The topic of the "gate" didn't last long in the chat group. After learning the nature of the "gate" from Eriri, everyone quickly lost interest in it.
Instead, they became much more curious about this isekai world.
Eriri had been flying the whole time. In the time it took to exchange a few messages in the group, she had already flown thousands more kilometers forward.
Along the way, she passed by several villages and cities, but she didn't stop at any of them. Clearly, she already had a destination in mind.
After a few more minutes, Eriri finally came to a stop above a desolate mountainous area.
She hovered in mid-air, her gaze fixed on the foot of the mountain below.
There, at the base of the mountain, a young girl wearing a gothic lolita outfit in red and black was walking leisurely along the deserted path. On her shoulder rested a massive purple axe-spear.
[Chika Fujiwara (Level 7, Stage 1): Huh... isn't that one of the heroines from the memory image, Rory Mercury? Eriri, is she your target?]
[Ruri Gokou (Level, 7 Stage 1): Looks like she hasn't met the protagonist group yet.]
In the chat group's livestream, the members still watching naturally also saw the figure near the mountain.
Rory Mercury—despite her appearance resembling that of a middle schooler, she was already 961 years old.
In the entire chat group, aside from Milim, no one could beat her in terms of age.
In this world, in addition to gods, there were also beings called demi-gods.
Demi-gods were apostles chosen by gods from among humans. Once selected as a cleric, their physical age would be frozen, and they would gain immortality, capable of recovering even from fatal wounds.
Rory Mercury had been chosen at age thirteen by Emroy, the god of death and judgment, to become a cleric—thus, a demi-god.
Her gothic lolita outfit was actually her priest uniform, not a matter of personal taste.
This world had another unique setting: once a demi-god reached the age of 1,000, they would ascend and transform into a true god.
In other words, Rory would become a full goddess in thirty-nine years.
Eriri didn't respond to Chika Fujiwara's question directly, but her next actions made her answer clear.
She descended gently from the sky and landed softly less than five meters in front of Rory.
Rory was clearly startled by Eriri's sudden descent, but she didn't sense any hostility or killing intent from her. Coupled with her own confidence in her abilities, Rory quickly calmed down and turned her gaze to examine Eriri.
"Oh my, what a beautiful guest. May I ask what business you have with me?" Rory asked with a sweet smile.
"Oh, nothing much. I just saw an adorable loli on the road and thought I'd stop by to say hi," Eriri replied with a playful smile.
The language Rory spoke wasn't Japanese, but with Eriri's power, mastering and fluently using an unfamiliar language was a trivial matter.
In fact, the moment she arrived in this world and started probing it, she had already learned all the local languages.
Of course, even if she hadn't done so, with the chat group system's translation capabilities, it would still be easy to communicate.
For example, people like Arifureta and the others watching the livestream were able to understand what Rory was saying through the chat group translation.
"Hm? You know my name?" Rory was slightly taken aback when she heard Eriri say her name. But soon she nodded in realization. "Well, I guess that makes sense. As a cleric, I am somewhat well-known in this world. It's not strange that you would know my name."
"No, no, I think you misunderstood. When I said 'loli,' I wasn't using your name the way you think."
Then, Eriri began to explain the term "loli" to Rory—a piece of modern terminology completely foreign to someone from an isekai world.
"You're not joking, are you?" Rory asked awkwardly.
When she learned there was another meaning to her name from Eriri, she was visibly confused.
"Of course not. Everything I said is true, not a single lie," Eriri said confidently. Then her tone shifted with a grin. "But your name really is fitting, you know. You look exactly like a super cute loli."
Rory's expression darkened slightly. "Hmph, I am not a loli. I'm over nine hundred years old and a demi-god. Do you still think I'm a loli?"
"Of course. You're a legal loli," Eriri replied without hesitation.
"Legal loli? What kind of strange term is that?"
"A legal loli refers to a girl who is technically of age but has the body of a loli."
Eriri's dead-serious explanation made the corners of Rory's mouth twitch involuntarily.
"Hmph, you're not a very cute guest at all," Rory said with an exasperated look.
"Well, since we've exchanged greetings, maybe it's time for you to tell me your real reason for approaching me? I don't believe you just came here to say hello. And those strange words you used, plus your odd clothing—don't tell me you came from the other side of the 'gate'?"
Rory fixed her gaze on Eriri, trying to read her expression.
However, Eriri's face was simply too stunning. Rory found herself feeling oddly uncomfortable after just a few seconds of staring.
"Wrong guess. Also... I'm not from the other side of the 'gate,'" Eriri said with a soft laugh, shaking her head.
She was currently wearing the uniform of Toyogasaki Academy. While it looked cute, it was certainly out of place in this world.
"Well, if you say so," Rory said casually. Then she quickly averted her gaze from Eriri's face, as if afraid she'd be overwhelmed if she stared too long.
After steadying her thoughts, Rory asked, "Can you introduce yourself to me?"
"Of course! My name is Eriri Spencer Sawamura. The first part is my surname, and the second is my given name, so you can just call me Eriri."
