“Astaroth,” Lady Entropy said as we walked side-by-side through the castle’s halls.

“What is it, Lady Entropy?”

“The dog. What’ll you do with it?”

“Ah, the Kobold, is it,” I said, nodding to myself. “Judging from its reactions, a training too harsh will only lead to adverse effects. I can tell it has potential, so if possible, I would like it to at least evolve to the level of a Kobold Chief and assist Davna as a commander, but…”

She nodded. “It can probably reach that level, and Davna could use the help. But that’s not what I meant. Not the future. Right now.”

“... Right now?”

She nodded and pointed at my leg.

I was starting to form an idea of what she meant. Indeed, when I looked down, the Kobold was firmly attached to my leg—it seemed it was so light I had not noticed it.

“What in the world do you think you are doing?” I asked it, lightly shaking my leg.

It did not let go of my leg.

“Clinging?” it asked after a moment of silence, canting its head to the side in a cute gesture.

“I can see that, you imbecile. What I want to know is why.”

It tilted its head in the opposite direction.

“Lady Entropy?” I asked.

“What?”

“Is there some secret manner of speaking to facilitate communication with Kobolds?”

“You’re on your own.”

‘Even a regular dog is easier to understand’—with that kind of thought, I heaved a sigh.

I decided to try a different approach—that is, a more specific question.

“Kobold. Is there something you want from me?”

It nodded. Internally, I rejoiced.

“Then out with it.”

It simply stared straight at my face, its tail wagging left and right. I thought I could make out a faint hint of expectation in its eyes. After a moment of thought back to its earlier actions, I decided to rephrase.

“I am granting you the honour of hearing one of your requests, soldier. Say it before I change my mind.”

In an instant, it separated from my leg and gave me a well-intended, yet sloppy salute. I waved my hand dismissively and it lowered its paw. “Sir, yes sir!” it said, “I would like to receive the item you promised me, sir!”

A surprising amount of articulation—and in addition, it seemed to enjoy being dominated. I took a mental note of my newfound way of communicating with it as I thought back to whatever I may have promised it.

“The collar?” I asked after a few moments.

“Sir, yes sir!” it replied, its tail wagging furiously.

I remained silent a few moments more and then clapped my hands. From a wall, a Ghost Maid emerged and gave a formal curtsy. “How may I be of assistance, Master Astaroth?” she asked.

Her expression was disturbingly similar to the Kobold’s.

I nodded and gestured towards the dog-like humanoid at my feet. “Get her a properly fitted collar. If necessary, have Rhud make one.”

As expected, referring to it using ‘it’ out loud would likely hurt my reputation, so I used ‘she’ instead.

“Understood. Are there any preferences as to the collar’s appearance?” I was slightly surprised at how easily she had accepted such an order, but I decided not to address it. I was the one who had given the order, after all.

I looked at the Kobold a few seconds, and it tilted its head cutely to the side once more.

“Ask her,” I said.

“Understood. May I ask for her name?”

The girl seemed hesitant to address the Kobold as ‘Kobold’. Not entirely ununderstandable.

I appraised the Kobold.

Name

>

Sex

Female

Race

Kobold

Grade

3 (Normal)

Skills

Kobold

[Kobold Instincts] [Kobold Pack Bonding]

Kobold Instincts

Passive: your instincts have evolved to the level where they can be trusted and relied upon without issue. They will guide you to ways to easily form a pack, gain strength, survive, etc.

Kobold Pack Bonding

Passive: you will have an increased sense of unity with those you consider allies. Your coordination when performing activities in a group is improved.

Other

[Loyalty] [Divine Protection: Entropy (lesser) (Inborn)]

Loyalty

Passive: your parameters will improve when you are following orders.

Divine Protection: Entropy (lesser) (Inborn)

Passive: your affinity for darkness-attribute magic will increase. Your hardiness will slightly increase. You will find it slightly easier to keep secrets and remain unnoticed.

There were several obvious problems with this status—it possessed not a single active skill, not even [Claw Technique], and there was an out-of-place divine protection—but currently most relevant was its lack of a name. I nodded to myself.

“Soldier. If there is a name you would like to go by, say it now or remain forever silent.”

“Sir, no sir!”

“I see. Then I shall give you one, myself.”

Although I said such, it was not like I was particularly good at coming up with names.

A name, huh… It likes the idea of a collar, so perhaps something dog- or wolf-like would be good.

White fur, pure white, pristine, almost like… snow.

Black eyes, dark, hard, perhaps like stone.

Stone and snow… like a mountain, perhaps?

With that kind of unusual thought process, I soon arrived at a passable name.

