Diary of Guarding Monster Girls

At the moment the gigantic tentacle lunged towards Herbert, the Ice and Snow Goddess was indeed taken aback.

But she was only slightly shocked and had no intention of intervening — because it wasn't necessary.

She was not worried about the boy's safety.

It wasn't because she was a cold, indifferent being towards curious mortals; in fact, she was soft-hearted and often guided lost travelers in the snowy plains to prevent them from freezing to death.

It was due to her trust in Herbert's capabilities.

After all, no matter how one thought about it, Herbert was someone qualified to be favored by a Saint.

He surely has aces up his sleeve.

And the subsequent developments unfolded exactly as she had anticipated.

In the moment he sensed the tentacle attack, the boy, standing in the water with eyes closed in meditation, reacted.

He suddenly opened his eyes, winked at the massive purple tentacle, and smiled slyly: "I've been waiting for you!"

The next moment, the Ice and Snow Goddess felt her power being breached.

No.

It was being forcibly taken.

A weak being had forcibly seized the control of this small area of ice and snow.

What is going on!!?

Who dares encroach on my domain... why is it him?

She quickly figured out the truth, realizing it was the boy who accomplished all this through unknown means.

"..."

She hesitated only for a moment, then voluntarily released control over this part.

The Ice and Snow Goddess was here to observe secretly; she didn't want to reveal her presence.

And now, her curiosity about Herbert not only didn't decrease, but instead grew even more intense.

Providing a tiny bit of help was just to see how far this mortal boy could go.

How exactly did he do it?

The small snow shadow shattered and reformed on a hilltop closer by, as she leaned in further.

And at this moment, the Ice and Snow Goddess's eyes widened even more.

"That is..."

If she couldn't be 100% sure that Herbert was a man, she might have thought she saw a Snow Witch!

Long white hair flowed down to the waist, and drifting ice crystals expanded from under the boy with white hair.

"Freeze for me!"

The surrounding ten meters of lake water froze in an instant, quickly spreading far, forming a rapidly extending path of ice.

The tentacle seemed to realize something, instinctively trying to retract, but was briefly impeded by the frozen lake water.

"You shall not leave!"

Although it paused for just a moment, the ice surface shattered the next second, allowing the tentacle to retreat to the lakebed, achieving a rather astonishing result.

It indeed successfully got trapped!

The Ice and Snow Goddess's mouth widened slightly in surprise; she truly couldn't understand.

The boy clearly only had High Tier strength and was evidently a close combat Paladin, yet just now, he unleashed power akin to a Legendary Caster; this indeed is...

Upon observing closer, the Ice and Snow Goddess finally noticed.

It's the water!

Herbert's feet had never left the lake water.

At this moment, he was one with the entire lake, both seen as an indivisible whole.

But Herbert wasn't like other casters controlling the lake's water element through his real strength, didn't suppress and knead them with might.

It was entirely relying on the water element's power, with special charm making them willingly become subordinates under his command.

Such high charm.

Such exaggerated water element affinity!

At this moment, the Ice and Snow Goddess suddenly felt a bit regretful.

He had such astounding casting talent in both ice and water elements, how did he become a Paladin back then?

Who made him a Paladin?

This is practically a squandering of talent, a complete waste of precious ability!

And while the Ice and Snow Goddess inwardly condemned someone for wasting valuable talent, Herbert still stood by the water, not leaving.

But it wasn't that Herbert was showing off or courageously unwilling to leave; he simply couldn't.

Although still standing resiliently without collapsing, his body's strength had been completely drained.

From just the previous scene, Herbert seemed to perform exceptionally well, effortlessly forcing the opponent to retreat with confidence.

But in reality, the truth was not that pleasant at all.

A refined outward appearance usually accompanies a rough inner reality.

Herbert was, in fact, severely burdened by the water elements.

He was in a passive position.

Herbert had been drained dry.

In those few breaths, he had harnessed all his spell-casting capabilities.

Including, but not limited to, boosting water element affinity, hypnotizing water elements, inciting water elements... and the ability just acquired from Philia.

[Ice and Snow Body], which allows one to elementalize temporarily, granting immunity to some fatal injuries and greatly enhancing control over ice and snow.

Incidentally, in Herbert's view, this ability could actually be translated into another straightforward name—[Ice Magical Girl Transformation!]

Transformation~~~!

Hair growing longer, clothes flowing, and gaining special abilities... How can this not be considered a magical girl transformation?

Of course, this power isn't exaggerated enough to instantly make him a powerful being able to fight above his level.

