Diary of Guarding Monster Girls

Things are not looking optimistic.

"..."

After a moment of silence, Fulingya sighed lightly, choosing to be candid rather than disguise her intentions.

"Young Godslayer, you are even more remarkable than I thought."

Fulingya looked at the boy whose expression remained largely unchanged and said slowly, "You are very intelligent, aware of your advantages, and... filled with ambition."

Finally, the Master of the Pantheon, who had always maintained a gentle image, withdrew her smile and unveiled a sharpness beyond the surface.

The Forest Goddess remained composed, not expressing anything extra, yet displayed eye-catching bravery and authority.

She quietly observed Herbert, trying to see a change in his eyes, but instead could only see appreciation... hmm?

Appreciation?

Wait, what are you appreciating?

Didn’t you notice?

I’ve displayed the dignity of the Master of the Pantheon!

What kind of reaction is that?

Fulingya wanted to critique Herbert’s gaze, but seeing that he had no intention of dodging, she subtly twitched the corner of her mouth, abandoning the thought of making him bow down immediately, and instead said:

"... Luckily, you’re not as stupid as some dim-witted fool that actually thinks I need to bow to Him, huh."

Oh?

Herbert listened to the Goddess’s barely disguised complaints and thought for a moment, tilting his head slightly as he smiled and said, "Isn’t this just what you wanted? Do you really want a mindless obedient servant?"

He seriously stated, "Lady, I believe what you need more is a competent assistant, a sharp enough blade, rather than a puppet that merely follows orders."

"I believe I could just barely meet the criteria for the candidate you’re looking for; what do you think?"

Seeing Herbert offer a step around confrontation rather than opposing her, Fulingya hesitated for a moment before accepting it, nodding and saying, "What you’ve said indeed has some truth. While I dislike arrogant and foolish individuals, I don’t mind mortals who have earned their right to be proud."

"You really do have the right to be proud of yourself, um, cough cough."

Oh?

Fulingya’s ability to read the room and know when to advance and retreat genuinely surprised Herbert, who thought for a moment and said, "Lady, you are more... well, calm than the other Goddesses I’ve met."

Honestly, Herbert had met quite a few Goddesses before, and most of them were very individualistic.

Proud, indifferent, savage, fallen... not a single one was amiable.

Yet, the Master of the Pantheon before him, despite her high status, had a truly agreeable personality. Apart from showing "dignity," she really had no airs.

Very approachable.

Feels like the kind easily convinced by others...

"Hmm..."

"Hmm..."

Their initial "clash" ended in a rather inexplicable way, without any tension, and the ice-and-snow kitten didn’t even notice that Herbert and she had already secretly clashed once.

In Hecayas’ view, the two’s conversation appeared extremely cordial, as if they were kindred spirits upon first meeting; truly enviable... Herbert had initially been quite harsh with me, showing no respect at all!

A real jerk!

But it’s actually a very normal situation; Herbert and the other were both here with the intention to collaborate, invited and arrived for cooperation, with no unavoidable conflicts.

Even with the struggle for dominance, the partnership hadn’t even begun yet, and there’s really nothing to contest.

Even if they were to compete, Herbert actually lacks the strength to achieve an apparently equal status; securing this is already quite fortunate, only possible because Fulingya is kind-hearted enough.

Herbert actually took the initiative to inquire about what exactly the Forest Goddess wanted him to do, but the other party simply shook her head without answering.

"No, this matter isn’t urgent. Today, I just wanted to officially meet you, not intending to put too much pressure on you."

Fulingya looked at what was likely her greatest ally, and was not eager for him to hastily draw blood now.

The situation within the Natural Pantheon seemed dire, but it wasn’t about to explode any second. There was still time to thoroughly observe Herbert.

Thinking about these, Fulingya brought up another matter, thanking Herbert: "By the way, thank you for the helping hand you extended earlier; you saved those poor Beastmen, allowing them not to feel abandoned by Nature."

"It was nothing, I wouldn’t just stand by and watch innocent people be harmed by evil. This is what I should do as a Paladin," Herbert said humbly, barely believing the words himself.

Besides, since the Beast Ear Clan was mentioned, Herbert thought for a moment and then asked proactively: "By the way, would you like to meet them? They should still be nominally Nature’s protégés, right?"

Meet them?

Fulingya remained silent for a moment, then shook her head: "...No need for now, Nature would not actively abandon them; since they chose to follow you after being saved, I won’t interfere with them."

"I hope they can find happiness and stability as they wished. Moreover, if I were to appear now, it might cause you trouble."

Trouble?

No, do you really think they’d still want to go back to you all after what they’ve been through?

Herbert found it somewhat amusing, looking at the Goddess with a playful gaze and softly said, "Really? Is that what you think?"

"What’s wrong? Is there a problem?" Fulingya frowned upon seeing Herbert’s gaze, feeling as if she was being ridiculed.