Warmonger

00:00:01…

What?

One, five, ten, twenty full seconds had passed since the apparent end of the countdown for the permanent shutdown of YGGDRASIL's servers, the augmented reality RPG that people of all ages, from young to elderly, had been addicted to for a long time, but which was tragically coming to an end due to the developer's poor financial decisions. Along with the decreasing abandonment of the game because of recent updates, this led to the absolute need to cut costs, particularly for this game. However, at the top of the menu before his eyes, his name and class still appeared — 'Hàfdan, the Warmonger' — and below these details, the playtime, now strangely labeled 'active time,' began to count again as it had the first time he logged in.

00:01:05…

"Okay, okay… Was it all a lie? Some kind of crazy event being anticipated?" he tried to continue, messing with the menu, going to the 'Active Players' section, but as soon as his finger touched the corresponding button, he felt a slight shock in his finger, and the menu briefly turned red, as if access was denied.

"Wait a minute!"

He felt a shock, and this kind of thing had never happened before in the game. Of course, playing with such high immersion was incredible on its own, but there were things that had never even been remotely achieved, like sensations of pain or taste to be felt by the players themselves. What was going on?

Could it be... that he was stuck? He tried pressing the 'Logout' button in the menu, and the result was the same. Of course, since the shock was expected and his level was quite high before all this happened, the harmful effects were minimal this time.

"It's definitely what it seems… It's the only explanation that makes sense, at least. Ah, man…!" he scratched his head, but quickly tried to calm down as more pressing questions came to mind. "I wonder if there were others online waiting for the end? The last time I checked, there was no one, I think…"

It was an uncertainty that would remain until his memory cooperated, but it probably wouldn't. The members of the guild Ainz Ooal Gown, of which he was part, had surely all managed to log out before all this happened, but he couldn't say the same about players from other guilds or those who didn't belong to one. Due to unresolved bugs from recent updates that negatively affected some experiences, especially with the main story and high-level dungeons, many players had quit YGGDRASIL last month, and a significant portion of the remaining players, upon hearing about the server shutdown, were also gone. "Let's check a few things…"

[ Hàfdan

[ Active Time: 00:05:30

[ Class: Warmonger

[ Guild: Ainz Ooal Gown

[ Current Level: 97 (Next Level: 0/100.000XP)

His level remained the same, in fact. As far as he could see, all his items, including those not currently equipped, were also intact. It was basically as if his 'real self' had been completely transported — psychically, at least — into the game, literally inserted into his character's body. The exception seemed to be that some traits of his race suppressed those of his human nature, as he had spent the entire morning playing, and when logging out at moments like this, he usually felt hungry, which wasn't the case now.

I wonder if they're still here? Am I just by myself here? No way...

He thought about the floor guardians. The Ainz Ooal Gown was a guild with a considerable number of members who constantly alternated with two other guilds — Seraphim and Gargantuan Ties, to name a few — in occupying the top spot of the guild rankings. Naturally, this fact reflected not only the power of its members but the grandeur of their guild's base. ''The Great Tomb of Nazarick'', as it was known though its name was often shortened to ''Nazarick'', was like a massive dungeon composed of thirteen ''floors". The Floor Guardians were high-level NPCs personally created by some members of the Circle — the forty-two guild leaders, including him – who had been assigned the task of guarding and protecting those places, given the diverse array of powerful items and other particularly relevant things each of them possessed.

There were ten guardians for the thirteen floors.

If they're still here, it wouldn't be wise to summon all of them. If there are other players, they might think the guild no longer has protection and try to invade... Well, it wouldn't be much of a problem if anyone was stupid enough to try to invade right through the first floor, but it's best to keep some guardians just where they are.

With that in mind, he decided to keep the guardians of the first five floors in their positions — Shalltear Bloodfallen, who guarded the first three; Gargantua, who guarded the fourth; and Cocytus, who guarded the fifth. He doubted anyone would make it past Gargantua, since no one has ever managed to in the first place, but in such conditions, it was wise to be a little more cautious.

Just for safety, he decided to leave the guardians of the eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh floors in their places as well. Quickly meeting just a few of them would be enough, for now. Later, he could visit the others in person.

One by one, he began pressing the buttons to summon the NPCs he wanted from the 'My NPCs' section, which included those NPCs that could be managed by all Circle members. They probably wouldn't take more than five minutes to...

"Hàfdan-sama! It's an honor to see you again! It's been so long since I've had the honor of seeing you in person!"

