"You really show no mercy, Mr. Klein," Roswaal said with a wry smile, rubbing his swollen face. He hadn't been in such a pathetic state since that battle four hundred years ago.
"A flesh wound like that is something you can heal whenever you feel like it," Aomori said, shaking his head. "Hitting you only once was going easy on you."
"Heh." Roswaal chuckled, raising a hand to his cheek and using water magic to treat the injury. The swelling subsided almost instantly.
"Now then, isn't it time you stated your objective?" Roswaal narrowed his eyes, his expression turning serious.
"My objective is simple: I want Echidna, the Witch of Greed, to answer some questions for me," Aomori said slowly. "In exchange, I will assist you in the matter of resurrecting her."
"That simple?" Roswaal asked, surprised.
"If it makes you feel better, you can give me a large villa. I quite like the environment here."
"Fine, it's a deal!"
"A deal."
Roswaal couldn't help but smile. With the help of this powerful inter-world traveler, slaying the Dragon would no longer be an impossible task. He needed the essence blood of the Divine Dragon Volcanica to resurrect his beloved teacher, Echidna, the most feasible method he had devised over the past four centuries.
"Shall we go to resurrect Echidna-sensei first?" Roswaal asked impatiently.
"No." Aomori wagged a finger. "I need to see her first. If she can't solve my problem, wouldn't I be at a loss?"
"That concern is non-existent. Sensei is polymathic; there is nothing that can stump her."
"Then why did she die so young?"
"..." Roswaal was momentarily speechless. He took a deep breath. "Fine. I've waited so many years already; a little more time won't hurt. We'll do it your way."
The two successfully formed a cooperative contract.
…
The next morning, as the sky turned the color of a fish's belly, the Oni tribe finally reached their destination after trekking through the night. This was only possible because Aomori felt they were moving too slowly and had used Ditto as manual labor to speed things up.
Aomori brought them to the vicinity of the mansion, not far from Arlam Village. "From today onward, you will live here."
"Yes, Lord!"
Mid-air, another Aomori spoke: "Margrave Roswaal, it should be fine for them to build a village here, right?"
"A small matter. Of course," Roswaal said dismissively. At this point, he no longer cared about the records in the Gospel. From the moment Aomori arrived, everyone's destiny had been altered.
"Good. Go find me yourself; he's in the Forbidden Library." With that, Aomori manually canceled the Clone technique, dissolving into a cloud of black mist before Roswaal's eyes.
"The real Klein? He's been in the Forbidden Library this whole time?" Roswaal frowned and hurried back to the mansion.
However, even he could not accurately locate the Forbidden Library; he had to wait for Beatrice to invite him. But he needn't have worried; just as he entered the mansion, a door opened on its own, and Aomori walked out.
Roswaal caught the tail end of Beatrice's voice: "If you two are going to cause trouble, leave Betty out of it. Betty isn't leaving this mansion, I suppose."
Slam. The door shut tight.
"Seems the favorability isn't high enough yet," Aomori shook his head, then turned to Roswaal. "First time meeting in person. I am Klein Moretti."
"Roswaal L. Mathers. Pleased to meet you." Roswaal offered a bow, his gaze deep. "Your Excellency's strength is even greater than I imagined. My loss was well-deserved."
Just standing face-to-face, he felt an unprecedented pressure washing over him. It made him feel even smaller than he did before Echidna.
"Subarashii~"
The stronger Aomori was, the happier Roswaal became, as it meant a higher success rate for Echidna's resurrection.
"Alright, enough pleasantries," Aomori said seriously. "I'll leave the arrangements for our trip to the Sanctuary to you."
"No problem."
…
The Sanctuary was Echidna's former residence and experimental ground. Now, it served as her graveyard, guarded by House Mathers for generations.
Four hundred years ago, when the Warlock of Melancholy attacked, the Sanctuary deployed a barrier to repel outsiders, specifically "half-bloods," who could enter but never leave. The barrier could only be lifted by passing the trials within Echidna's tomb.
