…

Hmm? How interesting…

This has never happened before.

A rift forming here of all places, what could possibly be on the other side…

…

..-

!

Hmm, Now THIS has caught my attention!

To think that the sea of possibilities had this timeline hidden right over here!

Fascinating…

I wonder what you plan on doing in this worldline...

Despot?

Arc 2: Mysteries of this world

Chapter 6: The Mansion

(Road near Flugel's Tree)

Two carriages strolled under the moonlight, both different in design but still radiating an aura of regality.

The one in the lead had a royal look to it, made of polished dark-blue wood with an umbrella-shaped ceiling on top. A pink-haired woman in a maid outfit was driving the carriage outside, directing the red ground dragon with the harnesses in her hand.

The carriage behind the leading one looked even more magnificent. Much larger than its leading counterpart, this flat-ceiling transport exuded royalty, made of smooth dark-ebony wood with golden outlines that shone in the moonlight. It was being pulled forward by two-large well-bred horses, with a cloaked rider driving the coach.

Inside the larger carriage sat four figures, each capable of committing acts of grand devastation on their own. A raven flew towards the said coach, perching atop an open window as it relayed its report to its master.

"Understood," the raven's master said, affectionally petting it. "Thank you for your diligence, you may rest now," the bird nodded in understanding and slowly turned to dust, happy to have served its master as the summon time ran out.

Ulbert turned to the rest of the group, "The girl made it safely to the Karsten Manor. They've taken her in and are looking after her."

"That's a relief," Peroroncino leaned back on his seat, enjoying the cushy feeling it provided. "It was a great idea to create these carriages, Momonga-san. I could stay in this seat forever." He rubbed his feathery back on the cushion, making himself more comfortable.

His friend, who had been staring at the colossal tree in the distance, turned towards the Avian at the mention of his name. "Hm? Ah yes, this carriage is a lot more spacey than the other one." The cabinet they were in had more than enough legroom for everyone to relax in.

When Emilia's carriage had first arrived to take the party to her manor, she had immediately realised it wouldn't be able to accommodate the larger guild members. To the half-elf's and the driver Ram's surprise, Momonga summoned a massive transport for his friends to travel on. The Overlord had noted how the pink-haired maid had examined the transport after recovering from the shock, specifically, its horses.

The people in the capital were using gigantic lizards to pull their vehicles. Momonga thought back on the things they saw in the capital. Perhaps, horses truly don't exist in this world. That would explain the maid's behaviour. This world still held a lot of mysteries, and he was excited to learn more during his time here. Especially since he had his similarly excited friends along the ride.

Maybe not all of them, though. The Skeletal Mage gave a worrying glance at the one friend who was still unsure of his placement in this world.

The Paladin in question was also gazing at the tree while deep in his thoughts. We already saved Natsuki Subaru like that girl had told us to do but still haven't been sent back to our world. Does that mean he'll face more problems until I get my answers?

Although Touch Me had put his deepest concerns away out of respect for Momonga-san, who he knew his presence here meant a lot to, he still couldn't forget the faces of his daughter and wife, the people that mattered the most to him.

The paladin shook his head, forcefully pushing those memories away. Don't think of that right now, Sebastian. You'll eventually meet your family again… No matter what happens. Even as he thought so, he was unsure if that would ever come true. He chose to continue looking at the tree through the window, letting his mind wander away by witnessing a form of nature that was scarce in the old world.

Blue Planet would have loved this. Touch Me and Momonga collectively thought, remembering the nature-loving satyr as all the occupants simply enjoyed the momentary peace under the moonlight.

Meanwhile, in the leading carriage, the atmosphere was… much more lively.

"Wow! So, this country you come from exists beyond the waterfall!" A half-elf girl listened to the boy with stars in her eyes. "From what you have said, it must be reallyyyy amazing!"

An amused Buku watched on as Subaru's face got redder when Emilia inched closer to him, the silver-haired girl eager to learn more about the boy's origins. Hah! He's just like my little bro whenever he has to interact with a girl for more than five minutes! The slime could clearly see a reflection of her brother in the nasty-eyed Japanese teen, who was currently trying his best to avert his eyes away from the half-elf. Buku almost guffawed when the boy tried to back away, only to realise there was no more room behind him to back off to. Even their awkward personality matched to boot!

The now former voice actress had joined Emilia's carriage to protect the girl in case of another enemy attack. During the ride, she had also been intently listening to Subaru talk about his Japan to pass the time, surprised by how peaceful it sounded compared to the dystopian hell she hailed from. Humanity always seems to find a way to destroy everything they get their hands on. It was still hard for her to believe how different Subaru's version of Japan was. Hearing about this more peaceful world from its inhabitant instead of reading it in the New Net provided a clearer perspective for the slime.