The strength Herbert displayed this time was somewhat beyond his imagination; the icy power in this Misty Mountain Range was far stronger than he had thought!

Using it truly gave him a feeling of being divinely assisted.

As for the other ace in the hole, it was his mastery over the water elements of this lake.

As soon as Herbert entered the lake, he felt the water elements enthusiastically fawning over him, like walking into his very own fan club…

Yet Herbert did not lower his guard, remaining keenly aware that this was the Misty Mountain Range, an extremely dangerous life-threatening zone.

Just before the creature attacked him, Herbert sensed a strong premonition—a telltale sign that something was approaching.

And quickly!

Though the other side seemed non-hostile, as if merely wanting to take him away, Herbert dared not gamble and instantly decided to launch a defensive counterattack.

Just as he was about to decide to retreat, those water elements sensed his intention.

They willingly and eagerly infused themselves into his body without needing much persuasion.

One by one, scrambling as if afraid of missing their chance.

Gulp, gulp, gulp… Herbert felt instantly filled to the brim with power surging throughout his body.

But the problem was, the water elements were a bit too enthusiastic.

The power pouring in far exceeded the limits of what he could originally handle.

Too, too many, there are too many coming in!

If it weren't for Herbert's own elemental resistance and his body, which had undergone multiple enhancements, he even felt as if he might burst.

No, really can't hold on any longer!

At that moment, Herbert suddenly understood, empathizing with many generals under his command clad in yellow robes.

Alas, you all have brought me so much trouble!

I truly don't want to be this Emperor, but you all forced me!

In the brink of explosion as the master of the lake, all Herbert could do was to channel this frantic power out, unleashing it fiercely.

If the tentacle had been ten seconds later, Herbert himself wouldn't have been able to endure.

Now, as the crisis subsided and power was released, those water elements reluctantly withdrew from his body—Herbert now felt a sense of emptiness.

Just a moment ago it was so full… Alas!

Strong as it was, the exhilaration was real, but to only last three seconds, what's up with that?

This really lacks endurance.

While criticizing the lack of endurance of the water elements in his mind, outwardly Herbert expressed profound gratitude towards them.

Thank you, thank you!

Even if you only lasted three seconds, it was still quite impressive!

"Aha, you really scared it off!"

At this time, Nenasha, who had been watching gleefully for a while, said with schadenfreude:

"Haha~ Bully it like that this time, getting it out next time won't be easy~"

Herbert raised an eyebrow and asked back, "Stop being mysterious, what on earth was that thing?"

He recalled the purple tentacles he saw earlier, while slowly regaining sensation in his stiffened limbs.

An octopus?

But why would there be an octopus in the lake?

Of course, Herbert didn't voice such a ridiculous question.

In a fantasy world, bizarre happenings are always reasonable.

Like zero-gravity skirts, bikini armor, tripled strength from going dark, or saviors without high school diplomas… each more outlandish than the last, yet people love it.

Best not to overthink it.

But Nenasha didn't directly answer Herbert's question, instead posing another question: "Herbert, you do know this is the remains of my Divine Kingdom, right?"

"Of course I know, so, are you saying… this thing was originally from within your Divine Kingdom?"

No, buddy… why would you keep an octopus in your Divine Kingdom?

Are you really that kind of Ancient God?

Though I chat with Her daily, it's not as if I feel any drop in sanity.

"That's right!"

Nenasha was immersed in nostalgia, not noticing Herbert's peculiar thoughts, sharing secret knowledge of the Divine Kingdom:

"A Divine Kingdom is the foundation of a Divine Spirit, holding countless years of amassed Divine Power, a world they created themselves, inhabited by numerous Heroic Spirits."

The Harmonious God smiled joyfully, then in a somewhat nostalgic tone, softly said:

"Now you can guess, for those living Heroic Spirits in the Divine Kingdom, what do they desire most?"

Herbert thought for a moment, then replied uncertainly, "The Divine Spirit's reward?"

Though not very clear about the relationship between Divine Spirits and their followers, Bishop Lila's earlier reactions revealed some clues.

Even for a follower of her level, the reward and favor of a Divine Spirit are what they crave most; everything else can be secondary.

All their actions aren't for personal desires but to gain recognition from the Divine Spirit.

But Herbert's answer did not gain Nenasha's approval.

"No, though what you said isn't wrong, that's not the whole picture."

She replied:

"They still yearn for the Divine Spirit's favor, but not as strongly as when they were alive."