The Wandering Devil (TWD)

The Wandering Devil

Chapter: 34

Pa/ t reon details below the chapter if you're interested in seeing some content in advance.

(Goodbye world)

We were deep underground by the time I realized I was out of healing potions.

The dungeon was dim, torches flickering on stone walls. Cracked pillars stretched along the edges of the corridor, and everything smelled like smoke and dust. 

Around us was an eerie silence occasionally broken by the sound of shifting rocks, which I'm sure was a purposeful addition to add tension. 

My HUD flickered as I walked behind the skeletal woman. She moved effortlessly ahead of me. Long black robes trailing, skeletal hands glowing faintly with power. 

Even without voice emotes, her energy was easy to see from her voice that was excited, almost giddy.

"This part has a trap," she said. "Watch the floor."

I stepped where she did. The stone panel beside us shifted and snapped shut with iron spikes. 

She glanced back, and I could practically feel the smile on her face. "Told you."

The next chamber opened up wider. Rows of skeletal archers lined the far end, all glowing faintly with a red aura. I counted twelve of them. Too many for me to handle.

"I'll take the first few. You try to stay behind the pillar," she said, excited despite the fact these were practically fodder in front of her. 

I knew that she could probably just use one of her higher-tier spells to eviscerate them all. Even if there were a couple of thousands of these monsters I doubt they would cause her much trouble. 

But that wouldn't help with my levelling. 

I nodded. I was only level ten. With basic fire magic that wasn't as nearly as cool as my real fire magic, cheap robes, and half-decent shoes from a chest drop. 

It was safe to say I was by all means a beginner.

She raised her hand and cast a single dark spell.

Half the skeletons exploded on impact. 

The others fired blindly at her, their arrows bouncing harmlessly off a translucent shield. I leaned out from the pillar and cast Firebolt. It scraped one of the remaining archers, barely doing enough damage to notice.

"Fireball," I said, spamming large fireballs at the enemies as Satori or Momonga watched me with amusement. 

Eventually, the room went quiet. Bones scattered across the floor, light from the torches bouncing off bits of rusted armour. I gained a small chunk of experience.

"Nice shot," she said. "Or well, shots."

"At least I have good aim," I muttered, walking past the remains.

She laughed. "Don't worry. I used to suck, too."

I scoffed. "I don't suck, I merely haven't gotten anything else other than this stupid fireball magic and you refuse to give me any spell books because… 'You need to experience the game properly.'" 

She giggled. "You do though."

I huffed, smiling. We kept walking.

The path sloped downward into a deeper chamber. The stone turned darker here like it had been burned. 

The sound of something dragging echoed ahead.

From the little I knew, this was a level 15 skeleton dungeon. Normally it was meant for a group of level ten to go through but with Momonga being a level 100 skeleton overlord. 

I doubted that mattered. All in all, it was surprisingly fun. 

I hadn't expected the console to work with my mind and enhanced body, but here I was. My body wasn't unprotected though, I had made sure of that as my priority. 

Many magical wards and spells were protecting the place my body was in. I would know if anyone even came into contact with the first barrier. My warding spell knowledge and mastery had gotten much better with constant usage after all. 

I had a few more protections I could even add when I got back to Hestia. 

So it was safe to say I wasn't too worried. 

I quickly decided that giving out any more contracts would be useless as it quickly became apparent that I had gotten lucky with the first few in comparison.

So now I was spending my time gaming and evading all attempts at that CEO's attempts to spy on me. It had quickly become apparent that she was powerful when I was quickly found and followed every time I stepped outside.

I focused on the game, coming up to a large chamber. 

We had finally made it to the boss's room. 

Momonga simply gave me a single glance before stepping to the side.

It looked like a knight, but with twisted, burned and broken armour, glowing eyes, with a long sword covered in shadow.

There was no warning as its eyes simply flashed red and I barely dodged out of the way. Its large sword slammed into the space I had just been standing in.

One thing I had to say was that while I couldn't use any sort of real physical attributes from my real body, I could abuse my enhanced perception. 

The boss knight charged again, its corrupted blade trailing shadows. 

With my heightened senses, I could track its movements almost in slow motion. Not that I was fast enough to completely avoid damage, but enough to give me an edge and predict his movement. 

"Fireball" launched a flaming sphere at the knight's chest. It connected but barely scorched the blackened armour.

