EPILOGUE
“Ane-san, looks like you’re ready.”
Jugem commented on Enri’s appearance as he entered her home.
“Yes, that’s right… is it odd?”
Enri asked Jugem while looking down at the dress she was wearing ― one of the best she had, which she usually reserved for the harvest festival.
“Not at all, don’t you think, Ani-san?”
“Mm. You’re very pretty, Enri.”
“Ahhh, really now!”
With a red face, Enri stared at Jugem and a smiling Nemu. Or rather, at Nemu's mischievous grin.
Ever since Enri and Nfirea’s relationship had taken a step forward, she wanted to call out Nemu’s transient facial expressions as they came, but Enri knew that would just embarrass herself more and wisely kept her mouth shut.
However, leaving it alone was dangerous too. Especially for Nemu.
Sometimes, her little sister would ask questions that she couldn’t answer.
I keep thinking that over the past few days, I’ve matured mentally… maybe I should ask Enfi for help for this…
Seeing the plea in Enri’s eyes, her lover spoke.
“Umm, ahem! Speaking of which, Jugem-san, can you use that magic sword well? I heard it’s not like normal swords, and using it is tiring.”
The greatsword Jugem was holding had been obtained in the raid several days ago.
“I’ve gotten used to the sword’s weight and center of gravity, so I can use it as well as my old sword. As expected of a magic weapon, its sharpness and so on are much better than the other one. However… the poison in here, it weakens its opponent’s strength, but it’s a bit strange…”
“It is? Is it a powerful effect?”
“Well, it’s not a particularly strong poison. Someone like me can resist it easily. However, against weaker opponents…”
Jugem’s face took on a dark expression.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah―” Jugem said as he looked to the ceiling, speaking in an irritated voice. “I was thinking about the troll I got this sword from, he seemed like an odd fellow.”
“The corpse doesn’t seem any different from a normal troll. Maybe it was a subrace?”
“No, no, I didn’t mean that, Ani-san. From its movements, its lack of regeneration, the way it felt when I cut into it… it felt weird… that’s right, like a body that was already dead. Something bizarre and foreboding like that.”
“A moving corpse? Like a zombie?”
“I don’t know. There might be a species of troll like that―”
“―Thanks for waiting!”
The door opened in time with that fresh and bright proclamation.
With the sun at her back, Lupusregina strolled boldly into Enri’s house. As Enri and friends watched in stunned silence, a pang sound came from the top of Lupusregina’s head.
“Owie~”
“You idiot. How could you be so rude? Everyone, I apologize on her behalf.”
After pulling Lupusregina back, the woman in the back bowed to them.
“I am Ainz-sama’s maid, Yuri Alpha. I am here to receive Nfirea-sama, Enri-sama and Nemu-sama. Will you permit us entry?”
“Ah, yes. Please come in, Lupusregina too.”
The woman who had entered with Lupusregina had an otherworldly beauty, just like Lupusregina.
“Then, once you’re ready, we can begin the teleportation straight away.”
“Te-teleportation? You can teleport?!”
Nfirea was practically shouting. Although Enri didn’t know why Nfirea was so surprised, she could guess that it was a big deal.
Was teleporting the Warrior-Chief and the others a big deal too?
“Ah, no. This is not my power, but the power of a magic item Ainz-sama gave me.”
“…The horn, the potions too. He’s amazing. Why is he so amazing?”
Nfirea’s shoulder sagged. Sensing an opportunity, Enri decided to ask a question.
“Then, is it really all right for me to go? And my little sister too!”
Today was the day that the village’s savior, Ainz Ooal Gown, had invited Nfirea to his home. However, she felt unease when she heard that even a mere village girl like herself could go along. Their host was a powerful magic caster, and they were people who lived in completely different worlds. The idea that she might accidentally do something rude made her stomach hurt.
“It’s cool~ since we’re celebrating Enfi-chan’s new invention, his girlfriend En-chan can come along, no problem. Ainz-sama said so too, yanno. Formality’s not such a big deal.”
“…Lupus, mind your tone.”
“Yuri-nee, what’s wrong with that? We’re friends, right? En-chan~”
“Eh? Ah, yes. Yes. Just like that. Mm.”
Yuri sighed with a ‘Haaa…’, then walked to the front of a nearby wall. Suddenly, as though erupting from some form of space, a gigantic wooden closet appeared. It was big enough for people to pass through with ease, and its exterior was intricately carved, so it looked like a decorative closet.
“…Could this be a ‘pocket space’? No, this is too big, it should be a higher tiered spell.”
“Come, please, step inside. Lupus, can I trust the safety of this place to you?”
“Understood su~”
The wooden cabinet should have been backed up against a wall, but when one looked inside, its interior seemed to stretch into another world.
Yuri took the first step and walked through to the other side of the closet.
She was followed by Nfirea, and a little bit later, by Enri holding onto Nemu’s hand.
They passed through the wall ahead of them without resistance, and found themselves inside a vast, grand pathway, flanked by statues on both sides that were so life-like it seemed like they might even move.
“Uwah~”
Nemu exclaimed softly as she looked around the ceiling, her mouth as wide as her eyes. In order to keep her from falling, Enri looked forward as well.
“Amazing…”
The floor was made of polished rock, on which a colorful carpet had been laid to show the way forward. Enri was struck dumb with admiration; she imagined that this must be what palaces looked like.
“Please, walk this way.”
Yuri’s voice snapped her out of her daze, and she thought of running a little to catch up with the two people ahead of them. But since that would be entirely unbefitting of a place like this, Enri merely quickened her footsteps to advance swiftly.
After walking for a distance, a wall appeared with a closet door upon it, similar to the one they had used to enter. However, there were two key differences. The first was that this door was several times larger than the first, big enough for several people to enter at the same time. The second was because an image of the other side was projected onto the door, and a multicolored film of magic opened up inside it.
“Then, please enter like you did previously.”
Enri and Nfirea looked at each other.
“We’ll go in together.”
Enri and Nfirea linked their hands. From left to right stood Nemu, Enri and Nfirea, and together they walked into the door.
In an instant, amidst a shower of pink petals, there was a vision of a woman in clothes which were red on top and white below―