As Momonga finished his imposing declaration, the entire hall fell silent.
He kept his arms spread wide, but something felt off.
Shouldn't they be cheering by now?
Why is no one saying anything? Come on, say something. Holding this pose is seriously awkward.
Just as panic began creeping in and he wondered if he had completely botched the speech, the Guardians and maids finally seemed to come back to their senses.
The next instant, the Throne Room exploded with cheers.
"Long live Nazarick!"
"Long live the Supreme Ones!"
"Conquer the world!"
"Destroy everything!"
…
Momonga quietly let out a breath of relief.
So it wasn't his fault. The Guardians were just a bit slow to react.
But wait. Conquer the world?
Did we ever say that?
Wasn't this supposed to be about founding a nation? How did it turn into world conquest?
And "destroy everything"? Isn't that going a little too far?
He grumbled inwardly while turning to glance at Naohara and Herohero beside him, curious about their reactions.
Naohara still wore a calm, unreadable expression—but Momonga could see the faintest curve at the corner of his lips. He seemed to be in a good mood.
Herohero, on the other hand, stood completely still like a statue. Judging by the look of him, he was probably off in his own world and hadn't been listening at all.
Honestly…
Momonga sighed to himself, but he didn't bother correcting the Guardians.
If they were happy, that was good enough.
Once the cheers gradually died down, the Guardians and maids looked up at the three of them with burning excitement.
Momonga and Naohara gave them a slight nod.
They had said everything that needed to be said. The Guardians seemed to understand. That was enough.
Naohara stepped over to Herohero and placed a hand on his shoulder.
A flash of light enveloped them, and the three vanished from the Throne Room.
Even after watching the Supreme Ones depart, the Guardians and maids showed no sign of calming down.
The Supreme Ones were going to establish a nation belonging to Nazarick.
There was nothing more exhilarating than that.
"Everyone, raise your heads."
Albedo was the first to rise, her voice brimming with emotion as she addressed the crowd.
"Demiurge, explain the Supreme Ones' true intentions to everyone."
"As you command."
A mysterious smile spread across Demiurge's face as he stepped forward onto the platform, facing the assembled Guardians and maids.
"Not long ago, I had the honor of accompanying the Supreme Ones. During that time, I personally heard the three of them speak."
"'The world is like a jewel,' they said. A jewel that captivated them."
"At that moment, I glimpsed the boundless wisdom of the Supreme Ones. Later, after further confirmation, I became certain of my conclusion."
He adjusted his glasses, eyes burning with fervor as he looked over the crowd.
"The Supreme Ones desire that jewel."
"The jewel known as the world."
"From that very moment, they had already conceived the idea of ruling it."
"Their visit to the outside world afterward only confirmed it further. Otherwise, why would beings of such stature personally set foot in a mere village?"
"The conquest of the world has long since begun."
"So understand this—establishing a nation was never their true goal. That is merely the first step."
"Their real objective is to conquer this world."
"Perhaps they chose not to say so directly because they did not wish to burden us with too much pressure. Such mercy… such kindness."
"As Guardians, we cannot forever remain sheltered beneath the Supreme Ones' protection. We must prove ourselves worthy of their expectations."
"Remember this day well."
"Nazarick's ultimate purpose is to seize this jewel—this world—and offer it to the three Supreme Ones!"
"OOOOHHH!!"
The roar that followed was even louder than before, shaking the Throne Room.
Guardians and maids alike fixed their unwavering gazes upon the banner of Nazarick hanging before them.
Staring at that symbol, a single thought burned in every heart.
Even at the cost of their lives, they would present this world to the benevolent Three Supreme Ones.
...
"Phew… looks like that speech went pretty well."
Nazarick, Tenth Floor, Office.
Momonga slumped back in his chair. After all this practice, his acting skills had improved by leaps and bounds.
Facing so many Guardians and maids still made him a little nervous, but it wasn't a big issue. After all, as a skeleton, he didn't have facial expressions to betray him.
"Naohara, you did great. But compared to you… Herohero, you…"
He glanced at his two friends, leaving the rest unsaid. The meaning was obvious enough.
"Yeah, yeah, sorry about that. But if you expect me to be like you two, I might as well go destroy the world."
Herohero's voice drifted over from the desk, where he had collapsed into a puddle of slime.
Standing in front of that many demons and monsters to give a speech? No thanks.
He was just an ordinary Slime. He didn't have that kind of mental strength.
"Blackie-chan's still too shy. But that's fine. It's kind of cute."
Half-lying on the sofa, Naohara let out a low chuckle.
"So… do you think the Guardians understood what we meant?"
"I don't know. I just have this weird feeling something's off."
Momonga looked at them hesitantly. The speech seemed successful, but he couldn't shake the feeling that things weren't quite that simple.
"I wasn't paying attention. After I finished talking, I went straight into meditation."
Herohero replied without missing a beat.
"Pfft. Since when does zoning out count as meditation?"
Naohara couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing. Herohero's desperate attempt to keep his dignity intact was simply too hilarious to ignore.
If Naohara hadn't pulled him along when they teleported, Herohero would probably still be standing in the Throne Room… no, meditating.
Then he would've snapped out of it, realized the other two were gone, and found all the Guardians staring at him.
He'd have turned into a giant glowing lightbulb. A green one, at that.
"Naohara, you bastard. Do you even know what deep meditation is?"
Herohero shot back, thoroughly embarrassed.
He was genuinely grateful Naohara had dragged him along when they left. But seeing that smug look on his face? No way was he going to say thank you.
"Ah, yes, yes. Deep meditation. Of course."
Naohara nodded solemnly, far too quickly.
Herohero opened his mouth to argue further, but after holding it in for a while, he realized there was nothing left to say.
Naohara had completely shut him down.
The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he became. In the end, he simply wriggled his way into a corner of the room.
He didn't want to see Naohara for the time being.
He decided he wouldn't speak to Naohara for an entire day.
…No, that might be too much.
Half a day.
…Actually, maybe an hour.
If I ignore him for a whole day, is that too harsh?
Before he knew it, his resolve was crumbling at an alarming rate.
In the end, Herohero painfully settled on ignoring him for half an hour.
That was final. Half an hour meant half an hour.
"You two…"
Watching them bicker as usual, Momonga felt helpless—but his mood had lightened considerably.
"Alright, Momonga. Don't overthink it—just let the Guardians handle things."
Naohara waved a hand casually.
"We'll just focus on what we need to do."
"If something happens, we'll deal with it when it comes."
"And if there's a headache waiting for us, the three of us will share it."
Momonga's red eye-lights flickered.
Right.
Why was he worrying so much?
If there was trouble ahead, it wouldn't be his problem alone. These two carefree idiots would be right there with him.
With that thought, he finally relaxed.