He sighed. Might as well get a novel to read.
Since arriving, he'd only been reading books on history, magic, politics—whatever would help him survive in this world. He hadn't touched any fiction. No stories, no tales. No time.
But now? He had a rare window of free time. And reading a novel was something only he could enjoy. Sure, he could send a clone to read it—but what was the point? Even if he could remember the content through them, even some of the emotional impressions… it wouldn't be the same.
That's the one thing I'm not outsourcing.
With a small smirk, he turned and started walking toward the mansion's library, letting the distant thunder roll behind him.
And leaving his sixty clones so they could grind in peace.... And maybe curse him behind his back too.
.
.
Kaeya walked into the forest, eyes scanning the shadows between trees as distant thunder from magical testing echoed faintly. His fifty clones were still hard at work.
Fifty, not sixty.
The ten he had assigned to study the Flow Method had already completed their task—and faster than expected. That was the reason he'd come out in the first place.
According to one of the books he'd skimmed, the Flow Method was something that could be refined over time, trained to near-perfection. But it also mentioned a certain kind of person: individuals born with a natural talent for it, subconsciously syncing their mana with physical movement from the start.
Talk about unfair advantages in medieval fantasy worlds.
Still, the way his clones mastered it so quickly—and the fact that their knowledge felt immediately familiar when it returned to him—pointed to a simple conclusion.
Either I'm one of those lucky few… or just a really fast learner.
He smirked faintly at the thought, though there wasn't much pride behind it, Or maybe there was. But he would prefer to say it was just curiosity.
The idea that the previous owner of this body might've known the Flow Method crossed his mind—barely.
He didn't like thinking about that.
The kind of thought that didn't lead anywhere useful. As far as he was concerned, this was his body now. Whoever came before didn't matter anymore. Entertaining the topic only left him with a strange, imaginary headache—like his brain was politely refusing to deal with it.
Too early in the day for existential mess, he muttered inwardly.
He wasn't sure which it was. Maybe it didn't matter. Either way, it saved him time.
Not that i am complaining, though. He thought coming back to the previous topic.
He paused by a moss-covered rock, glancing back toward the clearing where his other clones continued hammering away at Al Zoltraak.
I should check in on their progress soon… but first, he thought, stretching his arms above his head with a quiet sigh.
.
.
"Who leaves guests alone in their mansion anyway?" Kaeya muttered under his breath.
He was starting to feel a bit hungry—he hadn't eaten anything all day. Normally, skipping meals didn't bother him. Back in his own world, he'd often forget to eat while holed up in his room, gaming/watching anime for hours.
But now? Now he missed the maids. He even considered going into the kitchen and making something himself, But that felt weird.
Being alone in the mansion was starting to wear on him. The silence, the emptiness—it wasn't just boring anymore; it was unsettling. And truthfully, it wasn't even the mansion that bothered him most.
The thoughts of what might be happening in the village was a bigger problem.
The longer he stayed away, the more awkward it would be when he finally went to the village. Of course, he could always blame it on exhaustion from the Elsa and mage fight. That excuse would hold up just fine.
Still, he exhaled sharply. "I think, I should just go."
.
.
After a few dozen minutes of walking—and silently wondering why the mansion had so few workers—Kaeya finally reached the village.
The sun was beginning its slow descent, casting long shadows across the cobblestone paths. If he had to guess, it would be dark in about an hour. Probably.
A small relief. The time of day he hated the most was early morning and midday.
He wasn't entirely sure why. But whenever he stepped outside during sunrise, or when the sun was directly overhead, it gave him a strange anxiety. Like the world was on the brink of something awful, even if everything seemed fine.
So he preferred to either wake up late and stay indoors… or wake up absurdly early, around 2 or 3 a.m.
The quiet of those hours was easier to bear than the suffocating brightness of noon.
Just as his inner complaints were starting to settle down, he finally stepped past the last row of trees and into the village.
It looked… normal. People moved about with familiar routines, going about there day as if nothing had happened.
And then a voice reached his ears. A voice he knew well enough.
"Kaeya!"
Emilia's voice. Laced with clear urgency—and something else, maybe worry.
Kaeya turned toward her and offered a casual smile. "Hey, Emilia. Is something the matter? You look worried."
Emilia jogged up to him, her breath a little rushed, hands slightly clenched. "Beatrice told me… Subaru went back into the forest, along with Ram."
Kaeya's eyes narrowed slightly. "What?"
"Rem went off on her own," Emilia continued, clearly frustrated. "She thought if she killed all the remaining mabeasts, the curse on Subaru will lift. And now both of them, are out there trying to find her."
"I was asleep," Emilia said, guilt flashing across her face. "I was completely drained from healing Subaru earlier. If I'd been awake, I wouldn't have let them go."
Before Kaeya could respond, a gust of wind suddenly howled overhead. A high-pitched hum cut through the air like a blade, and in the next moment, a brilliant streak of color shot down from the sky.
