You and Demiurge made your way out of the Temple, headed towards the 6th floor to meet with Momonga and the other floor guardians. The walk was silent and… still awkward. Why was people-ing hard?!

"My Lady… May I ask a question?" You nod, turning your head to look at Demiurge as you continue making your way through the 7th floor. Thank god, something to talk about; kill the awkward silence to death!

"I was wondering why you asked about my memories; was there any particular reason for that?" Well, shit.

You could tell the truth, which he likely wouldn't understand. Or… Partial truth.

Partial truth it was.

"Honestly? I was curious, is all." There; not a lie, but not the full truth. Your ass is now covered.

"I see." You… weren't sure he bought it. At the very least, he didn't seem like he wanted to call you out on it.

Unless he already figured out the rest of why you asked, of course. It made you uneasy, but he was certainly smart enough to figure it out on his own.

"Lady Zara?" Your pulse skyrocketed; you did your best not to let it show.

"Yes, Demiurge?"

"Why did you not choose to teleport to the 6th floor?" Oh. Calm down, Zara, you're not going to have confront your bullshit today.

"I felt like walking. Besides, this floor is my favorite; why wouldn't I want to spend more time here?" You couldn't tell with the lighting of the lava, but you could've sworn that his cheeks tinged red at the statement.

As you rounded a corner, you spotted the entrance to the 6th floor. From what you could hear, Shalltear and Cocytus were already there. As you walked closer, you noticed Albedo waiting near the entrance between the 6th and 7th floors. Odd, but not by much. She was probably there for Demiurge, and—

And you and Momonga changed her character sheet before the reset.

Shit.

Message Start

Zara: Momonga, can I ask how Albedo acted when I left?

Momonga: I don't know, can you?

Zara: Ha ha. Come on, man, this is serious!

Momonga: She was very, ah, pushy? Is the best way to phrase it.

Momonga: She's probably going to overwhelm you, so be careful.

Zara: Thanks, man. Come save me if you can tell it's too much, ok?

Momonga: No promises, but I'll do my best.

Message End

Well, that wasn't too bad, right? You'd dealt with pushy people before, you could handle it!

"Demiurge, Lady Zara!" She smiled warmly, though her eyes were only on you. "I was wondering when you two would arrive."

You were… Already overwhelmed. Since when did solid 10's give you this much attention, anyways?!

Well, that was probably because of the tweaked character sheet… but still!

"Apologies for being late; we were having a lovely conversation and lost track of time." Albedo's attention shifted from you to Demiurge, one delicate eyebrow raised.

You relaxed immediately, safe in the knowledge that her attention wasn't on you for now.

"Is that so?" And the safety is shattered.

You recognized that tone of voice, having heard it far too many times before. You'd dubbed it the jealous hoe voice, and although anyone could use it, it usually belonged to… jealous hoes.

"Yes. Now, we'll be late if we don't head over; you wouldn't want to do that to Lord Momonga." Albedo paused, then nodded. You've been spared for another day.

"Of course not; let's get moving." With that, your trio set off towards the others.

You pretended not to notice how Albedo's stare bored into the back of your head.

"Hey, Momonga." You spoke, drawing attention from him to you. "Sorry we were a bit late; I got a bit distracted on the way here."

"It's fine. You're here now, so we can begin." You stepped away from Demiurge and Albedo, going to stand next to Momonga. Your tails swished from side to side, an act of willpower on your part to appear calm and collected.

You watched as Albedo stepped to the forefront of the gathered guardians. Cocytus, Shalltear, Mare, Aura… The others, you knew, were still guarding their respective floors.

"My Lord, my Lady, we the Guardians pledge our fidelity." As she spoke, she stood tall. You'd have to be an idiot to not believe that she meant what she said with every fiber of her being. After she spoke, the other guardians began to pledge their loyalty themselves while going down on one knee.

First Shalltear, then Cocytus, Aura and Mare, Demiurge, then Albedo once more.

"Other than Victim, Guardian of the 8th floor, and Gargantua, who faithfully guards the 4th, all Guardians have gathered as requested and pledged their undying loyalty. Supreme Ones, we await your orders." Albedo spoke, her gaze solidly on you and Momonga.

For the first time, you realized that you were in over your head.

"You need but to ask of us, and it shall be done."

Message Start

Zara: Gameplan?

Momonga: Nope. Gonna bullshit it.

Zara: Cool cool. We waiting to hear from Sebas?

