Rovi shook his head slightly, gazing at the Netherworld goddess before him, feeling neither grief nor joy at his own death.
This time was different; he was merely visiting the Netherworld after dying—certainly not planning a permanent stay.
After all, Eresh was here. Even though he'd long since withdrawn the protection granted by this goddess, it didn't matter.
Eresh would definitely intercept his soul, preventing him from truly dying.
Rovi had long given up hope of achieving a normal death within this patch of existence.
"Could you let me up now?" he asked calmly.
The Netherworld remained silent as ever, its cold, pale stones unchanging, illuminated only by faint, flickering emerald flames. His voice echoed distinctly within the frozen stillness.
"Eh?" Eresh paused, suddenly realizing that although she wasn't directly on top of Rovi, she'd leaned over him, one hand propping her up, her face hovering just inches from his.
In that moment of realization, the Netherworld goddess's hand slipped—
Thunk.
Her head hit Rovi's chest squarely.
"..."
Had Eresh somehow acquired Ishtar-Rin's habit of sudden clumsiness now?
Though… honestly, this kind of clumsiness… wasn't too bad?
Rovi tilted his eyes downward, feeling the softness pressed against him. After sliding forward, Eresh had fallen directly into his arms, her slender, pale legs still resting on the floor, but her softly rounded hips pressed firmly against him—not to mention the warmth further upward.
"Uwaa..." Eresh let out a muffled whimper, her ruby-red eyes briefly confused. Upon clearly seeing Rovi's face so close, her porcelain skin flushed bright red—
"You… You, I—"
Words utterly failed her.
Rovi sighed helplessly.
"Since you're not getting up, I'll just do it myself." Without giving her time to react, he decisively moved, placing one hand around her slender waist and the other gently gripping her thigh. His palm pressed softly against warm, delicate skin, fingertips sinking slightly with gentle pressure.
Holding her securely, he swiftly stood.
Startled by the sudden movement, Eresh instinctively wrapped her arms around Rovi's neck, feeling warmth radiating from his grip on her waist and thighs. The goddess's blush deepened further.
Thankfully, Rovi only meant to stand, not cause trouble.
He quickly set her down.
"You… at least you know your place." The Netherworld goddess hurriedly straightened her clothes, the blush stubbornly refusing to fade.
Her tone was sharp, yet held unmistakable disappointment beneath it.
Rovi noted this with amusement.
"Hmph, I'll let you off this time!" Eresh pouted, then abruptly changed the subject: "Anyway, Rovi, how did you end up here?"
Recovering her "composure," she raised an important question.
This was the Netherworld.
Only the dead appeared here.
Yet Rovi, bearer of the Key of Heaven, and the Sword of Rupture—Ea itself, shouldn't have died so easily.
"Huh? I died," Rovi replied matter-of-factly.
"..." Rare to see someone treating death so casually.
Eresh let out a long sigh, troubled. "Really… You're so powerful, yet you keep dying so casually?"
And this was supposedly a devoted "believer" of a death goddess…
"To see you, obviously!" Rovi joked casually.
"Wha—what nonsense are you saying, uuu…" Eresh flushed again, silently extending her hand. "Come on, I'll take you back."
"In the future, don't do it this way…"
"If… if you really want to see me, just say so. I'll cooperate…" Eresh's voice grew softer with each word. "Of course, if you must come like this, it's not impossible…"
"All right." Rovi didn't refuse, calmly taking her warm, gentle hand. "I'll trouble you frequently from now on."
Eresh: "?"
...
Half a day later—
Still within the Netherworld's palace of stacked stones, Rovi opened his eyes once more, facing the same Netherworld goddess he'd just left.
"Ah, I'm back again." Rovi smiled, utterly pleased.
"…"
Did he really mean he'd be "frequently troubling" her?
The Netherworld goddess stared silently, somewhat happy, somewhat startled. Though she'd ruled the Netherworld for a long time, occasionally meeting demigods or heroes who invaded her domain, she was knowledgeable and experienced. She'd seen many strange situations.
Something like this shouldn't frighten her—
"Eresh, I'm back again."
"!"
But this particular scenario—she'd never encountered.
Did he think the Netherworld was his home? Did he have no shame?
Though Eresh was secretly delighted, she still had dignity as a Netherworld goddess—even if every attempt ended in embarrassed failure.
To this, Rovi could only say no.
Because of the curse, his mortal body grew weaker daily. A brief nap could easily send him drifting into the Netherworld.
Though he wasn't entirely helpless to prevent it, resting briefly in the Netherworld wasn't necessarily bad.
It only made him feel a bit scummy…
...
"Mmm…" Opening his eyes again after being returned by Eresh, Rovi yawned lazily, stretching in the courtyard's bright sunlight.
"Rovi, you're awake?" Enkidu turned quickly toward him, bare feet softly tapping the grass as she approached, the fine fabric of her white robe rippling gently at her chest. Her beautiful face showed genuine worry.
She tightened the thick robe wrapped around Rovi, considering adding another layer.
"Cough, cough… Let's eat something!" Rovi stood shakily, feeling light, barely grounded.
"I've prepared—"
"I'll manage myself." He waved her off gently, heading slowly inside. He wasn't yet weak enough to completely lose mobility.
As Rovi left—En stood quietly in place, lightly brushing back her long, silky green hair.
She glanced down at her hand.
Between her delicate fingers, exactly where she'd just touched Rovi, lay a single strand of golden hair.
In the sunlight, the golden hair turned black, burning away like charred paper.
Yet En had seen it clearly.
Her emerald eyes narrowed slightly, ruby lips curving upward subtly as a dangerous glint flashed briefly through her expression.
"This scent… belongs to the Netherworld."
The god-forged clay being twitched her nose lightly, instantly making an extremely precise judgment.
No wonder… lately, Rovi had often fallen deeply asleep, impossible to wake no matter how she called him.
So, that was why.
Enkidu's pure white robe fluttered soundlessly as she turned away.