"I see, got it." Rory nodded, then introduced herself as well. "As you already know, my name is Rory Mercury. Though it feels a little strange to say, I give you permission to call me by name."
She paused for a moment, a playful smile forming on her lips, and added, "Of course, I wouldn't mind if you called me 'Cleric-sama' either."
"Sure thing, Rory. No problem, Rory," Eriri replied with a smile and a nod.
Eriri's deliberate wording made Rory roll her eyes, though a helpless smile crept onto her face.
Back when she didn't know the other meaning of the word "loli," Rory had always been quite satisfied with her name.
But now, she couldn't help but feel that it sounded rather strange.
However, after this short exchange, Rory found herself very intrigued by Eriri.
Though Eriri didn't exude any aura of power, Rory could sense that her strength definitely wasn't inferior to them apostles.
She even began to suspect that Eriri might be the apostle of some unknown god, and the unusual outfit she wore could be her cleric uniform.
...
"Eriri, if you don't mind, how about letting me accompany you for a while?" Rory asked, eyes fixed on Eriri, a trace of expectation in her gaze.
Since she had taken an interest in Eriri, Rory naturally didn't want to part ways just like that. Who knew how long it would be before they could meet again?
As it happened, Rory's suggestion aligned perfectly with Eriri's own intentions. She hadn't planned on letting Rory leave so soon either.
So she simply nodded and said, "Of course, I don't mind at all."
Hearing Eriri's agreement, Rory let out a quiet sigh of relief, visibly pleased.
But soon after, she gave a faint sigh. She never thought she'd be making that kind of expression, especially as someone soon to become a goddess.
Glancing at the barren mountains around them, Eriri clearly had no plans to linger here.
She turned to Rory and said, "Well then, no time like the present. Let's get going."
Rory had no objections. She had originally been planning to cross these mountains to reach the next city anyway. Eriri had merely intercepted her along the way.
So the two of them began walking side-by-side in the direction Rory had previously chosen.
Despite Rory's youthful appearance—like that of a twelve- or thirteen-year-old girl—she was actually a few centimeters taller than Eriri.
For a thirteen-year-old, her height was already quite impressive. If her body had continued growing normally, she probably would have become a tall, long-legged beauty in adulthood.
As they walked, the two chatted about all sorts of trivial things, slowly building a closer rapport with each other.
Before long, over an hour had passed.
Their pace wasn't fast, and they often paused to admire the scenery, so they hadn't covered much distance.
Just then, Eriri suddenly lifted her head and looked toward the distant sky.
"What is it? Did you notice something?"
Noticing Eriri's movement, Rory also looked up in the same direction.
At first, she didn't see anything. But just as she was about to ask, a red dot appeared deep in the sky.
As time passed, the red dot grew larger and larger.
Soon, a towering red figure filled Rory's entire field of vision.
"Flame Dragon!" Rory murmured, identifying the massive shape—it was a Flame Dragon, one of the pinnacle beings in the world.
Flame Dragons were immensely powerful. To the people of this world, their presence was like a walking natural disaster.
Whenever news of a Flame Dragon sighting spread, all nearby villages would begin evacuating.
Otherwise, no one could tell when a burst of dragonfire might obliterate them and their homes in an instant.
Despite the Flame Dragon hurtling toward them from afar, Rory showed no sign of fear. Even though it would be difficult for her to defeat it on her own, she was confident that the dragon couldn't do anything to her either.
However, before it could get too close, the Flame Dragon suddenly descended from the sky.
In the distance, explosions echoed across the land, and thick plumes of smoke began rising into the sky from the blasts.
"Someone's being attacked by the Flame Dragon over there. I'm going to check it out," Rory said seriously to Eriri. "Eriri, what about you? Will you stay here or come with me?"
"Mm, of course I'm going with you," Eriri replied casually.
Hearing the explosions and the roar of artillery shells in the distance, Eriri immediately understood what point in the timeline they were at.
It must be the scene from the original story, where the protagonist's group was migrating with villagers and encountered the Flame Dragon for the first time. However, because of Eriri's interference, Rory's path had changed, and she hadn't met the protagonist group before the dragon appeared.
In other words, Rory had been intercepted by Eriri.
Since she had been intercepted, Rory clearly wouldn't join the protagonist party as she had in the original. Unless, of course, the protagonist could intrigue her more than Eriri did.
But clearly, that was impossible.
The moment Rory became curious about Eriri, her path was already set.
Upon hearing Eriri's response, a joyful expression appeared on Rory's face.
Originally, she would have only been able to drive the Flame Dragon away. But with Eriri at her side, the outcome was uncertain.
If Eriri turned out to be even stronger than she imagined, they might even have a chance to slay the Flame Dragon then and there.
As for the idea that Eriri might be an ordinary person? That never even crossed her mind.
An ordinary person who could gracefully descend from the sky?
An ordinary person who remained perfectly calm while facing an apostle?
An ordinary person who noticed the Flame Dragon before a demi-god did?
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