Lydia's POV
We teleport into a corridor leading to the arena of the 6th floor.
"It seems like we can still use items as well." I say out loud after the successful teleportation. My gaze inevitably goes toward my pendant in wonder and curiosity.
"Yeah... Let's head to the arena. I want to test things before the guardians arrive." Momonga tells me calmly. Maybe a bit too calmly for our situation.
"Alright. But... do you mind if I test something while walking there?" I ask him.
"No. The more things we test, the better." he answers.
After receiving Momonga's confirmation, I try to turn my entire body into mist. I already did it partially in the throne room, but I want to see if I can turn completely and if the transformation will change things other than my appearance. For example, will I be able to fly? Pass through matter?
My body turns completely into mist, and apparently, my equipment turns with my body. I honestly forgot about my equipment, so it's a good thing that it somehow changes with my body. The only thing that doesn't transform with me is the [Eye of Heimdall]; the pendant just floats in the middle of the blue gas that now composes my body. Is it because it's the only piece of equipment that isn't soul-bound to me?
The transformation itself was almost instantaneous, as my body converted all of its mass into a blue mist seamlessly. Even though saying "mass" is maybe not the right term, as my body is just mana taking a physical form. Did I even have weight? I should have, as I was affected by gravity just like when I was human.
My vision in this form is weird. I have a 360-degree view, and I can apparently concentrate on a 'zone' of my view, which reduces my field of view, but the details become more apparent. No wait, it doesn't reduce my field of view; it simply turns the rest into some kind of peripheral view. It's so weird to see like a human, but having a peripheral view that shows everything, even behind me. Though, I suppose that in this form I don't have a front or a back; I'm simply a sentient mass of blue gas.
Speaking of which, I'm not touching the ground anymore; I'm floating in the air. Does that mean that I don't have whatever mass I had before? That I can fly? Maybe I should begin by trying to move first. Then I can try to be a flying ball of gas in the sky.
I concentrate my gaze on Momonga, and he stares at me, his open jaws revealing his shock.
"Did you just evaporate?" asks Momonga anxiously.
Oh right... he didn't see me do that in the throne room. I was going to answer, but I'm interrupted by a sudden wave of irritation and discontentment sent my way.
When I look at where those feelings come from, I see Thought on the ground below me with its tail raised and the crystals in it glowing. It stares at me with its small red eyes.
At first, I didn't understand why it was mad, but then I recalled that it was lying on my shoulder. It must have fallen through me when I turned into a cloud.
"Oh, I'm sorry, little guy." I say out loud as I reach for him with a tendril of blue mist. I grab him and put him on top of my gaseous body.
Then I freeze.
Wait! What did I just do? It worked?
Thought is now lying comfortably on the gaseous surface of my body as if it were solid, and the most comfortable pillow ever.
I can apparently turn my body solid at will—well, kind of solid. It's effortless and instinctive, so much so that I did it without even thinking.
Anyway, I should probably answer Momonga before he freaks out.
"Yeah, I figured out that I could do that earlier in the throne room. As my body is made entirely of mana and I can control and manipulate it, I wanted to see if I had a limit or, at least, limitations on how much I can manipulate my body." I explain, as I can apparently still speak in this form.
"I-I see." Momonga replies hesitantly. "And... did you find it?" he asks.
"Not really. It just looks like I can shapeshift without any apparent limits." I inform him.
"Was it something you could do in YGGDRASIL?" Momonga asks, taken aback by the seemingly new ability.
"No. That is why I'm trying to understand the limits of this ability." I tell him excitedly. "That means that we are no longer bound by the limitations of YGGDRASIL. Isn't that exciting?" I ask as I try to move around.
"I also noticed some things different from YGGDRASIL." he informs me. "But do you mind if we talk about them after dealing with the Guardians? Also... how long will you stay in this form?" he asks hesitantly as his head follows me moving around.
"I'll stay in this form a little bit to get used to it; once we reach the arena, I'll turn back." I reply.
"Okay, I see. Let's get going then." he says as he turns around and begins walking.
Momonga walks along a wide passage as I follow him in my misty form. The air on this floor is grassy and earthy; it has the smell of a forest. As we advance and the more I observe our surroundings, the more and more certain I become that this place has truly become real.
