Following his conversation with Ainz, Vahn was asked to wait in a lavish bedroom that had been prepared for him while his new skeletal friend met with the upper echelons of his group—the Floor Guardians and Overseers of The Great Tomb of Nazarick. With him in the room was a tall, beautiful, bespectacled Maid with sharp, intelligent features, glossy black hair tied back into a bun, and conspicuously lensless glasses. The hem of her long black dress reached all the way to the floor, and unlike a typical Maid, she had on thick, spiked, cactus-like bracers, metal armguards, layered metal hip guards, a metal corset that narrowed her waist, and a spiked pauldron adorning her left shoulder—making it clear she could take out all manners of trash, not just what collected in a bin.
After observing Vahn sitting with his eyes closed, waiting patiently atop an ivory-white, gold-backed chaise lounge for several minutes, the Maid, Yuri Alpha, broke the silence, asking, "Is there anything you would like to drink?" in a curt, cold tone.
"I wouldn't mind a glass of water," responded Vahn, opening his eyes and presenting a relaxed smile. His other selves were occupied in the Corridor, back in his palace, and in the Sadida Kingdom, so he had been in a kind of power-saving mode before Yuri spoke.
"As you will," responded Yuri, offering a slight bow before moving over to a service cart that had pitchers of tea, coffee, and water alongside a wide variety of cookies and chocolate skewers. Vahn was very briefly tempted to steal a glance at her notably pert posterior. But since he didn't want to compromise his burgeoning relationship with Ainz, he promptly closed his eyes and waited for her to return with the glass of water.
"As you requested," said Yuri, leaning forward in a way that felt intentional as she presented Vahn the crystalline, moisture-slicked glass of water on ice. In response, Vahn accepted it with a nod and a casual, "Your service is appreciated," before sipping the frigid liquid without hesitation. It had a faint mineral taste, but he actually preferred that to filtered water.
Waiting until Vahn lowered the glass from his lips, Yuri cooly inquired, "At the risk of coming across as impertinent, may I ask Lord Vahn a series of questions?"
"Ask away," responded Vahn, nodding.
"Is it true that you're a Supreme Being...?" asked Yuri, getting straight to the heart of her and many others' concerns.
"In a sense," confirmed Vahn. "But if you're asking as a point of reference for how to treat me, the residents of Nazarick owe me nothing, much less obeisance. I am ultimately an outsider, and I have no intention of inserting myself into a position of power or authority within your group. I am simply your Lord's guest."
"I see..." muttered Yuri, her angular, obsidian-black eyes narrowing before she spent several seconds in silent contemplation. Then, in the same tone as before, she asked, "Are you considered powerful? I have been finding it difficult to ascertain the answer to that question myself."
"Mmn...the answer to that is somewhat...complex..." responded Vahn, his smile broadening as he met Yuri's gaze and explained, "If it were a normal or practice battle, I would likely lose to the vast majority of those I've met since arriving at The Great Tomb of Nazarick. But if it's a battle I believe I should win—be it for personal or ontological reasons—I possess qualities that make me functionally immortal with limitless power scaling. In simple terms, I can't be beaten unless I accept defeat."
"That sounds...disconcerting..." reacted Yuri, her piercing gaze narrowing even further.
"Go ahead," said Vahn, catching Yuri off guard as he set aside his glass of water and cheekily noted, "You're thinking about testing my claims, right? Well, I'm giving you my express permission to attempt whatever you like. I came to realize long ago that it makes things easier when people know for a fact I'm not just making things up."
Seeing Vahn tap his chin with his right index finger and smile, ostensibly inviting her to attack, Yuri clenched her right hand into a fist and promptly complied. She briefly reconsidered her actions when he didn't attempt to dodge or move out of the way, but as his death would serve as empirical evidence that he wasn't a Supreme Being, she followed through, causing his head to burst like a melon and his blood to scatter in an arcing pattern across the wall behind him.
"..."
With Vahn's body falling limp and slipping from the sofa, Yuri experienced a surge of disdain rising from the core of her being. Before she could fully turn away and report the incident, however, a slapping sound reached her ear, prompting her to look back as Vahn's left hand pressed on the coffee table preceding the sofa. Then, still without a head, he pushed himself to retake his seat before the blood and gore that had been scattered across the wall began to evaporate.
'That was quite the punch,' hummed Vahn, his voice echoing along with a faint chuckle from the surrounding space. Immediately after, Yuri watched in silence as the fractured vertebrae in his neck began to extrude, forming four more before a skull began to take shape where his head had been. A few seconds later, blood vessels, muscles, and tendons rapidly took form, rising from his neck and wrapping around his skull before a fresh layer of healthy brown skin bloomed from the center of his forehead, followed by dark brown hair streaming from his scalp.
Punctuating his regeneration, Vahn opened his aquamarine eyes and met Yuri's gaze with a smile and asked, "Is there anything else you would like to try? Fire and acid are pretty popular, but even if you melt me down, I'm able to recreate this form from my spirit and will alone."
"You truly are a Supreme Being..." Yuri muttered, her tone measured and her throat tightening at the implication of Vahn's words. He had said that he had no desire to insert himself into a position of power and authority in Nazerick, but that was a problem in and of itself. If he weren't committed to their Lord and cause, there was the possibility of him becoming one of—if not the single greatest—obstacles in their path.
