It was a storm of arrows, heavier than rain.


    Neither I, Atori, nor Shio could move, but it seemed that everything else (including the thieves Shio had restrained) was being targeted.


    "Yukris, is that you!? [Bug of Acedia, Demon King''s Indolence]!"The Demon King waved a hand, and a rift tore through the sky, from which a gray... octopus appeared. It swelled rapidly, stopping the arrow storm midair.


    A frozen world.


    Yukris, now standing right behind the Demon King with his bow drawn, wore an expression more suited to a murderous hunter than his usual gentle demeanor.


    "Good to see you, Demon King. Have you enjoyed your sightseeing?"


    "Not yet. I was just about to y with the heroes. Care to join? Gimora will foot the bill."


    "No, thanks. While I hate to turn down ady''s invitation... I can''t let you roam free."


    "Hmm. So, we''re already within your attack range. Testing whether my defenses or your firepower is superior could be fun, no?"


    It seemed like a tense situation.


    We werepletely left behind. The main story seemed to be advancing without us, and the atmosphere felt intense.


    But I wasn''t all that interested.


    We''d already taken down Giss, and honestly, I wanted to take the day off. Liora had already returned to fixing the destroyed flowerbed.


    She was nting the seeds I had provided.


    Herposure was so unnerving it was almost scary. Next to her, Arisdyne was helping out.


    "Lord Zephyr, I want this. It''ll taste good when cooked."


    "Really?"


    "Delicious. It''ll make a good spice... Piti''s specialty."


    Are they getting along?


    It''s unsettling since they''ll eventually be enemies. Well, I''m not aiming to be a top-tier yer, and my ie is more than sufficient.


    Living quietly as an A-rank adventurer might not be so bad.


    But I''ll need to kill Giss again in the first field.


    Living quietly will have to wait. With his personality, I''m sure Giss bears a grudge against Liora. If given time, he''ll probably obtain new equipment and might even prepare countermeasures for next time.


    He''s said to have wealth and power on his side.


    While the peaceful scene at the flowerbed continued, the conversation between the Demon King and Yukris dragged on. The Demon King spread their arms, ready to embrace whatever came next.


    "Go ahead, shoot, Yukris! But do you understand this? Goddess The World is merciful. She loves not only you but even me. Even if you kill me in this event, she''ll undo my death."


    "…The World! That crazed phnthropist."


    "Don''t be so harsh. She''s already been favoring your side. Without some form of bnce, her divine love would smother all humanity. We''re only alive thanks to her cautious management."


    Yukris slumped his shoulders and put away his bow. The Demon King, now freed, seemed oddly lonely.


    Perhaps he had really wanted to test his durability.


    Yukris spat bitterly.


    "I won''t make the mistake of testing my firepower here. But one day, I''ll deliver my arrow to your head."


    "Hmm, I look forward to it."


    "Hmph… Gimora, one more thing."


    Yukris red at Gimora.


    Gimora, hiding under his academic cap, avoided showing any expression.


    They were apparently once close friends.


    There seems to be a deeper story there. As I eavesdropped, suddenly, Yukris, Liora, and the others began to float upwards.


    It was as if they were falling into the sky.


    Yukris, elerating upward, shouted.


    "!? [God''s Venomous Piti]! When did I get poisoned!?"


    "What is this?"


    Liora asked, confused.


    But no answer came.


    Because—


    [Personal Announcement Starting]


    [Contracted NPC Liora is dead. She is now excluded from the event space.]


    [We deeply appreciate your continued efforts to save the world.]


    After that, ording to the forums, nearly all the NPCs on our server died in mid-air from some mysterious floating phenomenon.


    It seems that any NPC who ate or drank anything at the festival ind was affected, ording to the theory put forth by the investigation team.


    Liora certainly ate something.


    And so, our festival was forcibly ended by the intervention of demon king.


    *****


    We werepletely powerless and defeated.


    Our opponent, whom we couldn''t eveny eyes on, was one of the Demon King''s Four Heavenly Kings—Pitti, the Divine Poison of Deadly Toxins. This created quite a deep connection.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Losing in the previous event was part of the setup.


    It didn''t end until we lost everything.


    However, this event was different.


