Lydia's POV
I'm currently sitting on my bed with a pillow behind my back against a wall at the head of the bed in my bedroom in my manor on the 11th floor, reading a book titled "The Proper Etiquette of a Princess." I found it on one of my many bookshelves; I don't remember looting or buying this one, but back in YGGDRASIL, I hoarded every book I could find with the ferocity of a dragon looking for gold.
At least, that's how Touch Me described it. I have books about nearly every subject imaginable from the world of YGGDRASIL.
The room itself isn't that big compared to the one I have on the 9th floor. It's a small bedroom with walls painted brown, a king-sized bed, a large window, a vanity, a large bookshelf on one of the walls, and a large mirror on another. There are also two nightstands with luxurious-looking magical lamps on them, one on each side of the bed, and a large golden chandelier hanging from the ceiling, illuminating the room.
The bed even has the curtain thing on it. It's a large, dark red, and opaque curtain that can be opened or closed freely. There is also a similar-looking curtain on the window and in front of the large mirror on the wall. The curtain of the bed is currently closed, making the space over the bed nearly pitch-black, with the soft glow of my eyes being the only source of light inside.
Everything in this room and in the entire mansion is enchanted to clean and repair itself. So, there is no one in the entire mansion besides me. This place, the mansion, is called The Sanctum. It's my personal sanctuary, the quiet place I needed when I was too tired to deal with people.
I haven't left this place since coming here a few days ago after Momonga gave his reward to Mare. Thinking about it, it reminds me that I forgot to give Mare the reward I had in mind for him. Eh... I'll give it to him next time; he already looked overwhelmed by the ring.
I picked up the book I'm currently reading to learn how to act as a proper ruler of Nazarick, and because, as much as it embarrasses me, I'm technically the princess of Nazarick. But until now, this book hasn't been of great help because it describes how a princess back on Earth had to act in the past—not how... whatever I am now for Nazarick should act.
At first, I tried to pay attention to it, then practiced in front of the mirror. But after a short while, I gave up. I'd rather be dignified in my own way than do whatever a princess had to do back then. I keep reading it just to inspire myself a bit for future interactions, even though I'm sure that I'm not going to follow anything that's written in it.
If these last few days have taught me anything, it is that I'm still shy and introverted; the change in my mind from my new body just removed my debilitating social anxiety.
I also learned by experimenting that I'm much more powerful than on YGGDRASIL, which is honestly ridiculous, as I was already one of the most powerful players. It's not that my stats have increased during the transfer; it's that most of my limitations are gone.
The most eye-catching example is my ability to feel and manipulate mana and, by extension, my own body. But some of my skills also had their limitations removed, such as [The Breath of Creation]. This passive skill was already completely broken in YGGDRASIL, but now I'm no longer limited in how I can use it.
For example, I'm no longer limited to summoning creatures or using things I saw in books. I can now summon objects; the more mana I use during the summoning, the more powerful the object will be. And of course, the object can be anything I imagine, as long as I have enough mana for it.
Given my ridiculously high mana reserve, I'm sure I can summon a Fountain of Youth or something of that level. I can also add rules or restrictions to the object summoned (created) to make it even stronger as, apparently, adding those to an object reduces its mana cost for the summoning. Those rules also apply to summoning creatures, as I can now summon things I visualize, as proven by Thought, the Thought Projection Lizard.
The part of [Breath of Creation] that comes from [Permanence] makes anything I summon permanent, even objects.
If all of that isn't absurd, I don't know what is.
Momonga told me not long ago through [Message] that he was doing some experiments with a Remote Viewing Mirror on the 9th floor. This reminds me of the test I've been doing with the Eye of Heimdall before taking this book.
I confirmed that I could indeed improve my capability to process information through the continuous use of the Eye of Heimdall a little outside of my limits and by getting used to it. Yet, the progress is slow and painful. Using the Eye of Heimdall past my capacity to process the information it gives me causes a headache proportional to how far past the limits I use it. And I don't mean that using it just a little outside the limit isn't painful; God no, it's already incredibly painful just there.
Imagine seeing and hearing everything in a radius of a little more than 5 kilometers around you simultaneously. All that sensory information is trying to enter your mind at the same time. It feels like my head is being squeezed by invisible pressure from every direction at once.