When we reach the end of the corridor, the door opens automatically for us. On the other side is a large arena surrounded by several layers of an auditorium.
This oval amphitheater has a length of 188 meters (617 feet), a width of 156 meters (512 feet) , and a height of 48 meters (157 feet). It was modeled after the Colosseum of the Roman Empire.
A spell called [Continual Light] was cast over the entire structure, and therefore it was always as bright as daylight inside. The audience consisted of numerous Golems that showed no signs of activity.
This place was called the Arena. The gladiators were played by the intruders, and the audience would consist of the Golems and the members of Ainz Ooal Gown sitting in the VIP lounge. No matter how tenacious or numerous the invaders were, they were here to meet their end.
I remember one time I fought a group of players that invaded Nazarick here. It was because I had lost a bet against Ulbert. I had to fight them alone, but I managed to win in the end, and the other members of the guild had a good spectacle, as they told me. They had even brought their NPCs to fill the role of spectators instead of the usual golems. They said it was to make the 'event' feel more real.
At the moment, a black night sky could be seen at the top of the arena and, if there were no light magic nearby, you could even see the stars in the sky twinkling.
The 6th floor of Nazarick was covered by a virtual sky. Not only did it slowly change over time, but it even had a rising sun, complete with daylight effects.
I believe that there should be two guardians assigned to this floor. Two dark elf children, a boy and a girl, created by Bukubukuchagama-san.
They are named Aura Bella Fiora and Mare Bello Fiore, if I remember correctly.
As if on cue, we hear a distant voice yell,
"Hey there!"
A silhouette jumped from the VIP lounge. It was as high as a six-story building and there was no use of any magic, just simply physical skill.
Her gentle curved feet eliminated the impact and exposed a proud expression with a 'V' for victory with her hand.
A girlish-looking child with a cute and warm smile on her face. Her golden hair drifted near her shoulders, reflecting the surroundings. Different colors of blue and green pupils made her eyes shine like a puppy's. Her long, pointy ears and darkish skin showed that she was a Dark Elf.
Equipped with reddish black dragon-scale leather, light fitting and a white and gold embroidered vest on her chest with the Ainz Ooal Gown sign. Below, she wore a set of white trousers and on her neck an acorn necklace emitting golden light. A whip wrapped around her waist. And her back carried a giant bow whose grip was decorated with exotic engravings.
"Ah, Aura." I hear Momonga exclaim calmly as the young Dark Elf shows herself.
Indeed, this Dark Elf child is one of the guardians of the 6th floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick: Aura Bella Fiora.
With small, mousy steps, Aura started running towards us. The steps looked small, but she was faster than a beast. Her steps were both acute and quick at closing distances.
Aura then slows down as if engaging the emergency brake with her feet and, due to friction, her shoes made from gold alloy plates produce a dust cloud behind her. With her sudden stop, the cloud of dust continues moving forward but stops before touching us, as if it were calculated.
"Phew." mumbles Aura, as if she just ran a marathon.
She is not sweating but still pretends to wipe her forehead. She then shows us a beaming smile of pure joy.
"Welcome, Momonga-sama, Lydia Evie Hart-sama. Welcome to my guarded floor!" she greeted us in a high tone unique to children.
The greeting is neither as elegant nor as respectful as Albedo's or Sebas's, but it feels more intimate. In a way, I prefer it this way; it puts me at ease compared to the stiff response of earlier.
Momonga seems momentarily speechless, so I decide to answer in his place. First, I make my gaseous body swirl within itself before transforming back into my original form. The movement is unnecessary, but I wanted to transform in a theatrical way—just a random impulse without any real reason behind it. And I felt that with the way Aura showed herself, it was only appropriate.
Of course, I didn't forget about Thought this time, as I hold it up with a tendril of mist while transforming back before putting it on my shoulder once more before making the tendril disappear within my body.
I feel Aura's gaze of awe, and curiously, instead of feeling intimidated by her gaze, it feels good. It's like I want to bask in it and show off. It makes a smile form on my face and my confidence grow.
"Thank you for your welcome, Aura. Also, it is a bit long to call me by my full name every time; please just call me Lydia. I intend to give this instruction to every resident of Nazarick, so don't worry about it." I tell her, my voice still sounding like an introverted child's, and its volume is still low, but the carefree aspect of it seems to have become a bit more prominent. And all of that, without removing the caring tone of my voice.
