Before long, Seele hurried back to Qlipoth Fort with a small group in tow.
"Let's go, let's go—right now!"
She had barely returned when she grabbed Valerius's arm, clearly afraid he might change his mind.
"Hm?"
Valerius swept his gaze over the group—and immediately noticed something was off.
Natasha, Clara, Hook, Serval, and Lynx were all there.
But—
"Where are Gepard and Pela?"
"Oh, they're busy today. Can't get away."
That made sense. Gepard and Pela were Silvermane Guards—real professionals.
If anyone was going to be tied down by work, it'd be them.
"…Then what about Sampo?"
"Why would we bring him?" Seele frowned immediately. "So he can cause trouble?"
Her tone made her stance crystal clear.
For her first trip to another world, she absolutely did not want Sampo tagging along.
What if he stirred up trouble and ruined everything?
The others nodded in silent agreement.
Same thought. Same conclusion.
Sampo—not invited.
"Alright then."
Valerius covered his face helplessly.
Looks like Sampo really was universally disliked. Even an interworld outing didn't earn him an invite.
That said… considering Sampo's background, Valerius didn't think much of it.
If Sampo really wanted to go somewhere, he'd probably already have his own way—no need for an Anywhere Door.
Once more, Valerius reached into his pocket and pulled out the red door.
"Wooooah—so cool!"
Hook's eyes sparkled. Watching Valerius pull things out of his pocket looked downright magical to a kid.
He chuckled and ruffled her hair.
"Well? With an ability like this, think I could be the vice-leader of the Moles?"
"Hmmmm—!"
Hook thought hard, then shook her head decisively.
"You and Sister Star can be honorary members!"
She wasn't about to replace her current vice-leader.
The ability was awesome, sure—but rules were rules.
"Deal," Valerius laughed, scooping her up.
"Then let this honorary member take the boss to another world."
"De—parture!"
Seeing how fond Valerius was of Hook, Natasha finally relaxed.
She'd been worried the kid might get too mischievous and offend him.
After all, Hook had already dubbed her an "old witch"—what if she suddenly gave Valerius some outrageous nickname too?
One by one, everyone stepped through the Anywhere Door.
At the very end, Bronya hesitated, then spoke softly.
"You all go ahead. I still have work—I won't be joining."
She truly couldn't spare the time.
Once the initial excitement faded, reality set in.
Belobog was barely standing, and responsibilities weighed heavily on her shoulders.
Besides… Gepard and Pela were still on duty.
As their superior, how could she justify sneaking off to have fun?
"Oh, come on. Work never ends—come with us."
Seele clearly wasn't having it.
Before Bronya could react, Seele grabbed her hand and dragged her straight into the door.
A gentle breeze brushed their faces.
Lush green grass stretched endlessly in every direction, accompanied by the distant chirping of birds.
"Th-this… is grass?"
Bronya stood frozen, staring in disbelief.
The trees were green.
The mountains in the distance were green.
Everything—alive.
She had never seen a world like this.
Breathing air without even a hint of cold, her chest tightened with emotion she could barely contain.
For a moment, she felt like singing at the top of her lungs.
"Waaaah!"
Hook had already grabbed Clara's hand and was sprinting across the field.
In the Underworld, she was used to gray skies and soot-stained steel.
Blue skies and white clouds were something straight out of a dream.
"Hook! Don't run too far!"
Valerius called after her and quickly followed.
This was the wilderness near Mondstadt—
and where there was wilderness, there were Hilichurls.
In-game, Hook could brawl with monsters.
But here? She was just a tough kid.
A couple Hilichurls might be manageable—but a group would spell real trouble.
"Mr. Valerius really likes children, doesn't he?"
Watching him chase after Hook, Natasha smiled softly.
Even she felt her heart racing with excitement.
Scenes like this simply didn't exist in Belobog.
Even the flower shop only sold cold-resistant plants—nothing like this ocean of green.
And by the nearby stream, wildflowers bloomed freely.
Meanwhile, as Valerius caught up to Hook, he was about to call her back—
when he noticed, out of the corner of his eye, two figures by the stream.
One big. One small.
Both crouched down, washing something in the water.
"…Huh? Isn't that the emergency food and the blonde traveler?"
He quietly crept closer and immediately caught their conversation.
"So, Lumine… what kind of game do you think it'll be next time?"
"Think we'll get picked?"
"If I get a reward, could I finally beat a wild boar?"
Lumine paused and glanced sideways.
"No idea who'll get picked—but with the two of us together, our odds are pretty bad."
"How could that be? If it's an eating contest, I'd definitely win!"
"There's definitely not going to be a game like that."
"…Oh."
Paimon looked disappointed.
"Well… then I'll just spend all my points before I get eliminated."
After seeing Valerius pull out cakes during previous games, she'd really wanted to participate.
Winning wasn't necessary—
as long as she could use points to buy something tasty, it'd be worth it.
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