Chapter 9: 2-1: Preparations

I sighed, rubbing my eyes. Noa was snuggled into my side, sleeping peacefully without a care in the world. Archer was still awake, calmly flipping the page of a book. She was nestled under my other arm, seeming content with the way things were.

I won't bore you with the details of our exploration mission. It was a day of near-perfect silence, not a word spoken between us. One might think that Noa would grow bored of the constant monotony, but it was actually fairly common to go silent whenever we were inside a new dungeon in case any monsters were capable of targeting sound.

This realization came as both a relief and a disappointment. On one hand, it proved that Noa was capable of mature decision-making if put in a dangerous situation, which was a tremendous relief. On the other, I had been hoping she would grow bored and ask to return to Nazarick, which was far safer than wandering around with no protection save for a thin layer of cloth.

…Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration. Even if I still had little to no clue how to operate all my new abilities, she's far from a porcelain doll. The 'thin layer of cloth' is sturdier than a full set of plate mail, for one thing. For another, Archer was more than capable of defending Noa all by herself. And even if I hadn't tested if it still worked, a Racial Skill named Instinct should still alert me to oncoming attacks on 'my person', which both of my Maidens technically fell under due to a few loopholes.

Plus, if all else failed and Noa were killed, the Tree that was her true form would be fine. It would definitely wilt from the sudden loss of life force, but within a few days of care it would be right back to where it was. From there, it would just be a matter of time before Noa regained consciousness and returned to the physical world.

How do I know all that, you might ask? How could a man who's never taken care of a houseplant know the ins and outs of World Tree Spirits?

Simple.

Yggdrasil fuckery.

…Okay, that's a bit vague, but it's my acting theory on why I somehow have excruciatingly detailed instructions on how to care for Noa in every way etched into my brain. When the Devs had given me the Sapling, they had also given me the Title 'Guardian of the Tree'. When translated to real life, it stood to reason that the Title would be the representation of the World Tree's blessing. I haven't had the chance to see if it worked on all plants or if it was just Noa, but the fact that I was suddenly an expert botanist was telling.

…Anyway. Back to our excursion.

After I led us around for a bit in a mostly straight line, we finally reached the edge of the woods. And there, looking down from the hill we stood on, we beheld Carne Village. Not as it was in canon—here it obviously hadn't even been built yet. But the signs were there when you knew where to look. One day Thomas Carne would decide that this was a good place to build that first home, taking with him a few friends to start the village I knew from canon.

But that wasn't for a long time. The place was overgrown with tall grass here, wild plants that would take dedicated time and effort to remove. The shape of the land wasn't quite how the anime depicted it, though whether it was a change in time or merely an inaccurate translation wasn't clear quite yet.

The point is, I was somewhere in the past. When, exactly, I wouldn't know until I could learn of more events happening around me. Overlord never used a defined calendar to plot out the specific years things happened, so the best I would get was a general estimate.

Pity.

In any case, my uncertainties had been cleared. I was in the past, with no indication of how long it could be before Momonga arrived. My options were unlimited, and the skeleton would never know the difference if I created a few butterflies here and there.

But first, I had to create a solid information network to build off of. It would be utterly retarded to assume any change I made would happen in isolation, and the only way to tell for certain what consequences each action had was to ensure I had eyes and ears absolutely everywhere.

The Servants of Nazarick wouldn't be used for such a tremendous task, that would spread them out too thinly to be called on in case of an emergency. I couldn't exactly trust a human spy network, either. As such, I had to think of an alternative to both options that still managed to work with enough versatility to adapt to various situations.

Some form of Golem, perhaps? Hmm…

"Ancient-sama, we should really get some rest soon." Archer spoke softly, head nestled into the crook of my arm. "It wouldn't be good if we were tired for tomorrow."

I sighed, leaning over to kiss her forehead. "Archer… you do know you can call me by my real name when we're in private, right?"

The warrior blinked, mouth opening and closing. "…Real name."

"Of course." I shifted, gently moving Noa's head back onto a pillow. "I'm sure I've told you it at least once before."

Her brow furrowed in thought. "I… it's been a while, then. Would you care to refresh my memory?"

I paused before answering, mind slowing to a halt.