He was startled by the sudden greeting. The first to appear — and quickly kneel a few meters away from him, descending the stairs from the Throne Room of the Floor of Kings — was Demiurge. He was a tall humanoid with elf-like ears, elegantly dressed in an orange suit while wearing round glasses that mostly concealed his eyes. It was hard to tell from the profile, but he also had a tail resembling that of a centipede extending from his lower back.

I expected a message box... But he has a voice! This greeting message is different too... It's as if he's gained consciousness...

Unsure about how to respond to it yet, he simply nodded as he waited alongside Demiurge, the Guardian of the Seventh Floor, for the other Guardians, who wouldn't take too long to arrive.

The Floor of Kings was made up of just the area they were in, and it was so massive that it resembled a football stadium, though certainly not as large as one. But this, combined with the regal gray and red color tones, the golden throne, the colossal banners bearing the guild and the Circle emblems, as well as the marble statues of each of them, made the newly arrived guardians seem like ants walking through the garden...

... But anyone who interpreted them this way would be mistaken, of course. Each of them was at least level 70, and that was usually enough to handle entire hordes of quite powerful players without that much trouble.

"It's been a while, Hàfdan-sama!"

"G-Greetings, Hàfdan-sama..."

An energetic and childlike voice came from one of the NPCs responsible for the sixth floor, Aura Bella Fiore, which was a breath of fresh air for the growing tension inside him. By her side her, her brother, Mare Bello Fiore, bowed shyly, and though he certainly greeted him with the same level of respect, he spoke so softly and timidly that Hàfdan had a hard time to hear him... This was a relief, as it indicated that they remained faithful to the descriptions given to them by Bukubukuchagama.

Judging by their voices, their genders were somewhat apparent, but their clothing made it seem like there had been a switch. Aura wore a suit combining red and white, along with formal shoes, leather gloves, and short hair framing her heterochromatic eyes. Mare, on the other hand, had a slightly longer hair, and part of his formal outfit included a strangely short skirt that he constantly had to pull down. He also carried a curved-tipped staff, which indicated his position as a mage.

"Apologies for the behavior of these two, Hàfdan-sama... My limitations before the Supreme Beings prevent me from understanding why Bukubukuchagama allowed them to have such an... inappropriate conduct."

Her eyes shifted to a beauty with long hair kneeling alongside the others. She wore a beautiful white dress with yellowed seams that resembled spider webs, had curved horns on her head, and a long, dark night-colored hair that complemented the golden orbs of her delicate, somewhat pale face. This was Albedo, the supervisor of the other guardians and the twelfth and thirteenth floors — respectively, the "Royal Suites," which served as the rooms for the Circle members, and the "Floor of Kings," where meetings were held and they were currently gathered.

"Oh, it's nothing to worry about, Albedo! Hàfdan-sama has always dismissed such matters. He's too cool to care about that!"

"Hàfdan-sama's generosity and humility truly know no bounds..." Demiurge insisted to agree, recalling how his unwavering loyalty to the Supreme Beings was expressed through a posture of absolute reverence toward each of them.

"Don't encourage her, Demiurge! And Aura, are you actually implying that the other Supreme Beings...–"

"Enough. All of you."

His voice sounded deep, strong, to the point everyone immediately fell silent. It wasn't part of his plans to have his first interaction with the Guardians going this way, but Albedo and Aura, with their contrasting personalities, could have arguments that might last a while.

Moreover, there were more pressing matters to address.

"My deepest apologies, Hàfdan-sama!"

He sighed as he heard the alarmingly synchronized apology from the group. Thankfully, Mare was quite reserved and would rarely need reprimanding.

He cleared his throat.

"First, now, my greetings to all of you, Guardians. Inspired by Demiurge, I must say it's an honor to see you in person after some time. I think we can count on our fingers the occasions when I've met you." Demiurge smiled, clearly pleased by what he heard. "Unfortunately, my duties to Ainz Ooal Gown required me to be constantly away."

Albedo interjected.

"Please, Hàfdan-sama, do not downplay the significance of your deeds! After all, you are the Supreme Being most involved in acquiring items and wealth for the Guild, constantly elevating our reputation around the world!" She placed her hand on her chest, more and more moved. "Without your actions, we certainly wouldn't have reached the level we currently have. There isn't one being in Nazarick who feels anything but gratitude towards you!"