The graphics were good, and it was nice fighting without real danger. 

I glanced toward Momonga, who stood watching from the sidelines, arms crossed casually. She wasn't going to help. 

Of course.

She didn't say anything, merely giving me a thumbs-up emoji. 

The knight lunged with surprising speed. 

I rolled to the side, seeing the visible heat waves of its blade as it missed me by inches.

I knew a single hit by that would probably take most of my health. 

"Fireball. Fireball. Fireball." I chanted rapidly, my hands moving in quick succession. 

Three blazing orbs hit the boss in different locations, helmet, shoulder, and chest. The combined impact staggered it, but only for a moment.

A glance at my MP bar showed it was coming dangerously low. 

The boss roared, a hollow sound that echoed through the chamber. 

It raised its sword overhead, preparing to unleash what looked like an area attack. I spotted a pile of loose boulders near the wall. 

Not ideal, but I needed something beyond my weak magic.

"Fireball" I cast again, but this time at the ceiling above the boulders. 

The rocks tumbled down, and I darted forward.

My character stats were pathetic for physical combat, with low strength, and mediocre speed. This was mostly due to my mage build, But with my enhanced perception, I could coordinate precisely where to strike.

I went in close and threw a punch. The damage was small, but the rapid five punches that came with it added up to a nice bit of damage. 

"What are you doing?" Momonga called out, sounding both amused and confused.

I didn't reply, dodging another slash from the increasingly agitated boss.

The mannerisms were surprisingly lifelike. 

I cast a fireball, dodged and then sent multiple punches at the boss. 

When the knight brought down its blade in a vertical slash, I sidestepped and launched a direct punch at a crack in its chest plate, following up immediately with a point-blank fireball.

"Fireball." The magic flowed through my hand directly into the crack. 

The knight staggered back.

Its armour was beginning to glow orange from the repeated fire attacks. 

I kept up the assault, alternating between magic and physical strikes with my fists, always aiming for the weak points my perception revealed.

After what felt like an eternity of dodging and attacking, the knight finally slowed. 

Its movements became erratic, its glowing eyes flickering. With one final "Fireball" aimed directly at its helmet, the boss collapsed to its knees and then fell forward, disintegrating into a shower of dark particles and loot.

I stood there, my mana nearly depleted and smiled.

That was fun. 

Momonga walked over, slowly clapping. "Well, that was... uh. Unexpected. I was going to step in during the second half when it entered its berserk mode. Didn't think you'd manage on your own."

I shrugged and my level went up by an entire two levels.

"Yeah, normally exp for this boss is shared with the party depending on the contributions made but you somehow defeated it by yourself… so… good job on that." She replied cheerfully. 

Her tone lowered. "Do you have time for one more?" 

I chuckled. She really was too cute.

"I'm afraid not now, but I may be able to play in a few hours. I have some… errands to run." I responded.

"Other clients? I can pay more and make it worth you while you know." She quickly replied.

I sent her a smirk. "No, you can't, but don't worry. Give me a few hours. I'll be back."

After all, this was a good chance to relax from the constant motion I seemed to go through. 

We had known each other for a day now, which felt longer due to the sheer amount of time we had been playing Yggdrasil. Funnily enough, the company I had ended up breaking out of when I first got here.

I disconnected with a soft flicker of light and opened my eyes to the real world. Or at least, the version of it I had set up.

The room I woke in was pitch black at first glance, but every surface glowed faintly with inscribed warding lines. 

Hundreds of magical protections ran across the walls, ceiling, and floor, some stacked over others, carved, burned, inked, or etched directly into the material.

I sat up. My chair shifted slightly, and I leaned forward, checking my internal timer.

Five minutes left.

She had told me it would happen exactly on the dot.

Sure enough, I felt the tug. I didn't resist.

My vision blurred, space folded, and I felt the familiar shift of teleportation magic snapping my body through layers of space.

When I opened my eyes again, I was somewhere else.

"Cozy," I commented, somewhat sarcastically.

The room was bright. 

The floor was made of Marble. With tall windows and Velvet-lined chairs. Soft lighting from golden fixtures. The whole place smelled like something sweet and floral.

It was more grandiose than the room she had summoned me in first. 

She was already waiting.