This was my third life. My first two names had been picked for me, and now I had a chance to pick my own. But at the same time…

"Keirou." I sounded out for the small girl, smiling down at her. "Ke-i-rou. Keirou."

"K-Ku… Kei…" The girl struggled. "K-ou. Kou?"

I laughed softly, ruffling her hair. "Sure. Call me Kou if you want."

I had outgrown that nickname. A name meaning "happiness", "light", or "peace". But now…

"…Ko." I decided. "My name is Ko. No last name, unfortunately, I grew up in the days that only the nobles had those."

Archer nodded, nuzzling into my side. "Ko. I like it."

"It's not exactly a name of ancient power, huh?" I joked.

She shook her head. "I don't mind. It makes you feel more… human."

"I was a human once." I reminded gently. "Back when the world was young."

Archer nodded. "I've heard that, but you've never actually told me the story. Rubedo can be maddeningly evasive, so I couldn't hear it from her, either. And no offense, but I think Whisper is trying to size me out for a body bag every time I show up."

I chuckled quietly. "Ah, yes… those two always were odd ones. That's what made them such good fighters. Though honestly, I'm shocked you never asked Noa."

"…Noa?"

"Mmhmm. Noa inherited the First Tree's memories, you know. She should be able to give you a general idea of what happened." My smile died on my face, falling away to a grim mask. "I'm not going to tell you directly. Not now, possibly not ever. Those were days when human life was worthless and monsters in flesh suits spoke lies to reassure the masses. You left your hell behind… I'm not about to make you relive mine."

"I understand." She stated simply.

Silence fell, comfortable and warm. My bedroom was made to be as comfortable as possible, almost radiating a homely glow that spoke of simpler times. It was a relief that all my time designing the place hadn't gone to waste.

"I'm going to go take a shower." Archer decided, voice still quiet so as to not wake Noa. "Wash off the sweat from walking all day."

My lips twitched. "Mind if I join you?"

She froze, cheeks reddening. Her tail coiled, then straightened, then coiled again. "N-no." She stuttered. "Not this time. I want our first time to be more than that."

I nodded, chuckling. "I know, love. It was just a joke." I glanced down at the gently snoozing Spirit. "Though, you really should consider what you do and don't want once that time comes. Noa would be more than willing to join in, but I understand if you want us to be alone."

The Archdemon's face was a bright red, and her hands were clutching the sheets with enough force to turn her knuckles white. Her gaze lingered on Noa's innocent face, a genuine hunger seeming to flicker within for a moment. Then she shook her head. "No. I… I want something private. Something romantic."

"I understand." I gave her a cheeky grin. "Just let me know when you want me to take you out on a date."

She rolled her eyes, grip relaxing on the sheets. "Wow, what a gentleman."

I shrugged. "Hey, with a body like that, it would be impolite not to ask." My smile faded, and I pulled her soft form close. "But honestly… you know I'll wait for you for as long as you need. It's your choice. I just thought that you might be starved from waiting as long as you have."

"If I were, then I think it would be bad to remind me." She teased in a huskily tone. "And if you don't stop reminding me, I might skip the romance entirely."

I chuckled, kissing her gently before letting go. "Go on and shower, love. I'll get changed and make sure Noa does too."

The Archdemon nodded, taking a moment to lean into me before pulling away. "…I love you, Ko."

"I love you too, Archer. More than you would ever believe."

A small smile played at her lips. "So I discover every day."

I waved her off. "Go on. I'll get changed as well."

The Archdemon laughed, turning and sashaying away. Her hips swayed enticingly, her tail twirling in amusement.

Mmm. Mighty fine rear, that.

I snickered to myself, moving over to the dresser and opening a random drawer. I reached inside, rummaging around until I pulled free a folded tank top and a pair of shorts.

No, I don't know where they came from. But honestly I really couldn't care less at this point.

I took off and folded my clothes, placing them back into the impossible drawer before closing it. Job done, I unfolded the seamless cloth shorts and tugged them on.

"Do I get a kiss, too?"

I paused, registering Noa's sleepy voice. Turning, I saw her watching my every move. I wouldn't even call it perving, she probably wondered why I even bothered putting clothes back on.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "…How long have you been awake?"