"Indeed. There are many stories known about Hàfdan-sama. I shiver when I recall hearing, for the first time, of the defeat you brought to the Ancient Dragon of the Galdian Chains..."

"The greatness of Hàfdan-sama seems limitless..."

"Oh, that was truly incredible, Demiurge-san! I remember hearing that Momonga-sama encouraged everyone to throw a massive ball for his return! What an honor it would have been to witness that..."

"It wasn't a ball, Aura. A ball has some key differences from a "party," which was the term used by Momonga-sama." Albedo corrected.

Hàfdan became thoughtful. Such information had not been included in his personal descriptions, so there was no way they could have known about it unless they had somehow developed awareness of what had happened at the guild since their creation. On the one hand, it was reassuring to know he wouldn't have to deal with empty NPCs, and there was a good amount of "humanity" left in Nazarick; on the other hand, it was increasingly unsettling to recognize the changes that had occurred in YGGDRASIL since the end of that countdown.

No, "YGGDRASIL" wasn't the right term. This was definitely not a game. Everything was real, he was certain of it. The "NPCs," like him, seemed to think, react, and likely feel as well, within their own limits. Treating everything as a game could cost him his life from this point onward.

"More important than that:" Hàfdan called their attention. "Albedo, where are the others Supreme Beings?"

His question, ashe feared, cast a melancholic mood over the group. Apparently, he was the only one from the Circle present.

"I'm afraid... I'm afraid none of them aside from you are here, Hàfdan-sama. Since Sebas gave me the recent news about our current situation, I honestly don't know where to find them."

Sebas? Recent news? What was she talking about? What were these "current conditions," in the first place?

"Current conditions? What did Sebas say?"

"The information was provided to him by Shalltear's subordinates on the first floor. He came to me, and the moment you requested our presence coincided with my coming here to inform you."

Sebas Tian was an NPC created by Touch Me, one of the Circle's members. Although he was not one of the Floor Guardians, his power was certainly comparable to one. It could be said that he worked harmoniously with Albedo, as while she dealt with the defense and organization of the guild in regard to external threats, Sebas handled many internal matters and was the first to be informed and deal with any arising issues when it comes to this.

"Proceed." Hàfdan encouraged her. The others, who until then had certainly been very involved in their duties concerning their own floors, also paid closer attention.

"Apparently, Nazarick got... teleported, let's say, to a completely different place. The Great Swamps that surrounded us have been replaced by vast plains we don't recognize. So far, we've confirmed that all the Guardians are with us, and gradually, we can say that other residents of Nazarick, like the Pleiades, are here as well. However, Sebas, who was in charge of confirming this, mentioned he needed more time to be sure of it." She said. The fact that Sebas had anticipated this helped calm him, as it also informed him that the NPCs now had some ability to handle this kind of issue without relying on orders. "As for the Supreme Beings, you know that many of them, over time, had a decreasing frequency of visits in recent days. As far as we know, you are the only one here Hàfdan-sama."

"Wait, if Nazarick was teleported here, and they weren't here, does that mean they're trapped?!" Aura asked. This was enough to make Mare tense up as well, but Demiurge intervened with an unusually stern tone.

"Nonsense! The Supreme Beings, in their vast wisdom, certainly anticipated a situation like this! Can't you see Hàfdan-sama's calm demeanor?!" Demiurge turned the palm of his hand towards Hàfdan, as if to "present him" to the others. He also turned his face to look at Hàfdan. "The Supreme Beings, the Circle members, expected that one day a situation like this would occur. Unfortunately, I cannot predict what actions have been taken in relation to this so far, however... Please forgive my incapacity, Hàfdan-sama."

Aura, Mare, and even Albedo sighed in admiration. Under the helmet he wore, Hàfdan indeed displayed a body language indicating calmness, but the truth was that inside, he was a bundle of nerves and uncertainty about this newly discovered situation — one that certainly none of them had anticipated, since in YGGDRASIL, there was no possibility of such a thing happening!

Nevertheless, he needed to maintain this impression. It seemed like a good way to go. He doubted that any other Circle members were present somewhere in Nazarick, because if they were, he would certainly know, but Demiurge's words would help him maintain some stability in Nazarick's. It was better to maintain this than to let the NPCs, who had recently gained sentience, discover that they had, in a sense, been "abandoned" by their creators.

He needed to come up with something.

