Proposal

Seeing Emroy's panicked face, Rory couldn't help but feel curious.

But before she could voice her confusion, Emroy blurted out the reason for her distress.

"You... what did you do to me? Why is my power gone?!" Emroy cried, fearfully staring at Eriri. All her previous indignation had completely vanished.

Eriri didn't respond immediately. Instead, she casually reached out and beckoned with her finger.

In an instant, Emroy was pulled by a powerful force, dragged off her throne and directly to Eriri's side.

"Isn't this much better now?" Eriri said with a smile as she pinched Emroy's soft cheek between her fingers. "At least you have a real body now, instead of floating around like before."

Even when Emroy still had divine powers, she couldn't resist Eriri's actions. Now, reduced to an ordinary little girl, she could do nothing but endure as Eriri pinched and played with her face.

Eriri's words, however, were like a spark to dry kindling, setting Emroy off instantly.

She grabbed Eriri's hand with her small fingers and yelled, "No! This is terrible! I don't want to be a mortal!"

"Really? That's a shame," Eriri said casually, withdrawing her hand. "But if you want to be a god again so badly, I suppose I can grant you that."

Her tone carried no real regret. From the beginning, she was just toying with Emroy on a whim.

Had Emroy reacted differently, Eriri might have helped her break free from the constraints of her spirit-form divinity. But if she was so obsessed with her godhood, Eriri didn't feel the need to do anything more.

In the blink of an eye, Emroy's divine power was restored, and her mortal body silently vanished. She returned to being a spirit-form deity.

Though Eriri could have allowed Emroy to keep both her physical body and divine power, she didn't see the point. They were strangers, after all. Who knew if they'd ever meet again?

Emroy, sensing the return of her divine energy, let out a breath of relief. Her hungry, vulnerable feeling vanished. Yet, strangely, a sense of loss lingered.

She couldn't shake the feeling that she had missed something very important.

From that moment on, Emroy's attitude toward Eriri changed drastically. Her tone became exceptionally respectful, even reverent.

She had no desire to experience powerlessness ever again and now harbored a deep-rooted fear of Eriri.

Eriri, not forgetting her original goal, explained the future of the "Gate" and warned Emroy not to interfere with the two worlds.

Initially, Emroy wanted to object. After all, the Gate was a source of entertainment for the gods. Losing their control over it would make their eternal lives even duller.

But as she glanced at Eriri, Emroy swallowed her protests.

Better bored than obliterated.

"Lady Eriri, it's no use telling me this. The main initiator behind opening the 'Gate' is Hardy. I was just tagging along for the fun. If the 'Gate' goes out of control, the first one who won't be able to stand it will definitely be her."

"Hardy..."

Upon hearing Hardy's name, a look of disgust appeared on Rory's face, instantly catching the attention of Eriri and Emroy.

Feeling their eyes on her, Rory quickly explained, "Hardy is so annoying. She's been trying to marry me since two hundred years ago and keeps pestering me nonstop. It's so irritating."

Hearing Rory's explanation, Emroy nodded in understanding. "Ah, so that's what it was. Hardy often tries to get me to hand you over too, but I always refused her. No wonder you look so annoyed."

Naturally, Eriri was also aware of this matter, as it had been mentioned in the original work.

Despite wanting to marry Rory, that didn't mean the underworld goddess Hardy was a male deity.

On the contrary, Hardy was a stunning silver-haired beauty who looked no older than her early twenties.

Observing Hardy confirmed this for Eriri. Hardy, much like Eriri herself, had a strong preference for girls and an intense aversion to men, so much so that every member of her temple's clergy was female.

"Well then, let's settle this matter today," Eriri said with a smile, nodding to Rory.

"Yay! I'm so done with Hardy's harassment," Rory exclaimed joyfully and eagerly asked, "Eriri, are we heading directly to Hardy's temple in Belnarga?"

"No need for that," Eriri shook her head and casually raised her right hand, reaching into the air toward a certain direction.

In the next second, a stunning silver-haired woman materialized in the open space in front of Eriri's hand.

This silver-haired beauty had her eyes closed, her expression serene and peaceful, seemingly out of place with the title of Underworld Goddess.

"Hardy..."

Seeing the silver-haired woman, Emroy instinctively called out her name.

As Emroy's voice echoed, Hardy's eyelids began to tremble slightly.

Moments later, her eyes slowly opened, revealing a pair of beautiful emerald-green eyes that met the gazes of the three before her.

As Eriri was standing directly in front of her, Hardy's first sight upon awakening was Eriri herself.

Eriri's beauty was enough to captivate anyone, but to someone like Hardy, who preferred women, it was downright irresistible.

"So beautiful!" Hardy murmured in awe, her gaze locked onto Eriri, completely forgetting Emroy's earlier call.

However, even though she had been stunned, Hardy was still a goddess who had lived for countless years. She quickly recovered from the shock of Eriri's appearance.

Yet, what she did next left all three—Eriri, Rory, and Emroy—utterly speechless.

