Overlord: Blue Citadel Alternate

Enri stood there staring at the crater which now decorated the place that her little sister said Vertum was. Her eyes drifted a little distance away, noticing crimson blood in the grass. Worry filled her eyes as she brought fingers to her lips. Though it seemed Vertum may have been victorious, the thought of him being hurt didn't sit well with her. At the same time, the fight had been quick, brief as it were.

There was some sort of debris littering the field, it looked like little black cubes with colored stickers on it. Perhaps it was some sort of toy? Enri wasn't sure.

Just how strong was he? Who had he fought exactly? Nemu said it was an elf, but she found it unlikely that a mere humanoid could stand against Vertum. She had seen his strength first hand.

That was when she noticed the trail in the ground, created by a sharp object. It was as if someone was dragging a single-bladed plow along behind them.

"What in the world...?" She blinked her pretty brown eyes and started to follow the mark left behind by Zesshi's battle scythe. Her pace was quick and soon as she reached a dirt path, she found Vertum's draconic footprints.

Judging by the tracks, he seemed alright. Though she did notice a few drops of blood here and there, most likely belonging to the elf. Why was he carrying the person who tried attacking him?

She was growing curious about this of course, but from what Nemu had said in her panic, the elf was a young woman or girl. It was hard to tell with elves as their minds grow faster than their bodies thanks to their lengthened lifespan.

With the grass crunching beneath her feet, it didn't take long for her to reach the edge of the Forested area within the walls. She blinked staring at the trail which continued on in the direction leading to the City entrance.

Had he taken her back to the Castle? No, surely not. There was no reason to walk if that were the case. Why did he bring her into the forest though?

As adventurous as ever, Enri made her choice and charged on into the forest at a steady jog. Her eyes trailed over the bushes and the trees, the roots that had been severed by the scythe itself.

It seemed the weapon the elf had been using was exceptionally powerful. It could have definitely hurt Vertum if that was the case. Worry took her again, but she continued on.

"He better not be hurt," Enri uttered to herself, though hse knew she was a mere farm girl, she would beat that Elf down to size. At least that is what she wanted to do anyway.

Despite the fact that Vertum had cornered her into taking a vow to him, a life debt, she did sincerely care for him. That and he took her first time, despite her inexperience, wanted another round... She wanted to do it again, having discovered a refined interest in the activity.

Perhaps this time they could take it to the bed? She wondered just what he was doing now though as her mind drifted back on task. Her hunt for the dragon continued, she knew she was growing closer.

Hearing words, she slowed her jog and listened, continuing to follow the trail that was left clear for her to find. Soon enough, she found him and if anything, Vertum was fine which made her sigh in relief. On his l.a.p however was the elf, blood trickling down from the side of her mouth.

Enri stared at the young girl which was in Vertum's arms, his hand grasping at the elf's ear. "Vertum, are you alright?" She asked as she closed in on him, smiling lightly as she did.

His eyes drifted on over to her from Zesshi who was now resting in his l.a.p, unconscious, he hadn't healed her injuries as they weren't necessarily life-threatening.

"Yes, I'm alright," Vertum had no problem responded with a light chuckle to his answer, his eyes dancing over her clothes. She was in her usual attire again, the yellow and orange dress she often wore even in the fields. Her form still hasn't changed even though it hadn't been six weeks.

"Thank goodness..." She came over to the two of them and dropped onto her knees, sitting on her legs a few inches away from Vertum. "Uh... How about her, is she alright? Who is she anyway?"

"She's alive," shrugging to her first question, "She's the illegitimate Princess of the Elf King and a member of the Slaine Theocracy... Or former member," His eyes returned to Zesshi, "Her name is Zesshi."

"Princess Zesshi?" This woman definitely outranked her in the sense of social status.

Vertum wiped the blood away from the girl's lips with his thumb.

"What do you plan on doing with her? If you... Don't mind me asking." Enri smiled nervously, speaking meekly, not knowing if she was crossing the line by asking him these questions.

He, however, remained calm, not really caring for her curiosity and seemed to not mind answering. Vertum saw her as a direct subordinate, for the time being, he trusted her.

There was nothing bad that would come of responding to her.

"This one is obsessed with my strength in which I used to defeat her... She wishes to bond with me," he worded it strangely though he believed she'd get the meaning of his words.

"Ah..." She narrowed her eyes on the elf, a frown across her lips. They had fought, she had lasted a few seconds or even minutes, faster than anyone she might have seen. Of course she never even witnessed the fight, but she could easily measure the time it took her to get to the scene and how long it took for him to get to the forest. "Why are you holding her ear?"

"She hates her heritage despite the political power behind it," he responded as he knew that Zesshi was still asleep from the way of her breathing. "And I have an interest in these flimsy things..."

Vertum played with the ear he held, with his fingers, lightly playing with the tip which caused her to shift in his l.a.p, burying her face in his c.h.e.s.t.