"Hmm, yes... Momonga, specifically, once brought up the possibility of an enemy act like this." Using the word "enemy," he noticed the sudden tension among the others. He needed to be careful about what he said next. "He even guided us on a series of actions to be taken by each Circle member. Most of them required the other members of the Circle to be absent from Nazarick once the situation was recognized."

"And, in their boundless capacity, the Supreme Beings recognized the current situation long before we did... That's why they're not here: they're already dealing with it... Incredible..." Albedo murmured, sincerely impressed.

"Wait, but didn't Hàfdan-sama just ask what the current situation was?"

Oops...

"Can't you see, Aura?" Demiurge adjusted his glasses, looking down. "It was an act of generosity. Knowing that we, shamefully, were not fully aware of the situation yet, Hàfdan-sama chose to "learn" about it at the same time as us."

Does this even make sense, though?

Aura blushed, just like Mare and the Seventh Floor companion. They felt guilty, which was not Hàfdan's intention, but thankfully, things were still under his control – somehow, they did believe it. It was good to maintain this image of leadership and stability, which Demiurge, unknowingly, created.

"As expected from you, Demiurge... However, we didn't expect the guardians to know about it this quickly, so don't think that this precedes harsh words from me." He wouldn't feel good about himself if he did such a thing, after all. "The initial course of action is to fortify Nazarick's defenses and, just as importantly, to assess the place we are in. The other Circle members are handling the latter, and I intend to join them soon, but I need you to spread the news of the translocation and raise the Standard Security Level to the maximum."

"Yes, Sir!"

They replied. Then, Albedo found a reason to intervene. 

"One moment, Hàfdan-sama..."

"Yes, Albedo?"

"Do you plan to... leave as well? Wouldn't it be dangerous to leave Nazarick without a power level like yours?"

"Oh, what words are these you're saying, Albedo?" He began descending the stairs, approaching the Guardians. "You all, as Guardians, can contact me directly through the Message spell if anything in Nazarick needs my attention. Besides, remember that I can always return almost instantly."

Opening the menu, just as he had done before, he navigated to the spells section, making sure to verify if all of them were there. He raised his left forearm, as a mass of purplish energy accumulated in his hand. Soon, he pointed it to the ground, and a circle of the same color with several intelligible runes appeared. He had just used [Milestones], a spell that created up to five teleportation points.

Demiurge was impressed, as were Aura and Mare. Hàfdan was one of the Circle members they had interacted with the least and had never even met, so discovering that this spell was within his capabilities surprised them. It was a simple spell, but due to its convenience and unique usefulness, it was classified as a "Master" Rank spell, requiring a high proficiency in the "Alteration" magic category and, equally, a large amount of MP.

In fact, it was a spell that constantly drained MP to maintain the teleportation point, so as he cast it, Hàfdan saw his blue mana bar shrink. Considering his current level, gained after many sleepless nights, it was a reduction he could handle, but it was still significant.

"Oh, yes... That's true." Albedo relaxed. She then turned to the other Guardians. "Hàfdan-sama's instructions were quite clear. You do know what to do, right?"

"Yes!" Aura replied, and ran toward the main door without even saying goodbye, which Hàfdan found somewhat amusing.

"Aura, wait!" Mare immediately followed but hesitated and chose to bow his head to Hàfdan before leaving.

"I will do the same. We'll eagerly await your return, Hàfdan-sama." Demiurge took a similar action to Mare before leaving. Instead of running, however, a circle of fire surrounded him, and his body was consumed by flames, likely transporting him directly to the Seventh Floor.

Had Albedo not been nearby, Hàfdan would have sighed with great relief at how things had unfolded. His first interaction with these beings – as they were better referred to now, instead of NPCs –, once analyzed, revealed a lot about how different this world was and how things should be approached from now on.

First of all, and most importantly: they thought, felt, and made decisions. This meant they had autonomy, sentience, and, considering they remained loyal to the descriptions defined by him and his friends, a loyalty to the guild and Circle members that had no limits, restrictions, or threats. Naturally, this fact was very positive and would certainly help him greatly handle this new configuration of things around him.

Secondly: they were in an unknown place, according to Albedo's report. As far as he knew, they were surrounded by plains, and assuming the current world inherited many characteristics of YGGDRASIL, wandering a bit around might lead him to not only monsters but also some sort of civilization. Whether human or inhuman, he didn't know yet, but there was a strong possibility of at least encountering someone.