Hardy conjured a bouquet of glowing pink energy flowers with her divine power, then knelt on one knee and presented it to Eriri.

With a look of deep infatuation, she said, "Though I don't yet know your name, please marry me! Let us become one and spend eternity together!"

And before Eriri could respond, Hardy hastily added, "I am the Goddess of the Underworld. If you marry me, I will fulfill your every wish!"

Hardy's sudden proposal left Eriri genuinely stunned. This was the first time she'd ever experienced something like this.

If the one kneeling in front of her had been a man, Eriri might have flung him into outer space without a second thought. But the person kneeling was a stunningly beautiful woman with flawless looks and figure, which made Eriri somewhat curious.

Of course, this curiosity didn't mean she had any romantic feelings for Hardy. Rather, she simply wanted to see what kind of expression Hardy would make when she thought she was about to succeed—only to be brutally rejected.

So Eriri hid her gradually growing amusement behind a thoughtful pose, tapping her chin with her finger as though genuinely considering the proposal.

Seeing Eriri hesitate gave Hardy hope. After all, not being rejected outright meant she was halfway to success.

As Hardy waited with a hopeful expression, Eriri slowly opened her mouth and said, "Hmm… it does sound kind of nice."

Hardy's face immediately lit up with joy. If she was halfway there before, now she was ninety percent sure of success. Just a little more push and it would be a done deal!

Yes, absolutely!

But as Hardy brimmed with excitement, Rory and Emroy exchanged looks of pity.

They knew just how powerful Eriri truly was. Would she really need Hardy to fulfill her wishes?

What Eriri just said was clearly toying with her. They could already imagine the amusing scene that was about to follow when Hardy realized she'd been played.

If anything, Hardy had only herself to blame for being blinded by lust.

Rory, who had been bothered by Hardy's persistent pursuit for the past two hundred years, couldn't help but feel a little satisfaction seeing her about to fall flat.

Just as Hardy thought she was moments away from success, Eriri's firm voice rang out:

"BUT! I refuse!"

Though Eriri had used this line in other situations before, it was undoubtedly the most fitting here.

"Eh?"

Hardy froze, dumbfounded by the abrupt and resolute rejection.

"That's right, that's all there is to it. There's no way I'd marry you, so just give up already," Eriri said casually.

Upon hearing this, Hardy immediately dropped into an orz pose on the ground, the bouquet in her hands dissipating into glowing specks of light.

But a few seconds later, she quickly bounced back. Hardy wasn't the kind of goddess who gave up over a little setback.

Though clearly wounded emotionally, she stubbornly insisted, "Wait! Even if you won't marry me, I could marry you! Look at me—I may not be as gorgeous as you, but I'm still a top-tier beauty. Marrying me would totally be worth it!"

She then stood up and leaned closer to Eriri.

"Stop, stop, don't get any closer."

Eriri immediately stretched out her hand to press against Hardy's face, blocking her advance. Though Hardy was technically a spiritual being, that didn't stop Eriri from touching her.

But instead of backing off, Hardy's lips curled into a blissful, borderline creepy smile.

"Guhehehe~ Your hand is so soft, so smooth, and smells so nice. Press a little harder… let me feel more of you~"

"Eh... That's kind of perverted," Eriri said, pushing at Hardy's cheek with a look of disgust, nudging her head slightly backward.

"What's the problem~" Hardy replied shamelessly, showing no regard for her dignity as the goddess of the underworld.

While Hardy didn't care, Emroy standing nearby seemed unable to watch any longer. As one of this world's main deities, Emroy felt Hardy's behavior was embarrassing for them all.

She deliberately coughed a few times to draw Hardy's attention, hoping she'd rein herself in a bit.

Rory, on the other hand, was dumbfounded by Hardy. She had expected to see a flustered and embarrassed goddess, not someone this shameless.

Though Emroy's coughs came in a delicate loli voice, they were loud and finally succeeded in catching Hardy's attention.

But when Hardy turned her head and saw Emroy, her face didn't show the slightest surprise—as if she had known all along.

She also saw Rory, though the situation Rory had worried about didn't happen at all.

Had Eriri not appeared, Hardy might have gone after Rory. But the moment she met Eriri, her attention shifted completely. Her target of interest was no longer Rory.

In other words, Rory's earlier concerns had resolved themselves without her realizing it.

"I thought that voice sounded familiar. So it was you, Emroy. What brings you out in your true form today? That's not like you."

Turning her head meant Hardy's face was no longer in Eriri's hand. Though she regretted losing that close skinship, she knew better than to push her luck.

She didn't want Eriri to grow annoyed with her.

After all, Hardy wasn't a brainless deity. As the goddess of the underworld who had lived for countless years, she had already sensed the shift in her circumstances.

In just a moment, she had deduced the general situation. And she was fairly certain that her change in predicament was related to the girl standing before her—Eriri.

Of course, her lust for Eriri wasn't just an act. Her marriage proposal carried her full sincerity.

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