“Then, from this moment forth, your name is Alpine.”

“Sir, yes sir!” the Kobold said, enthusiastic as ever and oblivious to my absurd thought process.

“Then, Lady Alpine, this way, please,” the Ghost Maid said. Alpine obediently followed her.

“Naming it after the Alps? Good call,” Lady Entropy said as we started walking once more.

“... If I may ask, Lady Entropy, how do you know what the Alps are?”

“Ah,” she let out, her ears wriggling slightly. “That’s… I’ll, uh, tell you later.”

“I shall keep you to that, Lady Entropy, but if the topic makes you uncomfortable, we can talk about a different subject for now.”

“Something else?” she asked, canting her head adorably to the side.

“Yes. For example… Alpine’s future,” I said, resisting the urge to pull her into a hug.

“Its future?”

“Yes. To start… how did you feel about it, Lady Entropy?”

“Nn… It felt a bit… off? Like it wasn’t a normal Kobold.”

“Indeed, I felt the same way. After looking at its status, I have identified the cause of its… potential, shall we say.”

“Potential?”

“Yes. It could become a great subject one day—as a collector, it is a pleasing asset to have. I think the cause of this may be a certain skill.”

“Skill? Does it have an inborn skill?”

It seemed Lady Entropy had not bothered to appraise Alpine. I could not fault her for that.

“The black of its eyes… a gorgeous colour, is it not?”

“Huh? Well, it is pretty. Reminds me of yours…” One of her ears flicked with what was likely realisation as she looked at me. “Are you implying I…?”

I nodded. “It possesses a divine protection.”

“But I don’t remember cursing it…”

“A lapse in memory, perhaps?” I asked. Of course, I had no idea if a goddess could even have such a thing.

“... I don’t like it when you doubt me.”

“I am not doubting you, it is just…”

“Just?”

“There is no mistaking it has a blessing. The Aspect of Blessings has given me a comprehensive grasp on them, and there can be no doubt on the fact that it is one of yours…”

“But… Even if I forgot, why would I bless something like a Kobold?”

“About that… the blessing was an inborn skill.”

“Inborn… But that shouldn’t be possible? When someone dies, the fragments of their soul, and those of other souls, combine to form new souls. Heroes are reincarnated with their souls intact, but you’re from a different world, so the rules might be different? But that’s an exception. The Kobold should be from here.”

“So then, any blessings would simply scatter…”

“Yes.”

“Most peculiar.”

“You’re not wrong.”

“Of course not, Lady Entropy.”

As we arrived at the shrine, Lady Entropy naturally opened the door without hesitation and beckoned me inside. At her prompting, I sat down next to her on the bed.

“Why the bed?” I asked after several seconds of puzzled silence.

“I feel at ease here, so it becomes easier to enter my divine realm.”

“I see… Actually, I believe there is a more fundamental question here.”

“Hm?”

“Why do you have a bed, in the first place? You do not sleep.” A certain other goddess came to mind—certainly, she would appreciate a bed as cute and comfortable as this one—but my beloved Lady Entropy did not have any of that girl’s bad habits.

She quickly turned her head away without giving me an answer, her ears slightly wiggling.

“Well?” I asked, now curious.

“It’s… it’s a secret!”

“A secret?”

“Yes. It’s embarrassing, so it’s a secret.”

“... Embarrassing?” I asked, puzzled. No embarrassing reasons to own a bed immediately came to mind.

“-Ah. It’s fine if you forget I said that.”

“There is no way I could forget a word you speak to me.”

I shook my head. “In any case, shall we get going?”

“Before that, something else.”

“How may I help you, Lady Entropy?”

“I gave you another Aspect. A proper reward later… but for now, a downpayment.”

I chuckled softly to myself—well, I was fairly certain she heard me—before speaking. “Then, excuse me-” I said before interrupting myself by pulling her towards me using a hand on her shoulder.

She let out a weird noise as her ears fluttered in apparent embarrassment, but she offered no resistance.

The same as before, I gently stroked her hair—but different from before, her ears now told me just how much she enjoyed it. Prompted such, I kept her close to me for a while.

Mumbling something along the lines of ‘that’s enough’, she eventually parted from my arms.

She nodded to herself and closed her eyes, concentrating-

And then we were back amidst that boundless, intangible black.

Not even two seconds after we arrived, an area of the space shattered like glass hit with a sledgehammer. From the crack, Gnome made her appearance.

“Lady Entropy,” she shouted enthusiastically, “Lord Astaroth! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

She interrupted herself by pulling the two of us into a tight hug. Given our heights did not match up in the slightest, I could not describe it as anything other than ‘awkward’.