Two days later, led by Roswaal, Aomori easily entered the Sanctuary and arrived before the tomb.
"Go on in. Give my regards to Sensei," Roswaal said with a smile.
"Feeling a bit salty, aren't we?" Aomori teased bluntly. "Disliked by your sensei despite being her disciple, and now you have to watch another man walk into the depths of your beloved sensei's soul."
Having been struck by Aomori's verbal barbs over the past two days, Roswaal was used to it. His smile didn't waver. "Sensei must have her reasons for doing this. I trust and support her unconditionally."
Faced with such a humble 'simp,' Aomori didn't know what else to say. He waved a hand and stepped into the Witch's tomb.
Ahead lay a long, narrow corridor. The air was cold and dry. Amidst a darkness impenetrable to ordinary men, a woman with white hair and pale skin suddenly appeared.
She radiated a soft white light, wearing a black outfit reminiscent of mourning clothes, with a black butterfly hairpin in her hair. Her face was elegant, carrying a faint, tranquil smile.
"My, it's been a long time since I've seen a man who fascinates me so," she said, resting her chin in her hands. Her large, bright eyes were full of longing. "You are covered in riddles I don't recognize. It's wonderful. I really want to dissect you completely. Of course, not a physical dissection, so don't you worry."
She tapped her cheek with an index finger, acting cute.
Aomori admitted she looked quite good; an ordinary person might have been captivated instantly. But Aomori wasn't ordinary, in terms of looks, she didn't even match up to him. And that deliberate "cute" expression was honestly a bit much.
He maintained a gentle expression and smiled. "Echidna, I didn't expect you to be such a cute girl. No wonder Roswaal can't stop thinking about you. You really are quite wicked."
"That's why I'm called a Witch. Sometimes, having too much charm is a sin, take Carmilla, for instance," Echidna giggled like an innocent young girl.
"Are we going to talk here? It feels a bit lacking in atmosphere."
"It can't be helped. Though I'd like to move to a better place, your soul is too powerful. I can't accommodate it; I'd be split in half. Unless..."
"Unless?"
"Unless you part with a tiny sliver of your soul. Then I could take you to the Castle of Dreams. I'm sure you're looking forward to the scenery there," Echidna whispered, licking her lips.
"Not at all. I suddenly feel that being alone with you in this narrow space is quite a wonderful experience," Aomori said, wagging a finger in refusal.
"Is that so? Such a shame. That's my private space, you know. No one else has been there. For the first person I wanted to invite to refuse..."
"Then I shouldn't go even more. Taking someone's 'first time' so casually isn't the act of a gentleman."
The two looked at each other and smiled, both feeling they had met a worthy opponent.
"Sigh, how boring." Echidna clicked her tongue. Failing to ensnare Aomori meant her little scheme had fallen through.
"Fine, fine. As an outsider, why on earth did you insist on barging into this mud-filled world?" Echidna manifested a phantom chair and sat down, chin in her hands, eyes sparkling. "I'm curious."
"Simple. I want to become stronger."
"I see. So that is your desire. Despite already standing at the peak of the world, you want to go further. You're more suited for the title of 'Greed' than I am."
"To you, I may seem strong enough. But in other worlds, there are far more terrifying enemies. My current strength isn't enough."
"Ooh, enemies from other worlds? My curiosity is growing even more!" Echidna spread her hands helplessly. "But then, looking for me is useless. A mere Warlock of Melancholy turned me into a ghost."
"It's fine. I didn't ask for your help in terms of combat power. You only need to provide consultation services; I'll handle the rest," Aomori said seriously. "In return, I'll help with your resurrection. Although, I'm sure you already have your own perfect plan."
"No matter how perfect a plan is, there's always a 0.1% chance of an accident. I don't mind increasing the success rate." Echidna didn't hide that she had a plan. She nodded. "This contract... I accept."