If I had to compare it to anything, it would be water pressure; my mind is a bubble that can endure that pressure, but only up to a certain point before popping. The pain is the bubble popping, and my mind "repairs" itself once the pressure is lessened. Yet, the pressure is also what allows the bubble to strengthen itself and withstand even more of it.
I'm not even sure if it's the Eye of Heimdall that helps me process everything or if it's my new constitution as a Child of Mana.
For now, I can only use it within more or less a 5-kilometer range. That thing is supposed to allow me to see the entire world and even other worlds! It makes me feel so inadequate because I know that it's not the Eye of Heimdall that is the problem; it's me who is unable to use it as it should be used.
This item was given to me by the guild; I cannot allow it to become useless because I'm unable to use it properly.
This is why, despite the pain, I practice using it on every occasion—slowly but surely increasing my ability to process information and, by extension, my range with it, while also looking for more efficient ways of using it.
I have found one; yet, so far, I haven't managed to use it on command. For a single second, I managed to hear and see everything, but like a background perception rather than actively looking. I only did it by complete accident, and it gave me one of the worst headaches I have ever experienced, even after training with the Eye of Heimdall.
Since then, I've tried to do it again while controlling the range, because I have a suspicion that during that second, I perceived the entire world, even if I didn't learn anything, as I was immediately assaulted by an unbearable agony. This made it very difficult to grasp anything before I turned it off in panic.
During my training with it, the only thing I found around Nazarick was a forest at the edge of my perception. Nazarick really appeared in the middle of nowhere if civilization exists in this world.
Using the Eye of Heimdall, I teleport the book I was reading back onto its shelf. After that, I replace the large pillow correctly and then lie down on the bed.
I don't have any problem seeing despite being in a pitch-black place, nor do I have any physical needs such as sleep, food, or even breathing. My libido has also disappeared completely, surely because of my new body.
I have also started to suspect and accept that I have become an actual child, even in mind, rather than just looking like one. It was pretty obvious given Momonga's comments on my behavior... but I guess I just wasn't willing to accept it yet.
I'm a Child of Mana, and given that it is a unique racial class that can only be unlocked at level 95 after doing a hidden quest, there are no evolutions past it. But I still wonder if an adult version of my species exists, or if Child of Mana is a unique evolution of a Spirit of Magic that is meant to be an eternal child.
Child of Mana is a secret and unique evolution of a Spirit of Magic and the most powerful one. It's the ultimate and purest form of a Spirit of Magic with the closest bond to the Essence of Magic itself; so, if I'm an eternal child, does that mean that I am the child of the Essence of Magic?
Ugh... There is no point in asking myself so many questions about my species. There are almost no books in all of YGGDRASIL that even hint at the existence of a Child of Mana, much less explain what it is. Just finding the quest to become one was one of the hardest investigations of my life. I had to use some vague hints and wild guesses, as well as an ungodly amount of luck, just for that.
That reminds me. I'm sure I still have the book I used to become a Spirit of Magic in the first place somewhere. It's a quest item that describes the ritual to become a Spirit of Magic and how to perform it. It also explains in detail what a Spirit of Magic is. It's by finding it by complete accident that I received the quest to become one. I don't know if it changed in this new world.
I stare at the canopy of the bed for a while, enjoying the silence and tranquility. I'm not even sure if I've left the bed since coming here a few days ago, as I don't need to clean myself since my body is ethereal.
I like it, those moments of peace where nothing hap—
I feel a [Message] trying to form a link with me, and I let out a groan. Of course, I had to jinx it, didn't I?
I put two fingers on my left temple.
{"Lydia, I'm going outside of Nazarick to test my abilities against some inhabitants of this world. Do you want to join me?"} announces Momonga as his voice travels through the link.
Hmm? Did he say that he was going to test his ability against the inhabitants of this world? What happened? Are we under attack? Surely, Momonga doesn't intend to just show up and kill a bunch of people for no reason, right?
{"What's going on?"} I ask through the link, wanting clarification on the situation.
{"Through the Remote Viewing Mirror, I spotted a village under attack by knights. The villagers are being massacred, so I intend to go there and test my skills against them to measure our power compared to the inhabitants of this world."} he explains calmly, as if talking of the weather rather than villagers getting massacred and killing knights.
