"Where are we right now? Are we already in your world, Shido?"
"Yes, this is inside my apartment."
When Shido, Frieren, and Rumia suddenly reappeared in his room, the two girls couldn't help but look around with curiosity. Fascinated by Shido's world, they began asking him questions.
However, unlike the two curious girls, Shido found himself reminiscing. Even though he had been away from this world for more than half a year, nothing had changed as time here had stopped the moment he traveled to another world.
"Still, your room feels just like your portable house." Frieren remarked as she continued looking around.
Frieren didn't hesitate to rummage through Shido's room, leaving him speechless at her shameless behavior. Still, he didn't stop her, after all, it wasn't as if he had anything to hide.
While Frieren was busy exploring, Rumia's attention was drawn to the faint, unfamiliar noises coming from outside. Curious, she quietly walked toward the source.
Sliding open the glass door and drawing the curtain aside, she was greeted by the cool night breeze and the breathtaking view of the city. Towers stretched into the sky, their countless windows aglow, while neon signs painted the streets below in vivid colors. Vehicles moved steadily along the roads, their headlights tracing shining trails through the darkness.
"…So this is Shido-san's world." Rumia's eyes widened in awe as she took in the city glowing with countless lights.
"It's beautiful."
It was nothing like her own world, nor the one in Overlord, where nights often felt quiet and dull. By contrast, Shido's world remained alive and vibrant, bustling with energy even at this late hour.
"…It looks beautiful, but it feels so polluted."
Frieren, who had been happily exploring Shido's room, was drawn over by Rumia's voice and walked to her side.
Her beautiful face soon tightened into a frown, she could instantly sense the pollution in the air, as well as the absence of trees and nature in the vast cityscape. This was the modern world: dazzling in its beauty, yet lacking the refreshing vitality she had expected.
"The technology in this world is advanced, after all. They rely on different kinds of energy for daily life, but that also leads to more pollution," Shido explained as he watched the night city with the two of them.
Hearing his words, Frieren and Rumia both nodded in understanding. They were well aware that every world had its differences, and if they were to stay by Shido's side, they would need to adapt to this one as well.
"But are you sure it's okay to leave Tuare and Clementine behind?" Frieren asked, turning toward Shido with a hint of curiosity.
Clementine was one thing who was an assassin and had taken hundreds of lives, but Tuare was different. She was a kind girl, and it would surely sadden her to know that Shido had left without her.
"…It's fine. It's not like I don't plan on going back," Shido replied, glancing at the two girls. "Besides, you know they need time to adapt to their own world, right? Unlike the two of you, who are aware of the system's existence, they have no knowledge of it. Living here would be far more difficult for them."
"I see."
Both girls nodded, finding his words reasonable specially in Clementine's case. She was a battle maniac, and they couldn't help but worry she might lose control and end up causing trouble here and there.
Nevertheless, just like Clementine and Tuare, Shido had also left Shalltear in their original world, though in her case, keeping her here would have been even more troublesome than with Clementine.
When Shido used an 'Ultra Ball' to seal her, Shalltear simply assumed it was some kind of powerful artifact capable of capturing her, a level 100 vampire. Taking advantage of that misunderstanding, Shido chose to leave her in her own world for the time being.
"Anyway, this is a normal world, so no magic."
"Eh?"
Shido reminded Rumia and Frieren of this rule. Rumia took it in stride, already aware of the consequences of using magic here. Frieren, however, who relied heavily on her spells, couldn't help but grumble in displeasure.
"Don't 'Eh?' me! Magic is forbidden here, well, unless you run into a dangerous situation. Even then, if you have to use it, make sure no one's around." Shido warned.
Frieren puffed out her cheeks, clearly displeased at being restricted from using magic freely, and could only compromise. Fortunately, Rumia comforted her by gently patting her head, which eased her grumbling a little.
But when Shido looked at Frieren acting spoiled, gazing up at him with puppy-like eyes, he could only sigh. In the end, he compromised, allowing her to use only simple, non-offensive spells, which was enough to make her happy.
"Also, you'll need to hide your ears, otherwise you'll end up becoming an exhibition, especially in front of those otakus."
Shido wasn't worried that people would mistake Frieren for a real elf, especially in this country where cosplay was a common sight. What concerned him was the annoyance of perverted otakus flocking around her, snapping photos without restraint.
Using an illusion spell he had learned in the world of Overlord, Shido altered Frieren's long ears to look like those of a normal human.
"Oh… they really got shorter."
"How is it?"
"…It feels strange, but it's fine."
"I see. That's good, then."
Frieren grew curious about her new ears, which felt as if they had truly become shorter like a human's. She couldn't help but marvel at Shido's mastery over the spell and quietly resolved to ask him about it later.
After altering Frieren's appearance to resemble that of a normal girl, Shido used his 'Memory Manipulation' to grant both her and Rumia the knowledge they needed about this world. That way, they wouldn't make any careless mistakes, especially once they stepped outside.
