"Bang!"
The pain she expected never came.
Instead, Enri heard the sharp clash of metal above her head, followed by raised voices arguing.
"Why did you stop me, Sephis?"
Shalltear glared at the spear that had blocked her weapon, her tone sharp with accusation.
Just as she was about to pierce her target, Sephis had appeared in front of her and intercepted the attack.
Shalltear, who had been ready to indulge in a slaughter, was clearly displeased. The way she looked at Sephis turned unfriendly.
"Sephis, why are you stopping Shalltear?"
Albedo stepped forward as well, asking in confusion.
Albedo's impression of Sephis had always been fairly good. His creator, Naohara-sama, and her beloved Momonga-sama were said to share an extraordinary relationship among the Supreme Beings.
She had even overheard other Supreme Beings chatting in the past about how Momonga-sama and Naohara-sama had lived together for a very long time.
That filled her with both envy and jealousy.
She knew the one Momonga-sama cared about most was Naohara-sama. So she had no intention of souring her relationship with Sephis. After all, if she wished to be with Momonga-sama, Naohara-sama's support was essential.
As long as Naohara-sama approved, her future with Momonga-sama would be practically guaranteed.
That was why, unlike Shalltear, she didn't question him aggressively, but instead asked calmly.
Sephis didn't answer.
He crouched down, grabbed Enri's arm, and examined the ring and bracelet on her hand with his dark golden dragon eyes.
He also picked up the book that had fallen to the ground.
Staring at the three items, Sephis fell into thought.
"Hey! Don't ignore me, Sephis! You still haven't answered my question!"
Seeing him completely disregard her and focus on something else, Shalltear's temper flared. She thrust her Spuit Lance toward him.
The lance shot toward Sephis's back. From its speed, it was clear that although Shalltear was irritated, she hadn't put real force behind it.
At most, it would push him back a step. With his armor, he wouldn't be hurt.
But halfway through, the lance was blocked again.
This time, a massive black battleaxe intercepted it, cutting off its path.
"Albedo, you're stopping me too?"
Shalltear ground her teeth as she looked at Albedo. Now she was genuinely getting angry.
"Calm down, Shalltear. Sephis must have discovered something. Don't disturb him."
Albedo shook her head as she explained.
In truth, whether Sephis had actually found something or not, she would have stopped Shalltear anyway.
Compared to Shalltear, Albedo felt closer to Sephis.
After all, Shalltear's favorite was Herohero-sama, and to be honest, Albedo did not hold Herohero-sama in particularly high regard.
She didn't mind Naohara-sama and Momonga-sama ruling Nazarick together. The two of them were extremely close and had never abandoned the Guardians.
But Herohero-sama had once left Nazarick, only to suddenly return later.
Although he appeared to be on good terms with Momonga-sama and Naohara-sama, Albedo kept her true feelings to herself.
"Fine. Then I'll hear how he explains this."
Shalltear gave a cold snort and withdrew her weapon.
She would listen to Albedo's advice. Besides, Albedo had given her a way to step down gracefully.
"Just as I thought."
After carefully examining the three items, Sephis muttered to himself in a firm tone.
"What did you find, Sephis?"
Albedo asked curiously. Shalltear, standing nearby, also pricked up her ears.
"There are traces of the Three Supreme Beings on them. Faint, but unmistakable."
Sephis lifted Enri's arm, showing them the ring and bracelet she wore, along with the book in his other hand.
"Momonga-sama's aura? How could Momonga-sama give something to a human?"
Albedo said in disbelief as she took the book and carefully sensed it.
Shalltear crouched down as well, staring intently at the ring in Sephis's hand. As a vampire, her senses were sharp. No matter how unwilling she was to believe it, she could clearly feel the aura of a Supreme Being.
"It really is the aura of the Supreme Beings."
Shalltear's expression turned unpleasant.
Why would a mere human possess items belonging to the Supreme Beings?
There was only one explanation.
These were gifts bestowed upon her by the Supreme Beings themselves.
The thought that she might have stolen them never even crossed Shalltear's mind. How could an ordinary human possibly steal something from a Supreme Being?
No matter how reluctant she was to accept it, that was the reality.
Sephis dispelled the pressure that had pinned everyone down. He gently helped Enri to her feet and cast a healing spell on her.