{"I'm coming!"} I announce hastily before cutting [Message] and looking for Momonga on the 9th floor through the Eye of Heimdall.
Even if he doesn't seem to care all that much about villagers being massacred, I do. I can see now how much becoming undead has changed him already. And here I was, lamenting about being a child.
I soon find him in his office on the 9th floor beside a Remote Viewing Mirror, accompanied by Sebas. I teleport into the room and quickly turn my gaze towards the mirror.
My arrival doesn't surprise the two people in the room, who were surely expecting me, even if Sebas kneels down in salutation.
"My lady, Lydia-sama." he greets me respectfully.
But I ignore him as my eyes don't leave the mirror. Through it, I can see the villagers being slaughtered. A shiver runs through my body as a wave of disgust and horror flows through me.
I feel Momonga's hand placing itself on my head, making me turn away from the mirror.
Momonga's head is turned towards me, and the small red orbs inside his eye sockets seem locked onto my eyes. In my peripheral view, I can see Sebas's expression; he looks at me with a mix of worry and joy.
"Don't worry, we are going now." Momonga confirms softly. He then turns his gaze to Sebas. "Sebas, raise Nazarick's alert level to the highest. We will go ahead first; notify Albedo that she should follow us fully armed. However, there is no need to bring Ginnungagap. Then go and prepare some backup troops. We have to prepare for any unforeseen events that might render us unable to escape, so prepare some people with stealth abilities in case we need to deal with the enemies in this village." he orders. Then, with some quick gestures, he manipulates the mirror to search for any surviving villagers.
"Yes, Momonga-sama." replies Sebas before leaving the room.
The image in the mirror changes and shows two young girls running in the woods not far from the village. One of them looks to be around 16 years old and has medium-length blonde hair tied in a braid. The other is a younger girl of maybe 6 years old with short brown hair.
They are both running for their lives, the older girl holding the hand of the younger to help her run, even if it slows her down. Behind them, two knights run in pursuit.
Then, the younger girl trips and falls on the ground. The older girl tries to help her back onto her feet, but the knights have already caught up to them before she can. The older girl, in desperation, uses her own body to shield the younger one from the knights; one of the knights uses his sword to attack the girls, and the slash leaves a deep wound on the older girl's back.
As I watch the scene in the mirror, a sense of urgency overtakes me. I hastily use the Eye of Heimdall to try to locate their position. Momonga was the one who found the village with the Remote Viewing Mirror; I have no idea where the village is.
I use the Eye of Heimdall in a way I didn't before; I focus on a single direction to increase the range I can withstand artificially, then I move my perception in a circle. I ignore everything that isn't the village and continue looking until I find it.
Once the village is located, I witness all the other atrocities that the knights are committing against the villagers all around the village. I thought knights were supposed to be honorable, but here, not only do the majority of the knights appear to enjoy the suffering they are causing, reveling in the power they have over the villagers, but some of them are even having their way with the villagers.
They have to be stopped...
Older Girl's POV
Why... why did this happen? Today started like any other day. I woke up early to fetch water from the river while Mother was cooking breakfast with Nemu and Father was working on the farm.
But when I was away, they arrived. I only saw smoke from a distance, but that was enough to understand that something was wrong. I ran towards the village with my bucket full of water, hoping to help extinguish the fire that caused the smoke. But when I arrived at the edge of the village, I saw them. I saw what was happening, and I understood.
The village was being attacked by knights of the Baharuth Empire.
I dropped my bucket and ran as fast as I could home. I had to make sure my family was safe: Father, Mother, Nemu.
When I got home, I saw Father holding a knight's arms to protect Mom and Nemu. When he saw me, he screamed.
"Enri! Grab your sister and go! Your mother and I are going to buy you some time!" he instructed urgently.
This is when I noticed that Mother was holding a knife, ready to stab the knight immobilized by Father.
"I can't leave you here! We can all flee together!" I pleaded as Mother charged at the knight, the blade barely even scratching the knight's armor.
"Stand still, you bitch! If you're sage, I might consider sparing you after some fun." the knight yelled condescendingly, with a chilling amount of pleasure mixed in his voice.
Another knight arrived from the back door of our house, surely drawn by the scream of the first knight.
