The Ritual of Experience
"You don't need to be so nervous; just relax. It's not like I'm some kind of man-eating demon lord," Eriri joked lightly, addressing Imina and her companions.
Seeing Eriri's easygoing attitude, the trio visibly relaxed, though they still didn't act as comfortably as they did around Arche.
Eriri didn't mind. If not for Arche, she and the trio would likely never have crossed paths in this lifetime. Their overnight stay was mainly so that Arche could introduce them to Eriri, especially to help Imina establish a friendly relationship.
This was a strategic move for when Arche eventually brought Imina into the chat group. That way, Imina wouldn't feel too unfamiliar with the other members.
In a way, Eriri was the de facto representative of the chat group. Building a rapport with her was practically equivalent to forming good relationships with the other members.
Now that the goal was achieved, there wasn't much reason for Imina and her team to linger. Not long after, they bid farewell and left Arche's mansion.
Before they departed, Arche divided some of the treasures she had taken from Nazarick's underground tomb among the trio. Though it was only a small fraction of her total haul, it was more than enough to ensure they would never need to worry about money again.
However, even with such wealth in hand, the "Foresight" team would not disband. Arche had originally become a worker for the sake of quick money, but Imina and her companions each had their own reasons.
Take Roberdyck, for example. As a priest, he had refused to serve under the temple's rigid system, which mandated that all healing services—regardless of the recipient's financial situation—must be paid for. Violating this rule would result in persecution by the temple. To bypass these constraints and aid the poor, Roberdyck chose to become a free agent instead of a formal adventurer.
About half an hour after Imina's group left, Milim, who had been exploring Arche's mansion under the guidance of Kuuderika and Ureirika, suddenly approached Eriri.
"Eriri, I'm heading out to play!" Milim announced cheerfully. Without waiting for a response, she leapt into the air from the courtyard and disappeared into the skies above the imperial capital.
Eriri merely chuckled softly and made no move to stop her.
Milim's behavior was hardly unexpected. Knowing her hyperactive personality, it was inevitable that she would venture out to explore a new world. Given her strength, she was undoubtedly an unstoppable force in this world. There was no need for Eriri to worry about her safety.
Eriri wasn't the type to stay cooped up indoors, either. A few minutes after Milim left, she and the rest of the group joined Arche and her sisters for a tour around the capital.
The Baharuth Empire's capital, Arwintar, was situated in the western part of the empire. Its majestic imperial palace stood proudly in the city's center, surrounded by vital institutions such as research facilities, the Imperial Magic Academy, and various administrative buildings. The area served as the heart of the empire.
If these institutions were ever destroyed, it would spell disaster for the empire, potentially leading to its collapse.
Despite its relatively small population compared to the royal capital of the Re-Estize Kingdom, Arwintar's scale and infrastructure were far superior, reflecting the empire's greater overall strength.
The sight of Eriri and her group naturally drew a great deal of attention. This was hardly surprising—wherever Eriri went, her presence inevitably caused a commotion.
However, Eriri had no intention of concealing her beauty. She wouldn't let the opinions of others diminish her brilliance. If anyone dared to cause trouble, she wouldn't hesitate to retaliate. In her world, the concept of "trouble" simply didn't exist.
Case in point: a young nobleman in luxurious attire suddenly stepped in front of them, flanked by three men and a woman who exuded the aura of seasoned adventurers. Judging by his haughty demeanor, he clearly came from a prominent family within the empire.
When the surrounding bystanders saw him, their expressions turned pale, and they quickly averted their gazes, scurrying away.
"Such a beauty! Are you all sightseeing? Why not let me show you around? I know this city like the back of my hand," the young man said with a greedy glint in his eyes. Though he framed his words as a suggestion, his tone carried no trace of genuine courtesy.
Before Eriri could respond, a chillingly sweet voice interrupted from her side.
"Onee-chan, can I cut them up?" Kohina asked, her crimson eyes fixed intently on the young man. If Eriri gave her the word, she would dismember him and his entourage in an instant.
Thanks to Eriri's training, Kohina's strength had already reached the peak of Level 3, nearly touching Level 4. Though this level wasn't particularly impressive within the chat group, in this world, it was terrifyingly high. Aside from Arche, no one in the empire could match her.
Eriri, unsurprisingly, had no intention of stopping her. She wasn't concerned about escalating the situation—even if the emperor himself were involved, her response would be the same.
"Go ahead," Eriri said lightly, shielding Kuuderika and Ureirika's eyes with a casual wave of her hand to spare them from what was about to happen.
At her command, Kohina drew two long blades from her storage ring, weapons personally crafted by Eriri. In a blur, she charged at the nobleman and his guards.
Seconds later, Kohina returned to Eriri's side. Behind her lay a macabre scene of severed limbs and five heads frozen in expressions of terror.
With a wave of Eriri's hand, the remains vanished, leaving the ground pristine. The surrounding onlookers, who had dared to sneak glances, recoiled in fear and fled, no longer daring to linger.