Is that really my voice? It sounds so childish and innocent, but the tone is paradoxically a mix between that of a child and that of a mother.
"Yes, Lydia-sama!" Aura replies happily.
Aura smiles widened at my words and she seems extremely happy for some reason.
"...Ah, did we disturb you just now?" asks Momonga after coming back to his senses and stopping staring at my back like I was an alien.
"What? Momonga-sama, you and Lydia-sama are the owners of Nazarick, the supreme rulers! No matter when you visit, it cannot be called a disturbance!" Aura replies hastily, with a reverent tone.
"So... Aura, where is...?" Momonga asks hesitantly. For some reason, it almost feels as if he's the one with social anxiety and not the other way around.
It feels like I'm not the one with social anxiety... Did I change? How come I've managed to speak so much since the transfer? I don't know them personally; I shouldn't be able to speak so confidently without becoming a stuttering mess after the first word. But, if I changed, isn't it a good thing? What else changed in me? It's a good thing, right, if I don't have social anxiety anymore? But then, why do I feel scared? I don't even know what I'm scared of. I don't like it.
Hearing Momonga's question, Aura turns around abruptly to look at the VIP room and starts to shout towards it, snapping me out of my spiraling thoughts.
"The supreme beings are here! Don't be so rude, and hurry up!" she shouts, seemingly irritated.
In the shade of the VIP room, we could see a shadow quivering.
Is Mare there?
Mare Bello Fiore is the second guardian of the 6th floor. He is also the brother of Aura Bella Fiora and they were both created by Bukubukuchagama.
"Is Mare there?" Momonga asks Aura as she shouts towards the distant figure in the VIP room.
"Yes, yes, Momonga-sama. Because that guy is very timid... he does not want to jump off!" she answers, sounding exasperated.
Out of curiosity, I try to use the [Eye of Heimdall] to see and hear Mare from here. Immediately, the VIP room becomes visible in my mind, and I see Mare looking in our direction meekly before looking down at where Aura had jumped off earlier. Mare has an appearance almost identical to Aura, and even their clothes are similar, if you overlook the fact that Aura is wearing the male version of the clothes while Mare is wearing the female version.
A barely audible voice responded to Aura's call. Because of the distance to the VIP room, normally a miracle would be needed to be heard. But because of Aura's necklace, it did not pose any problem for her. I am also able to hear him thanks to the [Eye of Heimdall]. The only one unable to hear Mare is Momonga, but I'm sure that they are unaware that I'm listening to their conversation as well.
"No, no... Onee-chan..." Mare says meekly on the VIP room.
Aura sighed and explained,
"That, that... Momonga-sama, Lydia-sama, he is just very timid and certainly does not have the intention to be rude." Aura defends her brother despite sounding exasperated herself.
"I certainly understand that, Aura, and I would never doubt your loyalty." Momonga tells her evenly, despite coming here precisely to test their loyalty.
Aura seemed immediately relieved and turned her face to the VIP room once more.
"The Supreme Beings came to this floor to meet the Guardians. This is utterly indecent; you should be clearly aware of it! If you are too scared to jump off, I'll kick you down!" she yells once more.
"Um... I will take the stairs down..." Mare replies after looking one last time where Aura had jumped earlier.
"How long do you want to keep Momonga-sama and Lydia-sama waiting?! Come down now!" Aura responds, her patience wearing thin.
"I know, I know...!" he says meekly as he gathers all his courage.
But, maybe out of sympathy, before he could jump, I teleported him in front of us using the [Eye of Heimdall]. His body was enveloped in a ray of light, and almost instantly, another ray of light appeared beside Aura. After only a short instant, the light dissipated, showing a shocked Mare in its place.
The child looked scared as he peeped at us. He was wearing a boring blue dragon-scale dress and short forest-green leaf cloak. Although the outfit had the same white base as Aura's, the lower body exposed a little skin due to the skirt. Like Aura, a necklace made of acorns and emitted a silver light wrapped around his neck. His slender hands wore shiny white silk gloves while holding a twisted black wooden stick.
