3rd POV
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Somewhere in the Demon Realm.
A short-statured woman with a lolita-like face, semi-short silver hair, and golden eyes looked utterly shocked.
"What was that just now…? The pressure I felt made no sense… It might have been equal to—or even stronger than—when Shiro and I became one again, isn't it?"
She was shaken by the realization that a being whose power far surpassed her own had appeared.
"It seems that presence disappeared at Shalltear's location. I should check on her… And Shiro... She must know something about this as well…"
She murmured softly while gazing up at the sky, her eyes glowing.
Back at Shalltear's mansion.
Sitting at a table, facing something utterly incomprehensible, Shalltear could hardly believe what she had just heard.
'This is terrifying. I never imagined there could be a being even more horrifying than Kuro-san. How could something like this even exist here? I'm certain that if I fought him, I would die, and that death would mean absolute termination.'(Shalltear)
Her thoughts raced as she desperately searched for a way to drive the being in front of her out of this world.
But no matter how much she thought, she couldn't find an answer.
'If I try to forcibly expel him from this world, he'll kill me instantly. If I'm the only one who suffers the consequences, that's fine. But if this world gets erased along with me… that would be a catastrophic end.'(Shalltear)
The more she thought about it, the more hopeless she felt.
'I really hope he wasn't lying about wanting to live peacefully here. If that's true, then at the very least, we'd have an absolutely reliable final line of defense. No matter what kind of threat attacks us, he could erase it effortlessly… well, assuming he chooses to act.'(Shalltear)
Shalltear forced herself to think from another angle. She knew that no matter how she tried to resist, it would be meaningless.
'After all… the End isn't something you can fight against. It's not something you can defeat with stats… not something measurable through power scaling… he is the embodiment of the end itself.'(Shalltear)
After weighing the pros and cons, Shalltear decided to try trusting him. There was no other option left but to believe.
'This is why no one dares to make a deal with eldritch horrors… Still, it's hard to imagine a being like that using the name Arthur… haa…'(Shalltear)
She let out a helpless sigh in her heart.
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MC POV
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"…What kind of partnership?"(Shalltear)
"A partnership to develop the entertainment industry."(Arthur)
I answered with a small smile.
"You seem quite powerful. You must have considerable influence here, right?"(Arthur)
"…"(Shalltear)
Seeing her remain silent, I continued.
"You're from another world too, aren't you?"(Arthur)
"That's right."(Shalltear)
"Then you must know about the limitless entertainment from other worlds. Why don't we bring all of that here—and control the entertainment industry?"(Arthur)
I've always wanted to experience life as someone filthy rich—just like the people from my previous world.
On top of that, if we developed the entertainment industry here, the slow life I wanted wouldn't become boring.
"Are you serious?"(Shalltear)
She looked straight at me, seeking confirmation.
"Of course."(Arthur)
I nodded in response.
Besides, through this partnership, I could grow closer to her. And for her, it would allow her to keep an eye on me and confirm that I truly had no malicious intent. That would surely lower her guard.
I began explaining various forms of entertainment from my previous world. I manifested several famous comic series—Naruto and One Piece, for example—and placed a few volumes from each series on the table for her to read.
Watching her pick them up and start reading, I smiled inwardly.
I didn't know how the tastes of people from another world differed, but when it came to entertainment, I doubted they were all that different.
I looked forward to seeing the entertainment industry spread and flourish in this world.
And I was confident that Shalltear would enjoy it too. After all, she was a girl who loved having fun.
After several hours of her reading multiple volumes while discussing with me what other forms of entertainment I wanted to introduce, the atmosphere gradually relaxed.
"I think we could sell these in the Demon Realm. But we might need to wait for now—the situation here is still unstable. There are still many demons causing chaos throughout the world…"(Shalltear)
As I listened to her explanation, I suddenly sensed something.
Calmly, I turned my gaze to my right.
Shalltear stopped speaking and followed my line of sight. She must have sensed it too—someone was coming.
In an instant, a small patch of black mist appeared and rapidly expanded, filling the area we were looking at.
Ah… I recognized this.
The second strongest being in this world. The one who would soon launch an attack on the God Realm in the near future.
"Shalltear…"
She slowly emerged from within the mist. Her golden eyes shone sharply as they locked onto Shalltear.
"Kuro-san."(Shalltear)
Shalltear gave a small nod in greeting.
Kuromueina.
Half of Shallow Vernal's existence, created by Shallow Vernal's own hands.
"Are you alright, Shalltear?"(Kuro)
With a worried expression, Kuro asked in a concerned tone.
"I'm fine. You don't need to worry…"(Shalltear)
Shalltear replied with a helpless smile.
"That's good…"(Kuro)
After fully confirming that Shalltear was safe, Kuro turned her curious gaze toward me.
Our eyes met briefly, before she looked back at Shalltear.
"Shalltear… who is this man?"(Kuro)
Shalltear then stood up and introduced us to each other.
"Kuro-san, let me introduce you. This is Arthur."(Shalltear)
I stood up and stepped forward to greet her. Seeing Kuro up close, I couldn't help but shake my head inwardly.
Why did she choose a loli form? I really couldn't understand it. Especially when her true form looked almost identical to Shallow Vernal—aside from the black hair and black clothing.
Well, whatever. I'd get used to it eventually. Besides, she could change her form whenever she wanted.
"Hey. My name's Arthur. Arthur Twilight. Nice to meet you."(Arthur)
Hearing that, Kuro smiled and replied,
"Nice to meet you too, Arthur-kun. My name is Kuromueina. You can call me Kuro."(Kuro)