Naohara and Herohero could find no reason to reject Momonga's proposal.
Of course, even if they did have some reservations, they would probably keep them buried deep in their hearts.
They certainly would not voice them just to dampen Momonga's enthusiasm.
That was often how things were when doing something with friends.
It might be troublesome, but the happiness deep down was impossible to hide.
That happiness came from nothing more than being together and sharing every moment along the way.
It was just like back when they played the game and challenged Bosses without looking up guides, charging in headfirst with their companions on nothing but enthusiasm.
The entire process would be chaotic, disorganized, and an absolute mess.
Yet whenever they somehow managed to clear the Boss in the end, everyone would inevitably burst out laughing.
It sounded ridiculous and made little logical sense, but that was simply how it was.
"Since we've made our decision, let's set the date for three months from now."
After giving it some thought, Naohara spoke slowly.
He had not chosen that timeframe lightly.
The Judgment God Project was currently in its final stages. Although most of the work had already been completed, there were still some details left to resolve.
This was not something they could finish overnight, so they needed to leave enough time to make sure everything went smoothly.
Then there was the World-Class Item they had happened to obtain a year ago.
Its activation was closely tied to experience points.
To bring out its full power, they would need to accumulate even more experience with [Avarice and Generosity].
These three months would therefore be the perfect opportunity to suspend their other projects and focus on stockpiling experience, ensuring they were fully prepared when the time came to use that item.
Naohara also felt that he needed more time to refine his use of the Principle of Catastrophe.
Furthermore, Momonga and Herohero would gain the Genius suffix for their classes in another month.
They would need time afterward to familiarize themselves with the changes and adapt accordingly.
Only then could they turn that newfound talent into actual combat power.
"Mm, that's about what I had in mind. Rushing into this wouldn't be wise. Three months should be just right."
Momonga nodded in agreement.
Caution and prudence had always been things he valued greatly.
After all, invading the Demon Plane was no small undertaking. Challenging an entire world with their own forces carried risks that needed no explanation.
Of course, even knowing how dangerous the path ahead would be, there was absolutely no chance of Momonga giving up or regretting his decision now.
From the moment they began harvesting Demons on a massive scale, they had already stepped onto a road with no turning back.
The sight of those captive Demons struggling before death while shouting, "The Dark Supreme One has come!" and "The Dark Turmoil has begun again!" was still vivid in his memory.
Benefits and risks often went hand in hand.
If they wanted greater rewards, they had to accept the corresponding risks.
When facing difficult decisions, Momonga might hesitate or think things over repeatedly before reaching a conclusion.
But once he had made up his mind, he became unwavering, moving forward without any intention of retreating.
"You two can decide the details. Now that both of you are awake, there's finally nothing left for me to do. I can actually relax properly for the next three months!"
Herohero spread his hands as he spoke, looking as though a tremendous weight had finally been lifted from his shoulders.
He had spent this entire period rushing from one task to another and worrying about all kinds of affairs.
It had exhausted him.
For the first time in a long while, he felt as though he had returned to his old life as an overworked corporate drone.
Now it was finally time to enjoy some leisure.
Just as Herohero was about to turn and leave, he suddenly stopped as though remembering something important.
He turned back toward Naohara.
"Oh, right, Naohara. Remember to stop by your office in the Sorcerer Kingdom. There are some matters there involving you that... aren't really appropriate for me to handle."
Dozens of eyes across Herohero's body moved at once, a faint trace of teasing visible in them as he gave Naohara a suggestive look.
[Something involving me? What could it be?]
Naohara looked slightly surprised.
No matter how he thought about it, though, he could not come up with an answer.
"All right. I'll head over to the Sorcerer Kingdom now."
After thinking it over, Naohara decided it would be easier to simply go and see for himself.
Rather than sitting here making wild guesses, he might as well find out what was happening in person.
Having only recently returned from the Great River of Souls, he did not have anything particularly urgent to deal with at the moment anyway.
There was still plenty of time before the three-month deadline.
Spending a single day on this would not affect anything.
"Go ahead."
Momonga waved him off.
Then he slowly reached for the disassembled Guild Weapon floating nearby, along with the seven jewels radiating a mysterious glow.
Momonga quietly stared at the treasures in his hands, his gaze gradually becoming distant.
It was as though he could see the faraway past through those objects.
At times a contented smile appeared on his face, while at others a faint trace of sadness passed through his expression.
Naohara did not interrupt his friend's reminiscence.
He merely raised a finger to his forehead.
A faint glow instantly bloomed from his fingertip.
The next moment, as the light faded, Naohara vanished without a trace.
...
