12 New Abode

Being guided down the outstretched halls by Meinhard, his gaze couldn't be averted from the tall glass panes that made up the outer walls, displaying the gorgeous garden that outlined the manor itself. The topiary of the shrubs that all resemble perfect spheres made him question if it was perfect handiwork or the result of magic. Either way, the result itself was magical.

"Norbert is responsible for maintaining the garden, it's amazing, isn't it?" Meinhard spoke up, noticing his gaze of awe.

"Norbert?" Ren asked, increasing his pace as he had fallen behind Meinhard.

Meinhard nodded his head while smiling, brushing strands of his golden blonde hair away from his crystalline gaze.

"He is the head butler appointed by Althaus. Honestly, to say he is responsible for maintaining the garden would be misleading. I'd say he maintains just about everything here, without him, this manor would be left in shambles," Meinhard laughed.

"With a name like Norbert--he must be ancient," Ren laughed at his own terrible joke.

The look Meinhard gave him was as if his joke was so bad that he couldn't even spare him a laugh of pity.

"That's...just don't make jokes like that around him," Meinhard chuckled nervously.

The two continued down the halls as Ren continued to find himself enamored by the contents of the manor. He lost count of how many rooms they had passed before traversing up a spiral staircase, covered with velvet carpet.

Some of the paintings that covered the walls spanned the size of a movie theater screen--he wasn't much of an art connoisseur but even he could appreciate the work that went into making such art.

"Ah--beautiful, aren't they? Just don't touch them. The lord paid quite a bit of coin for these paintings," Meinhard stopped and stared at the painting that Ren was focused on.

"I could imagine, something like that in my world would be worth a fortune," Ren responded as gazed at it.

The painting showcased a forest filled with trees that were covered with white leaves, overlooking a sleeping beast. Every detail seemed to be accounted for, every unique marking on the bark of the trees, even making out specks that were insects. The beast itself resembled a giant humanoid of some sort, covered with gray fur.

"In case you are wondering--this painting does indeed represent something that exists in this world," Meinhard looked at him, "You know, I was excited when the Lord announced to us he had found an otherworlder, I know that in your world--magic and monsters alike don't really exist. So, I was happy to be able to live vicariously through your own excitement in a world like this."

"I can't say I really understand all too well what you mean, but if you want to tell me about this world--I'm all ears," Ren smiled, "like for starters--whatever the hell this painting is supposed to be."

The boy chuckled at Ren's enthusiasm that displayed itself in an odd way despite his tired body. Ren watched as he continued walking down the second-floor hall.

"I'll tell you on our way to your room--honestly, you need to rest," Meinhard waved his hand for him to follow.

Ren accepted this proposal as he followed the boy down the hall--which was wider compared to the narrow halls of the first floor.

In place of the endless rooms that were prominent below, the second floor seemed to house paintings, statues, and various artifacts of the sort that Althaus seemed to have a liking to.

"The beast you saw in the painting--he is known as the "Weltwanderer", it is said he wanders the entire world in search of a human he befriended a millennia ago. For the most part, he is docile--that is, if you meet him during the day. He is very much a real creature in this world, although I can't say it is a common occurrence to see him, not many people ever do. Most people only know about him since the Weltwanderer is popular in children's stories," Meinhard told him.

"Hmm, so who is the person he is looking for?" Ren asked, engrossed by the tale.

Meinhard paused for a moment as they walked further into the far-stretching halls, passing by a collection of various suits of armor, some even embroidered with expensive-looking gems.

"Well--as I said, it was millennia ago, so that human is long dead. It is sad, isn't it? That ancient creature doesn't understand the mortality of humans so he doesn't know the friend he is searching for has been dead for quite some time…" Meinhard kept his hands behind his back as he walked.

"I don't know if I'd call it sad," Ren pondered, putting his hand on his chin as he marched down the corridor.

Meinhard tilted his head as if that response was something he didn't expect, but before he could speak--he stopped in front of a door near the end of the second-floor hall. It was tall, nearly double Ren's height as he looked up at it, amazed by the design etched into the fine wood of it.

"This is your room--take a look, I think you'll like it," Meinhard giggled.

Ren grabbed onto the silver handle, turning it and slowly pulling the door open as he revealed the room he would be staying in for this new life.

--Come on, let's see--will it be the room of a king? A prince? Will there be a canopy bed? Ren closed his eyes as he stepped into the room, awaiting his lavish new room fit for royalty.

As he opened his eyes--his hopes quickly dwindled down to reality. It was larger than his room back on Earth by a hair. It had a king's size bed with the most standard setup he had ever seen, and in place of the nerdy collection he had at home--books. A lot of books. The wooden walls were lined with paintings, if not, then they were blocked by bookshelves. Near the bed was a desk for writing and reading--something he knew he would eventually be putting to use.

He let out a quiet sigh before walking over to the bed and dropping onto it.

"So this is it, huh?" Ren commented as he stared up at the ceiling.

"What? Were you expecting something extravagant?" Meinhard raised an eyebrow and he leaned against the doorway to the room.

"That's not what I mean, it's just--this is it. This is my new life," Ren sat up on the bed with a neutral expression.

"Yeah, well--I've got to finish up on dinner, get some rest," Meinhard gave him a quick smile before leaving down the hall, closing the door for Ren.