Seeing Momonga lost in thought again, I speak to the fearful Mare with a gentle smile.
"Hello, Mare. It's okay; we are not mad. Also, you can just call me Lydia, like your sister." I tell him, hoping to calm his nerves after he suddenly appeared in front of us without warning.
No... it's not a bad thing if it allows me to speak to Mare like that. At least I hope so. I don't need to be afraid of change. After all, I'm still me underneath those changes. I still feel like myself, at least. Maybe those changes are just a result of a different body? After all, I'm no longer subject to human hormones. But then, does this body have hormones? Or something similar, perhaps? How does my body work?
Mare sighs in relief, knowing that he didn't make his masters mad.
"Yes, Lydia-sama." he replies, more calmly than when he was speaking with his sister through the acorn necklace, snapping me out of my thoughts once more.
Aura and Mare are really like day and night, personality-wise.
"You are in good spirits, very good," remarks Momonga.
"Oh—it has become a bit dull recently; occasionally some invaders would be nice." Aura speaks up.
"I-I do not want to see intruders... I would be afraid..." Mare remarks timidly.
Hearing Mare's words, Aura's face distorted.
"...Oh. Momonga-sama, Lydia-sama, please excuse me for a little while. Mare, follow me." Aura tells us before grabbing Mare by his ear and dragging him away when Momonga nods lightly.
"Ah-ah, it hurts. Onee-chan, Onee-chan, please." Mare whines in pain as he gets dragged away.
After they left our side, she whispered into Mare's ear. Even from a distance, we could hear Aura reprimanding Mare.
"Ah, intruders. Mare just like you, I too do not want to see them... But we can't say that in front of the Supreme Beings. What kind of image as Guardians will we give if we do?" She reprimands him, she then continues for a little while, to the point that Mare finishes with his knees on the ground and teary eyes.
After a while, Aura is still reprimanding Mare, so Momonga interrupts them.
"Let's stop here for now, okay?" interrupts Momonga, much to my relief, as I didn't like seeing this and was wondering if I was going to have to intervene if Momonga didn't step in.
"But Momonga-sama, as a Guardian, Mare—!" Aura begins speaking, but Momonga interrupt her.
"Don't worry, Aura; I understand your feelings as a Floor Guardian. Of course, you will feel unhappy when Mare says such cowardly words in front of us. But I also believe that in the event someone invades the Tomb of Nazarick, you and Mare will bravely stand and fight to the end. And as long as he is capable of doing this, you don't need to blame him this much." he tells her, speaking in the same way he used to when we were roleplaying our characters in YGGDRASIL. But, with his new voice, it doesn't sound bad or forced; it sounds right, as well as mighty, in a way.
I just stand alongside him with a smile, but on the inside, I'm mesmerized by Momonga's acting.
Aura walks towards Mare and pulls him up.
"Mare, seeing how sorry you are, your kind sister will surely forgive you. You should be thankful to her." he tells him gently, yet his tone still has a dose of authority.
Mare shows a slightly surprised expression and looks at his sister.
"Uh? No, no, that is not how it is! You should be grateful to Momonga-sama!" Aura says hastily in response to Mare's gaze and Momonga's words.
"Aura, it doesn't matter to me. Your good intentions are well understood. I don't doubt Mare's ability as a Guardian." he replies, cutting the conversation short.
"Ah, yes, yes! Thank you, Momonga-sama." Aura replies to Momonga's words.
"Tha-Thank you." Mare replies as well, more hesitantly.
They bow respectfully and looks at him with shining eyes.
Their gaze, full of admiration, seems to make Momonga uncomfortable. So I speak up, as an idea forms in my head.
"Aura, do you feel bored with no intruders coming?" I ask, my tone playful.
"—Ah, no, tha-that..." Aura hesitates, not expecting the sudden question.
Aura now has a fearful expression, so I speak up once more.
"We will not blame you, so speak your mind." I clarify and press her as my smile widens slightly. And for some reason, I get the impression that I saw her shiver, but that must just be my imagination.
"......Indeed, I'm a little bored. There are no opponents nearby who can keep up with me in a fight for more than five minutes." she admits with a sigh of defeat.
While answering, she puts her index fingers close together. As a Guardian of this floor, she reached Lv. 100. There were only a few who could rival her in power within this Tomb.
