"Cocytus, Demiurge, did you hear what Lord just said earlier?" Ignoring the clash between the two girls, Albedo walked side by side with the other two and asked for their opinions.
"Do you mean: 'If one day I am no longer here either, who will lead you? Believe me, Deloris will not disappoint you.' That sentence?" Demiurge instantly understood which words Albedo was referring to. After repeating them, before he could say anything further, Cocytus beside him spoke up.
"Did Lord mean that one day he will eventually depart, and Lady Deloris is the successor he has chosen?" The great insect's warrior spirit was extremely strong, and he valued loyalty above all else, so he was naturally very concerned about this point.
"Most likely. It is also possible that Lord is considering future difficulties he may encounter. When he is stretched too thin, there will need to be someone else to stand up. And Lady Deloris is the successor he has selected who can command us in his absence." Demiurge pushed up his glasses and spoke in a low voice.
"Lord may not necessarily meet with disaster. This could also merely be the most important fallback he has laid out. We have all seen Lady Deloris' abilities. As long as she grows properly, she will inevitably surpass us in the future and reach the height of the Supreme Beings. For her to lead us, who may one day lose Lord, is the most suitable choice." Albedo's mind was delicate, and it was only natural for her to see through this point.
"Speaking of it, Lady Deloris' abilities are truly terrifying. If her strength were a bit greater, I believe that even if we fought her, we would need to be extremely cautious. After all, even Cocytus does not have the ability to reduce an entire colosseum to ruins with a single punch." Thinking of Chu Lian's destructive power made Demiurge sigh. Sure enough, those who followed the Supreme Beings were never easy to deal with. She should still have even stronger abilities that she had not yet used.
"I cannot do that. That seemed to be a very special kind of destructive ability. Relying solely on my own strength, I cannot reach that level." Cocytus did not deny his inability to do so. After all, he truly could not, and he disdained lying.
"Lady Deloris' abilities seem even more peculiar than ours. It feels as though they are not magic." Due to the system-altered design, Albedo paid far more attention to Chu Lian's matters. She observed most carefully and noticed more than the others.
"Heh, even if they are abilities beyond magic, there is nothing to be curious about. Look at the Supreme Beings. Which of their abilities does not transcend ordinary magic?" Demiurge was the calmest about this. In his heart, whether it was a Supreme Being or even a successor to one, their abilities were bound to be far beyond what he could ever reach.
"That is true. The abilities of the Supreme Beings are not something we can speculate about." Cocytus seemed to agree strongly with Demiurge's words and echoed them.
"Let us set aside Lady Deloris' abilities for now. We will know more in the future. What I truly want to understand is why Lord insists on acknowledging Lady Deloris as his younger sister." This was the real question Albedo could not understand. Although the memories from before were false and instantly became a real past upon arriving in this world, it did not prevent her from raising this doubt.
"Everyone has overlooked one point. Lady Deloris was not created by the Supreme Beings, but was brought back from outside by Lord himself. Although due to the power of a Supreme Being she will not betray and is loyal to the Supreme Beings, if the Supreme Beings need a successor, then her identity must also be worthy of that role. Otherwise, with merely the status of a personal maid, how could she convince everyone?" When it came to analysis and imagination, Demiurge was unquestionably the strongest among all the guardians. His words were well reasoned and logical.
"So Deloris became a younger sister because of that?" This reason was beyond Albedo's expectations, but upon careful thought, it indeed made sense.
Previously, Momonga already had a tendency to treat Deloris as a younger sister. After coming to this world, he finally granted her an identity worthy of her. It seemed she herself had simply overthought things.
"No matter what, as long as they are Supreme Beings, even if it is a successor to a Supreme Being, we will devote our entire body and soul to serving them." Cocytus waved several of his arms, speaking with great excitement.
"That makes sense as well. Lady Deloris becoming the successor and second authority may not be a bad thing. Although she is still too young, with our assistance she will certainly be able to grow quickly. The Supreme One's foresight truly is beyond what we can compare to, planning even such distant matters in advance." Demiurge fully exercised his belief that anything done by the Supreme Being must have depth, substance, and meaning as he contemplated Momonga's actions.
"From now on, I will take care of Deloris. You two can assist her." With the knot in her heart untied, Albedo's face suddenly flushed red as she spoke to Demiurge and Cocytus.
"Albedo, what are you thinking?" Seeing her like this, the two felt somewhat baffled. Demiurge was the one who spoke up to ask.
"Albedo loves Deloris. Does that even need to be asked? That is the deepest love. Since the Supreme Being has no such intentions toward Deloris, then I no longer need to suppress my feelings. Oh ho ho..." As Albedo laughed, she became increasingly excited. Right now, she only wanted to see Deloris, pull her into her arms, and thoroughly ravage her.
Well, if she knew that what she wanted to do at this moment had already been done by someone else, and done even more excessively, what kind of mood would she be in then?
"You women really are something. Whether male or female, you do not seem to care. However, Lady Deloris may be our future master, so do not go too far. Restrain yourself a little in front of the Supreme Being. After all, Lady Deloris is his younger sister." Demiurge felt somewhat speechless at Albedo's change, but still reminded her.