Roswaal descended like a comet, his robes fluttering , then gracefully spiraled as he landed.
"Oooohhh my, Is there a probleeem~? You loooook worrried Emiiillliiiaaa-saaamaaa."
Emilia quickly turned to him, worry pressing into her voice.
"Roswaal! Subaru, Ram, and Rem are all in the forest. Rem went after the mabeasts on her own, and they followed to help her. They might be in danger!"
Roswaal's head tilted ever so slightly, a faint smile dancing on his lips as his mismatched eyes flicked toward Kaeya. "Aaaand our esteemed guueest~? Where was he during all this lovely disaaarray~?"
"I stayed back at the mansion. After what happened yesterday, it seemed like things had settled down. I assumed no one would be heading out again so soon." Kaeya replied, However in his mind the thoughts were completely different.
He didn't let a hint of his true feelings show. When it came to giving excuses, telling lies, or speaking to people he wasn't particularly close to—especially authority figures—he slipped into a state of emotional detachment. In this state, he became a mere reflection of what others wanted him to be. Ninety percent of him would act in line with their expectations, while the remaining ten percent would quietly consider his own thoughts, though rarely acting on them.
Emilia, Roswaal, Beatrice, Rem and Ram were no exception to this, and to some extent Subaru as well, for now that is.
Roswaal gave a soft chuckle, though there was a thread of steel woven beneath his amusement. "Ahhh, buuuut this is a very reckless, Kaeya-kun~."
"Yeah, sorry," he said awkwardly, scratching his cheek. He played along, but the words didn't quite come from the heart.
Roswall turned, his expression losing its playful edge for a moment as he stared toward the darkening tree line.
"Well then, I suuuuppose I'll have to go and see how the chaaos is unfolding myyyself~."
Phew, atleast i dont have to go and fight.
And with no further delay, Roswaal rose effortlessly into the air.
Leaving Kaeya and Emilia alone to talk, to his dismay—that is exactly what he had hoped to avoid right now. He would have much preferred to stay out of any further conversations, especially given everything that had just happened, but now here they were.
.
.
Emilia let out a slow breath, her shoulders easing as the last of the adrenaline drained from her system. The worry hadn't disappeared completely—but with Roswaal gone to help, there was at least some comfort.
"You left pretty quickly after everything yesterday…" she said, her tone soft but carrying a hint of accusation. "Rem told me you got separated on the way to the village because of a mabeast attack. When I woke up, you were already gone." Then, she added with a faint pout, "Wait—don't tell me, were you lazing off?"
She said it like she was scolding a small child.
Kaeya took a short breath. He was a little put off by Emilia's playful teasing.
"On the way to the village, After dealing with the mabeasts. I was attacked by Elsa, She didn't show up alone this time. The mage she brought liked using fire magic and was kind of relentless about it. It wasn't easy dealing with both of them. But… I handled it."
Emilia's eyes widened slightly, concern replacing her earlier teasing. "Kaeya… that sounds serious. Are you alright? Why didn't you tell anyone?"
He shook his head gently—not dismissively. "I'm alright. I know some healing magic. Enough to take care of it myself."
"After that, I figured things had calmed down. So I stayed at the mansion. That's all."
The explanation seemed to have satisfied Emilia, much to Kaeya's relief.
Roswaal, along with Rem and Ram, returned not long after, with an unconscious Subaru. This time, without delay, They went straight to the mansion.
.
.
.
Kaeya stepped out of Roswaal's office and let out a slow breath.
While Subaru was being tended to by Emilia—likely with Beatrice and maybe Puck assisting—Kaeya had spent that time recounting his side of events to Roswaal. The conversation had been long, occasionally frustrating.
Now, finally free to retreat into some quiet, Kaeya made his way back to his room.
Before settling in, he sent out a telepathic command to his clones to disperse after leaving the mansion. He stepped inside, unfastened the sword at his waist, and slipped his dark green cloak from his shoulders, draping it over a nearby chair. Then he sat on the edge of the bed.
The moment he relaxed, the rush came—streams of information flooding into his mind as the clones' experiences integrated with his own. It took him a few minutes to sort through the information, categorizing it where needed, discarding the rest.
Once it passed, he eased back onto the bed, folding his arms beneath his head. The breeze from the open window cooled the room just enough to be pleasant.
He hadn't yet found anything that could match the dopamine highs of late-night gaming or watching anime, using magic for the first few days was exhilarating enough, but he soon got used to it. Still all things considered, this life wasn't bad. Not yet, at least. He had to talk to more people than he was used to. And, of course, the lack of digital anything still left an odd emptiness.
But for now, lying in that quiet room, things felt manageable.
After a few moments, he considered going to check on Subaru—but quickly dismissed the idea. The room was likely crowded, and that alone was enough to keep him away.
It wasn't a complicated calculation. If Emilia, Puck, and Rem were already there, then anyone new entering would immediately draw more attention than he was in the mood to deal with.