Sitting in a high-backed chair across from an empty one, her legs crossed, posture relaxed. Her eyes were practically humming at the sight of me though. 

Her dress was different. Loose, casual-looking.

"Do you like it?" She smiled. 

"A bit elegant for my taste," I replied easily, taking a seat.

"Noted." She said, her expression thoughtful. 

"So, I'm assuming you have some sort of desire?" I questioned. 

I felt like she was trying to pick me apart.

"You know, you've made quite the ruckus on the forums." She said, a screen hovering in the air. "I suppose trading magical Artefacts will do that, even if they are mostly decorative. Smart though, I'm sure they are quite easy to get or even make for you."

'A Deal with a Genie.' 

Genie?! I'm a Devil!

That was the headline. 

The little viewer counter showed over five hundred thousand active viewers. 

I huffed. "It would seem so."

She laughed. "Yes, I found the title rather amusing too. You've been quite the busy bee."

I shrugged. "Deals aren't exclusive."

She hummed. "It would seem they are not, but tell me. Isn't it even worth doing? When compared to what I offer?" 

Nope.

"I'm sure many have things to offer. Money isn't everything." I replied smoothly. 

"But you seem interested in money." She pointed out.

"I'm interested in what they can be traded for in your world." I nodded. "That's beside the point, you haven't answered my question. What is that you desire?" I questioned once again.

"You." She stated simply.

"Yeah? Is that why you've been trying to track me?" I asked, amusement heavy in my tone.

"Maybe. Or maybe I was curious about what I could get away with." She replied with a smile.

"So, why me of all things? You could have asked for a lot of other better things." I asked, kind of seeing where this was going. 

"Eh? That'll come with having you of course?" She said as if it was obvious.

I sent her a flat look. 

"So…"

"I would like an artefact." She said, completely throwing me off.

I had assumed she was going to try to capture me or something. Maybe she was just being weird? Or attempting to throw me off balance. 

Seriously, I wasn't made for these little talks. 

"Sure, what type of artefact?" I asked, thinking over the mostly useless ones I could give her. 

"Not one of those useless ones you've given to the other two people you've previously done trades with," she said with a knowing smile.

I shrugged. "They aren't as useless as this overlavished room."

She simply disagreed with a dismissive wave of her hand. "My taste is impeccable. Now, about that artifact..."

I considered her for a moment before deciding. "Fine. I can offer you something special."

"Oh?"

"It's certainly not useless," I replied. 

And I didn't have any use for it. 

"A cursed artefact that, when injected, turns someone into a monster. Incredibly fast too."

Her eyes lit up with interest, though they narrowed immediately at the word 'cursed.' "Cursed? Why would I want something like that?"

"Because it's all you can afford," I replied coolly. "And it's significantly more powerful than what I've traded before."

"Am I going to get a discount for this cursed artefact?" She asked coolly.

"No. It's only labelled cursed because of what it does to anyone who uses it." I responded easily. 

This probably wasn't a good idea but this world was pretty much ending anyway. As long as it didn't affect Suzuki I didn't necessarily care. 

She leaned forward. "I'm willing to pay substantially. Name your price."

"300,000,000 credits," I said without hesitation.

Her eyebrows shot up, but she didn't seem particularly shocked. 

"200,000,000." She tried to negotiate. 

I simply didn't respond. 

After a brief pause, she nodded. "Done."

I couldn't help but smile. It would be fun to go shopping before leaving this realm. I could buy a bunch of stuff on Yggdrasil just to annoy Suzuki. 

The thought almost made me laugh.

She signed the contract easily… after a five-minute inspection of the very simple and easy-to-read contract. Then a lawyer came in and inspected it, giving her a nod and promptly vanishing out a door.

"Transfer the credits first," I instructed.

She tapped something on her wrist device, and moments later my device pinged with the confirmation. I produced a small vial from my pocket, containing a luminescent liquid that seemed to shift between purple and black.

"Here," I handed it to her carefully. "As agreed."

She took it with pure interest and greed, examining it closely before securing it in a small case at her side. 

Then, unexpectedly, she stepped forward and hugged me. I stiffened as she pressed her body against mine. 

I sighed, catching her hand as it tried to inject something into my neck. 

"Seriously?"

She merely smiled, leaning in to kiss me deeply. 

The kiss was passionate, as she guided me backward several steps. 