Seeing the boy was about to faint from the closeness of the half-elf, Buku decided to intervene to spare him from the embarrassment, "Now, now, Emilia-chan. Subaru here must be tired after all the fighting he did back then. We can talk more about his homeland once we've all taken a good night of rest."

Subaru gave her a grateful look while Emilia processed the woman's words.

Then it clicked, "Ah! You're right" Stupid Emilia! She mentally reprimanded herself. You should let these people rest after all they've done for you! The boy and his friends had just risked their lives to save her's and here she was, bothering them while they're trying to recover from their exhaustion.

"I'm sorry, Subaru!" The half-elf unconsciously grabbed his hand whilst apologising. "I should have considered how tired you were after everything that transpired!"

Subaru, meanwhile, was processing Emilia's touch, her words drowning out while his brain focused on the warmth of her hand and the sudden action she just took. OhMyGod!?IsEmiliaActuallyHoldingHisHandRightNow!?CouldThisMeanSheDoeakagawrge- *Snap*

Buku could've sworn she saw a fuse go off inside Subaru's brain as the boy finally collapsed from all the fatigue, stress, and nervousness. Emilia would have almost screamed had Buku not intervened.

"Ahh, don't worry about him," the slime quickly reassured a now panicking Emilia, leaning from her seat to pat the girl on the back to ease her worries. "The same thing has happened to my idiot of a brother many times after his fatigue kicked him. He'll be back to full health after taking a long nap."

An almost teary-eyed Emilia looked on at Subaru, finally nodding as she let go after hearing Buku's soothing words. Something the slime said finally registered in the half-elf's mind, "Wait, your brother? The man with the bow from before?"

"Yep!" Buku sat back on her seat, "If you want, I can talk about all the kinds of trouble he got into." She laughed as she said so, wanting to divert Emilia's worries away.

"U-um, are you sure you would like to share such personal stories?" The girl was a bit hesitant, confused to why these people, whom she had just recently gotten acquainted with were casually talking to her like that. It was as if they were…

"Of course, I don't mind." Buku said, "We're already almost like friends, after all. It'd be better to get further acquainted with one another." The slime really didn't mind sharing her story with Emilia.

Friends. That words resonated deep within Emilia, bringing a smile on her face. It was as if her worries from just now completely faded away with just that word. "If that's the case, please go ahead." The girl went to sit besides Buku to give Subaru more place to sleep while the slime began to tell the half-elf a story of a time when her brother's idiocy almost made the guild lose an important battle.

While recounting the moment where a furious Punitto had slapped her brother across the face with his newspaper, Bukubukuchagama watched on at the now sleeping Subaru, smiling all the while.

He's just like him.

(A guest room)
(Roswaal Manor)

…

"I don't recognise that ceiling."

Waking up from his deep slumber, Subaru finally opened his eyes, noticing he was lying on a rather large and cosy bed, staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. The blanket's fabric lay on top of him, and the warmth and feeling it provided made the boy feel as if he were currently resting in a fancy hotel.

"This must be Emilia's mansion…." Recalling last night's events, the room's location dawned on Subaru. "Does that mean she's the one who put me here?" His cheeks flushed red when imagining a scenario where Emilia carried him and put him on the bed, the inner warmth that was slowly bubbling within rivaled the blanket's.

"Wait… Emilia!" A dreamy look appeared on his face when thinking of the girl. "If I remain lying here, I might actually wake up to see her face next time!"

He could already see it. "I'll fall asleep once more and then, be woken up by a worried Emilia. She'll thank me again for the help last night and proceed to feed me breakfast and then…" He giggled like a schoolgirl when thinking of all the possible scenarios that lay ahead.

The thought of seeing his angel right after waking up made Subaru giddy with excitement.

He immediately closed his eyes to drift into slumber, enjoying the peace and warmness had it not been for the other presence in his room snapping him back to reality.

"Ah, you're finally awake, Subaru-san."

Subaru screamed and sprang up after registering the voice, revealing he wore a pale blue nightrobe. Had it not been for the blankets weighing down his sudden jump, the boy would have definitely launched off to the ceiling.

His still-foggy vision finally refocused, showing Momonga sitting on a chair next to a large window, a manga held in his gauntlets. The warm golden glow pouring through the window landed on the masked Overlord's back, brightening his cloak and amplifying his regal visage.

"Momonga-san! It's rude to eavesdrop on people like that!" said a flustered Subaru, frantically waving his hand around in embarrassment, hoping Momonga hadn't heard his vocalised daydreaming. "What if you gave me a heart attack… Huh?" The boy noticed the manga in the Overlord's hand. "Wait, isn't that the manga I bought?"

