"Blackie, what happened here?"
Naohara looked at Momonga, whose eyes were dull and lifeless, as if he'd completely burned himself out, and asked in confusion.
He had only stepped out for a short while. How had things ended up like this?
"Well, think of it this way. It was already about to come out, and then it was forcibly shoved back in."
Herohero took a slow sip of hot tea, then pointed at the cards on the table, offering an unusually vivid analogy.
"I see."
Naohara nodded, instantly understanding. He shot a sympathetic look toward the corner. It seemed Momonga had been spectacularly turned around at the brink of victory.
Supreme Summoning was the card game Momonga and Herohero had just been playing.
It was a guild entertainment game proposed by Naohara in the third year after the founding of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, and it had been unanimously approved by all members.
Naohara had based it on the game mechanics of an anime from his first life called Yu-Gi-Oh!, essentially recreating its system wholesale.
Supreme Summoning cards were broadly divided into three types: Monster Cards, Magic Cards, and Item Cards.
The forging of the cards was handled by Takemikazuchi. Each one was crafted from mithril and enchanted with projection magic, allowing a miniature virtual image to appear during duels, which greatly enhanced the fun of the game.
Monster Cards were modeled on various in-game creatures—Golems, elves, dragons, and so on. There were even special cards created in the likeness of the 42 members themselves, known as Supreme Cards, or God Cards.
Magic Cards were adapted directly from tiered magic. Most tier spells from the game had been turned into Magic Cards with different effects.
Based on each member's unique abilities, exclusive Magic Cards were also created for their respective races. All 42 members had their own complete set.
Item Cards were simple—they represented equipment and all sorts of strange and unusual items from the game.
There were even rare Item Cards modeled after World-Class Items.
"By the way, Naohara, how's that coming along?"
Herohero first glanced at Momonga and confirmed that he was still wallowing in self-isolation. Only then did he lean closer to Naohara and lower his voice.
"Relax. When have I ever let you down?"
Naohara patted his chest confidently, at the same time revealing the corner of a photograph from his pocket.
After getting hold of the Torturer's photo, Naohara had immediately returned to his room and thrown himself into editing it with great enthusiasm.
After several failed attempts, he finally managed to fuse Momonga and the Torturer together seamlessly. As for the final result… it was downright eye-searing.
"Still, we'll need to tweak the original plan."
Naohara cast another glance toward the corner. Seeing Momonga in his current state made him reconsider. If he showed him the photo now, he was afraid Momonga might actually lose it on the spot.
A joke was fine, but timing mattered. And judging by Momonga's current condition, this really wasn't the right moment.
...
"Hey, Momonga, wake up..."
After who knew how long, a violent shaking finally snapped Momonga out of his daze. The red points in his eye sockets lit up once more.
"N-Naohara!"
The dim glow in his eyes brightened as he stared at Naohara, who was gripping his shoulders and shaking him. He still looked a little out of it.
"What are you doing here?"
Naohara rolled his eyes helplessly.
"I've been here for a while now. You seriously didn't notice?"
"It was just one lost game, wasn't it?"
"Uh..."
Momonga had no comeback. But there was nothing he could do. A sense of despair welled up inside him.
He had once been the Duel King of Nazarick, undefeated throughout the Great Tomb with his ace deck. And yet today, he had actually lost to someone he used to beat. For someone who had been brimming with confidence, that was a hard pill to swallow.
"By the way, Naohara, Herohero, what are you two planning to do next?"
Not wanting to dwell on it, Momonga awkwardly changed the subject.
"I'm heading back to E-Rantel to continue adventuring."
Naohara answered without hesitation, then looked at Momonga.
"What about you?"
Since he'd brought it up, he clearly had something in mind.
"I'm staying here for a while. While we were out, quite a bit of paperwork piled up in the Great Tomb of Nazarick."
Momonga rubbed his forehead with a weary tone. Although Albedo had been helping handle documents during their absence, she could only deal with routine matters.
Important files concerning Nazarick's future development weren't within her authority to approve, so they had been left untouched, waiting for their return.
It wasn't that Momonga was the only one qualified to handle them. Naohara and Herohero could do it too. But he didn't even bring it up. He knew exactly what those two were like.
Back when the three of them had first been transported here, they had openly told him they were planning to slack off from the start.
Momonga had felt a bit helpless, but he hadn't objected. After all, he had tacitly allowed them to take it easy.
"I see. Thanks for your hard work, Momonga. I'll prepare a surprise for you."
The moment they heard about the paperwork, Herohero and Naohara both gave Momonga a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. That was as far as their support went.
As for actually helping him deal with the documents? The dragon and the slime hadn't even considered it. Not a chance.
Momonga had expected as much. He simply shook his head and consoled himself. As the Guildmaster, it was only natural he should shoulder a bit more.
Still, he couldn't help feeling curious about the "surprise" Naohara mentioned.
"What about you, Blackie?"
"Coming adventuring with me, or do you have other plans?"
After hearing Momonga's decision, Naohara turned to Herohero and asked softly.
"I'm going to pay Solution a visit. Sorry, Naohara."
Herohero thought it over for a moment before answering, looking a little embarrassed.
He did want to go adventuring with Naohara. But he couldn't stop worrying about Solution. After a brief internal struggle, he ultimately chose to turn down the invitation.
"It's fine. I get it. A father worrying about his daughter is perfectly normal."
Naohara waved it off. Though Herohero's choice surprised him, he understood. After all, he was a father too.
Even if, in his opinion, Herohero's fatherly love was a little… different from his own.
Naohara: Pure fatherly love.
Herohero: Fatherly love starting to go off track.
"Looks like we'll be parting ways for a while. Come to think of it, this is the first time the three of us have split up since we arrived here."
Naohara picked up the cup in front of him and took a slow sip of hot tea, then stood and walked toward the door.
"I'll head out first, you two."
With his back to them, he gave a casual wave and stepped outside, looking completely at ease.
Herohero and Momonga watched him leave in silence. After a moment, Herohero was the first to stand and head for the door as well.
"I'm off too, Momonga. If anything comes up, Message me."
He copied Naohara's parting gesture with a wave before disappearing from Momonga's sight.
In the dimly lit room, time passed quietly.
Then, at some point, a soft sigh broke the silence, echoing faintly through the still air.