"Just run! We'll be fine, trust me!" Father screamed once more as he shoved Nemu toward me. I felt tears building in my eyes as the reality of the situation finally dawned on me. Our life is over.
I quickly grabbed my younger sister's hand before fleeing the village as fast as I could while dragging her. Nemu didn't even have time to cry in this tragedy. Behind us, I could hear the battle between my parents and the two knights, but the sounds didn't last long. After two screams that sounded like Father and Mother, I started hearing heavy footsteps running after us. With a single glance back, I saw the two knights leaving the house and running after us, their swords stained with blood.
I ran; I kept running even after leaving the village and reaching the forest, even as my lungs burned and every step felt like lifting a heavy weight. Because our pursuer never stopped their chase, they are still after us, determined to leave no survivors.
And that's when it happened. Nemu, as a child, has much less stamina than me or the knights. Her body, unable to continue much longer, collapsed, causing her to trip on her own feet.
The knights reached us before I could even attempt to bring her back to her feet. With no other solution, I used my own body to shield her from an incoming strike from the knights.
An unbearable pain assaulted my back, the sword tearing it open. Yet, I didn't scream. I couldn't let Nemu witness that.
How did today turn into such a nightmare?
"P-Please... run." I plead to Nemu in a whisper as I give her one last hug.
"No! I will not leave you!" Nemu declares stubbornly, with tears in her eyes.
I try to shove her away, but she clings to me even harder, and the pain from my back makes it hard to exert any force at all.
"You made us run for it, huh?" says one of the knights with obvious frustration.
"No matter; let's enjoy them as compensation. I couldn't enjoy the other woman; she put up too much of a fight. But they are exhausted." declares the other one with a chilling chuckle.
As they approach, the only thing I can feel is fear and despair. What are those beasts going to do to me and my sister?
"Hey." A small voice resonated in the now eerily quiet forest.
We all turn towards the sound and what we see is enough to cause confusion in itself.
A little girl, barely older than Nemu, is standing there. She has long, flowing golden-blonde hair and clear sky-blue eyes with a faint trace of purple. She wears clothes worthy of a grand noble house, or maybe even royalty. The most noticeable element is a pendant resting at the center of her chest, surrounded by a small red butterfly-knot ribbon, that radiates a soft, otherworldly glow.
Her presence radiates an invisible, pure, almost divine aura. Her skin has no imperfections, and her clothes are immaculate, contrasting sharply with the surrounding forest, making her seem like a saint or a deity.
"A child? Where did this one come from?" questions one of the knights.
"Who cares? Look at her; she looks like one of those noble brats. She might be an even better treat than those two whores." the other declares smugly.
"Run!" I scream at her. If she starts running now, with a bit of luck, she might be able to escape.
The child's gaze turns to me for an instant, and I'm sure I saw her expressionless face soften for an instant before turning back to the knights.
"Shut up! We are not done with you!" the smug knight screams at me and prepares himself to kick me.
I close my eyes as I tense and brace myself for the impact, but it never comes; instead, I hear the sound of something heavy falling on the ground. I slowly open my eyes again, only to see that the knight who was going to kick me is on the ground, not moving. The other is staring at the little girl as if in shock, judging by his body language.
When I turn my head, I see the little girl looking at the fallen knight with a confused expression before mumbling something under her breath. She was speaking too softly for me to understand any of it.
Yet, a chilling realization crosses my mind. She killed the knight without moving a muscle or chanting any spell. It doesn't even look like it was intentional, given her confused expression, and that makes it even scarier. Is she a deity?
Then, something appeared behind the girl: a swirling mass of darkness made of dark and red magical energy.
Something walks out of it—slowly, as if nothing mattered to the being. At first, only a long, golden, luxurious-looking staff emerges from the darkness, then the tip of a dark blue robe. Finally, the being's face becomes visible: a pristine skull that doesn't look human, with red dots in the empty sockets. The rest of the body follows. The robe is open, exposing a rib cage that looks designed to be menacing and a glowing red orb where the belly is supposed to be.
It looks like Death itself walked out of the darkness. The sight of such a creature causes a deep, instinctual fear to rise in my chest, and I tightly embrace my younger sister in a vain hope of shielding her from it. I'm petrified; I don't even have the courage to warn the girl about the monster standing right behind her.