"It would be even better if we added some interesting knowledge from other worlds. As a gentleman, you wouldn't refuse a lady's small request, would you?"
"If you perform well, I don't mind giving you some 'sweetness.'"
"Good, then it's a deal," Echidna said, full of energy. "So, what is your first question?"
Aomori took a metal box from his pocket, removed the Psychokinesis seal, and said, "First question: How do I make good use of this?"
"Oh, a Witch Factor of Lust." Echidna's eyes lit up. "Interesting, interesting."
"As for how to use it? That's simple. Just swallow it. If you don't go mad, you'll gain the Authority of the Witch of Lust."
"Sorry, I have a thing about cleanliness. Are there any other methods?"
"Hmph, what a troublesome man. Let me think about it."
…
"Ram, Rem. The Lord has summoned you."
The twin sisters, who were helping their clansmen cut timber, paused. They looked at each other, feeling both surprised and fearful. Ram nodded. "Alright, we understand."
"Onee-chan..." Rem called out worriedly.
"It's okay, Rem. The Lord hasn't made things difficult for anyone these past few days. Maybe he was just scaring us on purpose before and doesn't actually mean us any harm."
"Rem still thinks he's a bit scary."
"I'm here. It'll be fine."
"Mm."
The two walked hand-in-hand to the mansion entrance. A maid with shark-like teeth, a few years older than them, opened the door.
"Don't look so gloomy. Klein-sama might have a bit of a mischievous streak, but overall he's a very good person." Roswaal had given this mansion to Aomori, and Frederica had subsequently become Aomori's maid. Changing masters was a fine option for her since she wasn't that close to Roswaal.
"Thank you." Ram nodded slightly and pulled Rem into the mansion.
They found Aomori in the study, reading. They called out respectfully, "Klein-sama."
"I can see you don't want to stay with me for long, so I'll keep it brief," Aomori said without looking up. "Starting today, both of you are going to the Royal Capital to work as maids."
"Eh?!" Rem cried out in surprise.
"What? You're unwilling?" Aomori glanced up at her. "Then you don't have to go. Ram can go alone."
"No! That's not it! I'm willing to go!" Rem answered anxiously. She definitely didn't want to be separated from her sister.
"Klein-sama, please stop teasing Rem. We are willing to go to the place called the Royal Capital. It's just a bit sudden; we weren't mentally prepared," Ram answered gracefully.
"Yes, yes! And as for being maids, Rem doesn't know what to do."
"Once you arrive, someone will teach you. You both have significant combat talent; staying here would be a waste." Aomori decided to throw them into the Klein Miracle Merchants to train, as they were short-staffed there. Some of the Oni youth could form a mercenary group; while making a living, they could also handle some intelligence-gathering work.
He looked at Ram. "I know your talent is superior to everyone in the Oni tribe. But starting from too high a point will cause you to overlook things hidden in the shadows. That is why my seal will remain in place until the day you can break it with your own strength."
"Yes. Ram understands."
"Go and prepare. We leave for the Royal Capital after lunch."
"Eh, the Lord is going too?"
"Is that a problem?"
"No..." Rem sighed inwardly. She still wasn't used to being around him.
"Then why are you still standing there? Go."
"Yes!"
After the twins left, Beatrice suddenly appeared at the door, her face full of unconcealed disdain. "Are you not even hiding that you're a pervert anymore, I suppose?"
"Heh, I only said a few words to them. Are you jealous? Beatrice, you really are cute."
"What are you joking about? Betty wouldn't be jealous, in fact."
"Is it because I'm leaving this place then?"
"Betty doesn't know what you're talking about. Betty is going back to read, hmph!"
Watching her flustered silhouette as she left, Aomori laughed in spite of himself. "Truly a child who never grows up."
————
NOTE: This fic has been completely translated. If you want to read the whole story head over to my p-atre-on: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]