"I will restrain my love freely. From now on, I will only love Lady Deloris. That lamprey will not even think about competing with me for Deloris." Shalltear was well aware of Chu Lian being ogled. How could she not know?
Now that she had become the Supreme Being's younger sister, as the guardian overseer who had always stayed by the Supreme Being's side, her opportunities to interact with Deloris would certainly be more than that lamprey's. She was confident she could make Deloris fall for her.
"I really cannot understand how you women's wars work." Demiurge and Cocytus exchanged a glance, both feeling that it was better not to get involved in women's affairs.
Their conversation drifted farther and farther, and before long they disappeared from the colosseum, returning to their respective places.
Seeing that they had all left, Shalltear also lost the motivation to continue bickering with Aura. Letting out a Tsk~, she propped open the parasol transformed from bats, gracefully opened a spatial gate, and departed.
"That fake-chested woman!" Seeing Shalltear act so arrogantly, Aura almost could not help but make a move again. Fortunately, Mare beside her stopped her. "Big sister, let us think of a way to fix this place first... Oh right, the task Lord gave me was to conceal the outer layer of the Great Tomb of Nazarick. Big sister, you handle things here for now."
Mare had originally wanted to act together with Aura, but then remembered what Momonga had instructed him to do. He could not worry about repairing this place anymore and went to handle that matter first.
Left behind by her own younger brother, Aura looked at the empty ruins of the colosseum and sighed. "Lady Deloris' ability is truly terrifying. This place could not withstand even a single strike from her."
As she spoke, she jumped down from the edge and walked from the crater-like rim of the colosseum toward the center.
The further she went, the more alarmed she became, because she discovered that the closer it was to Deloris, the more severe the destruction became. Those rocks first turned into dust, then into extremely fine particles, and finally into grain-like crystalline specks, showing just how horrifying the damage they had suffered was.
"Deloris..." Standing at the center, the dark elf girl realized for the first time the terror of that fox-eared girl...
Holding a sword, Momonga still stood in his room testing his physical condition. "Although I am a pure magic class, after reaching level one hundred, the strength required to wield a sword is also there." As he thought this, his hands moved to swing the sword. However, in the next moment, the sword slipped from his hands and fell to the ground.
Standing behind him, Narberal and Chu Lian both saw this scene and understood what he was trying to do.
Looking at his empty hands, Momonga thought to himself, "However, being unable to equip weapons and armor that do not match my class is still the same as in the game."
Turning to look at the mirror, the reflection showed that terrifying skull face. However, he had already grown used to it. "It has been three days since coming to this world. After trying so many times during these three days, I no longer feel any fear or terror toward this body at all."
Chu Lian took a few steps forward, bent down to pick up the sword, and said to Momonga, "Big Brother, since this kind of thing does not work, you should not keep trying it. Be careful not to hurt yourself."
He found her concern quite pleasing. "It is fine. I merely want to understand my current state. The faster I understand it, the clearer I will be about my situation, and the sooner I can make the decisions I should make in the future."
"But wielding a sword is not something that should be done by a spellcasting class like you. That is something for us to do." By "us," she meant those who excelled at close combat.
"Lord Momonga, Lady Deloris is right." Narberal stepped forward, took the greatsword from Chu Lian's hands, and also advised him.
"I will try again." Momonga nodded, then recited a magic incantation. "Greater Item Creation." A burst of magical radiance flashed, and a set of imposing blue-black armor appeared on his body.
Watching from the side, Chu Lian immediately understood that this was the same principle as the armor she created with spiritual power. Both were items formed from one's own energy.
Seeing this, Narberal handed the greatsword back to Momonga. He reached out, green light flickered in his palm, and then he was able to grasp the greatsword.
Holding the sword high with both hands, after storing strength for a moment he swung it down forcefully. A gust of sword wind appeared, stirring up the light objects around them and causing the two girls' long hair and hems to dance.
With this, Momonga confirmed another thing. "Armor created through magic can indeed be equipped, just like in the game."
Thinking of this, he turned and said to Narberal and Chu Lian, "Narberal, Deloris, I am going out for a bit."
Narberal replied seriously, "The personal guard has already prepared."
Unexpectedly, Momonga refused. "No need. I alone am sufficient."
"Please wait a moment. If Lord Momonga goes alone and something happens, we will be unable to fulfill our vow to become your shield unto death." Narberal's expression was extremely serious. It was clear she would absolutely do what she said.
Seeing this, Chu Lian could not help but feel a wave of envy. "If only I also had such a maid."
Momonga handed the greatsword to Narberal and said, "I want to go out secretly. No attendants."
With no other choice, Narberal could only agree. "As you command."
Afterward, Momonga activated the ability of his ring and disappeared from the spot.
Standing in the empty room, Narberal's expression was somewhat dazed. Chu Lian, seemingly to reassure her, added, "There is no need to worry. Inside the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Lord is invincible."
"Yes, Lady Deloris..." Hearing her words, Narberal finally felt at ease and went to attend to her own tasks, while Chu Lian stood to the side, watching and thinking about what she should do next.