"What if you take Mare as your opponent?" asks Momonga suddenly.
At Momonga's words, Mare's body starts trembling. He shakes his head vigorously, with moist eyes. Aura looked at the frightened Mare and sighed. With her sigh, a sweet scent filled the surroundings.
I can even see the air in the vicinity take on a pinkish tint. The pink mist has an oddly captivating quality, and I couldn't resist gazing at it as though seeing something intriguing. I raise a hand to touch the pink mist, and seeing it move with the movement of my hand, I start playing with it. I'm so captivated by it that I forget my little plan for Aura and don't notice Momonga taking a step back from it. I also don't notice Thought whimpering in fear on my shoulder as he grips it for dear life. Thoughts is petrified, not even capable of moving a muscle or doing anything except quietly whimpering pitifully.
Aura, on the other hand, noticed.
"Ah, sorry, Momonga-sama, Lydia-sama!" she apologizes hastily.
Aura then waves her hand to disperse the scented air. Much to my disappointment.
That was one of Aura's passive skills as a ranger. She can apply buffs and debuffs through her breath, and the effects reach several meters in radius. But if she uses the skill, the effect can be extended to an incredible distance.
In YGGDRASIL, when affected by buffs or debuffs, an icon would appear in your HUD to show that they were active. But now, there is no HUD anymore.
"There is nothing anymore; the effect has been stopped!" Aura says hastily.
"This ah......" Momonga says hesitantly after seeing me being mesmerized by the pink mist.
"...But since Momonga-sama is undead and Lydia-sama is a spirit, the effect of this skill should be useless against you, right?" she asks anxiously.
"......Have we entered the skill's range yet?" Momonga asks curiously.
"Well..." Aura shrank her neck, and Mare, who was next to her, did the same.
"......I'm not angry, Aura," Momonga clarifies as he tries to appease them as gently as possible.
"Aura... you do not need to be so afraid. Do you think such casually cast skills can affect us? I'm simply asking whether or not we are within the range of your skill." Momonga continues, while acting mightily.
Aura felt relieved to hear Momonga's response and answer.
"Yes! You have already entered the range of my skill."
"So, what is the effect?" he asks curiously.
"The effect... should be [Fear]." she answers, shifting her gaze towards me while answering for some reason.
Aura's reaction implies the possibility of friendly fire, which is concerning. In YGGDRASIL, friendly fire was impossible. But maybe I should stop expecting things to work the same as in YGGDRASIL; this world is real, after all. But that raises other questions, such as: Is the level system still in place? Are we still level 100? It should be, as I'm still a Child of Mana and still have all of my skills, as far as I'm aware. But maybe it works differently now?
"As far as I remember, Aura, your ability will not have a negative effect on allies." Momonga comments, snapping me out of my thoughts in the process.
"Huh?" is Aura only response to Momonga's comment.
Aura could not help staring. Mare, who was next to her, also bore the same expression. And it confirmed the possibility of friendly fire.
"Did I remember it wrong?" Momonga asks, after seeing the way both Aura and Mare stare at him.
"Yes, I can only freely change the effect range; maybe you got confused by this?" Aura replies hesitantly.
After that short conversation, Momonga spends a bit of time experimenting with friendly fire with Aura by summoning weak monsters and telling Aura to use her skills on them, and even including himself in the range of the skills.
While both of them are doing that, Me and Mare are just observing in silence. The silence is a bit akward so I decide to start a casual conversation.
I speak softly and smile gently at Mare to make him more comfortable.
"So... Mare... If I remember correctly, you like reading, right?" I ask hesitantly. It is what was written on his bio as far as I can remember from conversations I had with Bukubukuchagama.
"Y-yes, Lydia-sama... While my sister often passes the time by making rounds on the Floor or training her beasts... I usually pass the time reading books." he replies quietly.
"And what kind of books do you read in general?" I ask curiously.
"I-I like reading adventure books from Ashurbanipal's library." Mare replies timidly, surely not expecting the sudden conversation nor the topic. But I'm confident that my attitude put him more at ease, as I don't see him fidgeting as much as with his sister or with Momonga.
"I see." I simply say to his response. "Well, if you want, I have a collection of books in my room. I could lend you some of them from time to time if you wish to." I propose.