Momonga opted to ignore the boy's awkward outburst, "Ah, apologies for touching your belongings, Subaru-san. I was about to return your plastic bag I picked up yesterday but noticed the manga in the pile of items." He held up the bag that was placed on a small round table next to him.

Believing the Overlord hadn't heard his dreamy mutterings, Subaru relaxed, "Oh, thanks for keeping my things safe, Momonga-san. You can actually keep the manga until you're done reading."

"Why thank you, Subaru-san. The story I am currently reading is fascinating. The concept of unlocking new shields using monster materials is rather-"

The sound of a door opening interrupted Momonga, the mage turning to see who had entered. Two maids entered the room, both looking identical, with one having blue hair and the other having pink hair. Their gaze fell upon Subaru, who was still standing on the bed.

"Sister, sister. It looks like dear guest has finally awoken," the blue one said.

"Rem, Rem. It looks like dear guest has no sense of shame shouting like that," the pink one replied.

Subaru is left staring at the two new entrants, his mouth agape when witnessing their beauty. No way! Maid costumes exist in this world!? Maids were always the very personification of elegance in my mind. He's left staring at the maids.

Rem continued. "Sister, sister. It seems dear guest is violating us in his depraved mind."

"Rem, Rem. It seems dear guest is a lustful beast like his friend from before."

"Could you stop with the verbal tirade!?" Subaru finally shouted, embarrassed by their monotone mocking.

Thankfully, Subaru was spared from further insults when the sounds of knocking could be heard from the open door. Ulbert and Emilia walked into the room, the latter wearing a pink dress, her flower hairpin, and the pink clip she had received from the child she had helped back in the capital.

"Ah, good morning, my boy. I hope you slept well last night." Ulbert spoke first, casually eyeing the scene before him, the [Amulet of Greater Hel] around his neck gleaming from the sunlight.

"Morning, Subaru!" Emilia waved cheerfully, "I hope you're doing well after last night's incident!"

"Whoever picked that outfit totally gets it!"

"Huh?"

"I-I mean, how do I say this…?" Subaru stammered incomprehensibly, his mind still dazed from the sudden string of events that had just occurred.

"…"

"A-anyways, Subaru-san," Momonga decided to break the awkwardness, "These two are the manor's maids who took care of you when you were asleep." He gestured towards the maids.

"Rem/Ram, maid of the Roswaal manner," both twins spoke in unison, politely bowing.

"A-ah, Nice to meet you two," Subaru lightly smacked his head a few times to recover from his daze (And to drive his focus away from Emilia's outfit).

He struck his signature pose, left land lowered with a 90-degree angle and a pointing right hand raised at the ceiling, "My name is Natsuki Subaru! Not only am I clueless, but I'm also broke beyond compare! Nice to meet you!"

The twins gave him a deadpanned look, with Ram looking more disgusted than her sister. Emilia smiled fondly when seeing the same pose he did during their first introductions, with Ulbert also somewhat grinning when recalling a similar memory. For him, it was less stupid-looking compared to the "emote spamming" Touch Me often did.

Momonga, on the other hand, cringed internally, his emotional suppressor activating when he remembered a particular NPC he had created during his Yggdrasil days.

Seeing the unamused look on the sisters' faces, Subaru changed the topic to save face, "U-um, Anyways, have you guys prepared breakfast, Emilia-tan? Cause I'm starving right now." He hoped no one could see the giant sweatdrop going down his forehead.

Ulbert's face brightened at the mention of food, "Ah yes, you haven't tried the delicacies this mansion has to offer. I will say this, they taste absolutely wonderful." A slight drool almost formed on his mouth when recalling the "light snack" he ate last night, the maids having prepared a quick meal for them when the guildmates realised they hadn't eaten anything since coming here. His time in poverty had taught him not to take any form of food for granted.

The Baphomet turned to the blue hair maid, "Rem-san, could you please be a dear and get the boy here the same snacks we were graced with the previous night?"

Rem's face slightly grimaced when the demon called her, but it went unnoticed. "Of course, Ulbert-sama. Rem will get it right away." The blue maid exited the room.

"Now then," Ulbert turned back to Subaru, repeating his first question, "Were you able to rest well?"

"Mhm!" After jumping off the bed, the boy stretched his arms, "I hadn't had a proper sleep like that for a long while." Especially, due to all the stuff I had to go through ever since coming here.

"Good. We have much to discuss in due time, but for now, I believe we should enjoy the momentary peace granted." Ulbert said, taking a seat.

"With that, I cannot agree." Momonga resumed his read. He really wanted to know how the hero would take his revenge on that bitch of a princess.

While the others slowly sat down on the chairs in the room to converse while the food arrived, none had noticed the scowl etched on the blue-hair maid's face when she had left to prepare the meal.