Suddenly, she broke away and took a swift step back.

What was wrong with this woman? 

A thunderous noise crashed around me as a transparent dome came crashing down and digging into the ground, encasing me completely.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let someone like you go," she said, not sounding sorry at all. Her voice had changed, losing its playful quality. "In all my years of searching, I've never found a more suitable husband."

I couldn't say I hadn't seen this coming. 

Dozens of guards with high-tech armour and guns came pouring into the room, surrounding the dome, weapons trained on me.

"Don't bother trying to escape," she continued, watching me with cold fascination. "I know you're probably able to escape this dome and perhaps even defeat all of these guards, but I have an army waiting outside. With high-tech plasma guns and heavy artillery."

I looked around at the assembled force and sighed. "You're certainly well prepared, aren't you?"

My calm response seemed to unnerve her slightly. Her composure faltered for just a moment before she regained control. The slight nervousness in her eyes betrayed her confidence, she didn't like that I was unbothered.

"Don't fight it. It's a positive thing. I know I'm probably not up to whatever supernatural standards you were looking for. But I am incredibly smart and I'm sure my physical appearance is suitable. I am also a virgin so you won't need to worry about any past partners. Why fight? We could do so much together." She said, her voice shaking with excitement.

See, this was probably my fault. You can't just dangle eternal life in front of someone and expect them to just not do anything about it. Especially someone who seemingly had everything already. 

"It seems like you finally have a feast," I said, my voice coming out as hisses due to my intent which was to speak in Parseltongue. 

"What are you doing?" She asked quickly.

"Feeding my pet," I replied with an annoyed look.

My Basilisk revealed herself, making all of the guards look confused.

"Have fun," I commented. 

"I will." She hissed back viciously. 

That confusion turned into fear as the snake rapidly grew larger. 

The CEO's eyes widened and she quickly retreated. 

The ground cracked beneath me.

My basilisk's body expanded rapidly, scales grinding against the marble floor, her size warping the expensive chamber like it was paper. She towered over the guards in seconds. Her fangs were bared.

The dome shattered easily as she slammed into it. 

The first wave of soldiers opened fire without hesitation. Plasma bolts struck the basilisk's hide and hissed as the energy dispersed across her scales.

She lunged forward.

Her tail slammed into the floor, sweeping half of them off their feet and into the walls. The impact cracked the ground. Her head moved like a whip, and her fangs sank into the nearest armoured suit, crushing it instantly.

My Basilisk opened her eyes and the group pouring in was instantly petrified, blocking the doorway. 

She closed her eyes, seemingly deciding to play around with them. 

The others adjusted, switching to heavier fire. One of them managed to launch a containment net, a glowing blue weave that wrapped around part of her body.

It slowed her.

For two seconds.

Then she tore through it with raw muscle, hissing loud enough to make several of the guards flinch backwards.

I stood still inside the cracked dome. 

Watching. My arms stayed folded. I didn't lift a finger.

The CEO had vanished, probably fled to a secure room.

What followed was a one-sided slaughter. 

She wrapped her massive tail around another mech and crushed it in place, the metal screeching as it collapsed under the pressure. More tried to fire from range. 

She ignored most of them. Focused only on the ones closest.

When the last armour fell, mangled and burning, she slithered back toward me.

I waited a moment, then looked up at her.

"Done?"

She blinked once. "Yes."

The Basilisk shrunk and wrapped herself against me, under my clothing once more. 

The vague shouts outside told me that I had a whole army waiting for me. 

So I did what any mildly intelligent person would do, I drew a demonic circle from the blood of the fallen soldiers and quickly teleported away.

Fun fact, using blood essentially fast-tracked making a demonic teleportation circle. Which was why I was able to simply draw the symbol I needed to use it. 

I teleported close to my next destination. 

I appeared in the shadowed alley next to a glowing billboard and adjusted my coat.

I kept my hood low as I walked through the main strip, the demonic circle closing behind me. I ducked into a future tech store.

Despite the large scene I had just left behind, I was still sticking to my original plan. I would probably leave this universe soon.

So I wanted to load up on everything that would be useful in my home world with Hestia. 

I thought about my incredibly beautiful goddess, I had realised just how much I was starting to miss her. I hadn't realised just how close we had gotten. 

It was safe to say I was looking forward to seeing her again in any case. 

