Outside The Great Tomb of Nazarick, the once boundless grasslands had completely changed.
From a distance, a dense expanse of vegetation could be seen. Broad trees now covered what had once been open fields, and thick vines coiled between the trunks, giving the entire area the appearance of a primeval forest.
All of this had been created by Mare in just one week through the Druid class, meant to conceal the location of The Great Tomb of Nazarick.
Naohara had felt that this might actually attract more attention, but remembering that it had been his own request to cover everything in vegetation, he chose not to comment further.
The forest covered an enormous area. Within it roamed magical beasts raised by The Great Tomb of Nazarick. Hidden among the trees were Golems standing guard, along with countless magical traps and barriers. Anyone who entered without belonging to The Great Tomb of Nazarick would receive a full "World Boss subjugation" experience.
If the defenses were fully activated, even a level 100 Player would be worn down. It could be said that the preliminary defensive system had already been established.
At the very heart of the forest stood The Great Tomb of Nazarick itself, protected like the moon surrounded by stars.
Originally, the outermost layer of The Great Tomb of Nazarick had been encircled by walls. Now, under Mare's magic, those walls were completely buried beneath earth and overgrown with vines and vegetation, blending seamlessly into the surrounding environment.
Inside the outer entrance of The Great Tomb of Nazarick, a pitch-black vortex appeared. Four figures slowly stepped out of it.
After several days of adventuring, Naohara and the others had finally returned to The Great Tomb of Nazarick. Compared to when they left, they had brought back one additional person—Clementine.
"We welcome the Three Supreme Beings!"
Movement stirred from the ground and forest around them. Dozens of strange figures rushed forward and knelt before Naohara and the others, bowing respectfully.
Naohara glanced over them. Golems, Druids, Treants, and more—all around level 70—were tasked with guarding the outer perimeter of The Great Tomb of Nazarick.
"Mm. You've all worked hard."
Momonga stepped forward, nodding in satisfaction. The defensive measures were very much to his liking.
"We dare not claim hardship. Serving the Supreme Beings is our honor!"
At the praise of the Supreme Beings, the kneeling monsters grew visibly excited and responded loudly.
There was nothing that moved them more than recognition from the Supreme Beings.
"Very good. Excellent spirit. Withdraw. The safety of The Great Tomb of Nazarick is in your hands."
Naohara smiled and waved lightly, calming the monsters before pulling along the bewildered Clementine toward the entrance.
Momonga followed. After a brief pause, Herohero also gave the monsters a nod.
They had worked hard. It would have felt wrong not to acknowledge them.
The three, along with a Clementine whose mind was struggling to keep up, passed through the outer earthen barrier and arrived at the entrance to the Central Mausoleum—the true entrance to The Great Tomb of Nazarick.
There, a petite figure stood quietly, waiting for their return.
Dressed in a cute maid outfit and possessing a soft, syrupy voice—who else could it be but Entoma?
The adorable little maid trotted forward and bowed respectfully.
"Welcome back, Naohara-sama, Momonga-sama, Herohero-sama, and this… food."
"Mm, I'm back, Entoma. And this isn't food."
Naohara lifted Entoma up into his arms, smiling at Clementine as he gently corrected her.
"Ah… not food?"
Entoma looked at Clementine with visible disappointment. She had a feeling those muscles would taste quite good.
Sensing something was wrong, Clementine immediately turned a wary gaze toward Entoma in Naohara's arms. A chilling sensation had just run down her spine.
"Calm down. It'll be fine."
Momonga patted Clementine on the shoulder, speaking lightly. It was only natural to feel unsettled on a first visit to The Great Tomb of Nazarick. He understood that much.
The group proceeded inward and arrived at the First Floor.
A figure was already waiting for them there.
Grant—a spider woman of half-human, half-arachnid race.
From the waist up, her beauty rivaled even Albedo's. Her temperament was that of an intelligent, gentle older sister.
Because of her unique nature that allowed her to operate across multiple floors, Grant functioned as a flexible substitute—assigned wherever she was needed.
With the First Floor Guardian, Shalltear, currently absent, Grant had temporarily taken over as the acting Guardian of the First Floor.
"My lords!"
"Grant, you've worked hard. Managing the First Floor must be tiring."
Naohara looked at the slightly nervous Grant, then at Entoma in his arms. He more or less understood why she had come to wait at the entrance.
Entoma respected Grant deeply, addressing her as her birth mother. Thoughtful and dutiful, Entoma would often bring cockroaches taken from the Black Capsule to share with her.
This time was likely no different. That was probably why Entoma happened to be on the First Floor and sensed their return to The Great Tomb of Nazarick.
As usual, Grant would refuse Entoma's offerings and warn her not to take Kyouhukou's subordinates from the Black Capsule to eat.
Entoma always agreed readily.
And then proceeded to change absolutely nothing.
Grant found the situation rather troublesome, but she never forced Entoma to stop. Kyouhukou also never pursued the matter of Entoma preying on his subordinates.
Both sides simply pretended nothing had happened. After all, Entoma was just a somewhat naïve little maid. Though Kyouhukou felt helpless about it, he chose to turn a blind eye.
Grant's current nervousness stemmed partly from worrying that the Supreme Beings might learn about the matter, and partly from the sight of Entoma sitting comfortably in Naohara's arms—which had thoroughly startled her.
"No, my lord. This is simply my duty."
Hearing Naohara's words only made Grant more flustered. Several of her spider legs shifted restlessly beneath her, betraying her unease.
"Mm. I'll take Entoma with me."
Seeing her like that, Naohara sighed inwardly. He was clearly being perfectly friendly—so why did it feel like he was the villain?
Losing interest in continuing the conversation, Naohara offered a few brief words of encouragement, then tapped Clementine—who was still mentally overwhelmed—on the shoulder and headed off.
As they passed Grant, Entoma, still in Naohara's arms, lightly waved her small hand as if saying goodbye.
[Message]
Naohara: "So, how did I look just now?"
Momonga: "Like you were kidnapping someone's daughter and threatening a married woman."
Herohero: "Honestly, yeah. Grant was nervous as hell. With your expression added in, Naohara, it was about ninety percent accurate."
Naohara: "...That's brutal."
After a few more lines of banter through Message, the three activated their rings and vanished from the First Floor.