After a few moments, she started sniffing me—once more, thoughts about dogs entered my mind—before letting go and dropping to the ground.

“You smell even more like Lady Entropy now! Did you find another Aspect? C’mon, tell me, tell me!”

The idea of ‘divine dignity’, or anything of the sort, was nowhere to be found. In a certain way, she almost looked like a normal child.

“I have obtained the Aspect of Blessings, formerly the Aspect of Holy Blessings.”

“Ah, that sounds important,” Gnome said, “but more than that, this smell… it feels like I know it.”

I narrowed my eyes in slight confusion. “You mean to say I smell familiar somehow?”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s the word! Whatever you said!”

Apparently, I could have substituted the word for anything else.

She went in circles around me several times, sniffing the air as she went, before reaching a conclusion.

“Ah, I got it! You smell like a demi-god!”

“He smells like a demi-god?” Lady Entropy asked, canting her head to the side. It seemed she did not possess Gnome’s gifted nose.

“Yup! He’s def… defi… for sure a demi-god!”

«Negative.»

“Huh? The system spoke first?” Gnome asked, tilting her head in a cute gesture.

I latched on to the opportunity and cleared my throat. “GAME,” I said, “explain both your words and Lady Gnome’s.”

«Understood. Overlord Astaroth does not possess the qualifications of a demi-god, since Overlord Astaroth does not possess enough divinity. Goddess of Earth, Gnome’s appraisal is likely based on the small amount of divinity Overlord Astaroth possesses.»

“In other words, if I just gather enough divinity, I can become a god.”

«Affirmative.»

“ ‘Enough’ and ‘small amount’?” Lady Entropy asked, her ears twitching with curiosity. “Then, where does the divinity he already has come from?”

«My functions prevent me from answering this line of inquiry.»

In an uncharacteristic display of emotion, Lady Entropy clicked her tongue.

«Suggestion: begin negotiations for reward for the completion of the request.»

I nodded. “Then-”

“Ah, yes!” Gnome interrupted, “I have an offer!”

“... Speak.”

“I’ll give you a fragment of divinity!”

Lady Entropy’s and my voices practically overlapped as we let out a collective “Huh?”

“ ‘Cause, you wanna become a god, right? And the system just said that divinity’ll let you do that.”

“Well, he did say that that was…”

“No, no, Lady Entropy,” I said, shaking my head.

She tilted her head in silence.

“Certainly, for me, that is a splendid reward. But I do not see any benefit for you.”

“It’s not like I did much. This was mostly your accomplishment.”

“But I never would have been able to accomplish it had it not been for your generosity…”

“Uh,” Gnome said, “are you… gonna be done…?”

“Ah,” Lady Entropy and I said simultaneously.

“Do you want it, or do you have a better idea?” Gnome asked, tilting her head to the side. “I guess I could give you both something. You did help me out.”

Lady Entropy’s ears twitched in curiosity. “What do you have for me, then?”

“Um… I guess I could give you this?”

From nowhere in particular, she produced a brown, glittering gemstone, overflowing with earth-attribute mana.

I looked at it and narrowed my eyes. “A mana source?” I asked, knowing full well the answer was ‘yes’.

“Yup!”

A mana source—in other words, greatly compressed mana, to the level where it would start producing mana of its own. The amount of mana you would need to produce one of this size would easily be at the level where it would be called ‘divinity’, instead, and was something only gods could produce.

“Ah, regarding the mana source Sleehekt had on his person, Lilith took around half the mana in it,” I said, now that the topic had come up anyway.

Gnome gave me a blank stare.

“And I forcefully incorporated Sleehekt’s nation into my own.”

Still a blank stare.

“Well, if you do not mind, I suppose it is fine,” I said, shaking my head. “In any case, I suppose this would be a great boon for a mortal, but is this really that valuable to a goddess?”

“To goddesses other than me, sure! ‘Cause it produces earth-attribute mana.”

“Ah. In other words, it would allow her to use earth-attribute magic.”

“Yup!”

“Then, I’ll take it,” Lady Entropy said.

Gnome said something about this being the strongest mana source she could make as she pressed the gemstone into Lady Entropy’s hands, and then turned to me.

“Wait a few seconds,” she said, before closing her eyes and seeming to focus on something.

After ‘a few seconds’, which felt more like a minute, a small, brown orb of light exited Gnome’s chest. Gently, it floated towards me and entered the rough location of my heart, and-

Despite the inner turmoil as if it were going to make me vomit, I understood that I had obtained “another fragment of divinity”.