Henry's footsteps echoed softly, a rhythmic reminder that he was no longer in the mundane world of Yggdrasil the game, but in a living, breathing realm where every decision carried weight.
After walking for a few minutes, Henry finally arrived at the conference room. He could have just teleported, of course, but he preferred walking—besides, the place wasn't far anyway.
When he reached the entrance, Sebas was already standing there in front of the large double doors. With a graceful bow, the butler smoothly opened one side of the door for him.
"Thank you, Sebas," Henry said with a small nod as he stepped inside. The butler's eyes gleamed with quiet satisfaction, a subtle nod acknowledging the gesture.
The moment he entered, he saw that Momonga and Ulbert were already there.
---
The grand conference room of Nazarick was eerily silent. Only the three of us were present, just like the old days in the guild—minus the other members.
Ulbert was already lounging in his usual seat, one leg crossed over the other, that familiar mischievous grin splitting his face the moment he saw me. He didn't even wait for me to sit down. "Hey, old man… looks like your future is pretty secure now, huh?" he said playfully. "Demiurge's got you on a pretty short leash."
I couldn't help but laugh as I walked past him toward my chair. Without breaking stride, I reached out and lightly smacked the back of his head. "Watch it, son," I said, still chuckling.
"Ow—hey! That's abuse! But, yeah… fair. I did kinda start it. But can't blame a demon for trying to spice things up, right? Besides it was TouchMe idea." Ulbert only threw his head back and laughed louder, holding his two hands in mock surrender.
Momonga, watching the entire exchange, could only let out a long, bone-rattling sigh, the sound somehow carrying all the exhaustion of a tired salaryman who'd just watched two toddlers fight over the last cookie. "You two… are going to be the death of me."
----------
The air grew heavier, charged with the unspoken gravity of their situation, besides they weren't just players in a game anymore.
The mood quickly shifted as everyone settled around the round table in the meeting room. The topic was serious—or at least it was supposed to be.
I dropped into my chair with a grin. "Alright, enough fooling around. Let's get to it. We need to decide who's going to be the actual leader for Nazarick to going forward. The whole 'Supreme Beings' thing worked when it was just a game, but now? We need one person calling the shots." I already eyeing momonga, "Someone who can handle the politics, the strategies, the endless decisions without cracking under the pressure."
Ulbert leaned forward immediately, pointing straight at Momonga without hesitation. "Easy. It's gotta be you, Momonga."
I nodded right beside him. "Agreed. One hundred percent. You're our leader now, buddy. And you've got a package, force calm. Its literally suitable for this position."
Momonga's skeletal hands rose in protest, the red glow in his sockets flaring brighter. "Wait—hold on. I don't have the qualifications for that. I'm not a strategist or a researcher like you two. And it's not a meeting anymore, with you two already make a decision. I can't—"
"Bullshit," Ulbert cut in cheerfully, "If the leader ends up being me or Henry, the first thing we'd do is probably blow half the continent and start a war with every country that looks at us funny."
His red eyes sparkled with the kind of playful malice, "You know better than anyone what we can do. Henry would gather intel and then I'd invent something stupidly overpowered just because it sounded cool, like a spell that turns enemies into confetti or a weapon that rewrites someone fates on a whim. Total chaos in a week. But you?"
He jabbed a finger at Momonga, his grin widening. "You're the only one who can actually keep the two of us from getting killed or trying to kill each other—or anyone else—without it turning into an all-out brawl. You've been doing it since we were in the guild. Remember that raid where Henry and I wanted to charge in blind? You pulled us back, planned it out, and we won without losing a single life. You're the mediator, the thinker. Without you, we'd be toast."
I folded my arms and gave Momonga a small, knowing smile, leaning back in my chair. "He's right. I remember that time I almost went to the biggest enemy guild base just because Ulbert and I wanted to collect my bounty. We were hyped up, ready to dive in headfirst like an idiots. You stopped us before we got killed, and talked sense into us. That's leadership material right there. Not the flashy kind, but the kind that keeps everyone alive."
Ulbert clapped his hands together, the sound sharp and echoing. "Which is why it has to be you. We need your level-headedness to balance our... Whats the word? Ah—enthusiasm!"
Momonga stayed silent for a long moment, the faint clack of his jaw the only sound as he processed everything. His mind raced through scenarios—visions of Nazarick thriving under careful guidance versus the fiery destruction that could ensue if left to his friends' impulses.
Finally, he let out another deep, weary sigh, "…Fine, I'll do it. But only because the alternative sounds like a guaranteed apocalypse. I don't want to see this place reduced to rubble because you two decided to 'experiment' on a dragon or something."
Ulbert punched the air with a triumphant grin. "Hell yeah!"
I reached across the table and gave Momonga's bony shoulder a light, reassuring squeeze. "You've got this. We've got your back. Always."
Momonga straightened up a little, the red glow steadying. "Alright… then let's talk about dividing the work so I don't have to micromanage everything. Nazarick is vast, i can't run it solo."
And then we spent the next few hours laying it out, the three of us falling into the same easy rhythm we'd had back when we were just players planning weekend raids.