She blinked back at me, face in its typical emotionless mask. "Since you got up."

…Huh. You know, it's really hard to tell if she's lying when she looks like that. Hopefully I'll figure out how to read her in time, but for now I'll just have to accept her words.

"All right, then." I pulled on my tank top, walking back over to the bed. "Are you going to get ready to sleep?"

Noa looked down at herself. "Am I not ready?"

"Not unless you want to wrinkle your clothes by sleeping in them."

She frowned. "…Will you help me change, then?"

On the one hand, she should be perfectly capable of dressing herself. On the other, I'll be in close proximity to a voluptuous girl who has no problem with me touching her skin.

Hmm… choices, choices.

Ah, who am I kidding? If she lets me change her bra, too—

"Noa, I already told you what to wear when you go to bed." Archer's hard tone cut through my thoughts. "Just because Ko is willing to spoil you doesn't mean you have to make him."

Noa pouted slightly, which told me all I needed to know. Apparently she was gunning for the same skinship I was, she was just more willing to lie about it.

Pity.

I was still treated to the sight of Noa undressing without a care in the world, much to Archer's mortification. But unlike in every harem anime ever, she didn't immediately scold me for ogling the semi-naked Nature Spirit. Instead, she tried to tell her off for undressing in the presence of a male. Predictably, Noa didn't understand a word of it and just stood there, confused, until she could finally get a word in edgewise.

"Archer-nee…" She finally said. "If girls aren't supposed to undress around anyone but the man they love, why are you scolding me? I love Ko-sama and he loves me. I'm fine with him seeing me naked, and I'm not even all the way undressed. I've still got my panties on."

'So she was listening in on our conversation. Damn she's got a good poker face.' I paused, taking the time to examine said panties. 'Also, where the hell did those come from? YGGDRASIL never let its users add undergarments, so did they just spontaneously exist as soon as we transferred?'

Archer sighed, rubbing her temples. "…Ko? Can you talk to her? She always seems to understand when you explain it."

I shrugged. "Hey. I don't see the problem. She's not exactly going to be undressing around any other guy, right?"

Noa shook her head.

"So it's not an issue." I finished with a nod. "You forget, I had to bathe her myself the first few times, I've seen her in a lot less than that."

"She was a lot smaller than this when you bathed her." Archer snapped back.

Noa and I looked at each other. "Ah." Noa nodded once. "It's a cultural thing."

I had to resist choking on laughter. "Y-yes, Noa. It's a cultural thing."

Archer frowned, picking up Noa's thin nightgown and handing it to her. "How is this a cultural thing?"

"Simple." I pointed to myself. "I grew up in a desert village where people were so poor that people seldom wore any clothes that they didn't need. Sure we'd dress up for a sandstorm, but otherwise it wasn't worth something that would only make you hotter. And you—" I reached out to poke her on the forehead. "Grew up in Japan, where there's a huge nudity taboo."

It was a testament to the amount of bullshit I was used to throwing that I could lie so effortlessly without a second thought.

Noa made a 'aaah' noise, slipping on the nightgown. "I see. So Archer-nee was just raised to be a prude."

The word 'prude' coming from her mouth was so unexpected that I let out a bark of laughter. "Y-yes, Noa, that's basically it. We wear clothes because they're useful, and she wears them because they cover her genitals."

Archer threw up her arms, sighing in defeat. "You know, that's fair. I won't try to make you wear more clothes if you don't try to remove mine. Okay?"

Noa smiled faintly, which for her was basically a huge grin. "Ok. Thanks, Archer-nee."

I nodded once, chuckling to myself.

Was I subtly encouraging Noa to become a nudist? Maybe. Did I care? Hell no. There were far worse things than having a smoking hot Nature Spirit walking around the house without a stich of clothing on.

Especially once I'm able to use that lack of clothing to my advantage…

Heheheh.

"All right, we've delayed long enough." I said, stretching dramatically. "We have to get up tomorrow to see what we can do about our situation."

Oh, yes. A mature woman on one side, a well-developed girl on the other. Marshmallow heaven.

With a wide smile on my face, I drifted off to sleep.

Word count 2600