I inspected the rows of gear lined the shelves. Generators, shielding packs, converters, and enough survival supplies to last through three disasters and a fourth war. 

The clerk didn't say a word. Simply scanning my items, gave a nod, and pointed to the exit.

I left. Walking a little faster when I saw multiple agents start pouring into the area. 

I got back to the small place I had rented out anonymously.

I connected.

The load-in was instant. 

My character appeared back at the resting chamber we'd marked earlier.

Satori was already standing there.

I went to greet her only to pause at the sight of her. She stood in the same robes she had been in before except she wasn't in skeleton form anymore.

She had changed her skin. Her avatar now looked like a tall, pale woman with deep red eyes and black gothic armour that shimmered faintly with magic. Her hair was long, white-silver, and fell around her shoulders in messy strands. 

She looked like some sort of queen…. One that ruled the underworld. 

I raised an eyebrow.

She coughed, clearly embarrassed.

"It's combat skin," she said quickly. 

"Just for efficiency. Higher resistance. I wasn't trying to… look like that."

I laughed.

She scowled at me.

"I swear, it's practical."

"Of course," I said, still grinning.

-{Suzuki Satomi}-

Satomi sighed, watching her friend leave as she waited alone in Nazaricks conference room. 

Once again she was alone.

Zephyrion was busy dealing with some sort of crazy CEO lady who had been harassing him for a couple of days. The amount of time he could spend with her had gone down after the annoying woman had found his house.

While it wasn't a problem, they kept trying to cut off his power supply after breaching had failed. 

Which was why he couldn't stay for the end of Yggdrasil. 

She wanted to curse whichever CEO was interfering but she was minutely scared that it was some sort of demon in disguise and would hear her curse.

Any CEO in this world was of a mega-corporation, all the smaller companies had been long absorbed into them. So the sheer power the CEO must have was baffling.

Still…

She clutched her heart. It didn't make it any less aggravating.

Over the last few days, she had come to know Zephyrion well. Mainly because deep-diving made the time go slower, roughly three to four times slower than in the real world.

So it had been a few weeks of bonding. 

The creators of deep-dive had said it was possible since In a virtual environment, the brain doesn't receive input through traditional sensory organs like the eyes or ears.

Instead, it receives direct digital sensory data from the virtual system. This bypasses normal biological delays.

The virtual system feeds sensory information directly to the brain's visual and auditory cortex, allowing the user to process visual cues faster than in reality. 

This creates the illusion of time slowing down because your brain is analyzing information at a higher resolution and speed than normal.

That was the confusing explanation she had received in any case. 

Over that time she couldn't say that she hadn't grown feelings for the impossibly handsome and relaxed man. Perhaps love at first sight fits this description?

The situation was weird. Sure, she was technically his contractor but she really felt they had become closer than that. 

The timer counted down and she went to sit on the throne. 

Her gaze landed on Albedo with a sense of amusement. 

It would seem Zephyrion wouldn't be able to see the amusing change she had made to her character sheet. Along with all of the character sheets. 

She had decided to perform one last funny act and was planning to show Zephyrion yet alas he couldn't make it. Satomi supposed that making all the NPC's obsessive wasn't that funny anyway. 

As the ticker came down to the last ten seconds, she wondered what game they should play next. 

That was all stopped when the timer simply went into the negative.

'Huh?'

"My queen?" Albedo questioned, her soft voice sounding confused. 

'HUH?!'

-Scene Break-

I stroll casually into Satomi's apartment, pushing the unlocked door open.

"Satomi?" I call out, setting down a paper bag of her favourite spicy takeout on the counter. 

The apartment is quiet, blinds drawn against the afternoon sun.

I notice the empty energy drink cans and instant noodle containers stacked neatly beside her trash bin.

"Hey, I know you're bummed about Yggdrasil shutting down," I call a bit louder, heading toward her bedroom. "But I found some new games we could try. The graphics in one of them are insane."

I imagine she would be upset after losing the game she had been playing for nearly a decade. 

Admittedly, I had been planning to use the CEO to stop its shutdown and maybe even find a way to become its owner for fun. That had gone out of the window when the woman had gone all crazy. 

Seriously, talk about obsessiveness. 

It seemed that now I had no plans of answering her summons she had gone berserk. It was safe to say that my time in this world was coming to an end. 

