The Eighth Floor of Nazarick, the Cherry Blossom Sanctuary.
Sunlight filtered through the pink petals and spilled across the grass. A gentle breeze stirred the broad cherry trees, making them sway like rosy clouds.
Petals drifted down like snow, filling the air with the intoxicating fragrance of cherry blossoms.
A lively scene unfolded beneath the trees.
The regular maids bustled about, arranging seats and dining tables. Carrying trays laden with colorful dishes, they moved constantly through the crowd, leaving the eye with hardly any time to rest.
The Bloody Emperor sat in a corner with his four knight attendants, chatting with the Quagoa Beastman King.
"Looking back, it really has been quite the extraordinary journey."
The Bloody Emperor surveyed his surroundings, his eyes filled with emotion.
He remembered the old days, when danger and hardship had always been close at hand, and every moment had carried a sense of urgency.
Now, however, his life had become so peaceful that he could not help marveling at how quickly time had passed.
"But this isn't so bad, is it?"
"As kings, neither of us has to live in constant fear like we did before."
The Quagoa Beastman King smiled and gave the Bloody Emperor a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
"Hahaha, you're right."
"We used to be so overwhelmed every day that we wished we could split every second in two. I never thought there would come a time when we would be troubled by having too much free time."
The Bloody Emperor nodded in agreement, then shook his head with a relaxed smile.
"Cheers!"
He raised his wineglass, lightly clinked it against the Quagoa Beastman King's, and drained it in one gulp.
Those frantic days were gone. Now they had ample time to think, make plans, and enjoy life.
At a dining table not far away, Draudillon maintained her adorable little girl form while sitting beside Renner, the Prime Minister of the Sorcerer Kingdom. The two seemed to be sharing secrets.
"So Lakyus and the others have become your personal guards?"
Renner's eyes shifted slightly, though her expression remained unchanged.
"That's right. Didn't you say you wanted them to settle down? So I asked my grandfather to alter part of their memories~"
Draudillon cheerfully swung her small, white-stockinged feet as she smiled and sipped the Dragon Blood drink in her hands.
Previously, she had been struggling to decide how to deal with Blue Roses under Naohara-sama's orders when Renner suddenly contacted her through a video call and offered the perfect solution.
"I see. I suppose that's for the best. As her closest friend, I sincerely hope Lakyus can live the rest of her life happily."
Renner sighed softly and spoke in a caring tone.
Draudillon said nothing. She simply continued enjoying her drink.
It was a deal that accomplished three things at once.
Not only had she fulfilled Naohara-sama's order and honored Renner's request, but the Dragon Kingdom had also gained four members of the Adamantite-ranked adventurer team Blue Roses, the leader of Red Drop, and even one of the Thirteen Heroes, a necromancer, as an added bonus.
As expected of me. What a profit!
Draudillon rejoiced inwardly.
The only thing that bothered her was that her grandfather refused to let her return to her true form and insisted that she keep this little girl appearance.
He had even told her to find opportunities to appear before Naohara-sama more often.
What a nuisance. Grandpa, why don't you turn into a little girl yourself? She was very busy, thank you very much.
She still had not finished dealing with all the strange brothers and sisters scattered throughout the Dragon Kingdom, and the recent construction of a branch campus for the Magic Academy had already exhausted her.
Forget leaving the Dragon Kingdom. She could barely even leave the royal palace.
She had only managed to attend Nazarick's festival by forcing some time into her schedule.
(눈_눈) Hmph. Grandpa, you're the worst!
"Hmm?"
The Brightness Dragon Lord suddenly raised his head and glanced around, frowning as he muttered to himself.
"Strange. Why do I feel like someone is cursing me?"
Though somewhat puzzled, he quickly discarded the thought after finding no clues and returned to chatting with the other True Dragon Lords.
Nearby, the Swordmaster Dragon Lord was tightly restrained and forced to sit there as a helpless listener.