"What you're worrying about won't happen..." reassured Vahn, causing Yuri's pupils to dilate ever so slightly as he calmly appended, "Unlike me, your Master isn't a true outsider in this situation. Regardless of the path he chooses to walk, I will not intervene so long as he has a reason for his actions. I will try to steer him away from bad decisions, but his path and the path of Nazarick are not mine to dictate..."
Rising to his feet, causing Yuri to take a half-step back instinctively, Vahn took the initiative to head for the room's entrance. At that exact moment, a knock sounded at the door, prompting Yuri to hurriedly yet smoothly slip past him to open it. Standing outside was the elderly, Butler-dressed man Vahn had seen earlier. He was somewhat short at 179cm tall, but he had a faint Draconic Aura, and his steel-grey eyes, set within what appeared to be a perpetually serious face, exuded a supreme sense of self-assurance.
Placing a gloved right hand over his left breast, the elderly fellow, who Vahn had learned was called Sebas Tian—a surprisingly common name for Butlers across Invirtua—stated, " I apologize for disturbing you, Lord Vahn, but my Lord, Ainz Ooal Gown, requests your esteemed presence at the banquet being hosted in your honor. It would be my sincere pleasure to escort you to the venue."
"I am in your care," responded Vahn, offering a curt nod before stepping out of the room as Sebas naturally moved to the side and turned sharply on his heels to lead the way. Vahn followed him with a relaxed smile, and after closing the door to his room, Yuri hurried to catch up to them as five additional Maids joined her to flank him—three on each side. At a glance, it might have seemed like they were escorting him. But as he could sense their emotions, albeit vaguely, Vahn knew the real reason they were there was to prevent him from roaming freely—a notion he found as adorable as the Maids themselves...
...
..
.
As he allowed himself to be ushered through Nazarick's grand, spacious halls, Vahn allowed his gaze to wander to his baroque surroundings. The air was thick with the energy that made up Magical Power, and though his senses were dulled by the restrictions placed upon him by the world itself, he could sense the faint pressure of countless wards, denying him access to the surrounding space.
'Though it resembles the interior of a palace, the fortification of this place makes the defenses of E-Rantel seem inconsequential...' Vahn mused, his meandering gaze causing him to meet the shimmering golden eyes of the Maid directly to his right. She had fair brown skin, a notably athletic build, red hair fixed into two long braids, and, contrasting all but one other Maid, her attire was fairly revealing and lacking in protective plating. The hem of her ankle-length dress was lined in fluffy white fur, and there was a long, almost hip-length slit running up the left side, exposing her leg, stockings, and the string of the black garter belt she was wearing.
As striking as the woman's appearance was, it was her aura and the black-and-white cap atop her head that drew Vahn's attention. Despite the smile on her face, she had the air of a predator scrutinizing its next meal. And though they could be decorative, her hat had two protrusions that gave the impression they concealed cat or dog-like ears.
"You smell really good..." said the Maid, rather abruptly. At the same time, the smile on her face broadened, a faint twinkle appearing in her eyes as she gave her lips a quick, moistening lick.
"Lupusregina Beta. Please do not say or do anything that might cause the guest of our Lord discomfort..." expressed Sebas, keeping his gaze to the front but sharpening his naturally gravelly tone like a blade.
"On the contrary. I'm accustomed to people wanting to take a bite out of me~" joked Vahn, seeing through Lupusregina's smile and intentions as if they were written across her face. She reminded him of Lupheria when he first encountered her, and if her name was any indicator, Lupusregina was either a Werewolf or a proper wolf in human form. After all, Lupus was the Latin word for wolf, with regina translating to Queen.
"Could I take a bite out of you...?" asked the shortest, youngest-looking member of the Maids. Her voice warbled as if she were speaking through a spinning fan, and though she might have looked cute from several tens of meters away, her lustrous purple hair, fixed into large, bao-style buns and bangs that framed her face, was comprised of coiled centipedes and insect legs. Her custom Maid attire had Japanese elements and billowing sleeves that concealed her hands, and her face resembled the visage of a harlequin doll with red-and-purple compound eyes and a snaggletoothed smile.
Without missing a beat, surprising everyone in the formation except for Yuri, Vahn presented his left forearm and replied, "Sure. But just a small one. If you try to take more, I might not give you another, no matter how many times you ask."
Confused by Vahn's response, the pint-sized Maid looked to Sebas, who had stopped the procession to turn and stare at Vahn with a scrutinizing gaze.
"As long as you can keep her under control if she loses it, it will be fine," affirmed Vahn, holding Sebas's gaze without a shred of fear or hesitation in his clear aquamarine eyes.
Lending credence to Vahn's assurance, Yuri calmly contributed, "I have seen what Lord Vahn is capable of. If he says it's fine, there shouldn't be any issues."
"Very well, then..." responded Sebas, continuing to hold Vahn's gaze for several seconds before glancing at the insectoid Maid, who was already starting to drool from behind her mask-like face, stating, "You heard him, Entoma Vasilissa Zeta. You may take a single bite."
"With pleasure~" responded Entoma, grabbing Vahn's hand with what felt like claws, hidden within her sleeves. Then, using razor-sharp teeth and a pair of mandibles concealed beneath her chin, she unhesitantly chomped down on his forearm and tore a chunk clean from the bone.
"That was a big bite~" hummed Vahn, his composed, visibly amused smile noted by everyone present. They also noticed that, despite his ulna bone being visible, there was no blood gushing from his wound. And as Entoma held her hands up to her face, tensing her claws, and audibly clicking with tremendous glee, the wound rapidly closed...
...
..
.