Arcueid Brunestud.
The Princess of the True Ancestors, an Earth Fairy, the Moon Princess dubbed the White Princess (Shirohime).
The last time Naoki met her was eight years ago during the Wallachia Night. After that incident, she returned to the Millennium Castle, which she created through Imaginary Manifestation, to seal herself and sleep in order to suppress her vampiric urges.
Eight years had passed. Though for both of them, eight years was but a fleeting moment, and even a thousand years wouldn't change anything about them, eight years was still not a short time to be apart.
Yet, her presence here still shocked Naoki.
Leaping down from the path and landing in the sea of flowers, Naoki looked at Arcueid: "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be in the Millennium Castle?"
"Straight to questions? I thought you'd give me a reunion hug after being apart for so long."
Arcueid pouted but quickly smiled again: "Well, the reason's simple. Given the situation out there right now, everything's been burned to ashes, including my Millennium Castle. Though I normally can't die, being constantly burned is really unpleasant. So, just before my Millennium Castle was incinerated, I used Imaginary Manifestation to escape at full speed to the place with the densest mystery I could sense."
Because of the Human Order Incineration?
It made sense—even Arcueid couldn't stand against the Human Order Incineration. The result was that she fled to this Singularity Point for her own safety and ended up in the Underworld?
"You really ran quite far."
"Not that far. My bed is in the mountains of Western Europe. If I run at full speed, it doesn't take long to get here." Arcueid explained with a laugh.
Seeing how familiar the two were, Ishtar poked half her head out: "What, is she an acquaintance of yours?"
"Yeah, she's someone very important to me." Naoki smiled. "Let me introduce her: this is Arcueid, Arcueid Brunestud, a True Ancestor. And Arcueid, this little one is Ishtar."
"I know her. Nice to meet you, tiny Goddess."
Arcueid laughed as she flicked the head of the miniature Ishtar, causing her to panic and duck back into Naoki's clothing.
(True Ancestor… Fairy… What kind of monstrous people does this guy know?)
With Ishtar's perception, she could naturally see Arcueid's true nature. It was understandable that they knew each other as two beings who were sensors of the Planet, but it was still shocking.
After all, beings like fairies had essentially vanished from the surface world, retreating to the Inner Side of the Planet. Naoki, who acquired his fairy nature later, was understandable, but Arcueid, a natural fairy still lingering on the surface, was truly unexpected.
After teasing Ishtar for a bit, Arcueid suddenly turned to the side: "Oh, almost forgot—Eresh! Come out, stop hiding!"
"Ugh—!"
A slightly trembling voice suddenly came from somewhere in the sea of flowers. Then, near two pillars in the sea of flowers, another figure slowly emerged amidst the blossoms.
As Naoki had expected, she was a girl who looked very similar to Ishtar. However, unlike Ishtar's revealing attire, the beautiful blonde Goddess before him wore an extravagant black outfit with a black cloak over it, looking exceptionally cool.
Yet, the awkward and shy expression on her face completely undermined that cool demeanor.
She was the Goddess of the Underworld, the target of Naoki's journey—the Queen of the Underworld, Ereshkigal.
Running lightly to Ereshkigal's side, Arcueid laughed: "Let me introduce you, Naoki. This is Eresh, Ereshkigal, my friend. She's the kind-hearted Goddess who took me in!"
When Arcueid first arrived at this Singularity Point, she landed directly in the Underworld. The one who helped her, a stranger to this place, was Ereshkigal. Though the Underworld wasn't a pleasant place, she tried hard to help Arcueid settle in.
After interacting for about half a year, the two had become good friends. Arcueid also often told Ereshkigal stories about the surface world.
Naoki smiled and extended his hand toward Ereshkigal: "Hello, Goddess Ereshkigal. I'm Natsukawa Naoki. I'm deeply grateful for your willingness to take care of Arcueid all this time. She tends to be troublesome and must have caused you some difficulty. I sincerely apologize."
"Hey! Silly Naoki! Who's troublesome!" Arcueid poked Naoki angrily. "You're the troublesome one! Even while I was asleep, I instantly knew everything about you when I woke up! You super problem child!"
"Are you one to talk?"
The two naturally fell into their familiar banter routine.
Seeing Naoki's outstretched hand, Ereshkigal, having been told about the surface world by Arcueid, understood his gesture. However, she didn't take it. Instead, she lowered her voice slightly and asked, feigning coldness: "You must know I'm a member of the Three Goddess Alliance, don't you? What's the meaning of showing kindness to me?"
"Eh? Ah… That's true, isn't it?"
Naoki smiled: "But the fact that you've taken care of Arcueid is real, isn't it? For that, I truly have to thank you, Goddess Ereshkigal."
"Besides, regarding the Three Goddess Alliance, I know all about your situation—you're different from the Magical Beast Goddess (Gorgon or Tiamat). You're not a Goddess who truly wants to destroy humanity but a kind-hearted Goddess who plans to save humanity in your own way, just like Quetzalcoatl."
"Eh? How do you know…"
"Because Naoki once reached the Root." Arcueid explained with a laugh. "No, more accurately, he came into contact with the Root. At that time, he gained all sorts of knowledge and memories from countless parallel worlds, which should include knowledge about you, Eresh. Right, Naoki?"
Naoki nodded: "More or less. So, please don't continue your disguise and pretense, Goddess Ereshkigal. I know everything you've done."
"And, as a representative of Uruk and Chaldea, I formally request of you, noble-hearted one—would you lend us your strength to face the greatest enemy that will surely come next?"