Unable to break free, he had no choice but to endure the lectures and admonitions of the other True Dragon Lords, all of whom hoped he would return to the proper path as soon as possible.
For the Swordmaster Dragon Lord, their preaching was deeply frustrating.
The Platinum Dragon Lord sat leisurely off to one side, savoring one of Nazarick's finest stored wines, a vintage brewed using his own body as an ingredient.
He took a small sip, feeling both the power contained within the wine and its exquisite flavor as he sank into thought.
Elsewhere, Fluder and Khajiit could be seen huddled together in a corner.
Fluder had deliberately maintained his elderly appearance. Stroking his beard, he was engaged in a heated discussion with Khajiit about magic.
The two were equally obsessed with the subject.
Fluder had devoted his entire life to magic, always yearning to explore the deepest mysteries of the arcane. Khajiit, driven by his desire to resurrect his mother, possessed the resolve to seclude himself for a hundred years and devote that entire time to magical research.
They were truly kindred spirits.
Not far away, Brain Unglaus clutched his blade tightly while staring fixedly at the food on the table, still chewing whatever he had just stuffed into his mouth.
He knew these precious ingredients were difficult to obtain, so he intended to eat as much as possible.
Once he had finished all these delicacies, he could devote himself even more fully to physical training. He was certain the food would make his efforts twice as effective.
Meanwhile, many of the NPCs were chatting enthusiastically.
Some stood while others sat, gathering into small circles. The atmosphere was lively and cheerful.
In one corner, a Doppelganger was animatedly recounting one of his experiences.
"When I was pretending to be a shopkeeper, I ran into two clueless human children. After fooling them for a while, guess what happened? Hahaha, I made fifteen gold coins just like that!"
Dias wore a smug smile, clearly pleased with his own cleverness.
The surrounding NPCs looked impressed, and some eagerly asked for more details, making him even more conceited.
Elsewhere, several Demons of various shapes had cornered two Shadow Demons with nowhere left to retreat.
Under the grief-stricken and indignant gazes of the Doppelgangers, the Demons held up two wineglasses and laughed loudly.
"That's what you get for showing off. Now they belong to us!"
One of the Demons mocked them.
He raised the wineglass right in front of the Doppelgangers, transformed into a blond Minotaur, and extended a long, slender tongue to lick it.
...
"Hmm, everyone certainly is energetic."
"A festival, huh? Back then, I never would have dared imagine anything like this."
Directly beneath a cherry tree, Momonga idly stirred the food with his chopsticks as he reflected.
He had never attended a grand festival before.
Back when he had been Suzuki Satoru, he had been shackled by the heavy burden called life. Simply surviving had already left him utterly exhausted.
For an ordinary office worker like him, the only significance a holiday held was probably the meager bonus added to his wages.
Of course, saying he had never experienced any festivals at all would not be entirely accurate.
"Yggdrasil's festivals don't count. The developers never treated the Players like human beings."
Naohara picked up a slice of rolled Dragon Meat with his chopsticks and complained as he ate.
Judging by the nostalgic look on Momonga's face, he could roughly guess what the other man was thinking.
Those so-called holiday celebrations had been perfect opportunities for the developers to milk the Players.
They only had to design an elaborate and appealing seasonal event.
Then they would run a lottery that appeared fair on the surface.
Afterward, they would release a series of limited-edition Cash Shop Items at just the right moment.
Behind the scenes, they would secretly lower the winning rates so that only a tiny number of lucky Players could obtain the rare prizes, using everyone's hope of getting lucky to draw them deeper into the event.
That way, the developers could earn enormous profits by selling vast numbers of lottery tickets.
"I remember it caused quite an uproar."
"I even tried submitting feedback, but it was useless. Those people simply stopped pretending to care."
Momonga smiled helplessly.
Such behavior from the developers inevitably placed increasing pressure on the game.
First, the conflict between paying Players and free-to-play Players grew steadily worse.
Cash Shop Items created an unbridgeable gulf between ordinary Players and those who spent heavily, and the difference in their gaming experiences continued to widen.