(Mansion hallway)

"Wow! This place is really huge!"

After freshening up and finishing the breakfast Rem had prepared, the group made their way outside to give Subaru some much-needed fresh air to breathe in after the previous night's intense battle. The nasty-eyed teen's eyes were rapidly looking at every detail of the large hallway, amazed by everything he saw, from the paintings depicting different sceneries to the ornamental vases placed on a small pillar between each door. "This is really like a fantasy isekai dream!" He felt like a kid who had walked into Disneyland for the first time.

Momonga chuckled when hearing the familiar term, "My thoughts exactly when I first saw the interior." He, too, had been poking around the mansion at night, using [Perfect Unknowable] to get a layout of the place without being spotted. It was better than idly sitting around in his room all night, rummaging through his inventory. He had actually found something interesting deep within his storage system, but showing that would have to wait until he was alone with his friends.

In the meantime, he watched Subaru's eyes wander towards the many doors lined up across the hallway walls. "Are there more people living in this mansion?"

From ahead, Ram shook her head. "Roswall-sama's mansion currently does not house any people except Miss Emilia and the mansion staff, dear guest."

"So, all these rooms are empty then." This Roswaal guy must be a big shot if he owns this entire mansion.

Subaru walked next to one of the doors, wanting to see what the other rooms looked like. He slowly opened the dark oak door and peeked inside, "Huh?"

Inside was a sight he didn't expect to see. A library more extensive than any room he had seen in this mansion appeared on the other side of the doors, the two-storied room hosting lines of bookshelves, each full of various colourful tomes that were neatly stacked in order.

The library itself was neat and adequately managed, the checkerboard-styled marble floor well-polished and reflecting the bookracks above it, the smell of the recently applied floor polish adding to the feel of the room seemingly being newly constructed.

But what caught Subaru's attention more than the grand library was the one occupant currently sitting in the middle of the room, a dark tome held in her hands as she carefully observed the newcomer with a bored look in her eyes.

"What are you staring at, I suppose?"

The library resident who spoke was a girl who looked around eleven, whose hair was a creamy blonde tied into long frilly vertical twin tails shaped like drills. Said twin tails were tied with pink ribbons, and a tiny crown was placed on top of her hair. Most of her attire was pink and purple themed with a frilly ornate dress, vertically shaped tights, shoes, and a large ribbon that was adorned on the left side of her waist.

However, the most noticeable trait of her appearance were her large sky-blue eyes, which had pink butterfly patterns where the pupil would be, which Subaru felt added onto her cuteness factor.

"First loli found!" Subaru exclaimed right away, walking into the room with the others following in. The floor felt cold on the boy's feet as he stepped on the polished marble. "You're gonna ruin your cute face with that cold attitude. Come on! Smile! Smile!" He used his fingers to point his lips upwards, encouraging the girl to liven up her expression. She didn't.

"What is with that word, I suppose?" The girl gave him a deadpan look, only reacting to the unfamiliar word the boy used to refer to her with. She continued watching, furrowing her brow and holding her book tightly after seeing the other intruders.

Ulbert followed behind Subaru, looking around in amazement, his hooves/illusion shoes making a *tak tak* sound that was drowned out by the voice of Subaru trying to make the girl smile. Marvellous. To think that a place like this existed behind that door. Are they using a form of spatial magic to make it larger?

Right next to the demon, Momonga had similar thoughts as he tilted his head upwards to get a broader look at the room, surprised upon witnessing the many books his hollow sockets could see. The place was a far cry from the magnificent library his friends had constructed in their guild base, but it still had its own distinct charm.

Grievous-san would have loved to see this. He visualised his loremaster friend taking books off the shelves, his four arms holding onto as many tomes as he could.

Feeling a sudden pang of guilt overwrite the nostalgic feeling, the Overlord erased the mirage from his mind. Thinking of hypotheticals would only dampen his mood. He had friends with him, and that was already leagues better than being left alone.

Turning his attention back to the lower floor, Momonga spoke, "I presume the girl is a guardian of sorts?" Seeing her unique eyes, he could already tell the girl wasn't human.

Ram, who followed behind with her sister and Emilia, nodded. "You are correct, dear guest. Lady Beatrice is a great spirit tasked with guarding Roswaal-sama's library."

"A great spirit?" The term caught Subaru's attention. "This kid isn't human?"

"Who are you calling a child, I suppose?" Beatrice huffed, standing up from her chair. "Betty is a proud great spirit and is older than any of you, in fact!"

A loli-hag, then? Pero-san must not learn of her then. Despite his biological composition, Momonga shuddered when thinking how his friend would react when learning of this information, recalling the vampire NPC he had created in Yggdrasil based on his fetishes. I'm glad he's outside at the moment.

