"Eresh."
"Don't disturb me..."
Hearing the voice, the Underworld Goddess, who had been extremely busy lately due to her overwhelming workload, muttered a complaint as if talking to herself.
Because the temple Meslamtaea was also known as the 'Fever Temple', even in the dark Underworld, the temperature here was quite high.
Covered by a thin, cool sheet, the goddess rolled over, her eyes refusing to open.
"Eresh, stop sleeping. I need to talk to you."
"Hmm... Nothing is more important than sleep right now..."
Her golden hair spilled across the bed. In her hazy state, probably dreaming of her diligent work, Ereshkigal continued, "Making the Kur Kigal is so tiring. It's fine if Mother Goddess doesn't help, but that human named Ryuya is clearly strong yet does nothing. It's so unfair."
"Oh? So I should be helping you make the Kur Kigal, Ereshkigal?"
"Of course! After all, you're a guest here too. You can't just spend every day looking at Mother Goddess and showing off your affection... It's not like I'm not pretty too..."
Having been lonely and isolated in the Underworld for so long, and only able to go out by borrowing her sister Ishtar's body, and even then only at night, Ereshkigal's heart yearned to see the human world.
She longed to interact with others, to spend time with humans. Despite being the Underworld Goddess, she was quite caring.
In fact, just having a proper conversation with her, even briefly, could earn significant favorability. This was the innocent and lovely Ereshkigal, one of the famed 'easy-to-get' heroines of Chaldea, part of the 'Four Girlfriends Outside the Shield'. (T/N: Four Girlfriends Outside the Shield seems to be a Chinese Terms, which specifically refers to the four servants: Jeanne d'Arc (Alter), Meltryllis, Ereshkigal, and Okita Souji. They're called that because all four have clearly expressed their affection for Fujimaru Ritsuka.)
Muttering her true feelings in her sleep, Ereshkigal suddenly realized something.
"Ry... Ryuya-sama!"
She shot up in fright, unaware her thin sheet had slipped down, completely unconcerned about exposure. Looking at Ryuya standing by her bed, Ereshkigal was filled with shame and indignation.
'What if he discovered my secret thoughts? Would he silence a goddess to keep me quiet?'
Her anxious and fearful demeanor was like a mewing kitten, timidly shrinking into a small ball at the head of the bed.
"Could you put some clothes on first?"
A bit exasperated by Ereshkigal's airheadedness, Ryuya spent most of his time with Tiamat and had less interaction with Ereshkigal.
Coupled with the fact that the girl seemed rather afraid of Tiamat and never initiated contact with Ryuya, their interactions were mostly limited to discussions about the various races in the human world. So far, their relationship wasn't particularly close.
Discovering that a certain Underworld Goddess slept without wearing anything, he turned and left Ereshkigal's bedroom, wondering if he should have knocked first.
'Never mind. Looking at how soundly she was sleeping, knocking probably wouldn't have woken her anyway.'
Inside the room, staring dazedly at Ryuya's retreating figure, Ereshkigal processed that she wasn't dreaming.
As for getting dressed...
Looking down, she saw a sight she'd seen countless times before. Ereshkigal's scream even pierced through the gates of the entire seventh region.
A while later...
"Ryuya-sama, what did you need to see me about?"
Wearing her golden crown and a splendid red-and-black striped dress, Ereshkigal noticed Tiamat wasn't with Ryuya.
In her memory, the two were always together. Although she didn't know how Ryuya became Tiamat's beloved, Ereshkigal understood he was very powerful.
Even with all the absolute advantages she possessed within the Underworld, she still lacked confidence in defeating him. His combat power was definitely not at the level of a third-generation god, but at the peak of second or even first-generation gods.
Standing with her hands clasped restlessly, Ereshkigal wasn't sure why Ryuya sought her out.
"I've told you many times, no need to call me 'sama'."
Sighing, Ryuya waved for Ereshkigal to relax and sit down.
"You're a lovely girl, just a bit... well, not the sharpest tool in the shed. Why so nervous? I'm not going to eat you."
"Lo-Lo-Lovely?"
Their perspectives on observing things and grasping issues were completely different. Ereshkigal subconsciously ignored Ryuya's comment about her not being the sharpest and only registered the word 'lovely'.
Looking at the blushing, stuttering girl, Ryuya felt a sudden urge to tease her, "That's right. A lovely and beautiful goddess, great and caring for humanity… isn't that you?"
"I'm not that outstanding..."
Her body jolted slightly. She murmured with her head lowered, the red in her eyes shining brighter. Ereshkigal was happy.
But then...
As the Underworld's darkness descended, the gloomy death energy lingered around. Surrounded by desolate wastelands and decay, even Ereshkigal knew she was the Underworld Goddess, a deity who could only bring calamity and misfortune.
She fell silent, head bowed, tears welling up. In this moment, Ereshkigal remembered her long-lasting loneliness and isolation.
Yes, born in the Underworld, never having left, all Ereshkigal yearned for was a single, small flower. Yet, even that was beyond her reach, and no one came to the Underworld to keep her company.
She could only stay alone in the Underworld day after day, interacting only with mindless spirits.
Occasionally, newly deceased souls would arrive, but they feared her divine status. Frankly, Ereshkigal had been quite happy when Tiamat and Ryuya first arrived.
Because at least someone was with her. At least someone talked to her.
Although Tiamat's eyes were only for Ryuya, and their displays of affection sometimes made Ereshkigal feel a bit overwhelmed, she was still happy.
But beneath this happiness lay a hint of envy.
As a girl, a goddess, Ereshkigal also wanted to be praised, complimented, and appreciated.
But no one ever understood this feeling.
Now, watching the self-pitying goddess, Ryuya felt a pang of compassion. After all, Ereshkigal was a good, obedient girl. Who wouldn't like such a child?
"Calamity and misfortune? No, I don't think so. The world you face, Eresh, is definitely not a land without hope."
Calling upon Rashomon in his hand, Ryuya opened its internal world, synchronizing it with Ereshkigal's Underworld.
As the two completely different worlds collided, because Rashomon had previously sealed Oni, its world had significant compatibility with the Underworld.
Coupled with Ereshkigal not resisting but actively facilitating the fusion, Rashomon and the Underworld achieved a certain degree of 'oneness'.
"Th-This is..."
Looking at the flowers and plants that could never grow in the Underworld, even though the area affected by Rashomon was only around the temple, Ereshkigal was already deeply satisfied.
"Eresh, although it might seem strange coming from me, I must say this: In this world of shades and darkness, this apocalyptic land where no life can grow, the goddess named Ereshkigal has saved countless souls, providing a habitable place for the lost and wandering."
"Perhaps in the eyes of others, you are the Underworld Goddess. But in my eyes, you are the only flower in this endless darkness… the Flower of the Underworld."
She yearned for flowers, a miracle she had never seen despite countless ages. Her heart filled with feelings of happiness, hearing Ryuya's soul-stirring words, bathed in an unprecedented sense of validation, Ereshkigal's heart was intoxicated.
A never-before-felt warmth spread within her. Even if the Age of Gods ended and souls no longer remained on this land, Ereshkigal still felt incredibly warm.
As if bright sunlight shone upon the wilderness, as if countless dream memories illuminated this place, the long-cherished wish of flowers blooming in the Underworld was finally fulfilled.
Unable to maintain her divine dignity and authority any longer, Ereshkigal, murmuring something, made a certain resolution.
"Thank you, Ryuya-sama."
"This is truly... the best gift I have ever received."