Guests from Chaldea ventured into the dense forest, fought the Forest Goddess, and secured a promise that her side would not attack Uruk.
Just a few days after Naoki and Tomoe returned from the dense forest, rumors like this spread throughout Uruk.
And naturally, Uruk, which had suffered under the Three Goddess Alliance for half a year, erupted in excitement.
More precisely, their spirits were ignited.
Currently, Uruk was already expending all its strength to fend off one Magical Beast Goddess and had no spare forces to confront the other two Goddesses. If they attacked now, Uruk would surely be unable to hold out.
But in the midst of this precarious situation, where collapse could come at any moment, guests from a distant foreign land had given them breathing room, resolving a major problem for them.
"People out there are saying the Department Head is a hero who saved Uruk."
At the Chaldea Embassy, Ritsuka, who had just completed a mission and was resting while drinking tea at a wooden table, smiled at Naoki, who was lounging by the window.
"Doing something that big on your second day in Uruk—at least let us know beforehand. The Department Head is really the type to do shocking things without realizing it."
"I was just idling around here anyway." Naoki said, resting his hands behind his head. "Besides, I couldn't call you guys. You were all immersed in your part-time work life at the time, weren't you? I've seen you these past few days, completely caught up in Uruk's construction."
"Because it turned out to be really interesting, and by getting directly involved like this, we're feeling more and more how vibrant Uruk is—right, Mash?"
Sitting beside Ritsuka, Mash smiled and nodded: "Yes. It's truly a very lively city. The residents are so friendly and have a strong will to keep living. It's beautiful."
They genuinely loved Uruk.
Naoki smiled: "So, since you guys are so eager to stay in Uruk, how could I bear to drag you away? Think of it as us handling our respective tasks. You take care of Uruk's internal affairs, and I handle Uruk's external affairs. Nice division of labor, right?"
Though he said that, Naoki knew what was on their minds.
"But even I have my limits. There might come a time in the future when I'll need your help. I'll bring you along when that time comes."
"Really? Then we'll hold you to your word, Department Head—you can't lie."
"Not to brag, but I've never lied to anyone."
If anything, Naoki was the one who got tricked. The cunning women back home often set various traps for him to fulfill their dark, hidden schemes.
In a different sense, of course.
At that moment, Mash suddenly spoke up: "To make Big Brother say he needs help… Is it really that powerful an enemy? A Goddess from the Three Goddess Alliance? Even someone as strong as Big Brother can't completely defeat her?"
"Yeah, she's very strong. At the very least, if Mash fought her one-on-one, you'd definitely get beaten so badly I wouldn't recognize you." Naoki teased.
"But rather than saying I can't completely defeat her, it's more accurate to say I can't control her to the precise degree needed to defeat her."
"What does that mean… The Department Head can actually defeat the Goddess in the dense forest?" Ritsuka frowned in confusion. "Then why didn't you just defeat her? Wouldn't that cleanly eliminate one enemy?"
Naoki shook his head: "The risk is too great. While I could defeat Quetzalcoatl if I used my full power, I wouldn't be able to pay attention to the surroundings. There are quite a few humans in the dense forest. Plus, our battle movements might attract the other Goddesses. If I got ganged up on, that'd be a problem."
[But Natsukawa, you could totally kill that Goddess, right?]
Roman's voice came from Ritsuka's wrist.
[Or do your Mystic Eyes not work on Main God-tier enemies?]
Mystic Eyes?
Ritsuka and Mash looked at Naoki's eyes, framed by glasses, in shock.
"The Department Head has Mystic Eyes?"
"I didn't know either…"
Naoki adjusted his glasses (Mystic Eye Killers): "Because there was no need to explain. Besides, if I use my Mystic Eyes, it means the opponent is a target I have to kill no matter what. For example, I'd definitely use them against Goetia later, but Quetzalcoatl isn't that kind of target."
"I quite like cheerful, open, and enthusiastic Onee-sans like her. I wouldn't think of turning her into a mindless slave who only obeys my commands."
Seeing the man before them say such unsettling things with a fresh and bright expression, Ritsuka, Mash, and even the Chaldea staff felt a bit helpless.
Given the situation, something like that could indeed happen.
After a soft sigh, Ritsuka asked: "By the way, what exactly is the effect of the Department Head's Mystic Eyes? It sounds really dangerous, with all that talk of slaves… Could it be Mind-Control Mystic Eyes?"
Over the five-plus months when Naoki was absent, Ritsuka had been catching up on Magecraft knowledge under Olga Marie's guidance, naturally including information about Mystic Eyes—and eagerly listening to Marie recount her childhood visit to the Rail Zeppelin.
Naoki thought for a moment: "Hmm… Forget it, I'll tell you. After all, we're all on the same side."
"There are two sets of personal information about me at Chaldea. One is the simplest, accessible to anyone. Of course, aside from my name, gender, age, and origin, almost everything in it is fake."
"The other set, marked for Department Head eyes only, is the real one. The fact that I have Mystic Eyes is recorded there too."
"But actually, that part is fake as well."
In that file, Naoki was listed as having Binding Mystic Eyes, with a Mystic Eye rank of only Noble Color.
"However, my real Mystic Eyes are Soul Eater Mystic Eyes, capable of eroding souls. Anyone whose soul is eroded by my Mystic Eyes, from body to soul, will permanently become my slave, and even I can't reverse it. Their classification is currently Jewel-rank."
Naoki's explanation was simple, but Ritsuka, Mash, and the Chaldea staff listening all broke out in a cold sweat.
Jewel-rank Soul Eater Mystic Eyes.
No one had ever imagined Naoki was hiding such a trump card.
"Department Head, you're seriously super dangerous—dangerous in every way. I'm not going to end up as your slave one day, am I?"
"If that happens, I'll definitely make you wear an 18+ game Heroine maid outfit right away to warm my bench!"
Before Naoki could finish, Ritsuka, her face flushed red, threw a cup at him.
"Department Head, you pervert!"
Saying that, Ritsuka stormed out of the embassy in a huff, with Mash quickly following her with a worried expression.
Returning the cup, now frozen into ice, to the table, Naoki let out a soft sigh: "So full of energy. I actually quite like spirited girls like her… Hmm? Who's that?"
In Naoki's line of sight, a figure who should have been elsewhere suddenly appeared, walking toward the embassy.
It was Siduri, Gilgamesh's assistant and the High Priestess of Uruk.
(If Siduri's here… is Gilgamesh looking for me?)