The Overlord was brought out of his thoughts when the girl walked towards Subaru, the person nearest to her. He could sense mana swelling around her palm as she raised it to grab the unaware boy. Is she trying to use [Drain Touch] on him?

Ulbert had also noticed the mana build-up, immediately grabbing Beatrice's hand before her palm could touch Subaru.

"Now, now, little miss," The Baphomet spoke in a soothing tone, lessening the strength of his grip to ensure he didn't accidentally hurt her after remembering a similar incident with Felt. "That is no way to treat your guests, you know?"

Beatrice stared daggers into Ulbert's eyes, eyeing him up and down when sensing something was off about him. The mana leaking out of his body feels off, in fact.

"Apologies, Ulbert-sama. But Lady Beatrice must read the mana of every guest to ensure they are not an enemy." Rem interrupted the stare down.

"Is that so?" Ulbert further loosened his grip, letting Beatrice yank her arm off his hold. "Isn't there a better way to conduct such a search?"

"Unfortunately, no, dear guest. Lady Beatrice's abilities require physical touch to read a person's mana signature."

"I see…" The demon looked down at the little girl. "I apologise for my sudden reaction then, O' great spirit. I was simply unaware of your intentions." He bowed to express his regret, Beatrice only glaring at the demon.

All of a sudden, Puck appeared from behind Emilia after sensing the short commotion. "Ah, you don't need to worry about them being a threat, Betty! These people aren't bad."

To Subaru and the guildmates' surprise, the spirit's face instantly brightened upon seeing her fellow kind. "Puckie!" She grabbed the floating cat, affectionally nuzzling him with her cheek. "Are you sure they're safe?" She gave him a concerned look after letting go.

"Mhm." The levitating spirit nodded, rubbing his face with his paw, "They were the ones who saved Lia from an assassin last night. I don't think they would've done so if they were trying to infiltrate Roswaal's mansion." Though asleep, the spirit had also been listening onto his daughter's and the woman's conversation last night, happy to see that his child had made friends. It also confirmed to the spirit that they had no hostile feelings towards his precious Lia.

Rem interjected. "But Puck-sama, all guests are still required to undergo the necessary procedures." The maid still didn't trust these newcomers, especially with the stench surrounding them.

"I don't think Roswaal would mind this time, Rem," Puck replied. "Besides, it would be disrespectful if we're so wary of the people who saved my daughter's life." His surroundings turned slightly cold for a moment, as if daring Rem to challenge him further.

"He's right, Rem-san." Subaru joined in, slightly shuddering at the change in temperature. "If draining mana sounds as bad as it does, I don't wanna be sent back to bed after having just woken up."

The blue-haired maid looked hesitant but finally relented. "Very well, Puck-sama. If that is what you wish, Rem will not intrude further." She still didn't fully believe the cat's statement, the scowl returning on her face.

Ulbert noticed the maid's expression from the corner of his eye before she quickly adopted her neutral look. That one doesn't appear to like our presence. Rather, it seems like she's hiding a lot of hostility underneath. The Baphomet made a mental note of his observation to discuss with the rest of the guild when they were alone.

Meanwhile, Subaru relaxed after ensuring he wouldn't be bedridden for the rest of the day. "Well then, I guess we should head out to see the rest of the place?"

"It would be great if you left Betty to her reading, I suppose." The librarian grumbled, slightly irritated.

The boy turned around, "Aww, why don't you come along with us, then? Someone like you shouldn't stay cooped up in this room, you know?"

"Hmph! And why should I listen to you, in fact?"

He extended his arm, warmly smiling, "Aww c'mon', don't be such a tsundere. I'll be the person to show you the sun today!"

Beatrice's eyes widened a little at the gesture and a certain word he had said. Could he be the one mother was-?

"Children should exercise regularly, or else it stunts their growth." Subaru continued.

Nah, there's no way.

"Betty told you she's not a child, I suppose!" The spirit yelled angrily, quickly raising a palm forward as a gust of wind launched towards Subaru from her hand. Everyone sidestepped as the screaming boy was sent flying out of the room and through the open window.

There's no way this idiot could be that person, hmph!

(Mansion garden)

"Ah, mornin' Su-bro. That was a cool entrance you made."

Peroroncino lay on a lawn chair in the garden as he basked in the morning sunlight, sunglasses on his eyes. Momonga had magically created the lawn chair after the Birdman's request, the sunglass being a cosmetic item that was in his inventory.

He was lazily eating the snacks he had covertly stored in his inventory last night and enjoying the warmth from the blazing orb above. Sunlight was something he could never witness in his smog-filled world, and he was sure to make the best of the warmth this one provided.

Right now, he was just relishing the tranquillity, occasionally taking bites off the cookies on his talons. That was until his bro came flying through the window and landed on a garden of flowers.