If she carried items from his father, then she deserved to be treated with proper respect—even if she was human.
"Can you tell me why you have these three items?"
Sephis asked softly, using magic to calm her mind.
"My name is Enri. Naohara-sama, Momonga-sama, and Herohero-sama gave them to me."
"They also said they would come see me again."
Under the soothing effect of the spell, Enri gradually regained her composure and answered carefully.
She understood that these items were the reason she was still alive. So she told him everything she knew, honestly and without embellishment.
In front of beings this powerful, lying would only end badly.
Sephis nodded.
Then a wave of lingering fear washed over him.
He had almost made a disastrous mistake.
He had only just regained his father's forgiveness, and yet the human who had received his father's gift had nearly died right in front of him.
Even if he hadn't been the one to strike, he hadn't stopped it in time either.
If his father found out, he would surely be disappointed again.
Sephis let out a quiet breath of relief. Fortunately, he had taken the time to examine the items carefully.
"Did you hear that, Shalltear? She received gifts from the Three Supreme Beings. And they clearly think well of her."
Sephis looked at Shalltear.
The vampire's face was stiff, as if she had just narrowly escaped a catastrophe.
She knew it too.
If the Supreme Beings learned what had nearly happened, their impression of her would certainly worsen.
"Sephis, Albedo, you have to help me keep this a secret. If the Three Supreme Beings find out, they'll definitely be disappointed in me."
Shalltear looked at them anxiously. She was determined not to let the Supreme Beings learn about what had just happened.
"I can agree to that."
"So can I. But the most important thing is whether she's willing to keep it secret."
Albedo nodded in agreement. She bore some responsibility as well. She hadn't stopped Shalltear in time. If Momonga-sama found out, he would likely be displeased with her too.
Sephis glanced at Enri, making it clear who the key person was.
If she refused, they would have no way to control the situation.
"For the others, we can use Ninth-Tier Magic [Memory Erasure] to remove any memory of us."
"The Three Supreme Beings won't care about the memories of ordinary humans. But this one is different. If we tamper with her memories and the Three Supreme Beings notice something when they return, we won't be able to explain it."
Albedo sighed softly. This human couldn't be subjected to magic so carelessly. It would be too easy for it to be discovered.
"Then what are we supposed to do?"
Shalltear paced back and forth, clearly agitated as she searched for a solution.
"Let's talk it out. Your name is Enri, right?"
"Could you keep what just happened a secret?"
Sephis looked at her calmly. He didn't want his father to learn about this either.
"Y-Yes. I won't say anything."
"I promise none of us will."
Enri nodded quickly.
She understood very clearly that she was alive only because of those three items.
"You don't need to worry about the others. We'll erase their memories. They won't be harmed."
"As for you… take this. Consider it a trade."
"If the Three Supreme Beings ever ask, just say you encountered us alone. We saw the three items and decided to give you this."
Sephis took out an item and placed it in her hand.
It was a cloak that granted invisibility. Anyone below level 40 would be unable to detect the wearer. It could be used for half an hour each day.
It wasn't that he was being stingy. Enri's level was too low, and she had no magic power. She wouldn't be able to use high-grade equipment anyway. This cloak was the only item he had that required no conditions to activate.
"All right. I understand. I won't tell anyone."
Enri looked at the cloak in her hand and answered seriously.
She could tell they were subordinates of the Three Supreme Beings.
To be honest, she had never intended to speak about it.
Revealing the truth might bring them punishment, but afterward, she and the village would likely suffer retaliation. It was far better to accept the arrangement and pretend nothing had happened.
"Albedo, Shalltear. Is the memory wipe finished?"
"It's done. Everyone's memories have been erased. They won't remember that we were here."
While Sephis had been speaking with Enri, the two of them had already taken care of the cleanup.
"Good. Let's go."
"Enri, if you ever need help, use this to contact us."
Sephis tossed her a seashell. It was a communication item.
He gave her a final nod and returned to Albedo and Shalltear.
They weren't worried about whether Enri would truly keep the secret. Through detection magic earlier, they had already confirmed her sincerity.
Without lingering any longer, the three of them activated teleportation magic and headed in the direction of the Supreme Beings.