Chapter 43: Excellent Matching Mechanism

The Darkless Prison.

Herbert walked slowly through the darkness.

This time, Svan Ni did not interfere with him for some reason, and he did not rush to search.

He simply walked slowly through the darkness, quietly conversing with the demonic god in his mind.

“Nenasha, does Freyme’s singing have some special ability? Does it injure ordinary people who hear it?”

Herbert was not that dull—he could not fail to notice that Freyme’s excitement was tied to that song.

【“Probably, yeah? Anyway, it doesn’t affect me—I think it’s pretty nice to listen to!”】

“Fine, I shouldn’t have asked you. Go play.”

Recalling Freyme’s panicked expression when she first discovered him, he lightly raised an eyebrow, remembering her title: 【Death Howl】.

Song and death—these two were likely connected—did her singing have a lethal effect?

Did many people simply collapse and die from it?

If that’s the case… wow, what a death metal sea monster!

So cool!

Hmm, but if that’s true… then, did Freyme originally commit those crimes with the deliberate intent to destroy those ports?

Could there be some hidden reason behind it?

Herbert pondered and deduced, feeling his approach to Freyme growing clearer.

Now, their relationship had dropped from the initial “slight hostility” to “neutral at best, not quite friendly.”

Push a little harder—start from the case details back then, and see if these “truths” can further draw them closer…

Just as Herbert fell into quiet thought, Nenasha suddenly, for no apparent reason, spoke in a cloying, languid tone:

【“Oh my! Come to think of it, your relationship is really~ nice!”】

【“The girl even invited you herself, to sing again—for~ you~!”】

“Hm?”

Herbert’s right eyelid twitched—he had no idea what this sudden outburst was about, but his gut told him it was trouble.

…What the hell?

He raised an eyebrow and asked warily: “What, are you jealous of her?”

Speak!

Did you finally crack?

【“Pfft!”】

【“Jealous? Hehe, my dear ally, you’re joking, right~?”】

The Trickster God laughed dismissively, outright denying it as nonsense.

【“I’m eager for you to get closer to them, to deepen your connection as soon as possible, so you can gain power and free me sooner!”】

What would I possibly be jealous of?

That’s ridiculous!

“Heh, I hope so.”

Herbert sneered, having gradually learned how to deal with Nenasha over the past two days.

This self-proclaimed Great Demonic God was a sporadic lunatic, prone to spontaneous dramatic outbursts, speaking in pure nonsense—only the punctuation in her sentences was trustworthy.

The bad news: dealing with her was exhausting; you had to stay alert at all times.

If you weren’t sharp enough, you’d fall straight into her verbal traps and become a pitiful puppet in her hands, like Tom.

But there was good news too.

He was the same kind of player—not an easy mark himself.

He was the same kind of mimic, and his level of madness was no less than Nenasha’s!

In the talent of making others speechless, they were evenly matched…

It was like the offspring of a potato and a yam meeting a hybrid of a sweet potato and a broken head—perfectly balanced, evenly matched.

Budebushuo 。

This damn thing? What an excellent matching mechanism!

The two bickered for a while longer; Herbert knew he wouldn’t get anything more out of her, so he called off the battle for now, waiting for the next round.

Finally, he casually added: 【“By the way, I actually want to hear your singing.”】

Herbert hadn’t truly meant it—he’d just spoken out of habit, the atmosphere having led him there.

But unexpectedly, it seemed to pierce through her solid defenses, silencing the ever-chattering Nenasha.

【“…Hear me sing?”】

After a long silence, Nenasha let out a soft laugh, then said with deep implication:

【“If you want to hear it, I suppose I could sing—but if I do, many people will die.”】

【“So… do you want to hear it now?”】

Hm?

Herbert’s brow twitched—he felt he’d just brushed against something crucial.

Yet at the same time, a warning pulsed in his chest: one wrong move, and he’d lose everything—explode outright.

One misstep, and he might be utterly destroyed.

After hesitating, Herbert chose the cautious route, avoiding a direct answer and instead shifting the topic:

“Uh, I didn’t mean for you to sing to anyone else—just inside my head. That wouldn’t hurt anyone, right?”

Just me listening—I’m not some loudspeaker!

【“Well~ that’s hard to say.”】 The demonic god’s laugh was oddly unsettling, leaving Herbert with a sinking feeling.

No more probing.

“Then let’s wait for another chance!”

Herbert decisively chose temporary retreat—but he wasn’t ready to just back down. He turned the tables: “Wait until you feel like singing to me on your own!”

“You, demonic god, need to be more proactive—don’t always make me ask. Don’t you agree?”

Herbert transformed into a warrior, using his little pink book’s power to turn the tables and bind the demonic god.

Little buddy, you need to learn to offer emotional value without being asked!

One couldn’t help but marvel—magic really was useful!

【“Pfft, haha, you wish!”】

Nenasha burst into laughter, her mood returning to normal as she teased: 【“Hehe, you’re funny~ Turns out choosing you was right.”】

“Right? I think I’m pretty funny too.”

Herbert quietly exhaled in relief—he’d made it through that round.

Then, relaxing, he chuckled casually: “Of course you could only choose me! Everyone else turned into what kind of monsters under your influence?”

A perfectly good ascetic monk, turned into Grass Carp Brother.

Cruel.

Sigh. Demonic god, sigh.

But Herbert didn’t expect—after hearing his words, Nenasha gave him a question mark.

【“Hm?”】

“…Hm?”

Herbert suddenly realized something was wrong—he froze mid-step, eyes wide.

“That ascetic monk wasn’t corrupted by you?!”

【“What are you talking about? When did I ever corrupt anyone besides you?”】

Herbert: ?

“Hm!!?”

At the same time, Valentina, who had been sulking silently, suddenly changed expression.

Hm?

She twitched her nose, muttering strangely:

“Weird… where’s this fishy smell coming from?”

(End of Chapter)