Regarding Satomi, I planned on answering her summons as much as I could. Maybe even just for a few hours which would be almost a day in the virtue world. 

I was sure Hestia wouldn't mind.

The door to her bedroom is slightly ajar. I push it open, expecting to find her wrapped in blankets or maybe sleeping off an all-night gaming session.

Sure enough, she was lying on her bed, still wearing her favourite oversized sweater. 

Her headset rested over her eyes.

"Satomi," I say with a grin, patting her face gently. "Wake up, I'm here."

She doesn't stir. I notice the headset is powered off, and the lights are dead.

So she wasn't inside the virtual world. 

"Are you playing around?" I ask, my voice echoing in the quiet room.

I lift the headset from her face. A playful smirk on my face that was promptly wiped off a second later. 

Her eyes stare back at me, unblinking. Fixed. Vacant.

Something cold slides down my spine. I touch her cheek. It's cool to the touch.

"Satomi?" I whispered. 

I knelt next to her and quickly realised she wasn't breathing. 

Taking out my bottomless pouch, I tried using multiple potions on her to no avail. 

She was dead.

How?

When the shock and disbelief wore off all I was left was with a corpse. A corpse of a nerdy girl I had come to appreciate. Someone kind and fun to relax with. 

That same prickly white scorching feeling seared into my chest.

I took a breath and my fingers curled into fists. 

What could have caused this? There was no blood or any wounds. An injection? My mind went back to the CEO. 

If she had done this…

No, she couldn't have.

I took another breath. 

The gathering rage wasn't going away, instead, it was slowly, painfully increasing. I paced around the room.

My sin of wrath hadn't made itself known for quite a while. 

I smashed the wall and immediately regretted it. 

The Basilisk shifted, reacting to my apparent rage.

I checked over Satomi looking for any wounds and trying to calm myself down. The amount of rage I was feeling surprised me. I guess spending what could be anointed as a few weeks in the virtual world made me bond with her quickly.

What should I do? It felt wrong just leaving her here. She had no one. Fuck.

There were no wounds, no signs.

Perhaps this was my fault? Pushing her to stay up so much to play?

A thought came to me, and an evil piece entered my hand. A single pawn. Perhaps I was being dramatic. Maybe this would be a waste, but power could be gained. 

There weren't many people like Satomi, genuinely kind and trustworthy. 

That's all that mattered.

So with that, I tried to reincarnate someone for the first time. 

The piece glowed and began to sink into her body…

Only for the red light to flicker and the piece to promptly be rejected.

I stared in bafflement.

What…?

It didn't work…

My mind raced. 

What the fuck? Were my pieces faulty? Had travelling worlds interfered with them? Suddenly that confidence that my pieces could be used to revive someone in the future was shattered. 

I spent a few minutes simply staring, before deciding to leave. I stopped for a moment, trying to think of any other method. 

I placed a status spell on her body, throwing it into an empty moleskin pouch. Only sending one glance at Satomi's room before I stormed out of the room, closing the door behind me without looking back. 

The door shattered from the force as my mind raced. 

Two agents were waiting just outside the building, dressed like corporate security. They straightened the moment they saw me like they had been assigned to keep watch. Or maybe keep me contained.

I didn't ask. I wasn't feeling very relaxed and in any sort of mood to attempt to cultivate some sort of image.

Since being reborn. I hadn't lost. Not truly. And perhaps it felt like I had just met her. But I could say the same for Hestia. Sure, I wasn't dating her but I still had spent plenty of time with her.

I hit the first one hard in the stomach. He doubled over without a sound. The second reached for something on his belt and I slammed him against the wall before he could react.

Both dropped in less than ten seconds.

I stood over them, breathing through my nose. My hand trembled slightly.

I let out a shout of pure anger. It briefly shook the street, mostly due to my demonic energy temporarily pouring out. The walls around me cracked and shattered outward from the force.

Then I reined it in. I stared at the mess, then exhaled slowly. My shoulders lowered.

Anger wasn't going to fix it.

I simply left, deciding not to give into my sin of Wrath for I felt things wouldn't be the same again if I did. 

-Scene Break-

It was only half a day after that the demonic scroll I had given Bell pulsed. I had everything I needed with me. And at this point, I was no longer caring for this world. 