Momonga: Yep. I'll start planning there.

Zara: Tell them you're happy they came and stuff

Momonga: Sounds good, will do. I'm keeping this open while I handle this, save me

Zara: I'll jump in if you need me to, I got you.

"Raise your heads." All present guardians raised their heads and looked towards Momonga. Already, he was doing a good job. 10/10 job for a desk worker, that's for sure. "I am very pleased that all of you have come."

"Your thanks are wasted on us." Albedo spoke, voice firm with her conviction. The others nodded amongst themselves, agreeing with her. You… weren't sure how to feel about it.

Momonga: Sebas is almost back.

Zara: Awesome!

"We have pledged ourselves to you and live to obey." She continued, oblivious to the messaging going on between yourself and Momonga. "I fear our abilities may not meet your expectations; despite this, we will strive to meet them in honor of the lost Supreme Beings, our blessed creators. This, we vow."

"This, we vow." All the Guardians spoke, so sure in their conviction that it boosted your confidence. Maybe you, Momonga, and the Tomb would be alright after all.

Momonga: What do?

Zara: I got it until Sebas is back.

Momonga: Bless you, Zara. Gonna end the message now.

Zara: Sounds good.

Message End

"Most excellent, our Guardians. I have no doubt that you will do your duties without fail." You spoke, surprising yourself with how calm and sure you sounded. Their attention turned from Momonga to you, smiles lighting their faces. Out of the corner of your eye, you spotted Sebas. God bless this punctual man.

"Now…" You pretended not to see how their faces fell as you continued, but you needed to hear what Sebas had to say. "At present, neither myself nor Momonga know the situation outside of Nazarick. Because of this, Momonga sent Sebas to survey the surrounding area. Sebas, please share what you have discovered about the world outside of Nasarick."

Sebas bowed, then made his way towards you and Momonga.

"Lord Momonga, Lady Zara, the land surrounding the Tomb of Nazarick is a grasslands."

"Grasslands?" Momonga spoke, surprised.

"Yes, my Lord. It would appear that the Tomb of Nazarick is no longer where it once was."

"Interesting…" You mumbled softly, shutting your eyes to think. You opened your eyes, a decision made.

"Momonga, we need to find a way to hide Nazarick." He nodded, a soft hum of agreement answering your statement.

"Lord Momonga, Lady Zara?" Mare asked timidly. "I-I could, um, hide Nazarick."

"Oh?" Momonga spoke, making Mare shrink in on herself. "Please, share your thoughts."

"U-uhm, well… We could cover the walls with dirt—"

"Absolutely not!" Albedo's shrill voice caused Mare to flinch. "You dare to suggest that we defile Nazarick—"

"Albedo, it's not a bad idea." You shut her down, doing your best to ignore your internal flinch when her eyes turned to you full of tears and sadness. "It doesn't require us to spend gold to maintain, it's simple, and it's a good idea. If you have a different idea, feel free to share it."

Her silence spoke volumes.

"Mare, how long do you think this task will take?" Momonga spoke, sparing you from needing to think.

"No more than a day if I include dummy hills, Lord Momonga." He nodded, plan finalized.

"Then, I have a question for all of the Floor Guardians. Although we do not know why, Nazarick has been transported from its place in the swamps to a vast plain. Did anyone foresee this? On top of this, has anyone discovered anything strange on their floors?"

He received several head shakes of no's to this question, along with some mumbling about needing to do a more detailed check of their floors. You let it go for a moment, before clapping your paws together to gain the attention of everyone in the room.

"Alright, everyone; we need to raise the level of security for each floor by one level. Albedo, Demiurge, work together to develop an overall defense plan for Nazarick. Hopefully, we will not need to use it, but it is best to be prepared."

"On top of this, if there is an intruder, we request you capture them alive at all costs with as little harm as possible. I apologize for imposing this demand on all of you at a time like this." Momonga added.

"My Lord, my Lady, what about the 8th, 9th, and 10th floors?" That gave you pause; you knew that you needed to keep the 8th floor untouched, but the 9th and 10th floors were technically the same. So…

"Entry to the 8th floor is banned unless I or Momonga allow it. Momonga will unseal the path between the 7th and 9th floors. As for the 9th and 10th floors, treat them as one floor in your planning." Momonga nodded, agreeing with your statement. From here, you'd let him handle it; you were starting to loathe the attention. You locked eyes with him and flicked your ear twice. A faint nod in response, and you could mentally peace out as he handled the rest.

