Comprehensive Manga: The Master is not here today.

"Um..."

Ritsuka Fujimaru opened his eyes dazedly and looked around subconsciously, looking for Tiamat.

Except for the two days when she was dealing with the monster siege on the north wall, she was still dragged by Merlin to work the night shift as usual, and she has gotten used to it by now.

This job was relatively easy for her. She usually only had to find Tiamat and make sure she was staying with her. Then she could continue sleeping and wait until Merlin, who came to take over, woke her up the next morning.

However, the situation today is a little different from the past.

She didn't seem to be in the Sea of ​​Imaginary Numbers, but had run to some other place.

But the good news is that just after looking around, she has figured out where she ran to -

As far as the eye can see is a dead and silent land without any signs of life, a wilderness without any plants growing. In the wilderness, there are wandering undead souls and patrolling galula spirits everywhere.

The most crucial point is the gun traps that are scattered across the land like ghosts and are built as residences for souls.

There is no doubt that this is the Sumerian underworld, the territory of Ereshkigal, the goddess of the underworld.

After determining his location, Fujimaru Ritsuka couldn't help but ponder.

"——I'm not dead, am I?"

After all, unlike the situation when it appeared in the Sea of ​​Imaginary Numbers, it is difficult to judge if it appears here.

In addition, she checked herself and found that she was also wearing the cloak this time, which made people even more confused about the situation.

"Or are you dreaming?"

"emmmmm..."

"——The little guy over there, is he a new soul?"

"Strange, it shouldn't appear in a place like this..."

Just as she was struggling with her current situation, a voice full of concern and confusion came, and Ereshkigal, the lord of the underworld in this world, suddenly appeared in front of her.

"Um, that,"

Because the other person's figure appeared too suddenly, Fujimaru Ritsuka scratched his cheek subconsciously and didn't know what to say for a moment.

At this moment, after seeing her figure clearly, the smile on Ereshkigal's face froze instantly.

"You are not a ghost?"

When he heard her say this, Fujimaru Ritsuka suddenly realized:

"Ah, am I not!"

"……what?"

Ereshkigal was somewhat puzzled by her words. Then, as if he had realized something, he frowned slightly and said:

"No, wait a minute."

"This feeling... Why do you have the aura of the underworld? And it is completely different from my underworld..."

"... Could it be that you are the god of the underworld from a foreign land?"

"This is it,"

Facing Ereshgakiel's question, she thought for a moment and smiled:

"I do rule over an underworld."

Hearing her say this, Ereshkigal's eyes lit up, but he quickly calmed down after realizing what she was saying, and asked in a serious tone:

"Even though we are both gods of the underworld, trespassing into someone else's territory without permission is not a friendly act. It can even be considered a provocation to me."

"So, goddess of the underworld from a foreign land, what is your purpose in coming here?"

"Based on your answer, I will take corresponding measures."

As the words fell, the temperature around him dropped a few degrees, which was a silent warning from Ereshkigal.

In response to this, Fujimaru Ritsuka scratched his head a little embarrassedly and smiled:

"Actually, I don't know how I got here."

"I just remember that I was sleeping, and when I opened my eyes again, I was here."

"Eh?"

Ereshkigal was stunned for a moment. Seeing that her expression did not seem like she was lying, he suddenly became a little entangled:

"Well, in that case..."

Fujimaru Ritsuka's answer was obviously beyond her expectations, leaving her not knowing how to deal with it and looking a little overwhelmed.

——As expected, Ailei is the one who kisses me.

Seeing her like this, Fujimaru Ritsuka was the first to relax and said with a smile:

"Anyway, it was indeed me who trespassed into the underworld first. Please allow me to apologize."

Seeing that she was also very friendly, Ereshkigal's attitude softened and he nodded:

"Since your appearance was unintentional, I won't take it too seriously."

"However, this is not the underworld where you are, so please leave as soon as possible."

"Forehead……"

Hearing this, Fujimaru Ritsuka's expression became a little hesitant.

If she wanted to go back, she could probably only use physical means to open a big hole on the top of her head and connect to the human world before she could leave.

But if I do that, I'm afraid Ereshkigal will immediately treat me as an enemy.

Otherwise, ask the other party to send her away?

At this moment, Fujimaru Ritsuka remembered what happened during the day and suddenly had a new idea.

So, she asked Ereshkigal a little embarrassedly:

"Um, can I stay here for a while?"

"Temporary stay? Of course, this kind of thing——"

Ereshkigal raised his eyebrows in surprise, then subconsciously prepared to shake his head to refuse.

Seeing this, Fujimaru Ritsuka quickly added:

"Of course it's paid!"

As she spoke, while Ereshkigal wasn't paying attention, she took out a blood-red flower from her [Minister's Treasure], handed it to Ereshkigal, and said with a smile:

"How about taking this as payment?"

“Hey, what is this——?!”

Looking at the flowers blooming in front of him, Ereshgakil's eyes widened instantly, and he said in disbelief:

“It didn’t wither?!”

The underworld is a world of death, where no life should or is allowed to exist. Not only animals, but even flowers, plants and trees will instantly wither and die in the underworld.

That's why Ereshkigal was so shocked, because the flower that Fujimaru Ritsuka was holding in his hand was still in full bloom, with no signs of withering.

Fujimaru Ritsuka explained with a smile:

"It's called Lycoris radiata, also known as the other shore flower. In our country, it symbolizes death and the underworld. It's also a flower of the underworld that blooms in the netherworld."

"Flowers from the underworld... There are actually flowers like this..."

Ereshkigal murmured, his eyes fixed on the Lycoris radiata in her hand, his eyes full of surprise and desire.

Then, she suppressed the strong emotions in her heart and asked carefully:

"Can you really give me something so valuable?"

"Is it expensive? This is a specialty of our underworld. There are flowers like this growing everywhere, so it's okay."

"The ground is covered with flowers..."

“Isn’t this a fairy tale?”

Hearing her say this, Ereshgakiel imagined such a scene, and his envy was about to overflow.

"of course not."

Fujimaru Ritsuka simply placed the Lycoris radiata in her hand and said with a smile:

"It is very suitable for the environment of the underworld. As long as we plant it, I think it won't be long before a sea of ​​red spider lilies will appear here, right?"

“Sea of ​​flowers…!”

Looking at the bright, beautiful, authentic, living flowers in his hands, Ereshkigal felt that he had become somewhat insane, or rather, he was about to pass out from happiness.

Seeing this, Fujimaru Ritsuka smiled and said:

"I hope to use this flower as a reward in exchange for my staying here for a while. What do you think?"

"That `s a deal!"

Ereshkigal clenched the flowers in his hand and nodded frantically:

"Stay as long as you want!"