From the corner of his eye, Pero saw Buku, who was next to her brother in her own lawn chair, help Subaru to his feet, plucking him off the ground like a vegetable. After ensuring the boy was standing on both feet, she took out a [Pitcher of Endless Water] from her inventory to quickly wash the mud off him. "What made you want to jump out of the window? Did the girl reject you?"

"Wha?" Subaru was caught off-guard by the question but quickly recomposed himself. "No, no! A damn loli-hag used her magic to launch me off the second floor after I tried to make her step outside."

Pero perked up, "A loli? You say?"

"Don't think about your weird fetishes right now." Buku reprimanded her brother, already knowing where his thoughts were leading him. Her pinkish exterior under the illusion slightly reddened with anger as she continued holding the pitcher upside down, with Subaru scrubbing off the mud on his hair. "Be useful for once and help Subaru-san dry off."

"But I did more useful stuff than you did last night…" Pero mumbled.

"What was that?" The red hue darkened.

"Nothing! Just preparing my skill." The Winged One hastily replied, stretching his arms and wings as he stood up from his lawn chair, the scraps of food on his chest falling off.

"[Solar Arrow]," He lazily said as a glowing arrow radiating warmth materialised in Pero's hand. He raised it near the now mud-free Subaru to begin the process of drying him up. "Don't touch it, or it'll burn your skin off."

Subaru did as instructed, feeling the heat pouring out of the arrow quickly dry his soaked robe and body. It was a somewhat comforting feeling after having been tossed out like that.

"Sooo." Pero whispered after confirming his sister had laid back on her lawn chair, "A loli hag, you say? How were her looks on a scale of one to ten?"

"Can we not talk about that right now?"

"Aww, cmon', Su-bro", Pero almost burnt the boy's cloak as he leaned closer, "Just a number to help your pal here have a clearer image in his mind?"

"…" He really didn't want to think of Beatrice right now.

"Fine…" Pero sighed, Rule 9 of the bro code stated he shouldn't try to pry further into his bro's life until given permission, "The water should've dried off by now." He withdrew his arrow, tossing it away as it vanished into particles of light.

"Oh! Thanks, man. That felt like using a hair dryer all over my body." Subaru said, fixing his hair back to his normal style and grabbing a cookie the Birdman offered, "What have you been doing, by the way?" He munched on the snack, his tongue enjoying its sweet flavour.

"Nothing much." The Avian let out a yawn. "Me and sis have just been enjoying the sunlight and shiny boy has been doing his own thing over there." He motioned towards his right. Touch Me stood next to a gazebo, swinging his sword as he followed a slash, parry, and dodge pattern. "He told me it was some form of image training he was practising. It seems like his new body has provided some fun skills to try out."

The Paladin was, in fact, passing the time via image training, his warrior body allowing him to clearly imagine an opponent fighting against him. He found it surprising at first, being able to create a mirage enemy that fought so fluidly, but he welcomed the distraction as it helped put his other thoughts aside.

His current opponent was the vision of his friend, Warrior Takemikazuchi, the samurai Nephilim he had duelled countless times during the golden days of Yggdrasil. They were engaged in casual sparring, slowly amping up the pacing as the Paladin could feel the ringing of steel with each clash.

"That reminds me." Subaru turned to the Birdman, finishing eating the cookie on his hand. "Doesn't it feel weird being in a body that wasn't originally yours?"

"Ehh, I admit it was weird when we first got teleported into this world, but we've gotten used to it surprisingly quickly." Peroroncino flexed his wings, feeling the feathers in his new appendages move with the motion.

"And besides, having wings and all this strength is cool! I can feel the power coursing through my body like never before!" Subaru watched Pero pick up a pebble and chuck it as far as possible to prove his point, the stone rocketing into the distance at supersonic speeds.

Subaru looked on as the rock disappeared into the clouds, "Must be cool to have all those OP abilities." He didn't want to voice his thoughts, but he was a bit jealous of his "fellow Japanese" people and all the cool things they could do. While they had all these magical powers and godly equipment, he was stuck with a cursed ability that only activated when he literally died. It feels unfair when you think about it.

Although he was able to hold his own during last night's battle, he still felt he hadn't accomplished much compared to how Touch Me was easily keeping up with Elsa and the devastating magics Ulbert and Momonga had conjured. He had felt a slight tinge of shame well up inside him when Touch Me told him to retreat from battle. A slow creeping feeling of envy was building up deep within, which he had suppressed for now, but it still existed.

