""Welcome, Aura-sama!""
"…What're these two?" Aura frowned at the childish stereo soprano voices.
"I'm Urei."
"I'm Ku."
"…Wait, isn't Ku Urei?"
"Huh? Then I'm Ku?"
"Must be. Ku's Ku, Urei's Urei."
"So I'm Urei, and Ku's Ku?"
"Then I'm Ku… or Urei?"
"So I'm Urei… or Ku? Who's Urei?"
Identical faces, heights, voices, and outfits—impossible to distinguish.
"…Seriously, what are they?" Aura asked.
"Got 'em cheap," the temporary master of the mansion said proudly.
""Master bought us!"" they chirped.
Aura's frown deepened at his smugness.
The twins greeting her were younger than her.
The day after Aura's last visit, he bought them at the Empire's famous slave market.
Unknown to buyer, seller, or the twins themselves, they'd faced misfortune. Born into wealth, their family fell to ruin unbeknownst to them. Sold to a slave trader by their father, a buyer paid a deposit but never collected. The trader, unable to sell them elsewhere without risking penalties, kept them alive minimally, perhaps with a sliver of pity for the abandoned children. Care was bare-bones—merchants profit less the more they spend on stock. In harsh conditions, the well-bred twins grew frail, their cries met with harsh shouts, spared direct violence only as merchandise.
To the trader, they were dead stock. To the twins, their future was sealed, huddling in darkness. Their only solace: being valued as a set, never separated. They knew separation meant death.
Enter the scholar visiting the Empire. Touring the slave market, he demanded children tucked away in the back. The trader, puzzled how he knew, was thrilled to clear inventory. He disclosed the prior deposit to avoid trouble, sensing this group's dangerous aura.
The buyer brushed it off. Too much time had passed—legally and customarily, the transaction was valid. If issues arose, he'd appeal to imperial justice, then to knights, then the Emperor. Worst case, his loyal vampire bride, Mira, would handle it.
As an aside, Mira was exceptional among vampire brides. Her peers once lagged behind skilled human swordsmen—not inherently powerful monsters. Mira, however, was an elite of the True Vampire's chosen six, a cut above. Though insignificant to her master, she stood out. Accompanying her master on the Supreme One's expedition, she earned praise and the name Mira, plus a vial of ultimate fresh blood—her peers shared one, but the elite six got one each. Their adorable mistress hoarded over fifty.
The blood was potent. Her master drank it effortlessly, but one lick sent Mira into ecstasy, revealing untapped potential unlike her maxed-out master. Still, licking preserved blood was overwhelming—drinking directly was unthinkable, even if permitted.
Thus, an undead beauty rivaling the Empire's Four Knights secured the deal. The trader agreed with confidence.
But Lupusregina, the red-haired beauty accompanying him, objected. "These filthy, ragged kids are too cheap, aren't they?"
The price was a handful of gold coins—suspiciously low for flawed goods. He agreed, paying triple the acquisition cost, likening it to a restaurant's 30% cost ratio—a flawed analogy since slaves aren't food. The trader, overjoyed, handed over the pair. He'd have settled for one, but took both since they were offered.
He didn't grasp money's value, knowing prices but not spending personally. Lupusregina, clueless about money, used credit at E-Rantel shops, never paying directly.
Nazarick's minions have warped money senses. Take Aura: she uses a Yggdrasil gold coin for her pet Rororo's meal, converting it via an item. Rororo, a hydra raised by Cocytus's lizardmen, is weak but cute to her. One Yggdrasil coin, worth about three imperial gold coins, could sustain a city family for months or a rural one for over a year. In pre-Nazarick Carne Village, gold was rare, unseen by many lifetimes. Yet Aura spends this for one pet meal. Nazarick's money sense is thousands, if not tens of thousands, times off.
Lupusregina's price comment was meddling, but the trader was thrilled, and the buyer thought little of it, so no harm done.
The twins, healed instantly by Lupusregina's magic, bore unhealed emotional scars. Ainz could fix it, but bothering him was unthinkable—he'd laugh it off. Black powder from the Empire's black market calmed them, though inferior to Lanna's, leaving the buyer conflicted. Diluted magical liquor (Albedo-fainting strength) erased their fears. Drugs were more humane than letting them cower.
Once stable, their good breeding showed—calm, polite, unlike noisy kids. Their soot-covered hair revealed light blonde, faces adorable, promising beauty if healthy. Always together, they knew they were bought and strove to serve, endearing them to maids.
But issues persisted. Separation caused panic. Named Urei and Ku, they couldn't tell who was who. They called any blonde woman "big sister." Time's healing was uncertain.
"Hmph," Aura dismissed the twins' explanation, looking away.
He'd introduced them casually, so he sent them out. They left cheerfully, and serious work began.
Aura felt irritated, a thorn of discomfort—not from her last visit, but the twins. She didn't like kids near him. She didn't see herself as a child, but objectively, she was. She'd been the only kid close to him, and now others had appeared, stealing her place. Not that he bought them to replace her… or did he?
He did. Lupusregina, skeptical of his motives given his actions with Aura, asked, "Why buy these?"
"For hugging pillows. They're scrawny now, but they'll fill out. Can't ask Aura-sama to be my pillow," he replied.
"Don't ever tell her that!" she warned.
His honesty could get him killed—though he'd recover fine.
"I'd like to spend more time with you, Aura-sama, but I have plans after this. Sorry," he said.
"…Didn't say I was coming today," she replied, suppressing, "What's more important than me?" Her budding pride, womanly pride, forbade such childish words.
Her fault, in a way—she only said, "I'll come again," without scheduling. This visit was long after the last, though her timing was consistent, so he kept his schedule open, declining noble invitations.
His priorities: Albedo first, above his life or the world. Unlike Nazarick's minions, Ainz came second. Third, guardians like Aura. Then his own needs, followed by the Pleiades, though their violence sometimes overrode his plans.
With Albedo and Ainz absent, Aura could be top priority, but prior commitments took precedence when equal.
As usual, she left saying, "I'll come back." He saw her dragon off, finished dinner and bath, and night deepened.
"Master, it's time. The carriage is ready," Mira said.
"Got it. Let's go. You're driving."
"Understood."
A lavish six-horse carriage emerged from the mansion, its ornate tack muffling hoofbeats, passing through the Empire's gate onto the highway. Far from the city, it veered off-road.
The world's greatest ranger trailed it, unnoticed by driver, passenger, or the white shadow waiting.