Naturally, ordinary Players were unwilling to stay silent and endure it as that gulf expanded.
Second, Yggdrasil's monetization became increasingly excessive.
The developers had attempted to justify the problem in the name of game balance and soothe the Players' anger.
But in Yggdrasil, where the balance was already a complete mess, that excuse was never going to convince anyone.
The developers apparently knew they were in the wrong. They even held a special livestream where they tearfully admitted their mistakes and promised to listen to Player feedback in the future.
Of course, that was nothing more than empty talk.
In reality, they showed no remorse whatsoever. Since Yggdrasil had no real competitors at the time, they handed out some token compensation and forced the new update online anyway.
Faced with fierce protests, the developers simply pretended not to hear anything and completely ignored the voices of ordinary Players.
Momonga had also spoken out as much as he could, but when it became clear that nothing would change, he had reluctantly given up.
After all, he still wanted to play the game.
Quitting or abandoning Nazarick had never even crossed his mind.
Fortunately, Naohara had still been with him in Nazarick at the time.
The two of them cleared the seasonal event while complaining about the developers and discussing their next Cash Shop Item purchases. At least they had managed to find some enjoyment in their misery.
"Hah. Even when they stop caring, they still remember to release new Cash Shop Items."
Just how absurd was Yggdrasil's monetization?
The fact that it had driven a World Champion to shout, "Tenfold Cash Shop Punch," said everything.
(P.S.: Maruyama mentioned this.)
"In a sense, I suppose they remained true to themselves."
Momonga spoke with a hint of sarcasm.
Naohara rolled his eyes.
How did that count as remaining true to themselves? Because of those people, he had nearly spent every last coin he possessed.
Annoyed, Naohara reached into the pot for another piece of meat, but after searching with his chopsticks for some time, he found nothing.
He silently turned his gaze to the side.
"Don't blame me. You two were too busy talking."
Herohero shrugged with an innocent expression.
"Forget it. I'll wait for the next plate."
Seeing Herohero's utterly shameless expression, Naohara could not be bothered to argue.
He casually beckoned with one hand, and the little Vampire girl appeared in his arms.
"?"
Keno froze for several seconds before realizing what had happened. She glared angrily at the culprit, puffing out her cheeks.
"Don't suddenly teleport me over here! You're so close already. Would it kill you to take two steps?"
"Hmm... you have a point, but I'm lazy."
Naohara gave her a mischievous smile as he teased the little Vampire in his arms.
Keno tried to wriggle free, but it was useless. She could only sigh in resignation, thinking that this bastard really was both lovable and infuriating.
"Looks like my leveling speed has slowed down recently."
Naohara muttered to himself, seemingly unaware of Keno's embarrassment.
He stroked the little Vampire in his arms, enjoying the coolness of her body and the softness of her skin.
How wonderful. She was so small and smelled so nice.
"Hmph, what am I supposed to do about it? You're the one who gave me that item."
Keno tilted her head back and snorted softly.
The Vampire Divine Ancestor and Vampire Ancestor races did not level particularly slowly, but neither were they especially fast.
Of course, that was only by Naohara's standards.
As far as Keno was concerned, her strength had been growing by leaps and bounds recently. She was becoming stronger almost every day.
"I'm planning for your future. If I'm going to give you something, it might as well be the best."
"How about this? I'll give you some private training tonight."
Planning her races and classes was not something he could afford to take lightly.
If he only cared about leveling speed, he could simply give Keno a collection of common classes. After all, common classes required far less experience to level up.
However, that would severely limit Keno's future potential.
Not only would her attributes be considerably lower, but she would even struggle to master high-tier magic.
"You can decide. I don't mind."
It wasn't as though he would listen even if I objected.
Keno grumbled inwardly. Still, she did not dislike the feeling. It gave her a strange sense of security.
"Such a good girl~"
Naohara gently stroked her long golden hair, then glanced to the side.
