Carne Village

Shin threw himself on the bed as the door behind him thudded shut. The room he rented had a small window and table at the side. Aside from another pair of beds, that was all there was to it.

Even though he was in his human form despite being of the insect race, he still felt tired and hungry.

"Bring it, Nabe."

"Yes, Touch-Me sama."

"It's Reinhardt-sama. Remember, you are acting as my servant."

"My, my deepest apologies. Reinhardt-sama."

Narberal gave a deep bow, then took out a packet of food they had purchased earlier.

It was brown in color, crisped to perfection by the local food vendors who had perfected their craft over many years. A layer of salt had been coated evenly across its inviting surface to give its eater a taste of it.

It was … a piece of bread!

The power of the human race was truly a sight to behold.

"Touch M … Reinhardt-sama. Such food is unworthy of your status as the Overlord of the Nazarick. Please allow me to return to Nazarick to prep-"

"There's no need."

Shin had already taken a bite, enjoying the bite of garlic mixed with the savory sauce across its sauce.

He didn't seem to find human food disgusting. It seemed that he retained the same liking towards normal food. He was worried for a moment that as one of the insect races, he would end up enjoying humans … as food. That would be too disgusting for him to stomach.

"It's quite tasty, you should try one too. Here."

"R-Reinhardt-sama. I-I truly thank you for this magnificent gift you have bestowed upon an unworthy one such as me!"

Normally, the Maid would have scorned anything related to the bugs known as 'Humans'. However, if it was a gift from her master, she would jump at the first opportunity to receive it.

Narbarel bowed deeply again, before reaching for the bread with trembling hands and taking little nibbles little by little like a hamster; Her face slightly flushed.

"U-uh. Sure. You can have the rest of it."

Shin thought he had already figured out his status amongst the denizens of Nazarick. But Nabe's reactions proved him wrong. It seemed that even the slightest of goodwill he showed towards them was interpreted as divine favor from a god they worshipped.

"Thank you! Reinhardt-Sama!"

Narberall was still gingerly taking small bites of the food, her face one of complete bliss. The maid was overjoyed at the thought that she would get to taste some of her lord's leftover saliva on the food.

Seeing that, Shin removed his armor and changed into a normal civilian's garb; pondering his next moves as he lay down on his bed.

The overwhelming authority and power that came with his position was indeed a great blessing. But Shin was getting a little tired of it. It was like he was cooped up in a golden cage. As a man, he definitely enjoyed being served by the countless beautiful maids in Nazarick. However, he barely had any personal space.

The trip outside also granted him that. Perhaps maybe somewhere in the future, he could just *disappear* from Nazarick for a while to explore the world on his own; once things had settled down. Solo-travelling was fun as well.

Lakyus had mentioned that Blue Rose was heading to the capital right away. As per the duel agreement, she would allow Shin to take on the job request for adamantine adventurers alongside them.

Wanting to stay in the city to gather information for a few more days, Shin told them he would join them later and bid them farewell.

There was also another reason, he felt that he needed a convincing cover story if the others probed about it. The Holy Roble Kingdom mentioned by Lakyus was something that had piqued his interest and could serve as his supposed background.

He decided to contact Demiurge. The defense commander of the NPC in Nazarick had so far proven himself to be very capable. From giving suggestions on how to gather intelligence and being able to give him a report just barely hours after that. The demon had executed his assignments with ruthless efficiency.

Shin couldn't help but wonder what methods he had used but didn't probe.

It was all thanks to him that he was able to have a preliminary understanding of the human race in this world, giving him the confidence to head into E-Rantel on just the 2nd day after being teleported to this new world.

"[Message]"

"[Touch Me-Sama]"

A voice full of reverence echoed through his mind.

"[There's a nation in this world known as the Holy Roble Kingdom. I want information about it.]"

"[May I ask, my lord, if there's a specific date you need it to be done by?]"

"[A preliminary summary of what you have gathered so far about it, by tomorrow morning.]

"[As you command.]"

Done for the day, Shin closed his eyes and fell into deep slumber. He had barely slept for the past 2 days since arriving.

===

The next morning.

"- that concludes my report."

"Hmm. Do we have any information about the various Paladin Orders of the Holy Kingdom?"

The information sounded like it could serve as a convenient cover story.

"I am extremely sorry. Touch Me-sama. Due to the distance between Nazarick and the Holy Kingdom, any intelligence we could gather is very general. I beg your forgiveness for failing to discern your intentions. If you will please permit me another chance, I shall surely present you with the information without fail as soon as I can."

"Proceed. There's is no need to be so harsh on yourself. You have done an excellent job so far. Demiurge."

"I am unworthy of your praise, my lord. We guardians were created by the Supreme Beings to be of use to them. Carrying out any order given by them is the least to be expected and the way to express our utmost loyalty!"

The demon knelt down on the floor, trembling. He appeared to be unable to contain his joy at receiving such high praise from his master.

"Also, regarding the report, I tasked you to prepare. How is it going?"

"As expected of a Supreme Being. Your attention to detail is truly impeccable! We have identified several areas of concern for Nazarick in the long run. Some of them include the supply of Potions, Scrolls … but of course, I'm sure that Touch Me-sama has already anticipated those concerns. I stand once again in awe of your foresight."

-Huh?

Shin supposed he would just play along. No one would want to look bad in front of their subordinates, especially those that revere him to such an extent.

"Mhm. That being said. I do feel that I am giving you too much work. If you ever feel the workload is too much to handle, I wil-"

"No, not at all! To be able to serve a Supreme Being such as yourself is the sole reason for my existence. Please, command me however you wish. Though you may find me utterly lacking, I, Demiurge, shall strive to fulfill every single one of them!"

The demon vehemently protested. As a guardian, he desired nothing more than to be of use to the Supreme Being. The demon saw himself as a tool, whose job was to please and serve the Supreme Beings. A tool that is unable to live up to the expectations of their master deserved to be discarded.

The very thought that his master, the last Supreme Being that stayed behind, would perhaps abandon him due to his incompetence was a fate much worse than death. Demiurge had made up his mind from the very beginning to prove the worth of himself and the guardians to Touch Me, to prevent such a very scenario from coming to pass.

Shin drummed his fingers on the arms of the chair he sat on, ponding if he had left out any instructions.

A [Message] from Sebas interrupted his thoughts.

"[Touch Me-sama.]"

The butler spoke with utmost respect.

"[Speak.]"

"[There is a human village approximately 10 kilometres west of Nazarick that is under attack by knights. While they do not appear to have noticed our presence, I felt that I should still inform you given that there is a chance the incident might spill over.]"

"[I will return at once. Prepare to brief me on the situation as soon as I arrive.]"

"[Understood.]"

An idea popped up in Shin's mind.

"Narberal, Demiurge. We're returning to Nazarick."