Mare is taken aback by the proposition and gets nervous.
"P-Please, Lydia-sama, there is no need for me to take books from your personal collection! Y-You don't need to do that for me!" he hastily says.
Seeing how nervous I inadvertently made him, I walk toward Mare and put my hand on his head to calm him down. I didn't think that he would react like that at the idea of taking something from me. That speaks volumes about how highly he views me. That's not the typical treatment of a superior; it's almost like I'm some kind of god to him and that any of my possessions are sacred or something.
"Hey, hey, don't worry about it. How about this? If you do a good job in the future, I can share them with you as a reward. Just make sure to bring them back to me when you finish them, okay?" I tell him as gently as possible to calm him down.
"O-of course, Lydia-sama. I-I would be honored to have them. A-and I'll do my best to give them back to you without any damage!"
His enthusiasm and determination are rather cute, so I pat him on the head lightly.
"I'll be counting on you then. But don't forget to relax as well. A book is an experience to be enjoyed, not rushed." I tell him with a smile.
"Y-yes, Lydia-sama." he replies with a small smile, clearly enjoying the sensation of my hand on his head.
I continue to caress his head for a little while because he looks like he enjoys it, even though the position is rather awkward as he's taller than me. I then look in Momonga's direction and see that he has finished with his experiment and is now talking with Aura. So I stop petting Mare's head, to his great disappointment.
"It looks like they are almost done." I tell Mare as I look at Aura and Momonga in the distance.
Mare, at my words, turns his head to look over there as well.
Aura and Momonga are both walking towards us while discussing something.
"...There is one more thing, Aura. I have ordered all the Floor Guardians to come over here. They will all be gathered here in less than one hour." I hear Momonga inform Aura of his plan once they are in range of hearing.
"Huh? Then we have to get ready—" Aura, taken aback by the sudden announcement, starts speaking hastily, but Momonga cuts her off.
"No, it is not necessary, we'll wait here until they come."
"Ah, each floor's Guardians—? Then Shalltear will come as well?" Aura asks, a trace of discontentment can be heard in her tone of voice.
"Yes, all the floors' Guardians." Momonga replies simply, in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Oh..." mumbles Aura in disappointment and acceptance.
Aura's long ears suddenly started to drop.
Momonga POV
Once I requested it, scarecrows were set up along the edge of the arena.
I use them to train with my magic by launching all kinds of spells at them.
When I look to the side, I see the curious eyes of three children.
While I'm aware that Lydia isn't truly a child, her current gaze towards me mirrors that of the twins perfectly. Additionally, she genuinely looks like one and often acts like one, even though she doesn't seem to realize it.
I saw how she started playing with the pink mist of Aura's skill earlier.
Was she perhaps affected by the transfer as well, just not in the same ways as me? I know that when I feel an emotion that is too strong, it's immediately repressed. I believe that it's because I'm an undead. But has she been affected by her species as well without noticing it?
She is a Child of Mana; I don't know much about it, but it has "child" in the name. So it would not be surprising if it affects her into becoming more childish. Or perhaps it's the age of her avatar? I remember that she had a human avatar before becoming a heteromorph; the transformation locked the age of her avatar to that of a child between 10 and 12 years old.
When I see Lydia next to the twins, she shares the same innocent look of pure childish curiosity in her eyes. She is even a tad shorter than them.
She was definitely not this childish before. She also feels a bit less shy, perhaps? This is something I will have to talk about with her later. For now, we must verify if the NPCs are still loyal to us after becoming alive. Aura and Mare seem perfectly loyal to us; there is no problem with them.
Will the others be similar to those two?
There is nothing that guarantees it.
After I destroy the scarecrows another time with a [Fireball], I decide to do another experiment with the spell [Message] this time.
I walk to the other side of the arena and try to contact Lydia with it.
When I use this spell, I instinctively put two fingers on the side of my head where my ear should be and talk aloud.
{Lydia, can you hear me?} I ask tentatively.
I can see Lydia doing the same thing at the other side of the arena and then I hear her voice in my head.
{I can hear you perfectly fine Momonga.} Her small voice seems to come directly into my mind as she speaks.