"It depends, tho." The Avain broke Subaru out of his thoughts. "Momonga-san was disappointed to find out he couldn't eat food like he used to last night." He recalled how the Overlord's mood had somewhat dampened when realising how his biological composition prevented him from eating food. He, too, wanted to enjoy meals that weren't synthetic pastes that were the primary source of sustenance in his world, especially seeing how Peroroncino was practically scarfing down his meal. "Everything has it's pros and cons if you think about it."

"Still… It would be cool to have abilities similar to Sebas- err, Touch-san." Subaru continued to look on as the Paladin twisted his body in a way humans wouldn't be able to do while dodging an attack from his imaginary opponent. Maybe I could ask them to teach me magic and swordsmanship? That way, I could be more useful to the group.

"Ah, there you are, Subaru!" The group turned around to see Emilia running towards them, followed by Momonga and Ulbert walking at a leisurely pace. She stopped before the gang, looking worriedly at the boy. "I hope the fall didn't hurt you that badly."

"Don't worry, Emilia-tan! As you can see, I am perfectly fine." Subaru reassured her with a smirk and a thumbs up. His inner turmoil, however, said otherwise.

"Tan?" Emilia quizzingly tilted her head to the right, unfamiliar with the honorific.

"Uh, just ignore that one."

Momonga and Ulbert caught up with the rest, the former walking further to greet Touch Me. "So, my boy. Mind telling us how your first flight felt?" Ulbert asked, a smirk evident on his face.

The siblings laughed when Subaru's face turned red. "I'd rather not go through that ever again." He decided to change the subject before they could throw further jabs towards him. "Where are Ram and Rem, by the way?"

"Ah, they went to the kitchen to prepare lunch. The lord of this mansion will appear in a while and told us we could look around during that time." He looked at the boy. "Do you have anything in mind you want to do?"

"Hmm." Subaru thought, putting his hand on his chin. What would be a good way to spend their time fruitfully? He didn't want to immediately return indoors as the thought of encountering that drill loli spooked him.

Screwing his face further while thinking, Subaru's eyes moved towards the Paladin and the Mage duo, exchanging morning pleasantries. Now that he thought about it, what Touch Me did to kill time was a form of morning exercise. Maybe he could try something similar… Oh!

"I know!" The boy snapped his fingers when recalling one of his old daily traditions, "We can do some radio callisthenics to start the day!"

"Radio calisthenics?" Emilia inquired.

"Mhm!" Subaru nodded enthusiastically. "It's my homeland's ancient practice of warm-up exercises. Come on, guys, I'll show you."

Momonga and Touch Me joined the group while Subaru began lining up everyone for the exercise, Buku getting off from her chair to join the rest of her friends.

"Alright then!" Subaru stood before the group, stretching his body for more flexibility. "Follow what I do, and the idea of radio callisthenics will be drilled into your mind." Touch Me shook his head to clear his mind from the slight fatigue he received from the training.

The members of Ainz Ooal Gown and Emilia then began to follow the different forms of stretches and movements Subaru showed them.

Around 5 minutes had passed after the gang at the mansion started with the warm-ups. It was a bit awkward at first, but they were getting used to it.

No. They were surprised to find that they were enjoying it.

"Move your arms like this." Pero did the jumping jacks, feeling elated with each jump, his wings fluttered excitedly. Huh, this is actually really fun.

"Swing your arms around this way." Touch Me twisted his body left and right, swinging his arms along with the movement. This is just like the exercise drills we had to do but more enjoyable. Police officers' training drills were more strict rather than being fun.

"Side to side. Side to side." Ulbert revolved his arms up and around, feeling his muscles relax. I should do this more often. His shoulder joint cracked with a pop as he enjoyed the sensation. Ooh, that felt good!

"Now, jump up and down again." Emilia had initially felt awkward doing those movements but gradually started enjoying it more and more. Subaru's world is a really unique place.

My body feels freer doing this. Despite her slime body, Buku could feel her body become more liberated with each stretch.

I can't feel anything. The skeleton in the group bent down to touch the tip of his feet with his fingers.

Puck and Beatrice watched through the window as the weirdos outside moved their bodies in sync.

"Now, raise both arms and shout Victory!"

"Victory!" A chorus of shouts and cheerful yells emerged from the group.

"That was fun, Su-bro," Pero said, still moving around his shoulder joint with one arm on it. "I feel like a young kid again."

"You're still a kid in my eyes," Buku replied, her body slightly dissolving with the relaxing feeling she received from the exercise. Those who couldn't see past the illusion only saw a warm smile on the woman's face.

Subaru laughed. "Heh. I'm glad you liked it, man. Radio callisthenics is something everyone should do daily."

"Absolutely." The Birdman nodded in agreement. He had reached a new level of enlightenment with this exercise.

"Ohhhh myyyy. And what do we have hereeee?" A voice from above startled the gang as a figure descended from the skies. A rather interesting-looking fellow made his appearance when landing between the group.