With the precise coordinates stored in his memory and the astonishing teleportation efficiency of Wild Magic, Naohara appeared inside a spacious, brightly lit office almost instantly.
The office was lavishly and grandly furnished, with rare decorations and magical items arranged neatly throughout the room.
Yet there was not the slightest sign that anyone had ever actually used it.
As one of the Sorcerer Kingdom's three rulers, Naohara naturally had a private office of his own, just like the other two.
However, since most administrative affairs were handled by Renner, who served as Prime Minister, these offices were rarely used.
Unless they were truly bored with nothing else to do, the three of them would probably never voluntarily set foot inside.
Thinking about this, Naohara shook his head helplessly.
[I'll have to reward Renner when I get the chance. For now, I should deal with these letters.]
As the thought crossed his mind, he reached out and began picking up the letters piled across the desk.
So this was what Herohero had meant by something he was not in a position to handle.
There were more than thirty letters in the pile by a rough count.
They were practically impossible to overlook.
"That scent... I think I know who these are from."
Naohara sniffed lightly and caught a familiar scent.
He sat down in a reclining chair, gently opened one of the envelopes, and unfolded the letter.
Sure enough, just as he had expected, practically the entire letter revolved around having children.
Nearly every other sentence returned to the subject.
It could only be her.
"Zesshi Zetsumei... she really is persistent. She's been coming to the Sorcerer Kingdom about once a month on average."
Naohara's eyes quickly skimmed over the letter.
After doing some mental calculations, he realized that if these had been arriving at a rate of roughly one per month, then the pile represented almost exactly three years' worth of letters since the first one.
He had originally assumed that three years would be enough to make her give up.
Instead, not only had she shown no sign of stopping, her efforts seemed to be growing even more intense.
Did those bastards among the Six Great Gods really want to gain seniority over him that badly?
Naohara found the thought rather amusing.
He calmly reached for the paper and pen beside him and began carefully replying to each letter.
Whether the answer was acceptance or rejection, giving someone a clear response was important.
There was no deeper meaning behind it.
It was simply basic courtesy.
After all, he could hardly pretend not to see three straight years of unwavering persistence.
A girl's confession deserved respect regardless of the answer.
Well...
This particular girl named Zesshi Zetsumei was actually around two hundred years old, but judging by appearances, she was still a young woman, wasn't she?
"This is getting a little boring. Might as well make a call."
Partway through writing, Naohara suddenly grew bored and decided to multitask.
His hand continued steadily writing replies while he activated Message.
[Message]
"Hm? Original? What do you need?"
"Don't tell me you're planning to use me as a guinea pig again."
Naraku joked from the other end.
What Naohara said next, however, immediately left him speechless.
After a brief silence, Naohara slowly replied.
"...I was only calling because I had nothing better to do, but now that you mention it, you've actually given me an idea."
"If I remember correctly, your new class, [Ruler of Wisdom], is an advanced form of a Genius class, right?"
Before Naraku could react, Naohara continued.
"Try converting two of your classes into Divine System classes, then pray to me and provide me with Power of Faith."
"Huh?!"
Naraku could not help blurting out in shock.
At that moment, he was sitting inside the Magic Academy library, engrossed in a book.
Neia, who was beside him, noticed his reaction and looked over in confusion.
"What's wrong?"
Her question finally snapped Naraku back to his senses.
"Wait, you really are treating me like a guinea pig! Original, I'm begging you, please act like a human being. I just finished the last experiment. I'm exhausted in both body and mind, so let me rest for a while!"
"You're right, but I'm not human. I'm a Dragon now~"
"Original, you #$%&#$%&...!"
Naohara cleanly cut off the Message.
About a minute later, he reconnected.
"As compensation, how about I let you move around freely from now on?"
The voice on the other end instantly went silent.
Naraku asked, "Seriously?"
Naohara replied, "Seriously."
"Then I want to visit the Holy Kingdom in a month."
The Holy Kingdom?
What was he going there for?
"A friend's father invited me to visit, and it would be awkward to refuse. Besides, I want to get out and travel around a little."
As though he had already anticipated Naohara's confusion, Naraku calmly explained himself.
"...Fine. Go ahead."
Naohara's pen abruptly stopped moving.
An indescribably strange feeling rose within him.
Forget it.
He had already agreed, and changing his mind now would not exactly be appropriate.
The White Dragon Lord was heading to the Holy Kingdom as well.
When the time came, Naohara could simply ask him to keep an eye on Naraku.
The idea of having himself worship himself had only just occurred to him.
Under normal circumstances, Divine System classes required a deity whom the user sincerely worshipped, allowing them to use magic by borrowing that god's power.
Without faith in one's heart, such a class could not be acquired.