"Flimsy?" Enri found herself giggling lightly as she c.o.c.ked her head to the side, "She really wants you for defeating her... Huh?" She seemed to sound sour at the idea, but at the same time, it wasn't really something she could change. He was a dragon despite his human form, he was drawn to hoard be it people, lovers or treasure. Most of it didn't bother her.

"Her presence doesn't lessen your worth, Enri." Vertum reached over with his free arm and pulled her into his l.a.p along with Zesshi who seemed to subconsciously smile at the additional warmth.

Zesshi even though she wasn't conscious, had no problem with polyamorous relationsh.i.p.s, whether they were romantic or solely for s.e.x.u.a.l activities. It was a common practice amongst Godkin within the Theocracy and likely had been with the Gods, which shaped this mindset. Though as she smelled the air, her eyes fluttered open and she blinked seeing a farmer awkwardly being held alongside her.

Enri was making herself seem small. "Uh...um..."

"Mmm..." Stretching, closing her eyes a bit, she winced before smirking to herself. "Another lover?" The heterochromatic half-elf poked the tip of her tongue out, wetting her lips. Zesshi didn't seem to have the slightest reservation, she was up for sharing him, even though Enri had come first.

"Yes," Enri suddenly had a confident look on her face, nodding with her hands curled into fists. Her gaze then traced on over to Vertum from the corner of her eye, he seemed to be smirking.

"How many people do you have with a life debt...?" Enri immediately turned to look at her Emperor, pursing her lips at him as she was curious.

"Just you and Lysithea," parting his lips at her he arched a brow as he replied to the inquiry.

"Lysithea?" She didn't know the one identified as Ninya was a girl, or at least wasn't entirely sure, as the information only reached the Adventurer's party. "The Adventurer?"

"Ninya," Vertum cleared his throat, "Yes."

"Wait, he's a she?" Though not entirely surprised, she had her eyes widened, "So the particular reason why you asked her for a life debt, was because she was..."

"A girl dressed up like a common jack? The only reason," Vertum openly admitted as he could see Zesshi grinning from the corner of his eye. "Aside from the fact, I don't save lives for free."

The last part didn't faze Enri, no one did anything for free. She was sure that he had only helped the village to get his hands on her in the first place. Either way, she was grateful for that.

Soon relaxing against his c.h.e.s.t, Enri's gaze matched Zesshi's. "So I saw a broken item with multiple colors, what exactly was that?"

"Rubik's cube," both Zesshi and Vertum answered her in near sync, both of them knowing what it was. This triggered all three of them into a short burst of laughter.

"Did you 'bond' with Lysithea?" Enri's eyes drifted over to Vertum once they calmed down a bit.

"Nope, not in that way... We just talked." Wearing a slightly smug look on his face, he hadn't slept with Lysithea, though he was planning to eventually after the leveling experiment was completed.

That was when a bush started to rustle about.

Vertum's head turned to the side in order to face it sniffing the air as he did so, a chuckle escaping his lips. He knew exactly was making the ruckus within the bush.

Suddenly Nemu emerged, her little white-collared blue dress and red handkerchief stained. "Enri-neechan?" her eyes centered on the elf for a few seconds before she took a jump back.

"Nemu?!" Enri blinked seeing her little sister having come onto the scene.

"Ahaha... Oh? You two are related?" Zesshi wheezed lightly, "Sorry about the whole throwing thing, but I had the utmost belief that he would catch you."

"Who is this scary lady!?" Nemu wanted to hide behind the nearest tree as she was being eyed by the elf, generally scarred from being thrown at Vertum.

"My name is Zesshi, you can call me Nee-chan too," she grinned widely at the child due to this. "I always wanted a little sister," she said this just to say it and attempt to ease the child towards her.

"O-okay," the little girl said hesitantly observing the two on Vertum's l.a.p. "Zesshi Nee-chan?" She questioned the very taste of the words that came off her own mouth.

"I thought I told you to wait in the house, how long have you been there?" Enri stared at the tattered dress her adorable little sister wore.

"I followed you here," Nemu changed her tone as she became smug, grinning at her sister had shown her eager defiance. Then her eyes shifted to Vertum, "Girls aren't collector's items you know," she fixed her hands to her h.i.p.s, making herself seem bigger and stern as she stood on her toes.

"Don't compare your sister to your rock collection," Vertum clicked his teeth together, speaking in a sarcastic tone. He didn't see women as a set of collectors items, nor was he seeking a harem, he just needed to get rid of this empty, hollow, feeling that has haunted him since his arrival.

"EH!? How did you know about my rocks!?" As if playing Simon Says, Nemu places her hands on her head in confusion.

"I am all-knowing," the truth be told, he knew her hobbies due to the reports from the initial scrying sessions of the village by his Overlord subordinates.

"Nemu, you collect rocks?" Enri blinked as she looked to her sister with a brow raised.

Vertum smirked, victorious in changing the subject and focus of inquiry.