    More than anything, even those of us who had grown stronger, like Liora and me, were mercilessly killed.


    The Demon King is probably the same, and so are the executives who are no longer in their physical form. They were such overwhelming beings.


    "I feel a little relieved, don''t you?"


    "…?"


    "Fighting weak opponents wouldn''t be interesting."


    The final goal of this *Sugo* is to defeat the Demon King.


    It wouldn''t be fun if it ended too easily. If the game could be cleared too quickly, the service would soone to an end due to its shallowness.


    It would be a little sad not to see Liora anymore, even though she''s just an NPC.


    That aside, cute Liora was killed.


    So Pitti must be given death.


    ――In the name of the Evil God Zephyr. Let''s indulge in some role-ying once in a while.


    "More importantly, Liora, let''s take a look at the event rewards."


    "Yes! I''m excited!"


    It seems the rankings for this event differ by server. It''s nice that the results aren''t influenced by other servers.


    Let''s check.


    Server 1 Rankings:


    1st ce: ck Team (us)


    2nd ce: White Team


    3rd ce: Red Team


    It seems we ced first on our server.


    Well, since the Demon King wiped out everyone else, it''s natural that the ck Team, which the Demon King belonged to, won.


    In a way, Demon King, good job.


    Next, let''s check the individual rankings within the server.


    1st ce: ck Team – Zephyr & Liora


    Oh.


    That was quick.


    It seems our performance was highly rated by the game administrators. Although I only ced 3rd in the [Alchemy] category, and thanks to some sabotage, I was unranked in the [Sculpture] category.


    Both Shiwo and Liora''s flowerbeds were destroyed.


    Ah, maybe it''s because the sculptures were sold to the Demon King?


    The money we earned also contributes to our event score. Since we earned a massive amount, we might have made the most during the event.


    If that''s the case, Demon King, good job.


    Could the Demon King be on our side?


    Liora celebrates with apletely expressionless "banzai."


    I rush toward her outstretched arms.


    "? …What''s wrong, God?"


    "It''s a high five, Liora. We came in first."


    "High five?"


    "It''s something friends do when they''re happy."


    "Friends… hehehe. Hehehehe. God and I are friends. Best friends… best friends, best friends, best friends, best friends. God is only friends with me…"


    "I''m not a loner… probably."


    Anyway, thanks to the Demon King''s assistance, it looks like we can im some great rewards. Let''s review the options.


    It seems you earn points based on your rank in this event.


    We can use those points to obtain items from a catalog. Being first ce in both categories gives us an abundance of options. The more choices, the more fun the game bes, right?


    Let''s start by iming the most expensive item.


    [Ideal Atelier]


    A subspace facility optimized for production activities.


    Can only be entered once per day. Cannot be used in certain locations.


    "I''m not entirely sure what it is, but let''s go with this."


    Since this is a high-priced item only avable to the first-ce team, there''s no choice but to purchase it. As a result, we have very few points left. We might be able to get one decent item, if that.


    "Finally, Liora, you can pick something if you''d like."


    "I want God to pick for me."


    "Is that so? I''m torn now."


    Compared to thest event, there seem to be fewer items that directly affectbat ability. However, that might make them more troublesome.


    Sometimes, people with odd items are harder to deal with than those who are simply strong.


    "We still have time to decide. For now, let''s use the [Ideal Atelier]."


    "Yes, God."


    "It''s Liora''s Atelier now."


    "?"


    Liora has a surprising sense of humor that''s hard to pin down.


    Sebbas, who once fought alongside us, managed to make Lioraugh a lot. I''m not sure if my sense of humor is terrible or if there''s something off about Liora.


    I activated the [Ideal Atelier].


    Suddenly.


    Several images appeared before me.


    [System message initiating]


    [Please select your Ideal Atelier]


    It seems the images that appeared are properties that can be turned into an atelier. My house is there, as is Liora''s family home.


    ces we''ve visited.


    Those are the options for the [Ideal Atelier].


    "If that''s the case… here it is. Let''s go with [Alsviz Fuss]."


    The [Alsviz Fuss] I chose is a castle I built using all of my fortune. It''s a massive, majestic, and incredibly beautiful castle.


    The interior is adorned with various intricate designs.