The skeleton behind the girl towers over her, creating what would be a comical sight if not for how terrifying it is.
"You should have waited for me. Have you become more impulsive as well?" A deep voice coming from the skeleton resonates in the forest. The knowledge that this creature can talk makes it even more terrifying. But who is it talking to?
The little girl let out a barely audible sigh before turning around and mumbling, "I— Sorry."
If it hadn't been for the deafening silence, I wouldn't have been able to hear that.
The skeleton puts one of its clawed hands on top of her head and says, "Don't worry, it doesn't change anything in the plan. But please, don't do that next time; it could have been dangerous."
It then turns its gaze toward us and extends its other hand forward.
"[Grasp Heart]" it chants, and the image of a heart appears in its skeletal hand. It then clutches its hand, crushing the heart in its grasp. At the same time, the surviving knight emits a sound of agony while bringing his hands to his chest before falling to the ground, seemingly dead as well.
Lydia's POV
The knight died... just like that? I just wanted to knock him out...
My gaze turns back towards the two corpses behind the girls, more particularly to the first one that died. There is a small black butterfly with large purple wings that have black swirling motifs resting on the corpse, invisible to those incapable of seeing through a base tier-three [Invisibility].
It's a Death Butterfly, a creature I created that populates the Forest Between Life and Death on the 11th floor of Nazarick and is capable of draining the life of anything it touches, as well as inflicting numerous debuffs on those capable of seeing it. I summoned it to knock the knight out, but not only did he not see the butterfly, he died after a single touch.
Wasn't he too weak to be a knight? The Death Butterfly is merely level fifty. Even a level thirty wouldn't have died instantaneously. Death Butterflies are weak when alone; they usually act in large groups, so a single one shouldn't pose a problem.
But he is dead now, and I'm the one who did it...
I did the right thing. He was a bad person. Just hearing him talk made me want to puke at how vile his character was. I did the right thing.
It was so easy... it's scary. Am I too strong, or are the people of this world too fragile? Or maybe he was an exception. One of the weakest knights of this world.
I did the right thing. I did the right thing. I—
I feel Momonga's hand rubbing my head, cutting off my burgeoning thoughts. It has an oddly calming effect; it's almost magical.
I lean into it in an embarrassingly desperate need for comfort and close my eyes to concentrate solely on the contact.
I hear Momonga whisper, "Are you alright?"
"I... I'll be fine. I hope." I whisper back, desperately trying to remove the corpse from my mind.
Momonga hums softly at my response; he then lifts his hand and walks toward the two girls on the ground.
The sudden absence of the anchoring hand compels me to reach out to grab it, but I stop myself before doing something so embarrassing. I'm not a child. I can take care of myself. I'm... not... a child.
I follow Momonga closely; once the distance between us, the girls, and the corpse closes, Momonga raises his hand and chants, "[Create: Death Knight]."
Immediately following Momonga's spell, a black mist appeared above the corpse with the Death Butterfly on it. The butterfly flew off as the mist enveloped the corpse. Then the mist-covered corpse, animated by negative energy, twitched and expanded rapidly until a Death Knight appeared in its place.
The older girl lets out a small shriek full of fear, and perhaps even terror, at the display of malevolent magic. She embraces the younger one tighter, perhaps in an attempt to protect her.
This brings my attention back toward the two girls on the ground trembling in fear. This also creates the perfect excuse to distract myself from everything that just happened and bring my mind elsewhere.
I walk towards them, and they don't seem to fear me as much as Momonga. They simply seem cautious around me, while they are downright trembling in fear simply by looking at Momonga.
I stop in front of them, and I barely have to look down to look eye to eye with the older girl on the ground.
I'm really small... Did I make my avatar too small? Even for a ten-year-old girl... I feel like I'm on the lowest end of the height scale.
"Are you alright?" I ask softly to the older girl, who makes eye contact with me before I can lose myself in my own thoughts again.
But even as I ask the question, I already know how stupid it is.
Of course she is not alright; she has a slash wound the size of her entire back bleeding profusely. Why did I even ask that?
I quickly conjure a Minor Healing Potion in my hand and hand it to her. Such a low-level potion barely costs any mana to summon, but if she has been put into such a critical state by the knight from before, it should be enough to bring her back to full health.
