Nahida was sipping a cup of warm Milk, heavily sweetened with honey, leaving a cute ring of Milk residue on her fair little face.
She sat on a specially padded high chair, swinging her short legs, her gaze somewhat unfocused, seemingly preoccupied.
Across from her, Momonga was holding a cup of steaming black coffee with his distinctly bony fingers, in a posture that was extremely incongruous yet strangely proficient.
(He insisted that a skeleton drinking coffee had more of a "sage" demeanor, and the gem Zane had given him allowed him to taste the bitterness! This was the taste of adulthood!)
"Mr. Suzuki Satoru..."
Nahida put down her Milk cup and spoke softly, her green eyes filled with a mix of anxiety and anticipation as she looked at the skeleton across from her.
"Hm? What is it, Nahida?"
Momonga set down his coffee cup, the red light in his eyes flickering gently.
He was now quite used to Nahida calling him by his real-world name.
"Could I please ask you... to save Greater Lord Rukkhadevata?"
Nahida clasped her hands together nervously, speaking in a tone that was almost pleading.
"Hm?"
Momonga was momentarily stunned.
"They... had already told me everything about Greater Lord Rukkhadevata before... including the corruption of Irminsul, and also... also her final choice..."
As she spoke, Nahida's voice caught in her throat. She sadly closed her eyes, tiny tears clinging to her long lashes.
"I don't want to forget her! Not at all! She was so great, having sacrificed so much for the world... she shouldn't be forgotten by everyone just like this..."
The voice of the tiny god was filled with sorrow and determination.
Momonga looked at Nahida, who was on the verge of tears, remained silent for a moment, and then reached out to gently pat her little head (the movement was a bit stiff, as he was afraid of using too much force and breaking her).
"Is that all?"
Momonga's tone was so relaxed that it sounded as if he were just going next door to buy groceries.
"Don't worry, it's absolutely no problem. Leave it to me."
Isn't it just reviving the dead and purifying abnormal statuses? I'm familiar with this line of work! At worst, I'll just use up one more wish from the meteor ring!
Although it pains me, for the sake of Nahida... it's worth it!
Wait, clearing conceptual corruption like "forbidden knowledge" should also be within the scope of the 'Wish Upon a Star' ability, right?
Hmm, there's definitely no problem! I am the Supreme Being!
"But..."
Nahida looked up at him, her eyes tearful, and voiced another difficulty.
"To save her, I need to enter her Consciousness Space, but it has been too severely corrupted by forbidden knowledge... With my current power, I can't delve deep enough... Originally, I needed the blessing of two Gnosis to do it... But according to Jesse and the others, the Gnosis seem to be in the hands of the Fatui..."
Her tone became disheartened. Could it be that even knowing the method, she still couldn't achieve it?
"Leave this to us!"
Just then, a confident (and chuunibyou) voice suddenly interjected!
Nahida suddenly felt her body lighten and her line of sight abruptly rose!
She turned around in surprise and saw that Elliot had popped out from who knows where, currently using his arms to lift her high up!
"With our 'Hilichurl Dream Team' here, mere forbidden knowledge is nothing but a fart!"
Elliot put his other hand on his hip, his Crab shell helmet shining under the sun, his tone so arrogant that it sounded like he could solo the Heavenly Principles.
"Watch us flush it down the toilet with love and justice!"
Nahida: "???" (Although I'm touched, flushing it down the toilet seems a bit...)
"So."
Zane's figure also appeared beside the table like a phantom. He was holding a bizarre magic book whose cover was printed with "Forbidden Knowledge Purification Guide (Children's Comic Edition)," and he calmly adjusted his non-existent glasses before asking.
"Should we depart now? I have already calculated the route and coordinates."
"Of course, we're going!"
Jesse and Paimon shouted in unison! Jesse was holding half a grilled squid, while Paimon was hugging a bag of Date Candy.
Matt's massive head peeked down from the nearby rooftop, silently nodding and shaking loose a few leaves.
Lumine sighed, rubbing her forehead, "I'll go too. I'm afraid you guys will pull off some ridiculous stunt and completely demolish Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's Consciousness Space..."
She already had a deep understanding of this group's destructive power.
The elegant Wolf King walked over and bowed slightly in apology: "My apologies, but I won't be joining you this time. Scribe Alhaitham has been working for 24 hours straight without sleep, and his complexion is terrifyingly poor. I must go deliver some refreshing medicine to him and help him process some documents, lest he die from overwork." (What a dedicated butler!)
"Alright! Everyone's here! Then I shall begin!"
Zane closed the unreliable comic guide, raised his hand, and began inscribing an extremely complex Teleportation Magic Array in the air, which shimmered with dangerous light.
"Wait, wait a moment! I haven't finished my Milk..."
Nahida's small hand reached futilely toward the Milk cup on the table.
However, it was too late!
In the next instant, the Magic Array shone brightly!
With a whoosh, Elliot (holding Nahida), Jesse (holding the grilled squid), Paimon (hugging the candy), Lumine (looking helpless), Zane (calmly reading), and the massive Matt all vanished from the spot!
Only an unfinished cup of Milk, a still-steaming cup of coffee, and the Wolf King, standing in place and elegantly adjusting his tie, remained on the table.
The Wolf King looked at the empty seats, then glanced toward the Akademiya, silently calculating how much longer Alhaitham could hold out. He sighed, "It seems I have to work overtime again tonight... Perhaps I should suggest that Master also equip Mr. Alhaitham with an 'Energetic' Gem?"
Meanwhile, Nahida, who had been teleported to an unknown space, had only one thought in her mind: "My Milk... Also, Mr. Er Kang, can you please put me down now? Being held up like this makes me a little dizzy..."