Genius classes, however, were an exception.
They could transform into any kind of class, which naturally included Divine System classes.
And Divine System classes were inevitably connected to faith.
The class would automatically establish a corresponding faith.
Once someone selected a Divine System class, it would become intimately linked to their personal faith, and its characteristics would naturally align themselves with that belief.
Put simply, instead of following the usual pattern of "develop faith first, then acquire the class," it would work in reverse.
Acquire the class first, then develop faith.
It was quite similar to what had happened when Doctor of Truth transformed someone into a Genius.
Another case of getting on the train first and buying the ticket afterward.
Develop Faith → Obtain a Class ×
Obtain a Class → Develop Faith √
Mm.
Not having game administrators really was wonderful.
Being able to exploit bugs however they pleased felt fantastic.
After ending the Message with Naraku, Naohara did not pause for even a moment before connecting to someone else.
There was another matter he needed to mention.
"...Is there something you need?"
The Platinum Dragon Lord's steady voice came through.
"Nothing major. I just wanted to tell you that I've resolved the problem with the Curse of the World affecting your offspring. When you have time, come back and take him out somewhere."
Naohara still did not know why the Platinum Dragon Lord's offspring had been cursed by the world in the first place.
But at least the problem could now be solved.
The Principle of Catastrophe could control the world's malice.
Naturally, it could also remove the Mark of Catastrophe afflicting the Platinum Dragon Lord's offspring.
"I see... It's already been resolved..."
The Platinum Dragon Lord's halting voice came through the Message.
Naohara could clearly sense the complicated emotions behind it.
There was relief, as though a heavy burden had finally been lifted, but also a trace of hesitation and inner conflict.
"Return to Nazarick within three months. We have something to do, and your strength will be useful when the time comes."
After thinking for a moment, Naohara decided to mention it.
Truthfully, whether the Platinum Dragon Lord participated or not would make little difference.
Still, he was technically one of their own.
Giving him an opportunity to demonstrate his usefulness would not hurt.
Judging purely by personality, as long as the Platinum Dragon Lord genuinely submitted to them, he might even prove more loyal than the Brightness Dragon Lord or the Vampiric Dragon Lord.
"I'm currently on my way to the Holy Kingdom. Once I finish dealing with matters here, I'll immediately return to Nazarick. There are also some things I would like to report to you and discuss in person."
What?
You're going to the Holy Kingdom too?
Naohara was genuinely surprised.
Good grief.
For such a small country, the Holy Kingdom was turning into quite the gathering place for powerful figures.
"Fine. Stay safe~"
After one last polite remark, Naohara ended the Message.
Then he picked up the letters he had unknowingly finished writing and prepared to find a courier to deliver them to the Theocracy.
...
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Ten thousand meters above the ground, the Platinum Dragon Lord stood silently in the sky.
His enormous, majestic figure faded in and out among the clouds.
He slowly lowered his dragon claw, his platinum-colored eyes fixed on the distant horizon as he fell into brief contemplation.
Over the past three years, the Platinum Dragon Lord had traveled through countless lands.
Vast deserts, raging seas, mysterious forests.
He had left traces of his presence in all of them.
Throughout that long journey, he had witnessed many things.
He had seen everything Naohara and the other two had done.
He had also witnessed the return of the God of Death among the Six Great Gods.
Everything was falling apart.
In the end, this world had still become a chessboard upon which Players moved their pieces.
"I... lost the right to choose long ago. All that remains is the fate of being chosen."
Conflict and helplessness welled up inside the Platinum Dragon Lord.
As a True Dragon Lord, he possessed strength far beyond what ordinary beings could imagine.
Yet in the face of this vast game, he found himself painfully insignificant and powerless.
He was no longer a player controlling the board.
Instead, he had become a piece to be moved by others.
He could only hope the choice he had made was the correct one.
"Primordial Mother, was the curse upon my offspring truly caused by you? And where are you now?"
For the past three years, the Platinum Dragon Lord had never stopped searching for clues regarding the Primordial Mother.
It was not only because of Naohara's orders.
He had questions of his own.
Long ago, the faction led by the Primordial Mother had come into conflict with his own ideals about protecting the world.
Neither side approved of the other's methods.
The Platinum Dragon Lord therefore had reason to suspect that the Curse of the World placed upon his offspring was somehow connected to the Primordial Mother.
Everything in the world followed cause and effect.
The world would never impose a curse without reason.
There had to be some hidden cause behind it.
"The Holy Kingdom... I hope I can find some clues there. And as for the Sea City, there's no longer any need to keep that fellow's existence hidden."
Let this once-in-a-century aftershock finally come to an end here.