The two girls eyed suspiciously the potion that appeared in my hand with a brief flash of soft light.
"This is a potion that will heal your wounds. Please drink it before you bleed out." I explain.
She grabs the potion from my hand hesitantly, but after locking eyes again, she uncaps it and drinks it silently.
Immediately, the large wound on her back shrinks until disappearing with a soft green glow, proving me right that this potion is enough.
A deafening roar full of bloodlust and hatred is produced behind me, and when I turn around, startled, I see the towering Death Knight running as fast as a bloodhound towards the village with heavy stomps at each step, causing me to turn my head towards Momonga for an explanation.
"I sent the Death Knight to wipe out the knights in the village." he explains calmly after seeing my gaze turned on him.
"I see..." I reply, lost for words. Its roar startled and terrified me, but I can't show that to the two girls; that would make them panic even more than they already are because of the Death Knight's inhuman roar.
After that, another figure steps out of the still-open [Gate]. The person is wearing full-plate, evil-looking dark armor. The armor is thin despite being full-plate armor, and the person is also carrying a dark battle-axe matching the armor's aesthetic. The armor and the axe make the figure look like a devil.
"It took some time for me to prepare; I apologize for making you wait." Albedo's voice resonates from under the cover of the helmet.
"No problem, as long as you've arrived." replies Momonga to her excuse.
"Thank you. Then... how do you wish to dispose of these inferior creatures? If you do not wish to dirty your hands, please leave this task to me." Albedo questions, while looking at the two girls on the ground with a chilling amount of contempt and certainty, making them flinch and look at Momonga with fear.
The fact that she views humans as 'inferior beings' causes some frustration to build up in my chest, but I stay silent, the image of the corpse of the knight still freshly imprinted in my mind.
I don't want my impulsivity to kill other people... I feel dirty just thinking about what I did... even if it was the right thing.
Maybe there was another way of doing it...
"What did Sebas tell you?" asks Momonga after hearing Albedo's suggestion, to which she stays silent.
Momonga, taking her silence as an answer in itself, continues, "So you didn't actually listen... I want to save this village. The enemies are those knights in armor like the one lying on the ground over there." He points at the remaining corpse, to which Albedo nods.
He then turns his gaze towards the two girls on the ground and, after a short pause, he raises his hand and chants, "[Anti-Life Cocoon], [Wall of Arrow Protection]."
With each chant, a magic circle appeared in front of his hand, one green and the other blue, and a magical green barrier materialized with the two girls at its center. The barrier has a diameter of three meters.
"I've surrounded you with protective spells that will protect you from monsters and ranged attacks. All you have to do is stay here, and you should be safe." he explains.
He then grabs two horns from his inventory and tosses them their way. "That item is called Horn of the Goblin General. You should just blow into the horn and goblins—small monsters—will appear in front of you. You can order them to protect you."
The two girls then turn their eyes to me, as if seeking some kind of confirmation or reassurance, so I give a small smile and a nod, and it seems to calm their nerves enough to not throw the items away and run for their lives.
When Momonga turned around to go to the village, the older girl interrupted him, "That is—Than—thank you for saving us!"
"Thank you!" the younger girl says, thanking us as well.
This causes Momonga to freeze, and me as well, as I was about to follow him.
"Don't worry about it." replies Momonga concisely.
I stay silent, not knowing how to respond to their heartfelt gratitude.
"Al-Also, although it may be selfish of me, we can only rely on people like you. Please, please! Save our parents as well!" the older girl begs.
"If they are alive, we will save them." responds Momonga to her plea.
The older girl's eyes widen in disbelief, but she recovers quickly and bows in gratitude; the younger girl joins her shortly after.
"Tha-Thank you! Thank you, really thank you so much! Also, may I ask you..." The girl hesitates to ask, "What is your name...?"
For some reason, this question causes Momonga to freeze, and I can almost feel him thinking.
What are you thinking so hard about? Just say your name.
With a sigh, I begin softly, hoping to wake Momonga up from his thoughts, "My name is Lydia Evie Hart."
"Remember my name." Momonga begins dramatically shortly after me. "My name is... Ainz Ooal Gown."
Huh?
He then turns around and begins walking away before I can even process what he just said.