Lastly, he would need to be very careful about how much he revealed about the current conditions of the Circle to the inhabitants of Nazarick. Again, Hàfdan had his reasons to believe he was the only one left, as the last time he checked, no one from the guild other than him had stayed to witness the server shutdown. Maintaining such a lie would be troublesome and stressful, so he would definitely have to tell them the truth someday, but he would do so gradually, as he gathered proof that there was truly no one from Ainz Ooal Gown in this "New World" other than himself. Who knows how everyone would react upon realizing that they had, in a sense, been "abandoned."

"Hàfdan-sama?"

Albedo's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Yes?"

"If I may ask... Are you planning to go on this 'expedition' alone?"

Albedo already knew the answer surely, as she knew him better than the others – and that was despite him not usually visiting other floors of Nazarick besides the one where the guild meetings took place when he wasn't away – but that was a question any of them would ask, just to be sure.

"As I feared... But, please, given the current situation, I must insist that you take someone with you, even if they remain only at a distance. Perhaps one of the Pleiades." Albedo requested. "Once the other inhabitants of Nazarick learn that you have left indefinitely, they won't be able to avoid worrying about your journey in this scenario. We have complete faith in your ability to protect yourself, but for now, we are also completely unaware of what we may find out there."

She and Demiurge stood out for their sharpness and intellect among all of Nazarick, so if it took too long to reveal the truth, they would gradually figure it out for themselves the Circle's situation. The questions were only "Who will find it out first?" and "When will they find out?"

"I understand why you say this, Albedo. But, should I find any civilization out there, any inconvenient interference from a Pleiade could cause trouble. The chance of encountering humans, for example, is considerable," he noticed that Albedo reacted badly to the word "humans," which only confirmed his theory about Nazarick's reception to such races from the outside world. "And if that's the case, the natural hatred that some of them might have would cause some great problems for me. I won't seek out conflicts unnecessarily or without apparent gain."

Albedo became thoughtful for a moment, but soon a small smile appeared on her face, as if a light bulb had just gone off in her mind.

"Delta, then! What do you think?"

CZ2128 Delta, specifically, was the one she was referring to. The "Pleiades", the group she was part of, were a specialized combat squad that, along with Sebas and Albedo, made up the last line of defense for Nazarick against potential invaders. Each of them had a specific race and a distinct specialty from the others. Yuri Alpha, as the name suggested, was the leader of the group.

Upon considering Albedo's proposal, he found himself more inclined to agree than he had expected. "Shizu," as she was also called, was an automaton who was quite quiet and mature in how she handled her own emotions, so she wouldn't interfere unless he commanded it. Additionally, she was specialized in stealth and primarily focused on long-range attacks, so he would hardly need to worry about her being discovered by the enemy.

With that, no more doubts remained.

"Shizu, then."

-Δㅤ

The floors of Nazarick were, in simple terms, a set of "areas." Some had many of them built throughout the time, like the first three floors, while others had only a few or just one, such as the Throne Room, which was the last floor itself. The Royal Suites, despite their name, fit the description of being a whole made up of many smaller subunits, as they housed not only the personal rooms of Nazarick's inhabitants and guild members but also many places destined to entertain and mess around, such as hot springs, bars, parks, specialized training areas, among others. In the days of YGGDRASIL, these were useful only to the guild members, but since their arrival in this "New World," Hàfdan doubted that things would remain the same, whether naturally or by his own intervention.

In a way, those NPCs had become real beings. Boredom and work overload were major productivity problems in many companies from where he came, and although he didn't doubt that the inhabitants of Nazarick would always do their best for "Ainz Ooal Gown Inc.", he didn't want to take the slightest risk of sacrificing this productivity — directly related to Nazarick's security in this unknown world — due to an irresponsible belief built without solid evidence.

That was something he would have to worry about when he returned, definitely.

"Now... Should I keep this? Or is adopting a persona more appropriate?" He was in his room, looking at himself in the mirror. It was a pertinent question because, if he encountered humans and needed to show his face, for example, depending on their culture and traditions, his "apparent race" could be quite relevant.

He wore armor that in YGGDRASIL was part of a set of equipment called "Raging Wolf." Modesty aside, its beauty and the attributes granted by the armor more than made up for the countless high-level dungeons he had to explore — alone, as it was one of the requirements for his especially low spawn chance to be worthwhile — just to be able to think of finding them. The helmet had a profile that projected forward like a bird's beak, and it only allowed vision through small horizontal openings in the eyes level, while the rest of the armor was made of enchanted ebony inlaid with hagraven feathers and decorated on the shoulders with the fur of white mountain wolves. Around the waist, there was a red cloth that extended to partially cover the greaves of rose gold at the knees.