"-do not push yourselves too hard." You tuned back in to Momonga, noting all the Guardians nodding to whatever he'd just said. You readied yourself to teleport to your room, and—

"Finally, I have a question for the Guardians. To begin with, Shalltear—what kind of people are Zara and myself to you?"

… What?

"Incantations of beauty. Lord Momonga, you are the most beautiful person in the world. Even jewels pale in comparison to your snow-white body. Lady Zara, you are a soft beauty, like sunsets and starry night skies. While jewels cannot compare to Lord Momonga, pure joy and compassion cannot compare to you." Shalltear did not pause to think of her answer; it came from the heart.

"Cocytus."

"Lord. Momonga. You. Are. One. Who. Is. Mightier. Than. All. Guardians. And. Deserving. Of. The. Title. Of. The. Supreme. Overlord. Of. The. Great. Underground. Tomb. Of. Nazarick. Lady. Zara. You. Are. One. Who. Is. Stronger. Than. All. Guardians. Not. In. Strength. But. In. Heart. And. Soul."

"—Aura."

"Merciful leaders with great foresight."

"—Mare."

"Very gentle people, Lady Zara especially."

"—Demiurge."

"Lord Momonga, you are a wise leader who makes decisions and acts on them quickly. Truly, a man worthy of the term 'inscrutable.' Lady Zara, you are a wise leader who plans before acting. A strong woman who could easily lead Nazarick on her own, worthy of the term 'irreplaceable.'"

"—Sebas."

"Lord Momonga, you are the one responsible for assembling all the Supreme Beings. Lady Zara, you are the one who has truly become the heart of Nazarick, providing compassion where others may lack it. In addition, both of you are the merciful leaders who did not abandon us, but stayed by our side until the very end."

"And finally, Albedo."

"The man who rules over the Supreme Beings, and you both are out highest, most exalted masters. In addition, you both are the man and woman I love most deeply."

… Well shit, not being oblivious about it now. Guilt ate at your heart, clawing up your throat; for now, you didn't have the time to deal with it.

"… I see. I have heard and understood your opinions. Then, I shall hand the tasks that were once performed by our former conerades to you. Carry them on faithfully." And with that, Momonga teleported away.

You looked at the space Momonga had, spacing out for a bit and not noticing the others getting up and beginning to mingle. It was the shouts from Albedo and Shalltear that snapped you out of your absent thoughts, looking around to witness Demiurge, Cocytus, and Mare giving the bickering women plus Aura some room. It didn't take much to decide you were going to pester the boys.

"Ah, Lady Zara. I was hoping you could answer a question for me." Demiurge spoke when he noticed you getting closer to them; you hadn't the foggiest what it was.

"Go for it."

"What is the purpose of Mare's skirt?" Ah. That.

"As in…?"

"Does it serve a greater purpose? Or, something else?"

"Bukubukuchagama said it was because I'm a trap," Mare piped up. "But I'm not sure what it means."

You should have teleported away.

"I, uh… I'm not sure why he gave you the skirt. If I had to guess, it's because he had… special interests."

"Special. Interests. Like. What."

You really should have teleported away.

"Special interests that I won't be bringing up in front of children." That seemed to satisfy Cocytus and Demiurge, for now at least. If you focused on them, you could almost pretend like you couldn't hear Albedo and Shalltear bickering in the background.

"Personally, I would be quite interested in the result of their little tiff." You raised an eyebrow, questioning the statement.

"What do you mean by that?" Mare asked, head tilted with confusion.

"I refer to the increase in our fighting power, the future of Nazarick, and so on." Oh, he wasn't meaning…

"I don't think I understand."

"Any great leader requires a successor, no?" God damnit Demiurge, you didn't want to think about Momonga having kids! "So, which of us will become his successor." So… No kids?

"How. Disrespectful. As. Guardians. We. Are. To. Serve. Lord. Momonga. Faithfully. So. He. May. Stay. That. Is. What. We. Were. Made. For."

You felt… a bit woozy. With a start, you realized something; you'd been awake for about 60 hours. So, that meant…

"Of course, I understand that, Cocytus. But do you not wish to pledge your loyalty to Lord Momonga's heir?"

Shit.

The world became fuzzy, a ringing beginning in your ears as the exhaustion slammed into you like a sledgehammer to the head.

Absently, you heard Mare and Demiurge speak again, watched as they became fuzzy and blurry. They sounded alarmed.

And then, the world faded to black.