He was a tall man with long dark-blue hair, pale white skin and purple makeup, heterochromatic eyes with one yellow and the other blue, and finally, a black suit and bowler hat to finish his bizarre appearance.

Emilia recognised the eccentric individual, "Ah! Roswaal!"

The rest turned to her in disbelief. That's the lord of this mansion!? They collectively thought, unable to process what Emilia just uttered.

After the initial shock, Subaru was the first to speak, "Ha… didn't know you could joke around like that, Emilia-tan." He laughed awkwardly, unable to accept that the clown owned this enormous mansion.

"A joke?" Emilia looked at him with a question mark above her head. "I don't follow, Subaru."

…

…

…

Oh. My. God. This clown is the owner of this place.

Roswaal, meanwhile, looked at the newcomers to his mansion, eyeing each of them with a glint in his eyes.

"Good morninggg Emilia-sama!" The jester turned to Emilia with a smile on his face and his eyes closed. "I rushed back after Ram sent me a letter about 'the incidentttt'. These are the people who savedddd your life, I presumeee?"

Emilia paled when Roswaal mentioned the incident but continued. "Y-yes! These are the mercenaries of Ainz Ooal Gown and Natsuki Subaru, who helped in the fight against the Bowel Hunter last night."

"I seeee…." The glint still hadn't left his eyes. His gaze lingered on Subaru in particular, never dropping his smile. The Japanese boy felt very disturbed by the stare, as if he were a prey being observed by a predator.

"Very well then." He suddenly clapped his hands. "I am rather hungry after the long trippp." He noticed Ram walking towards them from the main entrance.

"Shall we make introductions during lunchhh?"

Author's notes:

Hello everyone! Thank you for your patience! It took a bit longer to plan out things for this arc and I hope you liked this chapter. I was about to publish it last week but Lyron wanted to make a few more changes to it before making it public.

There are a few retcons I would like to quickly make if that's fine:

- Reinhard noticed that Ulbert's letter was in a foreign language using his {Divine Protection of Translation} and gave Coco a translated version. (Thank you chongwillson for pointing this out! I had forgotten about the language issue.)

- Momonga used a scroll to summon the Shadow Demons. (A Guest user pointed this out and I'm thankful for that. I made changes to Ulbert's ravens accordingly.)

These mistakes have been fixed in the AO3 upload, and I'll be sure to edit the previous chapter as soon as possible. I hope you don't mind this and I'll do my best to further ensure other issues like these don't occur.

Next, the people who read the drafts before I published it pointed out there were too many POV changes to it. Would you prefer me focusing on one character for a huge portion or is the current method fine?

Other than that, I'm still looking for brainstorm ideas with on the Ashur server, so, please feel free to ping me if you are there and are willing to discuss or even beta-read the drafts. Right now, I'm trying to figure out how the Re:Zero characters' levels would be on the Overlord world. Also, please wait until the next chapter for the review replies. I'm working on it on a separate doc file since there were a lot of reviews and I want to do my best to reply to everyone who commented.

That's all for now. Until next time!

Lyron: randomguy's question caught my attention. Can you send a follow-up review on how you envisioned the fight would've gone? I want to learn more about Elsa's feats for the later arcs.

All hail the magnificent twelve!

Extra scene: Flight safety

"This is rather interesting…."

Roswaal muttered to himself as he flew above the clouds, a dark tome held in his hands as he curiously read its contents. If modern air travel existed in this world, his lack of focus towards his surroundings would've definitely ended up with him flying headfirst into a few jet engines by now.

The clown's eyes narrowed at the texts that had appeared in his tome a few days ago, him having followed its instructions diligently but still unsure of what the words fully entailed, "Teacher… Could it be that you are testing my faith? I sent the Bowel Hunter as instructed, but you never told me why-"

His thoughts are cut off when the silence in the air is disrupted by a noise he cannot discern. Lowering his book, Roswaal noticed a small object rapidly approaching his direction. Hm? Now, what could that possibly b- OH SHIT! The clown's eyes widened when identifying the object, quickly swerving to the left as it zoomed past him and continued flying upwards with no signs of stopping.

The clown quickly looked at his tome. Good, the rock hadn't damaged it. Hell would've been raised if his precious tome had been even slightly damaged. Maybe that was a sign for him to focus more on his surroundings next time.

Putting the book back into his coat pocket, the jester sighed. He was close to his mansion anyways. Better start flying down.

And with that, Roswaal L Mathers descended to the world below, hoping he could sort out the tome's instructions at the mansion.

Special thanks to Edgy, Crit, and Lyron for beta-reading, especially to the latter for the editing and the extra scene at the end! (And also providing me with the extra material for ideas!)