"Hamsuke, why do you keep calling yourself 'this humble one'?"
Deep in the forest, outside the enormous cave, Naohara and Herohero sat on the ground in their normal forms.
Naohara had Aura and Mare in his arms, one on each side, looking every bit like a doting father.
They didn't bother keeping up any disguises. They had returned to their usual appearances, remaining in their Dragonoid form and humanoid Slime form.
Momonga had also dropped his disguise and reverted to his Elder Lich form. With Mare's magical isolation barrier surrounding them, there was no need to keep pretending.
As for Hamsuke, newly "tamed" by the group, she was trembling in a corner, overwhelmed with misery.
A dragon. A tentacled monster. And now an Undead Magic Caster.
What kind of monsters were her masters, exactly? Her rodent life looked bleak. At this rate, getting eaten someday wouldn't even be surprising.
Naohara's question made Hamsuke nearly jump out of her skin.
He looked harmless now, but she hadn't forgotten how he and Herohero had "reasoned" with her earlier.
"I-I am this humble one, Master! I've always been this humble one!"
Hamsuke scurried over to Naohara, her big eyes watery and earnest, looking ridiculously cute.
"I've spoken that way ever since I was born."
"Oh? So it's natural?"
Naohara studied the hamster. He had a strong suspicion she wasn't native to this world. Based on the information they'd gathered, there shouldn't be any such species here.
Still, since even the author from his previous life hadn't said it outright, he couldn't be completely sure.
[Message]
"Momonga, Blackie. What do you think?"
Naohara asked, wanting to hear their read on it.
"There's no record of this kind of hamster in this world, at least from what we've learned. And the way she talks sounds more like terminology from our world."
Momonga spoke slowly. He didn't think this hamster was a product of the New World either.
That self-reference, "this humble one," sounded like a phrasing from their original world. And calling them "Master" only strengthened his suspicion.
"That makes things troublesome. If that's true, then it means there are other Players in this world."
Herohero frowned. If that was the case, it was bad news.
"Let's probe a bit more. If it's true, we'll need to be careful."
Momonga's tone turned serious. He then looked at Hamsuke and spoke with quiet authority.
"Hamsuke, how long have you been in this world?"
He needed to confirm her origins and see if their guess held up.
"Master, this humble one was born here. That should be about two hundred years ago."
"Back then, I never saw any humans. Then, after about fifty years, my body started getting bigger and bigger…"
"Later, I accidentally saved a human. I learned magic from that human for a time. After that, I mostly slept in the cave."
Hamsuke scratched her head, thinking carefully as she answered. She didn't dare lie.
After all, the two little girls in one master's arms had just been talking about skinning her to make clothes.
Until she completed her great mission of reproduction, she absolutely didn't want to die.
"I see. Do you remember anything about your parents?"
Momonga nodded and changed the question.
"Well… I've never seen my parents. Not once. I've always been alone."
At that, Hamsuke's whole body sagged. Ever since she was born, she hadn't seen her parents, and she hadn't met a single member of her own kind.
It felt as though the world had abandoned her.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to bring up something painful. Go play over there for now."
Seeing how dejected she looked, Naohara felt a little sorry for her. He reached into his storage space, took something out, and handed it to the giant hamster as he tried to comfort her.
"Thank you, Master. Then this humble one shall take her leave."
Looking at the massive ear of corn in front of her, Hamsuke gave an honest, slightly silly smile before shuffling off to a corner. But from her lonely back, it was obvious her mood hadn't improved at all.
"Aura, Mare, go keep Hamsuke company for a while."
Seeing that, Naohara gently patted the two siblings in his arms and sent them off to chat with her, hoping it would cheer her up.
"Yes, Father-sama."
Aura immediately grabbed Mare's hand and ran toward Hamsuke. She had heard everything just now. A hamster with no parents… she couldn't help but feel a little sympathy.
If Father-sama hadn't been there for them, she and Mare might not have been much different.
She understood that feeling all too well.
[Message]
"It seems Hamsuke isn't a transmigrator. In that case, based on her background, there's only one possibility."
Naohara looked at Momonga and Herohero. Once he had their attention, he continued.
"She was brought here by a Player. Or more precisely, her parents were brought here by a Player."
He voiced his guess. While they didn't know the exact circumstances, this was by far the most plausible explanation.
"That's not good. If that's true, then the New World is far more complicated than we thought."
Momonga immediately grew serious. If other Players had arrived long before them, the situation was much more dangerous.
"Hamsuke said she's about two hundred years old. If other Players were indeed transported here, then their arrival times clearly don't match ours."
"Naohara, Momonga… based on that, I suspect the Eight Greed Kings and the Six Great Gods mentioned in the memories I absorbed from Nigun were very likely Players."
Herohero spoke after a moment of thought, recalling the fragments of history he had obtained earlier.
He had already suspected that the three of them weren't the only ones brought here. Hamsuke's existence only strengthened that theory.
"Blackie, who knew you were this sharp?"
Naohara looked at him with genuine surprise. From just that information, Herohero had already pieced together part of the world's hidden truth.
"Naohara, just because I don't talk much doesn't mean I'm not a genius."
Herohero lifted his head slightly, sounding faintly smug.
"In that case, let's end it here. From now on, when we explore this world, we'll need to pay close attention to any information related to other Players."
Momonga nodded his skull, signaling the end of their brief meeting.
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
Naohara and Herohero both nodded in response.