{Perfect, that means that the spell message works without any problems. I'll try to use it to contact others.} I say, hopefully.
{The others?} I hear Lydia ask as I cut off the spell.
With that said, I try to contact the other members of the guild while walking toward Lydia and the twins.
Even after trying 99 times, there is still no response. I even try [Send Message to All] to all the 39 other members of the guild, but nothing.
I use it to try and contact Sebas.
{Momonga-sama.} Seba's voice surprisingly appears in my mind.
A voice of deep respect passed into my brain. I think that perhaps on the other side, Sebas is bowing respectfully, just like he would do in the real world. While I was thinking about these silly things and keeping silent, Sebas spoke again.
{......May I ask what you need?} he asks after I stay silent for a few seconds.
{Ah, ah, sorry, I got lost for a moment. Yes, how is the situation in the surroundings?} I ask, trying to hide that I just contacted him to see if it would have worked.
{Yes, the surrounding is a grassland and I did not find any intelligent life.} He answers respectfully.
{Grassland... not a swamp?} I questioned, surprised.
The surroundings of the Underground Tomb of Nazarick should be a large swamp. It was home to a frog-like monster called Zwick. Mist-shrouded surroundings with many poisonous swamps.
{Yes, the surrounding is a grassland.} He answers in a tone leaving no room for doubt.
This situation was a bit too much...
{The Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick crossed entirely to an unknown place? ......Sebas, is there something floating in the sky, or did some magic incantation appear?} I ask, trying to visualize our situation by taking in the maximum amount of information possible.
{No, I do not see anything like that. There is an endless sky like inside the 6th Floor.} Sebas replies, his tone calm and unwavering.
{What! You say the sky? ...Surrounded by nothing strange?} I ask, once again, surprised.
{No... There is nothing strange anywhere to be found. Apart from Nazarick, there are no other buildings to be found outside.}
{Is that so... Is that so...} I mumble, trying to process this new information and its meaning for our situation.
After accepting this information as the truth, I give my orders.
{Be back in twenty minutes. Return to Nazarick and go to the arena where all the Guardians are set to come. Tell us the situation and things you have seen.}
{Yes, Momonga-sama.} Sebas acknowledged the order, and I feel like he is bowing once more on the other side of the spell.
I cut contact with Sebas.
I suddenly remembered the twins' eyes staring at me. Lydia seems to look at the sky in wonder. I will definitely need to have a conversation with her later.
"[Quick Summon], [Summon Primal Fire Elemental]." I chant toward one of the last scarecrows in the arena.
Complying with my will, the dangling red stone inside the snake's mouth began to shake and a strong force poured out of it. I held up the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown and a huge ball of light started glowing in front. The ball of light produced another superior ball of light with a whirlpool of flames surrounding it. The flame vortex rotated faster and faster, and finally transformed into a tornado of fire with a diameter of 4 meters (13 feet) and a height of 6 meters (19 feet).
Shortly afterward, the massive fire tornado gains enough intensity to melt metal, surrounded by an intense blinding light, which gradually forms into a vaguely humanoid shape.
"Wow..." Aura mumbles in awe.
On Aura's face, an expression of joy like a child receiving Christmas presents emerged.
"...Do you want to have a duel with it?" I ask Aura after seeing the look on her face.
""Huh?"" Both Aura and Mare react to my words, but differently. Aura seems excited, while Mare seems more fearful.
Slightly stunned for a moment, Aura exposed an innocent, childish smile. For a child's smile, her smile was a bit...—no, it was too ferocious. As soon as she touched Mare on the side, her reveling smile changed back to a more childlike one.
"Really?" she asks excitedly.
"It does not matter, even if you destroy it." I answer back.
"Ah, I suddenly remembered that there was other urgent business to deal with—" Mare tries to escape, but Aura interrupts him and grabs him by the shoulder.
"Mare."
One of Aura's hands firmly grasped the hand of Mare and would not let him escape. Aura's smile caused Mare to freeze up. For me it was a cute girl's smile, but if you looked it from the eyes of her twin, it was the exact opposite of a smile. Mare's face could not help but freeze.
"Well, you two just play with it. If you get injured, do not blame me." I tell them.
"Okay⁓" Aura replies playfully.
