"I'm very satisfied with your answer. I can grant you one wish."
Naohara smiled as he spoke. Her earlier actions, along with what she had just said, had pleased him.
Momonga and Herohero nodded as well.
The three of them were family. They approved of her actions and her answer.
"Speak boldly. There's no need to hold back."
"You've earned it."
Momonga and Herohero also showed their goodwill, reassuring her not to worry. They were well aware that their current appearances were rather frightening, and they didn't want that to pressure her.
Feeling their kindness, Enri grew visibly flustered.
"Um… could you tell me the names of the three God-samas?"
She raised her head cautiously. Yet the only thing she asked for was their names.
The three of them were momentarily stunned.
Her younger sister, who had been quietly listening in her arms, shot her a baffled look, as if to say, Sis… are you serious?
"Um… please forget I said that."
Seeing their reaction, Enri's already flushed face turned even redder. She looked like she wanted to dig a hole and hide.
"It's fine. My name is Naohara. That skeleton over there is Momonga. He looks imposing, but he's actually very gentle toward those he acknowledges."
"You don't have to be nervous around him. You've already earned our recognition."
"And that purple one is Herohero. I usually call him Blackie. He looks cold, but he treats his own people very well. Cold on the outside, warm on the inside."
Naohara quickly recovered and answered with a smile, first pointing at Momonga.
Momonga responded with a nod.
Then Naohara pointed at the seemingly indifferent Herohero and continued cheerfully.
"Naohara, you bastard!"
Herohero exploded in indignation the moment he heard that introduction. This guy really said everything out loud. Did he have no sense of dignity?
"See? Total tsundere."
"Maybe you don't know what that means. It's the kind of person who says no with their mouth, but is very honest with their actions."
Naohara ignored Herohero's outrage and kept smiling at Enri.
Momonga immediately stepped in and grabbed Herohero, who looked ready to charge at Naohara.
"Calm down, calm down, Herohero! Don't be impulsive. Think about it carefully. You really can't beat Naohara."
Momonga's skeletal hands locked tightly around him as he hurriedly tried to reason with his struggling friend.
It was like another knife had stabbed straight into Herohero's heart. He stopped resisting.
It was true. He couldn't beat Naohara.
If he attacked now, it might be fine for the moment. But once they returned to Nazarick, Naohara would definitely "train" him thoroughly.
"Sigh… Momonga, where did you even learn that way of comforting people?"
Herohero said weakly.
"From Naohara. Seems pretty effective."
Momonga released him and smiled.
"You learned it well. Take my advice—don't use it again."
"Huh? Why?"
...
"So, what do you think? Those two are pretty great, aren't they?"
Naohara asked with a light chuckle, clearly enjoying the show.
Without the Floor Guardians around, they were far more free to act as they pleased. Joking around like this was completely normal.
And since Enri had earned their recognition, there was no need to put on airs with her anymore.
"The three God-samas get along so well."
"Just call us by our names. You don't have to be that formal."
"Then… Naohara-sama?"
"Yeah. That's perfect."
Enri was quietly thrilled. She had really been acknowledged by a god.
"Momonga, Blackie, let's go."
After chatting with Enri a bit more, Naohara called out to Momonga, who was examining the soldier's corpse, and to Herohero, who was crouched in the corner muttering curses under his breath.
"Done talking?"
Momonga walked over to Naohara as he asked, and at the same time dragged Herohero over as well.
Herohero turned his head away, his irritation obvious.
"We should go meet our new friends."
"Are they already trapped?"
At that, Herohero stopped sulking and returned to his usual calm.
Ever since they sensed there were two more groups of soldiers headed for the village, they had activated the magic item [Illusion Barrier], trapping each group inside its own separate boundary. Right now, the soldiers were stuck inside, endlessly running in circles.
Unless someone had at least level 60 strength, all they could do was wait an hour for the barrier to disappear on its own.
Naohara nodded, then glanced at Momonga. Momonga immediately understood and raised his staff.
[Gate]
A pitch-black opening appeared once more. Momonga stepped in first, with Herohero right behind him. Naohara then looked back at Enri.
"Want to come with us?"
"I can?"
Enri stared nervously at the dark opening. The thought of going together with the gods filled her with longing.
"No problem."
Naohara took her hand and, amid her startled cry, pulled her inside.
Of course, her little sister wasn't left behind either.
As the group entered, the opening vanished instantly. The forest fell silent again, leaving only a headless corpse lying on the cold ground.
…
In Carne Village, the surviving villagers gathered in the center, each one holding a stick, a hoe, or whatever weapon they could find.
Bright red blood covered their bodies, some of it the soldiers', some of it their own.
"Village Chief, what do we do now?"
A man gripping a wooden club asked an elderly man with graying hair in panic.
"Yeah! Those soldiers said they were just the vanguard. The main force is still coming!"
"With what we've got, there's no way we can stop them!"
The other villagers were terrified as well. They didn't know why the soldiers had suddenly been unable to move, allowing them to strike back.
But there was no joy in it.
Hearing that a larger force was on its way filled them with anxiety and fear.
"Quiet! We don't need to do anything!"
Seeing the crowd's emotions starting to spiral, the village chief immediately shouted.
"Huh? Then we're just waiting to die!"
"No. Think about it. Why did those soldiers suddenly become unable to move?"
"If I had to guess… a powerful Magic Caster helped us."
"And if that person helped us, then they won't just abandon us now."
The village chief spoke steadily, trying to calm everyone down.
Truthfully, he wasn't sure either. He had no idea whether that person would truly continue to help them. For all he knew, they might have already left.
But he had to say it. It was their only hope.
He had considered running, but the moment he thought of the soldiers' horses, he gave up. Ordinary people like them could never outrun horses. Getting caught would only be a matter of time.
"You're clever. This was a gamble, but congratulations. You bet correctly."
As the village chief and villagers argued anxiously, a pitch-black opening appeared in front of them, and a voice came from within.
"What is that?"
The villagers tensed at once. They raised their weapons with trembling hands, staring at the blurry figures inside.
They thought the main force the soldiers mentioned had arrived.
But then a familiar figure dashed out of the opening.
"Grandpa Village Chief! Everyone!"
Enri ran out excitedly, pulling her sister along, and hurried over to the villagers.
"Enri!!"
The village chief cried out in delight. He had thought she'd been killed by the soldiers. He never expected her to come back unharmed, much less from something like that.
"Yes, Grandpa Village Chief, everyone—we're fine now. It's all thanks to the three God-samas."
Enri smiled and nodded, then pointed back toward the pitch-black opening to show that someone had saved her.
"Thank you for saving our lives. We can never repay this debt."
The village chief hurriedly bowed toward the opening. He knew they hadn't just saved Enri. They had saved the whole village.
The other villagers followed suit, bowing quickly as well. They understood now. These had to be the Magic Casters who had immobilized the soldiers earlier.
Whether they would live or die from here on out depended on those people.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say the fate of the entire village was in their hands.