Dawn broke, and the day to leave E-Rantel arrived. Gazing up, the sky hung heavy with gloomy clouds, as if mocking his departure. He gritted his teeth, glaring at the heavens, but self-inflicted fate offered no escape.
A single raindrop struck his cheek, then nothing. No wet spots on the cobblestones, no one else noticing. A taunt from the sky itself? What a send-off. Did this foreshadow his life in the Empire? Would he never see Lady Albedo until he returned?
"Big Brother, please take care. I'll join you soon," Solution said, her solemn face supported by the maid instructor. A day and night of meditation had barely made her mobile, still needing assistance.
"The carriage is here," Lupusregina chimed. "Let's go before it rains."
"Sister Lupu, please look after Big Brother."
"No worries! Leave it to me. Heh heh…" Lupusregina, his escort to the Empire, grinned. Summoned as his healer, she'd skipped the Holy Kingdom mission. He'd insisted on her presence—a necessity, given how often he'd skirted death in E-Rantel.
"Young Master, your luggage is loaded," Sixth said, also joining. "It's time."
Lupusregina, a Pleiades maid, was his healer and guard, but the hapless young master needed someone to manage daily life. The Empire could provide, but relying entirely on them wouldn't do. Sixth volunteered, despite Foire and Lumière's worried pleas, promising regular letters.
Beyond the mansion gate, E-Rantel's finest carriage awaited. All luggage was stowed, ready for the trio to board.
"Right. I'm off," he said, moving to embrace Solution. Her sharp glance stopped him—she was too full of his limbs, barely holding together after melting an arm and two legs last night. He leaned close, lips near her ear, mimicking a kiss with a soft chu. Only Lupusregina caught Solution's form flicker.
"Everyone, take care of the place…" His farewell faltered, words trailing off.
A dark sphere materialized in the path to the gate—Gate magic. In Nazarick, only Lord Ainz used it, or…
"I made it," came a voice.
"Lady Shalltear?"
Shalltear, who favored Gate for travel, emerged. Known to the mansion's staff and E-Rantel's residents since her post-expedition visits, she stepped through, the portal lingering—far too large for one person.
"Hurry up!" she called.
Hooves clacked on stone. Six magnificent horses, clad in ornate tack, pulled a carriage as lavish as their gear.
"You rode a four-horse last time, I heard," Shalltear said, chest puffed. "So I brought a six-horse. My win."
"You're headed to the Empire, right? Use this. I prepared it for you." She turned to the coachwoman. "Get down and greet him."
A white-clad beauty descended from the driver's seat. Long skirt, frilled sleeves, gloves, a veiled hat hiding her face. Her curvaceous figure—ample hips, tiny waist, full chest—was concealed yet striking. She knelt before him, dress pooling heedlessly.
"By Lady Shalltear's command, I serve you as my lord. Use me as you will."
"I worried one guard wasn't enough," Shalltear added. "So I assigned her."
"Lady Shalltear, I'm his guard," Lupusregina protested.
"More guards, the better, right?"
"…True."
Shalltear's logic disarmed Lupusregina.
"Thank you," the coachwoman said, lifting her veil slightly for him alone. Pale skin, crimson lips, eyes redder still—a Vampire Bride, the strongest of Shalltear's Elite Six, the only one to lose her virginity on the expedition. With Shalltear unable to visit the Empire often, assigning her minion as a guard was a sensible, irrefutable move.
"Use my carriage," Shalltear urged. "It's faster. I'd take you myself, but I'm swamped. Lord Ainz expects so much of me—" Her boast cut off with a gasp, eyes skyward.
No rain. Instead, a black speck grew, crashing into the courtyard with a soft thud—a precise landing, not a crash.
"Why's the shrimp here!?" Shalltear snapped.
The maids froze, their composure a testament to their training. The instructor gaped, Solution mirrored her, and Lupusregina stared, baffled. Only the young master, nerves dulled to shock, remained unfazed.
"What? Why's Shalltear here?" a voice called.
"It's my line!" Shalltear retorted.
A massive dragon, capable of razing the kingdom, had landed in the training area. Only Mare or Aura rode such a beast. Aura, the dark elf, leapt down, landing amid the crowd.
"I came to take him to the Empire," Aura said. "What's this, Shalltear? A carriage? Pfft, dragon or carriage—which is faster?"
"Grr…!" Shalltear bristled.
Aura teased effortlessly, though their bond was tight—quarrelsome friends.
"Get lost, Aura! Skipping work for this!?" Shalltear shot back.
"Not skipping. I cleared it with Lord Ainz—checking patrol routes."
"My Gate's faster!"
"Does your magic reach that far? Maybe, but don't you have better things to do?"
Shalltear, as she'd admitted, was too busy to escort him herself, delegating to her minion. A Gate was quick, but time together mattered more. Her goal—assigning a guard—was done. She could meet him in the Empire. Her new role, managing Nazarick's air transport with flying monsters, kept her swamped, thanks to Ainz's trust and Albedo's advice.
But backing down to Aura? Never. Pride—or her creator Peroroncino's sibling rivalry with Aura's creator—drove her. The creators were siblings, after all.
"If you know I'm busy, you leave!"
"…Fair point." Aura raised her hands, grinning.
"Eh?"
In that moment, Aura scooped him up—princess-style, her small frame managing despite the size difference.
"Sorry, this dragon's two-seater!" she called, vanishing toward the courtyard. The dragon took flight.
The crowd gaped. Shalltear snapped to first.
"After them!" she roared.
"Yes, ma'am!" The Vampire Bride leapt to the driver's seat, whipping the six undead horses—stronger than ogres—into a frenzy. The carriage blasted through the gate, shattering it.
"…Guess we'll take the normal carriage," Lupusregina said.
"Agreed," Sixth replied.
Their carriage, parked aside, escaped destruction—a win for manners.
The mansion's ruined gate remained. Solution decided to report Shalltear as the culprit.
"Amazing! E-Rantel's so far already! I can see the horizon! The earth's round!" the young master exclaimed, clinging to the dragon's neck, gazing below.
"First time flying?" Aura asked. "I get the excitement, but don't fall. You'll die."
"Yes! I'll be careful!"
The two soared. Aura rode casually, but he, new to flight, marveled at the view. Matching the landscape to his mental map, he estimated their position, angle, and altitude—over 1,000 meters, yet clouds loomed higher. Dictionaries never mentioned cloud heights. The unknown fueled his curiosity.
"Thank you, Lady Aura, for this incredible view!"
A grim day had turned into a grand reward. He recalled another kindness from Aura.
"Thanks for letting me fight that ogre, too. I never got to thank you properly."
"Oh, uh, yeah. I tracked down that wild ogre for you. How was it?"
"Fun! Lord Cocytus's sword cut beautifully. Its healing factor let me test it repeatedly."
"Glad you enjoyed it. Mare's taken a shine to you, so I threw in the favor, but don't expect special treatment. Keep it quiet."
"Understood. Thank you."
Aura's offer to escort was partly to hush him about the ogre incident. His quick compliance surprised her good-natured self. With her goal met, she couldn't just ditch him. Their long journey to the Empire continued, just the two of them.
Quitting smoking doesn't mean cold turkey—that's amateur. Pros cut back first! Been dreaming of feedback after posting lately. Never happened before.