his gaze.

"You chose this yourself."

He leaned close to the girl's ear, breathing in her fragrance from up close. The breath he exhaled made Gokusai Kaibi feel ticklish.

"Wash yourself clean tonight, then remember to come to my room."

After saying that, he ignored Gokusai Kaibi's shocked and bashful expression and directly teleported out of the room.