Aura vibrantly answered, but one could also hear a few inaudible frustrated responses from Mare.
I then order the elemental through our link to attack the twins.
It also seems that during the summoning and the little talk with Aura, Lydia came back to my side. She is just beside me, ready to watch the fight between the elemental and the twins.
Maybe now it's a good time to have a talk? Or should I wait until we are alone? I believe that it is better to wait for when we are alone for that kind of discussion. We have more urgent things to talk about.
"The Great Tomb of Nazarick has been moved." I inform her.
"What!" She replies, surprised and shocked by the sudden information.
"I contacted Sebas with [Message], and he told me about the surrounding area. It is not a swamp of Helheim anymore, but a grassland with a sky similar to the one on this floor." I give her all the information I have; maybe she'll see something I've missed.
Lydia seems to go in deep though with this new information.
"Is it possible that we have been transported to another world of YGGDRASIL? There are only three worlds with grasslands and a blue sky: Vanaheim, Alfheim, and Midgard... No, wait, if the sky is similar to the 6th floor, we can probably cross Alfheim off the list." she muses out loud.
What she says makes sense if we assume that we are still somehow in YGGDRASIL. But with how things are right now I kinda doubt that. Plus if we are still in a world of YGGDRASIL Sebas would have crossed path with a monster or two.
"That would be very problematic, but there is also the possibility of being in an entirely new world." I tell her.
After saying this, we both stay silent and watch the fight between the elemental and the twins. Aura is the attacker while Mare is the defender. Aura uses her whip and bow to attack the elemental, and Mare use his magic to protect Aura, buffing her, and debuffing the elemental.
After a while the huge body of the elemental melt and disappear into thin air. The heat that he was releasing also begins to gradually disappear.
Once their battle was finish they comeback towards us.
"Very exciting... both of you... have performed really well." I congratulate them.
"You did very well, both of you." Lydia says beside me, her tone as gentle as ever, despite its new childlike aspect.
Hearing our heartfelt compliments, both kids smiled from ear to ear.
"Thank you for your praise, Momonga-sama, Lydia-sama. It has been a long time since we had such great exercise!" Aura says excitedly.
The two of them wiped their sweat off their faces, however after doing so, they sweated even more, which rolled off their light dark skin.
I silently take an item from my inventory the same way Lydia did with her ring earlier. This item is called [Unlimited Kettle]. I also take two beautiful cups and fills them with water. I then give them to the twins.
"Aura, Mare, come drink up." I order them.
"Huh? That is too kind of you, Momonga-sama..." Aura says nervously as she shakes her hands in front of her.
"Yes, my magic can also be changed into water." Mare adds, equally as nervous, as he shakes his head.
Seeing Aura constantly waving her hands and Mare continuously shaking his head, I smile internally.
"This is a piece of cake. You are always performing well, and this is my thanks to you." I tell them, hoping to ease their nervousness and accept the water.
Aura and Mare's hands take the cups timidly with a light blush on their cheeks.
"Thank you, Momonga-sama!"
"To-To even have Momonga-sama pour me water!"
Was it really necessary for them to become this happy?
Aura was downing the cup while spilling drops of water, which flowed down her throat and continued to disappear into her chest. Mare was holding the cup with both hands and drank with small gulps. Just by the way they were drinking, the different personalities of these two became apparent.
While watching their movements, my hand touches my own neck. It still feels like there is a layer of skin, even though I'm a skeleton now.
When they finish drinking, I ask them if they want more water, but they refuse. I then hear them whispering to one another.
"I thought Momonga-sama would be more frightening." Aura whispers to Mare, to which he nods his head lightly.
"Ah? Really? If so, then compared to right now—" I begin speaking in response to the whispers, but Aura quickly interrupts me.
"Now, this is better! Definitely better!" Aura says hastily.
"Then let's stay this way." I say softly in response.
Aura then ask,
"Momonga-sama, surely you won't be gentle only to us, right⁓⁓?" Aura asks in a tone I don't really understand.
Facing Aura's question, I did not know how to answer so I just start petting Aura's head.
"Hehehe."
Aura looked like a puppy that had discovered her new favorite thing, while Mare was showing a very envious expression.
Suddenly, a cute female voice resonates in the arena.
"Huh? Could I be the first to arrive?"