Diary of Guarding Monster Girls

Chapter 976: Chapter 475: I Only Need You

["So? What do you think?"]

The Divine whispered softly in his ear, coaxing him slowly and gently:

["As long as you want it, I can help you seize this body and turn it into your puppet shell."]

["Hehe~"]

["Think about it, this is a Demigod Level puppet, you know~"]

The Divine kept murmuring beside her partner’s ear, seducing him: ["You don’t need to pay any price, you can command a powerful puppet with ease!"]

Faced with a benefit that was basically falling into his lap for free, Herbert was of course tempted.

This was a Demigod, after all!

He’d just personally witnessed the terrifying power of the Demigod Squirrel—and that wasn’t even a complete Demigod, it had some defects.

And right now, the feeling this Holy Tree gave him was clearly that it was even stronger than the white squirrel.

It definitely wasn’t just a Demigod big tree, simple as that... there were already more complicated roots behind it.

Like, say, a Divine whose main body was a giant tree.

Was it that one’s offspring?

That one’s Apostle?

Or maybe... a fragment?

Whichever it was, it would bump the value of this treasure in front of him up another tier.

A true "pie falling from the sky" moment!!!

However, after his initial surprise, Herbert thought for a moment, quickly made up his mind, and gave his answer outright.

"No need."

He answered calmly, decisively, without the least bit of struggle or regret.

As if, in his eyes, this Demigod puppet that he could reach out and take held no value at all.

["Oh? You’re refusing just like that? You’re not even going to think it over?"]

Nenasha’s voice was level as she continued asking: ["Once you miss this chance, there won’t be a next time~"]

"This opportunity is indeed rare, low risk and high reward. From that angle, it’s a pretty nice challenge."

"I could do it, sure, but I think... I’d rather not."

Herbert’s attitude didn’t change, steady as ever, sticking to the same stance—could, but not necessary.

It’s not that Herbert didn’t think much of the Holy Tree; a Demigod combat power is seriously tasty.

Herbert wasn’t even sure if his own strongest card, [Valentina] at full power, could beat this giant tree that screamed "damage sponge" at a glance.

Would she win?

She would... probably?

But even knowing just how tasty the Holy Tree’s combat power was, Herbert still didn’t crave it that much.

There are things you can take.

But there are things that, once you take them, they burn your hands.

Only what he earns himself is truly his.

What he picks up for free from others will never really belong to him in the end.

Well, Nenasha doesn’t count as "others," he doesn’t need to guard against her.

She’s built different.JPG

Today, he could rely on Nenasha’s help to easily get his hands on this Demigod body.

Tomorrow, whatever exists behind this Holy Tree might just follow the trail and find him.

And by then, what he’d have to pay might be far more than just coughing up his gains.

For the other party, even a single fragment incarnation was already a Demigod... so what kind of power would that big shot have at full strength?

Herbert let go, withdrawing his consciousness from the Mist Holy Tree, and said with a faint smile, "Even you are deliberately tempting me, so I’m guessing it must be one of that one’s avatars?"

"The Master of Nature?"

He asked first, and then, before Nenasha could answer, stated in a firm tone:

"Mm. The Master of Nature."

About that great existence who sacrificed itself to save the world, Herbert didn’t know much, but he had heard of it.

That was a being that had transcended lowly pleasures, a truly noble one.

And... that one could really fight.

Faced with a clearly neutral super big shot like that, he should avoid provoking it if he possibly could.

If he could forge a good relationship, that was obviously better than becoming enemies.

"Besides, if I take over this body, what if people start mistaking me for someone else?"

"If the Master of Nature’s offspring see me and don’t recognize me, am I supposed to just stand there listening to them call me Dad?"

"Wouldn’t that be super awkward? How could I do something that shameless and despicable... Hm? Wait, don’t say anything, hiss!"

Herbert blinked, savoring that mental image, and his tone turned subtly thoughtful as he muttered to himself, "Actually, hmm, that feeling... kinda seems... pretty nice?"

For men, being someone else’s surprise dad is really, genuinely appealing.

Herbert suddenly found himself hesitating.

Maybe... he should give it a try?

He weighed it over in tangled silence, but in the end chose the optimal solution for the moment.

Forget it, being a dad may be fun, but better to play it safe.

But clearly, someone wasn’t very satisfied with this "boring" outcome.

["Aww! That’s so lame~"]

Nenasha let out a long, coquettish sigh, instantly shattering the carefully crafted aura of mystery; her tone snapped right back to her usual flippant self.

["But yeah, mm, this choice is very Herbert~"]

She wasn’t surprised at all by Herbert’s final decision.

This boy—no, this man—Herbert, the one she loved, had always been like this.

Faced with temptations like this, he always managed to stay calm, keep his reason from wavering, analyze the situation, and arrive at the optimal answer.

He was always able to find the most reasonable justifications to convince himself.

But in truth, those were all just superficial reasons, excuses to placate others and himself.

The real reason he made the right choice could be summed up in a single phrase—he didn’t think it was worth it.

In his eyes, all those "temptations" were nothing but things to scoff at.

In her view, Herbert might look gentle and good-natured on the surface, but in his bones he’d always been someone with extreme confidence in himself, to the point of outright arrogance.