My demonic power is rapidly drained as I teleport across worlds. 

I snapped and landed. 

Bell was in front of me, as was Hestia waiting with bated breaths. Bell looked ready to pick up Hestia and run just in case I had another… outburst. While Hestia gazed at me lovingly, looking ready to pounce.

I took a moment, making sure I was going to explode. 

Then I straightened. 

I gave Hestia a somewhat small smile, still feeling a bit depressed. 

She noticed it and promptly wrapped herself around me. "Zeph!"

I enjoyed the way her body pressed against me, her two large breasts practically melding to my chest. Her thick ass was quickly held up by my fingers, which instantly sunk into the Goddess' flesh. 

I embraced her tightly.

Bell stood by the side like the dutiful lieutenant he was.

It was good to be back. 

-{Suzuki Satomi}-

This entire situation was downright bizarre.

A part of her wondered if this was Zephyrion's doing, that maybe he was a God and had decided to reward her. But then he was nowhere to be seen. 

She couldn't say this was bad… being turned into your incredibly powerful game character who was basically the Queen of a Pantheon filled with eldritch beings.

Despite all of this, she wished Zephyrion was here with her. If she had known, she would have done anything to get him to stay online. Especially with the current situation…

Maybe making all the scary, powerful NPCs obsessed with Zephyrion or his character hadn't been a good idea. It had seemed funny at the time, especially with the way she had hyped up the importance of the NPCs beforehand. 

So it would have no doubt been unexpected. 

Now…

It was a problem. 

The NPCs still considered her word absolute so it wasn't a disaster, but the NPCs were getting more worried by the day. 

What was the genius excuse she had made up? 

That he had been left behind in the other world. 

It was stupid. It had been a panicked and easy response. That had sent everyone into a frenzy. Albedo had outright looked like she was on the edge of having a breakdown. 

Demiurge was planning mass-sacrificing rituals to try to open some sort of gate. She'd caught him a night ago finalizing diagrams for mass-scale soul conversion arrays, schematics for living rituals that could rip a hole through dimensions.

Safe to say she put a… temporary stop on that. Finding herself not outright adverse to it but she would rather try to do it without bloodshed. 

Aura and Mare were disoriented. Aura had started climbing walls and looking out far beyond their designated area. Mare had withdrawn into research, trying to divine any trace of the Zephyrion. 

Cocytus had seemingly taken this as a fault of his own. Becoming quiet and training extensively. 

All in all, it was definitely tricky but at the same time, she didn't regret it, because it made her feel more at ease knowing they had the common desire to retrieve Zephyrion in some sort of way. Surely he could be summoned here right? 

The NPCs had still shown they were completely loyal to her, merely worried about Zephyrion.

Though Albedo and her sister's reaction was… worrying. 

The first priority she had given was simple: figure out the world. Gather information. Avoid exposure. Assess the threats.

But privately, she had a different goal.

She couldn't do this alone. Zephyrion would know how to fix this. He was always calm, collected, cool… handsome…

She snapped out of her state. She slipped away quietly once the last meeting ended. Her steps echoed through the quiet halls of Nazarick as she made her way down the upper residential wing. 

Zephyrion's room was still untouched, just as he had left it.

She walked straight to the chest in the corner.

It was gilded, overly large, and locked with a code he had used just to be annoying. 

She guessed the password on the first try. Mostly because he had given it to her. In the world of Yggdrasil, a few trollers had decided to try to ruin its legacy and raid undefended bases. He had left this stock to be used in case of an invasion. 

She shook her head.

Seriously. 

Spending over 50,000,000 credits on a game, practically buying everything he could in the item shop until it was out of stock purely to tease her was something only a being like him could do. 

Inside were rows of P2W items he had hoarded just to tease her. 

While she didn't mind P2W items she didn't want it ruining the last days she had with him on the game! 

She rummaged through the mess of glowing tokens, limited potions, and event-only equipment until she found it.

A silver ring. The Wishing Ring.

Perhaps one of the most powerful things you could buy.

While Yggdrasil was greedy, luckily they balanced the P2W somewhat. They didn't add anything absurd, like world items. But it was still unfair!

She inspected the rings. 

She doubted it could bring him back. That wasn't realistic. 

The ring didn't have that kind of power, not directly. But if it could create a contract…

Maybe it could let her summon him.

-END-

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