"Naohara seems pretty fond of Mare. Is it because Mare is an NPC created by Bukubukuchagama?"
Herohero slowly walked up to Naohara and asked.
"Herohero-sama!"
Seeing the pitch-black humanoid slime appear in front of him, Mare stammered in fright.
Compared to the gentle Naohara, Herohero's steady, weighty voice made Mare far more nervous. He couldn't help turning his head to look toward his sister, who was watching the scene unfold from the side.
Aura noticed his glance, but all she could offer was a helpless look in return. As a Floor Guardian, she didn't dare comment on matters involving a Supreme Being.
"Alright, Herohero, you're scaring Mare."
"As for the reason… when Mare was created, I helped Bukubukuchagama as well. If you think about it that way, Mare could be considered a child of both me and Bukubukuchagama."
Naohara withdrew the hand resting on Mare's hair and spoke in a nostalgic tone.
"There was something like that? But Naohara, if Bukubukuchagama heard you say that, she'd definitely beat you up."
Herohero looked surprised, then teased him. He knew Bukubukuchagama's personality well. As one of the only two slime players in the guild, the two of them were fairly close. With her temperament, she would probably have already rushed over to challenge him to a duel.
"Hey, I'm not making things up."
Naohara shrugged, completely unconcerned.
"Then… does that mean Naohara-sama is my father?"
Mare, who had been listening nearby, grew visibly excited. With his creator, Bukubukuchagama-sama, no longer around, Naohara's words stirred emotions he could no longer hold back, prompting him to ask.
"Mm, strictly speaking, yes. After all, when you were created, it was Bukubukuchagama and I who completed the process together."
"And Aura too. Even though I didn't really help with your creation, since you're Mare's sister, you're included as well."
Naohara smiled as he gently ruffled Mare's hair, then spoke warmly to Aura standing beside them.
"Um… does that mean I can too, Naohara-sama?"
Aura, who had been standing off to the side feeling a bit jealous while watching her brother with Naohara, suddenly felt lightheaded. Her words came out slightly unsteady.
"If you're willing, I have no objections at all."
Naohara said with a smile. He then opened his arms and slowly drew both of them into an embrace, gently stroking their hair.
"Naohara-sama, may I call you Father-sama?"
"Mare wants to as well!"
"Of course."
"Then… Father-sama?"
"Mhm."
...
Herohero and Momonga, standing nearby, were left speechless.
What is this, a family recognition scene? And you're really doing all this right in front of us?
"Momonga, honestly, Naohara is pretty amazing. With just a few words, he managed to win over the NPC created by Bukubukuchagama."
Herohero said in admiration as he looked at Momonga, who was watching the scene with great interest.
"Well… I suppose that's just like Naohara. To pull something like this off—I definitely couldn't do it myself."
Momonga could only concede defeat at his friend's performance. They had only come to check on the NPCs' loyalty, yet somehow Naohara had ended up with two extra children. The world truly was full of unexpected things.
That said, the image of Albedo flashed through his mind, giving him a headache. She was unquestionably loyal, but he really couldn't handle the way she looked at him. It always felt as though she could see straight through him.
"Alright, alright, stop crying. Momonga and Herohero are still here."
Naohara gently patted their backs and whispered softly into their ears. After all, the two of his friends were still watching.
"Ah, I'm so sorry, Momonga-sama and Herohero-sama. Making you wait for us is truly unforgivable."
Hearing this, Aura hurriedly stood up and bowed deeply to the two of them. She couldn't even bear to imagine what would happen if they ended up resenting Father-sama because of her actions.
"Uu… sorry, Momonga-sama and Herohero-sama."
Mare reluctantly left Naohara's embrace and quickly bowed to Momonga and Herohero in apology.
Momonga looked toward Naohara and Herohero, as if silently asking what he should do next.
"He can clearly handle this himself, yet he still asks us. Looks like even after becoming undead, he's still the same at heart."
Seeing his reaction, Naohara activated Message and quietly complained to Herohero.
"Don't say that. Momonga suddenly becoming a ruler must have shaken him up. It's only natural he wants to rely on his companions. If he were on his own, he'd probably be panicking even worse."
Herohero replied with a laugh.
"Then how am I supposed to happily slack off?"
"Huh? Naohara, you're really awful. You're trying to dump all the work on Momonga so you can laze around?"
"You've got some nerve saying that. Weren't you the same? When Momonga stepped up, didn't you secretly laugh? You wanted to slack off just as much as I did, yet you still dare lecture me?"
"Tsk, tsk. So you noticed. Guess I didn't hide it well enough."
"Get lost!"
...
On the surface, everything seemed calm. But after finishing that round of friendly banter with Herohero, Naohara finally turned his gaze toward Momonga standing nearby and sent him a Message.
"Respond to them with the posture of a ruler. That will help establish your authority."
Momonga froze when he heard it. Seriously? How was that any different from saying nothing at all?
"Authority? I'm just a salaryman. How would I know anything about that?"
Momonga complained helplessly to Naohara.
"Then think back to how your old boss used to hype you up with empty promises. Just talk like that."
Naohara thought for a moment before offering his advice.
"That's actually a good idea. Momonga, give it a try. Those two kids look like they're about to cry."
Herohero, who had been secretly listening in on their private conversation, couldn't help chiming in.
"Even you too, Herohero…"
Momonga looked at Herohero standing there with a suppressed grin, then at Naohara comforting Mare and Aura nearby. The slight curl at the corner of Naohara's mouth made Momonga frown instinctively.
Wait, he didn't have eyebrows anymore.
Never mind. His soul twitched instead.
There was no helping it. He could only step up.
Momonga sighed inwardly, then quickly composed himself. He straightened his posture, adopted a dignified expression, and calmly looked at Mare and Aura.
A solemn, authoritative voice slowly emerged from the skull's mouth.
"Mm. Very good. You both look quite energetic."
"Pfft."
Naohara almost burst out laughing on the spot. That single line nearly broke him. Beside him, Herohero had already turned his back to everyone, his shoulders shaking unmistakably as he struggled to hold in his laughter.
"Of course, Momonga-sama. This is the proper state required of us as Floor Guardians, isn't that right, Mare?"
Aura reported earnestly, though her eyes kept drifting toward the figure standing nearby.
"Yes!" Mare answered loudly in agreement. At his side, Naohara gently stroked his hair, as if silently saying, Well done, that's your reward.
That should be enough… right?
Looking at the two before him, Momonga let out a sigh of relief. Then he suddenly froze.
Wait. He was a skeleton now. He couldn't breathe.
A wave of existential despair washed over Momonga. He couldn't breathe, his emotions were forcibly kept calm by his undead nature, eating was probably no longer possible, and sleeping was definitely out of the question. After all, he'd never heard of undead needing sleep.
And most importantly…
Momonga silently glanced downward, then sank into utter despair and closed his eyes.
…Wait. He didn't even have eyes anymore. No need to close them.
I'm tired. Just destroy everything already.