"Food that's kind to the liver! Ereshkigal, whose motto is modesty!" Rikka called out.
—The secret to health is three regular meals! Vegetables, a main dish, a starch, and side dishes! Leave the nutritionally balanced menu to me! ...My skills are only average, but I can see what everyone needs and prepare a menu instantly! I guarantee everyone's health on my name as a Heroic Princess!
"Home cooking that's kind to the liver is the best. It's the secret to longevity and a good night's sleep. A rice-to-barley ratio of 1:0.6! Meat is fine, but chicken breast for daily consumption! And specific vegetables contain high levels of anti-aging components! Let us strive for balanced nutrition!"
"Fuhaha! Behold Ea's prowess as a perfect wife and mother! As the King she serves, I am bursting with pride! Mash, you should strive to be such a bride! This is why she is my supreme treasure of treasures!"
(I'm dedicating my stomach to Ea!)
(A girl who can show such fine attention to detail is quite lovely.)
「Compared to that...」
"REALLY?! I'm going to eat bell peppers like a maniac from now on!" Ishtar yelled.
"I can live off calorie-mates and veggie juice, it's fine," Rikka shrugged.
「The state of these women is appalling... I worry they'll never find husbands...」 Olga Marie sighed.
『G... o... o... d... T... r... u... l... y... g... o... d... l... y...』
"Pomegranates! They're growing!"
"The fruit of the Underworld. A fine gift. We shall accept them graciously."
「Is this a trial or a VIP reception...?」
(She's happy because she was praised. How adorable you are, Ereshkigal—)
Fifth Gate: CLEAR!
The Sixth Gate
『Answer me... answer me...』
"ERESHKIGAL!!"
"Mmm! Ereshkigal! Whatever it is, the answer is Ereshkigal!"
"Mash, praise the Goddess of the Underworld every day from now on."
"S-Senpai?"
"Just do it! ERESHKIGAL!!"
『A... h... S... u... c... c... e... s... s...』
"An Underworld Ticket?! What do we use this for?"
"Fuhaha! She's run out of things to give! There are no facilities here! Keep it as a souvenir!"
"Wait, maybe we can use this?! A one-chance pass to skip the curse—"
『N... o... w... a... y...』
"GYAAAAA!!" (Ishtar shrank again)
(Nice!) (Enkidu)
(Nice!) (Fou)
"She's almost palm-sized now. A palm-sized Ishtar... mmm, pass. She's only an Inanna, after all. —FUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
—Stop it, King! You're going to fall into the abyss if you laugh any harder!
Sixth Gate: CLEAR!
The Seventh Gate
"One, two...!"
"ERESHKIGAL—!!" (The whole group shouted)
—Kigal-chan—!
『N... i... c... e... C... o... m... e...』
"Everyone, brace yourselves! Here we go!!"
『J... u... d... g... m... e... n... t...』
"I KNEW YOU WEREN'T GOING TO LET US SLIDE, YOU BRUTE!!"
—Finally, the moment we meet face-to-face...!
"Take this opportunity to become a bit more graceful. You might actually find a husband then."
"Yeah... I'll start by curbing my spending habits... and maybe be a little nicer to everyone... this trip has taught me a bit about what it's like to be weak..."
"Fuhaha! Look at you, all demure! But fine, the trip to the abyss was worth it just for that! Your current form will be told in Mesopotamian legend forever!"
"DON'T YOU DARE!! Archer Gilgamesh, you really have a rotten personality!"
(He's in the best mood ever, though.)
(She really has no eye for character.)
—Now everyone, let's go! Our encounter with the Mistress of the Underworld—
Achoo! (Ea sneezed)
"..."
(...)
(...)
「...」
—A-Anyway... the final showdown... yes... um...
I'll be careful not to let my soul get cold...
The Palace of the Underworld
[A modest mansion with a sign that says 'Welcome to the Palace of the Underworld']
"There's a house here—!?"
"Did those club members give her ideas? It's not bad taste."
"Fuhaha! She's actually made some renovations! Have you become addicted to 'Mine-na-Craft,' Mistress of the Underworld?!"
[I know nothing of 'Mine-na-Craft.' —Tremble. Pray. Despair, humans. I am the administrator of death. The Mistress of the Underworld, she who treads upon the sacred peaks—Ereshkigal of the Three Goddess Alliance.]
"That is the Goddess Ereshkigal! I've got a massive chill, Master!" Mash cried.
"Yeah... (monotone)," Rikka replied.
"The atmospheric temperature hasn't changed, but my perceived temperature is dropping rapidly...!"
「The atmospheric pressure there is 500 hPa?! That's like the summit of a 5000-meter mountain! It's not just cold, it's the altitude!」 Roman yelled.
「Temperature drop due to adiabatic cooling! It's likely minus 6 degrees Celsius! That's near the limit for life! At this rate, you'll get more than just decompression sickness—your lungs will burst! Defeat her quickly, Rikka!」
[How trivial. You fall into such a panic just from my presence. The commander of Chaldea is a cow—wait, Solomon?]
"Ha! Listen to her. Worms and mold and filth. A woman made of the air inside a coffin. That's you, Ereshkigal," Ishtar taunted.
[Oh? I thought I heard the annoying buzz of a fly, but it's just a pitiful goddess. ...As always, you have a sharp tongue. Very well. You called me ugly. To show my form to the likes of you is the height of whim, but to remain insulted is a shame upon a goddess. I will show you... no, no! Enough! I'm sick of this way of speaking!]
—Eh?!
(Yep, yep.)
[I'll show you! This is my true form as a goddess—!!]
In an instant, the Galula Spirit shattered, and—
"Ta-da! Hehe. Are you surprised? You look surprised! I bet you're surprised! Of course the Galula form was a fake! Behold the form I never showed even to the gods of Sumer, and tremble! Rikka!"
"Yeah... looks great."
"Right?! ...Wait. You're not... that surprised? Why? This is the part where you fall in love, right? The human books said this always works! Where's the romance? Where's the tension...?"
"S-Senpai, aren't you surprised? By, you know..." Mash stammered.
"I know," Rikka said plainly. "This is the third time we've met, Ereshkigal."
"W-Well, yes, but... wait, you knew? You knew the person talking to you at night wasn't that winged insect over there, but me? But how?! When did you find out?!"
"I KNEW! I knew from the start! Ereshkigal is adorable!" Rikka yelled.
"Wha—wha—wha—wha—you knew?! You knew and you still let me say all those embarrassing things?! We talked?! Me?!"
"Pfft—ku... fuhahaha!" Archer Gil started to shake.
—Oh, you owner of a heart-melting thought-process, molded from whipped cream and sweet dreams. I must be cruel and tell you the truth.
"N-N-N-NOOOOOOOOOOO! This wasn't how it was supposed to go! This wasn't the plan—!!"
—Your name is Maiden-Brain Romance!
"THAT FACE! I wanted to see that face, Ereshkigal!! You truly are the best! You try so hard and fail so spectacularly! As a clown and a pitiable woman, you are a first-rate jester!! FUHUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!" Archer Gil roared with laughter.
(Don't let it get to you, Ele-chan.)
(Her heroine power is off the charts...)
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