At some point, Herohero had settled into Solution's arms, while Momonga had turned his head away, looking thoroughly uncomfortable.
This is so awkward.
For what felt like the hundredth time, that thought crossed Momonga's mind. He suddenly felt completely out of place.
"Momonga-sama! I'm falling!"
Just as Momonga sank into thought, a sweet, delicate cry interrupted him.
A slender figure immediately toppled toward him. It was Albedo, and the fall had clearly been intentional.
Today, Albedo wore a formal black and white outfit.
It was neither a dress nor a robe, but something that seemed to combine the two.
The black portions were made of black velvet, while the white portions were fashioned from white silk and leather.
The outfit revealed little, yet blended purity with sensuality. She looked like a Succubus from heaven or an Angel from hell.
"...Be more careful next time."
Momonga felt a headache coming on as he looked at the blushing Albedo in his arms, who was taking the opportunity to run her hands over him.
Please, stop using this as an excuse to grope me!
Sigh. This is all because I changed her settings without permission.
Having such an enchanting woman adore him was undeniably thrilling, but she was still Tabula Smaragdina's creation. He had already made one mistake. How could he compound it with another?
Therefore, he ought to push her away immediately.
But... on second thought!
With so many NPCs present, pushing her away now might hurt Albedo's feelings.
Yes, this was all for Albedo's sake. For now, he would just keep holding her... probably.
When Albedo realized Momonga-sama had no intention of pushing her away, her wings fluttered rapidly and two vivid patches of red appeared on her cheeks.
She looked utterly delighted, and the movements of her hands grew increasingly bold. Still, she understood where to draw the line and maintained a final shred of restraint.
Momonga secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness.
Each of the Three Supreme Beings now held a beautiful woman in his arms. The only difference was that two of them had taken the initiative, while Momonga was the passive one.
An awkward silence settled over the scene until a voice finally broke it.
"Momonga-sama, Naohara-sama, Herohero-sama, the main course is ready."
An elegant little pot was placed on the table.
Shihoutu, the head chef, seemed completely oblivious to the strange atmosphere hanging in the air. He bowed properly, then looked up at the three of them.
"Ahem. Thank you for your hard work, Shihoutu. You should go and eat as well."
Momonga cleared his throat and waved a hand.
Perhaps because he had spent so long as a skeleton, even now that he possessed a body of flesh, he could still force himself to assume an imposing expression.
Once Shihoutu had withdrawn, Momonga glanced guiltily at his two friends.
"Finally. I was starting to get impatient."
As though he had not noticed Momonga's gaze, Naohara lifted the small lid.
The pot might have looked tiny, but it had been enchanted with spatial magic. Its interior was far larger than anyone would expect.
The moment the lid came off, a rich aroma filled the air, making everyone's mouth water.
Dragon Meat Stew
Main ingredients: One fresh Deep Darkness Dragon Lord, one fresh Eternal Night Dragon Lord, Platinum Dragon Brain and Platinum Dragon Meat from storage, the World Boss Wings of the End, and various other ingredients.
Additional ingredients: Sap of Yggdrasil, Endless Agony, Despair, Pure and Benevolent Souls, Filthy and Corrupt Souls, and Emotion [Love].
"Hmm, it tastes excellent."
Naohara scooped up a spoonful and put it into his mouth, unable to keep from praising it.
The list of ingredients might have been bizarre, but the stew was genuinely delicious and highly nutritious.
As he spoke, Naohara scooped up another spoonful and fed it to Keno.
"It really is good. Momonga, you should try it too."
Herohero took a spoonful for himself, then fed another to Solution. It was indeed excellent. Even with a Slime's sense of taste, he could not find a single fault with it.
"I'll try some."
Seeing that neither of them reacted strangely, Momonga breathed a sigh of relief. Had they questioned him about what had just happened, he doubted he could have kept a straight face.
He picked up a spoon and tasted the stew himself. After hesitating briefly, he fed Albedo a spoonful under her delighted gaze.
