"Ow, ow, ow…"
"Are you okay, sis? I'll heal you."
Aura crawled out of the rubble clutching her chest, looking a complete mess.
Mare, who had been watching nearby, immediately ran over. Worry written all over his face, he formed a blue magic circle in his hand and pressed it to her chest to treat her injuries. He wasn't an expert, but Mare did know a few healing spells.
"I'm fine… As expected of a Supreme Being. I'm still nowhere close."
Aura spoke listlessly, feeling a cool, tingling sensation spread across her chest.
She'd always known there was a huge gap between her and the Supreme Being, but she hadn't imagined it was this overwhelming.
From the moment the fight started to the moment it ended, it hadn't even taken three exchanges before she was taken out. The realization stung. As a Floor Guardian, she couldn't even withstand a few moves from a Supreme Being. Then what was the point of their existence?
And on top of that, she'd let Father-sama down. It was humiliating. Father-sama must be feeling awful too, seeing her get defeated so easily.
Aura lifted her head and stole a glance in Naohara's direction, but she couldn't bring herself to look properly. She was terrified of seeing disappointment in his eyes. That was the scariest thing she could imagine. Bukubukuchagama-sama, her creator, had already left. If Father-sama also decided she was useless and chose to leave… what would she do?
The thought made Aura tremble. She was frightened, unable to raise her head.
Mare saw his sister's state and started fussing anxiously at her side. He wanted to say something, anything, but he didn't know what. In the end, he could only look toward Naohara, pleading for help with his eyes.
Catching Mare's gaze, Naohara exchanged a look with the Momonga beside him, then walked over.
"Aura."
Naohara spoke gently as he looked down at the dejected Dark Elf slumped on the ground.
"Ah! I'm sorry, Father-sama! I didn't live up to your expectations! Please give me another chance! Next time… next time I won't make the same mistake again!!"
Hearing his voice above her, Aura shuddered and blurted it out in a frantic rush, completely panicked.
"Look up, Aura."
"Father-sama, I…"
Aura raised her head hesitantly. She expected disappointment, but instead she saw an expression full of affection and pain.
"You're my child, Aura. So there's no need to be afraid. If anyone should apologize, it's me. I was the one who set that goal for you without asking. Can you forgive me?"
Naohara gently stroked Aura's head with his left hand. Not only did he not blame her, he took the fault onto himself.
"How can this be Father-sama's fault? It's because I'm too weak. That's why I couldn't meet your expectations…"
Aura protested softly, leaning into the warmth of his hand.
"As your father, I don't think you did anything wrong. In fact, I think you did very well."
Naohara shifted his tone, offering her encouragement instead.
Whether it was because of his words or not, Aura didn't argue further. She gave a small, shy nod and murmured, "Mm."
No child dislikes being praised by a parent. After Naohara encouraged her, Aura finally melted.
Even though, by setting, the siblings were supposedly already seventy-six, they were still children at heart. And for Dark Elves, seventy-six was only just barely past early childhood.
With Mare supporting her, Aura picked up her dropped weapon. She had lost, but her heart felt strangely full.
Even after she'd failed so badly, he hadn't given up on her. He'd encouraged her at the very end.
What incredible kindness.
"Just as I thought, only Father-sama, as a Supreme Being, is truly suited to rule Nazarick. Compared to him, Momonga and Herohero really fall short."
Aura looked at the three Supreme Beings standing before her, these thoughts quietly forming in her mind.
"Momonga and Herohero are kind of in the way."
"No, I shouldn't think like that. All three Supreme Beings are existences we would protect with our lives. But if it were Father-sama…"
As Aura stared at the three of them, such thoughts surfaced on their own. She jolted in shock the next moment. Why would she even think something like that? As a Guardian, this was blatant disrespect, a grave sin. And yet, she couldn't stop herself from imagining it.
On the other side, Naohara was completely unaware of what his child was thinking. He turned toward Momonga beside him and spoke through Message.
"Hey, Momonga, wasn't that a bit much for a sparring match? You wiped out a huge chunk of Aura's HP. Seriously, how many buffs did you stack?"
Naohara looked at Momonga, feeling at a loss. That punch, layered with buffs, had genuinely startled him. He'd originally planned to step in after a few exchanges and stop the match, but he never expected it to end in a single hit. He didn't even get a chance to speak.
Thankfully, Momonga had only used an ordinary warrior-type knockback skill, so the base damage wasn't that high. Otherwise, Aura would've been in real danger. That said, the fight ending so quickly was also partly because she was clearly a ranged class, a summoner and archer, yet still chose to engage Momonga in close combat.
Already fragile in terms of defense, and she still rushed into melee. Naohara didn't even know what to say. Was this what people meant when they said ranged classes all have a melee heart?
"Ahem… I figured being cautious couldn't hurt, so I used just a little more enhancement magic than usual. I honestly didn't expect the power to spike that much. I was surprised too."
Momonga replied via Message, sounding a bit embarrassed. After all, Aura and the others were now Naohara's children. What he'd done felt a little improper. How did that saying go? Beating someone's kid right in front of their father. It really made him look like the villain.
"Sigh. You should go show some concern for Aura and the others. It wouldn't be good if resentment took root, even if the chances are low."
Seeing how sincere Momonga was, Naohara didn't press the issue. He simply reminded him through communication to go comfort his subordinates.
"Naohara, you really do seem to like those NPCs a lot. You'd probably be great at raising kids. You'd make a good father."
Herohero walked over to Naohara, draping a slimy arm over his shoulder as he joked.
"Well, of course. A man as outstanding as me is a rare commodity, you know."
Naohara replied smugly, striking an exaggerated pose and basking in his own self-admiration.
Herohero: "When it comes to being shameless, you really are unmatched."
Naohara: "That's still better than having no face at all. You're nothing but tentacles and slime!"
Momonga: "Naohara, I feel personally attacked."
Naohara: "Ah—right, sorry. I forgot you don't have a face either, Momonga. Just bones."
Naohara: "Wait a second, does that mean I'm the most handsome one in Nazarick now? One of you is bones, the other's a slime. You can't compete with me at all!"
Herohero, Momonga: "We think you should rethink your wording."
Naohara: "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Hey, hey, don't hit me! If Aura and Mare see this, my image will be ruined!"
Herohero, Momonga: "Who cares about your image?!"
Aura stood quietly to the side, watching everything unfold. When she saw Herohero and Momonga raise their fists and start pounding on Naohara, her expression instantly darkened.
"To think they'd dare hit such a gentle and kind Father-sama. Just as I thought, Herohero and Momonga only get in Father-sama's way. Looks like I should go have a talk with Sephis."
Aura's thoughts raced, and she quickly came to a decision. She would talk to the NPC Father-sama had created. Surely, she would understand her feelings.
"Mare, what do you think?"
Aura glanced at her younger brother standing nearby, her eyes shifting slightly. If she could get Mare involved too, that would be even better.
"I think Herohero and Momonga are really awful. Father-sama is so gentle, yet they're hitting him like that."
Mare watched the scene unhappily, clearly displeased with the actions of the two Supreme Beings.
"Then let's go find Sephis later. We can talk to him about this."
"Sephis? The one Father-sama created? Sis, are you thinking…"
"Shh! So? Do you want to come with me?"
"Uh… okay. I want to help Father-sama too."
Mare hesitated for a moment, then finally clenched his teeth and agreed.