When he removed his helmet, he looked at his face in the mirror. He saw a man with some signs of age, sporting short blonde hair and a relatively large beard to complement a tribal tattoo on his right temple. With his relatively tall stature — which, although not rivaling any of the guild members, still made him stand out in the environment of Nazarick among its inhabitants — he could easily be mistaken for a human of Nordic ethnicity, were it not for the significantly more intense vascularization on his face, his unusual paleness, and the golden orbs in his eyes.

Considering these attributes, anyone who saw his face would say "Vampire," but they would be making a huge conceptual mistake, as he was, in truth, a "hemophage," part of the ancestral race from which vampires descended. To begin with, only the natural aptitude for magic and the skin paleness were traits shared with them, but everything else — blood as a dietary necessity, weakness to sunlight, and vulnerability to "Holy" magic spells, for example — was exclusive to them.

Some even went as far as to say that hemophages were "Superior Vampires". This happened due to a particular trait related to their relationship with blood and the sun: exposure to sunlight without consuming blood, unlike what happened with vampires, did not cause their magic, fatigue, and health bars to decrease. On the other hand, being in a dark environment, and having consumed blood in that same place, gave hemophages a temporary buff of 15 Skill Points (SP) to all of their arcane and combat abilities.

"As someone specialized in infiltration, Shizu, what do you think?" He asked the figure who would accompany him.

Just like him, CZ2128 Delta belonged to a heteromorphic race that closely resembled humans. This was suggested by her long orange hair and the delicate features of her face. However, since her creator, Garnet, was an automaton, this explained the constant absence of emotions on her face and the many metal parts of her body creatively designed to resemble the long dresses traditionally worn by maids.

Garnet had been one of the first to abandon the game when the signs of YGGDRASIL's decline became evident, and his interactions with Hàfdan were few enough for him to barely remember his personality. One thing that remained in his mind, however, was the summary related to Shizu that Garnet had given to the other guild members shortly after creating her. In his words, Shizu was a "beautiful, delicate, and dangerous super-sniper robotic soldier."

Hàfdan could certainly not deny that the precision rifle on her back and the military camouflage accessories (a scarf covering her lips and a prominent tiara) contributed to making that an apt description of her.

"Wouldn't it be better if everyone in this "New World" that Sebas-sama spoke of knew about you and feared you, so they would submit immediately?" she asked simply. "You said you expected to encounter humans, there's no reason for such worry."

Expecting is different from being certain of it... he said to himself, but that type of response was to be expected. It was already surprising itself that not all of the inhabitants of Nazarick (Albedo and Demiurge as qualified mentions) had that kind of irrational belief in the power of a Supreme Being, which is how they viewed him, to subjugate everything and everyone in this unknown place they had been thrown into. Of course, they trusted in his power and leadership, but despite this, they took a conservative stance to avoid the greatest number of casualties possible for Nazarick as a whole in the future that lays ahead.

"Well, I don't intend to create conflicts that quickly. While I'm still getting to know this place we've been thrown into, I prefer to resort to diplomacy." he explained. "Not showing my face and using an illusion spell when necessary should be enough."

Feeling Delta's gaze fixed on him when he looked at himself in the mirror again, he put his helmet back on.

"You know how you must behave out there, don't you? We haven't done much together until now. Actually, we never did anything together in fact, so you don't know my methods beforehand, but I think Albedo was clear enough when she contacted you and explained how I work."

"Keep my distance, remain hidden, and don't intervene until I receive a clear signal, if it ever happens, whether Hàfdan-sama engages in a conflict or not."

"Exactly. Can you do that?"

"Staying away from the focus of the battle is my best way of helping. To do as you ask is not a challenge for me, Hàfdan-sama."

"Great."

With that, a magic circle similar to the one he conjured in the Throne Room appeared in the middle of the room. Fortunately, Hàfdan thought, casting magic worked exactly the same way in this "reality" as it had in YGGDRASIL: he only needed to think of the name of the spell, and it was "equipped" somehow; then, for spells like [Milestones], which only required a visual focus before being cast and made manual movements merely accessory, concentrating on the desire to use them was enough to do so.

He gestured for Shizu to go first, and she obeyed. It didn't take long before they departed together to an unknown destination beyond the first floor of Nazarick.