Once Kuuderika and Ureirika's gazes were restored, Eriri and her group continued their sightseeing as if nothing had happened.
Hours later, after spending the entire morning exploring the Imperial Capital, Eriri and her group returned to Arche's mansion. Along the way, a few troublemakers appeared, but without exception, they were all swiftly dealt with by Kohina.
The group did not opt for lunch outside but instead brought out meals prepared in advance by Aoi Kudo from Eriri's storage space.
Since the storage space lacked the concept of time, everything placed inside remained perfectly preserved. Freshly prepared meals could be stored and retrieved in the exact same condition no matter how much time had passed.
Before coming to the Overlord world, Eriri had asked Aoi to prepare several days' worth of meals.
Of course, Eriri could have simply traveled between worlds whenever she wished. Opening a dimensional portal was no different to her than opening a door in her own house. However, she wanted to immerse herself in the experience of "traveling to another world."
Staying consecutively in a foreign world for several days gave her the feeling of an authentic journey. Popping back into her own world for meals and rest before returning would have disrupted that sense of ritual.
Rather than heading to the dining hall, they placed a large table in the mansion's central hall.
Soon, steaming dishes were neatly arranged on the table. The enticing aroma wafted through the room, making Ureirika and Kuuderika visibly salivate.
The twins, Ureirika and Kuuderika, bore such a striking resemblance to each other that one might mistake them for mirror images. While they weren't quite as indistinguishably identical as Yukino and Akino, the difference was barely perceptible.
They distinguished themselves by their clothing: Ureirika wore a blue dress, while Kuuderika wore the same style in pink.
"Wow, it smells so good!" Ureirika closed her eyes and used her tiny hands to fan the steam toward her face, a look of bliss spreading across her expression.
Kuuderika mimicked her sister's actions, then opened her eyes and excitedly looked at Eriri. "Eriri-sis, is this food made by Aoi-nee?"
The last time they had tasted Aoi's cooking was over a month ago, during Sakura's belated birthday celebration. They had been missing it ever since.
"That's right. If you like it, eat as much as you want," Eriri said with a smile, ruffling the twins' hair with both hands. "And if you ever want to eat Aoi's cooking again, tell your sister. I'll bring you over to my house to play. Reina and Sakura have been missing you two as well."
"Mm-hmm, it's a promise! I miss Reina and Sakura too!" Ureirika and Kuuderika beamed with delight.
Watching Eriri interact so warmly with her younger sisters, Arche's heart filled with happiness, and an affectionate smile spread across her face.
"Alright, everyone, let's eat!" Arche called, and the group quickly gathered around the table. The twins returned to their seats beside their sister.
Eriri sat between Kohina and Scarlet, with Ophis nestled comfortably in her lap.
Ophis, with her petite, soft, and fragrant body, was one of Eriri's favorite "pillows." Her silent and calm demeanor made her the perfect lap companion, never fidgeting unnecessarily.
"Arche, now that Nazarick is dealt with, what are your plans? It seems like humans don't have much standing in your world," Eriri asked casually, picking up a piece of boneless chicken with her chopsticks and feeding it to Ophis.
Ophis chewed slowly, her face as impassive as ever. Yet, the slight swinging of her small white legs betrayed her pleasant mood.
"I'm not sure… I hadn't thought that far ahead. My mind was entirely focused on dealing with Nazarick," Arche admitted awkwardly.
Over the past three months, she had spent most of her time consuming chat group points to enhance her strength. The rest of her time was divided between completing tasks with Foresight or exploring dangerous, undiscovered ruins.
This was how Arche had accumulated the wealth to buy her current mansion.
The most significant thing she had done, aside from Nazarick, was teaming up with Blue Roses to annihilate the Eight Fingers criminal organization and their Six Arms bodyguards. Everything else seemed trivial in comparison.
"You should take some time to explore every corner of your world. That might give you a better idea of what to do next," Eriri said seriously, before taking a large bite of tender fish.
Ophis, nestled in Eriri's lap, suddenly tilted her head to look up at her and pointed to the fish Eriri had just bitten into. "I want that."
Without hesitation, Eriri released the fish from her chopsticks and leaned down to feed the other half directly into Ophis's mouth. Then, as if nothing unusual had occurred, she straightened up.
Ophis contentedly chewed her fish, her little white legs swinging more energetically now.
After swallowing the fish, Eriri turned back to Arche. "As for Ureirika and Kuuderika, you should take them with you on your journey. Consider it a world tour. Of course, if they'd rather stay at my place and play with Reina and Sakura, that's fine too."
Arche considered the suggestion and found it appealing. She didn't have any immediate plans, and even if Foresight took on tasks, she could always find time to join Imina and the others to complete them.
With her current strength, circling the entire world wouldn't take long. She could easily alternate between completing missions and continuing her travels.
Having made up her mind, she decided to let her sisters choose for themselves whether they wanted to accompany her or visit Eriri's home.
"Got it. I'll start exploring my world. As for you two," Arche said, turning warmly to her sisters, "do you want to travel the world with me, or go to Eriri's house to play with Reina and Sakura?"
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