Yes, I'm simply treating everyone equally.
Herohero and Naohara had both fed the women in their arms. It would look strange if he did not do the same. He was merely going along with the group. There was nothing more to it.
That was right. Exactly right.
Momonga desperately tried to convince himself.
[Plan successful!]
Naohara and Herohero exchanged knowing looks before smiling in perfect understanding.
It had not been easy. All their constant displays of affection had finally paid off. Momonga had at last gotten the hint.
...
After eating and drinking their fill and enjoying the beautiful scenery, everyone moved together to the Sixth Floor Arena.
A series of performances by Nazarick's residents was about to begin.
The first act featured every member of the Pleiades Corps, including Aureole.
Their maid uniforms instantly vanished, replaced by distinctive stage outfits.
"Is this... rock?"
Naohara tilted his head, looking somewhat surprised. After questioning a regular maid nearby, he finally learned what had happened.
CZ and Lupusregina had once been wandering through the Baharuth Empire when they saw a minstrel performing at the [Singing Apple Pavilion].
This gave them the idea of imitating the minstrels who sang about the heroes of other nations. By doing so, they could effectively promote the Sorcerer Kingdom's many accomplishments throughout neighboring regions and foreign countries.
Later, when they learned that a festival was being planned, one of the maids encouraged them to do something ambitious, resulting in the spectacle before them.
To prepare, the maid squad had even searched the [Ashurbanipal Library of Nazarick] for information on electric guitars. After discovering the existence of rock music, they formed a new rock inspired minstrel group named "βγδth."
"Well, this certainly is... quite a surprise."
Momonga scratched his head, unsure of what to say.
"It's something new, isn't it? Rock was a distant concept for people like us back then."
As Herohero spoke, he accepted a glow stick from a regular maid nearby.
The Pleiades had clearly prepared thoroughly. Not only had they asked the regular maids to help energize the audience, but they had also placed glow sticks beneath the stage.
"True. In that case, let's cut loose for the first time in ages."
Naohara snapped his fingers.
The world plunged into darkness, and countless multicolored lights descended upon the Arena, further heightening the atmosphere.
"Being able to laugh together is such a wonderful thing."
Under everyone's gaze, CZ struck the first note on her electric guitar, signaling the others to join in.
Against the powerful drums and guitar solo, Nabe's slightly cool voice rang out.
"You were the one who taught me."
"You knew everything, even when we were young."
"The things you liked."
"I tried to become your ideal."
...
As the tempo quickened, the lead singer's voice rose, driving the song toward its emotional climax.
Nabe held a stand-mounted microphone shaped like the staffs and scepters used by Magic Casters.
She made full use of the weapon's original function as a microphone, drawing the audience into the song with her beautiful voice. It was as though a pleasant numbness had spread throughout their bodies.
"A song about love? It seems filled with regret."
As time passed, the performance gradually drew to a close.
Momonga gently lowered his glow stick, looking reluctant to see it end.
It had been quite good. The refreshing mood of the final five minutes had been conveyed especially well.
"A tragic love story. A one-way journey with no path back, trapped within distorted spacetime, yet still moving toward the future while clinging to a sliver of hope."
Naohara offered his assessment after a moment of thought.
He had no idea which Guild member had uploaded the song to the [Ashurbanipal Library of Nazarick], but it was surprisingly pleasant to listen to.
The performances continued.
Once the Pleiades left the stage, the next act came as something of a surprise.
"Stage Play: The Girl Riding the Lightning Dragon. Starring Shalltear and... Sephis?"
What kind of bizarre play was that?
Naohara looked through the rest of the program.
[The Great Detective: Aura and Mare] VS [Now You See Me: Pandora?]
[The Last Samurai: Cocytus] VS [Dragon Lord's Oblivion: Sebas?]
[My Redemption: Demiurge?]
Well, none of it made any sense.
Even so, he had to admit that it only made him more eager to see what came next.