As the information coursed directly into their minds, Frieren and Rumia quickly began to understand Shido's world better, from everyday life and customs to other essential details.
"Shido."
"Yes? What is it?"
"Can you show us around the city?"
Frieren asked Shido because she wanted to look around, sure that this world held many interesting things, completely ignoring the fact that she had just criticized it for being smothered in pollution.
"Well, let's do it tomorrow," Shido replied. "It's already late, and I'm sure you two are sldo tired."
The two nodded in agreement, their bodies were still a little stiff and weary from their long journey to the central continent.
"By the way, where is Aincrad?" Frieren asked.
In response, Shido simply smiled, raised a finger toward the sky, and said, "It's right above us."
"Oh." 2x
The two girls nodded and looked up, but all they saw was the dark night sky. Aincrad's stealth barrier was still active, concealing it from sight. Still, they figured that with the fortress's powerful mechanisms, not even satellites or advanced infrared detection would be able to find its presence.
With that, the three of them decided to sleep as they were also tired. Rumia and Frieren decided to stay together in the same room since it was the only one left and the bed was also quite big to fit both of them so the two don't have objection.
In fact, Rumia was happy about it. Back in the Overlord world, the two often slept together, so this felt perfectly normal to her.
...
The breakfast was just simple toast with sunny side egg and some random salad that was made from whatever vegetables Shido had in the fridge. Strangely enough, it still made Rumia and Frieren's eyes light up with joy.
"What do you want to drink? Coffee or tea?" Shido asked.
"Coffee? Then let me try a coffee."
"Ah, me too."
Thanks to Shido's 'Memory Manipulation', the two girls had learned much about this world, including its food and beverages. They knew what coffee was in theory, but neither had ever tasted it before, so naturally, their curiosity was piqued.
"Are you sure? It might not suit your taste," Shido asked again, knowing that coffee was quite different from tea, and there was a good chance the two girls might reject it right away.
"Well, let us try it first. I'm curious about it," Frieren replied.
"…Alright then."
Shido returned to the kitchen and began preparing coffee for the two girls. Meanwhile, although Frieren and Rumia had already received knowledge about this world, they were still in the midst of exploring everything firsthand. At the moment, their attention was fixed on the television, which happened to be showing a clothing commercial.
The ad immediately caught their interest, after all, they were both girls, and like any others, they also enjoyed dressing up and make themselves beautiful.
Watching this, Shido simply smiled, thinking that no matter the world, girls would always be girls. He didn't say anything, though, and since Rumia and Frieren seemed so taken with the clothes, he decided he would just buy them whatever they wanted later.
It didn't take him long to finish making their coffee, and when he returned, he placed a cup down in front of each of them.
"Take a small sip first to see if you like it. If you can't finish it, I'll drink the rest." Shido said as he sat down in the chair opposite them, watching the two curious girls try their first coffee.
With her usual flat, slightly sleepy expression, Frieren lifted the cup and took a small, cute sip before setting it back on the saucer.
"How is it, Frieren-san?"
Rumia held her cup but didn't take a sip yet, instead asking Frieren, whose expression was as unreadable as ever.
"…It tastes a little bitter," Frieren replied after a pause, "but strangely… comforting."
"Oh!" Rumia's eyes lit up at her words.
Curious, Rumia finally took a sip of her own. Her expression softened into a small frown. "Mm… it's a bit too bitter for me," she admitted gently, tilting her head. "I don't think I'm used to it yet."
Shido couldn't help but laugh at her reaction, his chuckle filling the room as Rumia pouted at him in protest.
"Moo, Shido-san, please don't laugh."
Rumia puffed out her cheeks to hide her embarrassment, but Shido simply slid a small pitcher of milk toward her.
"Try pouring some into your coffee, It'll soften the bitterness."
Rumia hesitated for a moment, but she trusted Shido, so she did as he suggested and poured the milk into her cup before taking another sip.
The instant the coffee touched her tongue, her eyes lit up. She looked at Shido with a bright smile. "It's delicious! The bitterness is gone, and it's so much creamier and smoother to drink!"
"That's good. So, do you like it?"
"Un!" Rumia nodded eagerly.
Shido smiled at the sight of her enjoying her coffee, then turned his gaze to Frieren, who continued drinking hers black, her expression remained as straight and composed as ever.
"It's not bitter for you, Frieren?"
"Well, it's bearable compared to yours." Frieren replied as she cast a meaningful gaze at Shido while keeping her deadpan expression. However, her words made Shido's lips twitch at her comparison.
"Hmm? What are you two talking about?" Rumia tilted her head curiously.
"Nothing," Shido answered quickly. "She's just talking about different blends."
"…I see."
Though still a little doubtful, Rumia didn't press the matter any further, letting it go since Shido had ended the conversation.
"By the way, when are we going to tour the city?"
"After you two finish breakfast."
"Great!" 2x